Locatelli Crowned 2020 WorldSSP Champion with Victory in Barcelona
Andrea Locatelli, the 2020 FIM Supersport World Champion. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
With two rounds left to spare, Evan Bros Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Andrea Locatelli is crowned the 2020 FIM Supersport World Champion, after flying to his 10th victory of the season in a superb second race in Barcelona.
After the disappointment of yesterday, where Locatelli was caught out by the timing of the red flag and finished fourth, the Italian was keen to make amends in Race 2. After dropping back to fourth from pole position on the start, the 23-year-old battled hard amongst the leading group throughout the first half of the race.
Locatelli then made his move forwards, retaking the lead on lap 10 and pulling clear to take victory and the championship. This marks the Evan Bros Yamaha team’s second consecutive riders’ title and the fourth in a row for the Yamaha R6, while Locatelli also becomes the first WorldSSP rider to win 10 races in a season.
Elsewhere, Kallio Racing Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Isaac Vinales was also looking to score a better result, after dropping to 15th in yesterday’s chaotic race. The Spaniard had a slow initial getaway from the third row and found himself in 12th after lap one. Friday’s pace-setter then made his way through the second group of riders, setting the fastest lap in the process on his way to sixth.
GMT94 Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Corentin Perolari was in amongst the lead group battle for much of the 17-lap race, having got through into second from third on the grid early on. The French rider continued to challenge the leaders, but tyre degradation issues saw him drop back to eighth at the finish.
In 10th was Kallio Racing Yamaha’s Hannes Soomer, who takes his seventh top 10 finish of the season, while bLU cRU Yamaha WorldSSP by MS Racing Team’s Andy Verdoïa, fresh from his emphatic maiden victory in yesterday’s opener, was 14th. Teammate Galang Hendra Pratama was unfortunate to record his second DNF of the weekend, after a fall at Turn 10 on the second lap, with yesterday’s third-place finisher, GMT94 Yamaha’s Kyle Smith, taken out on the third lap.
Andrea Locatelli: World Champion
Evan Bros Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team
“It was a really good day today. We had a great victory and it’s amazing to be crowned the world champion. I was a little bit tired today after yesterday’s crazy race, but now we can relax a bit. I am thankful to everyone at Evan Bros Yamaha, they prepared an incredible bike all year. It’s also great to write my name in the record books with the 10th win of the season and I’m very proud of the job we did.”
Andrea Dosoli
Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager
“Congratulations to Andrea for winning the title, especially in the way his has done this – dominating a lot of races. He showed not only speed, but how he could keep his focus every single weekend, and impressed with his preparation and motivation. Congratulations also to all the guys at Evan Bros Yamaha and Fabio Evangelista for the second title in a row, demonstrating the professional level achieved by this team. This is also the fourth consecutive title for the Yamaha R6, which also confirms the bike’s speed and the incredible development work done.”
FENATI MAKES HISTORY WITH VICTORY AT MOTO3™ EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX
HUSQVARNA MOTORCYCLES CELEBRATES A FIRST EVER SUCCESS IN MOTO3 AS ROMANO FENATI RACES HIS FR 250 GP TO 1ST PLACE AT THE SECOND GRAND PRIX IN A ROW IN SAN MARINO
Romano Fenati on top of the Moto3 podium at Misano. Photo courtesy Husqvarna.
Fenati, who was just over half a second from a podium finish at the Grand Prix the previous Sunday, launched straight into content for a trophy in the opening stages. He was part of a group that fluctuated between eight to fourteen riders all circulating at the front of a typically hectic Moto3 affair with many position changes and tight overtaking moves.
Fenati put himself into a strong position for the decisive last lap by running fourth, and then with two corners remaining kept a tight inside line while Jaume Masia and Celestino Vietti pushed each other wide. The Italian made use of the space to seize the lead and cross the finish line to capture Husqvarna Motorcycles first-ever road racing triumph (after having two previous Moto3 podium results in 2014). With his twelfth career win he achieved the distinction of having the highest total in Moto3 history. It was his first chequered flag since the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix.
Lopez showed decent speed to vie for the top fifteen but was penalised with a long lap penalty at almost half-race distance. The young Spaniard entered the thin extension zone to Turn 9 but lost control of his motorcycle on entry and crashed out.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Cataluyna will host the third Grand Prix in three weeks on September 27th. Thanks to his 25 points obtained at Misano, Fenati has risen to 10th in the championship standings.
Romano Fenati: “It is a special emotion for me to win here in Italy. Previously we had some problems being part of the group and at the start of the race but now I have more confidence with my front brake, and I can overtake well. For sure, it is hard because the other riders are fast: too fast! Seriously though the bike was really good and my feeling with the front end also. We worked hard this weekend to find the best way for braking: if there is a big leading group it is important to be able to overtake on the inside. I’m happy because two races ago I was in the top twenty and now I’m first! It’s important now to stay at the front and important to make another step. For the moment I’m very happy.”
Alonso Lopez: “I’m disappointed. I believe we had good potential and even with the long lap sanction I thought we could make a very good race. Unfortunately, I crashed and that was it. In Barcelona we have to make another step in our performance, and I think it will be a positive weekend because we are working very well now.”
Max Biaggi, Team Principal: “We are very happy and proud to make the first victory for Husqvarna. Thanks to the team for their work and of course Romano did the main job. We were waiting for this victory for a long time.”
FERRARI WINS RACE TWO AT MISANO AS AEGERTER IS TAKEN OUT
Matteo Ferrari (11) leads MotoE Race Two at Misano II. Photo courtesy Dorna.
In its short history so far, the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup has taught riders and fans that no championship lead is ever safe. This bitter lesson was learned today at Misano World Circuit by Dominique Aegerter (Dynnavolt IntactGP), who found himself in the gravel trap outside turn two as his podium dreams shattered courtesy of an overly ambitious manoeuvre by Tommaso Marcon (Tech 3 E-Racing). The Italian was trying to recover the third place he had just lost from Mattia Casadei (Ongetta Sic58 Squadracorse) but was way too fast in the quick change of direction between turns one and two and ended up hitting the back of Aegerter’s Ego Corsa machine #77.
This incident allowed Matteo Ferrari (Team Trentino Gresini MotoE) to pull clear from Casadei and Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40), who ended up slowing each other down in the battle for second place after initially looking capable of bridging the gap to the leader. Despite a brief moment in second place, Torres was unable to maintain runner-up spot from Casadei who looked a lot more comfortable aboard his Energica Ego Corsa machine under braking.
With what was his fourth win from five races at Misano in two years, the reigning world cup champion Matteo Ferrari is the new series leader with 86 points, with Aegerter and Torres four and seven points behind, respectively. Casadei is fourth some 15 points shy of the lead.
Niccolò Canepa (LCR E-Team) edged Alessandro Zaccone (Team Trentino Gresini MotoE) for fourth, with Mike Di Meglio (EG0,0 Marc VDS), Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) and Alex De Angelis (OCTO Pramac MotoE) completing the top eight. Alejandro Medina (OpenBank Aspar Team) was penalised with one position due to exceeding track limits on the last lap and was ninth ahead of Xavi Cardelus (Avintia Esponsorama Racing).
