MotoGP: Top Riders Talk About Qatar II

David Swarts

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April 1, 2021

“Everyone will be faster”: riders get ready for take two

The pre-event Press Conference gets the TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha underway at Losail, with Viñales at the helm

Thursday, 01 April 2021

Less than a week after the first race weekend of the season, it’s time to go again for the TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha. This time, the pre-event Press Conference welcomed Qatar GP winner and therefore Championship leader Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), alongside Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), reigning MotoGP™ World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins as we gear up for another stunner in the desert.

Maverick Viñales: “It’s never perfect, it’s difficult to be perfect on all tracks and we still have to improve, do something different this weekend. Not every weekend is the same, we saw it last year when we had two weekends in a row, everything changed a lot. So we have to be ready for every situation. But we have good potential and we’ll try to fix it if we can’t go at the maximum.

“I think all the riders can make a step, we’ll also try to make a step; it’s important to improve day by day. For sure all the riders sitting here, and the top ten, will be faster, so we will try to also be faster. And then we’ll see. I think what we could understand from the first race is that the tyre demand here is very high and we need to manage it well so we’ll work on that this weekend.”

And is it now easier to overtake with the Yamaha?

“It’s too soon to say, we just rode on one track, we need to ride on many other tracks to understand if the bike has the right potential and consistency to fight for something bigger, but we found the bike is working well straight away, and this is something. For example for me there are points where I can’t overtake, but a few others where my bike is strong. Some strong, some weak but to understand where you can pass and what your strong points are. But I think it’s too early to talk about that because we only raced on one track and next we go to Portimao where we struggled a bit last year, so we’ll see there what improvements we’ve made in Qatar.”

Johann Zarco: “I think it’s as Maverick said, the consumption for the tyre is hard to manage, staying second and with Pecco, trying to follow Maverick, helped me a lot to be competitive to the end. Even Mir at the end overtook me but almost at the end of the last lap so I could overtake him again. Pecco I think he won’t want to lead again to save the tyres… this is the key point I think, the leader may have more problems in the second half but at the same time we need to be fast, so let’s see how to manage Sunday. Our target is to have more possibility like Maverick did to be fast at the end of the race and fight with him, or anyother rider. And be able to fight for victory and not the podium.”

Should Ducati be worried if they don’t win in Qatar?

“If we don’t get victories here in Qatar, we don’t need to be worried because we’re so competitive and if we can be in the top three all race and finish on the podium it’s a good sign also for the future. We don’t need to worry, but the target is to win and we know we have chance to do it, We have to find some solution to have the chance in the race to not struggle too much with the rear tyre.”

Francesco Bagnaia. Photo courtesy Dorna.

Francesco Bagnaia: “I think if I’m first at the first corner again I’d try to lead again! But over these days I was asking myself if it’s better to manage the tyres better with slower pace, but if I think I was going slowly, for sure Yamaha or Suzuki would have overtaken me and made their pace. Looking at the result of two years ago we were faster by eight seconds in this race, so the pace was strong and very demanding for the rear tyre for sure, and the wind which was pushing you wide and the only way to turn the bike was with the rear tyre.

“For sure it was more demanding, but looking at the data now we know where to work, and also following the Suzuki and Yamaha we’ve understood good things that for sure can help us this weekend and it looks like the forecast will be the same for Sunday with a lot of wind, so I think we’ll arrive more prepared. Never say never for the result because like Maverick said, last year in the second races it was always different. In Misano the pace was half a second faster so you don’t know, but I think we can fight again for the victory.”

And what about Ducati being worried?

“I think the same, we’ve seen Yamaha and Suzuki were very competitive like us, in the first part of the race we were very competitive and opening a gap. We were losing time in some accelerations that cost us the race. But for me we don’t have to worry, we know this track is good for us but it’s good for other bikes too, we have the possibility to win, but we have the possibility to win at other tracks too, like last year. Sometimes I was struggling at a track and Johann was fast or Jack was fast, and sometimes I was fast and the others were struggling so we know the package is competitive and we know the chance to win or finish in the top three is possible. This year the objective will be to be competitive and consistent in every situation and on every circuit.”

Joan Mir: “It was a difficult weekend because I struggled a lot to find the correct feeling with the front, I was having a lot of problems and it was making everything really difficult. Hopefully in Warm Up we found something interesting and I got a better feeling again, and I was able to make a good race The start wasn’t the best but then I started to recover positions over half the race, and then in the last laps I tried to manage it the best way I could. I overtook Pecco, and then Zarco was really good closing the gaps… and then this was the key I think for him I overtook him in the last sector but I was a bit too optimistic probably and went a bit wide at the last corner, which didn’t help to arrive second at the line…

“I expect to change the qualifying or the first laps of the race a bit, we were really strong in the last part but we also closed the gap a lot and we used more of the tyre than normally what we would have to. It will be important to start with the front group and then manage the race with them and see in the last laps of the race where we are, which is the main goal for this weekend.”

