In a busy day for MiniSBK competitors, a week after the opening National of the season suffered a rain out at Brechin, ON, and some competitors were racing for Team Canada in China, a strong field competed for victory around the perimeter Pro layout of Shannonville Motorsport Park at round four of the RACEMoto Regional Ontario Championship Series.
Opening regional winner on the 613 Cycle-backed Ohvale 160, Jager Stockill qualified on pole for the Moto1 class in warm and sunny conditions, and then got the jump on the deepest grid so far in the first year for the category running with the revamped Shannonville Regional Championships.
Jonathan Massignani held second on his Bucci 190 ahead of YCF190 pilot Ben Hodgson, while Philippe Luisgan was moving up to fourth aboard a YCF190 after stalling as the start lights turned oK.
A good mid-field battle developed for what would eventually turn out to be fifth overall, with two-stroke Kawasaki KX112 super moto pilot Chelsea Boursier, 15-years-old, holding off a group of several top runners. Eventually an on-form Boursier earned fifth ahead of her father, Yam Boursier (Bucci 190) in sixth, Ohvale 160 National Series competitor Mateen O’Brien (seventh) and eight overall Jacob Abnett on a YCF190.
Up front, Stockill gradually pulled clear for a solid (12.7 second at the chequered) advantage, turning a best tour at 49.19 seconds, close to his pole performance of 49.32. Inthe fight for second, Luisgnan used traffic to pass both Massignani and Hodgson, with second overall (and series rookie) Luisgnan turning the best overall lap of the race at 48.75 seconds.
Early in the “Mini50” Moto4 race, eventual winner No. 99 Honda of Thorleif Grummett holds off arch-rival No. 93 Yam of Austin Da – after suffering a technical problem, Da dropped from the lead dice and Grummett earned first in his second career road race. Photo courtesy CSBK.
A small field took to the inside Go Kart layout for the Moto4 or “50s” race, and a solid fight developed for first between Honda mounted Thorleif Grummet and Austin Da on a Yamaha. Da got the hole shot but Grummett, grand son of RACEMoto series co-founders Dave and Jill Grummett, moved into first and hung on from the pressuring Da. But Da had bike issues in the backfield Chicane and had to pull off track, loosing almost a lap as Grummett ran away.
8-year-old Grumett eventually won by 52 seconds in his second career road race, fresh from a recent M/X Camp. A frustrated Da (age 10) netted second, but did turn the best lap of the race at 1:05.78, to the 1:07.6 of victor Grummett.
Next Mini event is a Motul MiniGP National round at Lombardy Raceway, north of Kingston, ON, August 22-23 with the series returning to Shannonville in a month, September 5-6.
From a news release issued by Yamaha Motor Corporation USA:
Jake Gagne (32) leads Richie Escalante (50) at VIR. Photo by Andrea Wilson.
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong capped off a flawless weekend with a dominant Race 2 victory at Round 6 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. His fourth consecutive win moved him within five points of the championship lead. Teammate Jake Gagne battled in a fierce multi-rider fight for the podium, ultimately crossing the line fifth.
Fong continued to top the timesheets in morning warm-up, and then got a great start in Race 2 to take the lead from pole position. Although he was passed on that opening lap, he stayed close and reclaimed the lead on Lap 3 after the championship leader crashed in Turn 1. From there, Fong continued to set a blistering pace and built a comfortable gap up front, securing his fourth win by a 14-second margin. It was a perfect weekend for the Northern Californian, who led every session, and won both races, advancing him to second in the championship and closing the gap to within five points of the leader.
Gagne continued his progress and was fourth in the morning warmup. In sixth after the start of Race 2, he made his way to fourth by the second lap and then to third after the frontrunner crashed on the following lap. Locked in a multi-rider fight for the podium, Gagne was third until the final laps, when he dropped back to fifth. The Colorado rider stayed in the fight but ultimately would cross the line fifth to finish the weekend with a pair of top-five finishes, maintaining fourth in the standings.
Next up for the Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team is Round 7 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on August 15-17.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“I always hate to predict an outcome, but we had a really good idea this race was going to go the same way. Bobby did what we asked him to do — he kept a good, solid pace, put the pressure on the competition, and got us into a good position in the championship. Jake is still working on getting back to full strength, but has made some progress. We’re still not counting the championship points. We just want to go out and keep on winning, and show how good this R1 really is.”
Bobby Fong – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #50
“It’s good to get two wins this weekend and keep the momentum going. The crew deserves it. We’ve been working hard and making progress. I’m just happy to close in on the gap in the championship. I’m looking forward to Mid-Ohio and hopefully getting two Yamahas on the box.”
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #32
“The bike was working really well. It was just a tough weekend for me, dealing with my stuff and getting stronger, but Mid-Ohio will be better. Congrats to Bobby for getting another win for the team.”
From a news release issued by Suzuki Motor USA:
Sean Dylan Kelly (40). Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Suzuki Motor USA reeled in ten top ten finishes, including multiple top fives – highlighted by a spectacular twin Superbike podium – as the MotoAmerica season made its annual stop at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.
Race Highlights:
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike
Sean Dylan Kelly claimed a pair of top fours, including second place, his first podium finish of the season. Richie Escalante joined his teammate on the box following a thrilling five-way melee for third place.
Supersport
Tyler Scott closed out a solid weekend with a blistering final lap to lock down a fourth-place result. Max VanDenBrouck secured his third top ten of 2025.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Twins Cup
Matthew Chapin claimed pole position and rebounded from a Race 1 crash with a Race 2 top five Stock 1000. Rocco Landers was consistently fast en route to equaling his best finish of the Stock 1000 season.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly earned his first podium of the 2025 Superbike season on Sunday. Kelly had been plenty fast on the GSX-R1000R throughout and had come incredibly close on multiple occasions – finishing fourth six times, including in Saturday’s Superbike Race 1. But it all finally came together in Sunday’s rematch, when Kelly successfully countered teammate Richie Escalante’s last-lap pass with one of his own to finish as the race’s runner-up.
SDK said, “That was unbelievable. We’ve been working really hard since the start of the season, which feels like two years ago. I think everyone knew this was coming; but it’s one thing knowing and another actually making it happen. I’m really happy with the work we’ve done. A huge thank you to the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team – those guys have worked so hard. This feels so good to be back. I’m so, so excited.”
Richie Escalante (54). Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor Corp. USA.
Escalante completed the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki double podium by claiming the checkered flag fractions of a second behind Kelly. Escalante found his form at VIR on the GSX-R1000R during Sunday’s race after finishing ninth on Saturday as a result of a mid-race mishap. The Mexican threw haymaker after haymaker to claw his way forward and ultimately finish in third.
“I’m really happy, honestly,” Escalante said. “We started the weekend with many problems, but my team did an amazing job. Every session I felt better and better. Today’s race was insane. It’s amazing to have both of us finish on the podium. Big thanks to my Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team for an amazing job and believing in me. We’re going to enjoy this moment and be ready for Ohio.”
Tyler Scott (70). Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor Corp. USA.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott battled it out in Supersport duty all weekend long despite riding at less than full health. After qualifying fifth aboard the team’s next-generation GSX-R750, the hard-charging pilot came out on top of a three-rider scrap for sixth in Saturday’s Race 1. Scott pulled off the same feat in a four-way fight for fourth on Sunday, passing his way up to the position on the final lap and then successfully executing a late break to lock down the spot at the checkered flag.
Scott said, “Going into the weekend, I had a sore shoulder from being taken out by another rider at a practice day about ten days ago, then had some respiratory issues on top of that. Saturday, I wasn’t feeling that great, and the weekend became about doing as well as I could at less than 100%. Sunday, I felt better. The bike was great, and this time I was able to battle more, so we got fourth. This doesn’t seem like it will be a problem at Ohio, so I am looking forward to those races.”
Max VanDenBrouck (48). Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor Corp. USA.
Scott’s Supersport compatriot, Max VanDenBrouck, enjoyed an impressive weekend himself. Starting from eleventh, Max Van raced his way to his third top-ten result of the season aboard the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750, crossing the line in 10th on Saturday. He nearly did so again on Sunday, coming home a very respectable 11th.
“I like riding at VIR, so every lap I enjoyed,” VanDenBrouck said. “We qualified 11th, finished 10 in Race 1 and 11th in Race 2. I was able to maintain my qualifying position in the races. The starts went better, and I was able to be aggressive early. The team worked flawlessly all weekend. With Mid-Ohio two weeks away, I will go home and work out hard to be ready.”
Matthew Chapin (95). Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor Corp. USA.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin saw his weekend start off in unreal fashion – claiming pole position for the Twins Cup class by a margin of more than two seconds. Unfortunately, he suffered a crash on the opening lap of Race 1 after leaping out into the early lead. The reigning Junior Cup champ bounced back with a top five on Sunday, finishing fifth on the team’s Suzuki GSX-8R.
Chapin said, “I thought it was a pretty good weekend overall. I crashed out in the first race and had an arm pump issue early in the second one, so I didn’t get the results we have been getting at other rounds. We were still pretty competitive, though. We’re working on reducing some wheelspin, and I’m confident the team will continue improving the bike for us next time.”
Rocco Landers (97). Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor Corp. USA.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers continued to showcase his developing literbike chops by demonstrating consistent pace aboard the team’s Stock 1000-spec GSX-R1000. Landers qualified on the second row, from where he logged seventh- and sixth-place results, the latter matching his best result on the 1000cc machine to date.
“Our best weekend so far,” said Landers. “Race 1 was one of the best times I have felt on the bike and Race 2 was the best. We’re getting closer and learning more every time. I got to ride the 1000 in the rain and the rider aids made it very controllable. We’re looking forward to racing again and continue to make improvements.”
The 2025 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship resumes on August 15-17 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
Please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/road-racing for more team news.
About Team Hammer
The 2025 season marks Team Hammer’s 45th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 135 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 381 times and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport). The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
About Vance & Hines Motorsports
Vance & Hines Motorsports is a powerhouse in the world of motorcycle racing, boasting a rich legacy of success. With a focus on innovation, performance, and commitment to pushing boundaries, the team continues to redefine excellence in NHRA and MotoAmerica.
