West Coast Bike Week creates exciting new experiences for motorcycle racing fans
MONTEREY, Calif., June 8, 2021 – For 10 days in July, motorcycles are king in Monterey County.
West Coast Bike Week is a community focused week of activities geared to those who love all things on two wheels. There’s plenty of excitement for riders (or enthusiasts) of all ages and experience levels.
The 10-day experience is highlighted by professional championship racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with the GEICO Motorcycle MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest at Monterey, July 9-11, followed by exciting vintage racing with the AHRMA Classic Motofest of Monterey, July 16-18. It’s paradise for motorcycle lovers.
Everything kicks off July 9 at the MotoAmerica Bike Night, which will take place in downtown Pacific Grove from 5-9 p.m. Lighthouse Avenue will be shut down between Forest Avenue and Congress Avenue, where live music, merchandise and other surprises await at this free event that is presented by the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce. Fans are encouraged to bring their motorcycles to help launch West Coast Bike Week.
After three days of pulse pounding MotoAmerica action at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the Ducati Owner Program takes the track on July 12.
From July 13-15, the Learn to Ride program will be teaching important lessons to motorcycle riders of all skill levels at the Raceway’s Lakebed. Part of the California Motorcyclist Safety Program, Learn to Ride is implemented by members of the Pacific Motorcycle Training team, in conjunction with the California Highway Patrol. For more information, click here.
There will be both a Training Course – designed for the novice rider – and a Premier Course – which allows riders who are age 21 and older and who already know how to ride, but are not licensed, the chance to earn their motorcycle license.
On track July 14-15 will be Iconic Motorbikes – which is a promotional partner of West Coast Bike Week. The company has quickly risen to become one of the premier motorcycle auction websites in the industry. Anybody looking to buy or sell a motorbike needs to look no further than Iconic. More information about Iconic can be found at www.iconicmotorbikeauctions.com.
The AHRMA Bike Night is July 15 at the Baja Cantina & Grill in Carmel Valley. It will run from 5-7 p.m. and include vintage bikes, drink specials, a raffle, plus much more.
“West Coast Bike Week is an exciting initiative that brings the whole community together in celebration of our two wonderful motorcycle racing events,” said John Narigi, president and general manager of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. “There is a rich history of motorcycle racing at our track, and the West Coast Bike Week events inject even more energy and enthusiasm into those two weeks in July.”
For those who prefer to pedal on two wheels, the Twilight Cycling event returns July 7, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. This ride allows cyclists of all ages and experience levels the thrill of pedaling WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca’s 11-turn, 2.238-mile course. The ride is highlighted by the legendary Corkscrew that drops 59 feet in just 450 feet of track length. Helmets are required.
For a list of West Coast Bike Week events, click here.
To buy tickets for both the MotoAmerica and AHRMA events at WRLS, click here.
It’s Game On For MotoAmerica’s Round Three At Road America
Close Racing Expected For The Pair Of HONOS Superbike Races In Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
IRVINE, CA (June 9, 2021) – MotoAmerica has held 14 Superbike races at Road America since it took over the AMA Superbike Series in 2015. The average margin of victory from those 14 races is just 2.49 seconds, and that includes Cameron Beaubier’s three runaway wins last year of 7.8, 14.4 and 6.32 seconds.
Plain and simple: Those three races were anomalies. So, if we throw those three dominating wins by Beaubier out the window, the average margin of victory for the remaining 11 MotoAmerica Superbike races is a scant .669 of a second. Yes, .669 of a second.
The closest HONOS Superbike race in those 14 races? That would be Beaubier’s victory over Josh Herrin in race one in 2018 – .002 of a second. The next day, Beaubier did the dirty on Herrin again – by .195 of a second.
Guess you can understand why the MotoAmerica Series heads to the picturesque, high-speed venue in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, expecting ultra-close, nail-biting racing in all classes. After all, it’s the Road America way.
Last year, with COVID-19 wreaking havoc, MotoAmerica was forced to reschedule and that meant racing not once but twice at Road America with unprecedented back-to-back rounds separated by a month with the races taking place at the end of May and end of June. And no one complained – such is the popularity of the long-standing weekends at “America’s National Park Of Speed.”
As previously mentioned, Beaubier won three of the four HONOS Superbike races at Road America in 2020 and only a crash out of the lead in race four prevented a perfect four-race rampage in Wisconsin. When Beaubier crashed, the lead and ultimately the victory fell to M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong – and it marked the Californian’s first-career AMA Superbike win. So, with Beaubier now contesting the Moto2 World Championship, does that make Fong the favorite heading to Road America this week?
Perhaps.
There is this one niggling problem by the name of Jake Gagne, the winner of three of the four HONOS Superbike races held thus far in 2021. Gagne, who finished second twice in Road America’s four races last year (including ending up right behind Fong in the fourth race), comes into Wisconsin with the smoking hot hand with his three wins on the Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha YZF-R1.
Although Gagne has done the most winning so far in 2021, he’s not leading the championship. That spot is held by Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, the South
African with one victory, two seconds and a third thus far in his consistent start to the season. He leads Gagne, who has a DNF on his scorecard in the title chase, albeit by just seven points.
With three thirds and a fourth-place finish, Gagne’s teammate Josh Herrin is third in the point standings. Herrin has tasted Superbike victory before at Road America with a win in race two over Beaubier (by just .506 of a second). He trails Scholtz by 20 points after four races.
The aforementioned Fong sits fourth, the Suzuki GSX-R1000-mounted rider starting the season with a second-place finish but struggling a bit since then with two fifth-place finishes bookending a mechanical issue at VIRginia International Raceway that pushed him down to 12th in race one.
Non-defending MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Cameron Petersen is tied for fourth in the title chase with his teammate Fong after his consistent start to the season hit a bit of a bump in the road in race two at VIR when he was involved in a first-corner melee that left him well behind. He fought through to finish seventh, but it ruined his streak of top-five finishes in his first season on the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike.
Six points adrift of the Suzuki teamsters is Panera Bread Ducati’s Kyle Wyman, who in turn finds himself just three points ahead of Scheibe Racing BMW’s Hector
Barbera – a MotoAmerica rookie in 2021.
Another series rookie with an immense international racing background is Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York’s Loris Baz, the Frenchman competing in his first season of racing in the U.S. series. Baz’s season started out with two non-finishes at Road Atlanta, but he turned that around at VIR with fourth- and second-place finishes. He’s got a long way to go to catch those at the top of the point standings, but Road America should suit the fast Ducati Panigale V4 R well and both Baz and Wyman should be able to let the Big Red (and in Wyman’s case, green) Dogs eat.
Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman and Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis round out the top 10 in the series standings heading to Road America with those two sitting first and second in the Superbike Cup standings, a class within a class for those riding Stock 1000-spec motorcycles.
In total, there are 36 entries in the HONOS Superbike class for Road America.
Road America Notes
Cameron Beaubier won three of the four HONOS Superbike races held at Road America last year with Bobby Fong winning the one race that Beaubier didn’t win. Beaubier beat Mathew Scholtz in race one, Jake Gagne in race two and Fong in race three. Fong beat Gagne in race four.
With his three wins at Road America last year, Beaubier has 10 AMA Superbike wins at Road America and that’s one better than Australian Mat Mladin and two more than Beaubier’s former teammate Josh Hayes.
In addition to his race wins, Beaubier is also the Superbike lap record holder at Road America with a 2:10.623 lap set during Superpole for the June race in 2020. Beaubier also holds the race lap record with a 2:11.033 set in race two of the May race weekend.
Six different manufacturers will be represented on the grid at Road America: Yamaha (11 entries), Kawasaki (seven entries), Suzuki (six entries), BMW (five entries), Ducati (five entries) and Honda (two entries).
As far as manufacturers go, Yamaha has the most wins at Road America with 22 followed by Suzuki with 18, Honda (12), Ducati (eight) and Kawasaki (four). Yamaha had won seven of eight races until Suzuki swept both races in 2019 with Toni Elias and Josh Herrin. In 2020, however, Beaubier and Yamaha chalked up three more wins before Fong gave Suzuki another victory in race two in the June event.
Riders from nine different countries will line up at Road America in the HONOS Superbike class with the U.S., Spain, South Africa, Great Britain, Mexico, Uruguay, France, Australia and Brazil all represented.
The official track length at Road America is 4.048 miles, which makes it the longest on the MotoAmerica schedule. The track features 14 turns and is affectionally known as “four miles of fun.”
Three-time World Champion Freddie Spencer won the first-ever AMA Superbike race at Road America in 1980.
Twelve years ago, Larry Pegram won the Superbike race at Road America, giving Ducati its last Wisconsin win in the Superbike class. Pegram won a race-long battle with Mat Mladin to take that victory. Well, that was 2009 and this is now and Pegram is back and set to race a Pegram Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R in both Stock 1000 and HONOS Superbike.
For the complete 2021 MotoAmerica Series schedule, click HERE
To purchase tickets to any of the 2021 series rounds, click HERE
For information on how to watch the MotoAmerica Series, click HERE
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Superbike Points Leader Scholtz Is Raring To Put Two In The Win Column At Road America
Tulsa, OK – June 9, 2021 – Round three of the 2021 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship starts this Friday at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and Westby Racing’s riders Mathew Scholtz and Jack Roach, along with the entire crew, always enjoy MotoAmerica race weekends at “America’s National Park of Speed.”
Mathew, who is the current Superbike Championship points leader, hopes to keep his podium streak alive, with two race victories being the ultimate goal, of course. Last year at Road America, in the two rounds and four races held there, he notched a runner-up finish, a DNF, a fifth-place, and a fourth-place finish at the 4.05-mile, 14-turn natural road course.
Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
“I’m looking forward to the Road America round and getting back to racing again,” Mathew said. “I’m really excited, and I’ve been training hard. I have kind of a love-hate relationship with Road America. It seems like either I do really well there, or things don’t go so great, but this year, I am confident that we should definitely be challenging up front for some race wins. Our bike has picked up some horsepower compared with last year, which should help us at Road America where top speed is so important. In speaking with (crew chief) Ed (Sullivan) and (electronics specialist) Herschel (Auxier), we have a few ideas on what we need to try to improve the bike and also what I need to do to improve my riding. So, it’s all looking good…just really looking forward to Friday practice in order to try out some of these changes that we’re planning to make and see how it goes. I’m feeling confident, and I feel like we have to do something to stop Jake’s (Gagne) forward momentum. Road America is the place where I think we can take back some of the points in the championship and try to extend our lead while keeping the rest of the guys behind us.”
Superbike final qualifying is on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. CT. Superbike race one will go green on Saturday afternoon at 3:10 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 2 (FS2). Superbike race two is on Sunday afternoon also at 3:10 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Both races will be streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
For Jack, qualifying third at VIR was encouraging. He knows that he’s got the bike and the team to achieve the results he is expecting. It’s a matter of putting everything together, getting good race starts, and using the draft to his advantage. Last year, while racing for a different team and aboard a different manufacturer’s motorcycle in his first-ever race weekend at Road America, Jack finished 11th and 7th in the two Junior Cup races. He’s determined to do even better this year now that he’s aboard the Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R3.
Jack Roach (12). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Jack commented, “Coming off the back of a very unlucky round in Virginia, I’m hungry to get a good result not only for me but for my team. They’ve been working hard and so have I. We just need it to come together. There’s nothing wrong with the speed of the bike, as it showed its podium potential in qualifying at VIR. I can’t wait for Friday.”
Junior Cup race one starts on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. CT, and Junior Cup race two is on Sunday at 2:10 p.m. CT. Both races will be streamed on MotoAmerica Live+, and then, broadcast via tape-delay on FOX Sports 2 (FS2) this Tuesday, June 15, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
Meet Mathew and Jack, Get Some Autographed Posters, And More
Mathew and Jack will both be at the Westby Racing transporter in the Road America paddock during two Dunlop Paddock Autograph Signings. The first one is on Saturday from 12 to 12:30 p.m. CT, and the second one is on Sunday from 10:30 to 11 a.m. CT. They’ll have free, autographed posters and other team items to hand out, so be sure to stop by.
Check Out The Westby Racing Sponsor Showcase
NGK Spark Plugs U.S.A. and MWR Racing Air Filters will be the featured team sponsors on display in the Westby Racing paddock area, so be sure to stop by to say hello and learn about some of the companies that support the team.
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Loris Baz and Kyle Wyman Look for Success at Road America
Sunnyvale, Calif., June 9, 2021 – Round three of the 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship sees Ducati stars Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York) and Kyle Wyman (Panera Bread Ducati) head to one of the most famous racing venues in the world in the beautiful but daunting Road America in Wisconsin.
After encouraging results from the previous round at VIRginia International Raceway that saw a debut MotoAmerica podium for Baz and Wyman significantly close the gap to the front runners, Ducati’s finest will be looking to take that final step to challenge the series leaders at the ultra-high speed venue that should ideally suit the strengths of the powerhouse Ducati Panigale V4 R racers.
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York – Ducati #76)
“I’ve been back in France with the family, recharging the batteries,” Baz said of his three week break between VIR and Road America. “It’s always nice to reconnect with home, but now we’re back in America and I can’t wait to ride this really famous track. Of the tracks I don’t know in America, this is the one I’m most looking forward to racing because every game you have on the PlayStation as a kid, you race at Road America! It’s such a famous track.
“It’s very long and I’m looking forward to Friday where I can learn it. This is a place that should really suit our V4 R really well. The guys in the team have been hard at work on the data since the last race to make the bike better for me—I can’t wait to get going.”
Kyle Wyman (Panera Bread Ducati – Ducati #33)
“We’re looking really good coming into this weekend,” Wyman said. “We got our two-day test at Pittsburgh done last week which was pivotal for us to try some big changes we normally wouldn’t try on a race weekend. We did 156 laps over the two days so I’m feeling much more confident on the bike. The crew is jiving and we’re really excited to go to our best track on the schedule in Road America and try to put the Panera Bread Ducati on the box. It should be a great weekend for us.”
Round three of the 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will be held at Road America on June 11-13, 2021.
More, from a press release issued by Travis Wyman Racing:
Travis Wyman Racing announces Klock Werks as title sponsor for this weekend’s MotoAmerica Superbikes at Road America
Popular motorcycle accessories company returns as title sponsor of BMW team for second-consecutive year
Travis Wyman (10). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
A familiar logo will be affixed to Travis Wyman Racing’s BMW S 1000 RR at this weekend’s MotoAmerica round at Road America. Klock Werks, a South Dakota company that manufactures a variety of motorcycle parts and accessories, is the title sponsor of Wyman’s team for the June 11-13 event at the Elkhart Lake, Wis., circuit.
It’s Klock Werks second time serving as the Las Vegas-based team’s title sponsor. It’s first promotional partnership with Travis Wyman Racing took place at last year’s season-ending MotoAmerica round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
“It was a big win for the team to gain Klock Werks’ support at the end of the 2020 season, and I’m delighted to be running their logo again at one of MotoAmerica’s best-attended events,” rider/team owner Travis Wyman said. “Klock Werks founder, Brian Klock, has been an enthusiastic supporter of my team, and I’m looking forward to getting his brand as much exposure as I can at Road America.”
Founded in 1997, Klock Werks rose to national prominence when it won the 2006 Discovery Channel Biker Build Off with its “World’s Fastest Bagger” entry. The company’s wide-ranging product lines include its Flare-branded windscreens, sound system accessories, handlebars, fenders and cleaning products.
Road America is a track Wyman has won at before, and the team’s BMW S 1000 RR will have a fresh engine to help Wyman power his way past his competition on the long straightaways of the 4.05-mile track. The team debuted its 2020 BMW S 1000 RR at the season-opening round at Road America in 2020.
Wyman added, “I need to give a big shout out to my mechanic, Alex Torres of Fast Line Motorcycle Performance. Alex spent three days at the team’s East Coast base of operations near Rochester, New York, getting our new engine ready to go for the Road America round. We wouldn’t be in a position to challenge for a podium or better in the Stock 1000 class without Alex’s hard work over the past few days.”
KWR Ducati Team ready for Superbike round three in Wisconsin
TUCSON, Ariz. (Jun. 8) — The KWR/Panera Bread Ducati Team heads to Road America this weekend in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for the third round of the 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. Kyle Wyman will compete not only in Superbike but will also contest round two of the King of the Baggers Championship, in which Wyman rides the Factory Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle Road Glide.
The KWR team is coming off of a solid second round at Virginia International Raceway, where the team scored 7th and 6th place finishes albeit showing a strong pace in Superbike race two, where Wyman battled for the podium spots throughout.
Since the VIR weekend, the team was able to conduct a two-day private test at Pittsburgh International Race Complex on May 31st and June 1st. Wyman circulated Pitt-Race 156 laps over two days and the team made steady progress on the 2021-spec Ducati Panigale V4 R Superbike.
“I’m looking forward to a busy double duty weekend in Wisconsin,” Wyman said. “Road America is my favorite track on the schedule. I love the scenery, the people and the town of Elkhart Lake. Last year we put our Ducati Superbike on the podium in both races, so the expectation is high for us to fight at the front and try to even improve on those results. My goals for this weekend are to not just be in the podium battle, but to win the podium battle. I want to have a look at a race win and put myself in a position to execute that. I’m feeling great on the bike after our two days at Pittsburgh.”