Is the Suzuki one of the best bikes still straight out the box, despite not racing in Qatar in 2020?

“It’s true but we also need to work to improve our bike. Last year we showed in the second race always good potential, I remember for example in Austria and Aragon, we always in the second races found something more, and that I think is positive to have two races for us, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Fabio Quartararo: “Honestly it was a tough race because as soon as I overtook Jack, I had great pace but felt immediately the drop of the rear tyre and I had to slow a little on the pace, but then automatically my rear tyre was spinning a lot. But I think it’s also great because in last year in that situation I would have dropped many positions but I found a new way of trying to make good laptimes, braking so hard but it was tough at the exit of Turn 6, that was one of the worst points but it’s good because we have the data of the winner from last weekend. We saw some points where I was really aggressive almost for nothing, so I will try to be a bit smoother this weekend and I think it will help a lot.”

And the same question as to Maverick – is it now easier to overtake with the Yamaha?

“I think at this track we have strong points, our drive is fast, when I overtook Jack at corner 15 he struggled to overtake me at the first corner and I think there are some points here like Turn 6 and Turn 10, where we don’t have many meters of acceleration and it’s helping us to make a move. Like from 5 to 6 is short, from 9 to 10. These are the type of corners where our bike is really strong, but to make a move from turn 3 to 4 is difficult because it’s more in the acceleration. But I’m feeling great and can make strong moves. Let’s see on the next tracks but I feel good on the front and I think it’s a positive point for our bike.”

Alex Rins: “Talking about last weekend, I think we did a good race but in the end sixth was not enough for us. We need to improve small things that I did during the race, and the target is clear I think, as Joan says… we have good pace, the machine to get to the front so let’s improve the start, because also my start last week was a disaster! Let’s improve the start and try to fight for the top positions at least from the beginning, keep the tyres and see what strategy Ducati will make because now Pecco already led one race and he knows I think the way to di it now! So let’s see.”

Is the Suzuki one of the best bikes still straight out the box, despite not racing in Qatar in 2020?

“It’s not a disadvantage, it’s true when we arrived at the track we had a good base and we were able to ride fast from the beginning but we still need to work. It’s easy to arrive at one time, but improving that time is not so easy. As Joan says, the second races for us were going well last year so let’s push at this double race. In my case I studied the race well with my crew chief to see where I’m able to improve, and I’m ready.”

World Superbike: Rea Holds Off Redding, Gerloff On Day 2 At Catalunya

David Swarts

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April 1, 2021

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World Superbike: Rea Holds Off Redding, Gerloff On Day 2 At Catalunya

WorldSBK_Catalunya_Test_EOD2

More, from a press release issued by Dorna WorldSBK Press Office:

Rea fends off Redding and Gerloff to end Catalunya test on top

The second day of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya came to an end on Thursday with Jonathan Rea claiming top spot

The Supported Test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya came to end on Thursday with the day ending with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) fastest despite fierce competition from Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Scott Redding (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) as the trio battled it out for fastest lap in the last few minutes of the test.

Scott Redding (45). Photo courtesy Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.

American rider Gerloff had spent the majority of the day at the top of the timesheets before Rea overhauled Gerloff with a few minutes to go in the test. Towards the end of the day, the pair were on track at approximately the same time as they both looked to set the fastest lap time, with Rea coming out on top after Gerloff had a small crash in the second sector. Rea, who posted a 1’40.264s and completed 66 laps, had been trying out small items on his new Kawasaki ZX-10RR while Gerloff, who also had a crash at Turn 1 during the day, was working on the base setting of his Yamaha YZF R1, with Gerloff completing 69 laps on the second day.

Garrett Gerloff (31). Photo courtesy Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.

Gerloff’s crash allowed Redding to move into second place right at the end of the session as the British rider continued to work on improving his Ducati Panigale V4 R, with teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi in fifth place despite a late technical issue that brought his session to a halt, and one of two separate incidents around the same time to bring out the Red Flag.

Jonas Folger (MGM Bonovo Racing) secured a top five finish for the day with a late lap to move the German into fourth, less than a tenth ahead of Rinaldi, with Folger looking into the finer details of his BMW M 1000 RR and getting through a long list of settings to try out. Fellow BMW rider Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) made it two BMWs in the top six as he finished in sixth as he worked on the set up of his BMW.

Rea’s teammate, Alex Lowes, was in seventh place as his recovery from a shoulder injury continues with Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) the lead factory Yamaha rider in eighth; Locatelli had been spending the two days focusing on long runs. Team GoEleven’s Chaz Davies secured a top ten position with tenth place; the test Davies’ first chance to get on his machine for the first time in five months.