The final event of the 2020 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup will take place on October 11th at Le Mans in France, with two more races to decide the winner of the title in what is shaping to be a thrilling and exciting season finale.
Stay tuned via Energica social media and visit www.energicamotor.com in order to keep up to date with the latest news from Jerez and do not forget to listen to the ‘Electrifying Podcast’ for some special episodes about the racing weekend
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Scenes From MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
NJMP
New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, New Jersey
September 11-13, 2020
The unstoppable Cameron Beaubier (1) jumps out front of Sunday’s MotoAmerica Superbike race at New Jersey Motorsports Park, chased by Jake Gagne (32), Mathew Scholtz (11), Bobby Fong (50), Kyle Wyman (33), Cam Petersen (45), and Josh Herrin (2). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Race team members lining up on the front straightaway at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Friday morning of the race weekend, September 11th, remembering the Americans killed on the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks known as 9/11. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Crew Chief Melissa Paris and rider Cam Petersen hug after he won the Stock 1000 race at NJMP. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Rider Mathew Scholtz hugs Westby Racing team owner Tryg Westby after finishing second in the Saturday Superbike race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BARTCON Racing paraded a patriotic Mustang on a lap as part of the 9/11 memorial held on Friday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Sean Dylan Kelly (40) leads Brandon Paasch (21), Richie Escalante (54), Kevin Olmedo (16), Xavier Zayat, Benjamin Smith, and Lucas Silva (23) in the Saturday Supersport race; points leader Escalante won. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.The Sunday MotoAmerica Supersport podium, winner Sean Dylan Kelly flanked by second-place Brandon Paasch (left) and third-place Richie Escalante (right). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Richie Escalante’s leathers showed tire marks at the post-race press conference. The dominant rider in the 2020 Supersport season was elated by the battle despite finishing third. Photo by David Swarts.
Heavy rains Thursday night caused drainage problems on Friday, with rivers running across the pavement and puddles forming on the pavement. On Friday evening track employees and volunteers worked to direct the water away from the track, by digging drainage ditches. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Defending Champion Rocco Landers (1) won both Junior Cup races at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Here, he leads South African immigrants Dominic Doyle (25) and Sam Lochoff (57) on Saturday. Landers doubled down on racing with MotoAmerica when European countries enacted Covid-19 related travel restrictions, putting the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup season in question. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Seen On Pit Lane: Westby Racing’s generators are encased in a ventilated stainless steel cart, and a set of spare bodywork has its own lightweight, wheeled cart. Photo by John Ulrich.Seen On Pit Lane: Aussie Dave Racing (ADR) has a rolling toolbox with a TV for the live video feed and another TV for the timing and scoring feed. Photo by John Ulrich.
Rocco Landers (97) is doing double duty at MotoAmerica events, winning in both Junior Cup (on a Kawasaki Ninja 400) and in Twins Cup races (on a Suzuki SV650). Here, Landers leads the first Twins Cup race on a SportbikeTrackGear.com SV650, chased by Teagg Hobbs (79), on another Suzuki SV650; Kaleb De Keyrel (51) on a Yamaha MT-07; Dominic Doyle (25), Jackson Blackmon (18), and Toby Khamsouk (27) on SV650s; and Hayden Schultz on a Yamaha MT-07. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Ben Gloddy (72) at the podium, letting his brother Kyle hold his third-place trophy from Junior Cup Race Two at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Past AMA Pro 250cc Grand Prix Champion and AMA Pro Superbike star Sam McDonald is now son Cooper’s crew chief. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Superfans support New Jersey homeboy Brandon Paasch in front of the podium after Paasch’s epic battle and almost-win in Supersport on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.MotoAmerica officials Matt Kellerman (left) and Jonathan Matthews (right) working on pit lane. Photo by John Ulrich.
Beaubier Gets The 50th Superbike Win Of His Career
50 Wins In 105 Starts For The Champ
The start of MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BIRMINGHAM, AL (September 19, 2020) – Earlier this year, Cameron Beaubier celebrated the 100th AMA Superbike race of his career with a victory in Pittsburgh. Today, he went out and won for the 50th time in the premier class of the MotoAmerica series in what was his 105th start. That translates to a winning percentage of .476. In other words, Beaubier has won nearly half of the Superbike races in which he has started. Impressive stuff.
Today’s win came in HONOS Superbike race one of the MotoAmerica Superbikes at Alabama round of the 2020 MotoAmerica Series at Barber Motorsports Park and, like the majority of his wins in 2020, it was a dominant one. Beaubier ran wide on the opening lap in turn five, allowing Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz to squeeze past. The four-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion, however, wasted little time in re-passing the South African and from there he was never headed, winning his 12th race of the season by 4.5 seconds with a celebratory stand-up wheelie across the finish line.
The win puts Beaubier at 300 points after 13 races and gives him an 89-point lead over his Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha teammate Jake Gagne heading into Sunday’s race two at Barber.
Cameron Beaubier (1) celebrates his 50th career Superbike race victory. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
“To be honest, it’s just weird,” Beaubier said of winning this 50th Superbike race. “It makes me feel old when you say I got 50 races. That’s crazy right now how fast everything goes by when you’re a motorcycle racer, I guess. It’s been incredible. It’s crazy. I don’t even know what to say about that. It’s pretty cool to be next to some of the greats on the books. In regard to today, I knew going into the race it was going to be pretty tough because both these guys had pretty strong pace, especially Mat (Scholtz) yesterday afternoon. He was just clicking off low 24s and high 23s. I knew today was going to be tough. I feel like we found a little bit of something this morning after practice going into Superpole. I just got really comfy out there on my bike. Put my head down there in the beginning. I almost ran off the track going down into Charlotte’s Web (turn five) and slotted into second. I knew I had pretty good new-tire pace, so I just wanted to try to get by Mat (Scholtz) as soon as I could and put my head down. He squared me up and passed me in the last corner, and then I was able to square by him on the straightaway. And then from there on I just put my head down and it seemed like they got in a little fight and I was able to sneak away early. Actually, my front tire, it felt like it started shredding there towards halfway to the end of the race. I was pretty nervous when I felt that feeling. I feel like every rider knows that feeling when you start to push that front and you feel it in almost every right-hander. It’s like you’re surfing. Just pushing over the pavement. It was pretty early on and I was like, ‘oh no, I’m done.’ But the thing hung in there and I was still able to do a couple high 23s and low 24s on it. I was surprised. I came in and it was cheese grated, but it still hung in there. So, hats off to Dunlop for bringing good tires this weekend. I feel like no one really knew what to expect going into this round and how the asphalt was going to be. Like I’ve said all weekend, the owners have done such a good job resurfacing this place.”
Gagne ended up second in the 20-lap race, coming out on top of a battle with Scholtz and earning himself a 10-point lead over Scholtz in the battle for second in the championship. For Gagne it was his 11th podium of the year and his seventh second-place finish.
