The UtahSBA held Round 4 of its Utah Motorcycle Law Masters of the Mountains Race Series on Saturday, July 25th on the Utah Motorsports Campus’ West Track. Round 4 came at the conclusion of the UtahSBA’s summer break and brought out both high temperatures and high spirits. A big group of racers braved the heat and excitement spread through the paddock like a San Diego Sirocco as it got hot in a hurry.
The early morning started off with Moto Station and AZ Riding Academy King of the Mountain (KOM) Qualifying. The first qualifying session was quiet with only a handful of riders showing up to turn laps but no one turning a lap under 1:35. Ordinarily this would be due to cold track temps but by 8am the temperature at the track was already nearing 85 degrees. The second practice session saw 2019 KOM champion Jerry Hicks lay down a solid 1:33.435 to take pole position on his Moto Station built Yamaha R6 followed closely by club president Eric Jones with a 1:33.667 on his freshly repaired Yamaha R1 and Genaro Lopez with a 1:33.806 on his BMW S1000RR.
July racing fuel boiled into action with the Harrison Motorsports Formula 40 race. Class contender Kevin Dolan sweated out a jump start and let several racers navigate around his Gixxer. Everyone made it by safely and after caroming through turn 1 Bill Davis emerged as the leader with Eric Jones in his afterburner wash through the first lap. Jones waited until the spectator favorite and final turn 10 to duck Davis on the inside but Davis pulled hard down the front straight. Alas, Jones broke later and tipped in ahead of Davis and never looked back. Meanwhile Dolan, who self-penalized back to 7th at the start, was clawing his way forward through the pack like a Jazzy racing in the Walker class, eventually passing Steven Marco for 3rd position. Jones held off Davis for the remainder of the race taking first by 1.632 followed by Dolan and Marco. 3rd place honors falling to Marco due to a jump start penalty assessed on Dolan.
The clubs’ premier King of the Mountain Race roared to life with Lopez holeshotting Hicks, Eric Jones, Davis, and Braden Jones. Eric Jones lined up and made a second lap pass on Hicks but with 12 laps to go, youthful endurance would show things were far from settled. Late in lap 4 saw youngster Braden Jones sneak by Davis for 4th place and Hicks overtaking Eric Jones. This placed the Jones father and son duo into a battle for third. Braden Jones was hot on his dad’s tail at the start of lap 6 with the pair racing in close contention down the front straight but Eric Jones broke later managing to hold off his son’s challenge. Undeterred, Braden Jones block passed Eric Jones on the entrance of turn 5 “Blackrock” only three turns later. With the Jones contingent locking horns, Hicks was working hard at un-gapping Lopez. Hicks finally took his shot in the “Blackrock” turn during lap 11 and left Lopez breathing his fumes. By the start of the last lap Lopez was still right with Hicks, testing him in the “Blackrock” turn and mustered a final and ultimately unrewarded attempt to block pass Hicks on the entrance of turn 10, slowing just enough for Hicks to win the momentum battle to the line on his R6. Lopez was 0.110 seconds behind, followed by Brayden Jones in 3rd, Davis in 4th, and Eric Jones in 5th.
In a post race interview Hicks commented that he wanted to thank sponsor Kory Cowan at the Moto Station and to dedicate his win this weekend to his mother who is dealing with a challenging loss this week. Hicks said he “dug deep to get the win for her.” He was also excited to see his championship get back on track this weekend as he now trails Lopez in the combined season standings by a mere 4 points.
The remainder of the race day did not disappoint with impressive battles in nearly all races. The MotoUnited Open Superstock race saw Davis hold a personal rematch with Lopez overtaking Lopez in turn 5 of the second lap and Lopez’s subsequent attempts to reassert his position failing with Davis finishing in the lead followed by Lopez and David Meyer. The Edge Powersports Deseret Dash saw Davis take an early lead followed by Eric Jones and his son Braden Jones dueling for second. The elder Jones prevailed when his son overcooked the entrance to turn 7 “The D’s” running off. With Braden Jones out of the picture, Rick Squires snuck into 3rd position followed closely by friend and rival James Kling. All told it was a fantastic weekend with the crash truck barely having any work to do in spite of the close racing.
The UtahSBA will be back at it again on Saturday August 15th for Round 5 on UMC’s East Track. In addition to racing the club will also be hosting the second Advanced Rider Training Course (ART) during that round with students working on their riding techniques in this Yamaha Champions Riding School powered class targeted at giving students racing skills to make them safer riders on the street.
The Utah Sport Bike Association is a Utah Non-Profit dedicated to promoting education, safe riding and competition in the Intermountain West. You can find more information about the USBA, upcoming events, and schools at www.utahsba.com or find us on Facebook.
MotoGP – No Marc Marquez at Jerez 2, but on-track attrition played a huge part in who got to stand on the podium. We talk about what happened, the heartbreaks, and who impressed.
MotoGP – The boys also talk about Moto2 & Moto3 results.
MotoGP Fantasy – The results from round 2 of the “Greg’s Garage Pod w/Jason Pridmore” Fantasy league are in! Who is leading the way and Greg is still smashing JP… and he is okay with it!?!
AHRMA (American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving, restoring and competing on historic motorcycles. With over 3000 members, AHRMA is the leading historic motorcycle racing group in North America and one of the largest in the world. The association’s enthusiastic membership reflects this country’s strong interest in classic bikes.
The September 5th and 6th weekend scheduled for Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta has been moved to October 3rd and 4th. This event will be a double header National/Sportsman weekend. N2 Track Days will be there Friday prior to this event. Please pass this on to anyone who you know was planning on September. We apologize for the short notice but things are not “normal” in our world of racing and schedules in 2020 – we are just thankful we will be able to bring you to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta this season! The National Challenge will include the Michelin/WERA A /1000 Superbike Class both days. Pit Bull and CCF Office Solutions will sponsor trophies for the C/600 Superstock Class and the Senior Superbike HWT and MWT Classes.
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was founded in 1973 and remains the foremost place to develop talent in the sport of motorcycle Roadracing. The legacy of Pro riders on a National and World level is legendary. All events are run by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing and are co-sanctioned by the AMA. Racing is offered coast to coast with entry level racing in the WERA Sportsman Series as well as a Pro-Am Series with the WERA National Challenge Series as well as WERA Vintage Racing also this year Endurance Racing with our Track Day partner N2. WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was voted the 2017 AMA Track Organizer of the Year. There is something for everyone with WERA Motorcycle Roadracing!
For further information contact WERA Motorcycle Roadracing or check the web site at www.wera.com.
PJ Jacobsen is ready to return to action during next weekend’s MotoAmerica event at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta after surviving every racer’s nightmare – a fire while at speed, which resulted in the New Yorker being badly burned.
It was the morning of June 28 at Road America. Jacobsen took his Celtic HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R out in the morning warm-up ahead of his Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup races. Then as Jacobsen was roaring down the straightaway between the chicane and Canada Corner on his out lap, disaster struck.
“I was in four or fifth gear and all of a sudden it looked like my hands were in a pizza oven,” Jacobsen exclusively told Roadracingworld.com. “I had to figure out a game plan to get off the bike as quickly as I could because it was getting pretty hot. I was trying to grab the brake a little bit to try and slow down, but it seemed like the fire was getting worse. So, I decided to just jump off the bike.
“Then I ran over to the guy with the fire extinguisher because it felt like I was still burning because it was super hot. The guy blasted it in my face and then I couldn’t really breathe because I had a burning sensation in my lungs from the chemicals in the fire extinguisher. That was my biggest thing, that and my burns were burning. So, I was not in a good condition to race.”
After getting help with his breathing at the track, Jacobsen was taken to a local hospital to have the burns on his arms evaluated. Wound specialists felt the burns would heal naturally over time, and Jacobsen was driven back to his home in New York, where he has been recovering ever since.
“I’ve never been burnt that bad in my life. It’s definitely not something I would recommend,” said Jacobsen. “My burns were pretty close to third degree, but I’ve always healed pretty fast for some reason. So, they’ve healed quite good.
“I think I’m pretty much good to go. I’m not fully healed, but I feel like I can ride and race at 100%. It shouldn’t be an issue.”
Asked if he knew what caused the fire on his Ducati, Jacobsen said, “They’re [team] still supposed to let me know at Road Atlanta, because I know they’ve been checking it out to have a definite answer.
“I have Scott Jensen as my Crew Chief and Chase [McFarland] as my mechanic. In motorcycle racing you have to have a lot of trust in your crew, and I have a lot of trust in those guys. If it was a mistake or a part failure I have a lot of confidence it won’t happen again.”
HARLEY-DAVIDSON OVERHAULS BUSINESS, REWIRES COMPANY FOR SUCCESS; SECOND QUARTER 2020 RESULTS REFLECT COVID-19 IMPACT AND RESPONSE
MILWAUKEE — Harley-Davidson, Inc. (“Harley-Davidson”) (NYSE:HOG) today announced actions it has taken to rewire the company, setting the foundation for a 5-year plan as the most desirable motorcycle brand in the world. The company also reported second quarter 2020 financial results, and its ongoing actions to manage the impacts of COVID-19 on its business.
“I’m very pleased with our accomplishments in these times of extraordinary challenges and uncertainty. Through all of this, we have made significant progress toward the goals of The Rewire; the positive feedback from key stakeholders and the early impacts we are seeing in the marketplace are very encouraging,” said Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president and CEO, Harley-Davidson. “A total rewire is necessary to make Harley-Davidson a high-performance company. Building on our strong brand legacy, we are reinvigorating our core profit driving business – powered by our strongest dealers, most exciting products and careful inventory management, while focusing on the most important opportunities for future expansion. We’re overhauling our operating model and our product plan and are rewiring our market structure and organization to focus on the strengths of our brand and company. We are now working on our new 5-year strategic plan, The Hardwire, which will be grounded in enhancing the desirability of our brand and protecting the value of our iconic products.”
New Operating Model: Reduced Complexity and Increased Speed
Vast changes to the company’s operating model under The Rewire include all areas of the business globally, from commercial operations to center-led support functions. Significant work has been undertaken to eliminate duplication, inefficiencies and complexity throughout the organization. As previously announced, the streamlined structure requires 700 fewer positions across its global operations.
Refined Motorcycle Line-Up and High-Impact Product Launches
The company plans to rewire its product offering to more precisely match customer desires and to strengthen the value of its products. The company will also improve product timing and go-to-market plans to achieve the greatest market impact.
Highlights of the new approach include:
Streamlining planned motorcycle models by approximately 30 percent; balancing investments between current stronghold categories and new, high-potential segments
Expanding product offerings of its best-selling, iconic motorcycles
Delivering its first Adventure Touring motorcycle – Pan America 1250 – in 2021
Shifting annual product launch timing from August to early in the first quarter
Reinvigorating launch efforts including collaborations with key influencers to bring the brand and new products to life drive brand desirability
Among other plans, the company is set to launch a new marketing campaign including a collaboration with Jason Momoa to celebrate the shared journey and unrelenting spirit of Harley-Davidson.
Growth through Parts & Accessories and General Merchandise
The company is intensifying focus on its Parts & Accessories and General Merchandise businesses, encouraging customers to customize their entire riding experience to match their own style. Now part of the new Commercial function, new leadership has designed strategies for each business aligned to the company’s motorcycle and market priorities with the goal of delivering a holistic experience in the marketplace.
Reset Global Business and Focus on High-Potential Markets
Harley-Davidson plans to concentrate on approximately 50 markets primarily in North America, Europe and parts of Asia Pacific that represent the vast majority of the company’s volume and growth potential. The company is evaluating plans to exit international markets where volumes and profitability do not support continued investment in line with the future strategy.
The company also plans to shift resources and marketing investments into the regions for maximum impact. As part of this effort, the company has streamlined regional offices and created new groups of high potential countries that will have the autonomy, within a clearly defined framework, to drive the business. Additionally, the company plans to optimize its dealer network to provide an improved and integrated customer experience.
Protecting Value
Harley-Davidson has revamped its approach to supply and inventory management focusing on products and initiatives that add value, while significantly reducing discounting and price promotions. This is expected to drive retail pricing to help preserve the value and desirability of Harley-Davidson motorcycles for its customers and brand.
The Rewire
All of the above efforts of The Rewire aim to provide a better starting point for the future and to build desirability for the Harley-Davidson brand and products.
The Rewire outcomes and other highlights at the end of Q2:
$250 million in cash savings (excluding restructuring charges) including SG&A and capital reductions expected in 2020
Restructuring charges of $42 million expected to result in approximately $100 million in ongoing annual savings based upon actions taken
Global dealer inventory down 32 percent
On average, U.S. new Model Year 2020 motorcycles selling at MSRP
Used Harley-Davidson pricing up significantly at retail and auction
The Rewire is expected to continue through the end of the year, leading to a first look at the company’s 2021-2025 strategic plan, The Hardwire, expected in the fourth quarter. Building on the foundation and principles of The Rewire, the driver of the new plan will be Harley-Davidson as the most desirable motorcycle brand in the world for its customers, employees, community and investors.
COVID-19 Response and Recovery
The company continues to proactively manage its business through the pandemic and has implemented robust protocols to keep workers safe in its factories. Most non-production workers will continue to work from home until the end of the year. Its response and recovery plans include supporting global dealers and customers. At the end of the quarter, about 93 percent of its global dealers were open for retail motorcycle sales following pandemic interruptions.
Included in the company’s broad cost and cash savings measures are SG&A reductions, curtailed capital spending, suspended discretionary share repurchases and a prudent approach to dividend payments. The company announced it will pay a third quarter cash dividend of $0.02 per share, in line with its second quarter dividend. The dividend is payable September 25, 2020 to the shareholders of record of the company’s common stock as of September 10, 2020.
The company has also further strengthened its strong liquidity position with nearly $4.7 billion in liquidity at the end of the quarter.
Second quarter 2020 results reflect the impacts of COVID-19 and also the actions taken in the second quarter to rewire the company. Q2 GAAP diluted EPS was $(0.60) versus $1.23 in Q2 2019. Excluding restructuring plan costs and the impact of recent tariffs, adjusted Q2 diluted EPS was $(0.35) versus $1.46 in Q2 2019. Second quarter net loss was $92 million on consolidated revenue of $865 million versus net income of $196 million on consolidated revenue of $1.6 billion in Q2 2019.
Harley-Davidson Retail Motorcycle Sales
Global retail motorcycle sales in the second quarter of 2020 were significantly impacted by COVID-19. U.S. retail sales finished down 27 percent compared to prior year.
Motorcycles and Related Products Segment Results
Revenue from the Motorcycles and Related Products segment was down in the second quarter of 2020 compared to prior year primarily driven by the temporary motorcycle manufacturing suspension during most of the quarter related to COVID-19. Gross margin and operating margin were down during the quarter primarily due to lower productivity and absorption resulting from the suspension of manufacturing.
Financial Services Segment Results
Financial Services segment second quarter operating income of $5 million was down 94 percent driven by an increase in the provision for loan losses related to COVID-19’s impact on economic projections.