More, from a news release issued by Aprilia:
Alessandro Di Mario (1). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Entering the 2025 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season, Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario was widely considered a frontrunner in the highly competitive class. By the end of Round 5 of 6, the defending champion proved untouchable aboard his Aprilia RS 660.
Di Mario secured his second consecutive MotoAmerica Twins Cup title on Saturday at Virginia International Raceway, clinching Aprilia’s third championship in the category since the RS 660 became eligible five years ago.
After opening the 2025 season with three straight runner-up finishes, Di Mario has since gone on a dominant run – winning the last seven consecutive Twins Cup races, including both contests at the August 1–3 VIR round.
Saturday’s race featured an all-Aprilia podium, led by Di Mario, followed by his Robem Engineering teammate Hank Vossberg and Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher in third. On Sunday, Di Mario and Vossberg returned to the podium, with Dreher narrowly missing out in fourth.
Despite less-than-ideal conditions during Friday morning practice, six Aprilia riders finished inside the top 10. The session was led by inaugural Twins Cup champion Chris Parrish (Ghetto Customs), followed by Di Mario in third, Chase Brown (Brown Town Racing) in fourth, Dreher in sixth, Vossberg in eighth, and Logan Cunnison (Speeddemon Racing) in ninth. Inclement weather led to the cancellation of Friday’s Qualifying 1 session.
In Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2, Dreher edged Di Mario for second on the starting grid by just 0.207 seconds. Vossberg qualified fourth, and Cunnison sixth.
Race 1 began with multiple early incidents and a tight battle for the lead. Di Mario led early, briefly lost position, then reclaimed the lead on Lap 6 of the 13-lap race and steadily pulled away. He crossed the finish line more than three seconds ahead to seal the title. Vossberg narrowly beat Dreher to the line by just 0.002 seconds, securing a second-place finish and an all-Aprilia podium.
Other Aprilia riders in the top 10 included Brown (fifth), Cunnison (sixth), Andrew Weyh (Weyh Racing, eighth), and Zachary Foster (Moto-Ace Racing, 10th).
With the championship secured, Di Mario delivered another dominant performance in Sunday’s Race 2, leading every lap and taking victory by over four seconds. Vossberg claimed his second podium of the weekend, finishing just 0.059 seconds shy of an Aprilia 1–2. Dreher placed fourth, Brown sixth, Cunnison seventh, and Weyh ninth. Of the 37 riders entered at VIR, 16 competed aboard Aprilia RS 660s, demonstrating the bike’s continued dominance in the class.
The final round of the 2025 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season takes place September 26–28 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey.
Alessandro Di Mario / Robem Engineering
“The race weekend was really good. I had two strong starts, and the plan all along was to break away at the front. That’s exactly what happened, and I’m really happy with the results. I want to thank the team for all their support this weekend.”
Hank Vossberg / Robem Engineering
“What a great weekend here at VIR. It went even better than I expected—I made the podium in both races and the bike felt amazing. I didn’t get the start I wanted in Race 1, but just managed to grab second at the line. I had a better start in Race 2 and I’m really happy to be back on the podium.”
More, from a news release issued by Ducati:
Josh Herrin (1). Photo by Brian J. Nelson courtesy Ducati.
Josh Herrin and Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati had a tough weekend as MotoAmerica returned to one of North America’s premier racing venues at Virginia International Raceway for round six.
Herrin secured a hard-fought third place in the first race on the number one Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R to secure solid points on the podium.
Race two, however, did not go to plan. After taking the lead with a decisive early pass, Herrin tried to make a break for it but lost the front of the motorcycle at turn one, sliding into the wet grass on the outside of the track.
Herrin’s motorcycle suffered damage to the right handlebar and throttle assembly, necessitating an emergency pit stop that dropped Herrin to 15th and several laps down on the leaders.
Herrin and the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team refused to give in, and even with victory hopes dashed, Herrin still made it back on track to finish 14th and gain two championship points ultimately.
Herrin and the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team remain optimistic and still lead the series points with three rounds to go.
2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship After Round Six:
“It’s obviously not what we wanted, but that’s racing,” Herrin philosophically said. “It happens, but that’s why we worked as hard as we did all year to get the points advantage. I didn’t need to win today, but I also wanted to give it my best shot. A win is always preferable to a second or third-place finish.
“I felt better than in race one on Saturday. I’m not sure if I had the bike to win today, but I was pushing hard and lost the front. I tried to hold on, and it helped a little, but I ended up on the ground. Thanks to my Warhorse HSBK Ducati team for getting the bike back together in the pits so we could get two points. Every point counts in the championship.
“We are going into Mid-Ohio and CoTA in Texas next, which are two of the best tracks for me and the Ducati Panigale V4 R. Sometimes weekends like this happen. It’s not the end of the world, but on the bright side, out of the next three tracks go to (Mid-Ohio, CoTA, and New Jersey Motorsports Park) for the rest of the year, we took seven race wins last year, so we’re ready to go.”
Round seven of the 2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will be held in one week at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, August 8-10, 2025.
More, from a news release issued by Dunlop:
Dunlop Motorcycle Tires is excited to announce that new lap records have been established at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, VA. This thrilling showcase of speed and skill wasn’t possible without the Sportmax Slick tires, and the following records were achieved:
Twins Cup:
-Race Lap Record: 1:30.544 – Alessandro Di Mario, Race 2 (8/3/2025)
Supersport:
-Lap Record & Race Lap Record: 1:25.964 – Mathew Scholtz, Race 2 (8/3/2025)
-Lap Record & Race Lap Record: 1:26.094 – PJ Jacobsen, Race 1 (8/2/2025)
Build.Train.Race:
-Lap Record & Race Lap Record: 1:46.428 – Miranda Cain, Race 2 (8/3/2025)
-Lap Record & Race Lap Record: 1:47.957 – Miranda Cain, Race 1 (8/2/2025)
Talent Cup:
-Lap Record: 1:35.328 – Alessandro Di Mario, Warm Up (8/3/2025)
-Race Lap Record: 1:35.876 – Alessandro Di Mario, Race 1 (8/2/2025)
-Lap Record & Race Lap Record: 1:35.876 – Alessandro Di Mario, Race 1 (8/2/2025)
These outstanding performances demonstrate the exceptional grip and reliability of Dunlop’s Sportmax Slick tires, further cementing their position as the tire of choice for all competitive road racing.
To learn more about Dunlop racing tires, please visit www.dunlopracing.com
About Dunlop Motorcycle Tires:
Dunlop is the number one selling and largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in North America. For more information, visit www.DunlopMotorcycleTires.com. Follow @ridedunlop on Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) for the latest Dunlop news. Use #RideDunlop and/or #RaceDunlop to share your Dunlop moments.
The 2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship was flipped upside down on Sunday at VIRginia International Raceway with Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong racing to an immaculate doubleheader sweep while championship points leader Josh Herrin crashed out of the lead on the third lap of race two.
And just like that the complexity of the 2025 championship has changed, and things are now suddenly tight at the top as Herrin’s championship points lead has been cut down to just five points with three rounds and seven races left to run in the 2025 season.
Fong was even more unstoppable on Sunday than he was on Saturday as he simply raced at a different level than the rest of the class. After 20 laps of VIRginia International Raceway, he was a tick over 14 seconds ahead of the battle for second place.
And what a battle it was. Five riders raced to the checkered flag with the five separated by just .702 of a second.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly led the battle behind him for almost the entire race. The almost came in the final two laps when Kelly’s teammate Richie Escalante, who was having the best ride of his Superbike career, not only threatened but led Kelly with Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier, Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne, and Real Steel Honda’s Hayden Gillim all in position to pounce should it go badly for the two Suzukis.
The war went to the final lap and the run to the finish line with Kelly besting Escalante by .093 of a second. Beaubier, whose title hopes got a lot brighter with Herrin’s miscue, was a shadow fourth with Gagne and Gillim breathing down his neck in fifth and sixth, respectively.
It would have been the race of the year if not for Fong, who was miles up the road from the fighting fivesome.
BPR Racing Yamaha’s Bryce Kornbau was seventh, almost five seconds behind but four seconds clear of Real Steel Honda’s JD Beach, with the Kentuckian winning the MotoAmerica Superbike Cup for the top finishing rider on a Stock 1000-spec motorcycle.
Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates and Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Danilo Lewis rounded out the top 10.
With Fong closing the gap on Herrin, who scored two points for remounting and finishing 14th (three laps behind), to just five points, 242-237, the race for the title is now white-hot. Beaubier was also a benefactor of Herrin’s tip over as he is now 16 points behind with 226 points.
Fong’s teammate Gagne is fourth in the title chase with 187 points, 50 points clear of fifth-placed Escalante. Beach is sixth but leads the Superbike Cup by 59 points over Jason Waters, 283-224. The win at VIR was Beach’s 12th in the class within a class.
Superbike Race 2
Bobby Fong (Yamaha)
Sean Dylan Kelly (Suzuki)
Richie Escalante (Suzuki)
Cameron Beaubier (BMW)
Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
Hayden Gillim (Honda)
Bryce Kornbau (Yamaha)
JD Beach (Honda)
Ashton Yates (Honda)
Danilo Lewis (BMW)
Bobby Fong – Winner
“When I got to the start/finish line, after the warmup lap, that whole warmup lap going to the start/finish line, my dash wasn’t working. It was staying all red and it was black. So, I was like, ‘I think I need to restart this thing.’ This thing needed a battery to start. So, I did the switch on and off and it died. Then I started back up and the dash was still there. So, I had to recycle the whole program. It’s very rare that it could actually start without the battery. So, I finally got my stuff together and I pushed the button, and it started. The first lap, I was honestly just trying to get back in my rhythm. It kind of just threw me off. Then Josh Herrin got by me. I’m like, ‘Okay. I could already see he was riding really hard for the first two laps.’ He was already out of control. I’m like, ‘I’m just going to sit here. He’ll put his pace.’ I didn’t know how the race was going to go, but I knew once lap nine or 10 rolls around I would be pretty good. He (Herrin) made a small mistake. Bummer for him. I’m stoked to get the win. Four in a row, which is nice. I got to stay humble and just calm. Hero to zero in this racing world happens very fast.”
