MotoAmerica: Scholtz Undergoes Successful Surgeries

David Swarts

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October 14, 2020

MotoAmerica: Scholtz Undergoes Successful Surgeries

Following Successful Surgery In Indy, Westby Racing’s Scholtz Is On His Way Home

Indianapolis, IN – October 14, 2020 – Westby Racing’s Superbike rider Mathew Scholtz is traveling home to Georgia today after having successful surgery on the injuries he sustained in a crash during Saturday’s race at the MotoAmerica Superbikes at The Brickyard event this past weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Mathew sustained injuries to his right leg in the incident, including a ruptured quadriceps tendon in his thigh and multiple fractures to the talus bone in his ankle. On Sunday, he had surgery to clean out his right thigh injury and repair the ruptured tendon, along with a separate procedure to clean out the complex fracture of his right ankle and prepare it for further surgery.

On Tuesday, Mathew had a second surgery on his right ankle, which included the insertion of several stabilizing screws in his right talus bone. The talus bone forms the lower part of the ankle joint and transmits the entire weight of the body from the lower leg to the foot.

All procedures and surgeries were successful, and Mathew is being driven home to Georgia by his fiancée Kiara. His prognosis for full recovery is excellent, and he should be able to start riding again in January.

Mathew Scholtz post-surgery. Photo courtesy Mathew Scholtz and Westby Racing.

In our previous press release on Mathew’s injury, we erroneously reported that he had been taken to the hospital by Kiara in a passenger vehicle. In actuality, Mathew was transported by ambulance from Indianapolis Motor Speedway to Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital.

“Right after the crash, I was in a lot of pain, mostly from my thigh,” Mathew said. “It was so bad that I didn’t even realize at first that I’d also injured my ankle. All I wanted to do was stand up, and when I did, I couldn’t bend my knee. Then, I quickly realized that I couldn’t put any weight on my foot. That’s when the doctor (Dr. Julia Vaizer from Indiana University Health Emergency Medical Center, which is located in the infield at Indianapolis Motor Speedway) helped me sit in the passenger seat of the safety car to take the weight off my leg till I could get in the ambulance. I’ve noticed that there’s been a lot of chatter on social media about them ‘stuffing’ me into that car, but that’s not what happened to me at all. The medical people at Indy took really good care of me. Dr. Vaizer did a great job.”

Kiara added, “Yes, the medical staff at the track were brilliant, and so was MotoAmerica’s Jim Buskirk and Norman Lastovica. Mathew was originally planning to have surgery on his ankle at an orthopedist in Atlanta, but Jim Buskirk recommended a surgeon right here in Indianapolis. We are so grateful about how everything worked out because the care Mathew received from the track, Methodist Hospital, and from Dr. Tim Weber (orthopedic surgeon specializing in foot and ankle trauma) with OrthoIndy, who did the surgery on Mathew’s ankle on Tuesday…all of them did such a great job.”

An X-ray of Mathew Scholtz's right ankle post-surgery. Photo courtesy Mathew Scholtz and Westby Racing. — An X-ray of Mathew Scholtz’s right ankle post-surgery. Photo courtesy Mathew Scholtz and Westby Racing.

For Mathew, unfortunately, his 2020 MotoAmerica season is over, but team manager Chuck Giacchetto said, “Mathew is our Superbike rider. We wish him well, and when he’s ready to climb back aboard the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike, we’ll be ready to support him 100%.”

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

Video: Building The 2020 Honda CBR1000RR-R British Superbike, P5

David Swarts

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October 14, 2020

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Video: Building The 2020 Honda CBR1000RR-R British Superbike, P5

The Honda Racing team is pleased to announce that Episode 5 of the Building the Blade series is now available on YouTube and Facebook.

As the final round of the 2020 Bennetts British Superbike Championship approaches with Brands Hatch hosting the final races this weekend (16-18 October), Honda Racing’s Building The Blade series has documented the build of the all-new CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP in its debut year in the British Superbike and National Superstock 1000 Championships.

Honda Racing with its riders Andrew and Glenn Irwin (BSB), as well as Tom Neave and Davey Todd (Superstock 1000) have enjoyed huge success aboard the new Fireblade, with Glenn and Tom firmly in the Superbike and Superstock title fights with just one event left.

Episode 5 sees the team faced with wet weather conditions for the first time this season at the penultimate round at Donington Park, where despite the conditions and it being the first time in the wet for the new Fireblade, the team added a further two wins and two podiums to its 2020 tally.

