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More, from a press release issued by Team Hammer:

CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER SEAN DYLAN KELLY WINS AGAIN IN WASHINGTON

Sean Dylan Kelly and Team Hammer were in red hot form as the 2021 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship season resumed on Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington.

M4 ECSTAR Suzuki ace Kelly scored a clutch victory in a MotoAmerica Supersport contest waged under blazing conditions, surviving an intense late-race scrap before shaking free on the final two laps to grab his fourth checkered flag of the young season.

‘SDK’ jumped out to the early advantage on his Suzuki GSX-R600 from pole only to be tracked down at mid-distance by his chief rival. Kelly was overtaken momentarily, but immediately countered with a slick inside pass in the ultra-tight left at the top of the hill. A follow-up assault was ultimately dismantled by SDK, who put his head down and eked out the decisive gap at the race’s conclusion.

Kelly’s second consecutive Ridge Motorsports triumph extended his championship advantage to 16 points. He said, “What a tough race — mentally and physically. It feels like it’s 200 degrees out here, but this is what I train for. It was such a difficult race keeping the pace, but I did. I kept the pressure on, I knew what I could do, and I was comfortable at the front.

“I’m really happy with the whole M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team and the work we are doing. Thank you to my guys.”

Kelly’s Supersport teammate, Sam Lochoff, registered yet another impressive ride in his rookie season in the middleweight class. Lochoff chased after Altus Motorsports Suzuki’s Kevin Olmedo for the bulk of the contest as the two chased after the final spot on the podium.

That honor ultimately went to Olmedo as he, SDK, and Lochoff combined to put three Team Hammer-built Suzuki GSX-R600s in the race’s top four.

Meanwhile, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Cam Petersen continued his ascension to MotoAmerica Superbike stardom. After securing his first- and then second-career premier-class podium at the previous round at Road America, the South African upped his podium streak to three on Saturday.

Petersen, who qualified on the front row aboard his GSX-R1000 Superbike, went from second to third to fourth to second in a chaotic opening lap. He then settled into third, where he would remain to the checkered flag.

“I wanted to be patient today and I think maybe I was a little too patient,” said Petersen. “I felt like I was holding the guys up the first two laps. Once someone came by, my plan was to just sit behind him and see where he was strong and where I was losing. He kept gapping me, but I found my rhythm and got used to the tires and started closing the gap back down, but I made a little mistake going into the chicane with about five or six laps to go and that was the end of my race for second. We settled down and brought it home in third for the boys. Once again, I can’t thank my crew enough. Honestly, I feel it’s the best crew in the paddock, and I’m so blessed to have them. Thanks to the whole M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team.”

His teammate Bobby Fong salvaged some crucial championship points despite being hampered due to a heavy crash suffered during Thursday’s test. After pushing for a top-five position in the opening stages of the race, the Californian lost feeling in his hand due to lingering issues from the crash. Fong persevered to make it to the finish line in eighth.

Earlier, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Wyatt Farris raced his way up to ninth position in the day’s Stock 1000 race. Olmedo’s Altus Motorsports Suzuki teammate, Jake Lewis, powered his Team Hammer-built GSX-R1000 to second place to maintain a 17-point lead in the Stock 1000 championship standings.

Team Hammer will be back gunning for more wins and podiums in Sunday’s rematches at Ridge Motorsports Park.

About Team Hammer

The 2021 season marks Team Hammer’s 41st consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 114 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 307 times and have won nine AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport.) The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

It’s Hot, Hot, Hot As MotoAmerica Scorches At Ridge Motorsports Park

Support Class Action Features Two First-Time Winners

SHELTON, WA (June 26, 2021) – With temperatures soaring into the triple digits in the Pacific Northwest, nothing came easy for those trying to win races on Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park.

But win they did. In Supersport, Sean Dylan Kelly got the better of his rival, Richie Escalante to win for a fourth time on the season; Jackson Blackmon won his first-career Twins Cup race; ditto for Max Toth in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup; and Corey Alexander gained some ground on Jake Lewis in the Stock 1000 class.

Supersport: SDK Does The Business

M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Sean Dylan Kelly started from the pole in Supersport race one, and as anticipated, the usual battle that Kelly has with defending class champion Richie Escalante quickly materialized. Escalante, aboard his HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki, tried to overtake Kelly, but he was never able to get close enough to finish the move and, in fact, Kelly not only maintained the lead from start to finish, but he built a gap of over a second at the checkered flag. Altus Motorsports Suzuki’s Kevin Olmedo, who missed the first two rounds of the season due to a shoulder injury suffered while training, finished third for his first podium result since the first Supersport race of the season last year.

