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MotoAmerica: Westby Racing Re-Signs Scholtz For 2021

Westby Racing Signs Superbike Rider Mathew Scholtz To A New Contract For 2021

Tulsa, OK – October 16, 2020 – Westby Racing is proud to announce that they have signed their incumbent Superbike rider Mathew Scholtz to a new contract for 2021.

For the fifth consecutive year, 28-year-old Mathew will race for the team aboard the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 in the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship.

Despite his season ending early due to the injuries he suffered in a crash during Saturday’s race at the Superbikes at The Brickyard event last weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 2020 season was a high-water mark for Mathew and the team competing in MotoAmerica’s Superbike Series. A model of consistency all season long, in 14 races, Mathew had 13 top-five finishes, reached the podium 10 times, and was runner-up 6 times. He only had one DNF all season long, which occurred in Superbike race two at Road America 1 when he crashed after a trailing rider collided with him from behind.

“I’m excited to be with Westby again,” Mathew said. “I think 2020 was our most successful year to date, except unfortunately for the way it ended. I feel like we keep getting better and better, and 2021 should be a very prominent year for us. Thank you to the entire Westby organization, and especially to Tryg, a huge thank you for everything. I’ll be entering my fifth season with the team, and I’m confident that these are going to the best of times for us.”

“The 2020 season has been a great year for us,” commented Westby Racing team owner Tryg Westby. “Mathew and the team achieved a huge amount of success together, which we intend to continue in 2021. It’s been great having Mathew as our Superbike rider, and we’re all really happy that he’ll be racing for us next year, too.”

Also commenting on Mathew’s new contract, Westby Racing team manager Chuck Giacchetto said, “It was no surprise to have Mathew’s contract back in hand with fresh ink after the season he and the team put together. I am 100% pumped to start the 2021 off-season with a test plan that will ensure Mathew has an amazing 2021 Yamaha R1 Superbike to ride as soon as he is able. I feel that the momentum we share together will result in a championship-winning effort. The technical team at Westby Racing is willing to stop at nothing to provide Mat and our team owner Tryg Westby with excitement and a new, even-more-competitive Yamaha R1 Superbike for 2021. I would further like to thank our team on and off the track for an outstanding effort in 2020. See you soon!”

For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites. Also, visit https://www.WestbyRacing.com

World Supersport: De Rosa Puts MV Agusta On Top In FP2

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

SS FP2

World Superbike: Yamaha Paying Tribute To Pirovano At Estoril

Yamaha to Pay Tribute to Fabrizio Pirovano with Parade Lap in Estoril

This weekend the FIM Superbike World Championship is back on track at the Circuito Estoril in Portugal for the first time in more than a quarter of a century. 27 years ago, the circuit was the venue for the WorldSBK season finale and Yamaha’s Fabrizio Pirovano took this 10th and final WorldSBK victory in a rain disrupted and hotly contested Race 1. To mark the occasion, a special ‘Piro’ Replica bike will take to the track ahead on Sunday for a tribute lap.
The Piro replica, which is based around a 2020 Yamaha R1, was created by Yamaha Motor Europe and is adorned with the famous white and pink colours of the #5 Yamaha YZF 750  SP on which Pirovano rode to victory at the Circuito Estoril in 1993.

 

The Fabrizio Pirovano replica Yamaha YZF-R1 that will be ridden at Estoril and then auctioned. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
The Fabrizio Pirovano replica Yamaha YZF-R1 that will be ridden at Estoril and then auctioned. Photo courtesy Yamaha.

 

Former Grand Prix World Champion and WorldSBK racer, Alessandro Gramigni, a close personal friend of Fabrizio, will ride the #5 R1 on a parade lap ahead of WorldSBK Race 2. Fabrizio’s family will also be Yamaha’s guests for the weekend and will join Gramigni on the grid ahead of the tribute run.

After the race, the Piro replica R1 will be auctioned online with all proceeds going to the cancer research charity, Fondazione Oncologia Niguarda Onlus, which the Pirovano family have supported since Fabrizio’s passing.

…

Hailing from Biassono in the Lombardy region of Italy, Fabrizio was a prolific podium finisher in the early years of WorldSBK and finished runner-up in the maiden 1988 championship with Yamaha. In 1990, the Italian was vice-champion once again with five victories to his name, including two wins at his home race at Monza. He did the double again at the same circuit two years later, earning him the title ‘King of Monza’.

With nine WorldSBK race wins under his belt, Pirovano’s 10th and final victory came at the last round of the 1993 WorldSBK season at Estoril. With the track still damp from an earlier shower, the then 33-year-old, who had qualified third and on the middle of the front row, dropped back in the early stages but fought through into the four-way battle for the lead over the next few laps.