Leon Haslam (Team HRC) was the lead Honda rider in tenth place as the team worked on numerous items such as seat positions to improve the centre of gravity of the CBR1000 RR-R, as well as new exhausts, an engine upgrade and new swingarms. Teammate Alvaro Bautista completed just six laps today, with the Spaniard opting to not test too much following a chest injury he picked up in a motocross accident recently.

Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished the test in 11th place following a late run on the SC0 Pirelli tyre in Barcelona, having first tried it in Misano, leap frogging Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in the closing stages of the test. Bassani had hoped to have a time attack on the qualifying tyre which is new for him.

Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team) racked up 111 laps on day two of the test as he continued to get accustomed to his new surroundings, improving his time throughout the afternoon to finish the day in 13th place. Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had an eventful day with two crashes in the afternoon: a small incident at Turn 1 where he was able to return to the pits and a crash at Turn 5 which, along with Rinaldi’s technical issue at the same moment, brought out the Red Flag.

Van der Mark’s former Yamaha teammate, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) completed only nine laps on day two, with the Turkish rider being withdrawn from the test in the early stages following two positive PCR tests for COVID-19 which he took today. He is now self-isolating in accordance with Spanish health authority guidelines.

Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was in 16th place, just a tenth behind Razgatlioglu, as he got to test the 2021 ZX-10RR for the second day as he worked on understanding the new bike which features different engine characteristics and electronics. Christophe Ponsson (Alstare Yamaha) was working on braking issues from day one where he was sliding under braking, finishing in 17th place with Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) and Samuele Cavalieri (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) rounding out the field.

More, from a press release issued by HRC Team:

HRC Team concludes two positive days of testing at home track of Catalunya

Team HRC has completed two days of intense work at their home track of Montmeló in Catalunya, Spain, which lies just a few kilometres from the team’s European headquarters.

It proved to be a busy and satisfying two-day session for the factory Honda squad, although Alvaro Bautista only rode on day one, still carrying a minor injury that he sustained in training last weekend. His chest was quite painful after an intense day on the track, so Alvaro and his team decided to end the session early. Having worked hard on various aspects of the bike’s set-up, especially the electronics, the Spaniard was satisfied with the improvements made by the Japanese engineers and the set-up work completed so far.

Leon Haslam made the most of both days, which offered ideal weather conditions, allowing the British rider to work on the electronics, chassis and his position on the bike, among other things. He was the second fastest rider on track on day one and finished sixth fastest overall.

Team HRC will now head back to base before returning to the track to continue its preparations ahead of the start of the season in mid-May.

Alvaro Bautista 19

1’41.950 (DAY 1)

“Last weekend I had a small crash while training with the MX bike and I hit my chest. Once I got on the bike here in Barcelona, I realised that the pain was more intense than I expected but, luckily, we were still able to complete yesterday’s testing schedule. We had a lot of new items to test, across different areas of the bike, from the engine setup to the electronics, the weight distribution, and my riding position. HRC has done a great job over the winter. We are happy and are preparing a good base for the start of the season, and the bike is much more consistent throughout the entire lap, especially in terms of the electronics. This morning I was unfortunately in a lot more pain and, considering that we did a lot of work yesterday, the team and I decided that I wouldn’t ride. I tried, to see if I could make some finishing touches but I stopped after a few laps. Anyway, we gathered a lot of information to send to Japan and I’m very confident that we can make further progress during the next tests.”

Leon Haslam 91

1’40.900 (DAY 1)

“I’m happy with how these tests have gone because we’ve enjoyed great weather conditions and we’ve been able to make good use of both days. I realised straight away that the updates HRC brought for the bike were promising, because we were fast right away, at a track where I wasn’t particularly comfortable last year. And I really like the change they’ve made to turn ten too, as my feeling is now much better through that section. Most importantly we haven’t just been quick over the single lap, but also in terms of our race pace, which is crucial and one of the points I wanted to improve on compared to last year. In Jerez we worked a lot on my riding position and balance, while here we’ve focused mainly on the electronics. Day two saw us try a few different things but in the end we came full circle, ruling out certain things and reverting back to yesterday’s setting. Towards the end of the final session, I tried to improve on my best time of day one, but my lap was interrupted when the red flag came out unfortunately. Overall, we’ve had some constructive track time here though.”