Other Results
Cash – Cash and cash equivalents were $3.9 billion at the end of second quarter of 2020, compared to $925 million at the end of Q2 2019. Harley-Davidson generated $610 million of cash from operating activities year-to-date 2020 compared to $496 million year-to-date 2019.
Tax Rate – Harley-Davidson’s year-to-date effective tax rate was 3.7 percent compared to 24.1 percent in Q2 2019.
Dividend & Share Repurchase – The company paid a cash dividend of $0.02 per share for the second quarter of 2020. The company did not repurchase shares on a discretionary basis during the second quarter of 2020. During the quarter, there were 153 million weighted-average diluted common shares outstanding and 18 million shares remained on board-approved share repurchase authorizations.
2020 Outlook
Given the uncertainty that remains surrounding the impact and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is not providing financial guidance.
Company Background
Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company of Harley-Davidson Motor Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services. Our vision: Building our legend and leading our industry through innovation, evolution and emotion. Our mission: More than building machines, we stand for the timeless pursuit of adventure. Freedom for the soul. Since 1903, Harley-Davidson has defined motorcycle culture with an expanding range of leading-edge, distinctive and customizable motorcycles in addition to riding experiences and exceptional motorcycle accessories, riding gear and apparel. Harley-Davidson Financial Services provides financing, insurance and other programs to help get Harley-Davidson riders on the road. Learn more at www.harley-davidson.com.
Webcast Presentation
Harley-Davidson will discuss financial results, developments in the business, and a summary of The Rewire efforts on an audio webcast at 8:00 a.m. CT today. The webcast login and supporting slides can be accessed at http://investor.harley-davidson.com/news-and-events/events-and-presentations. The audio replay will be available by approximately 10:00 a.m. CT.
Non-GAAP Disclosure
This press release includes financial measures that have not been calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and are therefore referred to as non-GAAP financial measures. The non-GAAP measures described below are intended to be considered by users as supplemental information to the equivalent GAAP measures, to aid investors in better understanding the company’s financial results. The company believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful perspective on underlying business results and trends, and a means to assess period-over-period results. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures may not be the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies due to possible differences in method and in items or events being adjusted.
The non-GAAP measures included in this press release are adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS excluding restructuring plan costs and the impact of recent EU and China tariffs. Restructuring plan costs include restructuring expenses as presented in the consolidated statements of income and costs associated with temporary inefficiencies incurred in connection with the manufacturing optimization initiative included in Motorcycles and Related Products cost of goods sold. The impact of recent EU and China tariffs includes incremental European Union and China tariffs imposed beginning in 2018 on the company’s products shipped from the U.S., as well as incremental U.S. tariffs imposed beginning in 2018 on certain items imported from China. The impact of recent EU and China tariffs excludes higher metals cost resulting from the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs. These adjustments are consistent with the approach used for 2018 to determine performance relative to financial objectives under the company’s incentive compensation plans. These non-GAAP measures, as well as a reconciliation of the comparable GAAP measure to these non-GAAP measures are included later in this press release.
The company intends that certain matters discussed in this press release are “forward-looking statements” intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified as such because the context of the statement will include words such as the company “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “estimates,” “is on-track” or words of similar meaning. Similarly, statements that describe or refer to future expectations, future plans, strategies, objectives, outlooks, targets, guidance, commitments, or goals are also forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, unfavorably or favorably, from those anticipated as of the date of this press release. Certain of such risks and uncertainties are described below. Shareholders, potential investors, and other readers are urged to consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are only made as of the date of this press release, and the company disclaims any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
Important factors that could affect future results and cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: (i) the COVID-19 pandemic including the length and severity of the pandemic across the globe and the pace of recovery following the pandemic; (ii) adverse economic, political or market conditions in the U.S. and international markets and other factors such as natural disasters; and (iii) the Company’s ability to: (A) create and execute its business plans and strategies, and strengthen its existing business while allowing for desirable growth; (B) manage and predict the impact that new or adjusted tariffs may have on the company’s ability to sell products internationally, and the cost of raw materials and components; (C) successfully carry out its global manufacturing and assembly operations; (D) accurately analyze, predict and react to changing market conditions and successfully adjust to shifting global consumer needs and interests, including successfully implementing and executing plans to exit international markets where volumes and profitability do not support continued investment in line with the future strategy; (E) successfully access the capital and/or credit markets on terms that are acceptable to the company and within its expectations; (F) develop and maintain a productive relationship with Zhejiang Qianjiang Motorcycle Co., Ltd. and launch related products in a timely manner; (G) develop and introduce products, services and experiences on a timely basis that the market accepts, that enable the company to generate desired sales levels and that provide the desired financial returns; (H) perform in a manner that enables the company to benefit from market opportunities while competing against existing and new competitors; (I) realize expectations concerning market demand for electric models, which will depend in part on the building of necessary infrastructure; (J) prevent, detect, and remediate any issues with its motorcycles or any issues associated with the manufacturing processes to avoid delays in new model launches, recall campaigns, regulatory agency investigations, increased warranty costs or litigation and adverse effects on its reputation and brand strength, and carry out any product programs or recalls within expected costs and timing; (K) manage supply chain issues, including quality issues and any unexpected interruptions or price increases caused by raw material shortages or natural disasters; (L) manage the impact that prices for and supply of used motorcycles may have on its business, including on retail sales of new motorcycles; (M) successfully manage and reduce costs throughout the business; (N) balance production volumes for its new motorcycles with consumer demand; (O) manage risks that arise through expanding international manufacturing, operations and sales; (P) manage through changes in general economic and business conditions, including changing capital, credit and retail markets, and the changing political environment; (Q) successfully determine, implement on a timely basis, and maintain a manner in which to sell motorcycles in the European Union, China, and the company’s ASEAN countries that does not subject its motorcycles to incremental tariffs; (R) accurately estimate and adjust to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and commodity prices; (S) continue to develop the capabilities of its distributors and dealers, effectively implement changes relating to its dealers and distribution methods and manage the risks that its independent dealers may have difficulty obtaining capital and managing through changing economic conditions and consumer demand; (T) retain and attract talented employees, and eliminate personnel duplication, inefficiencies and complexity throughout the organization; (U) prevent a cybersecurity breach involving consumer, employee, dealer, supplier, or company data and respond to evolving regulatory requirements regarding data security; (V) manage the credit quality, the loan servicing and collection activities, and the recovery rates of HDFS’ loan portfolio; (W) adjust to tax reform, healthcare inflation and reform and pension reform, and successfully estimate the impact of any such reform on the company’s business; (X) manage through the effects inconsistent and unpredictable weather patterns may have on retail sales of motorcycles; (Y) implement and manage enterprise-wide information technology systems, including systems at its manufacturing facilities; (Z) grow ridership, globally; (AA) manage changes and prepare for requirements in legislative and regulatory environments for its products, services and operations; (BB) manage its exposure to product liability claims and commercial or contractual disputes; (CC) manage its Thailand corporate and manufacturing operation in a manner that allows the company to avail itself of preferential free trade agreements and duty rates, and sufficiently lower prices of its motorcycles in certain markets; (DD) continue to manage the relationships and agreements that the company has with its labor unions to help drive long-term competitiveness; and (EE) accurately predict the margins of its Motorcycles and Related Products segment in light of, among other things, tariffs, the cost associated with product development initiatives and the company’s complex global supply chain.
The company’s operations, demand for its products, and its liquidity could be adversely impacted by work stoppages, facility closures, strikes, natural causes, widespread infectious disease, terrorism, or other factors. Other factors are described in risk factors that the company has disclosed in documents previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Many of these risk factors are impacted by the current changing capital, credit and retail markets and the company’s ability to manage through inconsistent economic conditions.
The company’s ability to sell its motorcycles and related products and services and to meet its financial expectations also depends on the ability of the company’s independent dealers to sell its motorcycles and related products and services to retail customers. The company depends on the capability and financial capacity of its independent dealers to develop and implement effective retail sales plans to create demand for the motorcycles and related products and services they purchase from the company. In addition, the company’s independent dealers and distributors may experience difficulties in operating their businesses and selling Harley-Davidson motorcycles and related products and services as a result of weather, economic conditions, the impact of COVID-19, or other factors. In recent years, HDFS has experienced historically low levels of retail credit losses, but there is no assurance that this will continue. The company believes that HDFS’ retail credit losses may increase over time due to changing consumer credit behavior and HDFS’ efforts to increase prudently structured loan approvals to sub-prime borrowers, as well as actions that the company has taken and could take that impact motorcycle values. Refer to “Risk Factors” under Item 1A of the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and Part II, Item 1A of any subsequently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, for a discussion of additional risk factors and a more complete discussion of some of the cautionary statements noted above.
The Kings Of Atlanta: Can Anyone Stop Beaubier And Elias At Road Atlanta
The Two Champions Are The Only Previous Superbike Winners In The Field
IRVINE, CA (July 29, 2020) – In the 10 MotoAmerica Superbike races held at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in the five-year-old MotoAmerica era, only two riders have tasted victory – Cameron Beaubier and Toni Elias – with those two tied with five wins apiece. Thus, if one of those two wins a race and the other doesn’t in the upcoming two HONOS Superbike races in Braselton, Georgia, July 31-August 2, that tie will be broken. And if they are both beaten, the streak will be over.
Beaubier got a two-race head start on Elias at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the four-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion racing to two wins in 2015 while Elias was still in Europe. In 2016, Elias showed up and followed up his two race wins in the series opener at COTA with a race-one win at Road Atlanta on his Yoshimura Suzuki. Beaubier, however, won race two.
The following year will go down as the “I have long memory” race when Beaubier and Elias got together, and Elias ran off track and Beaubier rode to victory. The two had a war of words in the post-race press conference after the second race and it was the real beginning of a rivalry between the series’ two best Superbike racers to date. With Elias winning race two, Beaubier led the war of wins four to two.
Since 2017, Elias has had the most success at Road Atlanta, the Spaniard and his Suzuki winning three of the last four races to tie Beaubier with five wins apiece. To recap, it’s Cam, Cam, Toni, Cam, Cam, Toni, Toni, Toni, Cam, Toni. Phew.
Now it’s time to see if that continues as the series holds its third round at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta this coming weekend.
In the past, it’s been a given that those two riders would run at the front. Not the case this season as they arrive in Georgia on opposite ends of the spectrum. Beaubier and his Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 will start Friday’s practice with wins in three of the first four races, with all four being held at Road America in Wisconsin. And Beaubier looked to be heading to win number four when he made a mistake, hit a notorious bump in turn one and crashed out of the race. Still he comes to Road Atlanta as the championship points leader.
As round three gets ready to begin, Elias is so far out of championship contention he can’t see it with binoculars. The former Moto2 World Champion is 11th in the title chase after four races, 53 points behind Beaubier after a dreadful start to his season. M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Elias started the season without earning a point in round one, the Spaniard a victim of a tossed chain in race one and a crash in race two. In round two, things improved with Elias finishing fourth in race one. But then it went bad again when he was knocked down in race two after a collision with Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz for fourth. Elias dusted himself off, remounted, finished seventh and then had words with Scholtz after the race. After four races last year, Elias led the championship with 90 points. This year he has 22 points. But, as everyone in the paddock will tell you, you can’t count the Spaniard out. His lap times thus far in 2020 have been faster, but his results have not. He’s hoping his reversal of fortune begins in Georgia this weekend.
By virtue of three podium finishes in four races, Beaubier’s new teammate Jake Gagne sits second in the title chase – nine points behind the defending four-time series champion. Gagne finished second to Beaubier in race two of Road America 1 and was in position to win his first career Superbike race when Beaubier crashed out of race two in Road America 2, but he couldn’t find a way past M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong in the closing stages of the race.
Fong is off to a flying start in his Superbike debut season, the non-defending MotoAmerica Superport Champion earning his first career HONOS Superbike victory in Wisconsin. Fong is third in the championship, 17 points behind Beaubier and eight behind Gagne and has inserted himself in the battle for the title.
Fong is just two points ahead of one of the surprises thus far in the 2020 MotoAmerica season – KWR Ducati’s Kyle Wyman. If the season continues to go the way it has, it will take a plastic surgeon to remove the smile from Wyman’s face as he’s visited the podium twice with third-place finishes in the last two races at Road America on his Ducati Panigale V4 R. Prior to that he was fifth and fourth in the opening two battles.
Fifth place in the title chase is held by Scheibe Racing BMW’s Josh Herrin, the Georgian who now calls Southern California home, earning a podium in the second race of the year in just his second start on the BMW S 1000 R. Herrin and the team have been working hard on the BMW to get him more comfortable and it will be interesting to see how the effort pays off at a racetrack that’s much different than Road America.
Scholtz’s season started with a bang with a second-place finish in the very first race of the year at Road America. He followed that up with a crash in race two but came back to form in the next two races with fifth- and fourth-place finishes. He is 31 points behind Beaubier but just two markers behind Herrin.
Although we are only two rounds and four races into the HONOS Superbike season, FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony is another rider who has gotten off to a good start to his season. The Australian is seventh, eight points behind Scholtz and nine ahead of Celtic HSBK Racing’s PJ Jacobsen, the New Yorker missing race two of Road America 2 after a morning warm-up crash left him injured. He will be back in action at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen, who like Jacobsen is doing double duty in the HONOS Superbike and Stock 1000 classes, is ninth in the Superbike title chase – just one point clear of Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders.
Both of the two MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike races will air live on FS1 this coming weekend from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Road Atlanta Superbike Notes…
With his three wins in the first three rounds of the 2020 MotoAmerica Series, Cameron Beaubier now has 41 HONOS Superbike victories to his credit. The 41 wins puts him third on the all-time win list behind Mat Mladin (82) and Josh Hayes (41). The next active rider on the list is Toni Elias with the Spaniard tied with Miguel Duhamel for fourth on the all-time list with 32 wins.
History lesson: The very first AMA Superbike race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta was held in 1980 and that race was won by four-time 500cc World Champion Eddie Lawson. The first-ever AMA National motorcycle race at Road Atlanta was held in 1971 and was won by Kel Carruthers.
Riders from six different countries and eight different states will line up at Road Atlanta in the HONOS Superbike class with the U.S., Spain, South Africa, Great Britain, Brazil and Australia all represented. As for the states, California leads the way with four riders from the Golden State, then Georgia (3) and New York (3).
Garrett Gerloff earned pole position at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta last year with his lap of 1:23.844 during Superpole. Gerloff’s best lap bettered that set by Toni Elias with Mathew Scholtz rounding out the front row for the two races last year. Gerloff’s best was a new motorcycle lap record at Road Atlanta.
As for the races last year, Beaubier and Elias split wins with Beaubier beating Elias in race one by 2.7 seconds and Elias topping Mathew Scholtz by 1.8 seconds with Beaubier third. The fastest lap from the two races, Beaubier was the only rider to dip into the 1:24s with his best lap in race one, a 1:24.882, bettering his 1:24.887 from race two.