Check out Building the Blade – Episode 5, on YouTube or Facebook.

MotoAmerica: Even More From The Races At Indianapolis

David Swarts

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October 13, 2020

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MotoAmerica: Even More From The Races At Indianapolis

Excelsus Solutions/KWR Ducati Team powers through a tough weekend for a top-5 in Indianapolis

TUCSON, Ariz. — The KWR Ducati Team competed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this past weekend for the eighth round of the 2020 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. Rider Kyle Wyman scored a DNF, 9th and 5th place finishes in three races respectively for a triple-header weekend.

With three races on the weekend, the grid was set on Friday during QP1 and QP2 sessions. Wyman was able to qualify 7th overall on the day, despite facing engine troubles with the factory-spec engine from Ducati Corse. The team had to swap engines for Saturday and operate with a lesser powered engine on the high speed track of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“Friday was a bit of a struggle, just with me and my feeling with the bike,” Wyman said. “We made a lot of changes over the course of the day but we weren’t really seeing improvements in the lap time. I was feeling really rushed to get up to speed and with my confidence low was hard to put laps together and keep knocking out good segments.”

Race one on Saturday ended early for Wyman, when he crashed on the opening lap coming out onto the front straightaway, suffering a big highside get-off while battling rear grip on his Panigale V4 R. The race was red-flagged and Wyman was unable to restart the race due to damage with the motorcycle and to himself.

“Race one I got a decent start but I kind of got pinched off in the second corner,” Wyman said. “I was trying to get back some kind of rhythm and hang with the front group, and I was maybe getting a little flustered watching the gap build so quickly. I ended up losing the rear in a big way out of the last corner, even on a new tire and was bucked off once, then when I came down the bike bucked again and I got slammed into the tank and fairing. I broke the windscreen with my neck and dented the tank with my pelvis. Both were a big hit and I was lucky to walk away with nothing worse.”

Sunday would host two more Superbike races, and Wyman got off to a very strong starting the 11:00am Race 2, sitting in 3rd place into turn one. Wyman dropped quickly from that spot, battling confidence and front-end feeling, ultimately finishing 9th place after running off the track on lap 7. The KWR team would make more changes to the front end of the bike to try to get Wyman more comfortable for a fight in race three.

“Race two Sunday morning was a mess,” Wyman said. “I just was all over the place, super uncomfortable and struggling to be consistent. Sometimes when you are struggling its more a battle with yourself than it is with the bike. I just had zero confidence to push like I know how, and it showed. I made a mistake half way through the race which cost me spots, but I was able to work my way back from 14th to finish 9th.”

Race three was red-flagged early on and restarted for 12-laps race distance. Wyman got off to a good start and settled into a 7th place position, then started clicking off laps. One rider’s crashed moved him up to 6th with a 3 second gap to the 5th place rider. Wyman was able to run his fastest laps of the weekend, including a best of 1:38.218 on his last lap to finish 5th, just .014 seconds ahead of Cameron Peterson.

“For sure I’m glad we were able to find some success after all,” Wyman said. “In the middle of that third race I just flipped a switch and said to myself ‘you’ve got to pull something together’ and with Cam (Peterson) up the road from me I had some extra motivation to figure things out. I just worked on myself, my inputs into the bike and kind of got back to myself. I did my fastest lap of the weekend on my last lap of that race, even faster than I qualified, and that is something to be happy about.”

“It was a long weekend,” Wyman added. “My body is sore so it’s good to have gone through the struggle and still come out with a top-5. It bodes well for our last round coming up at Laguna Seca in just another week or so. Its a track that we have some data from last year to go off of, so this should help us get up to speed, and my renewed confidence from the last race at Indy will help me ride free a bit. I’m really glad we have another round to show the strength of our whole program.”

The series heads to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California October 23-25, 2020 for the 9th round of the MotoAmerica Championship, and another triple-header race weekend to finish the year.

Visit www.kylewyman.com for more news and updates.

More, from a press release issued by Dunlop:

MotoAmerica Riders Crowned at Indy

Rancho Cucamonga, CA: Dunlop has been the AMA MotoAmerica spec tire for all classes since the series began in 2015, and has provided an unbroken record of support for professional American road racing dating back decades. Like so many sports today, this year’s MotoAmerica championships saw its share of challenges due to Covid, and the compressed season yielded familiar and surprising results.