“That was a really difficult race,” Kelly said. “It was so hot out there, super physical. Richie (Escalante) was on me the entire race and never let go of me. It was super tough. I tried to keep the best pace I could. I didn’t go as fast as I was expecting for myself. I think the conditions were just so tough. Good thing is, I was able to be super consistent up until the last lap. I think that’s what got us the win today. I made a really big mistake putting a false neutral. I made a few other smaller mistakes through turn 13 and a few other corners. I need to gather myself up and change a couple things for the warmup to make that a little bit more consistent. Overall, I’m really happy we got the win today. We pushed through it, one of the hardest mentally and physically races, for sure, with this weather. Happy with the work we did.”

Stock 1000: Alexander Over Lewis

In Stock 1000, which was the first race of the day on Saturday, Altus Motorsports Suzuki rider Jake Lewis started from the pole in the 13-lap race, and he looked to have the measure of the field. With less than three laps to go, HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki’s Corey Alexander, who was gaining ground on Lewis lap by lap, overtook the Kentuckian and made it stick. Alexander crossed the finish line a little more than one second ahead of Lewis, who finished second. Third place went to Chuckwalla Valley Raceway/Octane Lending Kawasaki rider Michael Gilbert.

“In qualifying two, first off, we didn’t run our race tire until qualifying two,” Alexander said. “We changed a lot of things in qualifying two and during that, we had an issue pop up. It kind of prevented me from really qualifying where I think I was capable of. Ultimately, going into the race, I knew the first few laps, it was going to be important just to kind of stay out of trouble and get through turn one, obviously. That’s always the most important part of the race here. Once I got through those guys, I could kind of see everyone was struggling with rear grip, and I think even a little with front grip. The laps we’ve been doing yesterday, we’d done quite a few laps with the tires. I kind of had a pretty good flow once things settled in. That’s all I did. I honestly didn’t think I would catch Jake (Lewis). It’s hard when you’re behind that many guys to gauge how fast you’re going compared with the leader. It wasn’t until I really got into second that I could kind of see. Take a little bit here, a little bit here, and then, all of a sudden, the gap started getting smaller and smaller. I thought, for sure, maybe he was just maintaining it, and he wasn’t expecting me to come up as quick as I did, and he’d have something more for me. But it’s hot out there, and the track is getting greasier and greasier by the minute.”

Twins Cup: Blackmon’s First

The air temperature approaching 100 degrees had a varying effect on all of Saturday’s races at Ridge, but in Twins Cup, where the bikes are modded more than in any other class to extract maximum horsepower from the twin-cylinder engines, there was a lot of attrition in race one with nearly half of the riders unable to finish the race.

Jackson Blackmon Racing Yamaha’s Jackson Blackmon seemed almost completely unaffected by the heat. The South Carolinian won his first Twins Cup race by .215 of a second over Robem Engineering Aprilia rider Kaleb De Keyrel. Anthony Mazziotto, who started from the pole and looked to be headed for victory, was one of riders failed finish the New Jersian crashing out of the lead on lap eight. After Mazziotto went out, De Keyrel led the race for two laps until Blackmon overtook him with two laps to go. Third place went to Innovative Motorsports/Mike’s Imports Suzuki rider Teagg Hobbs.

“The past few rounds have definitely gotten my confidence up,” said Blackmon. “I’ve been so close. The last couple years, just kind of getting down on myself. I wasn’t getting the results I was hoping for. This year, between me and my dad and Yamaha, we put the program together that was perfect. I knew we could do it this year. The bike has been different at every round, setup-wise. This weekend, we had it working perfect. I didn’t even make a change before the race. I thought I was able to just ride the thing. Those guys were pushing hard. I almost was going back just a little bit and I was like, ‘the win is right there.’ I can’t stop. I was able just to reel them in and just make it happen at the perfect time. That Yamaha was riding so strong. A big thank you to Yamaha. A big thank you to all my family that’s behind me – my grandparents, my mom, my dad, just everybody. Big thank you to my girlfriend, Chloe. She’s been behind me through all of this and seen me at some low points even when I didn’t think I was racing this year. So, to be here and to get my first Twins win is just incredible. I’m lost for words. I hope I’m not forgetting anybody. Thank you to everyone that has gotten me this far. Also, big thank you to Yamalube. That thing didn’t even overheat at all that whole race, it just stayed right in the range.”

SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup: Toth Gets It Done

Saturday’s races at Ridge Motorsports Park wrapped up with SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race one, and MotoAmerica’s entry-level riders put on a great show. Veloce Racing Kawasaki rider Max Toth, who joined the MotoAmerica series for the final round of the 2020 season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, got the first win of his MotoAmerica career after recording a podium finish at both VIRginia International Raceway and Road America earlier this season. Toth took the lead on the final lap of the 11-lap event and won by 1.527 seconds over Landers Racing Kawasaki rider Ben Gloddy, who inherited second place when polesitter Tyler Scott was penalized five seconds for cutting the track. With the time added to his result, Scott was moved back from second place to fourth in the results, and Veloce Racing Kawasaki’s David Kohlstaedt was credited with third place.

“I’m really happy with this result,” beamed Toth. “This is what we were chasing since the first race of the season, so to get it now, it’s a great achievement. I knew pretty much halfway through the race that I had the speed to get to the front. The only thing I was uncertain about was whether I’d be able to stay there. I didn’t know once I got to the front if Tyler was going to show me a wheel or not. I just stuck to my plan and came out okay.”

Mini Cup By Motul: Matsudiaira Times Four

American Racing Team’s Kensei Matsudaira had a good evening at Ridge Motorsports Park’s karting track, the Californian going four for four with victories in both 110 and 160 races.

The two 190 races were split between American Racing’s Travis Horn and Atlas Speed Factory’s Jesse James Shedden.

Editorial Note: Use the scroll and zoom tools in the bottom left corner of the PDF viewer to better see all pages of the race results.

This weekend’s results are brought to you by 6D Helmets.

Next Level Brain Protection

This weekend’s results are brought to you by 6D Helmets.

Next Level Brain Protection

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Gagne Unstoppable In Race One At Ridge Motorsports Park

Jake Gagne Wins His Sixth Straight MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike Race

SHELTON, WA (June 26, 2021) – Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne’s plan doesn’t change from race to race. And why would it? It’s simple, really. Qualify on pole position, get the jump on everyone off the start and put the race out of reach in the first handful of laps. Such was the case again on a scorching hot Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, the Californian winning his sixth-straight MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike race after leading from start to finish.

Gagne, who broke the track record during Q2 on Saturday morning, was unstoppable again. He led every lap and if it wasn’t for the oppressive heat, it could have been classified as a walk in the park.

“It’s kind of a balance,” Gagne said. “Especially this weekend, I knew if I got a good start, if I got through turn one, turn two clean then I could put my head down for a couple laps. It’s a balance. I knew with how hot it is these tires are taking a beating. It was hotter than all weekend, so I wasn’t really sure how we were going to end up after the second half. So, I got a good, solid gap in the beginning and then rode around and just tried to be smooth, be easy on the tires, not do anything crazy. I was actually impressed with how well these Dunlops held up again. Every single time I say that. Like Josh (Herrin) said, this team is working, working so hard, so it’s great to get Josh up here. These guys were close, man. I was looking at my pit board and I can’t let up. It’s only a couple seconds, but anything can happen. Again, hats off to the team. These guys are going to be coming even harder tomorrow and I know that we can make some improvements in a couple areas tomorrow because I know these boys will be gunning for me. Try to keep this ball rolling and again, hats off to everybody. It will be a hot one tomorrow, so it will be fun.”

Second place went to Gagne’s teammate Josh Herrin, the 2013 AMA Superbike Champion finding something in his setup that made him faster and more comfortable than in previous races. The second-place finish was Herrin’s best thus far in 2021 and he was 4.49 seconds behind Gagne after 17 laps.

“The biggest thing is time, I think,” Herrin said when asked what changes have been made. “I came into this season expecting to be where Jake (Gagne) is, and it was a hard lesson whenever it didn’t happen. It was a struggle. Mentally I just beat up on myself. I think kind of like Cam (Petersen) said, my realistic goal needs to be to just progress and try and get better as the season goes on. Obviously, my main goal is to try and win races, but I need to be smart about it and not throw it away and just progress throughout the season. So, I think we’re doing a good job of that. The team is putting in countless hours at the shop and here, even guys like Josef back at the shop that don’t get a lot of attention here at the races. He’s back at the shop building engines and keeping Attack going while Richard’s (Stanboli) here. So, it’s a huge team effort for these guys. They’re not only a race team but they’re a performance shop too, so they’ve got a lot of work back home when they get back from the races. Walker is driving the truck back and then working 24/7 when he gets home. So, it’s a big group effort. What we do is the least effort I think out of the whole thing, for sure. I think I made the smartest decision of my career in reaching out to Josh Hayes at the Brainerd test. It’s been huge just in the three days I’ve worked with him now. I’ve not only noticed a big difference on the track, but then also whenever I’m going over data with Richard it’s like I have something a little bit better than I had before. I can communicate a little bit better with him because Josh is telling me things that I’m doing on the track.”