“We’ve just been a little behind all weekend,” Gagne said. “We didn’t have the best day yesterday. Made a couple mistakes on a couple different sides of things. Reset today. We had a different bike today than we did yesterday. Kind of the bike that we brought from New Jersey. It just wasn’t working here yesterday. We kind of made a couple little mistakes, like I said. But hats off to the crew. They never give up. We’re always looking for those little improvements. Cam’s flying. Mat’s flying. We knew we were off yesterday, so we made it happen and had a better bike today. Got off to a pretty decent start. Mat and Cam were duking it out there on that first lap, so I had a good front-row seat for that. I saw Cam kind of really pull the pin and he took off. Now it was kind of me and Mat. I got a really good drive and slipped underneath him down the back straight there. Just tried to put my head down. I think all of us weren’t exactly sure how these tires were going to hold with the situation we’ve had all weekend. So, I think I was just trying to click off consistent paces. We were kind of there in the low 24s and mid 24s. I just kind of wanted to click off something I could keep doing until the end. The tires held up. These Dunlops held up good. Hats off to the team again. We’ll see if we can make a couple of changes tomorrow and try to pick up the pace a little bit, especially at the beginning when Cam’s out there.”
For Scholtz it was podium number nine on the season.
“Once Jake (Gagne) came past me I kind of thought that he would be quicker for the first half, but we kind of got to the halfway point and I wasn’t catching him as quick as I thought that I would,” So just have to go back to the trailer tomorrow and try to (find some) drive out of the corners. I feel like that’s where we were losing our time to Cam (Beaubier) and Jake. Cam was just flying, and Jake definitely pulled something out of the hat today.”
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Toni Elias finished fourth, 19.1 seconds behind Beaubier and 5.7 seconds ahead of Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen, the South African impressive in putting his Stock 1000-spec Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the top five of a HONOS Superbike race.
Sixth went to Elias’ teammate Bobby Fong, some two seconds behind Petersen. KATO Fastenings/KWR Ducati’s Kyle Wyman was seventh behind Fong and well in front of Scheibe Racing BMW’s Josh Herrin.
FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ Andrew Lee ended up ninth in his HONOS Superbike debut in his first ride on the team’s GSX-R1000 and his first ride of any kind on a Suzuki. Lee came out on top of a race-long battle with Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman by just .013 of a second.
Race two of round seven of the series will take place tomorrow afternoon at Barber Motorsports Park.
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Westby Racing’s Scholtz Podiums In Superbike And Wyman Is Eighth In Junior Cup At Barber Motorsports Park
Birmingham, AL – September 19, 2020 – Barber Motorsports Park is a favorite venue for Westby Racing, and the team’s performance on Saturday at the Alabama racetrack underscored the reasons why. Mathew Scholtz finished on the podium in the afternoon’s Superbike race, and Cody Wyman was eight in Junior Cup.
Mathew, who has reached the podium in 9 out of the 13 races so far this season, started from the second position on the grid aboard his Westby Racing YZF-R1 Superbike, got a good jump off the line, took it straight to championship leader and polesitter Cameron Beaubier, and even led the race briefly before Cameron passed him back and went on to win the race. Mathew then had to contend with Cameron’s teammate Jake Gagne. Jake also got by Mathew, but then, Mathew held onto third place tenaciously for the remaining 17 circulations of the 20-lap event and rounded out the all-Yamaha podium.
“Once Jake came past me, I kind of thought that he would be quicker for the first half, but we kind of got to the halfway point, and I wasn’t catching him as quickly as I thought that I would,” Mathew said. “So, we just have to go back to the trailer tomorrow and try to find some drive out of the corners. I feel like that’s where we were losing our time to Cam and Jake. Cam was just flying, and Jake definitely pulled something out of the hat today.”
Sunday’s Superbike Race Two is at 3 PM Central and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and Eurosport, as well as streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
In Saturday’s Junior Cup race and aboard the only Yamaha YZF-R3 in the field, Cody qualified 12th, which put him back on the fourth row and at a distinct disadvantage from the start. And, as has been the case this entire season, he found himself mired in a pack of seven riders who were all battling for fourth place in the results. Being in the best position on the final lap and across the finish line is, of course, the name of the game, and considering where he started, finishing eighth at the checkers was a decent result and an admirable job by Cody.
“I made it really hard on myself in qualifying,” Cody said. “We tried getting a tow in the final qualifying session this morning, but it just didn’t work out, and I had to start at the end of the fourth row in 12th. In the race, even though I didn’t get the best start, I managed to get around a couple of riders. I was only a couple of seconds behind a big battle, and I fought hard to catch the group. I made some passes and got shuffled around. One time, I think I passed four or five bikes going into turn five. I was pretty happy to be in a battle for fourth for the last half of the race. As most of the Junior Cup races are, though, the shuffling continued, and I ended up in eighth at the finish. Overall. it wasn’t a bad race. The softer suspension settings that we went with gave me more confidence and more front-end feel, which is something that I was lacking yesterday and this morning. We’ll try to do better tomorrow and hopefully finish in the top five.”
Sunday’s Junior Cup Race Two is at 2:15 PM Central and will be broadcast via tape-delay on FS2 (check your local listings for FS2 airtimes), in addition to being live-streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Beaubier Keeps Win Streak Rolling at Barber
Reigning MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier scored his 12th victory of 2020 in Saturday’s race one at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama. Teammate Jake Gagne joined him on the podium for another Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing 1-2 finish.
Beaubier continues to raise the bar and smash track records. He topped his lap record on Friday, throwing down a 1:22.676 to take his sixth Superpole of the season in seven tries. He grabbed the holeshot from pole position, but then ran wide at Charlotte’s Web, allowing Mathew Scholtz through. Beaubier tried to counter but the Westby Racing Yamaha rider held him off. He got the drive out of the final corner and retook the lead before the start of lap two and never looked back, scoring a commanding 50th-career superbike victory. Beaubier’s 12th win of the season gives him a round total of 300 points, 89 points clear of his teammate with seven races remaining.
Gagne qualified third for an all-Yamaha front row. The Californian got a decent start in third and after Beaubier made his way into the lead, Gagne waited for his opportunity to pass Scholtz. Hot on his heels, he was able to make the move on lap four after the fast chicane along the back straight. Gagne put in some consistent laps to score a solid second-place finish, his 10th podium of the season.
The Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing team heads into Sunday’s race two looking to return to the top of the podium at Barber Motorsports Park.
Richard Stanboli – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Today’s 1-2 finish was extra satisfying since Westby Racing Yamaha brought their A-game and made us work hard for our result. Both Cameron and Jake rode great and our Yamaha R1s performed flawlessly, as usual. We look forward to tomorrow’s race.”
Cameron Beaubier – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“It was a great day at Barber today with the track record in Superpole and another win in the books. My bike feels so good around this place. We wore the front tire pretty good, so we may have to make some changes going into race two. Other than that, all is well and I’m looking forward to getting back at it tomorrow.”
Jake Gagne – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“Hats off to the team because we started the weekend off not feeling too comfortable with the bike. We made some good changes today and the bike was much better. I got off to a good start and after a few laps, got into second and then just tried to click off consistent times. I wasn’t sure how the tires would wear but they held up better than I expected, so we should be able to push it a bit harder tomorrow.”