With the previous year’s podium results the KWR team hopes to fight for victories in MotoAmerica Superbike. This week’s even will be a true indication of the progress the KWR team has made in the last 12 months, according to Chief Mechanic Dave Hopkinson.
“Having the time at Pittsburgh last week was invaluable to our program,” Hopkinson said. “Not only looking to the race there in weeks to come but also headed into the Road America weekend. It gave us the chance to test things ordinarily we either don’t have time, or don’t dare test during a race weekend. It’s given us a whole new understanding of the new bike and its preferred set up after turning 156 laps and trying some huge changes.”
“We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors for giving us that opportunity, one that is normally out of our reach,” Hopkinson added. “I’m looking forward to the weekend after having great results at Road America last year. It will hopefully give us the first true indication of how far the bike and the program has come in the last 12 months.”
In King of the Baggers, Wyman sits 2nd in series standings after the opening round at Road Atlanta. With only three rounds total, the second race at Road America will be the most pivotal moment of the championship, and right in the backyard of Harley-Davidson.
“I am intensely focused on winning the baggers race for Harley-Davidson this weekend,” Wyman said. “We have had three test days since our last outing at Road Atlanta, where we narrowly missed out on the race win. We have new parts and a new configuration for our motorcycle that has already proven itself to be stronger and more resilient in hot conditions during testing. I have no doubt that we will have the machine capable of winning this weekend and I look forward to piloting it again and fighting for the race win here at Road America.”
More, from a press release issued by Eurosport Events:
2021 FIM EWC SEASON GETS UNDERWAY
In the first face-off of the season at Le Mans, a day of private testing saw the 47 teams expected to be on the starting grid of the 24 Heures Motos out on the track. The favourites were out in force and a few new challengers unveiled their podium ambitions.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team were expected to be among the front runners and the Belgian factory team did not disappoint, clocking the fastest lap of the day, a 1:36.260, in the morning. In the afternoon, armed with their new M 1000 RR, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, once again posted the fastest lap, a 1:36.449, ahead of YART Yamaha’s 1:36.466 lap. BMW kept the upper hand but the gap narrowed.
At the end of the private test, the factory teams finished in the following order: BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, YART Yamaha, Yoshimura SERT Motul, Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar, F.C.C. TSR Honda France and ERC Endurance-Ducati.
Tati Team Beringer Racing spring a surprise
A new independent team joined in the fray at the front end amid the factory teams. Tati Team Beringer Racing posted the 3rd-fastest time of the day with a 1:36.514 lap. The team are heading into their third season in the EWC with big ambitions, although team manager Patrick Enjolras is humble and discreet. “We’ve just worked on the new Kawasaki electronics with dedicated engineers. Now we know we have a very good machine.”
Among the privateer teams capable of giving the factory outfits a run for their money are VRD Igol Experiences, Moto Ain who are debuting in EWC after two back-to-back FIM Superstock World Cup wins, Maco Racing and 3ART Best of Bike, all four Yamaha-mounted.
New development in Superstock
BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers (Kawasaki) took the lead in the Superstock class ahead of Team 18 Sapeurs-Pompiers CMS Motostore (Yamaha), National Motos (Honda), the new favourite in class, Wójcik Racing Team 2 (Yamaha), JMA Motos Action Bike (Suzuki), Team 33 Louit April Moto (Kawasaki) and RAC41 ChromeBurner (Honda). Italian squad No Limits Motor Team (Suzuki) who were expected to take the lead in the category were slowed down by mechanical problems.
47 teams are expected to be at the start of the 2021 24 Heures Motos at 12pm this coming Saturday. Three teams have had to withdraw because of stricter travel restrictions in the UK and France. Two British teams, British Endurance Racing Team and ADSS97, will not be able to travel to Le Mans. The French team R2CL have also withdrawn as all three riders – Danny Kent, Luke Mossey and Dan Linfoot – are British.
The first official free practice session gets underway at 11am on Thursday 10 June. Don’t miss any of the action: follow practice and the race on the website fimewc.com, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, via the live timing and the FIM EWC smartphone app.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL SUZUKI ON TRACK AT LE MANS
Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki were on track today for a final shakedown test ahead of the opening round of the 2021 Endurance World Championship this weekend at Le Mans in France.
The four-rider team of Gregg Black, Xavier Simeon, Kazuki Watanabe and Sylvain Guintoli – Suzuki’s MotoGP test rider – fresh from duties at yesterday’s test in Spain, were in the saddle of the factory GSX-R1000R for the private test at the Bugatti Circuit.
This is the last time the team has to test new settings before the initial practice sessions begin at the circuit on Thursday ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours gets underway on Saturday.
Damien SAULNIER – Team Manager:
“We are all really happy to start this season. It’s good to get together, hear the bike and see it ride. Our riders needed some time to get back in shape but by the end of the day everyone has found their bearings. We are in the top five with a bike fitted with racing tyres, which is very positive. We have an excellent package with the Yoshimura technicians who know this GSX-R1000R perfectly well, a SERT team specialised in Endurance, good tyres and a trio of fast riders who are discovering and progressing together. So everything looks good for us.”
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
O’Halloran steals top spot from Mackenzie in final Official Test ahead of Bennetts BSB season opener
Jason O’Halloran topped the times in the final Official Test ahead of the opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship later this month. The McAMS Yamaha rider snatched the top spot on his final lap of the day to bring a thrilling end to pre-season testing in front of the returning fans at Donington Park.
O’Halloran had been at the top of the times during the early stages of the final session ahead of Honda Racing’s Glenn Irwin, but with 20 minutes remaining Christian Iddon had moved into second.
The final ten minutes of the test produced a flurry of faster laps and Danny Kent, who had been quickest in the opening session for Buildbase Suzuki, went fastest with just over eight minutes remaining.
O’Halloran then reclaimed the position just seconds later as Glenn Irwin moved back into second place, but the order didn’t remain for long as Kyle Ryde fired the Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW ahead with four minutes remaining.
It wasn’t over however, as Tarran Mackenzie leapt up the order to post the benchmark time as the session approached the final two minutes.
The McAMS Yamaha rider didn’t remain fastest though, his teammate saving his best till last. O’Halloran’s final lap of the day was enough to put him 0.184s clear by the finish.
Ryde held onto third place at the chequered flag, narrowly holding off Glenn Irwin with Kent completing the top five. The Buildbase Suzuki rider edged out defending champion Josh Brookes into sixth place as five different manufactures featured in the top six positions.
Christian Iddon was seventh fastest on the second of the VisionTrack Ducatis with Gino Rea, Lee Jackson and Peter Hickman completing the top ten.
Jason O’Halloran, McAMS Yamaha
“It is obviously nice to be able to finish pre-season testing off on top but to be honest I was even more happy with the second session when I did a race run. I did my fastest lap on the last lap and I felt really good and comfortable on the McAMS Yamaha.
“I feel that we have done a great job pre-season and the bike has improved since last year. I have a great feeling and feel that I can go fast when I want to. I know we have some things still to improve before Oulton Park but hopefully we can take what we have learnt today into the first round. I can’t wait to get racing now and try and reap the rewards of our hard work.”
More, from a press release issued by VisionTrack Ducati:
Testing Concludes For VisionTrack Ducati At Donington
The fourth and final official pre-season test took place in glorious conditions at Donington Park today where defending Bennetts British Superbike champions, VisionTrack Ducati, concluded their schedule with both Josh Brookes and Christian Iddon inside the top seven.
After successful tests at Silverstone, Snetterton and Oulton Park, as well as a couple of outings at Knockhill over the past few weeks, the Paul Bird Motorsport team continued through their workload at the Donington Park National Circuit aboard the factory supported VisionTrack Ducati Panigale V4 R.
With a limited number of spectators being allowed back trackside, the opening session in the morning saw Iddon in seventh place with a lap time of 1:06.961 whilst Brookes gradually settled into 12th with a lap of 1:07.121.
The temperature rose for the early afternoon session and Iddon, originally from Stockport but now living on Tyneside, upped his pace to end the session third fastest to record a fastest lap of 1:06.448 with Bedfordshire-based Aussie Brookes improving to sixth quickest, lapping at 1:06.603.
The third and final session was held in the late afternoon with conditions at their hottest and saw Brookes on the #1 VisionTrack Ducati end it in sixth, improving his lap time to 1:06.410, whilst Iddon couldn’t quite better his earlier time but finished up in seventh overall for the Penrith-based team.
The team now moves on to the opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship which takes place over the weekend of 25/27 June at Oulton Park for the first of 11 rounds, all containing three races.
Josh Brookes: “I’m happy enough with how today went, it was good to get some more dry track time and to continue developing our overall package as well as getting more data about the tyres. Whereas the time sheets don’t reflect our hard work and performance, I’m not really taking much notice as we are only six-tenths off the riders who concentrated on putting a fast lap in and we can do our times all race long. We have had a good, solid testing schedule over the past few weeks and are now raring to get the season started at Oulton Park in a couple of weeks.”
Christian Iddon: “I was happy with our progress today as this was the last time we got to work on our settings before the opening round. We have done a lot of work this year and with it being my second year with the team, I’m able to relay the feedback better. We are better placed than we were last year and that didn’t go too badly so I’m very happy. I’m not bothered about the time sheets, and we have never chased a fast lap time all throughout testing, I’m fine as it’s all about race runs for me and that’s what we’ve been concentrating on. The re are still improvements to make, and we’ll continue to work but it’s nearly go time and I’m ready.”
John Mowatt, Team Co-Ordinator: “Throughout testing, the whole plan has been to refine the set ups to reflect race conditions so to end up where we did is great as both riders set times which they could consistently replicate lap after lap. Josh is comfortable where he’s at and today was just about making some improvements to the whole package which he did and Christian’s feedback has given his side of the garage the information they need to continue their challenge and he did nearly 100 laps today, the most of anyone. We are confident we have got good race pace which is where it matters as with 33 races this year, that’s going to be vitally important, starting at Oulton Park later this month.”
Immediately after Josh Brookes had finished the final session of the day, he handed the controls of the #1 PBM VisionTrack Ducati over to the winner of a competition run by title sponsors Bennetts who, in conjunction with Paul Bird’s team, allowed the unique money-can’t-buy prize for three laps of the Donington Park track. Further information at www.bennetts.co.uk.
Further details can be found at the new Paul Bird Motorsport website – check out www.pbmuk.net.
Progressive AFT Welcomes Fans Back into the Paddock at OKC
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 8, 2021) – Progressive American Flat Track announced today the long-awaited return of its open paddock sessions at all remaining races of the 2021 season. With the changes to CDC guidelines and local regulations on outdoor events, Progressive AFT will bring back its Rider Autograph session beginning with its fifth and sixth rounds at Remington Park.
It has been nearly two years since race fans and riders have intermingled at the racetrack, so the return of the fan walk at the Indian Motorcycle of Oklahoma City OKC Mile Doubleheader presented by KICKER will be a treat for fans and racers alike.
“I’m excited to interact with the fans again in OKC,” said Briar Bauman, reigning two-time Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Champion. “We as racers get as much joy talking and catching up with fans as they do us. The small interaction we had with fans in Chicago reminded me of the reasons I became a racer in the first place and why fan support means the world.”
Next Up:
The stars of Progressive AFT will test the upper limits of speed, bravery, and excitement when the series unleashes the first Mile action of the season doubleheader style. The Indian Motorcycle of Oklahoma City OKC Mile I & II presented by KICKER at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, will take place on Friday, June 18, and Saturday, June 19. Tickets are available for purchase now at https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3323/#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.
To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.
About Progressive American Flat Track
Progressive American Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track, please visit us on the web, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, check us out on Instagram, live stream the events with TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and catch all the Progressive American Flat Track racing action on NBCSN.
About SUPER73
Born from the desire to inspire and create adventure and community, SUPER73 is an American lifestyle adventure brand fusing motorcycle heritage and youth culture. Founded in 2016 and based in Southern California, SUPER73 has led the charge in pioneering a new approach to help redefine the electric motorbike industry. By emphasizing thoughtful design, responsible manufacturing techniques, and local community engagement, the brand continually strives to grow and expand into a true industry leader. For more information, please visit super73.com
Roland Sands’ Super Hooligan National Championship To Kick Off At MotoAmerica’s WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Weekend
And Now For Something Completely Different… The Debut Of The Four-Round 2021 Super Hooligan National Championship Will Run In Conjunction With The MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest At Monterey
IRVINE, CA (June 8, 2021) – MotoAmerica, North America’s premier motorcycle road racing series, is thrilled to announce that the opening round of the Roland Sands Design 2021 Super Hooligan National Championship (SHNC) will be run in conjunction with round five of the 2021 MotoAmerica Championship in the GEICO Motorcycle MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest at Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, July 9-11.
The Super Hooligan National Championship has a new four-round format with each round featuring one of four unique and challenging disciplines of motorcycle racing – road racing, short track, half mile and TT. The series’ opening round, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, will be the road race alongside MotoAmerica’s top-class HONOS Superbike Series and its support classes, as well as Mission King Of The Baggers.
“The 2021 Super Hooligan Championship is all about diversity of terrain and like nothing seen before but still reminiscent of the AMA Grand National Championships the likes that made Gary Nixon, Kenny Roberts and Bubba Shobert legends,” said Roland Sands. “Our racers are incentivized to use the same bike at all four races. Four races, full send with an AMA National Hooligan title and the bragging rights as the most talented heavy street bike racer.”
Round two of the SHNC will take place at the Castle Rock TT in Castle Rock, Washington, August 14-15, with round three taking place at American Flat Track’s round at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 8. The series will conclude in Southern California with the Moto Beach Classic, October 23.
“The Super Hooligan event will give us a glimpse back to the past when riders had to race on both pavement and dirt in order to be AMA Grand National Champion,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “We will see racers using a variety of riding styles to get the most out of their motorcycles because the bikes they race at Laguna will be the same ones they will be racing in the dirt at the TT, the half mile and the short track. This is going to be a great addition to our MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest at Monterey. It will be very entertaining to watch and something our fans will enjoy.”
More, from a press release issued by Andy DiBrino Racing:
Andy DiBrino And KTM USA Partner For 2021 RSD Super Hooligan National Championship
Two-Time Super Hooligan National Champion Andy DiBrino To Race A KTM 890 Duke R
Andy DiBrino and his new KTM 890 Duke R. Photo courtesy Andy DiBrino Racing.
Tualatin, OR – Andy DiBrino and KTM USA are partnering up to take on the 2021 Roland Sands Design Super Hooligan National Championship. DiBrino, a two-time champion in the series, was the first to bring KTM to the series in 2019 when he pioneered a 790 Duke to three victories and runner-up in the championship. This year for the four-round “QuaTTro” series, KTM and DiBrino are taking things to the next level with the 2021 890 Duke R.
“I am so excited to have KTM on board this year. Ever since I built a KTM hooligan flat track bike, they have shown interest in what I have been doing and have had my back behind the scenes. It is a dream come true to have them officially supporting me this year with the 890 Duke R. Everything I have worked towards the last couple years has finally come together, and I can’t thank KTM enough. Especially Tom Moen, John Hinz, Chris Fillmore and the late Scott Burtness who helped make so many introductions for me with the entire KTM group,” said DiBrino.
The series kicks-off at Laguna Seca July 9-11 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the first-ever RSD Super Hooligan road race in conjunction with MotoAmerica and follows with three dirt track races that consist of a TT, short track and half-mile at other events across the nation. Racers must use the same bike for all 4 rounds or be penalized 10 points in the championship standings.
“I am really confident with the Duke platform and have already had a lot of success with it. It will be a ton of fun racing the 890 Duke R in essentially stock-form at Laguna prior to converting it to flat track for the remainder of the series,” said DiBrino.
For more info about the Roland Sands Super Hooligan National Championship, visit superhooligans.com
To find out more about Andy DiBrino, visit dibrinoracing.com
Twisted Speed Wins Overall at the N2/WERA National Endurance Series by Dunlop at Nelson Ledges.
Garrettsville, OH June 2021 – Twisted Speed Racing with riders Brad Burns and Hayden Gillim took overall victory and won the Heavyweight class on a Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Round 3 of the N2/WERA National Endurance Series by Dunlop, taking home $2500 for their efforts. The 4-Hour Endurance Race was held under picture perfect conditions with 46 teams competing for a huge purse and bonuses at the beautiful Northeastern Ohio racetrack.
The Heavyweight Class at Nelson Ledges was the scene of an epic battle for overall victory and the points lead between Army of Darkness, Twisted Speed, and N2/BobbleHeadMoto. Twisted Speed’s Hayden Gillim set a blistering pace, turning the fastest lap on lap 160, within a second of the lap record. Army of Darkness, with riders Ben Walters, Chris Peris, and Stefano Mesa did everything they could to keep pace, but they are still trying to find the perfect set up for their Pirelli shod YZF-R1. N2/BobbleHeadMoto finished third despite competitive pace from riders CJ Crosslin, Ed Sullivan, Corey Heflin and Emmerson Amaya. Unfortunately, their YZF-R1 was suffering from fuel starvation issues late in each stint.
“We were really nervous going into this round,” said Twisted Speed Team Captain/rider Brad Burns. “I crashed my dirt bike on Tuesday and I’m really beat up. We then crashed the endurance bike on Saturday morning. The team did an amazing job getting it back together for the race. Hayden is an animal and was just flying on each of his stint and our luck turned around. We are very happy with the win and especially the points lead.”