Superbike: Cameron Beaubier

The 2020 MotoAmerica championships wrapped up this past weekend at the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the penultimate round, and it was Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier who won the Superbike championship for the fifth time. He entered the season finale with 13 victories in 14 races, but Indy was no cake-walk for Beaubier: the three-race weekend saw a surprise winner—Italian Lorenzo Zanetti took his first MotoAmerica win when Beaubier crashed out—and Bobby Fong won the second race. Beaubier finished on the podium in the two weekend races he finished to lock up the superbike championship with a 97-point cushion over teammate Jake Gagne.

Superstock: Cameron Petersen

Like Beaubier, the other Cameron had a dominant season, winning all but three Superstock 1000 rounds, and taking second after an infraction cost him the post-race win at Indy. Petersen’s championship was his first in MotoAmerica competition, and something he had dreamed of accomplishing his whole life. It was by far his best season to date, and he hopes the momentum will carry him to a Superbike career in 2021.

Supersport: Richie Escalante

Richie Escalante made history at Indy, becoming the first Mexican to win an AMA National Road Racing Championship when he wrapped up the Supersport title on Sunday with another perfect weekend. He won thirteen times, often by wide margins, to take the championship by 70 points over Sean Dylan Kelly, the only rider to beat Escalante all year long.

Twins Cup and Junior Cup: Rocco Landers

Though other riders dominated classes this year, no championship run was quite like that of Rocco Landers. He clinched his second consecutive Junior Cup title early in Alabama, then scored another perfect weekend at The Brickyard to make it 13 race wins in a row. By also taking the Twins Cup championship, Landers became the only double-title winner of 2020, putting together another undefeated weekend at Indy to boost his win record to eight in the class, including the last seven races in a row.

“MotoAmerica continued to evolve in 2020 with more participants and greater prestige, attracting top riders from outside the U.S. to compete in the series,” said Mike Buckley, Senior VP, Sales and Marketing, Dunlop Motorcycle Tires. “Despite the challenges of putting on a racing series in today’s environment, MotoAmerica staff, our Dunlop technical staff, and all the racers and teams deserve a big thanks for their commitment to making the 2020 championship chase a memorable one.”

World Superbike: Rea Excited To Learn Estoril Circuit

David Swarts

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October 13, 2020

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World Superbike: Rea Excited To Learn Estoril Circuit

Final Round Excitement Builds For KRT

Jonathan Rea and his team-mate Alex Lowes will join their KRT squad this coming weekend for the final round of the 2020 FIM Superbike WorldSBK Championship at Estoril in Portugal, as the title fight goes all the way to the wire.

After scoring 11 wins from the 21 races run so far in this uniquely short and compact season Rea leads the series by 59 points, with only an absolute maximum of 62 points available for any rider who can win all three Estoril races.

Rea’s points lead is an enviable one but nothing can be taken for granted in this or any other form of motorsport. The overall approach will be to take as many points as possible in Rea’s push to become champion with Kawasaki and KRT for the sixth successive time.

Should Rea win a race at Estoril he would reach the unprecedented record total of 100 WorldSBK victories over his career. It would be his 85th win for Kawasaki since he joined in the 2015 season.

For Lowes, two podiums in the two opening races in France last time out brought him up to fifth in the championship, a position he is out to at least maintain if not improve on in the final three races. He has now scored four podiums in his first year as a Kawasaki rider, including a win at the opening and only long-haul race meeting of the year in Australia.

In the pre-Estoril championship standings Jonathan has 340 points, his only remaining championship rival Scott Redding 281, Chaz Davies 222, Michael van der Mark 203 and Alex is on 179.

It is not just the Riders’ title for Rea that will be decided at the final round. Kawasaki currently leads the Manufacturers’ Championship by 26 points and KRT leads the Teams’ Championship by 16.

After the final round here will be a one day test at Estoril for Alex Lowes, to allow him to make further explorations of his Ninja ZX-10RR’s capabilities immediately after the pressure of the current championship season has passed.

Jonathan Rea, stated: “It is super-exciting going into the final round with a championship to play for after what has been a very strange year with only eight rounds. Going into the last round with an advantage in the standings is really positive. Estoril is a new track for us so I am really excited to learn it. It is always a good challenge and I feel that with the Ninja ZX-10RR we always arrive in new circuits with a strong base. Friday will be about learning the track, working out our potential and remaining calm. Because it is a new track I am sure we will find some challenges but the layout looks like it should suit us. We will try to build the package to fight for the podiums in all races, which is the target. It has been a strange season under this new working environment and this is our last opportunity to go racing this year. I hear we may have some fans back again at this round, like we did in France, which was super-nice.”