O’Halloran becomes the eighth wonder of 2020 Bennetts BSB with Oulton Park win
Jason O’Halloran became the eighth wonder of the 2020 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season, winning the opening race at Oulton Park by the narrowest of margins following an intense tenth round of the series in Cheshire.
O’Halloran had been on the pace throughout free practice, claiming pole position for today’s race for the McAMS Yamaha team, but it was a hard-fought victory for the Australian as he faced some serious competition in his quest to return to the top step for the first time since 2016.
At the start of the race, Glenn Irwin had hit the front of the pack ahead of brother Andrew and O’Halloran, as disaster struck Silverstone race-winner Kyle Ryde as he crashed out unhurt on the opening lap.
O’Halloran had taken the lead on the second lap, but in a frantic battle for the win, just four laps later Christian Iddon had taken the advantage at the front, after carving his way up the order.
As the VisionTrack Ducati rider led the freight train of riders, Andrew Irwin was also eager to fight his way though and he had moved into second place.
By the tenth lap O’Halloran had dropped back to fourth, as Iddon started coming under fire from the Honda Racing pairing with Andrew and Glenn holding second and third place.
O’Halloran wasn’t defeated though and he moved ahead of the championship leader and then into second place with three laps remaining as he began his fightback to the front.
Iddon was defending hard but it wasn’t enough on the final lap as O’Halloran was able to grab the advantage and hold off the Snetterton race winner, to claim victory by 0.358s for McAMS Yamaha.
The race also proved to be a highlight for the Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki team as Danny Buchan claimed his first podium finish of the season; moving into third place with two laps to go as he pushed the Honda Racing pairing for the final spot in the top three.
The third place for Buchan means that five different manufacturers have now finished on the podium this season as he became the ninth different rider to celebrate a podium result.
Andrew Irwin held off brother Glenn for fourth place at the chequered flag, as his lead in the championship standings was reduced by five points as O’Halloran leapt up to second in the standings ahead of tomorrow’s two races.
Lee Jackson was sixth after getting ahead of Bradley Ray and Josh Brookes in the closing stages of Round 10 with Tarran Mackenzie and Gino Rea completing the top ten.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, Round 10 result:
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha)
Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) +0.358s
Danny Buchan (Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki) +0.804s
Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) +3.959s
Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) +4.069s
Lee Jackson (Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki) +4.119s
Bradley Ray (SYNETIQ BMW) +4.359s
Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) +4.476s
Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +5.884s
Gino Rea (Buildbase Suzuki) +14.324s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Round 10:
Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) 168 points
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 138
Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) 130
Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) 126
Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 124
Kyle Ryde (Buildbase Suzuki) 114
Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 108
Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) 96
Lee Jackson (Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki) 88
Danny Buchan (Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki) 63
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com Jason O’Halloran
(McAMS Yamaha)
Round 10 race winner
“I got a pretty good start and I got into the lead in the early to the middle part of the race, and thought ‘I might try and have a bit of a break’.
“I saw +0.4 on the board early on and then I didn’t get the opportunity to go again, and in the early part of the races Andrew and Glenn (Irwin) were quite strong, but we were strong in different places of the track. I am sure when they were behind me they struggled and when I was behind them they struggled!
“I had to bide my time and figure out a couple of places where I was stronger and where I could make some passes. I need to get past Christian (Iddon) with a couple to go as I didn’t want to leave it right until the last minute, so when I got in front, I put my head down, set the fastest lap of the race on the last lap and managed to get the win.
“It has been a long time between wins. We have had four race in the row now where I have been on the podium. We were so close at Silverstone and even back at Donington we had the speed to win, we just didn’t manage to get there.
“A huge thanks to McAMS and the whole McAMS Yamaha team they have given me a great bike this weekend, they have given me a great bike all year and we have been fast from the very beginning. It is thanks to them and I am looking forward to two races tomorrow.”
Bikes built by Team Hammer won their 98th and 99th AMA Pro/MotoAmerica races on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, with Altus Racing’s Cameron Petersen and SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki’s Rocco Landers earning victories on the day.
The venerable team, in the midst of its 40th consecutive pro racing campaign, will go for the century mark on Sunday.
Rocco Landers, a 15-year-old phenom, extended his run of domination in MotoAmerica Twins Cup action, scoring his fifth consecutive blowout victory in the class.
Landers’ scintillating pace aboard his SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki SV650 ultimately forced his primary rival into a mistake as he fought to make up the gap. That development opened the door to a nearly 20-second margin of victory and moved the rising star that much closer to the Twins Cup title.
Landers, who now boasts a 44-point advantage in the championship, said, “My SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki team has been working super hard and put a great program underneath us. I’m excited about the championship points. I couldn’t be happier right now.”
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly carried over the same fighting spirit he called upon to win the ‘race of the year’ last time out in MotoAmerica Supersport action at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
‘SDK’ exploited the agility of his Suzuki GSX-R600 to execute a series of passes for the lead in the race’s opening stages. His heroics would keep him in contention for only so long, however, as he was ultimately forced to settle in and power home to his 12th podium finish in succession.
After taking second, Kelly said, “I’m absolutely happy with the race today. We showed a good fight and that was the objective. I turned the fastest laps I’ve ever ridden here in the first few laps while battling for the lead. I’m glad we did what we did and there were a lot of good passes. But we need to keep on working. We made a good step forward for the race, and I’m sure we can do our homework and make another step for tomorrow. I’m really happy with my entire M4 ECSTAR Suzuki crew and I want to thank all my guys.”
Kelly’s Supersport stablemate, Lucas Silva, managed to keep his perfect season’s run of top-10s alive by finishing in 10th despite a crash earlier in the weekend.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Superbike aces, Toni Elias and Bobby Fong both showed the pace to pull off more top-five finishes, but Fong missed out due to a technical issue in the race. Fong ran in fourth aboard his GSX-R1000 early, well positioned to make a run at a podium position later in the race. Unfortunately, his pace faded down the stretch after encountering an electrical problem.
At that same time, former MotoAmerica Superbike and Moto2 World Champion Toni Elias was finding renewed speed. He made a pass for position and shook free from a three-rider fight for fifth. He then tracked down and overhauled Fong en route to a clear fourth-place finish. Fong soldiered on, losing just one more position before finally accepting sixth at the flag.
Finally, Joseph Blasius made an impressive Team Hammer return, battling for a podium position in the Twins Cup race dominated by Landers. Blasius was in contention for second deep into the race aboard the Autovest Suzuki SV650 before finally finishing fourth at the checkered flag.
The MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing weekend at Barber Motorsports Park will conclude on Sunday.
About Team Hammer
The 2020 season marks Team Hammer’s 40th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 99 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 274 times and have won seven 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.
Locatelli Crowned 2020 WorldSSP Champion with Victory in Barcelona
Andrea Locatelli, the 2020 FIM Supersport World Champion. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
With two rounds left to spare, Evan Bros Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Andrea Locatelli is crowned the 2020 FIM Supersport World Champion, after flying to his 10th victory of the season in a superb second race in Barcelona.