Sean Dylan Kelly – Second Place
“It was insanely important (to finish on the podium). Like you said, I think it’s been coming since the first race weekend. If you look at Atlanta, I finished fourth a few tenths from the podium. It took six race weekends, or I don’t know how many we’re at now, and a lot of close moments, a lot of good battles, a lot of good speed but it just wasn’t going. A lot of frustrating moments. Probably the most I’ve ever had in racing. I always managed to keep my head down and keep focused. Yesterday was extremely close, too. Finishing fourth again, a couple tenths off. I really just knew that what was holding me back big time, at least yesterday, was my start. Richie (Escalante) said that he had the best start of his Superbike career. I definitely had the best start for myself, and I actually got into the first corner in third, which is amazing. Still losing a place, but it’s not losing four or five, which is kind of the average lately. So, really excited. Super happy that I was able to manage what I did. Once I saw that (Josh) Herrin went down, I tried to keep up with Bobby’s (Fong) pace even though I knew he was on another level. I wanted to use him a little bit as a carrot in front of me, but also not going overboard. I said, ‘Okay, man. I’m in P2.’ I pretty much just want to carry this as long as I can. Yesterday I was on the bad side. I was the one behind someone blocking a lot. So now I’m like, ‘I’m the one in front so let me block a lot.’ I really don’t think the pace was all that amazing, but I knew that it wasn’t that easy to pass me. With five laps to go, I didn’t know the group was that big. I honestly thought it was (Cameron) Beaubier behind me. So, with five laps to go, I started hearing a bike much closer. So, I just started defending. Completely different lines everywhere. I heard a bike on my butt, bad. Then when I go into the last corner, I go into turn 10 and I see this guy pass me. I’m like, what is Richie (Escalante) doing passing me? I didn’t know it was going to be Richie. The first thing I thought was, ‘I think we got a double podium for the team, which is amazing by itself.’ But I also didn’t want this guy to beat me, so I set up last corner really well. Definitely excited to finish in P2, finish on the podium with this guy. We talked about it at the beginning of the year. If we do a double podium, we’re going to celebrate. I’m going to change my flight. We’re going to celebrate. Really, really happy. Finally got this podium. I really hope that this will now lead us to do more and better for the next few races. Just excited that we were finally able to turn around some good speed into a podium.”
Richie Escalante – Third Place
“I’m really happy, honestly. We started the weekend with a big problem with the bike. I didn’t feel really good on the exit, especially it was spinning a lot. But I think everybody on the track was spinning a lot. But step by step, I feel better and better with the bike. Then finally this morning, I found something in the electronics with the rear grip. I think for sure it worked in the race. One of my best starts. I think in this category, in the Superbike class, it’s really important. So then when I saw (Josh) Herrin crash, the group is together again. So, I said, ‘okay, maybe it’s possible to battle for the podium.’ Then I have a big, insane battle with (Cameron) Beaubier, (Jake) Gagne. All the time Sean (Dylan Kelly) is in the front. Then maybe with six laps to go, I know my race pace in the end always is good. So finally, I’m close to the front. In the end I feel really good with the bike. I made some passes in turn 10. I’m really happy to finish on the podium, especially now we were rivals in the past in 2020 and ’21. More like teammates, I think both are good friends. So, I’m really happy with the Team Hammer Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki. Finished on the podium, finally. I think the potential and all the package when everything works correctly it’s possible to battle for these races. I’m super happy.”
More, from another news release issued by MotoAmerica:
Mathew Scholtz (1) leads his teammate Blake Davis (22) and PJ Jacobsen (15) in the second of two Supersport races at VIRginia International Raceway on Sunday. Scholtz swept the doubleheader with a second win on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz completed a perfect weekend in the Motovation Supersport class as he raced to victory on Sunday at VIRginia International Raceway after setting the precedent on Saturday.
While Scholtz was able to eke away at the front, the battle behind him went the distance after some back and forth between Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen and Scholtz’s Strack Racing teammate Blake Davis.
Although it was Davis getting the holeshot, Jacobsen found a hole and came out of turn one with the lead. The New Yorker put his head down and opened a slight gap, but it all went away with Scholtz and Davis closing in. On the fourth lap, Scholtz went into the lead as the threesome ran together. A lap later, Davis moved past Jacobsen for second, but the three were still locked together with Celtic/Economy Lube+Tire/Warhorse HSBK’s Cameron Petersen getting chippy behind them as he tried to close in on the three-rider pack ahead of him.
By the halfway mark, Scholtz had started to pull away ever so slightly. At the end of the ninth lap, the South African clicked off a new lap record of 1:25.964 to lead Davis by almost a second.
On the 10th lap, Petersen was out of the race with a crash in turn four, Scholtz had given himself a lead that wouldn’t allow him to be caught, and Davis and Jacobsen were set to fight to the finish.
After 18 laps of the 2.24-mile racetrack, Jacobsen was .114 of a second ahead of Davis as the pair crossed the finish line – 3.3 seconds behind Scholtz.
The top three were in another league entirely as fourth-placed Tyler Scott and his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki were almost 30 seconds adrift. Scott was half a second ahead of Rahal Ducati Moto w/ XPEL’s Kayla Yaakov, who barely beat BPR Racing Yamaha’s Josh Hayes for fifth with Rahal Ducati Moto w/Roller Die’s Corey Alexander right behind Hayes in seventh.
Altus Motorsports’ Torin Collins, Bauce BARTCON Racing’s Joseph LiMandri Jr. and MP13 Racing’s Aiden Sneed rounded out the top 10.
Stock 1000 – Back-To-Back Beach
Real Steel Honda’s JD Beach cultivated a perfect weekend in the Stock 1000 class as he came out on top of a battle to the flag over OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe by .055 of a second after passing the Californian on the final lap. It was the second day in a row that Beach had won a close one as he topped BPR Racing’s Bryce Kornbau by just .194 of a second on Saturday at VIR.
The race was red flagged on the first lap due to a crash, and the restart saw a four-rider battle for victory. Uribe was doing the leading, with Beach, Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates, and Uribe’s teammate Andrew Lee flying in formation.
As they started the final lap, Yates’ Honda failed him, and he coasted to a stop on the outside of turn one. That left three riders, though Uribe and Beach had a slight gap to Lee. Beach made his move in the turn-three left-hander, diving under Uribe. Beach was perfect from there to the finish line as he managed to keep Uribe behind him, albeit by just .055 of a second.
Beach’s perfect weekend vaulted him into contention for the championship as he now trails Lee by just 10 points, 122-112. Uribe is third with 94 points with two rounds and four races remaining.
“I wasn’t being patient,” Beach said. “I wanted to make that move sooner before that, but I just kept fighting, kept fighting. I didn’t want to wait until the last lap to do something, but I thought I had a pretty good move there. I tried the lap before and about high-sided. I was going all in. I got to thank my whole (team and) American Honda. This bike has just been working great. My whole crew has been working so hard this weekend. To get the double win like that just feels amazing. I feel like I’m back, I’m racing. It’s a big difference from last year. I’m just excited and pumped. I’m grateful for this team and this chance I got. It’s going to be a battle these last four races, but I’m ready for it.”
Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul – Di Mario Bounces Back
Warhorse Ducati/American Racing’s Alessandro Di Mario made up for yesterday’s disappointment in the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul race by winning today’s race two after a game of cat and mouse with yesterday’s winner Hank Vossberg and his Tytlers Cycle Racing Krämer APX-350 MA.
On Saturday, Di Mario looked to have victory in the bag when his shifter broke, forcing him to slow to what was ultimately a fifth-place finish. All he could do was watch as Vossberg pulled away to victory.
Sunday’s race had a different sort of drama as the top two, Di Mario and Vossberg, pulled away from the pack and then, on the final lap, did the “you lead, no, you lead” game that was reminiscent of races at Daytona International Speedway where no one wants to lead out of the chicane. Di Mario put Vossberg in a position where he really had no choice but to try and lead to the flag.
But it didn’t work out for Vossberg as Di Mario’s plan worked to perfection as he was able to draft past at the finish line to win by .086 of a second.
Those two were 11 seconds ahead of the scrap behind them with Bodie Paige Racing/Mission Foods/D&D Certified’s Bodie Paige getting the better of a six-rider scrap for third place. It was ultra-close with the difference between third-placed Paige and seventh-placed Kody Kopp, on his Team Roberts Krämer, being just .326 of a second.
MP13 Racing’s Ella Dreher crossed the line on Paige’s tail with Jones Honda’s Julian Correa, Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane and Kopp crossing the line in a gaggle.
Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt and Rossi Motorsports Powered By 3:16’s Rossi Garcia rounded out the top 10.
“The pace was insane,” Di Mario said. “I was like, ‘There’s no way he’s keeping up.’ I kept looking back and he’s right there. So, in the first couple laps, he drafted past me at the line so I knew he would get me. So, I didn’t know what the plan was, but it was definitely not going in the last turn first. So, at that point, when he got to the last turn, I thought he was going to speed up and try and get the run but we both slowed down. I was able to tell that he slowed down a little too much. So, I was pretty confident he wouldn’t be able to draft past me. It was the weirdest race of my life. I’m not going to lie. I have to thank the whole Warhorse team. Mr. Ferracci, Moto Liberty, KYT, Dainese, and just everyone that’s helped me out. Thank you so much.”
SC-Project Twins Cup – Who Else But Di Mario
Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario won his seventh SC-Project Twins Cup race in a row on Sunday at VIR, a day after the Kentuckian wrapped up the 2025 Twins Cup Championship.
Di Mario beat a three-rider battle for second by 4.5 seconds. That fight for the podium spots was won by Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle by .059 of a second over Di Mario’s Robem Engineering teammate Hank Vossberg. Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher was a shadow fourth.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin was about six seconds behind the podium battle and a second ahead of Brown Town Racing’s Chase Brown. Speeddemon Racing’s Logan Cunnison, Karns/TST Racing’s Levi Badie, Weyh Racing’s Andrew Weyh, and Koch Racing’s Sean Ungvarsky rounded out the top 10.
With just one round left, Di Mario has an insurmountable 106-point lead. Chapin is still second, though he’s just 13 points ahead of Dreher, who in turn is 11 points ahead of Vossberg. Doyle rounds out the top five, 10 points behind Vossberg.
Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. – Knebel Krowned!