Topbox Road Racing won the Middleweight Class with riders Doug Royce, Mark Faulkner, Caleb Odom, and Brandon Slayer using a large capacity tank for the minimum number of pit stops. Team 38 Special with Yamaha Champions Riding School instructors Steven Roth and Eziah Davis finished second on an ex-ChampSchool YZF-R6. Mi Scusi SDK finished third with the fastest middleweight lap time on their R6.
Chiefs Racing Team won the heavily attended lightweight class with riders Greg Reisinger, Brian Mullins, Jared Trees, Kevin Boda, and Brian Mullins on a Suzuki SV650. Family team, Brown Town Racing came in second on a Suzuki SV650 with dad David Brown, and sons Chase Brown, Reese Brown all riding. Team Going the Distance was third with riders Blake Davis, Damian Jigalov, and Cassidy Hieser. The lightweight class is super competitive with all teams competing for brand new 2022 Yamaha YZF-R7 for the lightweight championship bonus.
The new for 2021 Road Race Relay Class was won Clear Bra Indy with riders Kyle Owen and Jason Lee. Second Chance Air was second with riders John Piwko and Perry Hoover. The Road Race Relay class allows riders to use their own sprint bikes and change transponders during a stop. The winner receives $750 cash with payouts going back to 5th place.
The 2-Hour Ultralightweight Endurance Race was won by MotoAmerica Junior Cup star, Blake Davis on the Kidnapper and the Kid Racing Yamaha YZF-R3. Blake Davis ran the entire 2-hour race solo to beat RTR Racing by a full lap as Chasing Shade Racing ULW finished third. Blake was up by 4 laps at one point but threw a chain. Fortunately, he was able to coast in and the team was able to replace the chain and send him back out. Blake and company won $1500 for their work.
Join us for the penultimate round of the N2/WERA National Endurance Series by Dunlop at Pittsburgh International Race Complex on August 21. For more information on the N2/WERA National Endurance Series by Dunlop and sponsor bonus programs please go to https://www.n2td.org/endurance/
2021 Endurance Racing Schedule:
August 21 – Pittsburgh International Race Complex
September 11 – Summit Point Raceway
The N2/WERA National Endurance Series by Dunlop is proudly sponsored by: N2 Track Days, Dunlop Motorcycle Tires, Yamaha Motor USA, WERA Road Racing, Arai Helmets America, Innovative Motorsports, R.E.B Graphics, Woodcraft, Rise Moto, Ghetto Customs JE Pistons, Wiseco Pistons, Yamaha Power Products and Boxo USA.
More, from a press release issued by Topbox Road Racing:
Topbox Road Racing takes another victory in Ohio at the N2/WERA National Endurance Series presented by Dunlop.
Garrettsville, OH – Topbox Road Racing took their second middleweight victory of the season at Nelson Ledges finishing 4th overall out of all classes.
After a miserable showing at Nelson Ledges in 2020, crashing out on lap 4 due to a surprise mechanical, Topbox showed up with a score to settle at the Ohio track.
Unlike last year Friday practice provided beautiful conditions which allowed the team ample time to learn the track. Riders Brandon Salyer, Mark Faulkner, Caleb Odom, and crew chief Doug Royce went to work focusing on race pace using well worn tires. That setup would pay off come Saturday morning qualifying when Odom put it on class pole position (4th overall) setting a 1:08.996 on a flipped Dunlop takeoff with 87 laps on it.
Faulkner would be the lead off rider to start the 4hr long endurance race, settling in early behind the class leaders but focusing on a pace to stay ahead of championship rivals. A red flag on lap 33 then bunched the field up again and upon the first round of pit stops he took the class lead on lap 59.
They fell to 2nd upon their first stop for fuel and a rear Dunlop tire change but the team performed flawlessly and that allowed Odom to retake the lead only 2 laps later. Odom would go on to lap the other teams in class before handing the bike off to Salyer who would go on to maintain that 1.5 lap lead until taking the checkered flag.
With the victory Topbox Road Racing moves into the middleweight championship lead with a 54 point advantage over rivals Chasing Shade and Indy United SBK.
Team Owner Doug Royce: “I’m proud of the way these guys performed today. We all worked really hard during the offseason and we learned a few things last year with all the bad luck we had. I think that’s showing through so far this season. Other than the bike not wanting to restart after our 2nd pitstop, it was a perfect race for us.”
Topbox Road Racing is sponsored by: Dunlop Tires, Vortex Racing, Compass Leathers, Optimal Racing, Fast Frank Racing, Vesrah, and BD Racing.
More, from a press release issued by Twisted Speed Racing:
Twisted Speed Takes Second Straight N2/WERA National Endurance Series By Dunlop Win And Maintains Championship Lead
Twisted Speed Racing’s Hayden Gillim (912) leads Army Of Darkness (99) en route to its second straight N2/WERA National Endurance Series By Dunlop Heavyweight victory. Photo by Justin Friedl, courtesy Twisted Speed Racing.
Nelson Ledges Road Course
June 5, 2021
Twisted Speed Racing overcame a qualifying crash and injury to win the four-hour endurance race at Nelson Ledges Road Course in the N2/WERA National Endurance Series By Dunlop series. The second straight victory by the squad on its Dunlop-shod Suzuki GSX-R1000 maintained its lead in the Heavyweight class on the strength of two wins and a second so far in the five-race 2021 series.
Twisted Speed relied on only two riders at Nelson Ledges – Brad Burns and Hayden Gillim – and the team had its fair share of drama well before the green flag dropped. Burns had come off of [crashed] his motocrosser in the week prior to the event and suffered contusions, then crashed again during qualifying after another machine had blown an engine and oiled down the track.
Twisted Speed had three hours to repair its GSX-R1000, replacing fairings, fairing stays and the front brake system – the crash had literally ripped the brake line from the bike. But the team was able to swap parts over from its second motorcycle, and was ready to race when the green flag dropped.
Gillim took the start for the team and immediately went into the lead. The strategy was to do one-hour stints on the bike, running a single Dunlop KR448 medium 7455 compound front for the entire distance and changing Dunlop KR451 medium 0455 rears at each fuel stop.
But a red flag forced the team to adapt its strategy, and that meant Gillim wound up doing the majority of the riding. The extended time in the saddle did little to dampen Gillim’s enthusiasm as Twisted Speed and Army Of Darkness swapped the lead as each team pitted.
Deep into the race, Twisted Speed’s Gillim was flying, with his fastest lap – a 1:04.469, an average of 111.682 miles an hour around the fast, seven-turn, two-mile circuit – coming on lap 160 and also coming close to the circuit lap record.
And once Twisted Speed took the point after Army Of Darkness pitted for its final stop, the team held on to complete 198 laps, two more than Army Of Darkness, with N2 Racing/Bobblehead Moto finishing third with 191 laps, seven laps down to the leaders.
“It was awesome,” Burns said. “That lap by Hayden – that was crazy. He did three more laps right afterward that he said would have been good enough for the lap record, but he kept catching riders at the wrong spot on the track. We were just telling him, slow down, slow down!” Burns said.
With three of the five rounds complete, Twisted Speed now holds a 4.84-point lead, 301.32-296.48, over Army Of Darkness. N2 Racing/Bobblehead Moto is third in class with 248.46 points.
Twisted Speed Racing is sponsored by Dunlop, Vesrah, Karns Performance, K-Tech Suspension, Orient Express, GB Racing, Motul, Yeti, Evol Technology, Vortex, M4 Performance Exhaust Systems, N2 Trackdays, Drippin’ Wet, Barnes Brothers, Burns Roofing, Fetcko Auto Body, Thermosman Suspension, Stickboy Tire Service and Motorsport Reserve.
Editorial Note: This is a global program available to North American customers. The price listed on the Aprilia Racing – Factory Works website is 14,700 Euros, which converted to $17,900 USD at post time. There may be additional taxes, fees, and shipping costs.
APRILIA RS 660 IN TROFEO VERSION AVAILABLE FOR ALL
PREPARED IN NOALE BY APRILIA RACING WITH ALL THE EXPERIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF THE FACTORY THAT HOLDS 54 WORLD TITLES
OUT OF THE EXCELLENT STANDARD RS 660, A LIGHTWEIGHT AND POWERFUL SPORT BIKE FOR TOTAL FUN ON THE TRACK IS BORN
After its début on the track in the single-brand championship, the new Aprilia RS 660 Trofeo is available for any enthusiast who wants to have fun on the track with the new, lightweight sport bike from Noale.
An Aprilia RS 660 Trofeo turn-key racebike. Photo courtesy Aprilia.
The track version of the RS 660, made directly by the Aprilia Racing department, joins the Factory Works programme, where it represents the most recent and accessible offer.
Already agile and lightweight in the street-legal version, the Trofeo transformation uses extremely high level components and exploits the perfect balanced between chassis architecture, engine and electronics to the fullest. Like its street-legal sibling, it raises the bar in the category, representing the perfect sport twin-cylinder proposal, featuring an outstanding weight/power ratio and the leading electronics package in the segment.
The cockpit of an Aprilia RS 660 Trofeo racebike. Photo courtesy Aprilia.
Starting from the already high performance standard RS 660, the upgrades begin with the electrical system, simplified by eliminating the ignition switch assembly and ABS. The braking system is simplified with independent lines. The ABS control unit, however, remains on the bike and connected in order to exploit the strategies of the integrated electronic system. The ECU is reprogrammed in Race version, with mapping (all “full power”) developed by Aprilia Racing and dedicated exclusively to track use, as well as being calibrated for the SC Project racing exhaust. The colour TFT dashboard is reprogrammed and integrated by a dedicated button block on the left-hand side.
The suspension can count on a front fork with “Misano by Andreani” internal cartridge, adjustable in hydraulic compression and rebound damping and preload. The Öhlins AP948 rear shock absorber features hydraulic preload, compression and rebound damping adjustment. The tyres are high-performance Pirelli Supercorsa V3 SC1.
The rear view of an Aprilia RS 660 Trofeo racebike. Photo courtesy Aprilia.
The chassis architecture is upgraded, with a lowered riding position thanks to the racing upper steering yoke and adjustable semi-handlebars. The footpegs are adjustable and dismountable so each rider can achieve optimum ergonomics. The fairing is in fibreglass.
The engine upgrades have brought power up to 105 horses, a record value for a inline twin-cylinder, whereas dry weight has dropped to 153 kg. The secondary air system and the thermostat are eliminated, whereas aluminium guards are installed for the clutch cover and alternator, as well as a specific Sprint Filter air filter.
As always, working alongside Aprilia Racing in every one of its projects are top-level partners such as Castrol, Zanasi Group, Cruciata, Jetprime, Spider and Bike Lift.
Full details are available at FACTORYWORKS.APRILIA.COM, where you can contact Aprilia Racing directly to order the new RS 660 Trofeo. The bike can be shipped to the purchaser or collected directly from the Aprilia Racing department.
Viñales top, Marc Marquez clocks most laps, KTM busy in Barcelona
Yamaha make it a 1-2 in the post-Catalan GP test, with a few headlines made at Honda and KTM too
Monday, 07 June 2021
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales set a 1:39.400 to finish top of the Official Test standings at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as teammate Fabio Quartararo makes it a factory YZR-M1 1-2 at the summit. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was third on the timesheets as he and his HRC colleagues complete a crucial day at the office that saw Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) put in the most laps of anyone. KTM also looked pretty busy down in pitlane…
At Yamaha, fastest man Viñales was testing the carbon swingarm, and the Spaniard went to the top of the standings late in the day to top his teammate. As is often the case with Viñales, he tallied up an impressive amount of laps: 85, the second highest. Quartararo, meanwhile, was mainly playing around with different settings as the World Championship leader got back on track after a dramatic Sunday.
Fancesco Bagnaia. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was trying Brembo’s new brake discs which have slits in them, aiding cooling. The Doctor didn’t have anything else in terms of new parts to try, but it was nevertheless a busy for the nine-time World Champion. Rossi completed 72 laps, finishing just six tenths away from former teammate Viñales in 10th place. Franco Morbidelli’s (Petronas Yamaha SRT) day lasted until 13:30 local time, the Italian completed 39 laps and set a 1:40.022 to finish P8 in the classification. He too tested the new Brembo brake discs.
Marc Marquez (93). Photo courtesy Dorna.
It was a busy day across the board for the Honda riders. Marc Marquez said after the race on Sunday that Monday’s test was more important that the Grand Prix itself, which tells you why the Japanese manufacturer riders had a busy day at the office.
Marc Marquez was out on an all-black bike, one that has a different air intake, for some laps, and the eight-time World Champion also lapped with – at least – two different aero packages. Teammate Pol Espargaro was circulating on the 2021 bike all day, he and the team trying different setups to try and aid their early season difficulties. Espargaro too tried at least one of the aero packages, as well as the new Brembo discs, with a crash at Turn 9 not affecting his day’s work in Barcelona.
Notably, Marc Marquez was able to complete 87 laps on Monday, the most of any rider. That’s after he completed less than 10 laps at the Jerez Test due to fitness concerns, so it seems great news for the number 93. He finished P11, just 0.6s shy of the leading Yamaha.
Takaaki Nakagami. Photo courtesy Dorna.
LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami led for a couple of hours during the afternoon, the Japanese rider had one 2020 and one 2021 bike in the garage. LCR Honda Castrol teammate Alex Marquez was seen running a few different aero packages, and like Pol Espargaro, was using the 2021 bike throughout the day. Nakagami ended the day P3 on the timesheets, a positive day in terms of laps time, with Alex Marquez sitting P15 after 70 laps.
Across the board in the Honda ranks, 296 laps were completed – every one of those will have brought useful data as the manufacturer aims to get back to winning ways in 2021.
Joan Mir. Photo courtesy Dorna.
With Alex Rins out of action through injury, Team Suzuki Ecstar testing duties on Monday were left to reigning World Champion Joan Mir and test rider Sylvain Guintoli. Mir was positive about the day’s work as he and the team focused on geometry and general settings with the GSX-RR. The Spaniard finished P4 on the timesheets after 65 laps. Guintoli added another 72 and had some things to try, but wouldn’t say what…
At Ducati Lenovo Team, work was mainly focused on setup for Francesco Bagnaia and, for Sunday podium finisher Jack Miller, reconfirmation. Bagnaia’s key takeaway was better consistency after a bit of a tougher weekend for the number 63, and he felt more positive and ready for the next couple of races after the extra time on track. He finished the day in P5 after 48 laps, just under half a second off the top. Miller, meanwhile, said the track wasn’t perfect after overnight rain, but he got 49 laps in and was P14 by the end of the day, 0.842 in arrears.
Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) also focused on setup. He also said he worked on himself physically, trying to do a lot of laps in shorter time. He was P7 after 61 laps. Sky VR46 Avintia’s Luca Marini and Avintia Esponsorama’s Enea Bastianini also focused on setup. The former was P13 and did 49 laps, the latter P17 after 36 laps. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing), returning from injury, wasn’t present.
Miguel Oliveira (88). Photo courtesy Dorna.
At KTM, there was plenty to see. First off, both Catalan GP winner Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and teammate Brad Binder pitted out on a bike first spotted at the Qatar Test in the hands of test rider and MotoGP™ Legend Dani Pedrosa. It seems to sport a new chassis, swingarm, exhaust and tail unit. In the afternoon, both factory riders went back to their bikes used over the race weekend, working on set up. Oliveira ended the test in P9 and said one particularly useful thing for comparisons was having a proven good base – the one that won yesterday. Binder was P12 by the end of play. The two bikes they tested in the morning did 25 and 7 laps, respectively, with their own transponders showing up on the timing screen.
At Tech3 KTM Factory Racing, the new chassis – the one raced by Oliveira and Binder since Mugello – was in the box for both Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona. Lecuona was also spotted with some different aero items: one was a fairing with holes, and one addition to that looked a lot like a fellow factory’s aero on the bottom of the fairing. Petrucci did 61 and Lecuona 71 laps.
Lorenzo Savadori (32). Photo courtesy Dorna.
For Aprilia, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was in the box at the start of the day but then headed for a check up on his arm following recent arm pump surgery, sitting the test out. He got the all-ok to continue his recovery as he has been doing. Instead, Matteo Baiocco was on the bike testing reliability and doing a few practice starts, joining Lorenzo Savadori on track. Baiocco did 66 laps, Savadori 78 as he worked on setup.
That’s a wrap on the test day, with MotoGP™ now heading for Germany to take on the Sachsenring in just under two weeks.
More, from a press release issued by Tech3 KTM Factory Racing:
Tech3 KTM Factory Racing pair with busy test schedule in Montmeló
Straight after the latest round of the MotoGP World Championship last weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya the premier class field was back on Monday for an official day of testing. Due to heavy rain on Sunday night, track conditions haven’t been ideal this morning, which delayed the action for half an hour and affected the early lap times.
Yet the sun dried the tarmac quickly and Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona managed to use nearly the full day, doing 61 and 71 laps, respectively. Thereby both had the chance to try a new chassis with their KTM RC16 machines and several settings in order to prepare the upcoming back to back Grand Prix in Germany and the Netherlands.
