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MotoAmerica: Escalante Escapes Fiery Crash In Session 5 At COTA

David Swarts
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MotoAmerica: Escalante Escapes Fiery Crash In Session 5 At COTA

Defending MotoAmerica Supersport Champion Richie Escalante escaped a fiery crash during the damp Supersport session five Wednesday morning at the MotoAmerica/Dunlop pre-season test at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), but the situation was even stranger than that.

Escalante was the second rider to go out on track, but when he came across the start/finish line the name Jorge Ehrenstein popped up on the scoring monitors.

Escalante’s HONOS Racing teammate Ehrenstein crashed his Yamaha YZF-R6 on Tuesday afternoon due shifting issues, according to his team.

Today, Ehrenstein asked Escalante to ride his Yamaha in the morning’s damp Supersport session five to see if Escalante experienced the same shifting issues.

“Then I have a stupid crash,” said Escalante, who was using rain tires, “and the bike caught on fire.”

Escalante, who normally rides a Kawasaki ZX-6R, said he was not injured in the crash.

Sean Dylan Kelly was the only other rider to go out in the session, and he did so primarily to check on some fueling and electronic calibration issues he experienced with his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R600 on Tuesday, according to his crew chief Jeremy Toye.

Kelly also used rain tires.

 

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MotoAmerica: Roach Leads Damp Jr. Cup/Twins Cup Session 5

David Swarts
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MotoAmerica: Roach Leads Damp Jr. Cup/Twins Cup Session 5
21_1_DTEST1_JRC_P5_res

MotoGP: World Championship Continues This Weekend In Qatar

David Swarts
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MotoGP: World Championship Continues This Weekend In Qatar

Reload and reset: round two rolls into Doha

Sparks are sure to fly as MotoGP™ returns to Losail International Circuit, with Viñales in the spotlight after his season-opening victory

Wednesday, 31 March 2021

Expectation was high ahead of the season-opening Qatar GP and, if anything, it’s even higher as MotoGP™ returns to Losail International Circuit for the TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha. After a barnstormer to welcome back the world’s fastest motorcycle racing Championship, there’s plenty to look forward to on a take two that sees the grid arrive with one man in the crosshairs: Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP).

As wins go, Viñales’ first of the year was definitely a hard-earned one, as well as his second at Losail. From lights out it was an all-Ducati affair at the front in the initial stages, leaving the eventual winner with plenty of work to do. But that he did, slicing his way through to the front and then pulling the pin. So can those he defeated fight back?

With a race of data and a fair few more sessions before the lights go out, the men closest on the chase – Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) will be eager to try and bridge that gap or leapfrog Viñales, and Mir especially will take heart from an impressive Sunday despite some struggles earlier in the first race weekend of the year. What may worry them in Viñales’ pace, however, is that conditions got worse from Saturday – Yamaha’s traditional day of searing pace – but the number 12 was able to drop everyone, including his fellow Iwata marque machines.

That included new Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP teammate Fabio Quartararo, and the Frenchman will be having a hard look through the data to see where Viñales had the edge, as will Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the man fastest in testing ended the first race in ninth – and new teammate Bagnaia put it on the podium. The wealth of information is only a positive though, and neither should be counted out from a launch up the timesheets this time round – something Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and teammate Franco Morbidelli will be looking for too.

Information is always key, but maybe even more so in the Doha Grand Prix. From veterans outfoxed by teammates to those still adapting or just settling into MotoGP™, there’s a lot to learn. For the Millers and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) of the grid it’s about bridging an unexpected gap, for the newcomers it’s a blessing to have another race at the same track.

Enea Bastianini (Esponsorama Racing) starts the second race weekend of the year as top rookie following an impressive top ten, and he’ll know what went right and what could go better. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) will also be able to look through the numbers from bikes on the podium, and the Spaniard will likely also have taken more than just another glance at his stunning race start, gaining ten places in the blink of an eye. Repeating that but making it stick a little longer is the name of the game. Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Esponsorama) will want more too, the Italian’s progress steadier so far.

Meanwhile Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, with a nearly all-new bike, will be another outfit making good use of more information. Aleix Espargaro impressed once again as he ended the race in seventh but only 5.934s off race winner Viñales, which is the closest gap to the winner of an Aprilia in the MotoGP™ era. Can they equal or even better the best result for the Noale factory in MotoGP™ of sixth?

The man Aleix Espargaro duelled for that seventh place was another great storyline too, as it was none other than his younger brother Pol Espargaro. The newly-arrived Repsol Honda Team rider had a solid first outing in a different shade of orange, and was just 0.056 off seventh place after a drag to the line. As he’s continuing to adapt, a race under his belt is welcome – as it is for continuing, temporary teammate Stefan Bradl. On the other side of the coin, Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) will be looking for solid finishes and points this time around, both crashing out in the Qatar GP after a difficult time at Losail so far.

A difficult time at Losail so far is also true for KTM, even since they debuted in MotoGP™. Some tracks suit some better than others, some tracks are easier to test at and some tracks saw no premier class race action in 2020 just to add another extra challenge. But if we saw one thing from the Austrian factory last year, aside from pretty continual excellence, it was an impressive gain on take two at the same track. That bodes well for the Doha GP, as does the ability of Miguel Oliveira to continue taking to full factory life like a duck to water. Teammate Brad Binder most definitely got his elbows out in the first race of the year too, so it’s not all fallen into place yet but the light at the end of the tunnel likely starts with more track time to gain more information on a circuit that has never been KTM’s best hunting ground.

That track time begins again on Friday as the grids head back out to battle Losail International Circuit, with another 25 points on the line as the lights go out for the second stunner of the season at 20:00 (GMT+3) on Sunday. It’s advantage Viñales… but for how long?

MotoGP™ Championship top five:

1 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 25

2 Johann Zarco* – Pramac Racing – Ducati – 20

3 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – 16

4 Joan Mir – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki – 13

5 Fabio Quartararo – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 11

*Independent Team rider
 

 

Can anyone catch Lowes at Losail?

The Brit was imperious in the season opener, so can the likes of Gardner, Bezzecchi and Diggia fight back on take two?

Not since 1979 has a British rider won the opening race of a Grand Prix season, but Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) did just that in 2021 and in some style. A controlled and perfectly pitched ride to the flag saw him start the year with the first 25 points on offer, so the question heading into the TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha is a simple one: can anyone catch the number 22?

The best candidate based on the first race of the year is Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo), as the Australian had the best pace to rival the Brit – he just started further back. Lowes recovered quickly after losing out slightly from pole, but Gardner had more work to after qualifying sixth and ending Lap 1 in eighth, costing him more time as he fought his way back through into clear air on the chase. With a closer qualifying and a better start, can Gardner put on the pressure?

Third was also an intriguing battle. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) came out on top for a first emotional podium for Gresini in the intermediate class since 2016, but it was close between Diggia and Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46). Can they take a step forward after a race of data? And what about those just behind them, the likes of Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) and Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing)?

Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo), meanwhile, could be an even more interesting watch. The rookie sensation spent a lot of his first ever Moto2™ race fighting for the podium, and as his experience increases, his pace and race management likely will too. Another race at the same track is great news for rookies, and Fernandez is well poised to make the most of it. There were some impressive performances from two more of his fellow debutants too, with American Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) duelling Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) for 11th as they both began their intermediate class careers just three tenths off the top ten. What can they do on take two?

The TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha sees the intermediate class race round Losail again on Sunday the 4th of April, with Lowes aiming to complete the double from 18:20 (GMT +3).

Moto2™ Championship top five:

1 Sam Lowes – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – Kalex – 25

2 Remy Gardner – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – 20

3 Fabio Di Giannantonio – Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 – Kalex – 16

4 Marco Bezzecchi – Sky Racing Team VR46 – Kalex – 13

5 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – 11
 

 

Masia on a mission: can Moto3™ hit back quick?

Based on pre-season testing, it was no surprise to see a Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2 and Binder on the podium. But will they be able to repeat the feat?

We knew we were in for a rollercoaster season opener, as is always the case in Moto3™, but the Qatar GP really was a welcome return from the lightweight class. With close battles throughout the field and, of course, a drag to the line, it started the season in style – as did the three riders on the podium.

Winner Jaume Masia impressed to win on his return to KTM and first race with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team, looking calm and collected after also setting the timesheets alight in testing. His teammate Pedro Acosta raised a good few eyebrows in second too, as the rookie had shown some great speed ahead of lights out but fought it out like a pro to take a debut podium in his debut race. Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing), meanwhile, found himself in Q1 and then shot to pole before battling home to third, and the three riders on the rostrum almost made it look easy… so who can make sure they don’t do it again?

The Moto3™ freight train can be a lottery, so it’s far from a done deal. It remained anyone’s game until late on and a good few riders were in with a shout at the win, now likely looking for some revenge in the TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha. Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Gaviota Aspar Team) is on a roll of top four finishes, and Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) got very stuck in and Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3) seemed to shoot to the front from nowhere. The Italian has already won at the track too. Rookie Izan Guevara (GASGAS Gaviota Aspar Team) impressed and will want to move forward on race day after qualifying on the front row, and Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) – another former winner at Qatar – won’t be content to settle.