Geoff May will make his 2020 MotoAmerica debut at Road Atlanta and the Georgian will do double duty as he races in both the HONOS Superbike and Stock 1000 classes on his Disrupt Racing CCFOfficeSolutions.com Kawasaki ZX-10R.
For the full 2020 MotoAmerica Series schedule, click HERE
To purchase tickets to any of the 2020 series rounds, click HERE
For information on how to watch the 2020 MotoAmerica Series, click HERE
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
More, from another press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Escalante Is Perfecto As MotoAmerica Heads To Road Atlanta
Richie Escalante Remains Unbeaten In Four Races
Richie Escalante (54) leads Sean Dylan Kelly (40), Brandon Paasch (21) and the rest of the field during MotoAmerica Supersport Race 2 at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
IRVINE, CA (July 29, 2020) – Only one rider remains undefeated in the 2020 MotoAmerica Series as the championship heads to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta this weekend and that man is Richie Escalante, the Mexico City resident carding a perfect 100 points from the first four Supersport races of the season.
With his perfect tally, HONOS Kawasaki rider Escalante has a 40-point lead in the Supersport Championship, but he’s the only one with that sort of breathing room in the five MotoAmerica classes.
The closest points battle is in the Twins Cup class where 1-833-CJKNOWS Accident & Injury Law’s Kaleb De Keyrel leads Rocco Landers by just nine points after two rounds. In the Liqui Moly Junior Cup Series, Dominic Doyle leads Landers by just 10 points, which translates to Landers trailing in the two series combined by just 19 points. Although the gap is slightly larger in the Stock 1000 Championship between Cameron Petersen and Stefano Mesa (12 points), from top to bottom that one is closer with fifth-placed PJ Jacobsen only 20 points out of the lead.
Escalante’s closest rival in the Supersport title chase as the series ventures to Georgia for round three is Sean Dylan Kelly, the Floridian finishing second in three of the four races to Escalante. Unfortunately for the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider, he crashed out of race one. Thus, the points deficit. But Road Atlanta is a different venue with the opening two rounds taking place at Road America and with a change of scenery comes a change of hope for the Suzuki rider.
And the Supersport class is by no means a two-horse race as Brandon Paasch has shown that he and his Celtic HSBK Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 are also going to be a factor as he’s posted three podiums in the first four races. He was also on the podium in the other race but was disqualified after the post-race weigh-in showed that his bike was underweight. Paasch is only eight points behind Kelly and 48 behind Escalante.
One of the big Supersport surprises thus far in 2020 is TSE Racing’s Nate Minster, the youngster from Minnesota finishing fourth twice, fifth once and sixth once and that puts him fourth in the title chase. Minster is just five points ahead of RiderzLaw Aguilar Racing’s Jason Aguilar, who is fighting to make up ground after not finishing the opening race of the season.
As mentioned earlier, the Stock 1000 class is led by Altus Motorsports’ Petersen, the South African 12 points ahead of Mesa37 Racing’s Stefano Mesa. Petersen has a second-place finish and a win in the two races thus far with Mesa finishing fourth and second in the two races.
Gilbert Racing’s Michael Gilbert, meanwhile, sits third – just six points behind Mesa and only a single point ahead of Ride HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander. Alexander, in turn, is just one point ahead of Jacobsen, who won the first race of the season but missed race two after suffering injury in the morning warm-up. He will be back on board his Celtic HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R at Road Atlanta.
With three wins in four starts, De Keyrel leads the Twins Cup Championship but only by nine points over Landers, who won the first Twins Cup race of his young career in race three at Road America. Those two are well clear of third-placed Jason Madama on the Syndicate Racing/Apex Assassins Yamaha FZ-07/MT-07 with the Coloradan 32 points behind De Keyrel and seven points ahead of a tie between Jackson Blackmon, the Robem Engineering rider finishing second in race two at Road America, and former class champion Chris Parrish and his AP MotoArts/Ghetto Customs Yamaha.
BARTCON Racing’s Dominic Doyle is just .069 of a second from being undefeated in the 2020 Liqui Moly Junior Cup class because that was the difference between the South African and victory in the fourth race of the year. It was Landers who beat Doyle to the line in a well-deserved win as the youngster had been thwarted in the previous three tries by Doyle with eerily similar margins of victory. Quarterley Racing/On Track Development’s Benjamin Gloddy is third in the series standings with two podium finishes to his credit. He is just two points ahead of another South African – Samuel Lochoff. Lochoff and his Celtic HSBK Racing Kawasaki have two podium finishes from the four races.
Road Atlanta Support Class Notes…
To say that Rocco Landers arrived in the MotoAmerica paddock a year ago with a bang would be an understatement. In his very first Liqui Moly Junior Cup race in round one of the series at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta last April, Landers dominated. He won race one by an unheard of 16.2 seconds and race two by 4.9 seconds.
The two Supersport races at Road Atlanta last year were won by Hayden Gillim and Bobby Fong. Gillim beat Fong after an intense battle in race one and Fong came back to win race two over PJ Jacobsen. Fong would go on to win the Supersport title.
Andrew Lee got his Stock 1000 title defense off to a good start a year ago when he barely beat Michael Gilbert to take the win – by .130 of a second.
Michael Barnes won both Twins Cup races at Road Atlanta last April, the Quarterley Racing Ducati rider topping Curtis Murray in race one and Chris Parrish in race two.
Twenty-eight Twins Cup riders will take to the track at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with that class leading the way in the amount of entries for round three. Stock 1000 will feature 26 racers with the premier HONOS Superbike class consisting of 23 entries. Supersport (20) entries and Liqui Moly Junior Cup (18 entries) will complete the program with 115 total entries spread over the five classes.
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Westby Racing’s Two-Rider Team Has Their Heads Down Heading Into Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
Tulsa, OK – July 29, 2020 – Round three of the 2020 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship starts this Friday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, and riders Mathew Scholtz and Cody Wyman, along with the entire Westby Racing team, are looking forward to racing on Road Atlanta’s 2.54-mile, 12-turn natural road course.
For the team’s Superbike rider Mathew Scholtz, competing in the MotoAmerica event this weekend is extra-special because the South African expatriate now lives in the Atlanta area and considers Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta to be his home track. Mathew is focused on putting his #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 up front for his many fans and friends who live in the area, as well as across the U.S., in South Africa, and around the world.
Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
“I’m looking forward to this weekend and to get a little bit of redemption,” commented Mathew, who wasn’t satisfied with his results from rounds one and two at Road America in Wisconsin, despite his second-place finish in the first Superbike race of the year. “Road Atlanta is a home track for me, and also, (team manager Chuck Giacchetto’s) race shop is really close by. I have some local friends and neighbors who are coming, which gives me even more incentive to do well. Road Atlanta is a track that’s been really good to me in the past. It kind of favors my riding style and closely resembles the tracks that I raced on back in South Africa. I know that we’re capable of running up front, and I can’t wait to get out there and continue working on improving the Westby Racing R1 Superbike. Over the past couple of weeks, the guys have been working hard on the engine package, and I’ve been training exceptionally hard on the mountain bike and the motocross bike. We’re ready to put the bike up on the podium where it should be.”
Superbike Superpole is on Saturday at 11:15 AM Eastern, Superbike race one will go green on Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern, and Superbike Race 2 is on Sunday also at 3:00 PM Eastern. Both races will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and Eurosport, as well as streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
The last time Westby Racing’s MotoAmerica Junior Cup rider Cody Wyman competed at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta was five years ago, so the native New Yorker who now lives in Las Vegas is especially glad to be reunited with a race course that he enjoys and to be racing for the Westby team aboard the #34 Yamaha YZF-R3.
Cody Wyman (34). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Cody said, “It’s been a long few weeks since the previous round, so I am more than ready to get back to racing. I’ve been training in the heat at my house in Las Vegas to get ready for these back-to-back rounds. After the first two rounds at Road America—as much as I love racing in Wisconsin—I’m glad we’re going to a new racetrack. Road Atlanta is a racecourse that I’ve really liked in the past, and it’ll be great to race there again after five years away. It’s another one of those tracks with a very large fan base, and I’m looking forward to putting on a show for them. I really want to work on closing the gap to the front this weekend. It’s tough seeing the leaders get away early on, but it’s a long championship, and we’re still learning a lot about this Westby Racing Yamaha R3. Thank you to my team and sponsors for your continued support, and we’ll see you at the track!”
Junior Cup race one starts on Saturday at 4:00 PM Eastern, and Junior Cup race two is on Sunday at 2:00 PM Eastern. Both races will be broadcast via tape-delay on FOX Sports 2 (FS2). Check your local listings for FS2 airtimes. In addition, both Junior Cup races will be streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
Watch Great Racing While Maintaining Your Social Distance
Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta is located on 750 acres of park-like surroundings in the rolling hills of Northeast Georgia, so you can watch Mathew, Cody, and the rest of the MotoAmerica racers while maintaining proper social distancing. There is plenty of room for you, your family and/or your entire crew to enjoy professional motorcycle road racing on one of the country’s best tracks.
Pick Up Some FREE Westby Racing Autograph Cards
Westby Racing has produced some limited-edition, autographed cards of Mathew and Cody, and they’ll be available next to the team transporter throughout the weekend, so swing by and pick one up while maintaining proper social distancing.
Travis Wyman’s broken left elbow won’t be fully healed by the time this weekend’s MotoAmerica Superbikes at Atlanta round kicks off on Friday, but the Las Vegas rider is excited to be racing his team’s 2020 BMW S 1000 RR at the Road Atlanta circuit.
Wyman is still recovering from the broken elbow he sustained in a mountain bike crash just days before the most recent MotoAmerica round at Road America on June 26-28. Though the surgery to reattach the broken-off piece of bone in his left elbow was successful, Wyman is still working through the six-to-eight-week recovery period for the injury. He is scheduled to race the team’s BMW S 1000 RR four times at the 2.550-mile, Braselton, Georgia, track, including two Stock 1000 Class races and two Superbike Class races as part of the MotoAmerica Superbike Cup program.
Road Atlanta has been the scene of two of Wyman’s five professional road racing victories, including his win in the first-ever MotoAmerica Stock 1000 race in 2018.
“I’m still dealing with a lot of stiffness in my elbow, but I owe it to my sponsors, team and fans to get out on track this weekend and get as many points as I can,” Wyman said. “Road Atlanta is a special place for me because of how much success I’ve had there. If I’m going to have to race injured somewhere, I’d rather do it at a track I know well and have been successful on. It’s going to be a tough weekend with four races on my plate, but I learned a lot about how to race with this injury at Road America 2. Hopefully starting the weekend with that knowledge will help us score podium finishes or better in the Stock 1000 races and top-10s in the Superbike races.”
This weekend’s Superbike races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 at 3 p.m. Eastern/noon Pacific on Saturday and Sunday, and all MotoAmerica races and qualifying sessions can be viewed live or on-demand by subscribing to MotoAmerica’s Live+ streaming service. To learn more about MotoAmerica Live+, visit www.motoamericaliveplus.com.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
The opening weekend of August sees the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Team back on track for the third round of the revised MotoAmerica AMA Superbike Championship at the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta Circuit in America.
After being on track for a recent test aboard their GSX-R1000 machinery, team riders Toni Elias and Bobby Fong will be on circuit in Georgia on Friday (July 31st) for the opening practice sessions.
After two rounds and four races run so far during lockdown from the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, and run under a closed circuit with no spectators, Fong is currently third in the points and Elias 11th after an unfortunate no-score at the opening round.
The races will be broadcast live on various global TV and internet channels.
To check-out access, visit the Official MotoAmerica website: HERE
August 1-2: Round 3. MotoAmerica AMA Superbikes. Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta Circuit. Georgia. USA.
KWR Ducati Team ready for Road Atlanta with title sponsor One Cure CSU
TUCSON, Ariz. (July 28) — The KWR Ducati Team heads to Road Atlanta this coming weekend for the third round of the MotoAmerica Superbike championship. Kyle Wyman will ride the #33 One Cure/KWR Ducati Panigale V4 R as he chases more podium results. Wyman sits 4th in season standings going into this third round with four top-5 finishes and two podiums as the previous round at Road America.
“So far we’ve enjoyed our first two rounds in Wisconsin to kick off our delayed start to 2020, but I’m pumped to go down south to another great track in Atlanta for our third round,” Wyman said. “We are racing for One Cure this weekend thanks to the generosity of One Cure fans and supporters David and Maxine Pierce. None of us like cancer, and David and Maxine are helping me to raise awareness, and funds, as we race for One Cure to help all cancer patients.”
“The answer to cancer may be walking right beside us in our canine companions, because cancer is the same between the species, down to the cellular level. That means, what works for pets with cancer may work for us, too. I’m all about speeding toward One Cure, and with Ducati horsepower I hope we can help them get there faster!”
One Cure is an initiative at the Colorado State University Flint Animal Cancer Center. Because cancer is the same, whether you have two legs or four, their mission to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer in pets also benefits people. Learn more at this link.
When the KWR team kicked off the season in 2019, they had done so with a freshly uncrated Ducati Panigale V4 R with no development time. The team raced a nearly stock motorcycle at the first round last year which was just the beginning of the Ducati journey. Wyman will return to Atlanta to develop the Panigale V4 R around what will essentially be a new circuit for the bike.
“Last year when we kicked off the season in Atlanta, it was the first time I’d actually ridden the bike,” Wyman said. “We have come such a long way since April of 2019, with my riding as well. What we have now with our Ducati package is so far from what we raced here last year that it’s virtually like never riding here, so we will have some work to do on Friday to get our electronic maps dialed in to circuit, but the chassis setup should be a really good base for us to get up to speed quickly.”
Friday practice starts at 11:20am EST, with LIVE coverage on MotoAmerica Live+ streaming. Both race one and race two on Saturday and Sunday will be LIVE on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) at 3:00pm EST each day.
Jillian Deschenes, Lana MacNaughton and Melissa Paris complete first training session
After a long hiatus, the female participants of Royal Enfield’s BUILD TRAIN RACE (BTR) program spent two days working closely with American Flat Track racer Johnny Lewis in Viola, WI earlier this month. Three out of the four builders/riders attended the training session to prepare for their American Flat Track debut in October. During this session each rider received one-on-one coaching from Lewis spinning laps on the FT411 training motorcycles based on the Royal Enfield Himalayan and their custom-built INT 650 flat trackers.
Jillian Deschenes (31). Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
Jillian Deschenes, Lana MacNaughton and Melissa Paris were in attendance during the training session, which took place at S&S Cycle’s Speed Ranch track. The Speed Ranch is groomed and maintained oval dirt track which S&S Cycle uses for training, special events and product development purposes. Due to current travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada, the fourth participant, Andrea Lothrop was unable to attend. However, Andrea will be performing a virtual training session with Lewis in the coming weeks.