Alex Lowes, stated: “It’s the final round and it’s always nice to be heading to a new circuit. I have been studying the Estoril track with some onboard footage and the layout looks good. It has quite tight and tricky sections to it, so my plan is to get as many laps in on Friday as possible. I think it will be good for us. My targets are to enjoy this final round, fight for the podium and finish my first year in green as strongly as possible.”

Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) can enter the last round with realistic ambitions to move up the championship table from his current 15th position overall. Loris Cresson (Outdo Kawasaki TPR) will replace the injured Sandro Cortese at this event while Maximilian Scheib (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) is hoping to be declared fit to race in the season finale, after being injured at Barcelona just a few weeks ago.

American Flat Track: Two Titles To Be Decided At Daytona Short Track

David Swarts

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October 13, 2020

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American Flat Track: Two Titles To Be Decided At Daytona Short Track

AFT SuperTwins Champion to be Crowned in Progressive AFT Finale at DAYTONA

AFT Production Twins victor to be decided at The World Center of Racing.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 13, 2020) – Following months on hiatus due to a global pandemic, a reshuffled schedule, and 13 rounds of a heavyweight title fight, it all comes down to this. Progressive American Flat Track will conclude its epic 2020 season and crown the year’s AFT SuperTwins presented by Vance & Hines Champion in this weekend’s Progressive AFT Finale at DAYTONA I & II at Daytona International Speedway, on Friday, October 16, and Saturday, October 17.

The prestigious premier class championship is still very much up in the air; teammates, preseason co-title favorites, and archrivals Briar Bauman (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) and Jared Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) are set to square off and determine the ‘20 Grand National Champion between them on the always unpredictable DAYTONA Short Track.

As a result of last Saturday’s race cancellation, reigning champion Bauman enters the finale with a nine-point advantage. That margin provides Mees one overriding mission: sweep both races — as he did in the year’s only other ST doubleheader — and he’s guaranteed the crown.

Bauman’s marching orders aren’t quite as clear cut other than the fact that above all else, he needs to prevent Mees from winning both Main Events. Should Bauman earn a victory in one of the doubleheader’s twin Mains, he’d only need to finish eighth or better in the other one, even if Mees happened to collect a win and a runner-up result on the weekend.

However, even though Bauman and Mees have won 11 of 13 races between them this season, it’s far from a certainty they’ll dominate again this weekend no matter how high the stakes. A look down the past winner’s list at the DAYTONA ST shows a huge range of names, including current competitors Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Coolbeth-Nila Racing Indian FTR750), Jake Johnson (No. 5 R/J Performance Racing/Hite Trucking Indian FTR750), Brandon Robinson (No. 44 HCRR Racing/Ben Evans Racing Indian FTR750) and Bryan Smith (No. 4 Harley-Davidson/Vance & Hines XG750R Rev X).

Bauman, incidentally, earned his maiden career premier-class win at the DAYTONA Short Track back in 2014. Mees, meanwhile, doesn’t count a victory at the track among his 53 career wins.

The stage is properly set for an explosive finale.

Defending AFT Production Twins king Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Roof Systems Yamaha MT-07) has turned it on as of late in a desperate bid to retain his title. Two wins and a second in his last three outings have provided him a mathematical chance to repeat, although he’s going to need plenty of help to pull it off.

James Rispoli (No. 43 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) has been the pick of the AFT Production Twins field in 2020, racking up seven wins, four seconds, a fourth, and a fifth en route to stacking up a 38-point advantage. Even if Texter sweeps the final two races, Rispoli needs just 12 points on the weekend (a single seventh-place finish or a pair of 13ths would be enough). In other words, “the Rocket” simply must avoid catastrophe.

The AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys championship is already decided thanks to an utterly crushing season’s effort on the part of Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F).

Daniels locked the AFT Singles title up three races early by piling up eight wins to the opposition’s combined five. With the newly crowned champ freed up from any championship concerns, you can expect him to eagerly go to battle with a loaded field motivated to bring his win streak (now at six and counting) to an end before the year is out.

Beyond the three primary classes, Royal Enfield’s innovative BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. program will be back in action at the Progressive AFT Finale at DAYTONA to again shine the spotlight on some of the fast females of flat track.