World Superbike: Razgatlioglu Tests Positive For COVID-19 At Catalunya

David Swarts

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April 1, 2021

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World Superbike: Razgatlioglu Tests Positive For COVID-19 At Catalunya

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu Withdrawn from Barcelona WorldSBK Test

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official rider Toprak Razgatlıoğlu was withdrawn from the Barcelona WorldSBK test and placed in isolation by the team this morning, after testing positive for COVID-19 in a mandatory pre-travel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

All the Pata Yamaha team members were tested at the same time and Razgatlıoğlu was the only one to return a positive result. The Pata Yamaha rider submitted to a second PCR test this morning, which also returned a positive result.

Until such time as Razgatlıoğlu returns a negative test, and in accordance with COVID-19 protocols and public health authority guidelines in Spain, the Pata Yamaha rider will remain in self-isolation.

MotoAmerica: NECO Racing Fielding LaRoche, Smith In Supersport

David Swarts

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April 1, 2021

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MotoAmerica: NECO Racing Fielding LaRoche, Smith In Supersport

Montoursville, PA – North East Cycle Outlet Racing is extremely proud to announce a two-rider lineup for this year’s ultra- competitive MotoAmerica SuperSport class. Benjamin Smith will return for his second season with NECO and will be joined by teammate CJ Laroche, who will be competing in his first full season of racing in MotoAmerica. CJ is a well-respected and accomplished amateur racer, who is no stranger to professional racing. With a professional debut in 2016 and his most recent entries being Indianapolis and Laguna Seca in 2020.

CJ LaRoche: “We started working with Ken Hill during the middle of 2020 and after a few training sessions we really saw a huge performance increase in not only my riding, but our overall racing program. We ended up doing a few MotoAmerica rounds in 2020, got hooked up with Kyle at North East Cycles for the last Laguna round and decided we’re stepping up to do the entire MotoAmerica season for 2021! I’m super stoked to be on a team that has the focus and professionalism that North East Cycles has shown and am glad to have Ben as my teammate.

Ken Hill: “I started working more in-depth with CJ’s program in mid-2020 with the plan of CJ entering a few Moto America rounds towards the end of the season. CJ took his training to heart and had a great boost in performance in just the few MotoAmerica rounds he entered. For the Laguna round, we partnered up with North East Cycle Outlet and were very impressed with the professionalism and drive the team had, which led us to getting involved with them for the entire 2021 season. We’re really excited to be a part of the North East team and see both CJ and Ben Smith shine. CJ and I have been training hard this off season and we are ready for the season to start!” The former KTM Cup champion (Benjamin Smith) will be returning from what was his most successful season in the MotoAmerica SuperSport class, at times showing great speed and qualifying results.

Benjamin has been riding at an extremely high level. All the pieces of the puzzle are falling in to place for the Pennsylvanian native to have a very successful 2021 season.

Benjamin Smith: “I couldn’t be happier to be back with North East Cycle Outlet for the 2021 season. We made great strides towards the end of last year, and I feel we are in a spot to be very competitive this season. We all work together so smoothly and it is exact type of atmosphere I want to be in each weekend. I can’t thank all of my sponsors enough for making this journey possible, I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Team owner Kyle Alexander had this to say. “2020 was a fun, but difficult year. We were plagued with electrical gremlins and I am happy to say Benjamin made every grid and showed constant improvement throughout the season. For a first-year team, 2020 was about gathering data and fine tuning our program. For 2021 we have a great package under us and I am eager to see how each rider grows. Both of these guys are 100% committed. After speaking with Ken and CJ, I know they have been putting in a lot of after-hours training. With the help of Ken, every session CJ goes out, he gets faster. With Ben, I know his work outs are intense and 7 days a week. He not only juggles work and racing but is a full-time college student. With the addition of CJ, I believe both he and Benjamin will be able to benefit from each other by competing, learning and growing together as teammates. Both riders have set high goals for themselves and I truly feel as a team we can accomplish them!”

About NECO: At North East Cycle Outlet, it is our mission to get you back on the road/track as quickly as possible by providing quality, discounted, USED OEM and Aftermarket parts – not junk! We want your experience to be hassle-free so you can spend time where you want, on your bike! We curate, professionally clean and test every part that comes through our shop. We understand buying used parts online can sometimes be tricky and deceptive. We strive to provide detailed photos and information about each motorcycle part we’re selling so you can feel confident you will receive what you need. Our shop is located in Montoursville, Pennsylvania where we ship daily offering domestic and international shipping.

April 2021

Magazine Issue

Trudy Ulrich

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April 1, 2021

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Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology is THE definitive source for motorcycle racing, riding, and tech information.

Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats. SUBSCRIBE NOW. Or call (909) 654-4779 to subscribe, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.

Log in HERE to read the April 2021 issue of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology with your online subscription.