Melissa Paris (13). Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
“It was great to finally meet the ladies of the BUILD TRAIN RACE program and we had an awesome time in Viola,” said Lewis. “Seeing the dedication and attention to detail that they put into their INT 650 builds was impressive. What was more impressive was their willingness to learn and eagerness to go fast right from the get go. By the end of day two each rider was using the techniques we discussed and pushing themselves faster and faster, which is ultimately my goal as a teacher.”
Lana MacNaughton (88). Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
Lewis provided both on-track and off-track instruction to the ladies, using many principles and concepts taught in the Royal Enfield Slide School by Moto Anatomy program. Lewis focused on body position, riding mechanics and vision with ladies for two days. With the FT411 motorcycles, the women were able to familiarize themselves with the track conditions and received vital feedback from Lewis on their riding technique. Eventually, they transitioned to the larger and more powerful INT 650 builds on day two. Lewis was also able to shakedown each individual’s motorcycle and provided input regarding setup adjustments to improve ride-ability and performance.
“It was great to spend time with the BTR ladies at the track and see their progression,” said Breeann Poland, marketing lead of the Americas. “Having a partner like Johnny to provide coaching and insight has been a great addition to the program. Seeing him work with each rider and develop their confidence and skills over the two day session is exciting. I’m looking forward to the next time we’re all on track together again.”
Johnny Lewis (left) working with Melissa Paris (right). Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
Using SENA communication devices on day two, also a component of Royal Enfield’s Slide School program, Lewis provided coaching to the riders while at speed, giving precise direction on braking, cornering and more as they completed laps. After the conclusion of the two day training, all three ladies were comfortable riding aggressively at speed on their INT 650s, setting the stage for close racing when they line up for the first time in October.
The first exhibition for the BUILD TRAIN RACE ladies will be on track is on October 2-3 at Dixie Speedway as part of the American Flat Track program. Following that event, they will then race at Daytona Beach Flat Track on October 15-16.
WERA SPORTSMAN DOUBLE HEADER THIS COMING WEEKEND AT GRATTAN RACEWAY IN MICHIGAN!
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing will be hosting a Double Header Sprint weekend on the 1st and 2nd of August at Grattan Raceway Park in Belding, Michigan. Saturday will also have a WERA Rider’s school available for anyone who wants to go to the next level. Racing will begin at 12:30 on Saturday and noon on Sunday. SAS Racing is the sponsor of our A Superstock, A Superbike, Formula 1 and Senior Superbike Mediumweight Classes.
Camping is available.
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was founded in 1973 and remains the foremost place to develop talent in the sport of motorcycle Roadracing. The legacy of Pro riders on a National and World level is legendary. All events are run by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing with a co-sanction by the AMA and they go coast to coast offering entry level racing with the WERA Sportsman Series as well as a Pro-Am Series with the WERA National Challenge Series, WERA Motorcycle Roadracing also offer Vintage Racing and limited Endurance Racing with Track Day Partners N2 and Sportbike Track Time. WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was voted the 2017 AMA Track Organizer of the Year.
For more information on WERA Motorcycle Roadracing please check out our web site at wera.com
Jerry Hicks (527) fends off Genaro Lopez (122) into Turn 10 at Round 4 of UtahSBA’s Utah Motorcycle Law Masters of the Mountains Race Series July 25th at Utah Motorsports Campus. Photo by Steve Midgley, courtesy UtahSBA.
The UtahSBA held Round 4 of its Utah Motorcycle Law Masters of the Mountains Race Series on Saturday, July 25th on the Utah Motorsports Campus’ West Track. Round 4 came at the conclusion of the UtahSBA’s summer break and brought out both high temperatures and high spirits. A big group of racers braved the heat and excitement spread through the paddock like a San Diego Sirocco as it got hot in a hurry.
The early morning started off with Moto Station and AZ Riding Academy King of the Mountain (KOM) Qualifying. The first qualifying session was quiet with only a handful of riders showing up to turn laps but no one turning a lap under 1:35. Ordinarily this would be due to cold track temps but by 8am the temperature at the track was already nearing 85 degrees. The second practice session saw 2019 KOM champion Jerry Hicks lay down a solid 1:33.435 to take pole position on his Moto Station built Yamaha R6 followed closely by club president Eric Jones with a 1:33.667 on his freshly repaired Yamaha R1 and Genaro Lopez with a 1:33.806 on his BMW S1000RR.
July racing fuel boiled into action with the Harrison Motorsports Formula 40 race. Class contender Kevin Dolan sweated out a jump start and let several racers navigate around his Gixxer. Everyone made it by safely and after caroming through turn 1 Bill Davis emerged as the leader with Eric Jones in his afterburner wash through the first lap. Jones waited until the spectator favorite and final turn 10 to duck Davis on the inside but Davis pulled hard down the front straight. Alas, Jones broke later and tipped in ahead of Davis and never looked back. Meanwhile Dolan, who self-penalized back to 7th at the start, was clawing his way forward through the pack like a Jazzy racing in the Walker class, eventually passing Steven Marco for 3rd position. Jones held off Davis for the remainder of the race taking first by 1.632 followed by Dolan and Marco. 3rd place honors falling to Marco due to a jump start penalty assessed on Dolan.
The clubs’ premier King of the Mountain Race roared to life with Lopez holeshotting Hicks, Eric Jones, Davis, and Braden Jones. Eric Jones lined up and made a second lap pass on Hicks but with 12 laps to go, youthful endurance would show things were far from settled. Late in lap 4 saw youngster Braden Jones sneak by Davis for 4th place and Hicks overtaking Eric Jones. This placed the Jones father and son duo into a battle for third. Braden Jones was hot on his dad’s tail at the start of lap 6 with the pair racing in close contention down the front straight but Eric Jones broke later managing to hold off his son’s challenge. Undeterred, Braden Jones block passed Eric Jones on the entrance of turn 5 “Blackrock” only three turns later. With the Jones contingent locking horns, Hicks was working hard at un-gapping Lopez. Hicks finally took his shot in the “Blackrock” turn during lap 11 and left Lopez breathing his fumes. By the start of the last lap Lopez was still right with Hicks, testing him in the “Blackrock” turn and mustered a final and ultimately unrewarded attempt to block pass Hicks on the entrance of turn 10, slowing just enough for Hicks to win the momentum battle to the line on his R6. Lopez was 0.110 seconds behind, followed by Brayden Jones in 3rd, Davis in 4th, and Eric Jones in 5th.
In a post race interview Hicks commented that he wanted to thank sponsor Kory Cowan at the Moto Station and to dedicate his win this weekend to his mother who is dealing with a challenging loss this week. Hicks said he “dug deep to get the win for her.” He was also excited to see his championship get back on track this weekend as he now trails Lopez in the combined season standings by a mere 4 points.
The remainder of the race day did not disappoint with impressive battles in nearly all races. The MotoUnited Open Superstock race saw Davis hold a personal rematch with Lopez overtaking Lopez in turn 5 of the second lap and Lopez’s subsequent attempts to reassert his position failing with Davis finishing in the lead followed by Lopez and David Meyer. The Edge Powersports Deseret Dash saw Davis take an early lead followed by Eric Jones and his son Braden Jones dueling for second. The elder Jones prevailed when his son overcooked the entrance to turn 7 “The D’s” running off. With Braden Jones out of the picture, Rick Squires snuck into 3rd position followed closely by friend and rival James Kling. All told it was a fantastic weekend with the crash truck barely having any work to do in spite of the close racing.
The UtahSBA will be back at it again on Saturday August 15th for Round 5 on UMC’s East Track. In addition to racing the club will also be hosting the second Advanced Rider Training Course (ART) during that round with students working on their riding techniques in this Yamaha Champions Riding School powered class targeted at giving students racing skills to make them safer riders on the street.
The Utah Sport Bike Association is a Utah Non-Profit dedicated to promoting education, safe riding and competition in the Intermountain West. You can find more information about the USBA, upcoming events, and schools at www.utahsba.com or find us on Facebook.
MotoGP – No Marc Marquez at Jerez 2, but on-track attrition played a huge part in who got to stand on the podium. We talk about what happened, the heartbreaks, and who impressed.
MotoGP – The boys also talk about Moto2 & Moto3 results.
MotoGP Fantasy – The results from round 2 of the “Greg’s Garage Pod w/Jason Pridmore” Fantasy league are in! Who is leading the way and Greg is still smashing JP… and he is okay with it!?!
Eric Trosper and passenger Celia Trosper, riding their Loud Valve Racing Moto Guzzi, (X82) and Brad Carlisle and passenger Eddie Neubauer, riding their Sniper Monkey Racing Yamaha, (698) race into Blackhawk Farm Raceway’s Turn Five. Photo by Daniel Peter, courtesy AHRMA.
Saturday, July 25 Results
Final
Name
Vehicle
RR 200 Grand Prix +
1
Greg Glevicky
1969 Honda CB175
2
Bill Doran
1968 Yamaha YCS1
3
John Scales
Honda CL160
4
Steve Massey
1971 Yamaha CS3
5
Chris Steele
1971 Honda CB175
6
Tanner Wiedmeyer
1968 Honda CL175
RR 250 Grand Prix
1
David Roper
1967 Harley-Davidson CRTT
2
John Scales
Honda CL160
3
Ross Tuffli
1971 Honda 160
4
William Dickert Jr
Ducati 250
5
Robert Brangaccio
1971 Ducati
RR 350 GP
1
Alex McLean
1967 Harley-Davidson Aermacchi Drixton
2
David Roper
1970 Harley-Davidson ERTT
3
Jerry Duke
Ducati 350
RR 500 Premier
1
Wes Orloff
1967 Honda 450
2
Jerry Duke
Ducati 350
3
Andrew Mauk
1969 Honda CB450
4
Andy Findling
1961 BSA Gold Star
RR BEARS
1
Wesley Goodpaster
1970 Norton
2
Daniel May
1972 BMW R75/5
RR BOT 1 900cc-Open
1
Randy Sullinger
2002 Ducati SS1000DS
2
Dakota Wolter
2006 Bimota DB5
3
Scott Billings
2006 Ducati Paul Smart
4
Greg Hutcheson
Buell XB12R
5
Chris Wolter
2006 Bimota DB5
6
Lee Trollope
2014 BMW R9T
RR BOT 2 0-900cc
1
Dakota Wolter
2005 Ducati 800SS
2
Bob Berbeco
2018 Ducati Monster 797
3
Tony Prust
2010 Ducati Hypermotard 796
4
Clint Austin
2014 Triumph Thruxton 900
RR CB160 (EXH)
1
Greg Glevicky
1992 Yamaha TZ250 4DP
2
John Scales
Honda CL160
3
Dan Waite
Honda CB175
4
Chris Steele
1971 Honda CB175
5
Ross Tuffli
1971 Honda CB160
6
Tavis Frier
1973 Honda CB175
RR Class C Footshift
1
David Tompkins
1948 Vincent Comet
2
Grant Spence
1950 AJS 350
3
Alex McLean
1937 Norton Manx
RR Class C Handshift
1
Ralph Wessell
1937 Indian
2
Warren Heir
1940 Harley-Davidson WR
RR Classic Sixties
1
Alex McLean
1962 Norton Manx
2
David Tompkins
1948 Vincent Comet
RR Classic Sixties 650
1
Wesley Goodpaster
1960 Norton Atlas
2
Mike Baker
1969 Triumph 650 Bonneville
3
David Spanjar
1968 Triumph Bonneville
4
Frank Kays
1967 BSA Hornet
RR Formula 125
1
Colton Roberts
1974 Yamaha TA125
2
Craig Hirko
1967 Bridgestone TA 1
3
Ross Tuffli
1971 Honda 160
4
Randy Knoop
1972 Kawasaki F7
5
Dave Rhodes
1974 Yamaha TA125
6
Ken Debelak
1977 Honda MT125 R
RR Formula 250
1
Kevin Dinsmoor
1967 Honda CMR Seeley CB350
2
Patrick Hanson
1972 Honda CB350
RR Formula 500
1
Kevin Dinsmoor
1976 Honda CB550
2
Martin Morrison
1976 Honda CB550
3
Michael Platt
1972 Kawasaki S2 350
RR Formula 750
1
Nick Hargis
1972 Yamaha XS650
2
Martin Morrison
1976 Honda CB550
3
Albert Charles
Triumph T-150
RR Formula Lightning
RR Formula Thunder
1
Chris Haesemeyer
Triumph 675
2
Gregory Avello
2009 KTM RC8
3
Jesse Hwilka
2014 EBR 1190RX
4
Tim Nelson
2014 Triumph Daytona 675R
5
Pete TenHoopen
2012 Triumph 675R
6
Jordan Henry
2004 Honda RC51
RR Formula Vintage
1
Dennis Parrish
1974 Kawasaki Z-1A
2
Alan Perry
1978 Suzuki GS1000