Danilo Petrucci
Position: 18th
Time: 1:40.937
Laps: 61
“It was important to stay on the bike another day, because during this year we barely have a chance to try different things with the setup. We got a new chassis, but focused on the setup, trying to move the weight balance of the bike. I’m happy about the feeling I have on the bike, even if we only worked with hard tyres and the lap time was not super fast. But we had difficult track conditions, so we will see the next two race weekends how the situation is going to be on other tracks.”
Iker Lecuona
Position: 22nd
Time: 1:41.205
Laps: 71
“Today we tried the new chassis. Finally, it was not about a fast lap time, so we finished quite far back. But I feel very good with the bike and confident for the next races. I think the bike has a lot potential to continue to improve and to fight close to the top, so I’m quite happy about today overall.”
More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha SRT:
Constructive Catalan Test for PETRONAS Yamaha SRT
Franco Morbidelli eighth and Valentino Rossi tenth in one-day Catalan Test
PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team’s MotoGP riders were straight back to work today, as they took part in a one-day test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi ended the day eighth and tenth respectively on the final timesheets.
Opting to condense his testing into just the morning session, to limit the stress on his recovering knee, Morbidelli completed 29 laps in his hours on track. The main focus for the Italian was to improve the feeling from Sunday’s race. In addition, he tested a new rear tyre, along with new brake discs. Franco was the fastest rider for a portion of the morning but at the lunch break, when he chose to conclude his day, was third on the timing screen with a 1min 40.022secs lap. With no afternoon running, this became eighth when the chequered flag waved at the end of the eight hours.
Rossi started his day’s work just after Morbidelli, completing 33 laps in the morning session and 39 laps after his lunch break. Like his teammate, one of the main aims for the Italian today was to understand the feeling of the bike from yesterday’s race, as he did not have the grip that he expected. Valentino also tested a new rear tyre, brake discs and a new setting for the rear shock during today’s test session. Rossi’s fastest lap of the 72 he completed – 1min 40.050secs – was the tenth quickest time of the day.
The MotoGP duo will now enjoy a short break ahead of the next two back-to-back races, which will start with the Grand Prix Deutschland at Sachsenring (18-20 June).
Franco Morbidelli
8th (1’40.022)
We had a good morning session today. We kept our testing programme short, not doing that many laps, as we wanted to be mindful of my knee. Although it is not 100% yet, it is healing and so we just wanted to take care of it a bit more, try not to over stress it today. The things we tried were good though and I’m quite happy with them. We used some new brake discs that could be interesting for Austria, and also some other tracks potentially. Now it’s time to rest, and face the last two races before the break in the best way possible.
Valentino Rossi
10th (1’40.050)
It has been a good day for us because, although we didn’t have a lot of new parts to test, we did have a few things and settings that we wanted to try. First of all we tried to understand why we were slower yesterday than the pace we had in practice. Today I was more in line with FP4 and Warm Up. After that we worked on the bike, the suspension and tried some different things. At the end of the day the feeling was positive, I was in the top-ten, my pace was good and my lap time was not so far from the top. We tried the new brake discs today, because in Austria the brakes are under a lot of stress, and the feeling with them was good.
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Productive Catalan Test for Repsol Honda Team
With 159 laps between them, Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro made the most of the latest in-season MotoGP test as they worked through an extensive list.
For the second time in 2021, the MotoGP World Championship was back out on track on Monday for an in-season test. After a difficult start to the season, it was a crucial test for the Repsol Honda Team and both riders were some of the first out on track.
With Sunday’s disappointment behind him, Pol Espargaro went about working with the Repsol Honda Team to find a direction for future races. A total of 72 laps made for a busy day, his best time of 1’39.877 coming on lap 71. This time saw Espargaro end the day in sixth and with more knowledge gained after another full day on board the RC213V. Espargaro’s afternoon was briefly upset by a fall as a result of another rider riding slowly.
Marc Marquez worked hard from the start of day and in total completed 87 laps aboard the RC213V machine, the most laps of any rider across Monday. A time attack was not the focus of the test for eight-time World Champion, Marquez ending the day as the 11th quickest rider with a best time of 1’40.054.
June 20 is the date of the next Grand Prix, affording the Repsol Honda Team a week to work away from the circuit after two demanding back-to-back weekends.
Pol Espargaro
6TH – 72 LAPS 1’39.877
“Without much pre-season testing, every chance I have to ride the Honda is important. We’ve had a good and busy day trying a lot of things to keep learning and understanding the bike. We had one unfortunate crash today due to another rider, but we have still been able to complete many laps.”
Marc Marquez
11TH – 87 LAPS 1’40.054
“It has been a very busy day today; we have completed a big amount of laps, I suffered today but I needed a day like this where I could just ride. In the beginning it wasn’t bad, in the afternoon I wasn’t pushing as much but it worked well. Now it’s time to take a rest and do a step with my physical condition. We have found a lot of information, and this is key. Overall, it has been a good and productive day on the bike.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:
TAKA THIRD FASTEST AT OFFICIAL MOTOGP TEST SESSION IN CATALUNYA
7 June 2021 | Catalan Test
LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami enjoyed a productive test in Montmelo on Monday and ended the day-long session in 3rd position on the timesheets. After finishing 13th in Sunday’s GP at the same venue, the Japanese star returned to the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit today with the rest of the MotoGP class for official testing.
In bright, sunny conditions in north-east Spain, Taka spent the day trialling a variety of parts and settings, including new aerodynamic components and engine mapping to enhance rider feeling on his RC213V. He was able to gather valuable data as he got through a total of 67 laps, with his best being a time of 1’39.702 which he posted midway through the afternoon.
Takaaki Nakagami – 3rd
(1’39.702 – lap 47 of 67)
“Today was a very important test day for us and generally my feeling on the bike was pretty good and consistent throughout. It was much better than during the weekend at Catalunya. We tested many items, including new wings and there were things that are worth keeping. So overall I’m happy with the feeling of the bike and I want to say thanks to my team, because today was very busy, until 6 o’clock, and all my mechanics were working hard. So thanks to all my team and I’m really looking forward to the next race in Germany.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:
BUSY DAY OF TESTING FOR ÁLEX MÁRQUEZ IN BARCELONA
7 June 2021 | Catalan Test
Álex Márquez returned to his home circuit in Barcelona for a day of official MotoGP testing alongside his premier class rivals on Monday. Under sunny skies in Montmelo, the LCR Honda CASTROL rider worked hard as he put a number of new parts and settings through their paces in search of valuable improvements for the forthcoming World Championship rounds.
Fresh from finishing 11th in his home GP on Sunday, the Spaniard had a busy day at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit, completing 70 laps in total as he looked for solutions to the grip issues that have dogged him this season. Álex ended the day in 15th position overall, but was still just a second off the fastest time of the day.
Álex Márquez – 15th
“So we had one day of testing and it’s always nice to be on track and feeling good on the bike. Honestly, I felt pretty good today and had less problems than during the GP weekend. We found some really positive items, but, as we said all weekend, our main target of trying to improve grip on the bike will take a little bit more time to solve. But, in general, we found some small solutions and small items that we can introduce and that I hope will help us in the next races. I hope to have good back-to-back races in Germany and Holland to go on holiday feeling positive and with good results.”
More, from a press release issued by KTM Factory Racing:
STERLING MOTOGP™ CATALAN GRAND PRIX EPISODE ENDS WITH BUSY IRTA TEST DAY
MotoGP 2021 IRTA test Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (ESP)
The second one-day IRTA test of 2021 meant that KTM got back to work at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya only a few hours after celebrating their first MotoGP race win of the season.
After a small delay to clean the asphalt at the Catalan venue, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Tech3 KTM Factory Racing launched their testing program in more sunny and warm conditions. The Tech3 duo of Danilo Petrucci (the Italian with a best lap-time of 18th) and Iker Lecuona (22nd) continued to assess chassis modifications for the KTM RC16.
Race winner Miguel Oliveira (9th fastest) and Brad Binder (12th) explored set-up options based around the softer compound of the Michelin tires as well as assessing some prototypes parts previously used by test riders DanI Pedrosa and Mika Kallio; who were not in action around the Spanish circuit.
After back-to-back Grands Prix in Italy and Spain the KTM MotoGP effort will enjoy a free weekend before another race ‘double’ this month in Germany and then the Netherlands.
Miguel Oliveira: “A positive day. After a very good weekend we had a decent base for comparison. We did good evaluation on a couple of parts and the focus wasn’t on a time attack or really fast laps but we were still quite quick. In the afternoon we focused more on what we can achieve with this package but it is always hard on a Monday because the grip conditions are quite different. It was such a great weekend that the base and the standard was already quite high. It was tricky to step it up. We were able to give our opinion on some prototype items and there has been some good work. We tried a couple of things but I liked yesterday’s race bike!”
Brad Binder: “I really enjoyed riding the bike after yesterday.We managed to get quite a few laps in. We really just focussed on trying a couple of small different things. Little bits, to try and stabilise the bike on corner entry. We had some prototype parts to try and as always some negatives and some positives, so we need to really look through everything and figure out what’s the next step.”
Danilo Petrucci: “Quite a long day but I’m satisfied. The most important thing was to get used to the bike, and I feel well for the next two races because Sachsenring and Assen don’t have long straight sections where we are currently losing time. Braking is the only part where I can make some gains. Anyway, today we had the chance to try some different set-ups and mainly with hard tires to explore the worst cases scenarios for set-ups.”
Iker Lecuona: “Today we tried the new chassis. Finally, it was not about a fast lap time, so we finished quite far back but I feel very good with the bike and I’m confident for the next races. I think the bike has a lot potential to continue to improve and to fight close to the top, so I’m quite happy about today overall.”
Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Race Manager: “This racetrack is always demanding and after we were able to catch a victory we thought today would be hard work and the lap-times showed that. But the guys worked solidly. On the Tech3 side especially, Danilo and Iker tried many ideas, so it was a productive day. We looked further at the race bike chassis and also had one extra machine that was more of a prototype for the future. We are more than happy with the outcome of what we could do here.”
Sebastian Risse, Technical Coordinator MotoGP: “It was an intense day for us. The benchmark was already set high from Sunday! So it was difficult to improve from that but I think we still found some areas both in the short term and the long term where we can be better. We also collected a lot of data in pretty much all areas and some of this we might use in the next round, it largely depends on the tracks coming up and the conditions. I think we will see some things popping up and a lot of information will be going back to the factory as we have to start looking at next year’s bike.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE CATALUNYA TEST
Montmeló (Spain), 7th June 2021
CATALUNYA MOTOGP OFFICIAL TEST
TEST
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team returned to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today to take part in the one-day official MotoGP IRTA test. Maverick Viñales and Fabio Quartararo finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the session timesheets.
1st MAVERICK VIÑALES 1‘39.400 / 85 LAPS
2nd FABIO QUARTARARO 1‘39.537 / 79 LAPS
Less than a day after the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team were back in action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for an official one-day IRTA Test. Maverick Viñales and Fabio Quartararo were eager to try some new solutions to improve their race performance for the remainder of the 2021 MotoGP season. They clocked the 1st and 2nd fastest time of the day respectively.
Viñales once again showed his impeccable work ethic as he diligently set himself to the task of bettering his bike‘s race and flying lap set-ups compared to last weekend. He completed a total of 85 laps, looking for improvements and testing various solutions. He ended the day by dropping a 1‘39.400s on lap 78, which earned him 1st place with a 0.137s advantage over his teammate in second.
As he noticed some room for further improvement in certain corners during yesterday‘s race, Quartararo arrived at the Montmeló track this morning motivated to make another step. Rather than wanting to set a fast time, he worked on the race settings of the bike and also on practice starts. He completed 79 laps in total. His fastest time, a 1‘39.537s set on lap 69, put him in 2nd place in the rankings, 0.137s off the number-1 spot.
The team will analyse the gained data in preparation for the Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, held at the Sachsenring from 18th – 20th June 2021.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
Our riders spent today‘s time following our test plans. We had a full-on schedule, which meant Maverick and Fabio had to put in a lot of laps. We worked on race set-ups, qualifying set-ups, the balance of the bike, practice starts, and tested some new solutions. The goal was to collect as much information as possible, so we can give our riders a package that makes them feel confident at the upcoming race at the Sachsenring. We will take all the data we gained today on board for the next GP. The level of competition is really high again this year, so we will continue to work hard all season and leave no stone unturned.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
We were working on the feeling with the bike and riding with general settings of the bike. We also worked on setting a fast lap, because we missed out by quite a lot at the Catalan GP, and in the end, it cost me the opportunity to be on the podium. So, we were working quite a lot, also on the front, and the weight balance of the bike. Little by little, with the help of Silvano Galbusera, we are starting to understand a bit more what I like on the bike, and how I should ride it. This is the most important. We still need to improve, but this was only our first race and first test with Silvano as our Crew Chief. We tried many things, because the objective for us was to collect a lot of information, so we can prepare a competitive bike for the Sachsenring. On a good lap, we were able to be fast. To improve our rhythm we tried to work a lot between 2 and 3 o‘clock in the afternoon, which is when the track is the most slippery. We improved a little bit, especially the last six laps of the tyre life.
FABIO QUARTARARO
I felt good. We tried some interesting settings on the bike and the electronics. We did many laps and also practice starts, so I‘m happy. It‘s great to be back here again after yesterday. I feel good, like I did during the race weekend, so I‘m looking forward to the German GP. I was trying to improve my riding style in the corners that I was struggling with a bit during the weekend. But honestly, my riding style was already quite good. I think that the new setting that we tested today was great. We need to check if it‘s better to use it in the future, and in general I‘m quite happy because we did close to 80 laps and everything was working well.
More, from a press release issued by Esponsorama Racing:
BASTIANINI AND MARINI COMPLETE A VERY PRODUCTIVE TEST IN BARCELONA
Barcelona (Spain), 7th June 2021
Enea Bastinini and Luca Marini took part today in an official test day at the Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya.
Both riders had the opportunity to continue getting more mileage on their Ducati Desmosedici GP19 and to continue with the work of adaptation and set-up to face the next rounds of the MotoGP World Championship as best as possible. Bastianini completed a total of 36 laps with a best time of 1:40.923. Marini closed the day with 49 laps and a time of 1:40.226.
After four consecutive days in Barcelona, Avintia Esponsorama and Sky VR46 Avintia are already looking ahead to the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, which will take place on 18th, 19th and 20th June at Sachsenring.
#23 ENEA BASTIANINI
“Today was a difficult day because since yesterday morning I have had some pain in my shoulder and also in my arm. The test was important, especially to work on the middle part of the corner because I’m a bit slow in this area and especially in this race to release the brake was difficult for me. I’ve tried some new things on the front, I managed to improve my feeling and I feel more competitive also on used tyres. We’ll see if all this works for us at Sachsenring.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS FOR SUZUKI IN TEST
Team Suzuki Press Office – June 7.
Joan Mir: 4th – 1’39.816 (+ 0.416)
Sylvain Guintoli: 20th – 1’40.994 (+ 1.594)
Following on from a challenging but satisfactory race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya where Joan Mir managed a solid finish and useful championship points, Team Suzuki Ecstar took to the track once again on Monday for a one-day test.
Sylvain Guintoli, the factory’s test rider, joined Joan Mir and the pair set about searching for any useful improvements for use in the coming races. No major new parts were tested in terms of ‘hardware’ but information was given to the team after the riders worked on electronics, geometry, and suspension.
Completing 65 laps, Mir reported positive feelings and he felt confident that the feedback given to the team would stand him in good stead for Sachsenring in just under two weeks’ time.
After 72 laps, Guintoli was left impressed with the feel and the feedback given by his GSX-RR. He completed a full programme and worked on many small areas of the bike, which included a swingarm.
Joan Mir:
“It’s been a good day of testing, we didn’t have a lot of things to try but we worked on geometry settings, things like my riding position on the bike, and electronics and it was all positive. I also worked a little bit on rear suspension and the rear shock. I was able to give important feedback and information to the team about a few areas, and now they will work on all of that while looking at the data. I’m happy with what’s been done but it’s been a tiring couple of weeks and I’m ready to go home and start my preparations for Germany.”
Sylvain Guintoli:
“This Catalan test has been a real pleasure for me, I haven’t ridden the GSX-RR since the test in Qatar and it was so nice to be back with it again. My feeling was really good today, I was a bit worried that after so long off the bike and with everybody else fresh from racing, that I would get thrashed in terms of lap times! But in fact I had very good feedback from the bike and the tyres, and I was able to complete the day’s programme really well with 72 laps completed and a really solid test. I did some comparisons and worked on a wide variety of things, including the swingarm. Now I’m going to race in the Le Mans 24hrs and riding the GP bike today has got me fired up for that.”
Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:
“We didn’t have many items here, certainly not anything big, so instead we focused on the smaller items which can also help us to improve. We’ve made some positive steps forward and I’d like to thank both Joan and Sylvain for their great work today collecting data – all the information they’ve given us will go towards building on our good results. Now we’ll continue to work behind the scenes and be back on track in Sachsenring.”
A scene from the MotoAmerica/World Superbike event at Laguna Seca Raceway in 2019. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
West Coast Bike Week creates exciting new experiences for motorcycle racing fans
MONTEREY, Calif., June 8, 2021 – For 10 days in July, motorcycles are king in Monterey County.
West Coast Bike Week is a community focused week of activities geared to those who love all things on two wheels. There’s plenty of excitement for riders (or enthusiasts) of all ages and experience levels.