In This Issue:

FEATURES

Inside Info: Marc Marquez Back On Track, H-D Goes Modern, and more…

Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1971 Cheney Yamaha TD2B

Quick Look: Zero SR/S, A Serious Electric Streetbike

25th Annual Roadracing World Young Gun Awards

MotoGP Analysis: MotoGP World Champion Joan Mir

Army Of Darkness: Racing In The Time Of Covid, Part 1

Editor’s Scrapbook: Toshi Araki Then and Now, And An Honor

Shops: D&D Cycles Of Pensacola, Florida

PROFESSIONAL RACING

79th Daytona 200: Brandon Paasch Wins The Race Of His Life

Numbers & Trivia: Joan Mir’s Career

COLUMNS

Letters To The Editor: Old Bikes, Alumni Wall, RW Origins, More Typos

10 Years Ago, April 2011: Nicky On A Ducati; Taking Kids Racing

Melissa Paris: Meet The Build Train Race Women

The Crash Page: Stefano Manzi In Moto2 At Valencia

New Products: Fuel Injector Cleaning Kits, and more…

Professional Services Directory: Racers Helping Racers

Racing, School, & Track Day Calendar

ASRA/CCS Newsletter

High-Performance Parts & Services

Chris Ulrich: Adventures Of An Ex-Racer: Meet The 2021 Team

Roadracing World Young Guns 2021: Isaiah Burleson

David Swarts

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April 1, 2021

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Roadracing World Young Guns 2021: Isaiah Burleson

Roadracing World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed North America had no new, up-and-coming young racers. This edition of the Roadracing World Young Gun Awards marks the 25^th consecutive year of showcasing what is actually an abundance of new talent.

Roadracing World Young Guns have won:

FIM MotoGP and FIM Superbike races and World Championships;

MotoAmerica/AMA Pro races and Championships, including nine MotoAmerica/AMA Pro Superbike Championships;

A KTM RC Cup World Final race;

The Daytona 200 (10 times);

WERA National Endurance Championships and WERA National Challenge Championships;

ASRA/Formula USA Grand National and CCS National Championships;

AMA Road Racing Grand Championships and Horizon Awards;

USGPRU National Championships;

Many regional and local titles.

The competition has continually become more intense as more – and younger—racers with higher levels of accomplishment are nominated, and the level of achievement required to make the grade keeps getting tougher.

We’ve spent the last several months accepting nominations and evaluating road racers between the ages of 10 and 18 (as of the start of the 2021 season) who have, at a minimum, won Expert-level road races and/or Championships or had outstanding results as an Amateur/Novice. Most of the riders included here have done far more than the minimum.

The young riders recognized here are the most promising young road racers in North America. All have earned the title of Roadracing World Young Gun.

We will feature one Young Gun per day, presenting them in alphabetical order.

Isaiah Burleson

Age: 17.

Current home: Lead Hill, Arkansas.

Current height/weight: 5’10”/150 pounds.

Current school grade level: 11^th grade.

Began riding at age: 5 years.

First road race: 2010, Hallett, Oklahoma, CMRA, Jr. Motard, 1st

Current racebikes: Kawasaki Ninja 400, Yamaha YZF-R6.

Current tuner/mechanic: Cory Burleson (father).

Primary race series: MotoAmerica SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup, CMRA.

Top sponsors: M4 Exhaust, Bison Leathers, SportbikeTrackGear.com, Jim Cambora/RaceWorx, HP Painting, CJR Performance.

Recent racing accomplishments: 2020 season, finished 14^th in MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (best race finish was 4^th at Indianapolis); 2019 season, won 4 CMRA Expert races; 2018, won CMRA Solo 30 500 Superstock Championship (2 race wins).

Racing career goal: Make a career out of racing motorcycles.

Racing heroes: Valentino Rossi, Dane Westby, Cory Burleson.

Favorite track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Hobby: Working with animals.

If I wasn’t racing I would be…: Veterinarian.

FMRRA: Bruno Silva Wins Three Races At Homestead

David Swarts

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March 31, 2021

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FMRRA: Bruno Silva Wins Three Races At Homestead

FMRRA: Florida Motorcycle Road Racing Association

2021 Round 5: Homestead-Miami Speedway

March 27-28

Bruno Silva took his Dunlop-shod Suzuki GSX-R600 to three tough wins during the 2021 FMRRA Round 5 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Bruno was able to pull out the wins in the 12-lap Superstock 600 Grande Corsa and six-lap Superstock 600 Sprint race along with the Sunoco Superbike 600 Sprint race with only his brother Fernando Silva able to steal one win on his Dunlop Suzuki GSX-R600 in the Sunoco Superbike 600 Grande Corsa.

Armando Ferrer was able to take two wins on his Dunlop BMW S 1000 RR in the Sunoco Superbike Grande Corsa and Sprint race. Alex Arango also took two wins on his Pirelli BMW S 1000 RR in the Superstock 1000 Sprint race and the overall win the Euro Cup Sprint race.