After the disappointment of yesterday, where Locatelli was caught out by the timing of the red flag and finished fourth, the Italian was keen to make amends in Race 2. After dropping back to fourth from pole position on the start, the 23-year-old battled hard amongst the leading group throughout the first half of the race.
Locatelli then made his move forwards, retaking the lead on lap 10 and pulling clear to take victory and the championship. This marks the Evan Bros Yamaha team’s second consecutive riders’ title and the fourth in a row for the Yamaha R6, while Locatelli also becomes the first WorldSSP rider to win 10 races in a season.
Elsewhere, Kallio Racing Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Isaac Vinales was also looking to score a better result, after dropping to 15th in yesterday’s chaotic race. The Spaniard had a slow initial getaway from the third row and found himself in 12th after lap one. Friday’s pace-setter then made his way through the second group of riders, setting the fastest lap in the process on his way to sixth.
GMT94 Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Corentin Perolari was in amongst the lead group battle for much of the 17-lap race, having got through into second from third on the grid early on. The French rider continued to challenge the leaders, but tyre degradation issues saw him drop back to eighth at the finish.
In 10th was Kallio Racing Yamaha’s Hannes Soomer, who takes his seventh top 10 finish of the season, while bLU cRU Yamaha WorldSSP by MS Racing Team’s Andy Verdoïa, fresh from his emphatic maiden victory in yesterday’s opener, was 14th. Teammate Galang Hendra Pratama was unfortunate to record his second DNF of the weekend, after a fall at Turn 10 on the second lap, with yesterday’s third-place finisher, GMT94 Yamaha’s Kyle Smith, taken out on the third lap.
Andrea Locatelli: World Champion
Evan Bros Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team
“It was a really good day today. We had a great victory and it’s amazing to be crowned the world champion. I was a little bit tired today after yesterday’s crazy race, but now we can relax a bit. I am thankful to everyone at Evan Bros Yamaha, they prepared an incredible bike all year. It’s also great to write my name in the record books with the 10th win of the season and I’m very proud of the job we did.”
Andrea Dosoli
Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager
“Congratulations to Andrea for winning the title, especially in the way his has done this – dominating a lot of races. He showed not only speed, but how he could keep his focus every single weekend, and impressed with his preparation and motivation. Congratulations also to all the guys at Evan Bros Yamaha and Fabio Evangelista for the second title in a row, demonstrating the professional level achieved by this team. This is also the fourth consecutive title for the Yamaha R6, which also confirms the bike’s speed and the incredible development work done.”
FENATI MAKES HISTORY WITH VICTORY AT MOTO3™ EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX
HUSQVARNA MOTORCYCLES CELEBRATES A FIRST EVER SUCCESS IN MOTO3 AS ROMANO FENATI RACES HIS FR 250 GP TO 1ST PLACE AT THE SECOND GRAND PRIX IN A ROW IN SAN MARINO
Romano Fenati on top of the Moto3 podium at Misano. Photo courtesy Husqvarna.
Fenati, who was just over half a second from a podium finish at the Grand Prix the previous Sunday, launched straight into content for a trophy in the opening stages. He was part of a group that fluctuated between eight to fourteen riders all circulating at the front of a typically hectic Moto3 affair with many position changes and tight overtaking moves.
Fenati put himself into a strong position for the decisive last lap by running fourth, and then with two corners remaining kept a tight inside line while Jaume Masia and Celestino Vietti pushed each other wide. The Italian made use of the space to seize the lead and cross the finish line to capture Husqvarna Motorcycles first-ever road racing triumph (after having two previous Moto3 podium results in 2014). With his twelfth career win he achieved the distinction of having the highest total in Moto3 history. It was his first chequered flag since the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix.
Lopez showed decent speed to vie for the top fifteen but was penalised with a long lap penalty at almost half-race distance. The young Spaniard entered the thin extension zone to Turn 9 but lost control of his motorcycle on entry and crashed out.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Cataluyna will host the third Grand Prix in three weeks on September 27th. Thanks to his 25 points obtained at Misano, Fenati has risen to 10th in the championship standings.
Romano Fenati: “It is a special emotion for me to win here in Italy. Previously we had some problems being part of the group and at the start of the race but now I have more confidence with my front brake, and I can overtake well. For sure, it is hard because the other riders are fast: too fast! Seriously though the bike was really good and my feeling with the front end also. We worked hard this weekend to find the best way for braking: if there is a big leading group it is important to be able to overtake on the inside. I’m happy because two races ago I was in the top twenty and now I’m first! It’s important now to stay at the front and important to make another step. For the moment I’m very happy.”
Alonso Lopez: “I’m disappointed. I believe we had good potential and even with the long lap sanction I thought we could make a very good race. Unfortunately, I crashed and that was it. In Barcelona we have to make another step in our performance, and I think it will be a positive weekend because we are working very well now.”
Max Biaggi, Team Principal: “We are very happy and proud to make the first victory for Husqvarna. Thanks to the team for their work and of course Romano did the main job. We were waiting for this victory for a long time.”
FERRARI WINS RACE TWO AT MISANO AS AEGERTER IS TAKEN OUT
Matteo Ferrari (11) leads MotoE Race Two at Misano II. Photo courtesy Dorna.
In its short history so far, the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup has taught riders and fans that no championship lead is ever safe. This bitter lesson was learned today at Misano World Circuit by Dominique Aegerter (Dynnavolt IntactGP), who found himself in the gravel trap outside turn two as his podium dreams shattered courtesy of an overly ambitious manoeuvre by Tommaso Marcon (Tech 3 E-Racing). The Italian was trying to recover the third place he had just lost from Mattia Casadei (Ongetta Sic58 Squadracorse) but was way too fast in the quick change of direction between turns one and two and ended up hitting the back of Aegerter’s Ego Corsa machine #77.
This incident allowed Matteo Ferrari (Team Trentino Gresini MotoE) to pull clear from Casadei and Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40), who ended up slowing each other down in the battle for second place after initially looking capable of bridging the gap to the leader. Despite a brief moment in second place, Torres was unable to maintain runner-up spot from Casadei who looked a lot more comfortable aboard his Energica Ego Corsa machine under braking.
With what was his fourth win from five races at Misano in two years, the reigning world cup champion Matteo Ferrari is the new series leader with 86 points, with Aegerter and Torres four and seven points behind, respectively. Casadei is fourth some 15 points shy of the lead.
Niccolò Canepa (LCR E-Team) edged Alessandro Zaccone (Team Trentino Gresini MotoE) for fourth, with Mike Di Meglio (EG0,0 Marc VDS), Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) and Alex De Angelis (OCTO Pramac MotoE) completing the top eight. Alejandro Medina (OpenBank Aspar Team) was penalised with one position due to exceeding track limits on the last lap and was ninth ahead of Xavi Cardelus (Avintia Esponsorama Racing).
The final event of the 2020 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup will take place on October 11th at Le Mans in France, with two more races to decide the winner of the title in what is shaping to be a thrilling and exciting season finale.