Kira Knebel wasted little time getting to the front of the Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. finale on Sunday morning at VIR as she went about winning the class championship in style. Job one was winning the title, job two was winning the race. When Shea MacGregor, the only person in the race with a chance of stealing the title from Knebel, crashed on the second lap, the job was complete. She was champion in her second year after finishing third in the 2024 title chase.
At the finish line of the seven-lap race, it was Knebel slowing in the final laps to beat Miranda Cain by 1.4 seconds. Cain was giving it her all and ended up turning in the fastest lap of the race on the final lap – a 1:46.428.
Third place went to Saturday’s race winner Camille Conrad after a race-long battle with Cassie Creer, Bryanna Everitt, and Kate West. Those four were covered by just 1.4 seconds.
The victory was Knebel’s sixth in the eight-race Royal Enfield season.
“Thank you so much,” Knebel said. “It’s definitely been an emotional rollercoaster this round. A little bit more drama than I was hoping for, but they kept saying that’s what’s going to make the win even sweeter. It’s just awesome what we were able to do with the team. Freddie Spencer was there working on the bike with us, letting us take parts from his bike. Just trying to make sure that we could get the bike working today. All of our sponsors for giving us the extra parts. We ended up switching out the battery and my rectifier. The battery managed to stay running this whole time. I had to go out there and just run like hell. “I wanted this program to be a first step, and a lot of it is just huge personal growth. Learning a ton about racecraft and making a ton of connections and lifelong friends. Just being able to move on from here and continue perfecting the craft and hopefully also introducing and guiding other newer riders, women, to get into a program like this, just get into racing and get out there and compete and do your best. Work on personal improvement. Just follow your dreams. Just get out there and do what you want to do.”
Video: Superbike And Supersport Race Two Press Conferences From VIRginia International Raceway
Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario won Sunday’s MotoAmerica SC-Project Twins Cup race at VIRginia International Raceway over Giaccmoto Yamaha’s Dominic Doyle and Robem teammate Hank Vossberg. Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher was fourth, ahead of RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines’ Matthew Chapin.
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha’s Bobby Fong took his fourth MotoAmerica Superbike win in a row, ahead of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly and Richie Escalante at VIRginia International Raceway on Sunday. Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s Cameron Beaubier was fourth, ahead of Attack’s Jake Gagne.
Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz won Sunday’s MotoAmerica Motovation Supersport race at VIRginia International Raceway. Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen was second, ahead of Strack’s Blake Davis, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR’s Tyler Scott and Rahal’s Kayla Yaakov.
Warhorse Ducati/American Racing’s Alessandro Di Mario took the MotoAmerica Parts Unlimited Talent Cup win at VIRginia International Raceway on Sunday. He was followed by Tytler’s Cycle Racing’s Hank Vossberg, Bodie Paige Racing/Mission Foods/D&D Certified’s Bodie Paige, MP13 Racing’s Ella Dreher and Jones Honda’s Julian Correa.
Real Steel Honda’s JD Beach won Sunday’s MotoAmerica Stock 1000 race at VIRginia International Raceway over BMW-mounted OrangeCat Racing teammates Jayson Uribe and Andrew Lee. BPR Racing’s Bryce Kornbau was fourth, and Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates was fifth.
Honda HRC triumphs in action-packed Suzuka 8 Hours for the fourth season running
Jack Miller makes it two MotoGP riders in the top two as Yamaha Racing Team takes second
Yoshimura SERT Motul fights back to complete podium in the heat and humidity of Japan
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team cuts YART – Yamaha’s title lead to one point in fifth
Team Étoile takes maiden Superstock success to draw level in points chase
Weekend spectator attendance of 61,500 beats previous figure of 56,000
Honda HRC’s Takumi Takahashi and Johann Zarco delivered a heroic performance to win the 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race, taking victory in Japan’s round of the FIM Endurance World Championship as a duo rather than a three-rider team.
In extreme heat and punishing humidity, the Honda HRC pair were forced to complete more individual riding stints than their rivals but managed the increased physical and mental demands to perfection to score Honda’s fourth consecutive Suzuka victory and its 31st in total. It was also a record-extending seventh win for Japanese star Takahashi and a second in a row for French MotoGP racer Zarco following his debut EWC triumph last season.
Yamaha Racing Team marked its return to the Suzuka 8 Hours for the first time since 2019 by finishing second, 34.243s behind Honda HRC, with Andrea Locatelli, Jack Miller and Katsuyuki Nakasuga.
Suzuki-powered Yoshimura SERT Motul completed the podium for the second year running after Dan Linfoot hit back from a fall to demote SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda rider Yuki Kunii in the closing stages following an intense battle that raged for much of the race. Kunii had led for the opening 40 minutes after audaciously sweeping ahead of pole-sitter Takahashi through Nippo Corner having drawn alongside exiting the “S” Curve on lap one.
By finishing fifth, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team heads to next month’s Bol d’Or season finale one point behind Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team in the race to win the FIM Endurance World Championship for Teams after the Austrian squad suffered a rare retirement.
Team Étoile claimed its maiden victory in the Dunlop-equipped Superstock category to move level on points with National Motos Honda FMA.
Following the race, Gregg Black dedicated Yoshimura SERT Motul’s third place to Luca Guintoli, the son of his former team-mate and former EWC champion Sylvain, who passed away during the week.
Speaking afterwards, Zarco said: “It’s always a good race when you can control a gap. But doing it with two [riders] is really difficult, plus it’s too hot, you sweat a lot and the recovery time is too short. It’s tough sometimes when you go back on the bike but in the end the pace was quite good. We got two safety car [periods] and that always change a bit the game but we could keep an advantage. Thanks to Takumi because he’s always doing the job every stint and that’s so impressive.
“I try to do the same and I hope next year we’ll be three because we’ll be better. It’s a race I enjoy and having one of the best bikes is a pleasure to ride. It’s a nice week to do, you need to control your energy but it’s my special holiday to come in Suzuka.”
Zarco reckoned the superior fuel consumption of his Honda CBR100 RR-R-SP played a key role in Honda HRC’s success. He said:“Honda did a good bike. I think our biggest advantage was this fuel consumption and making only seven stops made the biggest difference for the win today.”
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team was in third place after two and a half hours of running when its hopes of a first Suzuka podium for a European manufacturer were dashed in hugely frustrating fashion. World Superbike racer Michael van der Mark was onboard the number 37 machine when he headed to the pits after a footrest worked loose. However, just as he was turning into the pitlane, it got lodged within his BMW’s back wheel, leading to the Dutchman suffering heavy fall and his team spending more than four minutes making repairs.
Falls for Jason O’Halloran and Marvin Fritz dropped Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team out of contention after it had run as high as fourth. A reported electronic fault hampered its recovery before a further fall for Karel Hanika, caused by an engine issue, ended YART’s unbroken run of podiums that stretched back to the 2024 season opener.
Having impressed by going third fastest in the Top 10 Trial on Saturday, AutoRace Ube Racing Team took sixth following a slow pitstop earlier in the race. TeamATJ with docomo Business finished seventh with Kawasaki Webike Trickstar eighth to continue its points-scoring run.
ELF Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 improved upon its 10th place scored in 2024 by finishing a fine ninth, one place ahead of Honda Asia-Dream Racing with Astemo. ERC Endurance took a strong 11th, while Motobox Kremer Racing crossed the line in 23rd.
The race was a little more than one hour old when 8 Hours of Spa Motos winner F.C.C. TSR Honda Franceretired with engine failure shortly after Taiga Hada had taken over from Alan Techer. Tati Team AVA6 Racing was also unable to go the distance due to an engine issue.
Home Superstock joy for Team Étoile BMW-powered Team Étoile converted the Superstock pole into its first win in the Dunlop-supplied FIM Endurance World Cup courtesy of Japanese trio Motoharu Ito, Hikari Okubo and Kazuki Watanabe.
TONE Team 4413 EVA 02 BMW, which headed Team Étoile home in 2024, finished second after Leandro Marcado and veteran Tomoya Hoshino rode as a pair. Kevin Calia, Flavio Ferroni and Simone Saltarelli rode Revo-M2’s Aprilia to third place on their Suzuka debut.
Team Étoile will now start the Bol d’Or equal on points with National Motos Honda FMA, which retired when Johan Nigon crashed heavily.
Wójcik Racing Team finished an impressive fourth with Kaedear-Dafy-RAC 41-Honda two places behind having led at one stage. Honda No Limits also enjoyed a stint in front but ran out of fuel, leading to Gabriele Gianni heroically pushing the team’s stricken machine for approximately three kilometre back to the pits. Visit FIMEWC.com over the coming weeks for more Superstock news.
The EWC’s dedicated Sportity app media channel for the 2025 season is available using the password 2025EWCMEDIA. The Sportity app is a digital information resource widely used in sports events and championships around the world. It’s attractive to users because it keeps all relevant information in one place and is accessible through smartphones or computers. Users are made aware of new information becoming available through push notifications and the app can be downloaded for free via the App Store or Google Play.
Kira Knebel took the MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. win at VIRginia International Raceway on Sunday. She was followed by Miranda Cain, Camille Conrad, Cassie Creer, and Bryanna Everitt.
Lap one, turn one of the Moto4 Feature MiniSBK event with the No. 68 613 Cycle Ohvale 160 of eventual winner Jager Stockill leading No. 84 YCF190 of Ben Hodgson, No. 213 Bucci 190 of Jan Massignani, No. 222 Kawasaki KX112 two-stroke of Chelsea Baursier, No. 88 YCF190 of Jacob Abnett, No. 21 Bucci 190 Yan Boursier by CF April 2. Photo courtesy CSBK.
In a busy day for MiniSBK competitors, a week after the opening National of the season suffered a rain out at Brechin, ON, and some competitors were racing for Team Canada in China, a strong field competed for victory around the perimeter Pro layout of Shannonville Motorsport Park at round four of the RACEMoto Regional Ontario Championship Series.
Opening regional winner on the 613 Cycle-backed Ohvale 160, Jager Stockill qualified on pole for the Moto1 class in warm and sunny conditions, and then got the jump on the deepest grid so far in the first year for the category running with the revamped Shannonville Regional Championships.
Jonathan Massignani held second on his Bucci 190 ahead of YCF190 pilot Ben Hodgson, while Philippe Luisgan was moving up to fourth aboard a YCF190 after stalling as the start lights turned oK.