In the amateur division, Julian Correa went undefeated with four wins on his Dunlop Moriwaki 250 in the Moto 3 Grande Corsa, Moto 3 Sprint, Production Twins Grande Corsa, and Production Twins Sprint races.

FMRRA would like to thank our sponsors for 2021 for their continued support of our passionate racers and the sport as a whole.

Sunoco Racing Fuels

Southern Racing Fuels

Palm Beach County Sports Commission

Bridgestone Tires

Dunlop Motorcycle Tires

Vanson Leathers

MYLAPS Sports Timing

Florida Track Days

FMRRA Returns to Palm Beach International Raceway for Round 6 on April 10-11.

For more racing information visit:

www.fmrra.com

Full Season Championship Results and Individual Race Results are conveniently available online at:

https://www.fmrra.com/championships/

or follow us on social media:

http://www.instagram.com/floridaroadracing

http://www.facebook.com/fmrra

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

2021 FMRRA Round 5 Race Results

Job Opportunity With Sumitomo Rubber

David Swarts

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March 31, 2021

0

Be a part of an exciting team with a drive to win! Sumitomo’s is looking for a Motorcycle Race Design Engineer to join their team!

Sumitomo Rubber-USA APPLY NOW!

MotoAmerica: Fong Fastest Overall During Superbike Test At COTA (Updated)

David Swarts

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March 31, 2021

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MotoAmerica: Fong Fastest Overall During Superbike Test At COTA (Updated)

M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong stole the spotlight in dramatic fashion at the official MotoAmerica/Dunlop pre-season test at Circuit of The Americas (COTA).

Riding his GSX-R1000 with a soft race-compound rear Dunlop tire, Fong lapped the 3.4-mile, 20-turn road course in 2:08.343 – the fastest lap time of the two-day test and a time faster than Josh Herrin’s 2019 race lap record of 2:08.994.

“It wasn’t too crazy of a lap, but I did tuck the front so long and went so wide in Turn Seven and missed my apex by a long shot,” said Fong. “I thought my lap was done. I thought, ‘To hell with it. I’ll just finish the lap and see what lap time I get anyway.’ And it was still a 2:08.3! So, I’m confident it could have been a high 2:07, for sure. But it’s just a test, so it doesn’t matter, obviously. The main thing is we left the test on a positive note.”

If saving his best lap for last wasn’t dramatic enough, MotoAmerica added some drama by initially taking Fong’s lap time away.

On his pit-in lap from his next-to-last stint, Fong straight-lined COTA’s fast esses section, as many riders did on pit-in laps during the test. The call from the corner marshals reporting that Fong did this, however, didn’t reach race direction until several minutes later when Fong was in the process of doing his fastest flying lap. Race direction then ruled that Fong had cut the course and instructed timing and scoring to invalidate the lap.

When MotoAmerica initially took the lap time away, Fong insisted that he had not cut the course. Fong’s team questioned MotoAmerica’s decision, and after a short investigation–including timing and scoring questioning the decision–MotoAmerica race direction admitted that it was a mistake and reinstated Fong’s best lap.

Up until the last session it looked as if newcomer Loris Baz or 2020 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship runner-up Jake Gagne would come away with fast lap honors.

Baz and his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York Panigale V4 R were the class of the field on Day One, with the tall Frenchman doing a fastest lap time of 2:08.595.

Baz didn’t have as much success on Day Two, which included a small crash and a best lap time of only 2:09.127 in cooler and windier conditions. But the former MotoGP and World Superbike rider still left the test second-fastest overall and happy with the work he did.

Gagne led sessions six and seven on Day Two even though he and his new crew focused on continuing their baseline setup work on his Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 as opposed to seeking a single fast lap. Gagne never tried a soft-compound tire during the two days but still got down to a 2:08.902 while using a hard-compound rear Dunlop Wednesday, and that put him third overall at the test.

Mathew Scholtz mounted a soft-compound rear Dunlop to his Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 at the end of the day Wednesday and tried to go for a fast lap time, but he said he messed up his quickest lap. Still, the South African finished with a best lap time of 2:08.957 (fourth-fastest overall), which he said was the quickest he’s gone at COTA “by far.”

Gagne’s teammate Josh Herrin said he was having a “terrible” test until the final minutes of the final session. That’s when his crew chief Richard Stanboli gambled on a big shock change to help Herrin get his Yamaha turned mid-corner. The change worked well, so Herrin mounted a new set of Dunlops and hustled around the track just in time to get in one fast flyer. That lap was a fifth-quickest 2:09.642 and Herrin said it felt like winning a race.