He passed Giancarlo Falappa for second with a brilliant late-braking manoeuvre at the Turn 7 hairpin and then hit the front after powering up the inside of Piergiorgio Bontempi on the main straight late in the race. He was demoted back to second place with just a few laps remaining, after a mistake at the hairpin, but retook the lead and claimed a dramatic victory on his final weekend with Yamaha.

 

Fabrizio Pirovano (5) in action. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Fabrizio Pirovano (5) in action. Photo courtesy Yamaha.

 

Pirovano finished on the podium again later the same day, with third place in Race 2, and went on to enjoy two more seasons in the championship. In 1997 he switched to the Supersport category and was crowned world champion the following year. The King of Monza retired from the sport in 2006, but sadly passed away in 2016 after a long battle with cancer.

Many members of the current Yamaha racing family have close ties with Fabrizio Pirovano and remember the Italian racer fondly, none more so than Yamaha’s WorldSBK Track Technical Coordinator Alberto Colombo was his mechanic during his early motocross and WorldSBK racing years together with Mauro Saleppico, who is now responsible for MotoGP engine assembly at Yamaha Motor Racing. Yamaha Motor Racing General Manager, Marco Riva, and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director, Massimo Meregalli, were both close personal friends of Fabrizio, while Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager Andrea Dosoli grew up near to Pirovano’s home and his passion for motorsport was ignited by the WorldSBK star.

World Superbike: Redding Quickest, Gerloff P2 In FP1

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

SBK FP1

MotoAmerica: Westby Racing Re-Signs Scholtz For 2021

Mathew Scholtz (right) and his Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike and team owner Tryg Westby (left) and his streetbike replica of Scholtz's Superbike. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Mathew Scholtz (right) and his Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike and team owner Tryg Westby (left) and his streetbike replica of Scholtz's Superbike. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.

Westby Racing Signs Superbike Rider Mathew Scholtz To A New Contract For 2021

Tulsa, OK – October 16, 2020 – Westby Racing is proud to announce that they have signed their incumbent Superbike rider Mathew Scholtz to a new contract for 2021.

For the fifth consecutive year, 28-year-old Mathew will race for the team aboard the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 in the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship.

Despite his season ending early due to the injuries he suffered in a crash during Saturday’s race at the Superbikes at The Brickyard event last weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 2020 season was a high-water mark for Mathew and the team competing in MotoAmerica’s Superbike Series. A model of consistency all season long, in 14 races, Mathew had 13 top-five finishes, reached the podium 10 times, and was runner-up 6 times. He only had one DNF all season long, which occurred in Superbike race two at Road America 1 when he crashed after a trailing rider collided with him from behind.

“I’m excited to be with Westby again,” Mathew said. “I think 2020 was our most successful year to date, except unfortunately for the way it ended. I feel like we keep getting better and better, and 2021 should be a very prominent year for us. Thank you to the entire Westby organization, and especially to Tryg, a huge thank you for everything. I’ll be entering my fifth season with the team, and I’m confident that these are going to the best of times for us.”

“The 2020 season has been a great year for us,” commented Westby Racing team owner Tryg Westby. “Mathew and the team achieved a huge amount of success together, which we intend to continue in 2021. It’s been great having Mathew as our Superbike rider, and we’re all really happy that he’ll be racing for us next year, too.”

Also commenting on Mathew’s new contract, Westby Racing team manager Chuck Giacchetto said, “It was no surprise to have Mathew’s contract back in hand with fresh ink after the season he and the team put together. I am 100% pumped to start the 2021 off-season with a test plan that will ensure Mathew has an amazing 2021 Yamaha R1 Superbike to ride as soon as he is able. I feel that the momentum we share together will result in a championship-winning effort. The technical team at Westby Racing is willing to stop at nothing to provide Mat and our team owner Tryg Westby with excitement and a new, even-more-competitive Yamaha R1 Superbike for 2021. I would further like to thank our team on and off the track for an outstanding effort in 2020. See you soon!”

For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites. Also, visit https://www.WestbyRacing.com

World Supersport: De Rosa Puts MV Agusta On Top In FP2

Raffaele De Rosa (3), as seen at Phillip Island. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Raffaele De Rosa (3). Photo courtesy Dorna.

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

SS FP2

World Superbike: Yamaha Paying Tribute To Pirovano At Estoril

Fabrizio Pirovano (R.I.P.). Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Fabrizio Pirovano (R.I.P.). Photo courtesy Yamaha.