As always, spectator safety has been placed at a premium and Progressive AFT has worked closely with local health and government officials toward those ends. For more on the specific precautions being undertaken, please consult the Progressive AFT Events Health & Safety FAQ.

Tickets have been limited in order to promote a safe atmosphere and allow for proper social distancing and can be purchased at https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3134. General Admission Grandstand tickets are $30 on Friday/$40 on Saturday (all ages). A limited number of Premium Trackside General Admission Grandstand tickets are available for $40 on Friday/$50 on Saturday (all ages).

Live coverage of the entire weekend’s racing activities will be available on any device for less than $1 per event via TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.

The Progressive AFT Finale at DAYTONA I & II will air back-to-back on NBCSN on Saturday, October 31, starting at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT. The broadcasts will include exclusive features, cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage, and the expert commentary of Progressive AFT legend Chris Carr.

For more information on Progressive American Flat Track visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.

To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit the Official AFT Merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.

AHRMA: Wessell Wins Handshift Shootout At Barber

David Swarts

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October 13, 2020

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AHRMA: Wessell Wins Handshift Shootout At Barber

The 3rd Annual Handshift Shootout took place at Barber Motorsports Park this past weekend (October 10-11) in the pouring rain, as bands of Hurricane Delta swept through Birmingham. The races were held towards the end of lunch each day, each race scheduled for 3 laps with the rules set for the racer that scored best on both days would be the winner who would take home the trophy. The trophy is a beautiful sculpture of a handshift bike, and was designed, constructed and donated by artist and AHRMA member Pat Deason, of Sevierville, Tennessee.

While the field was small, the racing was vigorous, with the following results:

Race Results:

Saturday, Oct 10

1 – #81 Ralph Wessell, Daytona, FL, 1937 Indian

2 – #335 Tim Droege, Columbia, PA, 1939 Harley-Davidson WLDD

3 – #707 Lewis Leonard, South Daytona, FL, 1937 Indian Sport Scout

4 – #95X Mark Newman, Toano, VA, 1939 Harley-Davidson WLD

Sunday, Oct 11

1 – #335 Tim Droege, Columbia, PA, 1939 Harley-Davidson WLDD

2 – #81 Ralph Wessell, Daytona, FL, 1937 Indian

3 – #707 Lewis Leonard, South Daytona, FL, 1937 Indian Sport Scout

4 – #95X Mark Newman, Toano, VA, 1939 Harley-Davidson WLD

With Wessel and Droege trading wins, the Race Referee broke the tie with a coin toss called by Droege, with Wessell winning 1st place and taking home the trophy.

Ralph Wessell with his first-place trophy for winning the AHRMA Handshift Shootout. Photo by etechphoto.com, courtesy AHRMA.

MotoAmerica: Video Recap With Josh Herrin At Barber

David Swarts

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October 13, 2020

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MotoAmerica: Video Recap With Josh Herrin At Barber

A roller coaster weekend of racing at Barber Motorsports Park for the MotoAmerica 2020 series..

Download MotoAmerica Live + to watch all the past and future races! https://www.motoamericaliveplus.com/v…

Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/josh_herrin/

Filmed & Edited by Nick van der Vegt https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1RS…

MotoGP: Morbidelli, Quartararo Hope For Good Weather

David Swarts

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October 13, 2020

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MotoGP: Morbidelli, Quartararo Hope For Good Weather

PETRONAS Yamaha SRT hopeful of better conditions in Aragón

Double-header at MotorLand Aragón up next for Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli

This weekend will see PETRONAS Yamaha SRT’s MotoGP pairing of Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli in action at MotorLand Aragón, for the first of two races at the Spanish circuit. Quartararo heads into the Gran Premio de Aragón having extended his championship lead last time out, as did the Malaysian squad in the teams’ standings.

After the mixed conditions at his home GP last weekend, current championship leader Quartararo will be hoping for a slightly more straight-forward race this weekend. Although the Frenchman has never stepped on the Aragón podium, he is confident of being able to put together another good performance and continue fighting for the world championship title.

Team-mate Morbidelli, who will be looking for a good result after picking up an unfortunate DNF at Le Mans, has visited the podium at MotorLand Aragón twice: once in 2016, when he finished third in Moto2, and again in 2017, when he won the race in the intermediate category. After being taken out by another rider on the first lap of the 2019 edition, the Italian will be looking to take the speed from Le Mans and make a return to the top-3 this weekend.