Fong’s teammate Cameron Petersen, the reigning MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion, had a positive debut on his new Suzuki Superbike. In spite of riding with an injury to his left foot that made downshifting difficult and doing long stints impossible due to the pain, Petersen was able to crack off a 2:09.751 at the end of Wednesday, ranking him sixth overall.

Seventh overall on the combined Superbike test times was Jayson Uribe, who did a 2:11.829 on his new Fly Racing/ADR Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000. Unfortunately, Uribe ended his test early with a fast crash Wednesday afternoon, but the Californian was relatively uninjured and was happy with the progress he made to that point.

Uribe’s teammate/team owner David Anthony was eighth in the combined times with a 2:13.154.

The fastest Stock 1000 rider was Jake Lewis, who did a 2:14.374 on his new Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000.

21_1_DTEST1_SBK_P8_res
SBK-SBC_D2_Combined

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Fong Ends MotoAmerica Dunlop Preseason Test On Top At COTA

Suzuki Rider Nails Down Fast Time In Final Session Of Two-Day Texan Test

AUSTIN, TX (March 31, 2021) – M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong ran through the gamut of emotions in the final session of the two-day Dunlop Preseason Test at the Circuit of the Americas on Wednesday – elation, disappointment and, ultimately, happiness.

Fong turned in the best lap of the test in the eighth and final session today, but the lap was initially taken away when it was reported that he had cut the track. The issue was resolved, however, when it was determined that Fong cut the track, but not on his fast lap. That meant that Fong leaves Texas with bragging rights as the fastest Superbike rider over the two days, his 2:08.343 bettering Loris Baz’s 2:08.595 from Tuesday’s final session.

“Hero to zero like that,” Fong said before knowing that his quick lap had been reinstated. “They said I cut the track, but I didn’t. I wouldn’t lie and I’d be honest here. We did a good test and it’s unfortunate not to see my name on top. The team has been doing a lot of hard work here and it’s unfortunate for the team because we wanted to be on top. But we will bring it to Atlanta and bring the heat. We haven’t tested at all and I haven’t been on a road race bike since October and have just been riding motocross a lot. Yesterday was kind of weird. We started off really strong and then we cracked a swingarm and had to go to a back-up one that we had to test anyway. It wasn’t working as well and we need to do more development with that, but with that being said they fixed the swingarm overnight and we got back to where we started, and we just started improving today. Overall, it was a really good test.”

Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne ended the day as the second fastest of the Superbike men, the 2020 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship runner-up lapping at 2:08.902 in today’s third session.

“It was a great test, and we got a lot done,” Gagne said. “We worked through a lot of stuff, a lot of chassis stuff and electronics. Luckily the weather held out today. It was little windy, but actually pretty nice. We got a lot of laps in and just got to try stuff to see what works, what doesn’t work. My goal was working with my crew chief; we weren’t focused on lap times. I think a lot of the guys were using the softer tires and we stayed on the nine-sevens the whole time. We just wanted to work on things so I could get a feel for what the bike does when we do this or that. We really learned a lot. We didn’t want to throw down lap times we wanted to do what we could do to build a good race setup.”

Third fastest overall on Wednesday was Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz with his 2:08.957 with the South African doing his best in today’s third session.

Frenchman Loris Baz, who was making his MotoAmerica debut, slipped down the order today to fourth fastest, but his fast lap from yesterday put him just behind Fong after two days of testing on the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York Panigale V4 R. Baz also had his first MotoAmerica crash, a slow tip-over in turn one early in the final day.

“Definitely, the conditions were different than yesterday,” Baz said. “Really windy and the bike is pretty sensitive to the wind with the wings. But it was good to try the bike in completely different conditions than yesterday. I did a lot of long runs, honestly, and the only time I tried a softer tire was at the end and I didn’t use it well. We worked on making long runs on the race tire, like 10-lap runs. We did a good job, and I had a better feeling on the long run than yesterday. The lap times were a bit slower, but we did a good job.”

Gagne’s Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha teammate Josh Herrin ended the day fifth overall and just ahead of M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Cameron Petersen.

Fly Racing ADR Motorsports’ Jayson Uribe and David Anthony ended up seventh and eighth, though Uribe was fortunate to escape injury in a high-speed crash in the penultimate session today.

Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis and Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders rounded out the top 10 overall on Wednesday.

The battle for supremacy in the 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will kick off in earnest at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, April 30-May 2.

HONOS Kawasaki rider Richie Escalante’s defense of his 2020 Supersport Championship doesn’t begin until round one at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, but he made a convincing statement at the preseason test that he is clearly the favorite to take the title again in 2021. Escalante led all eight Supersport practice sessions aboard his 2020-spec machine, and he anticipates that his 2021 Kawasaki ZX-6R will be an even better bike than the one on which he won 13 races last year.

In SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup, Landers Racing Kawasaki rider Ben Gloddy made good work of the two-day test as he was the quickest rider in all but the final practice session. He’d most likely have been a perfect eight for eight, but he suffered a minor tip-over during Practice 8 and, even though he was uninjured, he wasn’t able to record a lap time during the concluding session. In Twins Cup, Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha rider Ethan Cook went quickest overall.

More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:

Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz Is Fourth-Quickest Superbike Rider At MotoAmerica Dunlop Official Preseason Test

Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.

Austin, TX – March 31, 2020 – Back to 100% fitness after being injured in a crash last year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Mathew Scholtz came into the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) for the MotoAmerica Dunlop Official Preseason Test looking lean, walking tall, and clearly showing he was ready to record some fast laps aboard his #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike.

Out of eight practice sessions held during the two-day test, Mathew emerged as the fourth-fastest overall rider, with a best lap of 2:08.957 occurring during the penultimate session.

About the test, Mathew said, “Ending up fourth overall was really positive for me. We improved in every single session. The team, all the hard work that they’ve done during the off-season certainly paid off. I couldn’t be happier. After such a terrible injury that ended my season early last year, to come here after having minimal track time, it feels great. COTA has never really been a good track for me. It doesn’t suit the Yamaha, and for some reason, I really struggle here. So, to be towards the front-end of the field at this track, I couldn’t be happier. It gives me a lot of confidence going into the first round.

“We made a few changes today. Some of them worked, some of them didn’t, but we know what to do in different situations if we do run into any challenges during the season. At this test, we set all of our quickest times on tires that we would be racing with. We really focused on that, on consistency, and on our race pace. One-lap speed wasn’t really something we were looking for, but it was really nice to be at the top end. Also, it was really nice to look at the trap speed and see that we were up there in that category, too, because that was something that we were struggling with last year, and it’s going to make things a heck of a lot easier for me.

“I’m just really thankful to be back in the MotoAmerica paddock, and I’m looking forward to starting the season at my home race. We’ll see how we fare.”

Next up for Westby Racing is round one of the 2021 MotoAmerica Championship, which takes place at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on April 30 through May 2.

For more Westby Racing updates, including news, photos, and videos, visit https://www.westbyracing.com

Also, visit “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media site.

More, from a press release issued by Wrench Motorsports:

Impressive debut with Wrench Motorsports for Ethan Cook at Circuit of the Americas
19 year old Ethan Cook kickstarted his 2021 MotoAmerica season with Wrench Motorsports in fine style this week, topping the Official MotoAmerica Twins Cup Test at the Circuit of the Americas.

Cook, who only inked the deal within the last couple of weeks, used the multiple COTA sessions to adjust to his new steed, impressing at the rate in which he improved at the home of the US Grand Prix.

Born and raised in San Diego, California, 19-year-old Ethan Cook started racing local motocross aged 9 where he quickly progressed, traveling the country to compete in amateur national competitions including the Lorreta Lynns Amateur National, the Freestone JS7 Amateur national, and the Mammoth Motocross series.

He made the move to tarmac in 2018 thanks to an opportunity from his mentor Bradley Ward. Initially riding a Kawasaki Ninja 400 with top 10 results racing the CVMA Race series at Chuckwalla and podium finishes at the WERA Race Series the next couple of years saw Ethan competing in various national disciplines of racing, taking in various club championships including WERA, AFM, CVMA races in the California State and in MotoAmerica’s Junior Cup class.

With the support and guidance from his mentors Bradley and Andrew Ward, and David Anthony, Ethan has also raced a Kawasaki ZX10R in Chuckwalla’s CVMA race series, taking to it like a duck to water, achieving podium finishes in the premier classes that the series has to offer.

For 2021 he will race for Wrench Motorsports in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup Class, the season commencing at Road Atlanta, Georgia, at the end of April.

Ethan Cook: “It was a wet and foggy start at COTA and my first time riding the Twins Cup bike. We made a lot of changes on the first day, really just trying to get me comfortable. It dried out by the afternoon and I was able to go faster almost immediately. We put some new tyres in for the final session and was able to go even quicker. The second day went really well. I improved by over three seconds on my time from Day 1. It was pretty wet first thing. I went out on slick tyres so didn’t really learn much. It dried up for the third session. We made some changes to the front forks and I felt really good. All in all, it’s been a good test. I am learning a lot and really getting on well with the team. They’re making me feel really welcome and I can’t wait to get the season started.”
For more information go to EthanCookRacing.com

MotoGP: Top Riders Talk About Qatar II

April 1, 2021

MotoGP riders (from left) Fabio Quartararo, Johann Zarco, Joan Mir, Maverick Vinales, Alex Rins, and Francesco Bagnaia. Photo courtesy Dorna.