The 10-day experience is highlighted by professional championship racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with the GEICO Motorcycle MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest at Monterey, July 9-11, followed by exciting vintage racing with the AHRMA Classic Motofest of Monterey, July 16-18. It’s paradise for motorcycle lovers.
Everything kicks off July 9 at the MotoAmerica Bike Night, which will take place in downtown Pacific Grove from 5-9 p.m. Lighthouse Avenue will be shut down between Forest Avenue and Congress Avenue, where live music, merchandise and other surprises await at this free event that is presented by the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce. Fans are encouraged to bring their motorcycles to help launch West Coast Bike Week.
After three days of pulse pounding MotoAmerica action at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the Ducati Owner Program takes the track on July 12.
From July 13-15, the Learn to Ride program will be teaching important lessons to motorcycle riders of all skill levels at the Raceway’s Lakebed. Part of the California Motorcyclist Safety Program, Learn to Ride is implemented by members of the Pacific Motorcycle Training team, in conjunction with the California Highway Patrol. For more information, click here.
There will be both a Training Course – designed for the novice rider – and a Premier Course – which allows riders who are age 21 and older and who already know how to ride, but are not licensed, the chance to earn their motorcycle license.
On track July 14-15 will be Iconic Motorbikes – which is a promotional partner of West Coast Bike Week. The company has quickly risen to become one of the premier motorcycle auction websites in the industry. Anybody looking to buy or sell a motorbike needs to look no further than Iconic. More information about Iconic can be found at www.iconicmotorbikeauctions.com.
The AHRMA Bike Night is July 15 at the Baja Cantina & Grill in Carmel Valley. It will run from 5-7 p.m. and include vintage bikes, drink specials, a raffle, plus much more.
“West Coast Bike Week is an exciting initiative that brings the whole community together in celebration of our two wonderful motorcycle racing events,” said John Narigi, president and general manager of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. “There is a rich history of motorcycle racing at our track, and the West Coast Bike Week events inject even more energy and enthusiasm into those two weeks in July.”
For those who prefer to pedal on two wheels, the Twilight Cycling event returns July 7, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. This ride allows cyclists of all ages and experience levels the thrill of pedaling WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca’s 11-turn, 2.238-mile course. The ride is highlighted by the legendary Corkscrew that drops 59 feet in just 450 feet of track length. Helmets are required.
For a list of West Coast Bike Week events, click here.
To buy tickets for both the MotoAmerica and AHRMA events at WRLS, click here.
Cameron Beaubier (1) passed Bobby Fong (50) for the lead early in MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike Race Two at Road America in 2020. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
It’s Game On For MotoAmerica’s Round Three At Road America
Close Racing Expected For The Pair Of HONOS Superbike Races In Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
IRVINE, CA (June 9, 2021) – MotoAmerica has held 14 Superbike races at Road America since it took over the AMA Superbike Series in 2015. The average margin of victory from those 14 races is just 2.49 seconds, and that includes Cameron Beaubier’s three runaway wins last year of 7.8, 14.4 and 6.32 seconds.
Plain and simple: Those three races were anomalies. So, if we throw those three dominating wins by Beaubier out the window, the average margin of victory for the remaining 11 MotoAmerica Superbike races is a scant .669 of a second. Yes, .669 of a second.
The closest HONOS Superbike race in those 14 races? That would be Beaubier’s victory over Josh Herrin in race one in 2018 – .002 of a second. The next day, Beaubier did the dirty on Herrin again – by .195 of a second.
Guess you can understand why the MotoAmerica Series heads to the picturesque, high-speed venue in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, expecting ultra-close, nail-biting racing in all classes. After all, it’s the Road America way.
Last year, with COVID-19 wreaking havoc, MotoAmerica was forced to reschedule and that meant racing not once but twice at Road America with unprecedented back-to-back rounds separated by a month with the races taking place at the end of May and end of June. And no one complained – such is the popularity of the long-standing weekends at “America’s National Park Of Speed.”
As previously mentioned, Beaubier won three of the four HONOS Superbike races at Road America in 2020 and only a crash out of the lead in race four prevented a perfect four-race rampage in Wisconsin. When Beaubier crashed, the lead and ultimately the victory fell to M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong – and it marked the Californian’s first-career AMA Superbike win. So, with Beaubier now contesting the Moto2 World Championship, does that make Fong the favorite heading to Road America this week?
Perhaps.
There is this one niggling problem by the name of Jake Gagne, the winner of three of the four HONOS Superbike races held thus far in 2021. Gagne, who finished second twice in Road America’s four races last year (including ending up right behind Fong in the fourth race), comes into Wisconsin with the smoking hot hand with his three wins on the Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha YZF-R1.
Although Gagne has done the most winning so far in 2021, he’s not leading the championship. That spot is held by Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, the South
African with one victory, two seconds and a third thus far in his consistent start to the season. He leads Gagne, who has a DNF on his scorecard in the title chase, albeit by just seven points.
With three thirds and a fourth-place finish, Gagne’s teammate Josh Herrin is third in the point standings. Herrin has tasted Superbike victory before at Road America with a win in race two over Beaubier (by just .506 of a second). He trails Scholtz by 20 points after four races.
The aforementioned Fong sits fourth, the Suzuki GSX-R1000-mounted rider starting the season with a second-place finish but struggling a bit since then with two fifth-place finishes bookending a mechanical issue at VIRginia International Raceway that pushed him down to 12th in race one.
Non-defending MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Cameron Petersen is tied for fourth in the title chase with his teammate Fong after his consistent start to the season hit a bit of a bump in the road in race two at VIR when he was involved in a first-corner melee that left him well behind. He fought through to finish seventh, but it ruined his streak of top-five finishes in his first season on the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike.
Six points adrift of the Suzuki teamsters is Panera Bread Ducati’s Kyle Wyman, who in turn finds himself just three points ahead of Scheibe Racing BMW’s Hector
Barbera – a MotoAmerica rookie in 2021.
Another series rookie with an immense international racing background is Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York’s Loris Baz, the Frenchman competing in his first season of racing in the U.S. series. Baz’s season started out with two non-finishes at Road Atlanta, but he turned that around at VIR with fourth- and second-place finishes. He’s got a long way to go to catch those at the top of the point standings, but Road America should suit the fast Ducati Panigale V4 R well and both Baz and Wyman should be able to let the Big Red (and in Wyman’s case, green) Dogs eat.
Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman and Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis round out the top 10 in the series standings heading to Road America with those two sitting first and second in the Superbike Cup standings, a class within a class for those riding Stock 1000-spec motorcycles.
In total, there are 36 entries in the HONOS Superbike class for Road America.
Road America Notes
Cameron Beaubier won three of the four HONOS Superbike races held at Road America last year with Bobby Fong winning the one race that Beaubier didn’t win. Beaubier beat Mathew Scholtz in race one, Jake Gagne in race two and Fong in race three. Fong beat Gagne in race four.
With his three wins at Road America last year, Beaubier has 10 AMA Superbike wins at Road America and that’s one better than Australian Mat Mladin and two more than Beaubier’s former teammate Josh Hayes.
In addition to his race wins, Beaubier is also the Superbike lap record holder at Road America with a 2:10.623 lap set during Superpole for the June race in 2020. Beaubier also holds the race lap record with a 2:11.033 set in race two of the May race weekend.
Six different manufacturers will be represented on the grid at Road America: Yamaha (11 entries), Kawasaki (seven entries), Suzuki (six entries), BMW (five entries), Ducati (five entries) and Honda (two entries).
As far as manufacturers go, Yamaha has the most wins at Road America with 22 followed by Suzuki with 18, Honda (12), Ducati (eight) and Kawasaki (four). Yamaha had won seven of eight races until Suzuki swept both races in 2019 with Toni Elias and Josh Herrin. In 2020, however, Beaubier and Yamaha chalked up three more wins before Fong gave Suzuki another victory in race two in the June event.
Riders from nine different countries will line up at Road America in the HONOS Superbike class with the U.S., Spain, South Africa, Great Britain, Mexico, Uruguay, France, Australia and Brazil all represented.
The official track length at Road America is 4.048 miles, which makes it the longest on the MotoAmerica schedule. The track features 14 turns and is affectionally known as “four miles of fun.”
Three-time World Champion Freddie Spencer won the first-ever AMA Superbike race at Road America in 1980.
Twelve years ago, Larry Pegram won the Superbike race at Road America, giving Ducati its last Wisconsin win in the Superbike class. Pegram won a race-long battle with Mat Mladin to take that victory. Well, that was 2009 and this is now and Pegram is back and set to race a Pegram Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R in both Stock 1000 and HONOS Superbike.
For the complete 2021 MotoAmerica Series schedule, click HERE
To purchase tickets to any of the 2021 series rounds, click HERE
For information on how to watch the MotoAmerica Series, click HERE
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Superbike Points Leader Scholtz Is Raring To Put Two In The Win Column At Road America
Tulsa, OK – June 9, 2021 – Round three of the 2021 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship starts this Friday at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and Westby Racing’s riders Mathew Scholtz and Jack Roach, along with the entire crew, always enjoy MotoAmerica race weekends at “America’s National Park of Speed.”
Mathew, who is the current Superbike Championship points leader, hopes to keep his podium streak alive, with two race victories being the ultimate goal, of course. Last year at Road America, in the two rounds and four races held there, he notched a runner-up finish, a DNF, a fifth-place, and a fourth-place finish at the 4.05-mile, 14-turn natural road course.
Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
“I’m looking forward to the Road America round and getting back to racing again,” Mathew said. “I’m really excited, and I’ve been training hard. I have kind of a love-hate relationship with Road America. It seems like either I do really well there, or things don’t go so great, but this year, I am confident that we should definitely be challenging up front for some race wins. Our bike has picked up some horsepower compared with last year, which should help us at Road America where top speed is so important. In speaking with (crew chief) Ed (Sullivan) and (electronics specialist) Herschel (Auxier), we have a few ideas on what we need to try to improve the bike and also what I need to do to improve my riding. So, it’s all looking good…just really looking forward to Friday practice in order to try out some of these changes that we’re planning to make and see how it goes. I’m feeling confident, and I feel like we have to do something to stop Jake’s (Gagne) forward momentum. Road America is the place where I think we can take back some of the points in the championship and try to extend our lead while keeping the rest of the guys behind us.”
Superbike final qualifying is on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. CT. Superbike race one will go green on Saturday afternoon at 3:10 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 2 (FS2). Superbike race two is on Sunday afternoon also at 3:10 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Both races will be streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
For Jack, qualifying third at VIR was encouraging. He knows that he’s got the bike and the team to achieve the results he is expecting. It’s a matter of putting everything together, getting good race starts, and using the draft to his advantage. Last year, while racing for a different team and aboard a different manufacturer’s motorcycle in his first-ever race weekend at Road America, Jack finished 11th and 7th in the two Junior Cup races. He’s determined to do even better this year now that he’s aboard the Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R3.
Jack Roach (12). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Jack commented, “Coming off the back of a very unlucky round in Virginia, I’m hungry to get a good result not only for me but for my team. They’ve been working hard and so have I. We just need it to come together. There’s nothing wrong with the speed of the bike, as it showed its podium potential in qualifying at VIR. I can’t wait for Friday.”
Junior Cup race one starts on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. CT, and Junior Cup race two is on Sunday at 2:10 p.m. CT. Both races will be streamed on MotoAmerica Live+, and then, broadcast via tape-delay on FOX Sports 2 (FS2) this Tuesday, June 15, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
Meet Mathew and Jack, Get Some Autographed Posters, And More
Mathew and Jack will both be at the Westby Racing transporter in the Road America paddock during two Dunlop Paddock Autograph Signings. The first one is on Saturday from 12 to 12:30 p.m. CT, and the second one is on Sunday from 10:30 to 11 a.m. CT. They’ll have free, autographed posters and other team items to hand out, so be sure to stop by.
Check Out The Westby Racing Sponsor Showcase
NGK Spark Plugs U.S.A. and MWR Racing Air Filters will be the featured team sponsors on display in the Westby Racing paddock area, so be sure to stop by to say hello and learn about some of the companies that support the team.
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Loris Baz and Kyle Wyman Look for Success at Road America
Sunnyvale, Calif., June 9, 2021 – Round three of the 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship sees Ducati stars Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York) and Kyle Wyman (Panera Bread Ducati) head to one of the most famous racing venues in the world in the beautiful but daunting Road America in Wisconsin.
After encouraging results from the previous round at VIRginia International Raceway that saw a debut MotoAmerica podium for Baz and Wyman significantly close the gap to the front runners, Ducati’s finest will be looking to take that final step to challenge the series leaders at the ultra-high speed venue that should ideally suit the strengths of the powerhouse Ducati Panigale V4 R racers.
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York – Ducati #76)
“I’ve been back in France with the family, recharging the batteries,” Baz said of his three week break between VIR and Road America. “It’s always nice to reconnect with home, but now we’re back in America and I can’t wait to ride this really famous track. Of the tracks I don’t know in America, this is the one I’m most looking forward to racing because every game you have on the PlayStation as a kid, you race at Road America! It’s such a famous track.
“It’s very long and I’m looking forward to Friday where I can learn it. This is a place that should really suit our V4 R really well. The guys in the team have been hard at work on the data since the last race to make the bike better for me—I can’t wait to get going.”
Kyle Wyman (Panera Bread Ducati – Ducati #33)
“We’re looking really good coming into this weekend,” Wyman said. “We got our two-day test at Pittsburgh done last week which was pivotal for us to try some big changes we normally wouldn’t try on a race weekend. We did 156 laps over the two days so I’m feeling much more confident on the bike. The crew is jiving and we’re really excited to go to our best track on the schedule in Road America and try to put the Panera Bread Ducati on the box. It should be a great weekend for us.”
Round three of the 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will be held at Road America on June 11-13, 2021.
More, from a press release issued by Travis Wyman Racing:
Travis Wyman Racing announces Klock Werks as title sponsor for this weekend’s MotoAmerica Superbikes at Road America
Popular motorcycle accessories company returns as title sponsor of BMW team for second-consecutive year
Travis Wyman (10). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
A familiar logo will be affixed to Travis Wyman Racing’s BMW S 1000 RR at this weekend’s MotoAmerica round at Road America. Klock Werks, a South Dakota company that manufactures a variety of motorcycle parts and accessories, is the title sponsor of Wyman’s team for the June 11-13 event at the Elkhart Lake, Wis., circuit.
It’s Klock Werks second time serving as the Las Vegas-based team’s title sponsor. It’s first promotional partnership with Travis Wyman Racing took place at last year’s season-ending MotoAmerica round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
“It was a big win for the team to gain Klock Werks’ support at the end of the 2020 season, and I’m delighted to be running their logo again at one of MotoAmerica’s best-attended events,” rider/team owner Travis Wyman said. “Klock Werks founder, Brian Klock, has been an enthusiastic supporter of my team, and I’m looking forward to getting his brand as much exposure as I can at Road America.”
Founded in 1997, Klock Werks rose to national prominence when it won the 2006 Discovery Channel Biker Build Off with its “World’s Fastest Bagger” entry. The company’s wide-ranging product lines include its Flare-branded windscreens, sound system accessories, handlebars, fenders and cleaning products.
Road America is a track Wyman has won at before, and the team’s BMW S 1000 RR will have a fresh engine to help Wyman power his way past his competition on the long straightaways of the 4.05-mile track. The team debuted its 2020 BMW S 1000 RR at the season-opening round at Road America in 2020.
Wyman added, “I need to give a big shout out to my mechanic, Alex Torres of Fast Line Motorcycle Performance. Alex spent three days at the team’s East Coast base of operations near Rochester, New York, getting our new engine ready to go for the Road America round. We wouldn’t be in a position to challenge for a podium or better in the Stock 1000 class without Alex’s hard work over the past few days.”
KWR Ducati Team ready for Superbike round three in Wisconsin
TUCSON, Ariz. (Jun. 8) — The KWR/Panera Bread Ducati Team heads to Road America this weekend in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for the third round of the 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. Kyle Wyman will compete not only in Superbike but will also contest round two of the King of the Baggers Championship, in which Wyman rides the Factory Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle Road Glide.
The KWR team is coming off of a solid second round at Virginia International Raceway, where the team scored 7th and 6th place finishes albeit showing a strong pace in Superbike race two, where Wyman battled for the podium spots throughout.
Since the VIR weekend, the team was able to conduct a two-day private test at Pittsburgh International Race Complex on May 31st and June 1st. Wyman circulated Pitt-Race 156 laps over two days and the team made steady progress on the 2021-spec Ducati Panigale V4 R Superbike.
“I’m looking forward to a busy double duty weekend in Wisconsin,” Wyman said. “Road America is my favorite track on the schedule. I love the scenery, the people and the town of Elkhart Lake. Last year we put our Ducati Superbike on the podium in both races, so the expectation is high for us to fight at the front and try to even improve on those results. My goals for this weekend are to not just be in the podium battle, but to win the podium battle. I want to have a look at a race win and put myself in a position to execute that. I’m feeling great on the bike after our two days at Pittsburgh.”
With the previous year’s podium results the KWR team hopes to fight for victories in MotoAmerica Superbike. This week’s even will be a true indication of the progress the KWR team has made in the last 12 months, according to Chief Mechanic Dave Hopkinson.