3
Jeff Hargis
1972 Yamaha XS650
4
Warren Wilson
Kawasaki
RR Motard
1
Daniel Peter
2018 Husqvarna 701 SM
2
Steve Alexander
2017 Husqvarna FS450
3
Mike Harlow
2017 Husqvarna FS450
4
Paul Elledge
2018 Husqvarna
5
Ryan Rader
2018 Husqvarna FS450
6
Brad Carlisle
2017 Husqvarna Supermoto
RR Next Gen Superbike
1
Scott Billings
1992 Ducati 888
2
J Scott Rothermel
1992 Ducati 851
3
Rodney Menke
1986 Suzuki GSX-R750
RR Next Gen Superbike 2
1
J Scott Rothermel
1995 Ducati 916
2
Scott Billings
1997 Ducati 916
3
Jordan Henry
2004 Honda RC51
4
Jeff Nelson
2001 Honda RC51
5
Albert Charles
Ducati 996
RR Next Gen Superbike Lightweight
1
William Brian Wells
1990 Honda VFR400R NC30
2
Sven Bley
1990 Honda NSR250 MC21
3
Andrew Mauk
1984 Honda VF500
4
Monty Stauffer
1989 Yamaha FZR400
5
Brian Wagner
1989 Kawasaki EX500
6
Robert Himmelmann
1986 Yamaha FZ600
RR Novice Historic Production Heavyweight
1
Duane Kuhlow
1976 Honda CB400F
2
Shawn Gilmore
1974 Yamaha RD350
3
Tim Terrell
1973 Yamaha RD350
4
Timothy Wielgosz
1974 Honda CB550
5
Tavis Frier
1976 Yamaha XS650
RR Novice Historic Production Lightweight
1
Duane Kuhlow
1976 Honda CB400F
2
Tim Terrell
1971 Honda CL350
3
Mike Baker
1973 BSA 500 B50
4
Margaret Morr
1971 Honda CB350
5
Paul Grens
1975 Honda CB400F
6
Corey Golla
1976 Kawasaki KZ400
RR Open Two-Stroke
1
Greg Glevicky
1992 Yamaha TZ250 4DP
2
Dave Frick
1999 Yamaha TZ250
RR Pre-1940
1
Alex McLean
1937 Norton Manx
2
Ralph Wessell
1937 Indian
RR Sound of Singles 1
1
Daniel Peter
2018 Husqvarna 701 SM
2
Todd Pugh
2017 KTM 690 Duke
3
David Rutherford
1990 Suzuki Tigcraft
RR Sound of Singles 2
1
Ralph Staropoli
2018 Honda NSF250R
2
Mike Harlow
2017 Husqvarna FS450
3
Steve Alexander
2017 Husqvarna FS450
4
Paul Elledge
2018 Husqvarna
5
Dave Frick
2018 Honda NSF250R
6
Mike Harlow Sr
2018 Honda CRF450R
RR Sound of Singles 3
1
Ralph Staropoli
2018 Honda NSF250R
2
Dave Frick
2018 Honda NSF250R
3
Bill Doran
1995 Honda RS125R
4
Edward Blount
2015 KTM RC390
5
Steve Massey
1996 Honda RS125
6
Dave Rhodes
1997 Yamaha TZ125
RR Sound of Thunder 1
1
Kevin Van Engen
1999 Suzuki SV650
2
Gregory Avello
2009 KTM RC8
3
Jesse Hwilka
2014 EBR 1190RX
4
Clint Austin
Triumph 675R
5
Tim Nelson
2014 Triumph Daytona 675R
6
Jordan Henry
2004 Honda RC51
RR Sound of Thunder 2
1
Kevin Van Engen
1999 Suzuki SV650
2
Kris Lillegard
Yamaha FZ-07
3
Chris Haesemeyer
Triumph 675
4
Clint Austin
2018 BMW R9T
5
Dakota Wolter
2006 Bimota DB5
6
Sven Bley
2008 Ducati 848
RR Sound of Thunder 3
1
Dakota Wolter
2005 Ducati 800SS
2
Joshua Saxe
2006 Suzuki
3
Chris Haesemeyer
2006 Suzuki SV650
4
Nick Hargis
1999 Suzuki SV650
5
Greg Hutcheson
Harley-Davidson XR1200
6
Wes Orloff
2006 Buell XB12 Firebolt
RR Sportsman 350
1
Eric Cook
1971 Honda CL350
2
Kevin Dinsmoor
1973 Honda CB350
3
Greg Potter
1970 Honda
4
Jack Mattlin
1972 Honda CB350
5
David Felpel
Honda CB350
6
Ken Debelak
1970 Honda SL350
RR Sportsman 500
1
Greg Potter
1970 Honda
2
Eric Cook
1971 Honda CL350
3
Kevin Mcintosh
1971 Honda CL450
4
David Felpel
Honda CB350
RR Sportsman 750
1
Jeff Hargis
1972 Yamaha XS650
2
Michael Dixon
1970 Yamaha XS
3
Matt Esterline
1977 Honda CB750
4
Brady Ingelse
1975 Honda CB750
5
Grant Spence
1975 Honda CB750
6
Collin Erwin
1971 Yamaha XS650
RR Thruxton Cup Challenge
1
Clint Austin
2014 Triumph Thruxton 900
2
Seroj Terian
2002 Harley-Davidson Sportster
3
Eugene Casciaro
2014 Triumph Thruxton
4
Jack Mattlin
2015 Triumph Thruxton
RR Vintage Superbike Heavyweight
1
Dennis Parrish
1974 Kawasaki Z-1A
2
Alexander Cook
1979 Moto Guzzi Le Mans
3
Alan Perry
1978 Suzuki GS1000
4
Warren Wilson
Kawasaki
5
Russell Jordan
1982 Honda CB900F
6
Kyle Boisclair
1977 Kawasaki KZ650
RR Vintage Superbike Lightweight
1
Matthew Joy
1980 Suzuki GS450E
2
Jim Eich
1981 BMW R 65
3
Joshua Saxe
1981 BMW R 65
4
Todd Ruprecht
1983 Suzuki GS450E
5
Wayne Ninnemann
1982 Honda CB450T
6
Mark Morrison
1982 Honda CB450T Hawk
RR Vintage Superbike Middleweight
1
Paul Elledge
BMW
2
Ben Sloter
1981 Kawasaki GPz550
3
Alexander Cook
1979 Moto Guzzi Le Mans
4
Matthew Joy
1980 Suzuki GS450E
5
David Rutherford
1985 Cagiva 650SS
6
Richard Richter
1982 Kawasaki GPz550
SC Lost Era Sidecar (SC3)
1
Sean Stivason + Susan Stivason
1972 Yamaha XS
2
Adam Cramer + Nick Hargis
1979 Triumph 750 Bonneville
3
Vincent L (Vito) Wilson + Kenny Wilson
1978 Yamaha RD400
SC Modern Sidecar TT2
1
Dale Lavender + Murisha Lavendar
2009 Suzuki TT2 Sidecar
SC Super Vintage (SC2)
1
Tim Joyce + Kat Collins
1972 BMW R75
2
Eric Trosper + Celia Trosper
1972 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport SIDECAR
3
Brad Carlisle + Eddie Neubauer
Whitaker Whitaker sidecar
4
Daniel May + Craig Chawla
1958 BMW R50/2 Sidecar
5
Brian Rammer + Tammy Rammer
1972 Yamaha XS650
6
Brian Woods + Rachel Brink
1972 — Purpose-built / V SC2 Yamaha
SC Vintage Sidecar (SC1)
1
Michael Stivason + Kayla Theisler
1964 BSA A65
2
Michael Platt + Karna Kerr
1967 Kawasaki W1
Sunday, July 26 Results
Final
Name
Vehicle
RR 200 Grand Prix +
1
Greg Glevicky
1969 Honda CB175
2
Bill Doran
1968 Yamaha YCS1
3
John Scales
Honda CL160
4
Dan Waite
Honda CB175
5
Stuart Sanders
1972 Honda CL175
6
Tanner Wiedmeyer
1968 Honda CL175
RR 250 Grand Prix
1
Ross Tuffli
1971 Honda 160
2
William Dickert Jr
Ducati 250
3
Robert Brangaccio
1971 Ducati
4
David Roper
1967 Harley-Davidson CRTT
RR 350 GP
1
Alex McLean
1967 Harley-Davidson Aermacchi Drixton
2
David Roper
1970 Harley-Davidson ERTT
3
Jerry Duke
Ducati 350
RR 500 Premier
1
Andy Findling
1961 BSA Gold Star
RR BEARS
1
Wesley Goodpaster
1970 Norton
2
Daniel May
1972 BMW R75/5
RR BOT 1 900cc-Open
1
Dakota Wolter
2006 Bimota DB5
2
Scott Billings
2006 Ducati Paul Smart
3
Greg Hutcheson
Buell XB12R
4
Chris Wolter
2006 Bimota DB5
5
Lee Trollope
2014 BMW R9T
6
Shawn Veisz
2009 Ducati Air-Cooled
RR BOT 2 0-900cc
1
Dakota Wolter
2005 Ducati 800SS
2
Tony Prust
2010 Ducati Hypermotard 796
3
Bob Berbeco
2018 Ducati Monster 797
4
Clint Austin
2014 Triumph Thruxton 900
RR CB160 (EXH)
1
Greg Glevicky
1992 Yamaha TZ250 4DP
2
Stuart Sanders
1972 Honda CL175
3
Ross Tuffli
1971 Honda 160
4
Tanner Wiedmeyer
1968 Honda CL175
5
Tavis Frier
1973 Honda CB175
6
Leah Orloff
1978 Kawasaki KZ750
RR Class C Footshift
1
David Tompkins
1948 Vincent Comet
2
Alex McLean
1937 Norton Manx
3
Grant Spence
1950 AJS 350
RR Class C Handshift
1
Ralph Wessell
1937 Indian
2
Warren Heir
1940 Harley-Davidson WR
RR Classic Sixties
1
Alex McLean
1962 Norton Manx
2
Patrick McGraw
1967 Triumph T100R Daytona
3
David Tompkins
1948 Vincent Comet
RR Classic Sixties 650
1
Wesley Goodpaster
1960 Norton Atlas
2
Mike Baker
1969 Triumph 650 Bonneville
3
David Spanjar
1968 Triumph Bonneville
4
Frank Kays
1967 BSA Hornet
RR Formula 125
1
Colton Roberts
1974 Yamaha TA125
2
Craig Hirko
1967 Bridgestone TA 1
3
Randy Knoop
1972 Kawasaki F7
4
Dave Rhodes
1974 Yamaha TA125
5
Ken Debelak
1977 Honda Honda MT125 R
6
Byron P Hannah II
1974 Yamaha RD200
RR Formula 250
1
Kevin Dinsmoor
1967 Honda CMR Seeley CB350
2
Eric Cook
1969 Honda Drixton 350
3
Patrick Hanson
1972 Honda CB350
RR Formula 500
1
Kevin Dinsmoor
1976 Honda CB550
2
Martin Morrison
1976 Honda CB550
3
Dan Sokolich
1973 Yamaha RD350
4
Michael Platt
1972 Kawasaki S2 350
RR Formula 750
1
Nick Hargis
1972 Yamaha XS650
2
Martin Morrison
1976 Honda CB550
3
Albert Charles
Triumph T-150
RR Formula Thunder
1
Chris Haesemeyer
Triumph 675
2
Kris Lillegard
KTM RC8
3
Tim Nelson
2014 Triumph Daytona 675R
4
Jordan Henry
2004 Honda RC51
5
Pete TenHoopen
2012 Triumph 675R
6
Brett Folkerts
2015 Kawasaki Ninja 300
RR Formula Vintage
1
Jeff Hargis
1972 Yamaha XS650
2
Alan Perry
1978 Suzuki GS1000
3
Dennis Parrish
1974 Kawasaki Z-1A
4
Warren Wilson
Kawasaki
RR Motard
1
Daniel Peter
2018 Husqvarna 701 SM
2
Steve Alexander
2017 Husqvarna FS450
3
Mike Harlow
2017 Husqvarna FS450
4
Paul Elledge
2018 Husqvarna
5
Ryan Rader
2018 Husqvarna FS450
6
Brad Carlisle
2017 Husqvarna Supermoto
RR Next Gen Superbike
1
J Scott Rothermel
1992 Ducati 851
2
Rodney Menke
1986 Suzuki GSX-R750
RR Next Gen Superbike 2
1
J Scott Rothermel
1995 Ducati 916
2
Jordan Henry
2004 Honda RC51
3
Jeff Nelson
2001 Honda RC51
RR Next Gen Superbike Lightweight
1
Randy Sullinger
1990 Yamaha FZR400
2
Sven Bley
1990 Honda NSR250 MC21
3
William Brian Wells
1990 Honda VFR400R NC30
4
Andrew Mauk
1984 Honda VF500
5
Brian Wagner
1989 Kawasaki EX500
6
Monty Stauffer
1989 Yamaha FZR400
RR Novice Historic Production Heavyweight
1
Tavis Frier
1976 Yamaha XS650
2
Tim Terrell
1973 Yamaha RD350
3
Timothy Wielgosz
1974 Honda CB550
4
Shawn Gilmore
1974 Yamaha RD350
5
Duane Kuhlow
1976 Honda CB400F
RR Novice Historic Production Lightweight
1
Duane Kuhlow
1976 Honda CB400F
2
Mike Baker
1973 BSA 500 B50
3
Tim Terrell
1971 Honda CL350
4
Margaret Morr
1971 Honda CB350
5
Shane Powers
1970 Honda CB350
6
Paul Grens
1975 Honda CB400F
RR Open Two-Stroke
1
Ralph Staropoli
2002 Honda RS250R
2
Dave Frick
1999 Yamaha TZ250
3
Frank Schoenbeck
1991 Yamaha TZ250B
4
Greg Glevicky
1992 Yamaha TZ250 4DP
RR Pre-1940
1
Alex McLean
1937 Norton Manx
2
Ralph Wessell
1937 Indian
RR Sound of Singles 1
1
Daniel Peter
2018 Husqvarna 701 SM
2
Todd Pugh
2017 KTM 690 Duke
3
David Rutherford
1990 Suzuki Tigcraft
RR Sound of Singles 2
1
Steve Alexander
2017 Husqvarna FS450
2
Paul Elledge
2018 Husqvarna
3
Dave Frick
2018 Honda NSF250R
4
Edward Blount
2015 KTM RC390
5
Leasha Overturf
2015 KTM RC390
6
Mike Harlow
2017 Husqvarna FS450
RR Sound of Singles 3
1
Bill Doran
1995 Honda RS125R
2
Dave Frick
2018 Honda NSF250R
3
Edward Blount
2015 KTM RC390
4
Steve Massey
1996 Honda RS125
5
Eric Lukehart
1995 Honda RS125R
6
Dave Rhodes
1997 Yamaha TZ125
RR Sound of Thunder 1
1
Kris Lillegard
KTM RC8
2
Kevin Van Engen
1999 Suzuki SV650
3
Tim Nelson
2014 Triumph Daytona 675R
4
Clint Austin
Triumph 675R
5
Jordan Henry
2004 Honda RC51
6
Pete TenHoopen
2012 Triumph 675R
RR Sound of Thunder 2
1
Kevin Van Engen
1999 Suzuki SV650
2
Kris Lillegard
Yamaha FZ-07
3
Chris Haesemeyer
Triumph 675
4
Tim Nelson
2014 Triumph Daytona 675R
5
Clint Austin
2018 BMW R9T
6
Dakota Wolter
2006 Bimota DB5
RR Sound of Thunder 3
1
Chris Haesemeyer
2006 Suzuki SV650
2
Dakota Wolter
2005 Ducati 800SS
3
Joshua Saxe
2006 Suzuki
4
Nick Hargis
1999 Suzuki SV650
5
Andrew Berkley
2004 Suzuki SV650
6
Arch York
RR Sportsman 350
1
Kevin Dinsmoor
1973 Honda CB350
2
Eric Cook
1971 Honda CL350
3
Greg Potter
1970 Honda
4
Jack Mattlin
1972 Honda CB350
5
David Felpel
Honda CB350
6
Ken Debelak
1970 Honda SL350
RR Sportsman 500
1
Eric Cook
1971 Honda CL350
2
Greg Potter
1970 Honda
3
David Felpel
Honda CB350
RR Sportsman 750
1
Jeff Hargis
1972 Yamaha XS650
2
Michael Dixon
1970 Yamaha XS
3
Matt Esterline
1977 Honda CB750
4
Brady Ingelse
1975 Honda CB750
5
Collin Erwin
1971 Yamaha XS650
6
Kevin Mcintosh
1971 Honda CL450
RR Thruxton Cup Challenge
1
Clint Austin
2014 Triumph Thruxton 900
2
Eugene Casciaro
2014 Triumph Thruxton
3
Jack Mattlin
2015 Triumph Thruxton
4
Seroj Terian
2002 Harley-Davidson Sportster
RR Vintage Superbike Heavyweight
1
Dennis Parrish
1974 Kawasaki Z-1A
2
Alan Perry
1978 Suzuki GS1000
3
Alexander Cook
1979 Moto Guzzi Le Mans
4
Russell Jordan
1982 Honda CB900F
5
Warren Wilson
Kawasaki
6
Kyle Boisclair
1977 Kawasaki KZ650
RR Vintage Superbike Lightweight
1
Matthew Joy
1980 Suzuki GS450E
2
Jim Eich
1981 BMW R65
3
Todd Ruprecht
1983 Suzuki GS450E
4
Wayne Ninnemann
1982 Honda CB450T
5
Kimberly LaRonge
Suzuki GS450
6
Mark Morrison
1982 Honda CB450T Hawk
RR Vintage Superbike Middleweight
1
Paul Elledge
BMW
2
Ben Sloter
1981 Kawasaki GPz550
3
Alexander Cook
1979 Moto Guzzi Le Mans
4
David Rutherford
1985 Cagiva 650SS
5
Matthew Joy
1980 Suzuki GS450E
6
Richard Richter
1982 Kawasaki GPz550
SC Lost Era Sidecar (SC3)
1
Sean Stivason + Susan Stivason
1972 Yamaha XS
2
Adam Cramer + Nick Hargis
1979 Triumph 750 Bonneville
SC Modern Sidecar TT2
1
Dale Lavender + Murisha Lavendar
2009 Suzuki TT2 Sidecar
SC Super Vintage (SC2)
1
Tim Joyce + Kat Collins
1972 BMW R75
2
Eric Trosper + Celia Trosper
1972 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport SIDECAR
3
Brad Carlisle + Eddie Neubauer
Whitaker Whitaker sidecar
4
Daniel May + Craig Chawla
1958 BMW R50/2 Sidecar
5
Brian Rammer + Tammy Ramer
1972 Yamaha XS650
6
Brian Woods + Rachel Brink
1972 — Purpose-built / V SC2 Yamaha
SC Vintage Sidecar (SC1)
1
Michael Stivason + Kayla Theisler
1964 BSA A65
2
Michael Platt + Karna Kerr
1967 Kawasaki W1
AHRMA (American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving, restoring and competing on historic motorcycles. With over 3000 members, AHRMA is the leading historic motorcycle racing group in North America and one of the largest in the world. The association’s enthusiastic membership reflects this country’s strong interest in classic bikes.