And what about those with a slightly more complex narrative in Round 1? Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) qualified dead last in his worst grid position for five years, but he shot up the field into the top ten as he returns from illness, having missed preseason testing. In opposite fortunes, Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) had a stunner of a race until it all came apart on the final lap and he’ll want to make amends, as will Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) as the Italian jumped the start and had to do two Long Laps…

That’s something rookie Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing) is now also facing in the Doha GP after the Spaniard made a stunning start and then overcooked it, taking down some key names in Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team), Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) and former Qatar podium finisher John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing). That’s a mistake he’ll want to avoid repeating, and Migno, Alcoba and McPhee will want to avoid it too. If luck shines better for the trio in the Doha GP, they should be interesting additions to the battle with their experience and speed. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) too as he fell foul of a move from Carlos Tatay (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3), with the Italian expected in the fight at the front. Jason Dupasquier (CarXpert PrüstelGP) also deserves a shoutout for his first top ten, something he’ll be looking to build on as we head into another race weekend on now very familiar turf.

18 laps of Moto3™ mayhem – in the best sense of the word – await in the TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha. It’s advantage Masia, Acosta and Binder on the way in, but everything can change on a dime in the lightweight class so tune in for more at 17:00 (GMT +3) on Sunday.

Moto3™ Championship top five:

1 Jaume Masia – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM – 25

2 Pedro Acosta – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM –  20

3 Darryn Binder – Petronas Sprinta Racing – Honda – 16

4 Sergio Garcia – GASGAS Gaviota Aspar Team – GASGAS – 13

5 Gabriel Rodrigo – Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3 – Honda – 11

World Superbike: Davies Recovered And Ready To Go Testing

David Swarts
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World Superbike: Davies Recovered And Ready To Go Testing

CHAZ DAVIES AND GO ELEVEN ARE READY FOR THE FIRST “TWO DAYS” OF TEST AT MONTMELO’!

After a long wait, Chaz Davies and the Go Eleven Team go on track, together, for the first two days of official tests, at the Montmelò Circuit, Barcelona! March 31st -April 1st, the first laps of the new year; the majority of the teams that will take part in the next WorldSBK season will be on track uin these two days, so it is a real first comparison with the values ​​on the field.

For the Piedmontese Team, after the shakedown in Misano, it is an opportunity to become familiar with the Ducati Panigale V4-R 2021 factory, the real technical innovation compared to last season. The objective of these two days is to recreate the team alchemy, shake off the rust accumulated during winter and concentrate on finding a good basic set-up for the first races. Chaz, he recovered from Coronavirus that hit him in recent weeks, and now it is essential to find the rhythm and feeling with the track, after the long winter break from the last stage of Estoril last year, which ended with the victory of the number 7. Riders and Teams will have eight hours a day of “green light”, from 10.00 to 18.00 (GMT +1); with optimal weather forecast, the show on the track is guaranteed!

Chaz Davies and Go Eleven will race with the new livery in official color; it will be the first opportunity to observe the Welsh in its new suit! The adrenaline of the first seasonal outings is always great, the Barcelona circuit is ready to officially open the WorldSBK 2021 season!

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):

“We are finally here, we have been waiting for 5 months to get back on track and from tomorrow we will see our team and our rider in action. A very important journey begins for us, I feel a lot of determination and motivation from every team member. In these tests it will not be so important fighting for the laptime, the most important is the feeling of Chaz on the bike and the harmony of the staff inside the box. Every year I feel the same, but this year it’s even more emotional: I am very excited for this new challenge!

Chaz Davies (Rider):

“Finally, I will get the opportunity to join with Go Eleven in circuit. It has been a long awaited debut with the new Team, but it looks like we are there! I recovered from Covid, we can certainly make our first steps on track. For the test itself, obviously, after a long time not riding the bike, the objectives are quite basic and simple, I just need to ride again, to recover the feeling and I think just to enjoy the two days, enjoy working with my new crew and nothing really more than that. There is no parts really to test, so basically we just have to start the new season!”

MotoAmerica: KW Army Fan Program Returns

David Swarts
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MotoAmerica: KW Army Fan Program Returns

The KW Army Fan Program Returns for the 2021 MotoAmerica Season!

TUCSON, Ariz. (Mar. 30) — Kyle Wyman Racing (KWR) has announced the continuation of the KW ARMY fan program for 2021, revamped once again to offer more tiers of membership. We also now introduce the KWR Fan Zone that will host members at every round of the 2021 MotoAmerica Championship.

The KWR Fan Zone is a replacement for the previous hospitality access and allows KW Army members to spectate the races in a shaded area with refreshments, all together under one tent. The KWR Fan Zone will be present in the most popular viewing area of all 9 rounds of the championship. Now you can root for your favorite team and rider with fellow KW Army members.

Fans of Kyle Wyman and KWR can now join the KW Army, or renew their membership for the 2021 season, with four different membership levels available to everyone. Pre-order is now open until April 9th to receive your pack in time for the season-opening round at Road Atlanta.

Probably the most popular feature of the KW Army was the ability have your name on the tail section of the Ducati Superbike for the season, which is included in all four membership tiers. The Junior Membership also includes the official KW Army lanyard and hospitality pass to join the KWR team in the paddock, a signed photo from Kyle, as well as entry into prizes and giveaways throughout the 2020 season.

The Traditional Membership is unchanged for 2021. All of the Junior Membership perks are included, plus you’ll also receive the official 2021 KW Army hat and t-shirt, a KWR sticker kit provided by Excelsus Solutions and more surprise gifts,  for all who pre-order.

For our fans who want to take their membership to the next level, the Premium Membership continues for 2021. The premium pack includes all of the previous perks, plus a full-season subscription to the MotoAmerica Live+ Streaming Service, a private 1-on-1 online video coaching session with Kyle, paddock pass to a race of your choice, and the official 2021 KWR Team Hoodie. Limited quantities are available.

Last and certainly not least is the new for 2021 Executive Membership. This is how you max out your fan experience and get very exclusive products and benefits. All previous tiers benefits are included, plus you will receive an entire box of official 2021 authentic crew apparel, including the pit shirt and team jacket. On top of this, you will be able to choose one event to be a crew member for the weekend, and enjoy credentialed access and a grid experience. Extremely limited quantities are available, so be sure to sign up before they run out.

With new benefits and options, now every KWR fan has an opportunity to be a part of the team, at the level of their choosing. Pre-order deadline is April 9th to renew 2020 memberships.

Order now to ensure your bundle arrives before the first round at Road Atlanta – April 30 – May 2, 2021.

Enlist now at www.kwarmy.com!

World Superbike: GRT Yamaha Livery Revealed

David Swarts
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World Superbike: GRT Yamaha Livery Revealed

GRT Yamaha Unveil 2021 Livery Ahead of Barcelona WorldSBK Test

The GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team is excited to unveil its new livery for the 2021 FIM Superbike World Championship, in which it will run a pair of the latest spec Yamaha R1 bikes for the returning Garrett Gerloff and Japanese newcomer Kohta Nozane.

After a strong second WorldSBK campaign, GRT Yamaha will be aiming for even more success with American ace Gerloff and his rookie teammate Nozane.

25-year-old Gerloff enters his second season in WorldSBK, having enjoyed a sublime breakthrough campaign in 2020 where he scored three podium finishes. Nozane arrives as the MFJ All-Japan Road Race JSB1000 Champion and has already shown great adaptation to riding the WorldSBK-spec Yamaha R1.

Both GRT Yamaha riders will be back in action on board their new-look Yamaha R1 machinery at the Barcelona test (31 March – 1 April) to continue their pre-season preparations ahead of the season opener in Aragon (21-23 May).

 

Filippo Conti – Team Manager

GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team

“We are really proud to reveal our 2021 liveries here in Barcelona. Obviously, we have very high aspirations for this new season, following a really positive 2020 campaign with Garrett Gerloff scoring multiple podiums and challenging for wins. Kohta Nozane is settling well into the team and is constantly improving every time he gets on the bike. We can’t wait to get started with our new-look 2021-spec Yamaha R1 bikes.”

World Supersport: Aegerter Tops Testing At Catalunya

David Swarts
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World Supersport: Aegerter Tops Testing At Catalunya

Aegerter quickest on day two with last-ditch lap in afternoon session 

Rookie Dominique Aegerter continues to show his prowess throughout two days of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

It was a tight affair throughout the two-day FIM Supersport World Championship Supported Test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with rookie sensation Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) ending the second day at the top of the timesheets, taking over from Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha)

Aegerter posted a lap time of 1’44.220s with just a few minutes to go in the session to go quickest overall for the second day, fending off the challenge from Cluzel who had been top throughout the morning session and most of the afternoon session too. Cluzel’s teammate, Federico Caricasulo, was fourth on the second day despite losing most of the afternoon session following a crash at the final corner of the circuit. Aegerter’s teammate, Galang Hendra Pratama, had a difficult day following a technical issue in the morning session and he finished the day down in 18th place.

2019 World Champion Randy Krummenacher (EAB Racing Team) was fighting for top spots on the timesheets as he adjusted to his new team for the 2021 campaign, posting a time that was around six tenths off Cluzel’s best for the day and third for the day, with Finnish rider Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) saving his best until last to go fifth overall for the day.