A good mid-field battle developed for what would eventually turn out to be fifth overall, with two-stroke Kawasaki KX112 super moto pilot Chelsea Boursier, 15-years-old, holding off a group of several top runners. Eventually an on-form Boursier earned fifth ahead of her father, Yam Boursier (Bucci 190) in sixth, Ohvale 160 National Series competitor Mateen O’Brien (seventh) and eight overall Jacob Abnett on a YCF190.
Up front, Stockill gradually pulled clear for a solid (12.7 second at the chequered) advantage, turning a best tour at 49.19 seconds, close to his pole performance of 49.32. Inthe fight for second, Luisgnan used traffic to pass both Massignani and Hodgson, with second overall (and series rookie) Luisgnan turning the best overall lap of the race at 48.75 seconds.
Early in the “Mini50” Moto4 race, eventual winner No. 99 Honda of Thorleif Grummett holds off arch-rival No. 93 Yam of Austin Da – after suffering a technical problem, Da dropped from the lead dice and Grummett earned first in his second career road race. Photo courtesy CSBK.
A small field took to the inside Go Kart layout for the Moto4 or “50s” race, and a solid fight developed for first between Honda mounted Thorleif Grummet and Austin Da on a Yamaha. Da got the hole shot but Grummett, grand son of RACEMoto series co-founders Dave and Jill Grummett, moved into first and hung on from the pressuring Da. But Da had bike issues in the backfield Chicane and had to pull off track, loosing almost a lap as Grummett ran away.
8-year-old Grumett eventually won by 52 seconds in his second career road race, fresh from a recent M/X Camp. A frustrated Da (age 10) netted second, but did turn the best lap of the race at 1:05.78, to the 1:07.6 of victor Grummett.
Next Mini event is a Motul MiniGP National round at Lombardy Raceway, north of Kingston, ON, August 22-23 with the series returning to Shannonville in a month, September 5-6.
From a news release issued by Yamaha Motor Corporation USA:
Jake Gagne (32) leads Richie Escalante (50) at VIR. Photo by Andrea Wilson.
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong capped off a flawless weekend with a dominant Race 2 victory at Round 6 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. His fourth consecutive win moved him within five points of the championship lead. Teammate Jake Gagne battled in a fierce multi-rider fight for the podium, ultimately crossing the line fifth.
Fong continued to top the timesheets in morning warm-up, and then got a great start in Race 2 to take the lead from pole position. Although he was passed on that opening lap, he stayed close and reclaimed the lead on Lap 3 after the championship leader crashed in Turn 1. From there, Fong continued to set a blistering pace and built a comfortable gap up front, securing his fourth win by a 14-second margin. It was a perfect weekend for the Northern Californian, who led every session, and won both races, advancing him to second in the championship and closing the gap to within five points of the leader.
Gagne continued his progress and was fourth in the morning warmup. In sixth after the start of Race 2, he made his way to fourth by the second lap and then to third after the frontrunner crashed on the following lap. Locked in a multi-rider fight for the podium, Gagne was third until the final laps, when he dropped back to fifth. The Colorado rider stayed in the fight but ultimately would cross the line fifth to finish the weekend with a pair of top-five finishes, maintaining fourth in the standings.
Next up for the Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team is Round 7 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on August 15-17.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“I always hate to predict an outcome, but we had a really good idea this race was going to go the same way. Bobby did what we asked him to do — he kept a good, solid pace, put the pressure on the competition, and got us into a good position in the championship. Jake is still working on getting back to full strength, but has made some progress. We’re still not counting the championship points. We just want to go out and keep on winning, and show how good this R1 really is.”
Bobby Fong – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #50
“It’s good to get two wins this weekend and keep the momentum going. The crew deserves it. We’ve been working hard and making progress. I’m just happy to close in on the gap in the championship. I’m looking forward to Mid-Ohio and hopefully getting two Yamahas on the box.”
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #32
“The bike was working really well. It was just a tough weekend for me, dealing with my stuff and getting stronger, but Mid-Ohio will be better. Congrats to Bobby for getting another win for the team.”
From a news release issued by Suzuki Motor USA:
Sean Dylan Kelly (40). Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Suzuki Motor USA reeled in ten top ten finishes, including multiple top fives – highlighted by a spectacular twin Superbike podium – as the MotoAmerica season made its annual stop at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.
Race Highlights:
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike
Sean Dylan Kelly claimed a pair of top fours, including second place, his first podium finish of the season. Richie Escalante joined his teammate on the box following a thrilling five-way melee for third place.
Supersport
Tyler Scott closed out a solid weekend with a blistering final lap to lock down a fourth-place result. Max VanDenBrouck secured his third top ten of 2025.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Twins Cup
Matthew Chapin claimed pole position and rebounded from a Race 1 crash with a Race 2 top five Stock 1000. Rocco Landers was consistently fast en route to equaling his best finish of the Stock 1000 season.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly earned his first podium of the 2025 Superbike season on Sunday. Kelly had been plenty fast on the GSX-R1000R throughout and had come incredibly close on multiple occasions – finishing fourth six times, including in Saturday’s Superbike Race 1. But it all finally came together in Sunday’s rematch, when Kelly successfully countered teammate Richie Escalante’s last-lap pass with one of his own to finish as the race’s runner-up.
SDK said, “That was unbelievable. We’ve been working really hard since the start of the season, which feels like two years ago. I think everyone knew this was coming; but it’s one thing knowing and another actually making it happen. I’m really happy with the work we’ve done. A huge thank you to the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team – those guys have worked so hard. This feels so good to be back. I’m so, so excited.”
Richie Escalante (54). Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor Corp. USA.
Escalante completed the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki double podium by claiming the checkered flag fractions of a second behind Kelly. Escalante found his form at VIR on the GSX-R1000R during Sunday’s race after finishing ninth on Saturday as a result of a mid-race mishap. The Mexican threw haymaker after haymaker to claw his way forward and ultimately finish in third.
“I’m really happy, honestly,” Escalante said. “We started the weekend with many problems, but my team did an amazing job. Every session I felt better and better. Today’s race was insane. It’s amazing to have both of us finish on the podium. Big thanks to my Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team for an amazing job and believing in me. We’re going to enjoy this moment and be ready for Ohio.”
Tyler Scott (70). Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor Corp. USA.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott battled it out in Supersport duty all weekend long despite riding at less than full health. After qualifying fifth aboard the team’s next-generation GSX-R750, the hard-charging pilot came out on top of a three-rider scrap for sixth in Saturday’s Race 1. Scott pulled off the same feat in a four-way fight for fourth on Sunday, passing his way up to the position on the final lap and then successfully executing a late break to lock down the spot at the checkered flag.
Scott said, “Going into the weekend, I had a sore shoulder from being taken out by another rider at a practice day about ten days ago, then had some respiratory issues on top of that. Saturday, I wasn’t feeling that great, and the weekend became about doing as well as I could at less than 100%. Sunday, I felt better. The bike was great, and this time I was able to battle more, so we got fourth. This doesn’t seem like it will be a problem at Ohio, so I am looking forward to those races.”
Max VanDenBrouck (48). Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor Corp. USA.
Scott’s Supersport compatriot, Max VanDenBrouck, enjoyed an impressive weekend himself. Starting from eleventh, Max Van raced his way to his third top-ten result of the season aboard the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750, crossing the line in 10th on Saturday. He nearly did so again on Sunday, coming home a very respectable 11th.
“I like riding at VIR, so every lap I enjoyed,” VanDenBrouck said. “We qualified 11th, finished 10 in Race 1 and 11th in Race 2. I was able to maintain my qualifying position in the races. The starts went better, and I was able to be aggressive early. The team worked flawlessly all weekend. With Mid-Ohio two weeks away, I will go home and work out hard to be ready.”
Matthew Chapin (95). Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor Corp. USA.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin saw his weekend start off in unreal fashion – claiming pole position for the Twins Cup class by a margin of more than two seconds. Unfortunately, he suffered a crash on the opening lap of Race 1 after leaping out into the early lead. The reigning Junior Cup champ bounced back with a top five on Sunday, finishing fifth on the team’s Suzuki GSX-8R.
Chapin said, “I thought it was a pretty good weekend overall. I crashed out in the first race and had an arm pump issue early in the second one, so I didn’t get the results we have been getting at other rounds. We were still pretty competitive, though. We’re working on reducing some wheelspin, and I’m confident the team will continue improving the bike for us next time.”
Rocco Landers (97). Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor Corp. USA.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers continued to showcase his developing literbike chops by demonstrating consistent pace aboard the team’s Stock 1000-spec GSX-R1000. Landers qualified on the second row, from where he logged seventh- and sixth-place results, the latter matching his best result on the 1000cc machine to date.
“Our best weekend so far,” said Landers. “Race 1 was one of the best times I have felt on the bike and Race 2 was the best. We’re getting closer and learning more every time. I got to ride the 1000 in the rain and the rider aids made it very controllable. We’re looking forward to racing again and continue to make improvements.”
The 2025 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship resumes on August 15-17 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
Please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/road-racing for more team news.
About Team Hammer
The 2025 season marks Team Hammer’s 45th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 135 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 381 times and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport). The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
About Vance & Hines Motorsports
Vance & Hines Motorsports is a powerhouse in the world of motorcycle racing, boasting a rich legacy of success. With a focus on innovation, performance, and commitment to pushing boundaries, the team continues to redefine excellence in NHRA and MotoAmerica.
More, from a news release issued by Aprilia:
Alessandro Di Mario (1). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Entering the 2025 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season, Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario was widely considered a frontrunner in the highly competitive class. By the end of Round 5 of 6, the defending champion proved untouchable aboard his Aprilia RS 660.
Di Mario secured his second consecutive MotoAmerica Twins Cup title on Saturday at Virginia International Raceway, clinching Aprilia’s third championship in the category since the RS 660 became eligible five years ago.
After opening the 2025 season with three straight runner-up finishes, Di Mario has since gone on a dominant run – winning the last seven consecutive Twins Cup races, including both contests at the August 1–3 VIR round.
Saturday’s race featured an all-Aprilia podium, led by Di Mario, followed by his Robem Engineering teammate Hank Vossberg and Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher in third. On Sunday, Di Mario and Vossberg returned to the podium, with Dreher narrowly missing out in fourth.