PETRONAS Yamaha SRT will kick off their tenth round of the year at 9.55am local time (3.55pm MYT) on Friday. Sunday’s 23-lap MotoGP race will get underway at 2pm local time (8pm MYT).

Fabio Quartararo

We are in a good position going to Aragón, we don’t really need to change anything with the bike. It is a track that could be a little difficult for us, but we have the extra motivation that we are there to fight for a really good result. We are fighting for the championship, last weekend we managed to increase our lead in tricky conditions and so I think we can do really well again this weekend. First of all we will look to enjoy being back on the bike, then look at how we can make it a great GP for us and, of course, see what the conditions are like when we arrive.

Franco Morbidelli

Going to Spain this weekend, I expect that we will be fast! I love the MotorLand Aragón circuit. I won there in 2017 when I was in the Moto2 championship and I think that we can do a really good job there this year. It’s a shame we aren’t going there with better results from France, but we were super fast at Le Mans and we need to take this speed with us to Aragón this weekend. I don’t think that we will need to change a lot on the bike, of course we need to see what the conditions are like but I think it will be a good GP for us.

ASMA: Heemsbergen Reclaims Formula Arroyo Crown

David Swarts

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October 13, 2020

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ASMA: Heemsbergen Reclaims Formula Arroyo Crown

Heemsbergen Crowned Formula Arroyo Champion

Arroyo Seco Raceway Owner Reclaims the #1 Plate

Last Sunday, October 11, Roger Heemsbergen once again dominated Arroyo Seco Raceway located near Deming, New Mexico. Heemsbergen won each of his races, and most importantly, the premier Formula Arroyo sponsored by Evan Steel Performance. With this triumph, he has scored ample points to tie up the championship in the penultimate round, and he will now need find a new shelf to place this championship trophy beside the last he earned back in 2014.

The Formula Arroyo began with Jason Brown grabbing the hole shot, with Mario Burgos and Heemsbergen just behind in the two and three spots. Brown and his Kawasaki ZX-10R held onto the first position for mere seconds until Heemsbergen forced his way past to take the lead. From that point on, Heemsbergen’s determination to wrap up the championship proved too strong for his rivals as he walked away and left the pursuing group in his vanishing footprints.

Hungry for more than the bottom step of the podium, Burgos and his Kawasaki ZX-10R made a bid to steal the two spot from Brown during the third lap when he showed Brown a tire inside of the Horseshoe, but Brown refused to relinquish his position and it was Burgos who’d lose a position the following lap to Ben Alarcon and his Yamaha YZF-R6 who was harder on the brakes into the Bus Stop. On lap five, Burgos retired from the race due to overwhelming frustration with his new machine that proved too unruly to tame.

On lap six, just before the half point of the race, Alarcon caught up to Brown and moved his machine into second, thanks to a dive for the inside line in the Horseshoe. But Brown snapped at the reins of his ZX-10R and galloped past Alarcon on the front straight. The two continued to tussle as Alarcon snatched second back in the 111 a lap later and Brown threatened into the Carousel and Esses, but Alarcon’s late braking once again proved unsurmountable. With drastic tire loss and shifting issues, Brown’s pace capsized on lap eight. Jordan Trapkoff and his Suzuki GSX-R600, in contrast, had been shedding time with each lap, and he took advantage of Brown’s misfortunes to grab the third spot that he’d hold until the checkers.

The fastest three were Heemsbergen with a 1:08.846, and a 1:11.553 and 1:11.587 from Alarcon and Trapkoff respectively. Heemsbergen was especially proud of his lightning-quick time as he hadn’t been in the 8’s since his previous championship-winning season in 2014.

In the ranks of amateur riders, Alex Cusick onboard a Triumph Daytona 675 was most impressive as he swept the day’s races with top-of-the-podium finishes. The soon-to-be expert rider had crashed out of the final race last round, but he was able to make repairs to the Triumph’s fuel tank, forks, foot pegs, handle bars, and throttle in time for this penultimate round. In a new, unscathed suit, Cusick dominated the day as well as the premier amateur race, the Formula Amateur sponsored by Speedcell. He led the race from green to checkered, and with yet another win, Cusick is likely to claim the series throne as champion.