The September 5th and 6th weekend scheduled for Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta has been moved to October 3rd and 4th. This event will be a double header National/Sportsman weekend. N2 Track Days will be there Friday prior to this event. Please pass this on to anyone who you know was planning on September. We apologize for the short notice but things are not “normal” in our world of racing and schedules in 2020 – we are just thankful we will be able to bring you to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta this season! The National Challenge will include the Michelin/WERA A /1000 Superbike Class both days. Pit Bull and CCF Office Solutions will sponsor trophies for the C/600 Superstock Class and the Senior Superbike HWT and MWT Classes.
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was founded in 1973 and remains the foremost place to develop talent in the sport of motorcycle Roadracing. The legacy of Pro riders on a National and World level is legendary. All events are run by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing and are co-sanctioned by the AMA. Racing is offered coast to coast with entry level racing in the WERA Sportsman Series as well as a Pro-Am Series with the WERA National Challenge Series as well as WERA Vintage Racing also this year Endurance Racing with our Track Day partner N2. WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was voted the 2017 AMA Track Organizer of the Year. There is something for everyone with WERA Motorcycle Roadracing!
For further information contact WERA Motorcycle Roadracing or check the web site at www.wera.com.
PJ Jacobsen is ready to return to action during next weekend’s MotoAmerica event at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta after surviving every racer’s nightmare – a fire while at speed, which resulted in the New Yorker being badly burned.
It was the morning of June 28 at Road America. Jacobsen took his Celtic HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R out in the morning warm-up ahead of his Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup races. Then as Jacobsen was roaring down the straightaway between the chicane and Canada Corner on his out lap, disaster struck.
“I was in four or fifth gear and all of a sudden it looked like my hands were in a pizza oven,” Jacobsen exclusively told Roadracingworld.com. “I had to figure out a game plan to get off the bike as quickly as I could because it was getting pretty hot. I was trying to grab the brake a little bit to try and slow down, but it seemed like the fire was getting worse. So, I decided to just jump off the bike.
“Then I ran over to the guy with the fire extinguisher because it felt like I was still burning because it was super hot. The guy blasted it in my face and then I couldn’t really breathe because I had a burning sensation in my lungs from the chemicals in the fire extinguisher. That was my biggest thing, that and my burns were burning. So, I was not in a good condition to race.”
After getting help with his breathing at the track, Jacobsen was taken to a local hospital to have the burns on his arms evaluated. Wound specialists felt the burns would heal naturally over time, and Jacobsen was driven back to his home in New York, where he has been recovering ever since.
“I’ve never been burnt that bad in my life. It’s definitely not something I would recommend,” said Jacobsen. “My burns were pretty close to third degree, but I’ve always healed pretty fast for some reason. So, they’ve healed quite good.
“I think I’m pretty much good to go. I’m not fully healed, but I feel like I can ride and race at 100%. It shouldn’t be an issue.”
Asked if he knew what caused the fire on his Ducati, Jacobsen said, “They’re [team] still supposed to let me know at Road Atlanta, because I know they’ve been checking it out to have a definite answer.
“I have Scott Jensen as my Crew Chief and Chase [McFarland] as my mechanic. In motorcycle racing you have to have a lot of trust in your crew, and I have a lot of trust in those guys. If it was a mistake or a part failure I have a lot of confidence it won’t happen again.”
Harley-Davidson headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo by David Swarts.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON OVERHAULS BUSINESS, REWIRES COMPANY FOR SUCCESS; SECOND QUARTER 2020 RESULTS REFLECT COVID-19 IMPACT AND RESPONSE
MILWAUKEE — Harley-Davidson, Inc. (“Harley-Davidson”) (NYSE:HOG) today announced actions it has taken to rewire the company, setting the foundation for a 5-year plan as the most desirable motorcycle brand in the world. The company also reported second quarter 2020 financial results, and its ongoing actions to manage the impacts of COVID-19 on its business.
“I’m very pleased with our accomplishments in these times of extraordinary challenges and uncertainty. Through all of this, we have made significant progress toward the goals of The Rewire; the positive feedback from key stakeholders and the early impacts we are seeing in the marketplace are very encouraging,” said Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president and CEO, Harley-Davidson. “A total rewire is necessary to make Harley-Davidson a high-performance company. Building on our strong brand legacy, we are reinvigorating our core profit driving business – powered by our strongest dealers, most exciting products and careful inventory management, while focusing on the most important opportunities for future expansion. We’re overhauling our operating model and our product plan and are rewiring our market structure and organization to focus on the strengths of our brand and company. We are now working on our new 5-year strategic plan, The Hardwire, which will be grounded in enhancing the desirability of our brand and protecting the value of our iconic products.”
New Operating Model: Reduced Complexity and Increased Speed
Vast changes to the company’s operating model under The Rewire include all areas of the business globally, from commercial operations to center-led support functions. Significant work has been undertaken to eliminate duplication, inefficiencies and complexity throughout the organization. As previously announced, the streamlined structure requires 700 fewer positions across its global operations.
Refined Motorcycle Line-Up and High-Impact Product Launches
The company plans to rewire its product offering to more precisely match customer desires and to strengthen the value of its products. The company will also improve product timing and go-to-market plans to achieve the greatest market impact.
Highlights of the new approach include:
Streamlining planned motorcycle models by approximately 30 percent; balancing investments between current stronghold categories and new, high-potential segments
Expanding product offerings of its best-selling, iconic motorcycles
Delivering its first Adventure Touring motorcycle – Pan America 1250 – in 2021
Shifting annual product launch timing from August to early in the first quarter
Reinvigorating launch efforts including collaborations with key influencers to bring the brand and new products to life drive brand desirability
Among other plans, the company is set to launch a new marketing campaign including a collaboration with Jason Momoa to celebrate the shared journey and unrelenting spirit of Harley-Davidson.
Growth through Parts & Accessories and General Merchandise
The company is intensifying focus on its Parts & Accessories and General Merchandise businesses, encouraging customers to customize their entire riding experience to match their own style. Now part of the new Commercial function, new leadership has designed strategies for each business aligned to the company’s motorcycle and market priorities with the goal of delivering a holistic experience in the marketplace.
Reset Global Business and Focus on High-Potential Markets
Harley-Davidson plans to concentrate on approximately 50 markets primarily in North America, Europe and parts of Asia Pacific that represent the vast majority of the company’s volume and growth potential. The company is evaluating plans to exit international markets where volumes and profitability do not support continued investment in line with the future strategy.
The company also plans to shift resources and marketing investments into the regions for maximum impact. As part of this effort, the company has streamlined regional offices and created new groups of high potential countries that will have the autonomy, within a clearly defined framework, to drive the business. Additionally, the company plans to optimize its dealer network to provide an improved and integrated customer experience.
Protecting Value
Harley-Davidson has revamped its approach to supply and inventory management focusing on products and initiatives that add value, while significantly reducing discounting and price promotions. This is expected to drive retail pricing to help preserve the value and desirability of Harley-Davidson motorcycles for its customers and brand.
The Rewire
All of the above efforts of The Rewire aim to provide a better starting point for the future and to build desirability for the Harley-Davidson brand and products.
The Rewire outcomes and other highlights at the end of Q2:
$250 million in cash savings (excluding restructuring charges) including SG&A and capital reductions expected in 2020
Restructuring charges of $42 million expected to result in approximately $100 million in ongoing annual savings based upon actions taken
Global dealer inventory down 32 percent
On average, U.S. new Model Year 2020 motorcycles selling at MSRP
Used Harley-Davidson pricing up significantly at retail and auction
The Rewire is expected to continue through the end of the year, leading to a first look at the company’s 2021-2025 strategic plan, The Hardwire, expected in the fourth quarter. Building on the foundation and principles of The Rewire, the driver of the new plan will be Harley-Davidson as the most desirable motorcycle brand in the world for its customers, employees, community and investors.
COVID-19 Response and Recovery
The company continues to proactively manage its business through the pandemic and has implemented robust protocols to keep workers safe in its factories. Most non-production workers will continue to work from home until the end of the year. Its response and recovery plans include supporting global dealers and customers. At the end of the quarter, about 93 percent of its global dealers were open for retail motorcycle sales following pandemic interruptions.
Included in the company’s broad cost and cash savings measures are SG&A reductions, curtailed capital spending, suspended discretionary share repurchases and a prudent approach to dividend payments. The company announced it will pay a third quarter cash dividend of $0.02 per share, in line with its second quarter dividend. The dividend is payable September 25, 2020 to the shareholders of record of the company’s common stock as of September 10, 2020.
The company has also further strengthened its strong liquidity position with nearly $4.7 billion in liquidity at the end of the quarter.
Second quarter 2020 results reflect the impacts of COVID-19 and also the actions taken in the second quarter to rewire the company. Q2 GAAP diluted EPS was $(0.60) versus $1.23 in Q2 2019. Excluding restructuring plan costs and the impact of recent tariffs, adjusted Q2 diluted EPS was $(0.35) versus $1.46 in Q2 2019. Second quarter net loss was $92 million on consolidated revenue of $865 million versus net income of $196 million on consolidated revenue of $1.6 billion in Q2 2019.
Harley-Davidson Retail Motorcycle Sales
Global retail motorcycle sales in the second quarter of 2020 were significantly impacted by COVID-19. U.S. retail sales finished down 27 percent compared to prior year.
Motorcycles and Related Products Segment Results
Revenue from the Motorcycles and Related Products segment was down in the second quarter of 2020 compared to prior year primarily driven by the temporary motorcycle manufacturing suspension during most of the quarter related to COVID-19. Gross margin and operating margin were down during the quarter primarily due to lower productivity and absorption resulting from the suspension of manufacturing.
Financial Services Segment Results
Financial Services segment second quarter operating income of $5 million was down 94 percent driven by an increase in the provision for loan losses related to COVID-19’s impact on economic projections.
Other Results
Cash – Cash and cash equivalents were $3.9 billion at the end of second quarter of 2020, compared to $925 million at the end of Q2 2019. Harley-Davidson generated $610 million of cash from operating activities year-to-date 2020 compared to $496 million year-to-date 2019.
Tax Rate – Harley-Davidson’s year-to-date effective tax rate was 3.7 percent compared to 24.1 percent in Q2 2019.
Dividend & Share Repurchase – The company paid a cash dividend of $0.02 per share for the second quarter of 2020. The company did not repurchase shares on a discretionary basis during the second quarter of 2020. During the quarter, there were 153 million weighted-average diluted common shares outstanding and 18 million shares remained on board-approved share repurchase authorizations.
2020 Outlook
Given the uncertainty that remains surrounding the impact and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is not providing financial guidance.
Company Background
Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company of Harley-Davidson Motor Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services. Our vision: Building our legend and leading our industry through innovation, evolution and emotion. Our mission: More than building machines, we stand for the timeless pursuit of adventure. Freedom for the soul. Since 1903, Harley-Davidson has defined motorcycle culture with an expanding range of leading-edge, distinctive and customizable motorcycles in addition to riding experiences and exceptional motorcycle accessories, riding gear and apparel. Harley-Davidson Financial Services provides financing, insurance and other programs to help get Harley-Davidson riders on the road. Learn more at www.harley-davidson.com.
Webcast Presentation
Harley-Davidson will discuss financial results, developments in the business, and a summary of The Rewire efforts on an audio webcast at 8:00 a.m. CT today. The webcast login and supporting slides can be accessed at http://investor.harley-davidson.com/news-and-events/events-and-presentations. The audio replay will be available by approximately 10:00 a.m. CT.
Non-GAAP Disclosure
This press release includes financial measures that have not been calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and are therefore referred to as non-GAAP financial measures. The non-GAAP measures described below are intended to be considered by users as supplemental information to the equivalent GAAP measures, to aid investors in better understanding the company’s financial results. The company believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful perspective on underlying business results and trends, and a means to assess period-over-period results. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures may not be the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies due to possible differences in method and in items or events being adjusted.
The non-GAAP measures included in this press release are adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS excluding restructuring plan costs and the impact of recent EU and China tariffs. Restructuring plan costs include restructuring expenses as presented in the consolidated statements of income and costs associated with temporary inefficiencies incurred in connection with the manufacturing optimization initiative included in Motorcycles and Related Products cost of goods sold. The impact of recent EU and China tariffs includes incremental European Union and China tariffs imposed beginning in 2018 on the company’s products shipped from the U.S., as well as incremental U.S. tariffs imposed beginning in 2018 on certain items imported from China. The impact of recent EU and China tariffs excludes higher metals cost resulting from the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs. These adjustments are consistent with the approach used for 2018 to determine performance relative to financial objectives under the company’s incentive compensation plans. These non-GAAP measures, as well as a reconciliation of the comparable GAAP measure to these non-GAAP measures are included later in this press release.