Tuuli’s late effort knocked rookie Luca Bernardi out of the top five with the Sammarinese rider in sixth despite a crash at Turn 3 in the afternoon session; the rider losing valuable track time but still putting in impressive performances in the test across both days as he prepares for his rookie campaign.

Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) finished in seventh for the day following a strong afternoon showing, putting in a lap time of 1’45.408s to finished in sixth in the afternoon session and seventh overall for the day, losing ground with Krummenacher leaping up to fourth. Teammate Leonardo Taccini finished in 20th place ahead of his WorldSSP Challenge campaign in 2021.

De Rosa’s former teammate, Federico Fulugni (VFT Racing), finished in eighth place after a strong test for the Italian rider at his new team; one of a handful of riders to be adjusting to new surroundings in 2021. His teammate, Davide Pizolli, was 15th for day two as he returns to WorldSSP for the first time since 2017.

Estonian rider Hannes Soomer was the lead Kallio Racing rider on Tuesday as he finished inside the top ten with new teammate Vertti Takala in 15th place; the pair looking to push on after Kallio Racing’s strong end to the 2020 campaign. Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) claimed a top ten finish on the final day of testing as his adjustment to new machinery continues.

It was another impressive day out on track for Swede Christoffer Bergman (Wojick Racing Team) with 11th, fending off the challenge from Marc Alcoba (Yamaha MS Racing) and Maria Herrera (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing) in 12th and 13th respectively. On the other side of the MS Racing box, Pawel Szkopek crashed in sector two not long after the green flag was shown again after Caricasulo’s crash, bringing the session to a halt for a second time, with the Polish rider finishing last in the classification for the second day.

Luigi Montella (Chiodo Moto Racing) was the only rider who took part in both days to not improve their lap time on Tuesday, finishing the day down in 16th place, two tenths clear of the returning Michel Fabrizio (Motozoo Racing by Puccetti) who was 17th. Fabrizio’s teammate, Shogo Kawasaki, was one of three riders who only took part on Monday, with Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) and Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) missing out due to injury.

WorldSSP Top 6 after Day 2.

1.) Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) 1’44.220s

2.) Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.135s

3.) Randy Krummenacher (EAB Racing Team) +0.497s

4.) Federico Caricasulo (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.498s

5.) Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) +0.577s

6.) Luca Bernardi (CM Racing) +0.826s

Buis ends second day of WorldSSP300 Catalunya test fastest, di Sora fastest in the afternoon 

Reigning Champion Jeffrey Buis was fastest of everyone on the final day of the Catalunya Test as the Dutchman looks to retain his title

The two-day test for the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship has come to a close after two days of thrilling action, with reigning Champion Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) ending the second day fastest after his time in the morning was good enough to top the combined classification ahead of new teammate Adrian Huertas.

The duo had finished first and second in the morning two-hour session and both times were good enough to hold on to those places following the afternoon session. They were the two MTM Kawasaki riders on Tuesday as Koen Meuffels did not take part on the second day following a crash he had on the opening day of action.

Samuel di Sora’s (Leader Team Flembbo) impressive test continued with third place overall for the day and a time good enough to be fastest in the afternoon session, which appeared to be a bit slower than the morning session. Teammate Sylvain Markarian also had a strong test, finishing the day in 12th

Turkish rider Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing) finished third for the day after a late lap in the afternoon session moved him into third while teammate Margo Gaggi was 20th as he continued to get used to his new surroundings. Ton Kawakami’s (AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing) strong test continued with fifth place on the second day, finishing two places below his position from the first day. Teammate and brother Meikon was seventh place as the duo showed the form they had on occasion throughout 2020. From the same stable of riders, MS Racing’s Unai Orradre was 11th with teammate Miguel Santiago Duarte in 40th.

Victor Rodriguez Nuñez (Accolade Smrz Racing) was another rider who had a strong test with sixth overall as another rider who is adapting to new surroundings, while teammate Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez was close to his teammate but unable to overhaul him. Machado CAME SBK’s Vicente Perez Selfa secured a top ten finish for the day with his two teammates, Bruno Ieraci and Ruben Bijman further down the order; Bijman one of two riders who created a late Red Flag that curtailed the session.

Italian rider Gabriele Mastroluca (ProGP Racing) had an eventful test with two crashes across the two days, but he recovered to secure a top ten finish on day two with eighth place while teammate Fillipo Palazzi also had his own incident in the afternoon session in the middle part of the lap, and being unable to set a lap time to move himself up the order.

New outfit Viñales Racing Team secured a top 15 finish in the standings with Dean Berta Viñales, the youngest rider of the Viñales family, finished 12th for the day. Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) had another strong day of testing with 13th overall for the day as the sole KTM representative on the grid in 2021.

Harry Khouri (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki) brought out the only Red Flag of the morning session when he crashed at Turn 5, a left-hand hairpin corner which descends on exit, joining Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) and Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) in crashing at the same corner. James McManus (Team# 109 Kawasaki) came off his bike at the right-hander of Turn 9 with around 30 minutes left in the morning session. The session came to a premature finish when Red Flags were shown for separate incidents for Bruno Ieraci (Machado Came SBK) and Alejandro Diez (Kawasaki GP Project). In the afternoon, Inigo Iglesias (SMW Racing) came to a halt in the first part of the lap, with the Red Flags shown and the session coming to an end early.

WorldSSP300 Top 6 after Day 2.

1.) Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) 1’55.163s

2.) Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) +0.094s

3.) Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) +0.108s

4.) Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing) +0.151s

5.) Ton Kawakami (AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing) +0.364s

6.) Victor Rodriguez Nuñez (Accolade Smrz Racing) +0.424s

MotoAmerica: McDonald Subbing For Injured Olmedo At Road Atlanta

David Swarts
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0
MotoAmerica: McDonald Subbing For Injured Olmedo At Road Atlanta

Cooper McDonald Standing in for Kevin Olmedo in MotoAmerica SuperSport for Altus Motorsports

(Altus, OK) With Kevin Olmedo sidelined from an MX training incident, Altus Motorsports is excited to announce Cooper McDonald as a seat-fill. The former Twins Cup racer will compete in the MotoAmerica SuperSport class on the Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R600 for at least Round 1.

During the Daytona 200, Kevin had some shoulder issues from an injury he sustained riding motocross. After meeting with doctors, he was advised that he needed surgery. In an effort to salvage as much of the 2021 season as possible, the decision was made to have it immediately. With the operation completed, Olmedo is now on the road to recovery.

“We committed to MotoAmerica to put that bike on the grid and as soon as we found out about Kevin, we started looking for someone to fill the spot,” said Team-Owner, George Nassaney. “We’ve known Cooper for a few years and he’s from Oklahoma as well. I’m glad he can step in and look forward to having him in the pits.”

“Obviously, we wish that Kevin could be at 100% for the start of our 2021 MotoAmerica SuperSport campaign. We are all hoping he can make it back by the second round, but if not, Cooper will continue to ride.”

Cooper McDonald is no stranger to the MotoAmerica paddock. He competed in the Twins Cup for the past two years, finishing the 2019 Season 8th overall and the 2020 season 6th overall. He has campaigned a middleweight bike at the club level and raced in the Daytona 200 in 2018. He’s looking forward to a test on the Altus Motorsports GSX-R600 before he heads to Atlanta.

“My plan was to take a sabbatical from the National level for the 2021 season and join the SuperSport ranks in 2022. But, when George called it seemed like a great way to get some experience. It’s an incredible opportunity. I’ve been training a ton. I’m probably in the best shape of my life,” said Cooper. “I’m grateful to Altus for thinking of me and placing their confidence in me. And I’m extremely thankful to Cody Gayer at CG Law for his support. Without it I would not be able to jump on this chance to race MotoAmerica in 2021.”

Racing at Road Atlanta and riding on the Suzuki platform will be relatively novel experiences for Cooper, but the Altus team is there for support. Teammates Jaret Nassaney (SuperSport) and Jake Lewis (Stock 1000) will be there to help with their knowledge of the track and the bikes. Crew Chief Eric Gray also has years of data and setup information. And if that’s not enough, McDonald also has the benefit of advice from his mentor, former Suzuki MotoGP-legend Kevin Schwantz.

The Altus Motorsports team is supported by our great family of sponsors: Altus Motorsports, Environmental Service Solutions, Creative Sports Concepts, Tucker Powersports, Schaefer Engineering, Hot Bodies Racing, M4 Exhausts, Vortex EK, Motion Pro, Barnett, VP Lubricants, SBS Brakes, Galfer USA, Moto-D Racing, Bonamici, Ohlins, K-Techs, RS Taichi, Arai, Law Tigers Oklahoma, and Altus Factory Racing.

MotoAmerica: Baz Under Race Lap Record In Session 4 At COTA

David Swarts
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MotoAmerica: Baz Under Race Lap Record In Session 4 At COTA

Frenchman Loris Baz was the quickest rider during day one of the official MotoAmerica/Dunlop pre-season test Tuesday at Circuit of The Americas, in Austin, Texas.

Riding his new Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York Panigale V4 R, Baz lapped the 3.4-mile, 20-turn circuit in 2:08.595, which was under Josh Herrin’s 2019 race lap record, 2:08.994, and not far off Roger Hayden’s all-time MotoAmerica Superbike lap record, 2:08.184, set in 2017.