Second in the series Alissa Fergusson and her Yamaha YZF-R6 maintained the two spot until the fourth lap when she momentarily left the track into the Esses and Joshua Steele and his R6 made a pass, and he would hold onto his new position until the checkers. It seemed that Fergusson would surrender another position in the seventh lap when Joey Soule and his R6 charged past Fergusson on the back straight, but he had difficulty slowing his machine and also went off track just before the Esses. Scott George and his R6 tried a roll of the dice with a pass on Fergusson that same lap, and he succeeded by squeezing past on the inside of the Horseshoe. George fended off Fergusson for the remaining half of the race and blazed past the finish line in third position.

The final round of racing at Arroyo Seco Raceway is scheduled for the weekend of November 7-8, with testing on the seventh and racing on the eighth. Information and schedule can be found on the ASMA website at www.asmaracing.com.

Race Results for Round Four at Arroyo Seco Raceway

Formula Arroyo by Evan Steel Performance

Roger Heemsbergen (BMW S1000RR)
Ben Alarcon (Yam YZF-R6)
Jordan Trapkoff (Suz GSX-R600)
Jason Brown (Kaw ZX-10R)
Mario Burgos (Kaw ZX-10R)

Formula Amateur by Speedcell

Alex Cusick (Tri 675)
Joshua Steele (Yam YZF-R6)
Scott George (Yam YZF-R6)
Alissa Fergusson (Yam YZF-R6)
Joey Soule (Yam YZF-R6)
Ryan McMicken

Formula Femme by Law Tigers

Janeth Edwards (Kaw 400)
Alissa Fergusson (Hon 500)
Jessica Dawson (Kaw 300)
Jasmine Owens (Hon 250)
Capri Stuart (Kaw 400)

Unlimited Superbike by kurveygirl.com

Expert

Jason Brown (Kaw ZX-10R)
Andre Pettas (Yam YZF-R6)

Amateur

Alex Cusick (Tri 675)
Joshua Steele (Yam YZF-R6)
Scott George (Yam YZF-R6)
Joey Soule (Yam YZF-R6)
Alfonso Sanchez
Aaron Schlagel

Unlimited Superstock by New Mexico Orthopaedics

Expert

Mario Burgos (Kaw ZX-10R)
Andre Pettas (Yam YZF-R6)
Keith Hertell

Amateur

Alex Cusick (Tri 675)
Scott George (Yam YZF-R6)
Joshua Steele (Yam YZF-R6)
Joey Soule (Yam YZF-R6)
Aaron Schlagel
Kevin Caputo

Formula 40 by Southwest Suzuki / Kawasaki / Beta

Roger Heemsbergen (BMW S1000RR)
Mario Burgos (Kaw ZX-10R)
John Friesen (Yam YZF-R6)
Keith Hertell
Aaron Schlagel
Loren Jury (Yam YZF-R6)

Middleweight Superbike by Law Tigers

Expert

Jordan Trapkoff (Suz GSX-R600)
Ben Alarcon (Yam YZF-R6)
Andre Pettas (Yam YZF-R6)
Joe Janiga (Kaw ZX-6R)
John Friesen (Yam YZF-R6)
Keith Hertell

Amateur

Alex Cusick (Tri 675)
Joshua Steele (Yam YZF-R6)
Scott George (Yam YZF-R6)
Alissa Fergusson (Yam YZF-R6)
Joey Soule (Yam YZF-R6)
Alfonso Sanchez (Yam YZF-R6)

Middleweight Superstock by Las Cruces Smoke Shop

Expert

Ben Alarcon (Yam YZF-R6)
Jordan Trapkoff (Suz GSX-R600)
Andre Pettas (Yam YZF-R6)
John Friesen (Yam YZF-R6)
Keith Hertell
Joe Janiga (Kaw ZX-6R)

Amateur

Alex Cusick (Tri 675)
Joshua Steele (Yam YZF-R6)
Scott George (Yam YZF-R6)
Joey Soule (Yam YZF-R6)
Alfonso Sanchez (Yam YZF-R6)
Kevin Caputo

Southwest Thunder / 500 Cup by Fast by Few

Jared Kapoor (Kaw 400)
Leif Munson (Kaw 400)
Justin Rutledge (Kaw 400)
Andre Orozco (Kaw 650)
Daniel Berger (Tri 675)
Kevin Hanlon

Formula 500 by Law Tigers

Jared Kapoor (Kaw 400)
Justin Rutledge (Kaw 400)
Dan Garrison (Hon 450)
Steven Kopp
Greg Talbot (Kaw 300)
Charles Silver