The company intends that certain matters discussed in this press release are “forward-looking statements” intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified as such because the context of the statement will include words such as the company “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “estimates,” “is on-track” or words of similar meaning. Similarly, statements that describe or refer to future expectations, future plans, strategies, objectives, outlooks, targets, guidance, commitments, or goals are also forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, unfavorably or favorably, from those anticipated as of the date of this press release. Certain of such risks and uncertainties are described below. Shareholders, potential investors, and other readers are urged to consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are only made as of the date of this press release, and the company disclaims any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
Important factors that could affect future results and cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: (i) the COVID-19 pandemic including the length and severity of the pandemic across the globe and the pace of recovery following the pandemic; (ii) adverse economic, political or market conditions in the U.S. and international markets and other factors such as natural disasters; and (iii) the Company’s ability to: (A) create and execute its business plans and strategies, and strengthen its existing business while allowing for desirable growth; (B) manage and predict the impact that new or adjusted tariffs may have on the company’s ability to sell products internationally, and the cost of raw materials and components; (C) successfully carry out its global manufacturing and assembly operations; (D) accurately analyze, predict and react to changing market conditions and successfully adjust to shifting global consumer needs and interests, including successfully implementing and executing plans to exit international markets where volumes and profitability do not support continued investment in line with the future strategy; (E) successfully access the capital and/or credit markets on terms that are acceptable to the company and within its expectations; (F) develop and maintain a productive relationship with Zhejiang Qianjiang Motorcycle Co., Ltd. and launch related products in a timely manner; (G) develop and introduce products, services and experiences on a timely basis that the market accepts, that enable the company to generate desired sales levels and that provide the desired financial returns; (H) perform in a manner that enables the company to benefit from market opportunities while competing against existing and new competitors; (I) realize expectations concerning market demand for electric models, which will depend in part on the building of necessary infrastructure; (J) prevent, detect, and remediate any issues with its motorcycles or any issues associated with the manufacturing processes to avoid delays in new model launches, recall campaigns, regulatory agency investigations, increased warranty costs or litigation and adverse effects on its reputation and brand strength, and carry out any product programs or recalls within expected costs and timing; (K) manage supply chain issues, including quality issues and any unexpected interruptions or price increases caused by raw material shortages or natural disasters; (L) manage the impact that prices for and supply of used motorcycles may have on its business, including on retail sales of new motorcycles; (M) successfully manage and reduce costs throughout the business; (N) balance production volumes for its new motorcycles with consumer demand; (O) manage risks that arise through expanding international manufacturing, operations and sales; (P) manage through changes in general economic and business conditions, including changing capital, credit and retail markets, and the changing political environment; (Q) successfully determine, implement on a timely basis, and maintain a manner in which to sell motorcycles in the European Union, China, and the company’s ASEAN countries that does not subject its motorcycles to incremental tariffs; (R) accurately estimate and adjust to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and commodity prices; (S) continue to develop the capabilities of its distributors and dealers, effectively implement changes relating to its dealers and distribution methods and manage the risks that its independent dealers may have difficulty obtaining capital and managing through changing economic conditions and consumer demand; (T) retain and attract talented employees, and eliminate personnel duplication, inefficiencies and complexity throughout the organization; (U) prevent a cybersecurity breach involving consumer, employee, dealer, supplier, or company data and respond to evolving regulatory requirements regarding data security; (V) manage the credit quality, the loan servicing and collection activities, and the recovery rates of HDFS’ loan portfolio; (W) adjust to tax reform, healthcare inflation and reform and pension reform, and successfully estimate the impact of any such reform on the company’s business; (X) manage through the effects inconsistent and unpredictable weather patterns may have on retail sales of motorcycles; (Y) implement and manage enterprise-wide information technology systems, including systems at its manufacturing facilities; (Z) grow ridership, globally; (AA) manage changes and prepare for requirements in legislative and regulatory environments for its products, services and operations; (BB) manage its exposure to product liability claims and commercial or contractual disputes; (CC) manage its Thailand corporate and manufacturing operation in a manner that allows the company to avail itself of preferential free trade agreements and duty rates, and sufficiently lower prices of its motorcycles in certain markets; (DD) continue to manage the relationships and agreements that the company has with its labor unions to help drive long-term competitiveness; and (EE) accurately predict the margins of its Motorcycles and Related Products segment in light of, among other things, tariffs, the cost associated with product development initiatives and the company’s complex global supply chain.
The company’s operations, demand for its products, and its liquidity could be adversely impacted by work stoppages, facility closures, strikes, natural causes, widespread infectious disease, terrorism, or other factors. Other factors are described in risk factors that the company has disclosed in documents previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Many of these risk factors are impacted by the current changing capital, credit and retail markets and the company’s ability to manage through inconsistent economic conditions.
The company’s ability to sell its motorcycles and related products and services and to meet its financial expectations also depends on the ability of the company’s independent dealers to sell its motorcycles and related products and services to retail customers. The company depends on the capability and financial capacity of its independent dealers to develop and implement effective retail sales plans to create demand for the motorcycles and related products and services they purchase from the company. In addition, the company’s independent dealers and distributors may experience difficulties in operating their businesses and selling Harley-Davidson motorcycles and related products and services as a result of weather, economic conditions, the impact of COVID-19, or other factors. In recent years, HDFS has experienced historically low levels of retail credit losses, but there is no assurance that this will continue. The company believes that HDFS’ retail credit losses may increase over time due to changing consumer credit behavior and HDFS’ efforts to increase prudently structured loan approvals to sub-prime borrowers, as well as actions that the company has taken and could take that impact motorcycle values. Refer to “Risk Factors” under Item 1A of the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and Part II, Item 1A of any subsequently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, for a discussion of additional risk factors and a more complete discussion of some of the cautionary statements noted above.
Toni Elias (24) leads JD Beach (95), Garrett Gerloff (31), Josh Herrin (2), Mathew Scholtz (11), and Cameron Beaubier (behind Scholtz) early in a MotoAmerica Superbike race at Road Atlanta in 2019. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
The Kings Of Atlanta: Can Anyone Stop Beaubier And Elias At Road Atlanta
The Two Champions Are The Only Previous Superbike Winners In The Field
IRVINE, CA (July 29, 2020) – In the 10 MotoAmerica Superbike races held at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in the five-year-old MotoAmerica era, only two riders have tasted victory – Cameron Beaubier and Toni Elias – with those two tied with five wins apiece. Thus, if one of those two wins a race and the other doesn’t in the upcoming two HONOS Superbike races in Braselton, Georgia, July 31-August 2, that tie will be broken. And if they are both beaten, the streak will be over.
Beaubier got a two-race head start on Elias at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the four-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion racing to two wins in 2015 while Elias was still in Europe. In 2016, Elias showed up and followed up his two race wins in the series opener at COTA with a race-one win at Road Atlanta on his Yoshimura Suzuki. Beaubier, however, won race two.
The following year will go down as the “I have long memory” race when Beaubier and Elias got together, and Elias ran off track and Beaubier rode to victory. The two had a war of words in the post-race press conference after the second race and it was the real beginning of a rivalry between the series’ two best Superbike racers to date. With Elias winning race two, Beaubier led the war of wins four to two.
Since 2017, Elias has had the most success at Road Atlanta, the Spaniard and his Suzuki winning three of the last four races to tie Beaubier with five wins apiece. To recap, it’s Cam, Cam, Toni, Cam, Cam, Toni, Toni, Toni, Cam, Toni. Phew.
Now it’s time to see if that continues as the series holds its third round at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta this coming weekend.
In the past, it’s been a given that those two riders would run at the front. Not the case this season as they arrive in Georgia on opposite ends of the spectrum. Beaubier and his Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 will start Friday’s practice with wins in three of the first four races, with all four being held at Road America in Wisconsin. And Beaubier looked to be heading to win number four when he made a mistake, hit a notorious bump in turn one and crashed out of the race. Still he comes to Road Atlanta as the championship points leader.
As round three gets ready to begin, Elias is so far out of championship contention he can’t see it with binoculars. The former Moto2 World Champion is 11th in the title chase after four races, 53 points behind Beaubier after a dreadful start to his season. M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Elias started the season without earning a point in round one, the Spaniard a victim of a tossed chain in race one and a crash in race two. In round two, things improved with Elias finishing fourth in race one. But then it went bad again when he was knocked down in race two after a collision with Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz for fourth. Elias dusted himself off, remounted, finished seventh and then had words with Scholtz after the race. After four races last year, Elias led the championship with 90 points. This year he has 22 points. But, as everyone in the paddock will tell you, you can’t count the Spaniard out. His lap times thus far in 2020 have been faster, but his results have not. He’s hoping his reversal of fortune begins in Georgia this weekend.
By virtue of three podium finishes in four races, Beaubier’s new teammate Jake Gagne sits second in the title chase – nine points behind the defending four-time series champion. Gagne finished second to Beaubier in race two of Road America 1 and was in position to win his first career Superbike race when Beaubier crashed out of race two in Road America 2, but he couldn’t find a way past M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong in the closing stages of the race.
Fong is off to a flying start in his Superbike debut season, the non-defending MotoAmerica Superport Champion earning his first career HONOS Superbike victory in Wisconsin. Fong is third in the championship, 17 points behind Beaubier and eight behind Gagne and has inserted himself in the battle for the title.
Fong is just two points ahead of one of the surprises thus far in the 2020 MotoAmerica season – KWR Ducati’s Kyle Wyman. If the season continues to go the way it has, it will take a plastic surgeon to remove the smile from Wyman’s face as he’s visited the podium twice with third-place finishes in the last two races at Road America on his Ducati Panigale V4 R. Prior to that he was fifth and fourth in the opening two battles.
Fifth place in the title chase is held by Scheibe Racing BMW’s Josh Herrin, the Georgian who now calls Southern California home, earning a podium in the second race of the year in just his second start on the BMW S 1000 R. Herrin and the team have been working hard on the BMW to get him more comfortable and it will be interesting to see how the effort pays off at a racetrack that’s much different than Road America.
Scholtz’s season started with a bang with a second-place finish in the very first race of the year at Road America. He followed that up with a crash in race two but came back to form in the next two races with fifth- and fourth-place finishes. He is 31 points behind Beaubier but just two markers behind Herrin.
Although we are only two rounds and four races into the HONOS Superbike season, FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony is another rider who has gotten off to a good start to his season. The Australian is seventh, eight points behind Scholtz and nine ahead of Celtic HSBK Racing’s PJ Jacobsen, the New Yorker missing race two of Road America 2 after a morning warm-up crash left him injured. He will be back in action at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen, who like Jacobsen is doing double duty in the HONOS Superbike and Stock 1000 classes, is ninth in the Superbike title chase – just one point clear of Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders.
Both of the two MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike races will air live on FS1 this coming weekend from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Road Atlanta Superbike Notes…
With his three wins in the first three rounds of the 2020 MotoAmerica Series, Cameron Beaubier now has 41 HONOS Superbike victories to his credit. The 41 wins puts him third on the all-time win list behind Mat Mladin (82) and Josh Hayes (41). The next active rider on the list is Toni Elias with the Spaniard tied with Miguel Duhamel for fourth on the all-time list with 32 wins.
History lesson: The very first AMA Superbike race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta was held in 1980 and that race was won by four-time 500cc World Champion Eddie Lawson. The first-ever AMA National motorcycle race at Road Atlanta was held in 1971 and was won by Kel Carruthers.
Riders from six different countries and eight different states will line up at Road Atlanta in the HONOS Superbike class with the U.S., Spain, South Africa, Great Britain, Brazil and Australia all represented. As for the states, California leads the way with four riders from the Golden State, then Georgia (3) and New York (3).
Garrett Gerloff earned pole position at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta last year with his lap of 1:23.844 during Superpole. Gerloff’s best lap bettered that set by Toni Elias with Mathew Scholtz rounding out the front row for the two races last year. Gerloff’s best was a new motorcycle lap record at Road Atlanta.
As for the races last year, Beaubier and Elias split wins with Beaubier beating Elias in race one by 2.7 seconds and Elias topping Mathew Scholtz by 1.8 seconds with Beaubier third. The fastest lap from the two races, Beaubier was the only rider to dip into the 1:24s with his best lap in race one, a 1:24.882, bettering his 1:24.887 from race two.
Geoff May will make his 2020 MotoAmerica debut at Road Atlanta and the Georgian will do double duty as he races in both the HONOS Superbike and Stock 1000 classes on his Disrupt Racing CCFOfficeSolutions.com Kawasaki ZX-10R.
For the full 2020 MotoAmerica Series schedule, click HERE
To purchase tickets to any of the 2020 series rounds, click HERE
For information on how to watch the 2020 MotoAmerica Series, click HERE
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
More, from another press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Escalante Is Perfecto As MotoAmerica Heads To Road Atlanta
Richie Escalante Remains Unbeaten In Four Races
Richie Escalante (54) leads Sean Dylan Kelly (40), Brandon Paasch (21) and the rest of the field during MotoAmerica Supersport Race 2 at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
IRVINE, CA (July 29, 2020) – Only one rider remains undefeated in the 2020 MotoAmerica Series as the championship heads to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta this weekend and that man is Richie Escalante, the Mexico City resident carding a perfect 100 points from the first four Supersport races of the season.
With his perfect tally, HONOS Kawasaki rider Escalante has a 40-point lead in the Supersport Championship, but he’s the only one with that sort of breathing room in the five MotoAmerica classes.
The closest points battle is in the Twins Cup class where 1-833-CJKNOWS Accident & Injury Law’s Kaleb De Keyrel leads Rocco Landers by just nine points after two rounds. In the Liqui Moly Junior Cup Series, Dominic Doyle leads Landers by just 10 points, which translates to Landers trailing in the two series combined by just 19 points. Although the gap is slightly larger in the Stock 1000 Championship between Cameron Petersen and Stefano Mesa (12 points), from top to bottom that one is closer with fifth-placed PJ Jacobsen only 20 points out of the lead.
Escalante’s closest rival in the Supersport title chase as the series ventures to Georgia for round three is Sean Dylan Kelly, the Floridian finishing second in three of the four races to Escalante. Unfortunately for the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider, he crashed out of race one. Thus, the points deficit. But Road Atlanta is a different venue with the opening two rounds taking place at Road America and with a change of scenery comes a change of hope for the Suzuki rider.
And the Supersport class is by no means a two-horse race as Brandon Paasch has shown that he and his Celtic HSBK Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 are also going to be a factor as he’s posted three podiums in the first four races. He was also on the podium in the other race but was disqualified after the post-race weigh-in showed that his bike was underweight. Paasch is only eight points behind Kelly and 48 behind Escalante.
One of the big Supersport surprises thus far in 2020 is TSE Racing’s Nate Minster, the youngster from Minnesota finishing fourth twice, fifth once and sixth once and that puts him fourth in the title chase. Minster is just five points ahead of RiderzLaw Aguilar Racing’s Jason Aguilar, who is fighting to make up ground after not finishing the opening race of the season.
As mentioned earlier, the Stock 1000 class is led by Altus Motorsports’ Petersen, the South African 12 points ahead of Mesa37 Racing’s Stefano Mesa. Petersen has a second-place finish and a win in the two races thus far with Mesa finishing fourth and second in the two races.