“Having the time at Pittsburgh last week was invaluable to our program,” Hopkinson said. “Not only looking to the race there in weeks to come but also headed into the Road America weekend. It gave us the chance to test things ordinarily we either don’t have time, or don’t dare test during a race weekend. It’s given us a whole new understanding of the new bike and its preferred set up after turning 156 laps and trying some huge changes.”
“We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors for giving us that opportunity, one that is normally out of our reach,” Hopkinson added. “I’m looking forward to the weekend after having great results at Road America last year. It will hopefully give us the first true indication of how far the bike and the program has come in the last 12 months.”
In King of the Baggers, Wyman sits 2nd in series standings after the opening round at Road Atlanta. With only three rounds total, the second race at Road America will be the most pivotal moment of the championship, and right in the backyard of Harley-Davidson.
“I am intensely focused on winning the baggers race for Harley-Davidson this weekend,” Wyman said. “We have had three test days since our last outing at Road Atlanta, where we narrowly missed out on the race win. We have new parts and a new configuration for our motorcycle that has already proven itself to be stronger and more resilient in hot conditions during testing. I have no doubt that we will have the machine capable of winning this weekend and I look forward to piloting it again and fighting for the race win here at Road America.”
More, from a press release issued by Eurosport Events:
2021 FIM EWC SEASON GETS UNDERWAY
In the first face-off of the season at Le Mans, a day of private testing saw the 47 teams expected to be on the starting grid of the 24 Heures Motos out on the track. The favourites were out in force and a few new challengers unveiled their podium ambitions.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team were expected to be among the front runners and the Belgian factory team did not disappoint, clocking the fastest lap of the day, a 1:36.260, in the morning. In the afternoon, armed with their new M 1000 RR, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, once again posted the fastest lap, a 1:36.449, ahead of YART Yamaha’s 1:36.466 lap. BMW kept the upper hand but the gap narrowed.
At the end of the private test, the factory teams finished in the following order: BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, YART Yamaha, Yoshimura SERT Motul, Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar, F.C.C. TSR Honda France and ERC Endurance-Ducati.
Tati Team Beringer Racing spring a surprise
A new independent team joined in the fray at the front end amid the factory teams. Tati Team Beringer Racing posted the 3rd-fastest time of the day with a 1:36.514 lap. The team are heading into their third season in the EWC with big ambitions, although team manager Patrick Enjolras is humble and discreet. “We’ve just worked on the new Kawasaki electronics with dedicated engineers. Now we know we have a very good machine.”
Among the privateer teams capable of giving the factory outfits a run for their money are VRD Igol Experiences, Moto Ain who are debuting in EWC after two back-to-back FIM Superstock World Cup wins, Maco Racing and 3ART Best of Bike, all four Yamaha-mounted.
New development in Superstock
BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers (Kawasaki) took the lead in the Superstock class ahead of Team 18 Sapeurs-Pompiers CMS Motostore (Yamaha), National Motos (Honda), the new favourite in class, Wójcik Racing Team 2 (Yamaha), JMA Motos Action Bike (Suzuki), Team 33 Louit April Moto (Kawasaki) and RAC41 ChromeBurner (Honda). Italian squad No Limits Motor Team (Suzuki) who were expected to take the lead in the category were slowed down by mechanical problems.
47 teams are expected to be at the start of the 2021 24 Heures Motos at 12pm this coming Saturday. Three teams have had to withdraw because of stricter travel restrictions in the UK and France. Two British teams, British Endurance Racing Team and ADSS97, will not be able to travel to Le Mans. The French team R2CL have also withdrawn as all three riders – Danny Kent, Luke Mossey and Dan Linfoot – are British.
The first official free practice session gets underway at 11am on Thursday 10 June. Don’t miss any of the action: follow practice and the race on the website fimewc.com, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, via the live timing and the FIM EWC smartphone app.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL SUZUKI ON TRACK AT LE MANS
Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki were on track today for a final shakedown test ahead of the opening round of the 2021 Endurance World Championship this weekend at Le Mans in France.
The four-rider team of Gregg Black, Xavier Simeon, Kazuki Watanabe and Sylvain Guintoli – Suzuki’s MotoGP test rider – fresh from duties at yesterday’s test in Spain, were in the saddle of the factory GSX-R1000R for the private test at the Bugatti Circuit.
This is the last time the team has to test new settings before the initial practice sessions begin at the circuit on Thursday ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours gets underway on Saturday.
Damien SAULNIER – Team Manager:
“We are all really happy to start this season. It’s good to get together, hear the bike and see it ride. Our riders needed some time to get back in shape but by the end of the day everyone has found their bearings. We are in the top five with a bike fitted with racing tyres, which is very positive. We have an excellent package with the Yoshimura technicians who know this GSX-R1000R perfectly well, a SERT team specialised in Endurance, good tyres and a trio of fast riders who are discovering and progressing together. So everything looks good for us.”
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
O’Halloran steals top spot from Mackenzie in final Official Test ahead of Bennetts BSB season opener
Jason O’Halloran topped the times in the final Official Test ahead of the opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship later this month. The McAMS Yamaha rider snatched the top spot on his final lap of the day to bring a thrilling end to pre-season testing in front of the returning fans at Donington Park.
O’Halloran had been at the top of the times during the early stages of the final session ahead of Honda Racing’s Glenn Irwin, but with 20 minutes remaining Christian Iddon had moved into second.
The final ten minutes of the test produced a flurry of faster laps and Danny Kent, who had been quickest in the opening session for Buildbase Suzuki, went fastest with just over eight minutes remaining.
O’Halloran then reclaimed the position just seconds later as Glenn Irwin moved back into second place, but the order didn’t remain for long as Kyle Ryde fired the Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW ahead with four minutes remaining.
It wasn’t over however, as Tarran Mackenzie leapt up the order to post the benchmark time as the session approached the final two minutes.
The McAMS Yamaha rider didn’t remain fastest though, his teammate saving his best till last. O’Halloran’s final lap of the day was enough to put him 0.184s clear by the finish.
Ryde held onto third place at the chequered flag, narrowly holding off Glenn Irwin with Kent completing the top five. The Buildbase Suzuki rider edged out defending champion Josh Brookes into sixth place as five different manufactures featured in the top six positions.
Christian Iddon was seventh fastest on the second of the VisionTrack Ducatis with Gino Rea, Lee Jackson and Peter Hickman completing the top ten.
Jason O’Halloran, McAMS Yamaha
“It is obviously nice to be able to finish pre-season testing off on top but to be honest I was even more happy with the second session when I did a race run. I did my fastest lap on the last lap and I felt really good and comfortable on the McAMS Yamaha.
“I feel that we have done a great job pre-season and the bike has improved since last year. I have a great feeling and feel that I can go fast when I want to. I know we have some things still to improve before Oulton Park but hopefully we can take what we have learnt today into the first round. I can’t wait to get racing now and try and reap the rewards of our hard work.”
More, from a press release issued by VisionTrack Ducati:
Testing Concludes For VisionTrack Ducati At Donington
The fourth and final official pre-season test took place in glorious conditions at Donington Park today where defending Bennetts British Superbike champions, VisionTrack Ducati, concluded their schedule with both Josh Brookes and Christian Iddon inside the top seven.
After successful tests at Silverstone, Snetterton and Oulton Park, as well as a couple of outings at Knockhill over the past few weeks, the Paul Bird Motorsport team continued through their workload at the Donington Park National Circuit aboard the factory supported VisionTrack Ducati Panigale V4 R.
With a limited number of spectators being allowed back trackside, the opening session in the morning saw Iddon in seventh place with a lap time of 1:06.961 whilst Brookes gradually settled into 12th with a lap of 1:07.121.
The temperature rose for the early afternoon session and Iddon, originally from Stockport but now living on Tyneside, upped his pace to end the session third fastest to record a fastest lap of 1:06.448 with Bedfordshire-based Aussie Brookes improving to sixth quickest, lapping at 1:06.603.
The third and final session was held in the late afternoon with conditions at their hottest and saw Brookes on the #1 VisionTrack Ducati end it in sixth, improving his lap time to 1:06.410, whilst Iddon couldn’t quite better his earlier time but finished up in seventh overall for the Penrith-based team.
The team now moves on to the opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship which takes place over the weekend of 25/27 June at Oulton Park for the first of 11 rounds, all containing three races.
Josh Brookes: “I’m happy enough with how today went, it was good to get some more dry track time and to continue developing our overall package as well as getting more data about the tyres. Whereas the time sheets don’t reflect our hard work and performance, I’m not really taking much notice as we are only six-tenths off the riders who concentrated on putting a fast lap in and we can do our times all race long. We have had a good, solid testing schedule over the past few weeks and are now raring to get the season started at Oulton Park in a couple of weeks.”
Christian Iddon: “I was happy with our progress today as this was the last time we got to work on our settings before the opening round. We have done a lot of work this year and with it being my second year with the team, I’m able to relay the feedback better. We are better placed than we were last year and that didn’t go too badly so I’m very happy. I’m not bothered about the time sheets, and we have never chased a fast lap time all throughout testing, I’m fine as it’s all about race runs for me and that’s what we’ve been concentrating on. The re are still improvements to make, and we’ll continue to work but it’s nearly go time and I’m ready.”
John Mowatt, Team Co-Ordinator: “Throughout testing, the whole plan has been to refine the set ups to reflect race conditions so to end up where we did is great as both riders set times which they could consistently replicate lap after lap. Josh is comfortable where he’s at and today was just about making some improvements to the whole package which he did and Christian’s feedback has given his side of the garage the information they need to continue their challenge and he did nearly 100 laps today, the most of anyone. We are confident we have got good race pace which is where it matters as with 33 races this year, that’s going to be vitally important, starting at Oulton Park later this month.”
Immediately after Josh Brookes had finished the final session of the day, he handed the controls of the #1 PBM VisionTrack Ducati over to the winner of a competition run by title sponsors Bennetts who, in conjunction with Paul Bird’s team, allowed the unique money-can’t-buy prize for three laps of the Donington Park track. Further information at www.bennetts.co.uk.
Further details can be found at the new Paul Bird Motorsport website – check out www.pbmuk.net.
Shayna Texter-Bauman signing autographs for fans at an American Flat Track event in 2019. Photo courtesy AFT.
Progressive AFT Welcomes Fans Back into the Paddock at OKC
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 8, 2021) – Progressive American Flat Track announced today the long-awaited return of its open paddock sessions at all remaining races of the 2021 season. With the changes to CDC guidelines and local regulations on outdoor events, Progressive AFT will bring back its Rider Autograph session beginning with its fifth and sixth rounds at Remington Park.
It has been nearly two years since race fans and riders have intermingled at the racetrack, so the return of the fan walk at the Indian Motorcycle of Oklahoma City OKC Mile Doubleheader presented by KICKER will be a treat for fans and racers alike.
“I’m excited to interact with the fans again in OKC,” said Briar Bauman, reigning two-time Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Champion. “We as racers get as much joy talking and catching up with fans as they do us. The small interaction we had with fans in Chicago reminded me of the reasons I became a racer in the first place and why fan support means the world.”
Next Up:
The stars of Progressive AFT will test the upper limits of speed, bravery, and excitement when the series unleashes the first Mile action of the season doubleheader style. The Indian Motorcycle of Oklahoma City OKC Mile I & II presented by KICKER at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, will take place on Friday, June 18, and Saturday, June 19. Tickets are available for purchase now at https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3323/#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.
To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.
About Progressive American Flat Track
Progressive American Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track, please visit us on the web, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, check us out on Instagram, live stream the events with TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and catch all the Progressive American Flat Track racing action on NBCSN.
About SUPER73
Born from the desire to inspire and create adventure and community, SUPER73 is an American lifestyle adventure brand fusing motorcycle heritage and youth culture. Founded in 2016 and based in Southern California, SUPER73 has led the charge in pioneering a new approach to help redefine the electric motorbike industry. By emphasizing thoughtful design, responsible manufacturing techniques, and local community engagement, the brand continually strives to grow and expand into a true industry leader. For more information, please visit super73.com
The Roland Sands Design (RSD) Super Hooligan National Championship series is running with MotoAmerica at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in July. Photo courtesy MotoAmerica.
Roland Sands’ Super Hooligan National Championship To Kick Off At MotoAmerica’s WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Weekend
And Now For Something Completely Different… The Debut Of The Four-Round 2021 Super Hooligan National Championship Will Run In Conjunction With The MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest At Monterey
IRVINE, CA (June 8, 2021) – MotoAmerica, North America’s premier motorcycle road racing series, is thrilled to announce that the opening round of the Roland Sands Design 2021 Super Hooligan National Championship (SHNC) will be run in conjunction with round five of the 2021 MotoAmerica Championship in the GEICO Motorcycle MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest at Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, July 9-11.
The Super Hooligan National Championship has a new four-round format with each round featuring one of four unique and challenging disciplines of motorcycle racing – road racing, short track, half mile and TT. The series’ opening round, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, will be the road race alongside MotoAmerica’s top-class HONOS Superbike Series and its support classes, as well as Mission King Of The Baggers.
“The 2021 Super Hooligan Championship is all about diversity of terrain and like nothing seen before but still reminiscent of the AMA Grand National Championships the likes that made Gary Nixon, Kenny Roberts and Bubba Shobert legends,” said Roland Sands. “Our racers are incentivized to use the same bike at all four races. Four races, full send with an AMA National Hooligan title and the bragging rights as the most talented heavy street bike racer.”
Round two of the SHNC will take place at the Castle Rock TT in Castle Rock, Washington, August 14-15, with round three taking place at American Flat Track’s round at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 8. The series will conclude in Southern California with the Moto Beach Classic, October 23.
“The Super Hooligan event will give us a glimpse back to the past when riders had to race on both pavement and dirt in order to be AMA Grand National Champion,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “We will see racers using a variety of riding styles to get the most out of their motorcycles because the bikes they race at Laguna will be the same ones they will be racing in the dirt at the TT, the half mile and the short track. This is going to be a great addition to our MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest at Monterey. It will be very entertaining to watch and something our fans will enjoy.”
More, from a press release issued by Andy DiBrino Racing:
Andy DiBrino And KTM USA Partner For 2021 RSD Super Hooligan National Championship
Two-Time Super Hooligan National Champion Andy DiBrino To Race A KTM 890 Duke R
Andy DiBrino and his new KTM 890 Duke R. Photo courtesy Andy DiBrino Racing.
Tualatin, OR – Andy DiBrino and KTM USA are partnering up to take on the 2021 Roland Sands Design Super Hooligan National Championship. DiBrino, a two-time champion in the series, was the first to bring KTM to the series in 2019 when he pioneered a 790 Duke to three victories and runner-up in the championship. This year for the four-round “QuaTTro” series, KTM and DiBrino are taking things to the next level with the 2021 890 Duke R.
“I am so excited to have KTM on board this year. Ever since I built a KTM hooligan flat track bike, they have shown interest in what I have been doing and have had my back behind the scenes. It is a dream come true to have them officially supporting me this year with the 890 Duke R. Everything I have worked towards the last couple years has finally come together, and I can’t thank KTM enough. Especially Tom Moen, John Hinz, Chris Fillmore and the late Scott Burtness who helped make so many introductions for me with the entire KTM group,” said DiBrino.
The series kicks-off at Laguna Seca July 9-11 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the first-ever RSD Super Hooligan road race in conjunction with MotoAmerica and follows with three dirt track races that consist of a TT, short track and half-mile at other events across the nation. Racers must use the same bike for all 4 rounds or be penalized 10 points in the championship standings.
“I am really confident with the Duke platform and have already had a lot of success with it. It will be a ton of fun racing the 890 Duke R in essentially stock-form at Laguna prior to converting it to flat track for the remainder of the series,” said DiBrino.
For more info about the Roland Sands Super Hooligan National Championship, visit superhooligans.com
To find out more about Andy DiBrino, visit dibrinoracing.com
Brad Burns (912) on the Twisted Speed Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Nelson Ledges Road Course. Photo by Turn 13 Photo, courtesy N2 Racing.
Twisted Speed Wins Overall at the N2/WERA National Endurance Series by Dunlop at Nelson Ledges.
Garrettsville, OH June 2021 – Twisted Speed Racing with riders Brad Burns and Hayden Gillim took overall victory and won the Heavyweight class on a Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Round 3 of the N2/WERA National Endurance Series by Dunlop, taking home $2500 for their efforts. The 4-Hour Endurance Race was held under picture perfect conditions with 46 teams competing for a huge purse and bonuses at the beautiful Northeastern Ohio racetrack.
The Heavyweight Class at Nelson Ledges was the scene of an epic battle for overall victory and the points lead between Army of Darkness, Twisted Speed, and N2/BobbleHeadMoto. Twisted Speed’s Hayden Gillim set a blistering pace, turning the fastest lap on lap 160, within a second of the lap record. Army of Darkness, with riders Ben Walters, Chris Peris, and Stefano Mesa did everything they could to keep pace, but they are still trying to find the perfect set up for their Pirelli shod YZF-R1. N2/BobbleHeadMoto finished third despite competitive pace from riders CJ Crosslin, Ed Sullivan, Corey Heflin and Emmerson Amaya. Unfortunately, their YZF-R1 was suffering from fuel starvation issues late in each stint.