Lightweight Gran Prix by Fast by Few

Dan Garrison (Hon 450)
Jared Kapoor (Kaw 300)
Leif Munson (Kaw 400)
Andre Orozco (Kaw 300)
Steven Kopp
Andres Morales

300 Superbike

Dan Garrison (Kaw 300)
Jared Kapoor (Kaw 300)
Greg Talbot (Kaw 300)
Andre Orozco (Kaw 300)
Charles Silver
Jasmine Owens (Yam YZF-R3)

Ultralight Gran Prix

Expert

Greg Talbot (Kaw 300)
Jared Kapoor (Kaw 300)
Leif Munson (Kaw 300)

Amateur

Andres Morales
Remington Glorioso (Yam YZF-R3)
Andre Orozco (Kaw 300)
Jaffet Sotelo
Brandon Lee
Loren Jury (Yam YZF-R3)

Beginner by Rio Grande Shovelheads

Kevin Caputo
Jose Rios
Jeff Jordan
Jesus Palma
Taylor Dewey

Hertz Ride Adding MV Agusta Rentals

David Swarts

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October 13, 2020

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MV Agusta announces partnership with Hertz Ride and the launch of new fleet in Italy and France

Varese, Italy, October 13, 2020 – MV Agusta and Hertz Ride are thrilled to announce a new partnership that allows thousands of moto tourism enthusiasts who tour with Hertz Ride every year to have brand new MV Agusta models available for their next riding experience.

Hertz Ride offers a wide range of fully equipped, high-end motorcycles for rent in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, and the United States. Filling the ambition to deliver the tour of a lifetime to all motorcycle lovers and moto tourism enthusiasts, Hertz Ride has decided to enlarge its motorcycle brands’ portfolio and be relevant to new riders: In Europe, the chosen brand is MV Agusta. Starting in Italy and France, MV Agusta models – Turismo Veloce 800 Lusso SCS and Dragster Rosso – are available to rent. Portugal and Spain will follow at the beginning of the 2021 riding season and, later, the USA.

An MV Agusta Dragster Rosso. Photo by MV Agusta.

This collaboration couldn’t be more appropriate, as MV Agusta and Hertz Ride share the same motorcycling ideals in their constant search for innovation and offer the best experience and the most enjoyable adventure when riding a motorcycle.

MV Agusta’s mission is not only to design, develop, and manufacture the most advanced motorcycles in the world but also to craft emotions. This vision concurs with Hertz Ride’s DNA, which seeks to provide motorcycle enthusiasts a tour of a lifetime, with cleverly designed routes meant to be complete and remarkable life experiences, a true escape from the daily routine with the finest motorcycles on the market.

About MV Agusta Motor S.p.A.:

MV Agusta is one of the world’s leading premium motorcycles manufacturers. Based in Varese, in Northern Italy, it crafts legendary racetrack-derived bikes. Iconic design and class-leading performance through advanced technologies and materials make MV Agusta motorcycles admired the world over and celebrated as unique pieces of Motorcycle Art. Since 1945, the brand has evolved to become a point of reference in the industry, having won 37 World Championship titles. A record still undisputed. www.mvagusta.com

About Hertz Ride:

Hertz Ride is offering premium motorcycle rental service for both short and long durations, and even for one-way international road trips. The company offers adventure travel enthusiasts not only motorcycle rental, but also the option of guided or self-guided tours. See our selection of motorcycles that we have to offer you and start your adventure. For riders’ comfort and added safety, Hertz equips its bikes with keyless ignition, side panniers, a top case, and engine protection accessories. We are committed to making each of our tours as unique and special as you expect it to be. Our selection of routes, attractions, restaurants, and hotels are second to none, and our experienced tour guides know how important the individual attention to each of our guests is. You can rest assured your journey with Hertz Ride will be memorable in every way.

Hertz Ride is operated by Hertz International Licensee HR Aluguer de Automoveis, owned the Hipogest Group.

Established in the 1974, Hipogest Group is one of the most pioneering regional automotive business groups headquartered in Portugal. Hipogest employs more than 550 people and operates in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Angola, Cape Verde and in the United States. Structured into four operational divisions; automotive, services, real estate and engineering, the success of Hipogest is attributed to proactively managing change and to its entrepreneurial culture. The majority of businesses built on a portfolio of world leading brands in their sector.

MotoAmerica: Scholtz Undergoes Successful Surgeries

October 14, 2020

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