Stay tuned via Energica social media and visit www.energicamotor.com in order to keep up to date with the latest news from Jerez and do not forget to listen to the ‘Electrifying Podcast’ for some special episodes about the racing weekend
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ABOUT ENERGICA MOTOR COMPANY S.p.A
Energica Motor Company is the first Italian manufacturer of high-performing electric motorcycle and is the single manufacturer chosen by Dorna for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup. Energica Motorcycles are on sale worldwide.
New Jersey's own Brandon Paasch (21) stuffs it under Sean Dylan Kelly (40) who was already under Richie Escalante (54) in Supersport Race Two, one of the best Supersport battles seen in decades. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Roadracing World Presents
Scenes From MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
NJMP
New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, New Jersey
September 11-13, 2020
The unstoppable Cameron Beaubier (1) jumps out front of Sunday’s MotoAmerica Superbike race at New Jersey Motorsports Park, chased by Jake Gagne (32), Mathew Scholtz (11), Bobby Fong (50), Kyle Wyman (33), Cam Petersen (45), and Josh Herrin (2). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Race team members lining up on the front straightaway at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Friday morning of the race weekend, September 11th, remembering the Americans killed on the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks known as 9/11. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Crew Chief Melissa Paris and rider Cam Petersen hug after he won the Stock 1000 race at NJMP. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Rider Mathew Scholtz hugs Westby Racing team owner Tryg Westby after finishing second in the Saturday Superbike race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BARTCON Racing paraded a patriotic Mustang on a lap as part of the 9/11 memorial held on Friday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Sean Dylan Kelly (40) leads Brandon Paasch (21), Richie Escalante (54), Kevin Olmedo (16), Xavier Zayat, Benjamin Smith, and Lucas Silva (23) in the Saturday Supersport race; points leader Escalante won. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.The Sunday MotoAmerica Supersport podium, winner Sean Dylan Kelly flanked by second-place Brandon Paasch (left) and third-place Richie Escalante (right). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Richie Escalante’s leathers showed tire marks at the post-race press conference. The dominant rider in the 2020 Supersport season was elated by the battle despite finishing third. Photo by David Swarts.
Heavy rains Thursday night caused drainage problems on Friday, with rivers running across the pavement and puddles forming on the pavement. On Friday evening track employees and volunteers worked to direct the water away from the track, by digging drainage ditches. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Defending Champion Rocco Landers (1) won both Junior Cup races at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Here, he leads South African immigrants Dominic Doyle (25) and Sam Lochoff (57) on Saturday. Landers doubled down on racing with MotoAmerica when European countries enacted Covid-19 related travel restrictions, putting the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup season in question. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Seen On Pit Lane: Westby Racing’s generators are encased in a ventilated stainless steel cart, and a set of spare bodywork has its own lightweight, wheeled cart. Photo by John Ulrich.Seen On Pit Lane: Aussie Dave Racing (ADR) has a rolling toolbox with a TV for the live video feed and another TV for the timing and scoring feed. Photo by John Ulrich.
Rocco Landers (97) is doing double duty at MotoAmerica events, winning in both Junior Cup (on a Kawasaki Ninja 400) and in Twins Cup races (on a Suzuki SV650). Here, Landers leads the first Twins Cup race on a SportbikeTrackGear.com SV650, chased by Teagg Hobbs (79), on another Suzuki SV650; Kaleb De Keyrel (51) on a Yamaha MT-07; Dominic Doyle (25), Jackson Blackmon (18), and Toby Khamsouk (27) on SV650s; and Hayden Schultz on a Yamaha MT-07. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Ben Gloddy (72) at the podium, letting his brother Kyle hold his third-place trophy from Junior Cup Race Two at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Past AMA Pro 250cc Grand Prix Champion and AMA Pro Superbike star Sam McDonald is now son Cooper’s crew chief. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.Superfans support New Jersey homeboy Brandon Paasch in front of the podium after Paasch’s epic battle and almost-win in Supersport on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.MotoAmerica officials Matt Kellerman (left) and Jonathan Matthews (right) working on pit lane. Photo by John Ulrich.
Beaubier Gets The 50th Superbike Win Of His Career
50 Wins In 105 Starts For The Champ
The start of MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BIRMINGHAM, AL (September 19, 2020) – Earlier this year, Cameron Beaubier celebrated the 100th AMA Superbike race of his career with a victory in Pittsburgh. Today, he went out and won for the 50th time in the premier class of the MotoAmerica series in what was his 105th start. That translates to a winning percentage of .476. In other words, Beaubier has won nearly half of the Superbike races in which he has started. Impressive stuff.
Today’s win came in HONOS Superbike race one of the MotoAmerica Superbikes at Alabama round of the 2020 MotoAmerica Series at Barber Motorsports Park and, like the majority of his wins in 2020, it was a dominant one. Beaubier ran wide on the opening lap in turn five, allowing Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz to squeeze past. The four-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion, however, wasted little time in re-passing the South African and from there he was never headed, winning his 12th race of the season by 4.5 seconds with a celebratory stand-up wheelie across the finish line.
The win puts Beaubier at 300 points after 13 races and gives him an 89-point lead over his Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha teammate Jake Gagne heading into Sunday’s race two at Barber.
Cameron Beaubier (1) celebrates his 50th career Superbike race victory. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
“To be honest, it’s just weird,” Beaubier said of winning this 50th Superbike race. “It makes me feel old when you say I got 50 races. That’s crazy right now how fast everything goes by when you’re a motorcycle racer, I guess. It’s been incredible. It’s crazy. I don’t even know what to say about that. It’s pretty cool to be next to some of the greats on the books. In regard to today, I knew going into the race it was going to be pretty tough because both these guys had pretty strong pace, especially Mat (Scholtz) yesterday afternoon. He was just clicking off low 24s and high 23s. I knew today was going to be tough. I feel like we found a little bit of something this morning after practice going into Superpole. I just got really comfy out there on my bike. Put my head down there in the beginning. I almost ran off the track going down into Charlotte’s Web (turn five) and slotted into second. I knew I had pretty good new-tire pace, so I just wanted to try to get by Mat (Scholtz) as soon as I could and put my head down. He squared me up and passed me in the last corner, and then I was able to square by him on the straightaway. And then from there on I just put my head down and it seemed like they got in a little fight and I was able to sneak away early. Actually, my front tire, it felt like it started shredding there towards halfway to the end of the race. I was pretty nervous when I felt that feeling. I feel like every rider knows that feeling when you start to push that front and you feel it in almost every right-hander. It’s like you’re surfing. Just pushing over the pavement. It was pretty early on and I was like, ‘oh no, I’m done.’ But the thing hung in there and I was still able to do a couple high 23s and low 24s on it. I was surprised. I came in and it was cheese grated, but it still hung in there. So, hats off to Dunlop for bringing good tires this weekend. I feel like no one really knew what to expect going into this round and how the asphalt was going to be. Like I’ve said all weekend, the owners have done such a good job resurfacing this place.”
Gagne ended up second in the 20-lap race, coming out on top of a battle with Scholtz and earning himself a 10-point lead over Scholtz in the battle for second in the championship. For Gagne it was his 11th podium of the year and his seventh second-place finish.