“We were really nervous going into this round,” said Twisted Speed Team Captain/rider Brad Burns. “I crashed my dirt bike on Tuesday and I’m really beat up. We then crashed the endurance bike on Saturday morning. The team did an amazing job getting it back together for the race. Hayden is an animal and was just flying on each of his stint and our luck turned around. We are very happy with the win and especially the points lead.”
Topbox Road Racing won the Middleweight Class with riders Doug Royce, Mark Faulkner, Caleb Odom, and Brandon Slayer using a large capacity tank for the minimum number of pit stops. Team 38 Special with Yamaha Champions Riding School instructors Steven Roth and Eziah Davis finished second on an ex-ChampSchool YZF-R6. Mi Scusi SDK finished third with the fastest middleweight lap time on their R6.
Chiefs Racing Team won the heavily attended lightweight class with riders Greg Reisinger, Brian Mullins, Jared Trees, Kevin Boda, and Brian Mullins on a Suzuki SV650. Family team, Brown Town Racing came in second on a Suzuki SV650 with dad David Brown, and sons Chase Brown, Reese Brown all riding. Team Going the Distance was third with riders Blake Davis, Damian Jigalov, and Cassidy Hieser. The lightweight class is super competitive with all teams competing for brand new 2022 Yamaha YZF-R7 for the lightweight championship bonus.
The new for 2021 Road Race Relay Class was won Clear Bra Indy with riders Kyle Owen and Jason Lee. Second Chance Air was second with riders John Piwko and Perry Hoover. The Road Race Relay class allows riders to use their own sprint bikes and change transponders during a stop. The winner receives $750 cash with payouts going back to 5th place.
The 2-Hour Ultralightweight Endurance Race was won by MotoAmerica Junior Cup star, Blake Davis on the Kidnapper and the Kid Racing Yamaha YZF-R3. Blake Davis ran the entire 2-hour race solo to beat RTR Racing by a full lap as Chasing Shade Racing ULW finished third. Blake was up by 4 laps at one point but threw a chain. Fortunately, he was able to coast in and the team was able to replace the chain and send him back out. Blake and company won $1500 for their work.
Join us for the penultimate round of the N2/WERA National Endurance Series by Dunlop at Pittsburgh International Race Complex on August 21. For more information on the N2/WERA National Endurance Series by Dunlop and sponsor bonus programs please go to https://www.n2td.org/endurance/
2021 Endurance Racing Schedule:
August 21 – Pittsburgh International Race Complex
September 11 – Summit Point Raceway
The N2/WERA National Endurance Series by Dunlop is proudly sponsored by: N2 Track Days, Dunlop Motorcycle Tires, Yamaha Motor USA, WERA Road Racing, Arai Helmets America, Innovative Motorsports, R.E.B Graphics, Woodcraft, Rise Moto, Ghetto Customs JE Pistons, Wiseco Pistons, Yamaha Power Products and Boxo USA.
More, from a press release issued by Topbox Road Racing:
Topbox Road Racing takes another victory in Ohio at the N2/WERA National Endurance Series presented by Dunlop.
Garrettsville, OH – Topbox Road Racing took their second middleweight victory of the season at Nelson Ledges finishing 4th overall out of all classes.
After a miserable showing at Nelson Ledges in 2020, crashing out on lap 4 due to a surprise mechanical, Topbox showed up with a score to settle at the Ohio track.
Unlike last year Friday practice provided beautiful conditions which allowed the team ample time to learn the track. Riders Brandon Salyer, Mark Faulkner, Caleb Odom, and crew chief Doug Royce went to work focusing on race pace using well worn tires. That setup would pay off come Saturday morning qualifying when Odom put it on class pole position (4th overall) setting a 1:08.996 on a flipped Dunlop takeoff with 87 laps on it.
Faulkner would be the lead off rider to start the 4hr long endurance race, settling in early behind the class leaders but focusing on a pace to stay ahead of championship rivals. A red flag on lap 33 then bunched the field up again and upon the first round of pit stops he took the class lead on lap 59.
They fell to 2nd upon their first stop for fuel and a rear Dunlop tire change but the team performed flawlessly and that allowed Odom to retake the lead only 2 laps later. Odom would go on to lap the other teams in class before handing the bike off to Salyer who would go on to maintain that 1.5 lap lead until taking the checkered flag.
With the victory Topbox Road Racing moves into the middleweight championship lead with a 54 point advantage over rivals Chasing Shade and Indy United SBK.
Team Owner Doug Royce: “I’m proud of the way these guys performed today. We all worked really hard during the offseason and we learned a few things last year with all the bad luck we had. I think that’s showing through so far this season. Other than the bike not wanting to restart after our 2nd pitstop, it was a perfect race for us.”
Topbox Road Racing is sponsored by: Dunlop Tires, Vortex Racing, Compass Leathers, Optimal Racing, Fast Frank Racing, Vesrah, and BD Racing.
More, from a press release issued by Twisted Speed Racing:
Twisted Speed Takes Second Straight N2/WERA National Endurance Series By Dunlop Win And Maintains Championship Lead
Twisted Speed Racing’s Hayden Gillim (912) leads Army Of Darkness (99) en route to its second straight N2/WERA National Endurance Series By Dunlop Heavyweight victory. Photo by Justin Friedl, courtesy Twisted Speed Racing.
Nelson Ledges Road Course
June 5, 2021
Twisted Speed Racing overcame a qualifying crash and injury to win the four-hour endurance race at Nelson Ledges Road Course in the N2/WERA National Endurance Series By Dunlop series. The second straight victory by the squad on its Dunlop-shod Suzuki GSX-R1000 maintained its lead in the Heavyweight class on the strength of two wins and a second so far in the five-race 2021 series.
Twisted Speed relied on only two riders at Nelson Ledges – Brad Burns and Hayden Gillim – and the team had its fair share of drama well before the green flag dropped. Burns had come off of [crashed] his motocrosser in the week prior to the event and suffered contusions, then crashed again during qualifying after another machine had blown an engine and oiled down the track.
Twisted Speed had three hours to repair its GSX-R1000, replacing fairings, fairing stays and the front brake system – the crash had literally ripped the brake line from the bike. But the team was able to swap parts over from its second motorcycle, and was ready to race when the green flag dropped.
Gillim took the start for the team and immediately went into the lead. The strategy was to do one-hour stints on the bike, running a single Dunlop KR448 medium 7455 compound front for the entire distance and changing Dunlop KR451 medium 0455 rears at each fuel stop.
But a red flag forced the team to adapt its strategy, and that meant Gillim wound up doing the majority of the riding. The extended time in the saddle did little to dampen Gillim’s enthusiasm as Twisted Speed and Army Of Darkness swapped the lead as each team pitted.
Deep into the race, Twisted Speed’s Gillim was flying, with his fastest lap – a 1:04.469, an average of 111.682 miles an hour around the fast, seven-turn, two-mile circuit – coming on lap 160 and also coming close to the circuit lap record.
And once Twisted Speed took the point after Army Of Darkness pitted for its final stop, the team held on to complete 198 laps, two more than Army Of Darkness, with N2 Racing/Bobblehead Moto finishing third with 191 laps, seven laps down to the leaders.
“It was awesome,” Burns said. “That lap by Hayden – that was crazy. He did three more laps right afterward that he said would have been good enough for the lap record, but he kept catching riders at the wrong spot on the track. We were just telling him, slow down, slow down!” Burns said.
With three of the five rounds complete, Twisted Speed now holds a 4.84-point lead, 301.32-296.48, over Army Of Darkness. N2 Racing/Bobblehead Moto is third in class with 248.46 points.
Twisted Speed Racing is sponsored by Dunlop, Vesrah, Karns Performance, K-Tech Suspension, Orient Express, GB Racing, Motul, Yeti, Evol Technology, Vortex, M4 Performance Exhaust Systems, N2 Trackdays, Drippin’ Wet, Barnes Brothers, Burns Roofing, Fetcko Auto Body, Thermosman Suspension, Stickboy Tire Service and Motorsport Reserve.
An Aprilia RS 660 Trofeo turn-key racebike. Photo courtesy Aprilia.
Editorial Note: This is a global program available to North American customers. The price listed on the Aprilia Racing – Factory Works website is 14,700 Euros, which converted to $17,900 USD at post time. There may be additional taxes, fees, and shipping costs.
APRILIA RS 660 IN TROFEO VERSION AVAILABLE FOR ALL
PREPARED IN NOALE BY APRILIA RACING WITH ALL THE EXPERIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF THE FACTORY THAT HOLDS 54 WORLD TITLES
OUT OF THE EXCELLENT STANDARD RS 660, A LIGHTWEIGHT AND POWERFUL SPORT BIKE FOR TOTAL FUN ON THE TRACK IS BORN
After its début on the track in the single-brand championship, the new Aprilia RS 660 Trofeo is available for any enthusiast who wants to have fun on the track with the new, lightweight sport bike from Noale.
An Aprilia RS 660 Trofeo turn-key racebike. Photo courtesy Aprilia.
The track version of the RS 660, made directly by the Aprilia Racing department, joins the Factory Works programme, where it represents the most recent and accessible offer.
Already agile and lightweight in the street-legal version, the Trofeo transformation uses extremely high level components and exploits the perfect balanced between chassis architecture, engine and electronics to the fullest. Like its street-legal sibling, it raises the bar in the category, representing the perfect sport twin-cylinder proposal, featuring an outstanding weight/power ratio and the leading electronics package in the segment.
The cockpit of an Aprilia RS 660 Trofeo racebike. Photo courtesy Aprilia.
Starting from the already high performance standard RS 660, the upgrades begin with the electrical system, simplified by eliminating the ignition switch assembly and ABS. The braking system is simplified with independent lines. The ABS control unit, however, remains on the bike and connected in order to exploit the strategies of the integrated electronic system. The ECU is reprogrammed in Race version, with mapping (all “full power”) developed by Aprilia Racing and dedicated exclusively to track use, as well as being calibrated for the SC Project racing exhaust. The colour TFT dashboard is reprogrammed and integrated by a dedicated button block on the left-hand side.
The suspension can count on a front fork with “Misano by Andreani” internal cartridge, adjustable in hydraulic compression and rebound damping and preload. The Öhlins AP948 rear shock absorber features hydraulic preload, compression and rebound damping adjustment. The tyres are high-performance Pirelli Supercorsa V3 SC1.
The rear view of an Aprilia RS 660 Trofeo racebike. Photo courtesy Aprilia.
The chassis architecture is upgraded, with a lowered riding position thanks to the racing upper steering yoke and adjustable semi-handlebars. The footpegs are adjustable and dismountable so each rider can achieve optimum ergonomics. The fairing is in fibreglass.
The engine upgrades have brought power up to 105 horses, a record value for a inline twin-cylinder, whereas dry weight has dropped to 153 kg. The secondary air system and the thermostat are eliminated, whereas aluminium guards are installed for the clutch cover and alternator, as well as a specific Sprint Filter air filter.
As always, working alongside Aprilia Racing in every one of its projects are top-level partners such as Castrol, Zanasi Group, Cruciata, Jetprime, Spider and Bike Lift.
Full details are available at FACTORYWORKS.APRILIA.COM, where you can contact Aprilia Racing directly to order the new RS 660 Trofeo. The bike can be shipped to the purchaser or collected directly from the Aprilia Racing department.
Viñales top, Marc Marquez clocks most laps, KTM busy in Barcelona
Yamaha make it a 1-2 in the post-Catalan GP test, with a few headlines made at Honda and KTM too
Monday, 07 June 2021
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales set a 1:39.400 to finish top of the Official Test standings at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as teammate Fabio Quartararo makes it a factory YZR-M1 1-2 at the summit. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was third on the timesheets as he and his HRC colleagues complete a crucial day at the office that saw Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) put in the most laps of anyone. KTM also looked pretty busy down in pitlane…
At Yamaha, fastest man Viñales was testing the carbon swingarm, and the Spaniard went to the top of the standings late in the day to top his teammate. As is often the case with Viñales, he tallied up an impressive amount of laps: 85, the second highest. Quartararo, meanwhile, was mainly playing around with different settings as the World Championship leader got back on track after a dramatic Sunday.
Fancesco Bagnaia. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was trying Brembo’s new brake discs which have slits in them, aiding cooling. The Doctor didn’t have anything else in terms of new parts to try, but it was nevertheless a busy for the nine-time World Champion. Rossi completed 72 laps, finishing just six tenths away from former teammate Viñales in 10th place. Franco Morbidelli’s (Petronas Yamaha SRT) day lasted until 13:30 local time, the Italian completed 39 laps and set a 1:40.022 to finish P8 in the classification. He too tested the new Brembo brake discs.
Marc Marquez (93). Photo courtesy Dorna.
It was a busy day across the board for the Honda riders. Marc Marquez said after the race on Sunday that Monday’s test was more important that the Grand Prix itself, which tells you why the Japanese manufacturer riders had a busy day at the office.
Marc Marquez was out on an all-black bike, one that has a different air intake, for some laps, and the eight-time World Champion also lapped with – at least – two different aero packages. Teammate Pol Espargaro was circulating on the 2021 bike all day, he and the team trying different setups to try and aid their early season difficulties. Espargaro too tried at least one of the aero packages, as well as the new Brembo discs, with a crash at Turn 9 not affecting his day’s work in Barcelona.
Notably, Marc Marquez was able to complete 87 laps on Monday, the most of any rider. That’s after he completed less than 10 laps at the Jerez Test due to fitness concerns, so it seems great news for the number 93. He finished P11, just 0.6s shy of the leading Yamaha.
Takaaki Nakagami. Photo courtesy Dorna.
LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami led for a couple of hours during the afternoon, the Japanese rider had one 2020 and one 2021 bike in the garage. LCR Honda Castrol teammate Alex Marquez was seen running a few different aero packages, and like Pol Espargaro, was using the 2021 bike throughout the day. Nakagami ended the day P3 on the timesheets, a positive day in terms of laps time, with Alex Marquez sitting P15 after 70 laps.
Across the board in the Honda ranks, 296 laps were completed – every one of those will have brought useful data as the manufacturer aims to get back to winning ways in 2021.
Joan Mir. Photo courtesy Dorna.
With Alex Rins out of action through injury, Team Suzuki Ecstar testing duties on Monday were left to reigning World Champion Joan Mir and test rider Sylvain Guintoli. Mir was positive about the day’s work as he and the team focused on geometry and general settings with the GSX-RR. The Spaniard finished P4 on the timesheets after 65 laps. Guintoli added another 72 and had some things to try, but wouldn’t say what…
At Ducati Lenovo Team, work was mainly focused on setup for Francesco Bagnaia and, for Sunday podium finisher Jack Miller, reconfirmation. Bagnaia’s key takeaway was better consistency after a bit of a tougher weekend for the number 63, and he felt more positive and ready for the next couple of races after the extra time on track. He finished the day in P5 after 48 laps, just under half a second off the top. Miller, meanwhile, said the track wasn’t perfect after overnight rain, but he got 49 laps in and was P14 by the end of the day, 0.842 in arrears.
Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) also focused on setup. He also said he worked on himself physically, trying to do a lot of laps in shorter time. He was P7 after 61 laps. Sky VR46 Avintia’s Luca Marini and Avintia Esponsorama’s Enea Bastianini also focused on setup. The former was P13 and did 49 laps, the latter P17 after 36 laps. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing), returning from injury, wasn’t present.
Miguel Oliveira (88). Photo courtesy Dorna.
At KTM, there was plenty to see. First off, both Catalan GP winner Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and teammate Brad Binder pitted out on a bike first spotted at the Qatar Test in the hands of test rider and MotoGP™ Legend Dani Pedrosa. It seems to sport a new chassis, swingarm, exhaust and tail unit. In the afternoon, both factory riders went back to their bikes used over the race weekend, working on set up. Oliveira ended the test in P9 and said one particularly useful thing for comparisons was having a proven good base – the one that won yesterday. Binder was P12 by the end of play. The two bikes they tested in the morning did 25 and 7 laps, respectively, with their own transponders showing up on the timing screen.
At Tech3 KTM Factory Racing, the new chassis – the one raced by Oliveira and Binder since Mugello – was in the box for both Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona. Lecuona was also spotted with some different aero items: one was a fairing with holes, and one addition to that looked a lot like a fellow factory’s aero on the bottom of the fairing. Petrucci did 61 and Lecuona 71 laps.
Lorenzo Savadori (32). Photo courtesy Dorna.
For Aprilia, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was in the box at the start of the day but then headed for a check up on his arm following recent arm pump surgery, sitting the test out. He got the all-ok to continue his recovery as he has been doing. Instead, Matteo Baiocco was on the bike testing reliability and doing a few practice starts, joining Lorenzo Savadori on track. Baiocco did 66 laps, Savadori 78 as he worked on setup.
That’s a wrap on the test day, with MotoGP™ now heading for Germany to take on the Sachsenring in just under two weeks.
More, from a press release issued by Tech3 KTM Factory Racing:
Tech3 KTM Factory Racing pair with busy test schedule in Montmeló
Straight after the latest round of the MotoGP World Championship last weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya the premier class field was back on Monday for an official day of testing. Due to heavy rain on Sunday night, track conditions haven’t been ideal this morning, which delayed the action for half an hour and affected the early lap times.