“This bike is like a wild horse,” said Baz. “I don’t remember the last time I’ve been so tired on day one of pre-season, but also I didn’t ride a bike since the 16th of October. I haven’t done anything in the winter, just cycled a lot and trained a lot, but that’s not like [riding].

“I’m really happy because [the first test] at Cresson [MotorSport Ranch] was just like a shakedown and it was hard to really have a proper feeling from the Dunlop on the bike. We went through a couple of things today just to try to understand a little bit how the bike react, how the tire react, trying to get the feeling. Because those tires [Dunlops] remind me more of the ones I was using in [Moto]GP [Michelins] than the one I use in [World] Superbike [Pirelli], like the stiffness. The carcass is hard, so you have to be careful when you are off brake.

“But I’m overall happy. We need to go through more things and I need to learn more the bike, how to use the bike, mainly for the consistency.

“The fast lap was pretty good. I’m happy. I think I could improve a tenth on the last lap because I missed my sector two, but I was too tired and when I went into Turn Three my legs just didn’t want to turn the bike anymore. So I say, ‘OK, I go in the box now.’

“We try tomorrow again. We know the weather will not be that great. That’s why we do a lot today, because we’re not sure what [weather] we have tomorrow.”

Second-best on the day was Jake Gagne, who did a 2:09.297 while sorting out issues on his Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha YZF-R1.

“It was a good day,” said Gagne. “We got a lot of work done. We figured out some electronics stuff, some shifting stuff I had issues with. We got a decent amount of laps.

“It’s good to finally see everybody here. Hopefully, we get some decent weather tomorrow and we can keep working on chassis stuff. But it’s been going good.

“I love that I have a new crew chief and a new data guy. It’s a good crew, a good step from last year.”

After spending the entire off-season doing more physical rehab work than testing, Mathew Scholtz decided to skip the foggy and misty first session of the day. The South African then pushed hard in the final three sessions to make up the lost time and ended up third-fastest with a 2:09.553 on his Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.

“We obviously didn’t have too much pre-season testing compared to our usual,” said Scholtz. “The weather in Georgia has just been terrible for us. At Road Atlanta, we missed a whole day there. The second day there we had a bike problem. Then we went to Talladega [Gran Prix Raceway] and did a half-day there.

“I definitely didn’t feel fully prepared coming here, so we started off a couple of seconds back. It was a little bit worrying, but every single session we got about a second quicker and ended up doing a 2:09.5, which is the quickest we’ve ever been here. And we have a few ideas where to go better tomorrow, which is really positive. It’s not like we’re scratching our heads wondering where to go. I’m very, very happy.

“It’s been a very long off-season, doing rehab and getting the foot back to health. I’m just happy to be back in the paddock racing, because it was looking horrible last year when they started mentioning about fusing the foot and everything else. I’m just blessed to be here riding again.

“We know that Baz has a pretty decent gap, but this is probably the best track for that bike and probably the worst track for the Yamaha. So, I think if we can finish here and be relatively close to where Baz is it’s going to hold us well heading into the Road Atlanta round, where we know we go well.”

Bobby Fong finished the day fourth with a 2:10.324 while testing new chassis parts on his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Fong’s new teammate Cameron Petersen was right below him on the timesheets with a 2:10.633 during his first day riding his #45 M4 ECSTAR Suzuki.

Gagne’s new teammate Josh Herrin finished the day sixth with a 2:10.845.

Testing continues Wednesday, when ambient temperatures are forecast to be much cooler than Tuesday.

21_1_DTEST1_SBK_P4_res
 SBK-SBC_D1_Combined

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Baz Leads Day One Of MotoAmerica Dunlop Preseason Test

Fast Frenchman Loris Baz Shows His Stuff at COTA
AUSTIN, TX (March 30, 2021) – Loris Baz took very little time acclimating to his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York Panigale V4 R, the Dunlop tires and the MotoAmerica paddock today, the Frenchman leading the way with a 2:08.595 on a cloudy afternoon at the Circuit of The Americas in what was his series debut.

Baz’s best lap came in the fourth and final 45-minute session of the opening day of the two-day test, and it was .702 of a second faster than Jake Gagne, who rode the Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha YZF-R1. Westby Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz ended up third-quickest with his 2:09.553. Those three were the only riders to lap in the 2:09’s.

For reference’s sake, the Superbike lap record is held by Roger Hayden, who rode his Yoshimura Suzuki GSXR-1000 to a 2:08.184 in 2017.

“This bike is like a wild horse,” Baz said of his Ducati. “I don’t remember the last time I’ve been so tired after day one in the preseason, but I didn’t ride a bike since the 16th of October. I haven’t done anything in the winter. I just cycled a lot and trained, but that’s not like cycling. I’m really happy because Crescent was just like a shakedown, and it was really hard to get the feeling from the Dunlop and the bike. We went through a couple of things today just to understand how the bike reacts, how the tire reacts, too, trying to get the feeling. Those tires remind me more of the ones I was using in GP than the ones I used in Superbike, the stiffness. The carcass is hard, so you have to be careful when you are off brake, but overall, I am happy. I need to go through more things and learn more the bike… maybe for the consistency. The fast lap was pretty good, and I’m happy. I think I could have improved a 10th (of a second) in the last lap because I missed my sector two, but I was too tired and when I went into turn three, my legs just did not want to turn so I say, ‘Okay, I go in the box now.’ “

Gagne was happy to be back on his bike and working with his new crew chief, former Öhlins technician and racer Jon Cornwell.

“It was a good day,” Gagne said. “It was good to get back with the whole MotoAmerica paddock for the official test. Obviously, it’s been a while since we’ve been at COTA so it’s good to be here. We got off to a good start, worked on a few little things, changed some electronic things throughout the day. We had to get some shifting stuff dialed in and just some of that early bike stuff, getting the kinks out and getting the bike a bit more comfortable. Then, in those last few sessions, we started working with the chassis a little bit. It’s great. I’ve got Corndog (Jon Cornwell) as my new crew chief and Darin Marshall is my new electronics guy. Unfortunately, he’s not here, but he’s doing all the work live on the computer. I’m really excited. This year, I have a great crew, and the races are going to be really good. There’s a lot of fast guys.”

The happiest man to be back in action was Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, the South African returning to action after his crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that left him with a broken ankle and knee injuries.

“We obviously didn’t have much preseason testing compared to our usual standards,” Scholtz said. “Of course, the weather in Georgia has been terrible for us. At Road Atlanta we missed a whole day there and on the second day we had a little bit of bike problems, so we only did a couple of laps there. We went to Tally (Talladega Gran Prix Raceway) about two weeks back and did half a day there, so I didn’t feel definitely prepared when we came here. We started off a couple of seconds back, which was a little bit worrying, but every single session we got about a second quicker. We ended up doing a 2:09.5, which is the quickest we’ve ever been here, and we have a few ideas of where to go better tomorrow, which is really positive. It’s not like we’re scratching our heads wondering where to go, so I’m very, very happy and thank you to the Westby guys. It’s been a long, very long offseason with doing rehab and getting the foot back to health and the knee and stuff so I’m just happy to be back in the paddock racing, really. It was looking horrible last year when they started talking about fusing the foot and everything. I’m just blessed to be here and riding again. We know that Baz has a pretty decent gap, but this is the best track for that bike and probably the worst track for Yamaha. I think if we can finish here and be relatively close to Baz, it will hold us well heading into the Road Atlanta round where we know we do well.”

The first of the M4 ECSTAR Suzukis was ridden by Bobby Fong, the 2019 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion and a three-time Superbike race winner in 2020, was fourth fastest at 2:10.324 to best his teammate Cameron Petersen. Petersen was making his Superbike debut with the team and lapped at 2:10.633.

Gagne’s Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha’s Josh Herrin ended the day in sixth with a best of 2:10.845.

With the number-one plate proudly displayed on his HONOS Kawasaki, defending Supersport champion Richie Escalante does not seem to ascribe to the age-old axiom that “uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” On day one of the test, Escalante led all four of the combined Supersport/Stock 1000 Group B practice sessions, with his quickest lap of the day – a 2:14.995 – occurring during the fourth and final session of the day.

In similar fashion to Baz and Escalante, SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup rider Ben Gloddy led all four sessions aboard his Landers Racing Kawasaki, with his fastest overall lap of 2:32.732 happening in the fourth session. The Twins Cup class riders also practiced on the track at the same time as the Junior Cup class, and Wrench Motorcycles’ Ethan Cook went quickest on the day aboard his Yamaha with a lap of 2:31.720.

MotoAmerica: Escalante Dips Into 2:14s In Test Session 4 At COTA

David Swarts
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MotoAmerica: Escalante Dips Into 2:14s In Test Session 4 At COTA
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 SSP-STK_D1_Combined

MotoAmerica: Escalante Escapes Fiery Crash In Session 5 At COTA

The fuel tank after Richie Escalante's fiery crash Wednesday morning at COTA. Photo by David Swarts.
The fuel tank after Richie Escalante's fiery crash Wednesday morning at COTA. Photo by David Swarts.

Defending MotoAmerica Supersport Champion Richie Escalante escaped a fiery crash during the damp Supersport session five Wednesday morning at the MotoAmerica/Dunlop pre-season test at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), but the situation was even stranger than that.