Despite less-than-ideal conditions during Friday morning practice, six Aprilia riders finished inside the top 10. The session was led by inaugural Twins Cup champion Chris Parrish (Ghetto Customs), followed by Di Mario in third, Chase Brown (Brown Town Racing) in fourth, Dreher in sixth, Vossberg in eighth, and Logan Cunnison (Speeddemon Racing) in ninth. Inclement weather led to the cancellation of Friday’s Qualifying 1 session.
In Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2, Dreher edged Di Mario for second on the starting grid by just 0.207 seconds. Vossberg qualified fourth, and Cunnison sixth.
Race 1 began with multiple early incidents and a tight battle for the lead. Di Mario led early, briefly lost position, then reclaimed the lead on Lap 6 of the 13-lap race and steadily pulled away. He crossed the finish line more than three seconds ahead to seal the title. Vossberg narrowly beat Dreher to the line by just 0.002 seconds, securing a second-place finish and an all-Aprilia podium.
Other Aprilia riders in the top 10 included Brown (fifth), Cunnison (sixth), Andrew Weyh (Weyh Racing, eighth), and Zachary Foster (Moto-Ace Racing, 10th).
With the championship secured, Di Mario delivered another dominant performance in Sunday’s Race 2, leading every lap and taking victory by over four seconds. Vossberg claimed his second podium of the weekend, finishing just 0.059 seconds shy of an Aprilia 1–2. Dreher placed fourth, Brown sixth, Cunnison seventh, and Weyh ninth. Of the 37 riders entered at VIR, 16 competed aboard Aprilia RS 660s, demonstrating the bike’s continued dominance in the class.
The final round of the 2025 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season takes place September 26–28 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey.
Alessandro Di Mario / Robem Engineering
“The race weekend was really good. I had two strong starts, and the plan all along was to break away at the front. That’s exactly what happened, and I’m really happy with the results. I want to thank the team for all their support this weekend.”
Hank Vossberg / Robem Engineering
“What a great weekend here at VIR. It went even better than I expected—I made the podium in both races and the bike felt amazing. I didn’t get the start I wanted in Race 1, but just managed to grab second at the line. I had a better start in Race 2 and I’m really happy to be back on the podium.”
More, from a news release issued by Ducati:
Josh Herrin (1). Photo by Brian J. Nelson courtesy Ducati.
Josh Herrin and Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati had a tough weekend as MotoAmerica returned to one of North America’s premier racing venues at Virginia International Raceway for round six.
Herrin secured a hard-fought third place in the first race on the number one Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R to secure solid points on the podium.
Race two, however, did not go to plan. After taking the lead with a decisive early pass, Herrin tried to make a break for it but lost the front of the motorcycle at turn one, sliding into the wet grass on the outside of the track.
Herrin’s motorcycle suffered damage to the right handlebar and throttle assembly, necessitating an emergency pit stop that dropped Herrin to 15th and several laps down on the leaders.
Herrin and the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team refused to give in, and even with victory hopes dashed, Herrin still made it back on track to finish 14th and gain two championship points ultimately.
Herrin and the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team remain optimistic and still lead the series points with three rounds to go.
2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship After Round Six:
“It’s obviously not what we wanted, but that’s racing,” Herrin philosophically said. “It happens, but that’s why we worked as hard as we did all year to get the points advantage. I didn’t need to win today, but I also wanted to give it my best shot. A win is always preferable to a second or third-place finish.
“I felt better than in race one on Saturday. I’m not sure if I had the bike to win today, but I was pushing hard and lost the front. I tried to hold on, and it helped a little, but I ended up on the ground. Thanks to my Warhorse HSBK Ducati team for getting the bike back together in the pits so we could get two points. Every point counts in the championship.
“We are going into Mid-Ohio and CoTA in Texas next, which are two of the best tracks for me and the Ducati Panigale V4 R. Sometimes weekends like this happen. It’s not the end of the world, but on the bright side, out of the next three tracks go to (Mid-Ohio, CoTA, and New Jersey Motorsports Park) for the rest of the year, we took seven race wins last year, so we’re ready to go.”
Round seven of the 2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will be held in one week at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, August 8-10, 2025.
More, from a news release issued by Dunlop:
Dunlop Motorcycle Tires is excited to announce that new lap records have been established at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, VA. This thrilling showcase of speed and skill wasn’t possible without the Sportmax Slick tires, and the following records were achieved:
Twins Cup:
-Race Lap Record: 1:30.544 – Alessandro Di Mario, Race 2 (8/3/2025)
Supersport:
-Lap Record & Race Lap Record: 1:25.964 – Mathew Scholtz, Race 2 (8/3/2025)
-Lap Record & Race Lap Record: 1:26.094 – PJ Jacobsen, Race 1 (8/2/2025)
Build.Train.Race:
-Lap Record & Race Lap Record: 1:46.428 – Miranda Cain, Race 2 (8/3/2025)
-Lap Record & Race Lap Record: 1:47.957 – Miranda Cain, Race 1 (8/2/2025)
Talent Cup:
-Lap Record: 1:35.328 – Alessandro Di Mario, Warm Up (8/3/2025)
-Race Lap Record: 1:35.876 – Alessandro Di Mario, Race 1 (8/2/2025)
-Lap Record & Race Lap Record: 1:35.876 – Alessandro Di Mario, Race 1 (8/2/2025)
These outstanding performances demonstrate the exceptional grip and reliability of Dunlop’s Sportmax Slick tires, further cementing their position as the tire of choice for all competitive road racing.
To learn more about Dunlop racing tires, please visit www.dunlopracing.com
About Dunlop Motorcycle Tires:
Dunlop is the number one selling and largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in North America. For more information, visit www.DunlopMotorcycleTires.com. Follow @ridedunlop on Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) for the latest Dunlop news. Use #RideDunlop and/or #RaceDunlop to share your Dunlop moments.
Bobby Fong (1) leads Josh Herrin (1), Sean Dylan Kelly (40), Richie Escalante (hidden), Ashton Yates (27) and the rest of the Superbike pack on the opening lap of Sunday’s race two at VIRginia International Raceway. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Precision Track Days brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
The 2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship was flipped upside down on Sunday at VIRginia International Raceway with Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong racing to an immaculate doubleheader sweep while championship points leader Josh Herrin crashed out of the lead on the third lap of race two.
And just like that the complexity of the 2025 championship has changed, and things are now suddenly tight at the top as Herrin’s championship points lead has been cut down to just five points with three rounds and seven races left to run in the 2025 season.
Fong was even more unstoppable on Sunday than he was on Saturday as he simply raced at a different level than the rest of the class. After 20 laps of VIRginia International Raceway, he was a tick over 14 seconds ahead of the battle for second place.
And what a battle it was. Five riders raced to the checkered flag with the five separated by just .702 of a second.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly led the battle behind him for almost the entire race. The almost came in the final two laps when Kelly’s teammate Richie Escalante, who was having the best ride of his Superbike career, not only threatened but led Kelly with Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier, Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne, and Real Steel Honda’s Hayden Gillim all in position to pounce should it go badly for the two Suzukis.
The war went to the final lap and the run to the finish line with Kelly besting Escalante by .093 of a second. Beaubier, whose title hopes got a lot brighter with Herrin’s miscue, was a shadow fourth with Gagne and Gillim breathing down his neck in fifth and sixth, respectively.
It would have been the race of the year if not for Fong, who was miles up the road from the fighting fivesome.
BPR Racing Yamaha’s Bryce Kornbau was seventh, almost five seconds behind but four seconds clear of Real Steel Honda’s JD Beach, with the Kentuckian winning the MotoAmerica Superbike Cup for the top finishing rider on a Stock 1000-spec motorcycle.
Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates and Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Danilo Lewis rounded out the top 10.
With Fong closing the gap on Herrin, who scored two points for remounting and finishing 14th (three laps behind), to just five points, 242-237, the race for the title is now white-hot. Beaubier was also a benefactor of Herrin’s tip over as he is now 16 points behind with 226 points.
Fong’s teammate Gagne is fourth in the title chase with 187 points, 50 points clear of fifth-placed Escalante. Beach is sixth but leads the Superbike Cup by 59 points over Jason Waters, 283-224. The win at VIR was Beach’s 12th in the class within a class.
Superbike Race 2
Bobby Fong (Yamaha)
Sean Dylan Kelly (Suzuki)
Richie Escalante (Suzuki)
Cameron Beaubier (BMW)
Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
Hayden Gillim (Honda)
Bryce Kornbau (Yamaha)
JD Beach (Honda)
Ashton Yates (Honda)
Danilo Lewis (BMW)
Bobby Fong – Winner
“When I got to the start/finish line, after the warmup lap, that whole warmup lap going to the start/finish line, my dash wasn’t working. It was staying all red and it was black. So, I was like, ‘I think I need to restart this thing.’ This thing needed a battery to start. So, I did the switch on and off and it died. Then I started back up and the dash was still there. So, I had to recycle the whole program. It’s very rare that it could actually start without the battery. So, I finally got my stuff together and I pushed the button, and it started. The first lap, I was honestly just trying to get back in my rhythm. It kind of just threw me off. Then Josh Herrin got by me. I’m like, ‘Okay. I could already see he was riding really hard for the first two laps.’ He was already out of control. I’m like, ‘I’m just going to sit here. He’ll put his pace.’ I didn’t know how the race was going to go, but I knew once lap nine or 10 rolls around I would be pretty good. He (Herrin) made a small mistake. Bummer for him. I’m stoked to get the win. Four in a row, which is nice. I got to stay humble and just calm. Hero to zero in this racing world happens very fast.”