Yet the sun dried the tarmac quickly and Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona managed to use nearly the full day, doing 61 and 71 laps, respectively. Thereby both had the chance to try a new chassis with their KTM RC16 machines and several settings in order to prepare the upcoming back to back Grand Prix in Germany and the Netherlands.
Danilo Petrucci
Position: 18th
Time: 1:40.937
Laps: 61
“It was important to stay on the bike another day, because during this year we barely have a chance to try different things with the setup. We got a new chassis, but focused on the setup, trying to move the weight balance of the bike. I’m happy about the feeling I have on the bike, even if we only worked with hard tyres and the lap time was not super fast. But we had difficult track conditions, so we will see the next two race weekends how the situation is going to be on other tracks.”
Iker Lecuona
Position: 22nd
Time: 1:41.205
Laps: 71
“Today we tried the new chassis. Finally, it was not about a fast lap time, so we finished quite far back. But I feel very good with the bike and confident for the next races. I think the bike has a lot potential to continue to improve and to fight close to the top, so I’m quite happy about today overall.”
More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha SRT:
Constructive Catalan Test for PETRONAS Yamaha SRT
Franco Morbidelli eighth and Valentino Rossi tenth in one-day Catalan Test
PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team’s MotoGP riders were straight back to work today, as they took part in a one-day test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi ended the day eighth and tenth respectively on the final timesheets.
Opting to condense his testing into just the morning session, to limit the stress on his recovering knee, Morbidelli completed 29 laps in his hours on track. The main focus for the Italian was to improve the feeling from Sunday’s race. In addition, he tested a new rear tyre, along with new brake discs. Franco was the fastest rider for a portion of the morning but at the lunch break, when he chose to conclude his day, was third on the timing screen with a 1min 40.022secs lap. With no afternoon running, this became eighth when the chequered flag waved at the end of the eight hours.
Rossi started his day’s work just after Morbidelli, completing 33 laps in the morning session and 39 laps after his lunch break. Like his teammate, one of the main aims for the Italian today was to understand the feeling of the bike from yesterday’s race, as he did not have the grip that he expected. Valentino also tested a new rear tyre, brake discs and a new setting for the rear shock during today’s test session. Rossi’s fastest lap of the 72 he completed – 1min 40.050secs – was the tenth quickest time of the day.
The MotoGP duo will now enjoy a short break ahead of the next two back-to-back races, which will start with the Grand Prix Deutschland at Sachsenring (18-20 June).
Franco Morbidelli
8th (1’40.022)
We had a good morning session today. We kept our testing programme short, not doing that many laps, as we wanted to be mindful of my knee. Although it is not 100% yet, it is healing and so we just wanted to take care of it a bit more, try not to over stress it today. The things we tried were good though and I’m quite happy with them. We used some new brake discs that could be interesting for Austria, and also some other tracks potentially. Now it’s time to rest, and face the last two races before the break in the best way possible.
Valentino Rossi
10th (1’40.050)
It has been a good day for us because, although we didn’t have a lot of new parts to test, we did have a few things and settings that we wanted to try. First of all we tried to understand why we were slower yesterday than the pace we had in practice. Today I was more in line with FP4 and Warm Up. After that we worked on the bike, the suspension and tried some different things. At the end of the day the feeling was positive, I was in the top-ten, my pace was good and my lap time was not so far from the top. We tried the new brake discs today, because in Austria the brakes are under a lot of stress, and the feeling with them was good.
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Productive Catalan Test for Repsol Honda Team
With 159 laps between them, Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro made the most of the latest in-season MotoGP test as they worked through an extensive list.
For the second time in 2021, the MotoGP World Championship was back out on track on Monday for an in-season test. After a difficult start to the season, it was a crucial test for the Repsol Honda Team and both riders were some of the first out on track.
With Sunday’s disappointment behind him, Pol Espargaro went about working with the Repsol Honda Team to find a direction for future races. A total of 72 laps made for a busy day, his best time of 1’39.877 coming on lap 71. This time saw Espargaro end the day in sixth and with more knowledge gained after another full day on board the RC213V. Espargaro’s afternoon was briefly upset by a fall as a result of another rider riding slowly.
Marc Marquez worked hard from the start of day and in total completed 87 laps aboard the RC213V machine, the most laps of any rider across Monday. A time attack was not the focus of the test for eight-time World Champion, Marquez ending the day as the 11th quickest rider with a best time of 1’40.054.
June 20 is the date of the next Grand Prix, affording the Repsol Honda Team a week to work away from the circuit after two demanding back-to-back weekends.
Pol Espargaro
6TH – 72 LAPS 1’39.877
“Without much pre-season testing, every chance I have to ride the Honda is important. We’ve had a good and busy day trying a lot of things to keep learning and understanding the bike. We had one unfortunate crash today due to another rider, but we have still been able to complete many laps.”
Marc Marquez
11TH – 87 LAPS 1’40.054
“It has been a very busy day today; we have completed a big amount of laps, I suffered today but I needed a day like this where I could just ride. In the beginning it wasn’t bad, in the afternoon I wasn’t pushing as much but it worked well. Now it’s time to take a rest and do a step with my physical condition. We have found a lot of information, and this is key. Overall, it has been a good and productive day on the bike.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:
TAKA THIRD FASTEST AT OFFICIAL MOTOGP TEST SESSION IN CATALUNYA
7 June 2021 | Catalan Test
LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami enjoyed a productive test in Montmelo on Monday and ended the day-long session in 3rd position on the timesheets. After finishing 13th in Sunday’s GP at the same venue, the Japanese star returned to the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit today with the rest of the MotoGP class for official testing.
In bright, sunny conditions in north-east Spain, Taka spent the day trialling a variety of parts and settings, including new aerodynamic components and engine mapping to enhance rider feeling on his RC213V. He was able to gather valuable data as he got through a total of 67 laps, with his best being a time of 1’39.702 which he posted midway through the afternoon.
Takaaki Nakagami – 3rd
(1’39.702 – lap 47 of 67)
“Today was a very important test day for us and generally my feeling on the bike was pretty good and consistent throughout. It was much better than during the weekend at Catalunya. We tested many items, including new wings and there were things that are worth keeping. So overall I’m happy with the feeling of the bike and I want to say thanks to my team, because today was very busy, until 6 o’clock, and all my mechanics were working hard. So thanks to all my team and I’m really looking forward to the next race in Germany.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:
BUSY DAY OF TESTING FOR ÁLEX MÁRQUEZ IN BARCELONA
7 June 2021 | Catalan Test
Álex Márquez returned to his home circuit in Barcelona for a day of official MotoGP testing alongside his premier class rivals on Monday. Under sunny skies in Montmelo, the LCR Honda CASTROL rider worked hard as he put a number of new parts and settings through their paces in search of valuable improvements for the forthcoming World Championship rounds.
Fresh from finishing 11th in his home GP on Sunday, the Spaniard had a busy day at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit, completing 70 laps in total as he looked for solutions to the grip issues that have dogged him this season. Álex ended the day in 15th position overall, but was still just a second off the fastest time of the day.
Álex Márquez – 15th
“So we had one day of testing and it’s always nice to be on track and feeling good on the bike. Honestly, I felt pretty good today and had less problems than during the GP weekend. We found some really positive items, but, as we said all weekend, our main target of trying to improve grip on the bike will take a little bit more time to solve. But, in general, we found some small solutions and small items that we can introduce and that I hope will help us in the next races. I hope to have good back-to-back races in Germany and Holland to go on holiday feeling positive and with good results.”
More, from a press release issued by KTM Factory Racing:
STERLING MOTOGP™ CATALAN GRAND PRIX EPISODE ENDS WITH BUSY IRTA TEST DAY
MotoGP 2021 IRTA test Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (ESP)
The second one-day IRTA test of 2021 meant that KTM got back to work at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya only a few hours after celebrating their first MotoGP race win of the season.
After a small delay to clean the asphalt at the Catalan venue, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Tech3 KTM Factory Racing launched their testing program in more sunny and warm conditions. The Tech3 duo of Danilo Petrucci (the Italian with a best lap-time of 18th) and Iker Lecuona (22nd) continued to assess chassis modifications for the KTM RC16.
Race winner Miguel Oliveira (9th fastest) and Brad Binder (12th) explored set-up options based around the softer compound of the Michelin tires as well as assessing some prototypes parts previously used by test riders DanI Pedrosa and Mika Kallio; who were not in action around the Spanish circuit.
After back-to-back Grands Prix in Italy and Spain the KTM MotoGP effort will enjoy a free weekend before another race ‘double’ this month in Germany and then the Netherlands.
Miguel Oliveira: “A positive day. After a very good weekend we had a decent base for comparison. We did good evaluation on a couple of parts and the focus wasn’t on a time attack or really fast laps but we were still quite quick. In the afternoon we focused more on what we can achieve with this package but it is always hard on a Monday because the grip conditions are quite different. It was such a great weekend that the base and the standard was already quite high. It was tricky to step it up. We were able to give our opinion on some prototype items and there has been some good work. We tried a couple of things but I liked yesterday’s race bike!”
Brad Binder: “I really enjoyed riding the bike after yesterday.We managed to get quite a few laps in. We really just focussed on trying a couple of small different things. Little bits, to try and stabilise the bike on corner entry. We had some prototype parts to try and as always some negatives and some positives, so we need to really look through everything and figure out what’s the next step.”
Danilo Petrucci: “Quite a long day but I’m satisfied. The most important thing was to get used to the bike, and I feel well for the next two races because Sachsenring and Assen don’t have long straight sections where we are currently losing time. Braking is the only part where I can make some gains. Anyway, today we had the chance to try some different set-ups and mainly with hard tires to explore the worst cases scenarios for set-ups.”
Iker Lecuona: “Today we tried the new chassis. Finally, it was not about a fast lap time, so we finished quite far back but I feel very good with the bike and I’m confident for the next races. I think the bike has a lot potential to continue to improve and to fight close to the top, so I’m quite happy about today overall.”
Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Race Manager: “This racetrack is always demanding and after we were able to catch a victory we thought today would be hard work and the lap-times showed that. But the guys worked solidly. On the Tech3 side especially, Danilo and Iker tried many ideas, so it was a productive day. We looked further at the race bike chassis and also had one extra machine that was more of a prototype for the future. We are more than happy with the outcome of what we could do here.”
Sebastian Risse, Technical Coordinator MotoGP: “It was an intense day for us. The benchmark was already set high from Sunday! So it was difficult to improve from that but I think we still found some areas both in the short term and the long term where we can be better. We also collected a lot of data in pretty much all areas and some of this we might use in the next round, it largely depends on the tracks coming up and the conditions. I think we will see some things popping up and a lot of information will be going back to the factory as we have to start looking at next year’s bike.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE CATALUNYA TEST
Montmeló (Spain), 7th June 2021
CATALUNYA MOTOGP OFFICIAL TEST
TEST
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team returned to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today to take part in the one-day official MotoGP IRTA test. Maverick Viñales and Fabio Quartararo finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the session timesheets.
1st MAVERICK VIÑALES 1‘39.400 / 85 LAPS
2nd FABIO QUARTARARO 1‘39.537 / 79 LAPS
Less than a day after the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team were back in action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for an official one-day IRTA Test. Maverick Viñales and Fabio Quartararo were eager to try some new solutions to improve their race performance for the remainder of the 2021 MotoGP season. They clocked the 1st and 2nd fastest time of the day respectively.
Viñales once again showed his impeccable work ethic as he diligently set himself to the task of bettering his bike‘s race and flying lap set-ups compared to last weekend. He completed a total of 85 laps, looking for improvements and testing various solutions. He ended the day by dropping a 1‘39.400s on lap 78, which earned him 1st place with a 0.137s advantage over his teammate in second.
As he noticed some room for further improvement in certain corners during yesterday‘s race, Quartararo arrived at the Montmeló track this morning motivated to make another step. Rather than wanting to set a fast time, he worked on the race settings of the bike and also on practice starts. He completed 79 laps in total. His fastest time, a 1‘39.537s set on lap 69, put him in 2nd place in the rankings, 0.137s off the number-1 spot.
The team will analyse the gained data in preparation for the Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, held at the Sachsenring from 18th – 20th June 2021.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
Our riders spent today‘s time following our test plans. We had a full-on schedule, which meant Maverick and Fabio had to put in a lot of laps. We worked on race set-ups, qualifying set-ups, the balance of the bike, practice starts, and tested some new solutions. The goal was to collect as much information as possible, so we can give our riders a package that makes them feel confident at the upcoming race at the Sachsenring. We will take all the data we gained today on board for the next GP. The level of competition is really high again this year, so we will continue to work hard all season and leave no stone unturned.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
We were working on the feeling with the bike and riding with general settings of the bike. We also worked on setting a fast lap, because we missed out by quite a lot at the Catalan GP, and in the end, it cost me the opportunity to be on the podium. So, we were working quite a lot, also on the front, and the weight balance of the bike. Little by little, with the help of Silvano Galbusera, we are starting to understand a bit more what I like on the bike, and how I should ride it. This is the most important. We still need to improve, but this was only our first race and first test with Silvano as our Crew Chief. We tried many things, because the objective for us was to collect a lot of information, so we can prepare a competitive bike for the Sachsenring. On a good lap, we were able to be fast. To improve our rhythm we tried to work a lot between 2 and 3 o‘clock in the afternoon, which is when the track is the most slippery. We improved a little bit, especially the last six laps of the tyre life.
FABIO QUARTARARO
I felt good. We tried some interesting settings on the bike and the electronics. We did many laps and also practice starts, so I‘m happy. It‘s great to be back here again after yesterday. I feel good, like I did during the race weekend, so I‘m looking forward to the German GP. I was trying to improve my riding style in the corners that I was struggling with a bit during the weekend. But honestly, my riding style was already quite good. I think that the new setting that we tested today was great. We need to check if it‘s better to use it in the future, and in general I‘m quite happy because we did close to 80 laps and everything was working well.
More, from a press release issued by Esponsorama Racing:
BASTIANINI AND MARINI COMPLETE A VERY PRODUCTIVE TEST IN BARCELONA
Barcelona (Spain), 7th June 2021
Enea Bastinini and Luca Marini took part today in an official test day at the Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya.
Both riders had the opportunity to continue getting more mileage on their Ducati Desmosedici GP19 and to continue with the work of adaptation and set-up to face the next rounds of the MotoGP World Championship as best as possible. Bastianini completed a total of 36 laps with a best time of 1:40.923. Marini closed the day with 49 laps and a time of 1:40.226.
After four consecutive days in Barcelona, Avintia Esponsorama and Sky VR46 Avintia are already looking ahead to the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, which will take place on 18th, 19th and 20th June at Sachsenring.
#23 ENEA BASTIANINI
“Today was a difficult day because since yesterday morning I have had some pain in my shoulder and also in my arm. The test was important, especially to work on the middle part of the corner because I’m a bit slow in this area and especially in this race to release the brake was difficult for me. I’ve tried some new things on the front, I managed to improve my feeling and I feel more competitive also on used tyres. We’ll see if all this works for us at Sachsenring.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS FOR SUZUKI IN TEST
Team Suzuki Press Office – June 7.
Joan Mir: 4th – 1’39.816 (+ 0.416)
Sylvain Guintoli: 20th – 1’40.994 (+ 1.594)
Following on from a challenging but satisfactory race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya where Joan Mir managed a solid finish and useful championship points, Team Suzuki Ecstar took to the track once again on Monday for a one-day test.
Sylvain Guintoli, the factory’s test rider, joined Joan Mir and the pair set about searching for any useful improvements for use in the coming races. No major new parts were tested in terms of ‘hardware’ but information was given to the team after the riders worked on electronics, geometry, and suspension.
Completing 65 laps, Mir reported positive feelings and he felt confident that the feedback given to the team would stand him in good stead for Sachsenring in just under two weeks’ time.
After 72 laps, Guintoli was left impressed with the feel and the feedback given by his GSX-RR. He completed a full programme and worked on many small areas of the bike, which included a swingarm.
Joan Mir:
“It’s been a good day of testing, we didn’t have a lot of things to try but we worked on geometry settings, things like my riding position on the bike, and electronics and it was all positive. I also worked a little bit on rear suspension and the rear shock. I was able to give important feedback and information to the team about a few areas, and now they will work on all of that while looking at the data. I’m happy with what’s been done but it’s been a tiring couple of weeks and I’m ready to go home and start my preparations for Germany.”
Sylvain Guintoli:
“This Catalan test has been a real pleasure for me, I haven’t ridden the GSX-RR since the test in Qatar and it was so nice to be back with it again. My feeling was really good today, I was a bit worried that after so long off the bike and with everybody else fresh from racing, that I would get thrashed in terms of lap times! But in fact I had very good feedback from the bike and the tyres, and I was able to complete the day’s programme really well with 72 laps completed and a really solid test. I did some comparisons and worked on a wide variety of things, including the swingarm. Now I’m going to race in the Le Mans 24hrs and riding the GP bike today has got me fired up for that.”
Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:
“We didn’t have many items here, certainly not anything big, so instead we focused on the smaller items which can also help us to improve. We’ve made some positive steps forward and I’d like to thank both Joan and Sylvain for their great work today collecting data – all the information they’ve given us will go towards building on our good results. Now we’ll continue to work behind the scenes and be back on track in Sachsenring.”
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