Yamaha to Pay Tribute to Fabrizio Pirovano with Parade Lap in Estoril

This weekend the FIM Superbike World Championship is back on track at the Circuito Estoril in Portugal for the first time in more than a quarter of a century. 27 years ago, the circuit was the venue for the WorldSBK season finale and Yamaha’s Fabrizio Pirovano took this 10th and final WorldSBK victory in a rain disrupted and hotly contested Race 1. To mark the occasion, a special ‘Piro’ Replica bike will take to the track ahead on Sunday for a tribute lap.
The Piro replica, which is based around a 2020 Yamaha R1, was created by Yamaha Motor Europe and is adorned with the famous white and pink colours of the #5 Yamaha YZF 750  SP on which Pirovano rode to victory at the Circuito Estoril in 1993.

 

The Fabrizio Pirovano replica Yamaha YZF-R1 that will be ridden at Estoril and then auctioned. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
The Fabrizio Pirovano replica Yamaha YZF-R1 that will be ridden at Estoril and then auctioned. Photo courtesy Yamaha.

 

Former Grand Prix World Champion and WorldSBK racer, Alessandro Gramigni, a close personal friend of Fabrizio, will ride the #5 R1 on a parade lap ahead of WorldSBK Race 2. Fabrizio’s family will also be Yamaha’s guests for the weekend and will join Gramigni on the grid ahead of the tribute run.

After the race, the Piro replica R1 will be auctioned online with all proceeds going to the cancer research charity, Fondazione Oncologia Niguarda Onlus, which the Pirovano family have supported since Fabrizio’s passing.

…

Hailing from Biassono in the Lombardy region of Italy, Fabrizio was a prolific podium finisher in the early years of WorldSBK and finished runner-up in the maiden 1988 championship with Yamaha. In 1990, the Italian was vice-champion once again with five victories to his name, including two wins at his home race at Monza. He did the double again at the same circuit two years later, earning him the title ‘King of Monza’.

With nine WorldSBK race wins under his belt, Pirovano’s 10th and final victory came at the last round of the 1993 WorldSBK season at Estoril. With the track still damp from an earlier shower, the then 33-year-old, who had qualified third and on the middle of the front row, dropped back in the early stages but fought through into the four-way battle for the lead over the next few laps.

He passed Giancarlo Falappa for second with a brilliant late-braking manoeuvre at the Turn 7 hairpin and then hit the front after powering up the inside of Piergiorgio Bontempi on the main straight late in the race. He was demoted back to second place with just a few laps remaining, after a mistake at the hairpin, but retook the lead and claimed a dramatic victory on his final weekend with Yamaha.

 

Fabrizio Pirovano (5) in action. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Fabrizio Pirovano (5) in action. Photo courtesy Yamaha.

 

Pirovano finished on the podium again later the same day, with third place in Race 2, and went on to enjoy two more seasons in the championship. In 1997 he switched to the Supersport category and was crowned world champion the following year. The King of Monza retired from the sport in 2006, but sadly passed away in 2016 after a long battle with cancer.

Many members of the current Yamaha racing family have close ties with Fabrizio Pirovano and remember the Italian racer fondly, none more so than Yamaha’s WorldSBK Track Technical Coordinator Alberto Colombo was his mechanic during his early motocross and WorldSBK racing years together with Mauro Saleppico, who is now responsible for MotoGP engine assembly at Yamaha Motor Racing. Yamaha Motor Racing General Manager, Marco Riva, and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director, Massimo Meregalli, were both close personal friends of Fabrizio, while Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager Andrea Dosoli grew up near to Pirovano’s home and his passion for motorsport was ignited by the WorldSBK star.

Moto2: Di Giannantonio Heads FP2

Motorland Aragon
MotorLand Aragon. Photo courtesy Michelin.
Moto2 FP2

Moto3: Fernandez Sets Pace In FP2

Raul Fernandez (25). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Raul Fernandez (25). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Moto3 FP2

World Supersport: Mahias Crashes, Still Fastest In FP1

Lucas Mahias 44). Photo courtesy Kawasaki.
Lucas Mahias (44). Photo courtesy Kawasaki.
SS FP1

Moto2: Sam Lowes Fastest, Roberts P7 In FP1

Sam Lowes (22). Photo courtesy Marc VDS Racing.
Sam Lowes (22). Photo courtesy Marc VDS Racing.
Moto2 FP1

World Superbike: Redding Quickest, Gerloff P2 In FP1

Garrett Gerloff (31), as seen during testing at the Catalunya Circuit. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Garrett Gerloff (31). Photo courtesy Yamaha.

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

SBK FP1

MotoGP: Vinales Leads FP1

Maverick Vinales (12). Photo courtesy Monster Energy Yamaha.
Maverick Vinales (12). Photo courtesy Monster Energy Yamaha.
MotoGP FP1

Moto3: Darryn Binder Best In FP1

Motorland Aragon
MotorLand Aragon. Photo courtesy Michelin.
Moto3 FP1