Sean Dylan Kelly – Second Place
“It was insanely important (to finish on the podium). Like you said, I think it’s been coming since the first race weekend. If you look at Atlanta, I finished fourth a few tenths from the podium. It took six race weekends, or I don’t know how many we’re at now, and a lot of close moments, a lot of good battles, a lot of good speed but it just wasn’t going. A lot of frustrating moments. Probably the most I’ve ever had in racing. I always managed to keep my head down and keep focused. Yesterday was extremely close, too. Finishing fourth again, a couple tenths off. I really just knew that what was holding me back big time, at least yesterday, was my start. Richie (Escalante) said that he had the best start of his Superbike career. I definitely had the best start for myself, and I actually got into the first corner in third, which is amazing. Still losing a place, but it’s not losing four or five, which is kind of the average lately. So, really excited. Super happy that I was able to manage what I did. Once I saw that (Josh) Herrin went down, I tried to keep up with Bobby’s (Fong) pace even though I knew he was on another level. I wanted to use him a little bit as a carrot in front of me, but also not going overboard. I said, ‘Okay, man. I’m in P2.’ I pretty much just want to carry this as long as I can. Yesterday I was on the bad side. I was the one behind someone blocking a lot. So now I’m like, ‘I’m the one in front so let me block a lot.’ I really don’t think the pace was all that amazing, but I knew that it wasn’t that easy to pass me. With five laps to go, I didn’t know the group was that big. I honestly thought it was (Cameron) Beaubier behind me. So, with five laps to go, I started hearing a bike much closer. So, I just started defending. Completely different lines everywhere. I heard a bike on my butt, bad. Then when I go into the last corner, I go into turn 10 and I see this guy pass me. I’m like, what is Richie (Escalante) doing passing me? I didn’t know it was going to be Richie. The first thing I thought was, ‘I think we got a double podium for the team, which is amazing by itself.’ But I also didn’t want this guy to beat me, so I set up last corner really well. Definitely excited to finish in P2, finish on the podium with this guy. We talked about it at the beginning of the year. If we do a double podium, we’re going to celebrate. I’m going to change my flight. We’re going to celebrate. Really, really happy. Finally got this podium. I really hope that this will now lead us to do more and better for the next few races. Just excited that we were finally able to turn around some good speed into a podium.”
Richie Escalante – Third Place
“I’m really happy, honestly. We started the weekend with a big problem with the bike. I didn’t feel really good on the exit, especially it was spinning a lot. But I think everybody on the track was spinning a lot. But step by step, I feel better and better with the bike. Then finally this morning, I found something in the electronics with the rear grip. I think for sure it worked in the race. One of my best starts. I think in this category, in the Superbike class, it’s really important. So then when I saw (Josh) Herrin crash, the group is together again. So, I said, ‘okay, maybe it’s possible to battle for the podium.’ Then I have a big, insane battle with (Cameron) Beaubier, (Jake) Gagne. All the time Sean (Dylan Kelly) is in the front. Then maybe with six laps to go, I know my race pace in the end always is good. So finally, I’m close to the front. In the end I feel really good with the bike. I made some passes in turn 10. I’m really happy to finish on the podium, especially now we were rivals in the past in 2020 and ’21. More like teammates, I think both are good friends. So, I’m really happy with the Team Hammer Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki. Finished on the podium, finally. I think the potential and all the package when everything works correctly it’s possible to battle for these races. I’m super happy.”
More, from another news release issued by MotoAmerica:
Mathew Scholtz (1) leads his teammate Blake Davis (22) and PJ Jacobsen (15) in the second of two Supersport races at VIRginia International Raceway on Sunday. Scholtz swept the doubleheader with a second win on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz completed a perfect weekend in the Motovation Supersport class as he raced to victory on Sunday at VIRginia International Raceway after setting the precedent on Saturday.
While Scholtz was able to eke away at the front, the battle behind him went the distance after some back and forth between Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen and Scholtz’s Strack Racing teammate Blake Davis.
Although it was Davis getting the holeshot, Jacobsen found a hole and came out of turn one with the lead. The New Yorker put his head down and opened a slight gap, but it all went away with Scholtz and Davis closing in. On the fourth lap, Scholtz went into the lead as the threesome ran together. A lap later, Davis moved past Jacobsen for second, but the three were still locked together with Celtic/Economy Lube+Tire/Warhorse HSBK’s Cameron Petersen getting chippy behind them as he tried to close in on the three-rider pack ahead of him.
By the halfway mark, Scholtz had started to pull away ever so slightly. At the end of the ninth lap, the South African clicked off a new lap record of 1:25.964 to lead Davis by almost a second.
On the 10th lap, Petersen was out of the race with a crash in turn four, Scholtz had given himself a lead that wouldn’t allow him to be caught, and Davis and Jacobsen were set to fight to the finish.
After 18 laps of the 2.24-mile racetrack, Jacobsen was .114 of a second ahead of Davis as the pair crossed the finish line – 3.3 seconds behind Scholtz.
The top three were in another league entirely as fourth-placed Tyler Scott and his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki were almost 30 seconds adrift. Scott was half a second ahead of Rahal Ducati Moto w/ XPEL’s Kayla Yaakov, who barely beat BPR Racing Yamaha’s Josh Hayes for fifth with Rahal Ducati Moto w/Roller Die’s Corey Alexander right behind Hayes in seventh.
Altus Motorsports’ Torin Collins, Bauce BARTCON Racing’s Joseph LiMandri Jr. and MP13 Racing’s Aiden Sneed rounded out the top 10.
Stock 1000 – Back-To-Back Beach
Real Steel Honda’s JD Beach cultivated a perfect weekend in the Stock 1000 class as he came out on top of a battle to the flag over OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe by .055 of a second after passing the Californian on the final lap. It was the second day in a row that Beach had won a close one as he topped BPR Racing’s Bryce Kornbau by just .194 of a second on Saturday at VIR.
The race was red flagged on the first lap due to a crash, and the restart saw a four-rider battle for victory. Uribe was doing the leading, with Beach, Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates, and Uribe’s teammate Andrew Lee flying in formation.
As they started the final lap, Yates’ Honda failed him, and he coasted to a stop on the outside of turn one. That left three riders, though Uribe and Beach had a slight gap to Lee. Beach made his move in the turn-three left-hander, diving under Uribe. Beach was perfect from there to the finish line as he managed to keep Uribe behind him, albeit by just .055 of a second.
Beach’s perfect weekend vaulted him into contention for the championship as he now trails Lee by just 10 points, 122-112. Uribe is third with 94 points with two rounds and four races remaining.
“I wasn’t being patient,” Beach said. “I wanted to make that move sooner before that, but I just kept fighting, kept fighting. I didn’t want to wait until the last lap to do something, but I thought I had a pretty good move there. I tried the lap before and about high-sided. I was going all in. I got to thank my whole (team and) American Honda. This bike has just been working great. My whole crew has been working so hard this weekend. To get the double win like that just feels amazing. I feel like I’m back, I’m racing. It’s a big difference from last year. I’m just excited and pumped. I’m grateful for this team and this chance I got. It’s going to be a battle these last four races, but I’m ready for it.”
Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul – Di Mario Bounces Back
Warhorse Ducati/American Racing’s Alessandro Di Mario made up for yesterday’s disappointment in the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul race by winning today’s race two after a game of cat and mouse with yesterday’s winner Hank Vossberg and his Tytlers Cycle Racing Krämer APX-350 MA.
On Saturday, Di Mario looked to have victory in the bag when his shifter broke, forcing him to slow to what was ultimately a fifth-place finish. All he could do was watch as Vossberg pulled away to victory.
Sunday’s race had a different sort of drama as the top two, Di Mario and Vossberg, pulled away from the pack and then, on the final lap, did the “you lead, no, you lead” game that was reminiscent of races at Daytona International Speedway where no one wants to lead out of the chicane. Di Mario put Vossberg in a position where he really had no choice but to try and lead to the flag.
But it didn’t work out for Vossberg as Di Mario’s plan worked to perfection as he was able to draft past at the finish line to win by .086 of a second.
Those two were 11 seconds ahead of the scrap behind them with Bodie Paige Racing/Mission Foods/D&D Certified’s Bodie Paige getting the better of a six-rider scrap for third place. It was ultra-close with the difference between third-placed Paige and seventh-placed Kody Kopp, on his Team Roberts Krämer, being just .326 of a second.
MP13 Racing’s Ella Dreher crossed the line on Paige’s tail with Jones Honda’s Julian Correa, Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane and Kopp crossing the line in a gaggle.
Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt and Rossi Motorsports Powered By 3:16’s Rossi Garcia rounded out the top 10.
“The pace was insane,” Di Mario said. “I was like, ‘There’s no way he’s keeping up.’ I kept looking back and he’s right there. So, in the first couple laps, he drafted past me at the line so I knew he would get me. So, I didn’t know what the plan was, but it was definitely not going in the last turn first. So, at that point, when he got to the last turn, I thought he was going to speed up and try and get the run but we both slowed down. I was able to tell that he slowed down a little too much. So, I was pretty confident he wouldn’t be able to draft past me. It was the weirdest race of my life. I’m not going to lie. I have to thank the whole Warhorse team. Mr. Ferracci, Moto Liberty, KYT, Dainese, and just everyone that’s helped me out. Thank you so much.”
SC-Project Twins Cup – Who Else But Di Mario
Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario won his seventh SC-Project Twins Cup race in a row on Sunday at VIR, a day after the Kentuckian wrapped up the 2025 Twins Cup Championship.
Di Mario beat a three-rider battle for second by 4.5 seconds. That fight for the podium spots was won by Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle by .059 of a second over Di Mario’s Robem Engineering teammate Hank Vossberg. Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher was a shadow fourth.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin was about six seconds behind the podium battle and a second ahead of Brown Town Racing’s Chase Brown. Speeddemon Racing’s Logan Cunnison, Karns/TST Racing’s Levi Badie, Weyh Racing’s Andrew Weyh, and Koch Racing’s Sean Ungvarsky rounded out the top 10.
With just one round left, Di Mario has an insurmountable 106-point lead. Chapin is still second, though he’s just 13 points ahead of Dreher, who in turn is 11 points ahead of Vossberg. Doyle rounds out the top five, 10 points behind Vossberg.
Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. – Knebel Krowned!
Kira Knebel wasted little time getting to the front of the Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. finale on Sunday morning at VIR as she went about winning the class championship in style. Job one was winning the title, job two was winning the race. When Shea MacGregor, the only person in the race with a chance of stealing the title from Knebel, crashed on the second lap, the job was complete. She was champion in her second year after finishing third in the 2024 title chase.
At the finish line of the seven-lap race, it was Knebel slowing in the final laps to beat Miranda Cain by 1.4 seconds. Cain was giving it her all and ended up turning in the fastest lap of the race on the final lap – a 1:46.428.