Escalante was the second rider to go out on track, but when he came across the start/finish line the name Jorge Ehrenstein popped up on the scoring monitors.

Escalante’s HONOS Racing teammate Ehrenstein crashed his Yamaha YZF-R6 on Tuesday afternoon due shifting issues, according to his team.

Today, Ehrenstein asked Escalante to ride his Yamaha in the morning’s damp Supersport session five to see if Escalante experienced the same shifting issues.

“Then I have a stupid crash,” said Escalante, who was using rain tires, “and the bike caught on fire.”

Escalante, who normally rides a Kawasaki ZX-6R, said he was not injured in the crash.

Sean Dylan Kelly was the only other rider to go out in the session, and he did so primarily to check on some fueling and electronic calibration issues he experienced with his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R600 on Tuesday, according to his crew chief Jeremy Toye.

Kelly also used rain tires.

 

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MotoAmerica: Roach Leads Damp Jr. Cup/Twins Cup Session 5

Circuit of The Americas. Photo courtesy Circuit of The Americas.
Circuit of The Americas. Photo courtesy Circuit of The Americas.
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MotoGP: World Championship Continues This Weekend In Qatar

The MotoGP World Championship continues with Round Two, the TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha, this coming weekend. Photo courtesy Dorna.
The MotoGP World Championship continues with Round Two, the TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha, this coming weekend. Photo courtesy Dorna.

Reload and reset: round two rolls into Doha

Sparks are sure to fly as MotoGP™ returns to Losail International Circuit, with Viñales in the spotlight after his season-opening victory

Wednesday, 31 March 2021

Expectation was high ahead of the season-opening Qatar GP and, if anything, it’s even higher as MotoGP™ returns to Losail International Circuit for the TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha. After a barnstormer to welcome back the world’s fastest motorcycle racing Championship, there’s plenty to look forward to on a take two that sees the grid arrive with one man in the crosshairs: Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP).

As wins go, Viñales’ first of the year was definitely a hard-earned one, as well as his second at Losail. From lights out it was an all-Ducati affair at the front in the initial stages, leaving the eventual winner with plenty of work to do. But that he did, slicing his way through to the front and then pulling the pin. So can those he defeated fight back?

With a race of data and a fair few more sessions before the lights go out, the men closest on the chase – Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) will be eager to try and bridge that gap or leapfrog Viñales, and Mir especially will take heart from an impressive Sunday despite some struggles earlier in the first race weekend of the year. What may worry them in Viñales’ pace, however, is that conditions got worse from Saturday – Yamaha’s traditional day of searing pace – but the number 12 was able to drop everyone, including his fellow Iwata marque machines.

That included new Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP teammate Fabio Quartararo, and the Frenchman will be having a hard look through the data to see where Viñales had the edge, as will Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the man fastest in testing ended the first race in ninth – and new teammate Bagnaia put it on the podium. The wealth of information is only a positive though, and neither should be counted out from a launch up the timesheets this time round – something Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and teammate Franco Morbidelli will be looking for too.

Information is always key, but maybe even more so in the Doha Grand Prix. From veterans outfoxed by teammates to those still adapting or just settling into MotoGP™, there’s a lot to learn. For the Millers and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) of the grid it’s about bridging an unexpected gap, for the newcomers it’s a blessing to have another race at the same track.

Enea Bastianini (Esponsorama Racing) starts the second race weekend of the year as top rookie following an impressive top ten, and he’ll know what went right and what could go better. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) will also be able to look through the numbers from bikes on the podium, and the Spaniard will likely also have taken more than just another glance at his stunning race start, gaining ten places in the blink of an eye. Repeating that but making it stick a little longer is the name of the game. Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Esponsorama) will want more too, the Italian’s progress steadier so far.

Meanwhile Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, with a nearly all-new bike, will be another outfit making good use of more information. Aleix Espargaro impressed once again as he ended the race in seventh but only 5.934s off race winner Viñales, which is the closest gap to the winner of an Aprilia in the MotoGP™ era. Can they equal or even better the best result for the Noale factory in MotoGP™ of sixth?

The man Aleix Espargaro duelled for that seventh place was another great storyline too, as it was none other than his younger brother Pol Espargaro. The newly-arrived Repsol Honda Team rider had a solid first outing in a different shade of orange, and was just 0.056 off seventh place after a drag to the line. As he’s continuing to adapt, a race under his belt is welcome – as it is for continuing, temporary teammate Stefan Bradl. On the other side of the coin, Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) will be looking for solid finishes and points this time around, both crashing out in the Qatar GP after a difficult time at Losail so far.

A difficult time at Losail so far is also true for KTM, even since they debuted in MotoGP™. Some tracks suit some better than others, some tracks are easier to test at and some tracks saw no premier class race action in 2020 just to add another extra challenge. But if we saw one thing from the Austrian factory last year, aside from pretty continual excellence, it was an impressive gain on take two at the same track. That bodes well for the Doha GP, as does the ability of Miguel Oliveira to continue taking to full factory life like a duck to water. Teammate Brad Binder most definitely got his elbows out in the first race of the year too, so it’s not all fallen into place yet but the light at the end of the tunnel likely starts with more track time to gain more information on a circuit that has never been KTM’s best hunting ground.

That track time begins again on Friday as the grids head back out to battle Losail International Circuit, with another 25 points on the line as the lights go out for the second stunner of the season at 20:00 (GMT+3) on Sunday. It’s advantage Viñales… but for how long?

MotoGP™ Championship top five:

1 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 25

2 Johann Zarco* – Pramac Racing – Ducati – 20

3 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – 16

4 Joan Mir – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki – 13

5 Fabio Quartararo – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 11

*Independent Team rider
 

 

Can anyone catch Lowes at Losail?

The Brit was imperious in the season opener, so can the likes of Gardner, Bezzecchi and Diggia fight back on take two?

Not since 1979 has a British rider won the opening race of a Grand Prix season, but Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) did just that in 2021 and in some style. A controlled and perfectly pitched ride to the flag saw him start the year with the first 25 points on offer, so the question heading into the TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha is a simple one: can anyone catch the number 22?

The best candidate based on the first race of the year is Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo), as the Australian had the best pace to rival the Brit – he just started further back. Lowes recovered quickly after losing out slightly from pole, but Gardner had more work to after qualifying sixth and ending Lap 1 in eighth, costing him more time as he fought his way back through into clear air on the chase. With a closer qualifying and a better start, can Gardner put on the pressure?

Third was also an intriguing battle. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) came out on top for a first emotional podium for Gresini in the intermediate class since 2016, but it was close between Diggia and Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46). Can they take a step forward after a race of data? And what about those just behind them, the likes of Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) and Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing)?

Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo), meanwhile, could be an even more interesting watch. The rookie sensation spent a lot of his first ever Moto2™ race fighting for the podium, and as his experience increases, his pace and race management likely will too. Another race at the same track is great news for rookies, and Fernandez is well poised to make the most of it. There were some impressive performances from two more of his fellow debutants too, with American Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) duelling Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) for 11th as they both began their intermediate class careers just three tenths off the top ten. What can they do on take two?

The TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha sees the intermediate class race round Losail again on Sunday the 4th of April, with Lowes aiming to complete the double from 18:20 (GMT +3).

Moto2™ Championship top five:

1 Sam Lowes – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – Kalex – 25

2 Remy Gardner – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – 20

3 Fabio Di Giannantonio – Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 – Kalex – 16

4 Marco Bezzecchi – Sky Racing Team VR46 – Kalex – 13

5 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – 11
 

 

Masia on a mission: can Moto3™ hit back quick?

Based on pre-season testing, it was no surprise to see a Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2 and Binder on the podium. But will they be able to repeat the feat?

We knew we were in for a rollercoaster season opener, as is always the case in Moto3™, but the Qatar GP really was a welcome return from the lightweight class. With close battles throughout the field and, of course, a drag to the line, it started the season in style – as did the three riders on the podium.

Winner Jaume Masia impressed to win on his return to KTM and first race with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team, looking calm and collected after also setting the timesheets alight in testing. His teammate Pedro Acosta raised a good few eyebrows in second too, as the rookie had shown some great speed ahead of lights out but fought it out like a pro to take a debut podium in his debut race. Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing), meanwhile, found himself in Q1 and then shot to pole before battling home to third, and the three riders on the rostrum almost made it look easy… so who can make sure they don’t do it again?

The Moto3™ freight train can be a lottery, so it’s far from a done deal. It remained anyone’s game until late on and a good few riders were in with a shout at the win, now likely looking for some revenge in the TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha. Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Gaviota Aspar Team) is on a roll of top four finishes, and Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) got very stuck in and Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3) seemed to shoot to the front from nowhere. The Italian has already won at the track too. Rookie Izan Guevara (GASGAS Gaviota Aspar Team) impressed and will want to move forward on race day after qualifying on the front row, and Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) – another former winner at Qatar – won’t be content to settle.