“We’ve just been a little behind all weekend,” Gagne said. “We didn’t have the best day yesterday. Made a couple mistakes on a couple different sides of things. Reset today. We had a different bike today than we did yesterday. Kind of the bike that we brought from New Jersey. It just wasn’t working here yesterday. We kind of made a couple little mistakes, like I said. But hats off to the crew. They never give up. We’re always looking for those little improvements. Cam’s flying. Mat’s flying. We knew we were off yesterday, so we made it happen and had a better bike today. Got off to a pretty decent start. Mat and Cam were duking it out there on that first lap, so I had a good front-row seat for that. I saw Cam kind of really pull the pin and he took off. Now it was kind of me and Mat. I got a really good drive and slipped underneath him down the back straight there. Just tried to put my head down. I think all of us weren’t exactly sure how these tires were going to hold with the situation we’ve had all weekend. So, I think I was just trying to click off consistent paces. We were kind of there in the low 24s and mid 24s. I just kind of wanted to click off something I could keep doing until the end. The tires held up. These Dunlops held up good. Hats off to the team again. We’ll see if we can make a couple of changes tomorrow and try to pick up the pace a little bit, especially at the beginning when Cam’s out there.”
For Scholtz it was podium number nine on the season.
“Once Jake (Gagne) came past me I kind of thought that he would be quicker for the first half, but we kind of got to the halfway point and I wasn’t catching him as quick as I thought that I would,” So just have to go back to the trailer tomorrow and try to (find some) drive out of the corners. I feel like that’s where we were losing our time to Cam (Beaubier) and Jake. Cam was just flying, and Jake definitely pulled something out of the hat today.”
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Toni Elias finished fourth, 19.1 seconds behind Beaubier and 5.7 seconds ahead of Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen, the South African impressive in putting his Stock 1000-spec Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the top five of a HONOS Superbike race.
Sixth went to Elias’ teammate Bobby Fong, some two seconds behind Petersen. KATO Fastenings/KWR Ducati’s Kyle Wyman was seventh behind Fong and well in front of Scheibe Racing BMW’s Josh Herrin.
FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ Andrew Lee ended up ninth in his HONOS Superbike debut in his first ride on the team’s GSX-R1000 and his first ride of any kind on a Suzuki. Lee came out on top of a race-long battle with Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman by just .013 of a second.
Race two of round seven of the series will take place tomorrow afternoon at Barber Motorsports Park.
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Westby Racing’s Scholtz Podiums In Superbike And Wyman Is Eighth In Junior Cup At Barber Motorsports Park
Birmingham, AL – September 19, 2020 – Barber Motorsports Park is a favorite venue for Westby Racing, and the team’s performance on Saturday at the Alabama racetrack underscored the reasons why. Mathew Scholtz finished on the podium in the afternoon’s Superbike race, and Cody Wyman was eight in Junior Cup.
Mathew, who has reached the podium in 9 out of the 13 races so far this season, started from the second position on the grid aboard his Westby Racing YZF-R1 Superbike, got a good jump off the line, took it straight to championship leader and polesitter Cameron Beaubier, and even led the race briefly before Cameron passed him back and went on to win the race. Mathew then had to contend with Cameron’s teammate Jake Gagne. Jake also got by Mathew, but then, Mathew held onto third place tenaciously for the remaining 17 circulations of the 20-lap event and rounded out the all-Yamaha podium.
“Once Jake came past me, I kind of thought that he would be quicker for the first half, but we kind of got to the halfway point, and I wasn’t catching him as quickly as I thought that I would,” Mathew said. “So, we just have to go back to the trailer tomorrow and try to find some drive out of the corners. I feel like that’s where we were losing our time to Cam and Jake. Cam was just flying, and Jake definitely pulled something out of the hat today.”
Sunday’s Superbike Race Two is at 3 PM Central and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and Eurosport, as well as streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
In Saturday’s Junior Cup race and aboard the only Yamaha YZF-R3 in the field, Cody qualified 12th, which put him back on the fourth row and at a distinct disadvantage from the start. And, as has been the case this entire season, he found himself mired in a pack of seven riders who were all battling for fourth place in the results. Being in the best position on the final lap and across the finish line is, of course, the name of the game, and considering where he started, finishing eighth at the checkers was a decent result and an admirable job by Cody.
“I made it really hard on myself in qualifying,” Cody said. “We tried getting a tow in the final qualifying session this morning, but it just didn’t work out, and I had to start at the end of the fourth row in 12th. In the race, even though I didn’t get the best start, I managed to get around a couple of riders. I was only a couple of seconds behind a big battle, and I fought hard to catch the group. I made some passes and got shuffled around. One time, I think I passed four or five bikes going into turn five. I was pretty happy to be in a battle for fourth for the last half of the race. As most of the Junior Cup races are, though, the shuffling continued, and I ended up in eighth at the finish. Overall. it wasn’t a bad race. The softer suspension settings that we went with gave me more confidence and more front-end feel, which is something that I was lacking yesterday and this morning. We’ll try to do better tomorrow and hopefully finish in the top five.”
Sunday’s Junior Cup Race Two is at 2:15 PM Central and will be broadcast via tape-delay on FS2 (check your local listings for FS2 airtimes), in addition to being live-streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Beaubier Keeps Win Streak Rolling at Barber
Reigning MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier scored his 12th victory of 2020 in Saturday’s race one at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama. Teammate Jake Gagne joined him on the podium for another Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing 1-2 finish.
Beaubier continues to raise the bar and smash track records. He topped his lap record on Friday, throwing down a 1:22.676 to take his sixth Superpole of the season in seven tries. He grabbed the holeshot from pole position, but then ran wide at Charlotte’s Web, allowing Mathew Scholtz through. Beaubier tried to counter but the Westby Racing Yamaha rider held him off. He got the drive out of the final corner and retook the lead before the start of lap two and never looked back, scoring a commanding 50th-career superbike victory. Beaubier’s 12th win of the season gives him a round total of 300 points, 89 points clear of his teammate with seven races remaining.
Gagne qualified third for an all-Yamaha front row. The Californian got a decent start in third and after Beaubier made his way into the lead, Gagne waited for his opportunity to pass Scholtz. Hot on his heels, he was able to make the move on lap four after the fast chicane along the back straight. Gagne put in some consistent laps to score a solid second-place finish, his 10th podium of the season.
The Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing team heads into Sunday’s race two looking to return to the top of the podium at Barber Motorsports Park.
Richard Stanboli – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Today’s 1-2 finish was extra satisfying since Westby Racing Yamaha brought their A-game and made us work hard for our result. Both Cameron and Jake rode great and our Yamaha R1s performed flawlessly, as usual. We look forward to tomorrow’s race.”
Cameron Beaubier – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“It was a great day at Barber today with the track record in Superpole and another win in the books. My bike feels so good around this place. We wore the front tire pretty good, so we may have to make some changes going into race two. Other than that, all is well and I’m looking forward to getting back at it tomorrow.”