Third place went to Saturday’s race winner Camille Conrad after a race-long battle with Cassie Creer, Bryanna Everitt, and Kate West. Those four were covered by just 1.4 seconds.
The victory was Knebel’s sixth in the eight-race Royal Enfield season.
“Thank you so much,” Knebel said. “It’s definitely been an emotional rollercoaster this round. A little bit more drama than I was hoping for, but they kept saying that’s what’s going to make the win even sweeter. It’s just awesome what we were able to do with the team. Freddie Spencer was there working on the bike with us, letting us take parts from his bike. Just trying to make sure that we could get the bike working today. All of our sponsors for giving us the extra parts. We ended up switching out the battery and my rectifier. The battery managed to stay running this whole time. I had to go out there and just run like hell. “I wanted this program to be a first step, and a lot of it is just huge personal growth. Learning a ton about racecraft and making a ton of connections and lifelong friends. Just being able to move on from here and continue perfecting the craft and hopefully also introducing and guiding other newer riders, women, to get into a program like this, just get into racing and get out there and compete and do your best. Work on personal improvement. Just follow your dreams. Just get out there and do what you want to do.”
Video: Superbike And Supersport Race Two Press Conferences From VIRginia International Raceway
Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario won Sunday’s MotoAmerica SC-Project Twins Cup race at VIRginia International Raceway over Giaccmoto Yamaha’s Dominic Doyle and Robem teammate Hank Vossberg. Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher was fourth, ahead of RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines’ Matthew Chapin.
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha’s Bobby Fong took his fourth MotoAmerica Superbike win in a row, ahead of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly and Richie Escalante at VIRginia International Raceway on Sunday. Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s Cameron Beaubier was fourth, ahead of Attack’s Jake Gagne.
Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz won Sunday’s MotoAmerica Motovation Supersport race at VIRginia International Raceway. Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen was second, ahead of Strack’s Blake Davis, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR’s Tyler Scott and Rahal’s Kayla Yaakov.
Warhorse Ducati/American Racing’s Alessandro Di Mario took the MotoAmerica Parts Unlimited Talent Cup win at VIRginia International Raceway on Sunday. He was followed by Tytler’s Cycle Racing’s Hank Vossberg, Bodie Paige Racing/Mission Foods/D&D Certified’s Bodie Paige, MP13 Racing’s Ella Dreher and Jones Honda’s Julian Correa.
Real Steel Honda’s JD Beach won Sunday’s MotoAmerica Stock 1000 race at VIRginia International Raceway over BMW-mounted OrangeCat Racing teammates Jayson Uribe and Andrew Lee. BPR Racing’s Bryce Kornbau was fourth, and Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates was fifth.
Honda HRC triumphs in action-packed Suzuka 8 Hours for the fourth season running
Jack Miller makes it two MotoGP riders in the top two as Yamaha Racing Team takes second
Yoshimura SERT Motul fights back to complete podium in the heat and humidity of Japan
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team cuts YART – Yamaha’s title lead to one point in fifth
Team Étoile takes maiden Superstock success to draw level in points chase
Weekend spectator attendance of 61,500 beats previous figure of 56,000
Honda HRC’s Takumi Takahashi and Johann Zarco delivered a heroic performance to win the 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race, taking victory in Japan’s round of the FIM Endurance World Championship as a duo rather than a three-rider team.
In extreme heat and punishing humidity, the Honda HRC pair were forced to complete more individual riding stints than their rivals but managed the increased physical and mental demands to perfection to score Honda’s fourth consecutive Suzuka victory and its 31st in total. It was also a record-extending seventh win for Japanese star Takahashi and a second in a row for French MotoGP racer Zarco following his debut EWC triumph last season.
Yamaha Racing Team marked its return to the Suzuka 8 Hours for the first time since 2019 by finishing second, 34.243s behind Honda HRC, with Andrea Locatelli, Jack Miller and Katsuyuki Nakasuga.
Suzuki-powered Yoshimura SERT Motul completed the podium for the second year running after Dan Linfoot hit back from a fall to demote SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda rider Yuki Kunii in the closing stages following an intense battle that raged for much of the race. Kunii had led for the opening 40 minutes after audaciously sweeping ahead of pole-sitter Takahashi through Nippo Corner having drawn alongside exiting the “S” Curve on lap one.
By finishing fifth, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team heads to next month’s Bol d’Or season finale one point behind Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team in the race to win the FIM Endurance World Championship for Teams after the Austrian squad suffered a rare retirement.
Team Étoile claimed its maiden victory in the Dunlop-equipped Superstock category to move level on points with National Motos Honda FMA.
Following the race, Gregg Black dedicated Yoshimura SERT Motul’s third place to Luca Guintoli, the son of his former team-mate and former EWC champion Sylvain, who passed away during the week.
Speaking afterwards, Zarco said: “It’s always a good race when you can control a gap. But doing it with two [riders] is really difficult, plus it’s too hot, you sweat a lot and the recovery time is too short. It’s tough sometimes when you go back on the bike but in the end the pace was quite good. We got two safety car [periods] and that always change a bit the game but we could keep an advantage. Thanks to Takumi because he’s always doing the job every stint and that’s so impressive.
“I try to do the same and I hope next year we’ll be three because we’ll be better. It’s a race I enjoy and having one of the best bikes is a pleasure to ride. It’s a nice week to do, you need to control your energy but it’s my special holiday to come in Suzuka.”
Zarco reckoned the superior fuel consumption of his Honda CBR100 RR-R-SP played a key role in Honda HRC’s success. He said:“Honda did a good bike. I think our biggest advantage was this fuel consumption and making only seven stops made the biggest difference for the win today.”
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team was in third place after two and a half hours of running when its hopes of a first Suzuka podium for a European manufacturer were dashed in hugely frustrating fashion. World Superbike racer Michael van der Mark was onboard the number 37 machine when he headed to the pits after a footrest worked loose. However, just as he was turning into the pitlane, it got lodged within his BMW’s back wheel, leading to the Dutchman suffering heavy fall and his team spending more than four minutes making repairs.
Falls for Jason O’Halloran and Marvin Fritz dropped Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team out of contention after it had run as high as fourth. A reported electronic fault hampered its recovery before a further fall for Karel Hanika, caused by an engine issue, ended YART’s unbroken run of podiums that stretched back to the 2024 season opener.
Having impressed by going third fastest in the Top 10 Trial on Saturday, AutoRace Ube Racing Team took sixth following a slow pitstop earlier in the race. TeamATJ with docomo Business finished seventh with Kawasaki Webike Trickstar eighth to continue its points-scoring run.
ELF Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 improved upon its 10th place scored in 2024 by finishing a fine ninth, one place ahead of Honda Asia-Dream Racing with Astemo. ERC Endurance took a strong 11th, while Motobox Kremer Racing crossed the line in 23rd.
The race was a little more than one hour old when 8 Hours of Spa Motos winner F.C.C. TSR Honda Franceretired with engine failure shortly after Taiga Hada had taken over from Alan Techer. Tati Team AVA6 Racing was also unable to go the distance due to an engine issue.
Home Superstock joy for Team Étoile BMW-powered Team Étoile converted the Superstock pole into its first win in the Dunlop-supplied FIM Endurance World Cup courtesy of Japanese trio Motoharu Ito, Hikari Okubo and Kazuki Watanabe.
TONE Team 4413 EVA 02 BMW, which headed Team Étoile home in 2024, finished second after Leandro Marcado and veteran Tomoya Hoshino rode as a pair. Kevin Calia, Flavio Ferroni and Simone Saltarelli rode Revo-M2’s Aprilia to third place on their Suzuka debut.
Team Étoile will now start the Bol d’Or equal on points with National Motos Honda FMA, which retired when Johan Nigon crashed heavily.
Wójcik Racing Team finished an impressive fourth with Kaedear-Dafy-RAC 41-Honda two places behind having led at one stage. Honda No Limits also enjoyed a stint in front but ran out of fuel, leading to Gabriele Gianni heroically pushing the team’s stricken machine for approximately three kilometre back to the pits. Visit FIMEWC.com over the coming weeks for more Superstock news.
The EWC’s dedicated Sportity app media channel for the 2025 season is available using the password 2025EWCMEDIA. The Sportity app is a digital information resource widely used in sports events and championships around the world. It’s attractive to users because it keeps all relevant information in one place and is accessible through smartphones or computers. Users are made aware of new information becoming available through push notifications and the app can be downloaded for free via the App Store or Google Play.
Kira Knebel took the MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. win at VIRginia International Raceway on Sunday. She was followed by Miranda Cain, Camille Conrad, Cassie Creer, and Bryanna Everitt.
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the public about an event, product, or service from the issuer’s own point of view, and if deemed
to have news value, may be placed on roadracingworld.com as a service to our readers.
A press release is not an article written by Roadracingworld.com staffers. When a post is labeled with the words “press release”, it means that Roadracingworld.com is not responsible for its content and that Roadracingworld.com makes no guarantee that it is accurate. Not all press releases are posted and Roadracingworld.com may reject press releases if the content is too heavy on commercial promotion with little or no news value or if the press release contains obvious errors.
Accessibility
Accessibility modes
Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Online Dictionary
Readable Experience
Content Scaling
Default
Text Magnifier
Readable Font
Dyslexia Friendly
Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Font Sizing
Default
Line Height
Default
Letter Spacing
Default
Left Aligned
Center Aligned
Right Aligned
Visually Pleasing Experience
Dark Contrast
Light Contrast
Monochrome
High Contrast
High Saturation
Low Saturation
Adjust Text Colors
Adjust Title Colors
Adjust Background Colors
Easy Orientation
Mute Sounds
Hide Images
Hide Emoji
Reading Guide
Stop Animations
Reading Mask
Highlight Hover
Highlight Focus
Big Dark Cursor
Big Light Cursor
Cognitive Reading
Virtual Keyboard
Navigation Keys
Voice Navigation
Accessibility Statement
www.roadracingworld.com
April 11, 2026
Compliance status
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience,
regardless of circumstance and ability.
To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level.
These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible
to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific
disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML,
adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with
screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive
a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements,
alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website.
In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels;
descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups),
and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag
for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology.
To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on
as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