And what about those with a slightly more complex narrative in Round 1? Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) qualified dead last in his worst grid position for five years, but he shot up the field into the top ten as he returns from illness, having missed preseason testing. In opposite fortunes, Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) had a stunner of a race until it all came apart on the final lap and he’ll want to make amends, as will Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) as the Italian jumped the start and had to do two Long Laps…

That’s something rookie Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing) is now also facing in the Doha GP after the Spaniard made a stunning start and then overcooked it, taking down some key names in Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team), Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) and former Qatar podium finisher John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing). That’s a mistake he’ll want to avoid repeating, and Migno, Alcoba and McPhee will want to avoid it too. If luck shines better for the trio in the Doha GP, they should be interesting additions to the battle with their experience and speed. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) too as he fell foul of a move from Carlos Tatay (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3), with the Italian expected in the fight at the front. Jason Dupasquier (CarXpert PrüstelGP) also deserves a shoutout for his first top ten, something he’ll be looking to build on as we head into another race weekend on now very familiar turf.

18 laps of Moto3™ mayhem – in the best sense of the word – await in the TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha. It’s advantage Masia, Acosta and Binder on the way in, but everything can change on a dime in the lightweight class so tune in for more at 17:00 (GMT +3) on Sunday.

Moto3™ Championship top five:

1 Jaume Masia – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM – 25

2 Pedro Acosta – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM –  20

3 Darryn Binder – Petronas Sprinta Racing – Honda – 16

4 Sergio Garcia – GASGAS Gaviota Aspar Team – GASGAS – 13

5 Gabriel Rodrigo – Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3 – Honda – 11

World Superbike: Davies Recovered And Ready To Go Testing

Chaz Davies. Photo courtesy Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.
Chaz Davies and his Team GoEleven Ducati at a test earlier this pre-season. Photo courtesy Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.

CHAZ DAVIES AND GO ELEVEN ARE READY FOR THE FIRST “TWO DAYS” OF TEST AT MONTMELO’!

After a long wait, Chaz Davies and the Go Eleven Team go on track, together, for the first two days of official tests, at the Montmelò Circuit, Barcelona! March 31st -April 1st, the first laps of the new year; the majority of the teams that will take part in the next WorldSBK season will be on track uin these two days, so it is a real first comparison with the values ​​on the field.

For the Piedmontese Team, after the shakedown in Misano, it is an opportunity to become familiar with the Ducati Panigale V4-R 2021 factory, the real technical innovation compared to last season. The objective of these two days is to recreate the team alchemy, shake off the rust accumulated during winter and concentrate on finding a good basic set-up for the first races. Chaz, he recovered from Coronavirus that hit him in recent weeks, and now it is essential to find the rhythm and feeling with the track, after the long winter break from the last stage of Estoril last year, which ended with the victory of the number 7. Riders and Teams will have eight hours a day of “green light”, from 10.00 to 18.00 (GMT +1); with optimal weather forecast, the show on the track is guaranteed!

Chaz Davies and Go Eleven will race with the new livery in official color; it will be the first opportunity to observe the Welsh in its new suit! The adrenaline of the first seasonal outings is always great, the Barcelona circuit is ready to officially open the WorldSBK 2021 season!

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):

“We are finally here, we have been waiting for 5 months to get back on track and from tomorrow we will see our team and our rider in action. A very important journey begins for us, I feel a lot of determination and motivation from every team member. In these tests it will not be so important fighting for the laptime, the most important is the feeling of Chaz on the bike and the harmony of the staff inside the box. Every year I feel the same, but this year it’s even more emotional: I am very excited for this new challenge!

Chaz Davies (Rider):

“Finally, I will get the opportunity to join with Go Eleven in circuit. It has been a long awaited debut with the new Team, but it looks like we are there! I recovered from Covid, we can certainly make our first steps on track. For the test itself, obviously, after a long time not riding the bike, the objectives are quite basic and simple, I just need to ride again, to recover the feeling and I think just to enjoy the two days, enjoy working with my new crew and nothing really more than that. There is no parts really to test, so basically we just have to start the new season!”

MotoAmerica: KW Army Fan Program Returns

Kyle Wyman (33). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy KWR.
Kyle Wyman (33). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy KWR.

The KW Army Fan Program Returns for the 2021 MotoAmerica Season!

TUCSON, Ariz. (Mar. 30) — Kyle Wyman Racing (KWR) has announced the continuation of the KW ARMY fan program for 2021, revamped once again to offer more tiers of membership. We also now introduce the KWR Fan Zone that will host members at every round of the 2021 MotoAmerica Championship.

The KWR Fan Zone is a replacement for the previous hospitality access and allows KW Army members to spectate the races in a shaded area with refreshments, all together under one tent. The KWR Fan Zone will be present in the most popular viewing area of all 9 rounds of the championship. Now you can root for your favorite team and rider with fellow KW Army members.

Fans of Kyle Wyman and KWR can now join the KW Army, or renew their membership for the 2021 season, with four different membership levels available to everyone. Pre-order is now open until April 9th to receive your pack in time for the season-opening round at Road Atlanta.

Probably the most popular feature of the KW Army was the ability have your name on the tail section of the Ducati Superbike for the season, which is included in all four membership tiers. The Junior Membership also includes the official KW Army lanyard and hospitality pass to join the KWR team in the paddock, a signed photo from Kyle, as well as entry into prizes and giveaways throughout the 2020 season.

The Traditional Membership is unchanged for 2021. All of the Junior Membership perks are included, plus you’ll also receive the official 2021 KW Army hat and t-shirt, a KWR sticker kit provided by Excelsus Solutions and more surprise gifts,  for all who pre-order.

For our fans who want to take their membership to the next level, the Premium Membership continues for 2021. The premium pack includes all of the previous perks, plus a full-season subscription to the MotoAmerica Live+ Streaming Service, a private 1-on-1 online video coaching session with Kyle, paddock pass to a race of your choice, and the official 2021 KWR Team Hoodie. Limited quantities are available.

Last and certainly not least is the new for 2021 Executive Membership. This is how you max out your fan experience and get very exclusive products and benefits. All previous tiers benefits are included, plus you will receive an entire box of official 2021 authentic crew apparel, including the pit shirt and team jacket. On top of this, you will be able to choose one event to be a crew member for the weekend, and enjoy credentialed access and a grid experience. Extremely limited quantities are available, so be sure to sign up before they run out.

With new benefits and options, now every KWR fan has an opportunity to be a part of the team, at the level of their choosing. Pre-order deadline is April 9th to renew 2020 memberships.

Order now to ensure your bundle arrives before the first round at Road Atlanta – April 30 – May 2, 2021.

Enlist now at www.kwarmy.com!

World Superbike: GRT Yamaha Livery Revealed

GRT Yamaha riders Garrett Gerloff (left), Kohta Nozane (right), and their YZF-R1 Superbikes in their 2021 colors. Photo courtesy Yamaha Racing.
GRT Yamaha riders Garrett Gerloff (left), Kohta Nozane (right), and their YZF-R1 Superbikes in their 2021 colors. Photo courtesy Yamaha Racing.

GRT Yamaha Unveil 2021 Livery Ahead of Barcelona WorldSBK Test

The GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team is excited to unveil its new livery for the 2021 FIM Superbike World Championship, in which it will run a pair of the latest spec Yamaha R1 bikes for the returning Garrett Gerloff and Japanese newcomer Kohta Nozane.

After a strong second WorldSBK campaign, GRT Yamaha will be aiming for even more success with American ace Gerloff and his rookie teammate Nozane.

25-year-old Gerloff enters his second season in WorldSBK, having enjoyed a sublime breakthrough campaign in 2020 where he scored three podium finishes. Nozane arrives as the MFJ All-Japan Road Race JSB1000 Champion and has already shown great adaptation to riding the WorldSBK-spec Yamaha R1.

Both GRT Yamaha riders will be back in action on board their new-look Yamaha R1 machinery at the Barcelona test (31 March – 1 April) to continue their pre-season preparations ahead of the season opener in Aragon (21-23 May).

 

Filippo Conti – Team Manager

GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team

“We are really proud to reveal our 2021 liveries here in Barcelona. Obviously, we have very high aspirations for this new season, following a really positive 2020 campaign with Garrett Gerloff scoring multiple podiums and challenging for wins. Kohta Nozane is settling well into the team and is constantly improving every time he gets on the bike. We can’t wait to get started with our new-look 2021-spec Yamaha R1 bikes.”

World Supersport: Aegerter Tops Testing At Catalunya

Dominique Aegerter (77). Photo courtesy Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.
Dominique Aegerter (77). Photo courtesy Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.

Aegerter quickest on day two with last-ditch lap in afternoon session 

Rookie Dominique Aegerter continues to show his prowess throughout two days of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

It was a tight affair throughout the two-day FIM Supersport World Championship Supported Test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with rookie sensation Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) ending the second day at the top of the timesheets, taking over from Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha)

Aegerter posted a lap time of 1’44.220s with just a few minutes to go in the session to go quickest overall for the second day, fending off the challenge from Cluzel who had been top throughout the morning session and most of the afternoon session too. Cluzel’s teammate, Federico Caricasulo, was fourth on the second day despite losing most of the afternoon session following a crash at the final corner of the circuit. Aegerter’s teammate, Galang Hendra Pratama, had a difficult day following a technical issue in the morning session and he finished the day down in 18th place.

2019 World Champion Randy Krummenacher (EAB Racing Team) was fighting for top spots on the timesheets as he adjusted to his new team for the 2021 campaign, posting a time that was around six tenths off Cluzel’s best for the day and third for the day, with Finnish rider Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) saving his best until last to go fifth overall for the day.