Jake Gagne – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“Hats off to the team because we started the weekend off not feeling too comfortable with the bike. We made some good changes today and the bike was much better. I got off to a good start and after a few laps, got into second and then just tried to click off consistent times. I wasn’t sure how the tires would wear but they held up better than I expected, so we should be able to push it a bit harder tomorrow.”
Action from British Superbike Race One at Oulton Park. Photo courtesy MSVR.
O’Halloran becomes the eighth wonder of 2020 Bennetts BSB with Oulton Park win
Jason O’Halloran became the eighth wonder of the 2020 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season, winning the opening race at Oulton Park by the narrowest of margins following an intense tenth round of the series in Cheshire.
O’Halloran had been on the pace throughout free practice, claiming pole position for today’s race for the McAMS Yamaha team, but it was a hard-fought victory for the Australian as he faced some serious competition in his quest to return to the top step for the first time since 2016.
At the start of the race, Glenn Irwin had hit the front of the pack ahead of brother Andrew and O’Halloran, as disaster struck Silverstone race-winner Kyle Ryde as he crashed out unhurt on the opening lap.
O’Halloran had taken the lead on the second lap, but in a frantic battle for the win, just four laps later Christian Iddon had taken the advantage at the front, after carving his way up the order.
As the VisionTrack Ducati rider led the freight train of riders, Andrew Irwin was also eager to fight his way though and he had moved into second place.
By the tenth lap O’Halloran had dropped back to fourth, as Iddon started coming under fire from the Honda Racing pairing with Andrew and Glenn holding second and third place.
O’Halloran wasn’t defeated though and he moved ahead of the championship leader and then into second place with three laps remaining as he began his fightback to the front.
Iddon was defending hard but it wasn’t enough on the final lap as O’Halloran was able to grab the advantage and hold off the Snetterton race winner, to claim victory by 0.358s for McAMS Yamaha.
The race also proved to be a highlight for the Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki team as Danny Buchan claimed his first podium finish of the season; moving into third place with two laps to go as he pushed the Honda Racing pairing for the final spot in the top three.
The third place for Buchan means that five different manufacturers have now finished on the podium this season as he became the ninth different rider to celebrate a podium result.
Andrew Irwin held off brother Glenn for fourth place at the chequered flag, as his lead in the championship standings was reduced by five points as O’Halloran leapt up to second in the standings ahead of tomorrow’s two races.
Lee Jackson was sixth after getting ahead of Bradley Ray and Josh Brookes in the closing stages of Round 10 with Tarran Mackenzie and Gino Rea completing the top ten.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, Round 10 result:
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha)
Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) +0.358s
Danny Buchan (Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki) +0.804s
Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) +3.959s
Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) +4.069s
Lee Jackson (Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki) +4.119s
Bradley Ray (SYNETIQ BMW) +4.359s
Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) +4.476s
Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +5.884s
Gino Rea (Buildbase Suzuki) +14.324s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Round 10:
Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) 168 points
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 138
Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) 130
Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) 126
Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 124
Kyle Ryde (Buildbase Suzuki) 114
Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 108
Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) 96
Lee Jackson (Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki) 88
Danny Buchan (Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki) 63
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com Jason O’Halloran
(McAMS Yamaha)
Round 10 race winner
“I got a pretty good start and I got into the lead in the early to the middle part of the race, and thought ‘I might try and have a bit of a break’.
“I saw +0.4 on the board early on and then I didn’t get the opportunity to go again, and in the early part of the races Andrew and Glenn (Irwin) were quite strong, but we were strong in different places of the track. I am sure when they were behind me they struggled and when I was behind them they struggled!
“I had to bide my time and figure out a couple of places where I was stronger and where I could make some passes. I need to get past Christian (Iddon) with a couple to go as I didn’t want to leave it right until the last minute, so when I got in front, I put my head down, set the fastest lap of the race on the last lap and managed to get the win.
“It has been a long time between wins. We have had four race in the row now where I have been on the podium. We were so close at Silverstone and even back at Donington we had the speed to win, we just didn’t manage to get there.
“A huge thanks to McAMS and the whole McAMS Yamaha team they have given me a great bike this weekend, they have given me a great bike all year and we have been fast from the very beginning. It is thanks to them and I am looking forward to two races tomorrow.”
Bikes built by Team Hammer won their 98th and 99th AMA Pro/MotoAmerica races on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, with Altus Racing’s Cameron Petersen and SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki’s Rocco Landers earning victories on the day.
The venerable team, in the midst of its 40th consecutive pro racing campaign, will go for the century mark on Sunday.
Rocco Landers, a 15-year-old phenom, extended his run of domination in MotoAmerica Twins Cup action, scoring his fifth consecutive blowout victory in the class.
Landers’ scintillating pace aboard his SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki SV650 ultimately forced his primary rival into a mistake as he fought to make up the gap. That development opened the door to a nearly 20-second margin of victory and moved the rising star that much closer to the Twins Cup title.
Landers, who now boasts a 44-point advantage in the championship, said, “My SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki team has been working super hard and put a great program underneath us. I’m excited about the championship points. I couldn’t be happier right now.”
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly carried over the same fighting spirit he called upon to win the ‘race of the year’ last time out in MotoAmerica Supersport action at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
‘SDK’ exploited the agility of his Suzuki GSX-R600 to execute a series of passes for the lead in the race’s opening stages. His heroics would keep him in contention for only so long, however, as he was ultimately forced to settle in and power home to his 12th podium finish in succession.
After taking second, Kelly said, “I’m absolutely happy with the race today. We showed a good fight and that was the objective. I turned the fastest laps I’ve ever ridden here in the first few laps while battling for the lead. I’m glad we did what we did and there were a lot of good passes. But we need to keep on working. We made a good step forward for the race, and I’m sure we can do our homework and make another step for tomorrow. I’m really happy with my entire M4 ECSTAR Suzuki crew and I want to thank all my guys.”
Kelly’s Supersport stablemate, Lucas Silva, managed to keep his perfect season’s run of top-10s alive by finishing in 10th despite a crash earlier in the weekend.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Superbike aces, Toni Elias and Bobby Fong both showed the pace to pull off more top-five finishes, but Fong missed out due to a technical issue in the race. Fong ran in fourth aboard his GSX-R1000 early, well positioned to make a run at a podium position later in the race. Unfortunately, his pace faded down the stretch after encountering an electrical problem.
At that same time, former MotoAmerica Superbike and Moto2 World Champion Toni Elias was finding renewed speed. He made a pass for position and shook free from a three-rider fight for fifth. He then tracked down and overhauled Fong en route to a clear fourth-place finish. Fong soldiered on, losing just one more position before finally accepting sixth at the flag.
Finally, Joseph Blasius made an impressive Team Hammer return, battling for a podium position in the Twins Cup race dominated by Landers. Blasius was in contention for second deep into the race aboard the Autovest Suzuki SV650 before finally finishing fourth at the checkered flag.
The MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing weekend at Barber Motorsports Park will conclude on Sunday.
About Team Hammer
The 2020 season marks Team Hammer’s 40th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 99 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 274 times and have won seven 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.
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November 12, 2026
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