Herrin’s first few laps were a bit daunting, and he came very close to crashing after losing the front at one point.

“The beginning of the race today, I had it,” Herrin said. “I felt so good at the beginning and (Loris) Baz threw a super sketchy pass on me into turn 12 and I tucked the front because I got out in the dirty stuff. But it kind of made me see like an Eslick (Herrin and Danny Eslick used to be fierce rivals) moment. I just got so fired up. It just made me push so hard. I think I rode like I haven’t rode since 2018. So, thanks to Baz for being sketchy and putting it on the line. Hats off to Jake (Gagne). Six races in a row is not easy. It’s cool being teammates with somebody that’s riding that good. Cam (Petersen) rode a great race. I’m sure that more of those guys are going to be up towards the front tomorrow, so we’ve got to get some rest tonight and be ready tomorrow.”

Herrin had his hands full for the majority of the race with M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Cameron Petersen with the South African hounding Herrin until giving up the chase after running wide in the turn one chicane. He ended up some four seconds behind in third place.

“The beginning of the race, I’m not going to lie, the first two laps I was really struggling,” Petersen said. “I knew Josh (Herrin) had some pace, so when he got by me, I tried to latch onto him. He actually ended up pulling a pretty decent gap on me. I knew we had done a lot of laps on old tires, so I was kind of waiting for that feeling to come back. Once I got used to that feeling with the tires, I started just trying to put in some clean laps. I managed to bridge the gap a little bit to Josh and then sat there for most of the race. I think five or six laps to go, I made a mistake going into the chicane. He got that second on me, or .8 or whatever it was, and that was pretty much race over for me. He had a pretty solid pace going the whole race, so I was definitely pushing behind him. It wasn’t easy at all. Super stoked to get another podium. That’s three in a row. First front row ever. So, we’re getting there. We’re slowly chipping away at it. But congrats to these two guys. Jake (Gagne) once again just on another level. It was fun riding around with Josh (Herrin) there. Congrats to these two guys.”

Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York’s Loris Baz ended up fourth and 14 seconds behind Gagne after qualifying second and looking like he might have a challenge for Gagne in the race.

Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz crossed the finish line some five seconds behind Baz in fifth place, well clear of HONOS HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander. Alexander put in a solid ride to finish a career-best sixth in the HONOS Superbike class while winning the Superbike Cup for racers riding Stock 1000-spec motorcycles.

FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony finished seventh, which matched his best of the season. Then came M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong, who managed to finish eighth despite a mechanical problem.

Anthony’s FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ teammate Jayson Uribe and Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis rounded out the top 10.

Gagne is blowing the championship up at this point as he now leads Scholtz by 32 points, 150-118. Herrin is a further 15 points behind and just five points ahead of Petersen. Fong is fifth and 80 points behind Gagne after seven races.

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Gagne and Herrin Bring the Heat with 1-2 Finish at The Ridge

Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne scored his sixth-straight MotoAmerica Superbike victory today in a hot race one at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington. Teammate Josh Herrin joined him on the podium with a solid second-place finish.

Gagne continues to rack up the track records, adding The Ridge Motorsports Park to the list of the other three venues this season and maintaining his perfect qualifying record. He then grabbed the holeshot from pole position and set a blistering pace to gap the field by two seconds after the first lap. The Colorado rider upped the ante with the fastest lap of the race on Lap 7 after Herrin set the benchmark and ultimately crossed the line four seconds ahead of his teammate. Gagne’s sixth superbike win of the season expanded his championship lead to 32 points.

Herrin got a decent start from the second row of the grid in fourth, but it was a hectic first lap. He quickly made his way to second, but as the two riders behind him jockeyed for the runner-up position, he was pushed wide and shuffled back to fifth. The 2013 Superbike Champion fought back and advanced to third on the following lap and kept pushing, moving into second on Lap 3. He put the hammer down and was able to put some distance between himself and the competition, but after the halfway mark, he was back on his heels. Herrin held him off and ultimately was able to build another gap for a solid second-place finish.

The Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team returns tomorrow for more action at The Ridge Motorsports Park, lining up 1-2 on the grid for race two.

Richard Stanboli – Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team Manager

“It was a good day for the team, finishing 1-2. Jake, as usual, maintained the pace from the front, and Josh made some big improvements and found his rhythm to finish second. He may be keeping Jake honest starting in P2 tomorrow. The high heat conditions were tough for the riders, but our R1s loved it. They ran great, handled well, and maintained good grip, allowing both riders to run good consistent laps. We are excited and looking forward to tomorrow’s race.”

Jake Gagne – Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing

“We had a great race and got off to the start we needed. I’m so happy with the R1 and the whole crew. Tomorrow will be another hot one, but I’m confident that we can make some changes and pick up the pace tomorrow. It’s great to go 1-2 for the team, and Josh was putting in some fast laps, so I know they will be coming for me tomorrow.”

Josh Herrin – Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing

“I’m so pumped about our results today! I’m finally starting to ride like I was in 2018, and I’m so happy. I started working with Josh Hayes, and he’s taught me a lot this weekend. I finally believe that I can be there. The team is working super hard, so I have to thank them, and hats off to Jake for running a solid race. Hopefully, tomorrow we can get up there after the start with Jake and try and hang on. He’s running fast, but I think we have the pace. I can’t wait to get back on track tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:

Westby Racing Finishes 5th in Superbike and 12th In Junior Cup On Saturday At Ridge Motorsports Park 

Shelton, WA – June 26, 2021 – With air temperatures approaching 100 degrees on Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, the Westby Racing team battled through the extra adversity brought on by the uncharacteristic weather and, while the results were mixed for the team’s two riders—Mathew Scholtz in Superbike and his teammate Jack Roach in Junior Cup—both men and their crew members have their heads held high and are determined to get better results on Sunday.

Mathew maintained his second-place position in the 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship with a solid fifth-place finish on Saturday. He started from the middle of the second row on the grid, and he was able to move into fourth position on the opening lap, but the rest of the race was mostly processional as he went back to fifth on lap two and remained in that position for the rest of the 17-lap race.

“All in all, today wasn’t the best of days,” Mathew said. “But, I think we learned a lot, and I know where I am struggling. We kind of have an idea about where we can improve tomorrow, and we always seem to improve on Sunday I know it’s going to be extremely hot again tomorrow, even hotter than it was today. That’s something that we’re going to be looking out for, but I believe we have the potential to fight for the podium tomorrow. I’m going to give it my all, and I know the entire team will, too. I’m thankful to be racing here, and to be on this great team, and I am looking to put the Westby bike up on the podium tomorrow where it belongs.”

Sunday’s Superbike race two is at 2 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), as well as streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.

In Saturday’s Junior Cup race, Jack started from the inside of the fourth row, which is pretty much mid-pack, and he knew he would have to work hard, especially in the oppressive heat, to move further up in the field. He managed his way into ninth position in the early going, but as the laps started to wind down, he started to lose positions and ultimately finished the 11-lap race in 12th place.

“That was not the race I wanted,” Jack said. “I felt like I was pushing hard, but I wasn’t really capitalizing on the bike’s strengths. I’m not a rider to blame the bike, so I will be doing a lot of work on line choice and race strategy with my crew chief Shiloh (Salopek). She helps with everything, and without her, I would be lost. So, a big thank you to Shiloh for seeing my potential and working with me and as hard as possible. Also, a huge thanks to Westby Racing and Chuck Giacchetto for their support and for continuing to believe in me.”

Jack and the team will try for better results in Sunday’s Junior Cup race two, which is at 3 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 2 (FS2), streamed on MotoAmerica Live+, and then broadcast again via tape-delay on FS2 this Tuesday, June 29, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET.

For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com

Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.

This weekend’s results are brought to you by 6D Helmets.

Next Level Brain Protection

This weekend’s results are brought to you by 6D Helmets.

Next Level Brain Protection

This weekend’s results are brought to you by 6D Helmets.

Next Level Brain Protection

This weekend’s results are brought to you by 6D Helmets.

Next Level Brain Protection

The previous lap record was 1:43.011, which was set by Andy DiBrino earlier Saturday in Stock 1000 Q2.