Tuuli’s late effort knocked rookie Luca Bernardi out of the top five with the Sammarinese rider in sixth despite a crash at Turn 3 in the afternoon session; the rider losing valuable track time but still putting in impressive performances in the test across both days as he prepares for his rookie campaign.

Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) finished in seventh for the day following a strong afternoon showing, putting in a lap time of 1’45.408s to finished in sixth in the afternoon session and seventh overall for the day, losing ground with Krummenacher leaping up to fourth. Teammate Leonardo Taccini finished in 20th place ahead of his WorldSSP Challenge campaign in 2021.

De Rosa’s former teammate, Federico Fulugni (VFT Racing), finished in eighth place after a strong test for the Italian rider at his new team; one of a handful of riders to be adjusting to new surroundings in 2021. His teammate, Davide Pizolli, was 15th for day two as he returns to WorldSSP for the first time since 2017.

Estonian rider Hannes Soomer was the lead Kallio Racing rider on Tuesday as he finished inside the top ten with new teammate Vertti Takala in 15th place; the pair looking to push on after Kallio Racing’s strong end to the 2020 campaign. Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) claimed a top ten finish on the final day of testing as his adjustment to new machinery continues.

It was another impressive day out on track for Swede Christoffer Bergman (Wojick Racing Team) with 11th, fending off the challenge from Marc Alcoba (Yamaha MS Racing) and Maria Herrera (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing) in 12th and 13th respectively. On the other side of the MS Racing box, Pawel Szkopek crashed in sector two not long after the green flag was shown again after Caricasulo’s crash, bringing the session to a halt for a second time, with the Polish rider finishing last in the classification for the second day.

Luigi Montella (Chiodo Moto Racing) was the only rider who took part in both days to not improve their lap time on Tuesday, finishing the day down in 16th place, two tenths clear of the returning Michel Fabrizio (Motozoo Racing by Puccetti) who was 17th. Fabrizio’s teammate, Shogo Kawasaki, was one of three riders who only took part on Monday, with Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) and Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) missing out due to injury.

WorldSSP Top 6 after Day 2.

1.) Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) 1’44.220s

2.) Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.135s

3.) Randy Krummenacher (EAB Racing Team) +0.497s

4.) Federico Caricasulo (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.498s

5.) Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) +0.577s

6.) Luca Bernardi (CM Racing) +0.826s

Buis ends second day of WorldSSP300 Catalunya test fastest, di Sora fastest in the afternoon 

Reigning Champion Jeffrey Buis was fastest of everyone on the final day of the Catalunya Test as the Dutchman looks to retain his title

The two-day test for the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship has come to a close after two days of thrilling action, with reigning Champion Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) ending the second day fastest after his time in the morning was good enough to top the combined classification ahead of new teammate Adrian Huertas.

The duo had finished first and second in the morning two-hour session and both times were good enough to hold on to those places following the afternoon session. They were the two MTM Kawasaki riders on Tuesday as Koen Meuffels did not take part on the second day following a crash he had on the opening day of action.

Samuel di Sora’s (Leader Team Flembbo) impressive test continued with third place overall for the day and a time good enough to be fastest in the afternoon session, which appeared to be a bit slower than the morning session. Teammate Sylvain Markarian also had a strong test, finishing the day in 12th

Turkish rider Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing) finished third for the day after a late lap in the afternoon session moved him into third while teammate Margo Gaggi was 20th as he continued to get used to his new surroundings. Ton Kawakami’s (AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing) strong test continued with fifth place on the second day, finishing two places below his position from the first day. Teammate and brother Meikon was seventh place as the duo showed the form they had on occasion throughout 2020. From the same stable of riders, MS Racing’s Unai Orradre was 11th with teammate Miguel Santiago Duarte in 40th.

Victor Rodriguez Nuñez (Accolade Smrz Racing) was another rider who had a strong test with sixth overall as another rider who is adapting to new surroundings, while teammate Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez was close to his teammate but unable to overhaul him. Machado CAME SBK’s Vicente Perez Selfa secured a top ten finish for the day with his two teammates, Bruno Ieraci and Ruben Bijman further down the order; Bijman one of two riders who created a late Red Flag that curtailed the session.

Italian rider Gabriele Mastroluca (ProGP Racing) had an eventful test with two crashes across the two days, but he recovered to secure a top ten finish on day two with eighth place while teammate Fillipo Palazzi also had his own incident in the afternoon session in the middle part of the lap, and being unable to set a lap time to move himself up the order.

New outfit Viñales Racing Team secured a top 15 finish in the standings with Dean Berta Viñales, the youngest rider of the Viñales family, finished 12th for the day. Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) had another strong day of testing with 13th overall for the day as the sole KTM representative on the grid in 2021.

Harry Khouri (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki) brought out the only Red Flag of the morning session when he crashed at Turn 5, a left-hand hairpin corner which descends on exit, joining Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) and Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) in crashing at the same corner. James McManus (Team# 109 Kawasaki) came off his bike at the right-hander of Turn 9 with around 30 minutes left in the morning session. The session came to a premature finish when Red Flags were shown for separate incidents for Bruno Ieraci (Machado Came SBK) and Alejandro Diez (Kawasaki GP Project). In the afternoon, Inigo Iglesias (SMW Racing) came to a halt in the first part of the lap, with the Red Flags shown and the session coming to an end early.

WorldSSP300 Top 6 after Day 2.

1.) Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) 1’55.163s

2.) Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) +0.094s

3.) Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) +0.108s

4.) Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing) +0.151s

5.) Ton Kawakami (AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing) +0.364s

6.) Victor Rodriguez Nuñez (Accolade Smrz Racing) +0.424s

MotoAmerica: McDonald Subbing For Injured Olmedo At Road Atlanta

Kevin Olmedo (left), seen here with Kyle Wyman (right) at Daytona International Speedway, will miss the opening round of the MotoAmerica Supersport series due to a shoulder injury. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Kevin Olmedo (left), seen here with Kyle Wyman (right) at Daytona International Speedway, will miss the opening round of the MotoAmerica Supersport series due to a shoulder injury. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Cooper McDonald Standing in for Kevin Olmedo in MotoAmerica SuperSport for Altus Motorsports

(Altus, OK) With Kevin Olmedo sidelined from an MX training incident, Altus Motorsports is excited to announce Cooper McDonald as a seat-fill. The former Twins Cup racer will compete in the MotoAmerica SuperSport class on the Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R600 for at least Round 1.

During the Daytona 200, Kevin had some shoulder issues from an injury he sustained riding motocross. After meeting with doctors, he was advised that he needed surgery. In an effort to salvage as much of the 2021 season as possible, the decision was made to have it immediately. With the operation completed, Olmedo is now on the road to recovery.

“We committed to MotoAmerica to put that bike on the grid and as soon as we found out about Kevin, we started looking for someone to fill the spot,” said Team-Owner, George Nassaney. “We’ve known Cooper for a few years and he’s from Oklahoma as well. I’m glad he can step in and look forward to having him in the pits.”

“Obviously, we wish that Kevin could be at 100% for the start of our 2021 MotoAmerica SuperSport campaign. We are all hoping he can make it back by the second round, but if not, Cooper will continue to ride.”

Cooper McDonald is no stranger to the MotoAmerica paddock. He competed in the Twins Cup for the past two years, finishing the 2019 Season 8th overall and the 2020 season 6th overall. He has campaigned a middleweight bike at the club level and raced in the Daytona 200 in 2018. He’s looking forward to a test on the Altus Motorsports GSX-R600 before he heads to Atlanta.

“My plan was to take a sabbatical from the National level for the 2021 season and join the SuperSport ranks in 2022. But, when George called it seemed like a great way to get some experience. It’s an incredible opportunity. I’ve been training a ton. I’m probably in the best shape of my life,” said Cooper. “I’m grateful to Altus for thinking of me and placing their confidence in me. And I’m extremely thankful to Cody Gayer at CG Law for his support. Without it I would not be able to jump on this chance to race MotoAmerica in 2021.”

Racing at Road Atlanta and riding on the Suzuki platform will be relatively novel experiences for Cooper, but the Altus team is there for support. Teammates Jaret Nassaney (SuperSport) and Jake Lewis (Stock 1000) will be there to help with their knowledge of the track and the bikes. Crew Chief Eric Gray also has years of data and setup information. And if that’s not enough, McDonald also has the benefit of advice from his mentor, former Suzuki MotoGP-legend Kevin Schwantz.

The Altus Motorsports team is supported by our great family of sponsors: Altus Motorsports, Environmental Service Solutions, Creative Sports Concepts, Tucker Powersports, Schaefer Engineering, Hot Bodies Racing, M4 Exhausts, Vortex EK, Motion Pro, Barnett, VP Lubricants, SBS Brakes, Galfer USA, Moto-D Racing, Bonamici, Ohlins, K-Techs, RS Taichi, Arai, Law Tigers Oklahoma, and Altus Factory Racing.

MotoAmerica: Baz Under Race Lap Record In Session 4 At COTA

Loris Baz in action during MotoAmerica Superbike test session four Tuesday at COTA. Photo by David Swarts.
Loris Baz (76) in action during MotoAmerica Superbike test session four Tuesday at COTA. Photo by David Swarts.

Frenchman Loris Baz was the quickest rider during day one of the official MotoAmerica/Dunlop pre-season test Tuesday at Circuit of The Americas, in Austin, Texas.

Riding his new Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York Panigale V4 R, Baz lapped the 3.4-mile, 20-turn circuit in 2:08.595, which was under Josh Herrin’s 2019 race lap record, 2:08.994, and not far off Roger Hayden’s all-time MotoAmerica Superbike lap record, 2:08.184, set in 2017.

“This bike is like a wild horse,” said Baz. “I don’t remember the last time I’ve been so tired on day one of pre-season, but also I didn’t ride a bike since the 16th of October. I haven’t done anything in the winter, just cycled a lot and trained a lot, but that’s not like [riding].

“I’m really happy because [the first test] at Cresson [MotorSport Ranch] was just like a shakedown and it was hard to really have a proper feeling from the Dunlop on the bike. We went through a couple of things today just to try to understand a little bit how the bike react, how the tire react, trying to get the feeling. Because those tires [Dunlops] remind me more of the ones I was using in [Moto]GP [Michelins] than the one I use in [World] Superbike [Pirelli], like the stiffness. The carcass is hard, so you have to be careful when you are off brake.

“But I’m overall happy. We need to go through more things and I need to learn more the bike, how to use the bike, mainly for the consistency.

“The fast lap was pretty good. I’m happy. I think I could improve a tenth on the last lap because I missed my sector two, but I was too tired and when I went into Turn Three my legs just didn’t want to turn the bike anymore. So I say, ‘OK, I go in the box now.’

“We try tomorrow again. We know the weather will not be that great. That’s why we do a lot today, because we’re not sure what [weather] we have tomorrow.”

Second-best on the day was Jake Gagne, who did a 2:09.297 while sorting out issues on his Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha YZF-R1.

“It was a good day,” said Gagne. “We got a lot of work done. We figured out some electronics stuff, some shifting stuff I had issues with. We got a decent amount of laps.

“It’s good to finally see everybody here. Hopefully, we get some decent weather tomorrow and we can keep working on chassis stuff. But it’s been going good.

“I love that I have a new crew chief and a new data guy. It’s a good crew, a good step from last year.”

After spending the entire off-season doing more physical rehab work than testing, Mathew Scholtz decided to skip the foggy and misty first session of the day. The South African then pushed hard in the final three sessions to make up the lost time and ended up third-fastest with a 2:09.553 on his Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.

“We obviously didn’t have too much pre-season testing compared to our usual,” said Scholtz. “The weather in Georgia has just been terrible for us. At Road Atlanta, we missed a whole day there. The second day there we had a bike problem. Then we went to Talladega [Gran Prix Raceway] and did a half-day there.

“I definitely didn’t feel fully prepared coming here, so we started off a couple of seconds back. It was a little bit worrying, but every single session we got about a second quicker and ended up doing a 2:09.5, which is the quickest we’ve ever been here. And we have a few ideas where to go better tomorrow, which is really positive. It’s not like we’re scratching our heads wondering where to go. I’m very, very happy.

“It’s been a very long off-season, doing rehab and getting the foot back to health. I’m just happy to be back in the paddock racing, because it was looking horrible last year when they started mentioning about fusing the foot and everything else. I’m just blessed to be here riding again.

“We know that Baz has a pretty decent gap, but this is probably the best track for that bike and probably the worst track for the Yamaha. So, I think if we can finish here and be relatively close to where Baz is it’s going to hold us well heading into the Road Atlanta round, where we know we go well.”

Bobby Fong finished the day fourth with a 2:10.324 while testing new chassis parts on his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Fong’s new teammate Cameron Petersen was right below him on the timesheets with a 2:10.633 during his first day riding his #45 M4 ECSTAR Suzuki.

Gagne’s new teammate Josh Herrin finished the day sixth with a 2:10.845.

Testing continues Wednesday, when ambient temperatures are forecast to be much cooler than Tuesday.

21_1_DTEST1_SBK_P4_res
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More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Baz Leads Day One Of MotoAmerica Dunlop Preseason Test

Fast Frenchman Loris Baz Shows His Stuff at COTA
AUSTIN, TX (March 30, 2021) – Loris Baz took very little time acclimating to his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York Panigale V4 R, the Dunlop tires and the MotoAmerica paddock today, the Frenchman leading the way with a 2:08.595 on a cloudy afternoon at the Circuit of The Americas in what was his series debut.

Baz’s best lap came in the fourth and final 45-minute session of the opening day of the two-day test, and it was .702 of a second faster than Jake Gagne, who rode the Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha YZF-R1. Westby Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz ended up third-quickest with his 2:09.553. Those three were the only riders to lap in the 2:09’s.

For reference’s sake, the Superbike lap record is held by Roger Hayden, who rode his Yoshimura Suzuki GSXR-1000 to a 2:08.184 in 2017.

“This bike is like a wild horse,” Baz said of his Ducati. “I don’t remember the last time I’ve been so tired after day one in the preseason, but I didn’t ride a bike since the 16th of October. I haven’t done anything in the winter. I just cycled a lot and trained, but that’s not like cycling. I’m really happy because Crescent was just like a shakedown, and it was really hard to get the feeling from the Dunlop and the bike. We went through a couple of things today just to understand how the bike reacts, how the tire reacts, too, trying to get the feeling. Those tires remind me more of the ones I was using in GP than the ones I used in Superbike, the stiffness. The carcass is hard, so you have to be careful when you are off brake, but overall, I am happy. I need to go through more things and learn more the bike… maybe for the consistency. The fast lap was pretty good, and I’m happy. I think I could have improved a 10th (of a second) in the last lap because I missed my sector two, but I was too tired and when I went into turn three, my legs just did not want to turn so I say, ‘Okay, I go in the box now.’ “

Gagne was happy to be back on his bike and working with his new crew chief, former Öhlins technician and racer Jon Cornwell.

“It was a good day,” Gagne said. “It was good to get back with the whole MotoAmerica paddock for the official test. Obviously, it’s been a while since we’ve been at COTA so it’s good to be here. We got off to a good start, worked on a few little things, changed some electronic things throughout the day. We had to get some shifting stuff dialed in and just some of that early bike stuff, getting the kinks out and getting the bike a bit more comfortable. Then, in those last few sessions, we started working with the chassis a little bit. It’s great. I’ve got Corndog (Jon Cornwell) as my new crew chief and Darin Marshall is my new electronics guy. Unfortunately, he’s not here, but he’s doing all the work live on the computer. I’m really excited. This year, I have a great crew, and the races are going to be really good. There’s a lot of fast guys.”

The happiest man to be back in action was Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, the South African returning to action after his crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that left him with a broken ankle and knee injuries.

“We obviously didn’t have much preseason testing compared to our usual standards,” Scholtz said. “Of course, the weather in Georgia has been terrible for us. At Road Atlanta we missed a whole day there and on the second day we had a little bit of bike problems, so we only did a couple of laps there. We went to Tally (Talladega Gran Prix Raceway) about two weeks back and did half a day there, so I didn’t feel definitely prepared when we came here. We started off a couple of seconds back, which was a little bit worrying, but every single session we got about a second quicker. We ended up doing a 2:09.5, which is the quickest we’ve ever been here, and we have a few ideas of where to go better tomorrow, which is really positive. It’s not like we’re scratching our heads wondering where to go, so I’m very, very happy and thank you to the Westby guys. It’s been a long, very long offseason with doing rehab and getting the foot back to health and the knee and stuff so I’m just happy to be back in the paddock racing, really. It was looking horrible last year when they started talking about fusing the foot and everything. I’m just blessed to be here and riding again. We know that Baz has a pretty decent gap, but this is the best track for that bike and probably the worst track for Yamaha. I think if we can finish here and be relatively close to Baz, it will hold us well heading into the Road Atlanta round where we know we do well.”

The first of the M4 ECSTAR Suzukis was ridden by Bobby Fong, the 2019 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion and a three-time Superbike race winner in 2020, was fourth fastest at 2:10.324 to best his teammate Cameron Petersen. Petersen was making his Superbike debut with the team and lapped at 2:10.633.

Gagne’s Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha’s Josh Herrin ended the day in sixth with a best of 2:10.845.

With the number-one plate proudly displayed on his HONOS Kawasaki, defending Supersport champion Richie Escalante does not seem to ascribe to the age-old axiom that “uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” On day one of the test, Escalante led all four of the combined Supersport/Stock 1000 Group B practice sessions, with his quickest lap of the day – a 2:14.995 – occurring during the fourth and final session of the day.

In similar fashion to Baz and Escalante, SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup rider Ben Gloddy led all four sessions aboard his Landers Racing Kawasaki, with his fastest overall lap of 2:32.732 happening in the fourth session. The Twins Cup class riders also practiced on the track at the same time as the Junior Cup class, and Wrench Motorcycles’ Ethan Cook went quickest on the day aboard his Yamaha with a lap of 2:31.720.

MotoAmerica: Escalante Dips Into 2:14s In Test Session 4 At COTA

Richie Escalante exits the pits for the final time on Tuesday at COTA. Photo by David Swarts.
Richie Escalante exits the pits at COTA. Photo by David Swarts.
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