Gilbert Racing’s Michael Gilbert, meanwhile, sits third – just six points behind Mesa and only a single point ahead of Ride HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander. Alexander, in turn, is just one point ahead of Jacobsen, who won the first race of the season but missed race two after suffering injury in the morning warm-up. He will be back on board his Celtic HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R at Road Atlanta.
With three wins in four starts, De Keyrel leads the Twins Cup Championship but only by nine points over Landers, who won the first Twins Cup race of his young career in race three at Road America. Those two are well clear of third-placed Jason Madama on the Syndicate Racing/Apex Assassins Yamaha FZ-07/MT-07 with the Coloradan 32 points behind De Keyrel and seven points ahead of a tie between Jackson Blackmon, the Robem Engineering rider finishing second in race two at Road America, and former class champion Chris Parrish and his AP MotoArts/Ghetto Customs Yamaha.
BARTCON Racing’s Dominic Doyle is just .069 of a second from being undefeated in the 2020 Liqui Moly Junior Cup class because that was the difference between the South African and victory in the fourth race of the year. It was Landers who beat Doyle to the line in a well-deserved win as the youngster had been thwarted in the previous three tries by Doyle with eerily similar margins of victory. Quarterley Racing/On Track Development’s Benjamin Gloddy is third in the series standings with two podium finishes to his credit. He is just two points ahead of another South African – Samuel Lochoff. Lochoff and his Celtic HSBK Racing Kawasaki have two podium finishes from the four races.
Road Atlanta Support Class Notes…
To say that Rocco Landers arrived in the MotoAmerica paddock a year ago with a bang would be an understatement. In his very first Liqui Moly Junior Cup race in round one of the series at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta last April, Landers dominated. He won race one by an unheard of 16.2 seconds and race two by 4.9 seconds.
The two Supersport races at Road Atlanta last year were won by Hayden Gillim and Bobby Fong. Gillim beat Fong after an intense battle in race one and Fong came back to win race two over PJ Jacobsen. Fong would go on to win the Supersport title.
Andrew Lee got his Stock 1000 title defense off to a good start a year ago when he barely beat Michael Gilbert to take the win – by .130 of a second.
Michael Barnes won both Twins Cup races at Road Atlanta last April, the Quarterley Racing Ducati rider topping Curtis Murray in race one and Chris Parrish in race two.
Twenty-eight Twins Cup riders will take to the track at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with that class leading the way in the amount of entries for round three. Stock 1000 will feature 26 racers with the premier HONOS Superbike class consisting of 23 entries. Supersport (20) entries and Liqui Moly Junior Cup (18 entries) will complete the program with 115 total entries spread over the five classes.
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Westby Racing’s Two-Rider Team Has Their Heads Down Heading Into Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
Tulsa, OK – July 29, 2020 – Round three of the 2020 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship starts this Friday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, and riders Mathew Scholtz and Cody Wyman, along with the entire Westby Racing team, are looking forward to racing on Road Atlanta’s 2.54-mile, 12-turn natural road course.
For the team’s Superbike rider Mathew Scholtz, competing in the MotoAmerica event this weekend is extra-special because the South African expatriate now lives in the Atlanta area and considers Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta to be his home track. Mathew is focused on putting his #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 up front for his many fans and friends who live in the area, as well as across the U.S., in South Africa, and around the world.
Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
“I’m looking forward to this weekend and to get a little bit of redemption,” commented Mathew, who wasn’t satisfied with his results from rounds one and two at Road America in Wisconsin, despite his second-place finish in the first Superbike race of the year. “Road Atlanta is a home track for me, and also, (team manager Chuck Giacchetto’s) race shop is really close by. I have some local friends and neighbors who are coming, which gives me even more incentive to do well. Road Atlanta is a track that’s been really good to me in the past. It kind of favors my riding style and closely resembles the tracks that I raced on back in South Africa. I know that we’re capable of running up front, and I can’t wait to get out there and continue working on improving the Westby Racing R1 Superbike. Over the past couple of weeks, the guys have been working hard on the engine package, and I’ve been training exceptionally hard on the mountain bike and the motocross bike. We’re ready to put the bike up on the podium where it should be.”
Superbike Superpole is on Saturday at 11:15 AM Eastern, Superbike race one will go green on Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern, and Superbike Race 2 is on Sunday also at 3:00 PM Eastern. Both races will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and Eurosport, as well as streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
The last time Westby Racing’s MotoAmerica Junior Cup rider Cody Wyman competed at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta was five years ago, so the native New Yorker who now lives in Las Vegas is especially glad to be reunited with a race course that he enjoys and to be racing for the Westby team aboard the #34 Yamaha YZF-R3.
Cody Wyman (34). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Cody said, “It’s been a long few weeks since the previous round, so I am more than ready to get back to racing. I’ve been training in the heat at my house in Las Vegas to get ready for these back-to-back rounds. After the first two rounds at Road America—as much as I love racing in Wisconsin—I’m glad we’re going to a new racetrack. Road Atlanta is a racecourse that I’ve really liked in the past, and it’ll be great to race there again after five years away. It’s another one of those tracks with a very large fan base, and I’m looking forward to putting on a show for them. I really want to work on closing the gap to the front this weekend. It’s tough seeing the leaders get away early on, but it’s a long championship, and we’re still learning a lot about this Westby Racing Yamaha R3. Thank you to my team and sponsors for your continued support, and we’ll see you at the track!”
Junior Cup race one starts on Saturday at 4:00 PM Eastern, and Junior Cup race two is on Sunday at 2:00 PM Eastern. Both races will be broadcast via tape-delay on FOX Sports 2 (FS2). Check your local listings for FS2 airtimes. In addition, both Junior Cup races will be streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
Watch Great Racing While Maintaining Your Social Distance
Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta is located on 750 acres of park-like surroundings in the rolling hills of Northeast Georgia, so you can watch Mathew, Cody, and the rest of the MotoAmerica racers while maintaining proper social distancing. There is plenty of room for you, your family and/or your entire crew to enjoy professional motorcycle road racing on one of the country’s best tracks.
Pick Up Some FREE Westby Racing Autograph Cards
Westby Racing has produced some limited-edition, autographed cards of Mathew and Cody, and they’ll be available next to the team transporter throughout the weekend, so swing by and pick one up while maintaining proper social distancing.
Travis Wyman’s broken left elbow won’t be fully healed by the time this weekend’s MotoAmerica Superbikes at Atlanta round kicks off on Friday, but the Las Vegas rider is excited to be racing his team’s 2020 BMW S 1000 RR at the Road Atlanta circuit.
Wyman is still recovering from the broken elbow he sustained in a mountain bike crash just days before the most recent MotoAmerica round at Road America on June 26-28. Though the surgery to reattach the broken-off piece of bone in his left elbow was successful, Wyman is still working through the six-to-eight-week recovery period for the injury. He is scheduled to race the team’s BMW S 1000 RR four times at the 2.550-mile, Braselton, Georgia, track, including two Stock 1000 Class races and two Superbike Class races as part of the MotoAmerica Superbike Cup program.
Road Atlanta has been the scene of two of Wyman’s five professional road racing victories, including his win in the first-ever MotoAmerica Stock 1000 race in 2018.
“I’m still dealing with a lot of stiffness in my elbow, but I owe it to my sponsors, team and fans to get out on track this weekend and get as many points as I can,” Wyman said. “Road Atlanta is a special place for me because of how much success I’ve had there. If I’m going to have to race injured somewhere, I’d rather do it at a track I know well and have been successful on. It’s going to be a tough weekend with four races on my plate, but I learned a lot about how to race with this injury at Road America 2. Hopefully starting the weekend with that knowledge will help us score podium finishes or better in the Stock 1000 races and top-10s in the Superbike races.”
This weekend’s Superbike races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 at 3 p.m. Eastern/noon Pacific on Saturday and Sunday, and all MotoAmerica races and qualifying sessions can be viewed live or on-demand by subscribing to MotoAmerica’s Live+ streaming service. To learn more about MotoAmerica Live+, visit www.motoamericaliveplus.com.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
The opening weekend of August sees the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Team back on track for the third round of the revised MotoAmerica AMA Superbike Championship at the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta Circuit in America.
After being on track for a recent test aboard their GSX-R1000 machinery, team riders Toni Elias and Bobby Fong will be on circuit in Georgia on Friday (July 31st) for the opening practice sessions.
After two rounds and four races run so far during lockdown from the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, and run under a closed circuit with no spectators, Fong is currently third in the points and Elias 11th after an unfortunate no-score at the opening round.
The races will be broadcast live on various global TV and internet channels.
To check-out access, visit the Official MotoAmerica website: HERE
August 1-2: Round 3. MotoAmerica AMA Superbikes. Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta Circuit. Georgia. USA.
KWR Ducati Team ready for Road Atlanta with title sponsor One Cure CSU
TUCSON, Ariz. (July 28) — The KWR Ducati Team heads to Road Atlanta this coming weekend for the third round of the MotoAmerica Superbike championship. Kyle Wyman will ride the #33 One Cure/KWR Ducati Panigale V4 R as he chases more podium results. Wyman sits 4th in season standings going into this third round with four top-5 finishes and two podiums as the previous round at Road America.
“So far we’ve enjoyed our first two rounds in Wisconsin to kick off our delayed start to 2020, but I’m pumped to go down south to another great track in Atlanta for our third round,” Wyman said. “We are racing for One Cure this weekend thanks to the generosity of One Cure fans and supporters David and Maxine Pierce. None of us like cancer, and David and Maxine are helping me to raise awareness, and funds, as we race for One Cure to help all cancer patients.”
“The answer to cancer may be walking right beside us in our canine companions, because cancer is the same between the species, down to the cellular level. That means, what works for pets with cancer may work for us, too. I’m all about speeding toward One Cure, and with Ducati horsepower I hope we can help them get there faster!”
One Cure is an initiative at the Colorado State University Flint Animal Cancer Center. Because cancer is the same, whether you have two legs or four, their mission to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer in pets also benefits people. Learn more at this link.
When the KWR team kicked off the season in 2019, they had done so with a freshly uncrated Ducati Panigale V4 R with no development time. The team raced a nearly stock motorcycle at the first round last year which was just the beginning of the Ducati journey. Wyman will return to Atlanta to develop the Panigale V4 R around what will essentially be a new circuit for the bike.
“Last year when we kicked off the season in Atlanta, it was the first time I’d actually ridden the bike,” Wyman said. “We have come such a long way since April of 2019, with my riding as well. What we have now with our Ducati package is so far from what we raced here last year that it’s virtually like never riding here, so we will have some work to do on Friday to get our electronic maps dialed in to circuit, but the chassis setup should be a really good base for us to get up to speed quickly.”
Friday practice starts at 11:20am EST, with LIVE coverage on MotoAmerica Live+ streaming. Both race one and race two on Saturday and Sunday will be LIVE on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) at 3:00pm EST each day.
Royal Enfield "Build Train Race" participants Jillian Deschenes (left), Lana MacNaughton (center) and Melissa Paris (right) in action. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
BUILD TRAIN RACE PARTICIPANTS HIT THE TRACK
Jillian Deschenes, Lana MacNaughton and Melissa Paris complete first training session
After a long hiatus, the female participants of Royal Enfield’s BUILD TRAIN RACE (BTR) program spent two days working closely with American Flat Track racer Johnny Lewis in Viola, WI earlier this month. Three out of the four builders/riders attended the training session to prepare for their American Flat Track debut in October. During this session each rider received one-on-one coaching from Lewis spinning laps on the FT411 training motorcycles based on the Royal Enfield Himalayan and their custom-built INT 650 flat trackers.
Jillian Deschenes (31). Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
Jillian Deschenes, Lana MacNaughton and Melissa Paris were in attendance during the training session, which took place at S&S Cycle’s Speed Ranch track. The Speed Ranch is groomed and maintained oval dirt track which S&S Cycle uses for training, special events and product development purposes. Due to current travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada, the fourth participant, Andrea Lothrop was unable to attend. However, Andrea will be performing a virtual training session with Lewis in the coming weeks.
Melissa Paris (13). Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
“It was great to finally meet the ladies of the BUILD TRAIN RACE program and we had an awesome time in Viola,” said Lewis. “Seeing the dedication and attention to detail that they put into their INT 650 builds was impressive. What was more impressive was their willingness to learn and eagerness to go fast right from the get go. By the end of day two each rider was using the techniques we discussed and pushing themselves faster and faster, which is ultimately my goal as a teacher.”
Lana MacNaughton (88). Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
Lewis provided both on-track and off-track instruction to the ladies, using many principles and concepts taught in the Royal Enfield Slide School by Moto Anatomy program. Lewis focused on body position, riding mechanics and vision with ladies for two days. With the FT411 motorcycles, the women were able to familiarize themselves with the track conditions and received vital feedback from Lewis on their riding technique. Eventually, they transitioned to the larger and more powerful INT 650 builds on day two. Lewis was also able to shakedown each individual’s motorcycle and provided input regarding setup adjustments to improve ride-ability and performance.
“It was great to spend time with the BTR ladies at the track and see their progression,” said Breeann Poland, marketing lead of the Americas. “Having a partner like Johnny to provide coaching and insight has been a great addition to the program. Seeing him work with each rider and develop their confidence and skills over the two day session is exciting. I’m looking forward to the next time we’re all on track together again.”
Johnny Lewis (left) working with Melissa Paris (right). Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
Using SENA communication devices on day two, also a component of Royal Enfield’s Slide School program, Lewis provided coaching to the riders while at speed, giving precise direction on braking, cornering and more as they completed laps. After the conclusion of the two day training, all three ladies were comfortable riding aggressively at speed on their INT 650s, setting the stage for close racing when they line up for the first time in October.
The first exhibition for the BUILD TRAIN RACE ladies will be on track is on October 2-3 at Dixie Speedway as part of the American Flat Track program. Following that event, they will then race at Daytona Beach Flat Track on October 15-16.
Grattan Raceway. Photo courtesy of Grattan Raceway.
WERA SPORTSMAN DOUBLE HEADER THIS COMING WEEKEND AT GRATTAN RACEWAY IN MICHIGAN!
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing will be hosting a Double Header Sprint weekend on the 1st and 2nd of August at Grattan Raceway Park in Belding, Michigan. Saturday will also have a WERA Rider’s school available for anyone who wants to go to the next level. Racing will begin at 12:30 on Saturday and noon on Sunday. SAS Racing is the sponsor of our A Superstock, A Superbike, Formula 1 and Senior Superbike Mediumweight Classes.
Camping is available.
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was founded in 1973 and remains the foremost place to develop talent in the sport of motorcycle Roadracing. The legacy of Pro riders on a National and World level is legendary. All events are run by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing with a co-sanction by the AMA and they go coast to coast offering entry level racing with the WERA Sportsman Series as well as a Pro-Am Series with the WERA National Challenge Series, WERA Motorcycle Roadracing also offer Vintage Racing and limited Endurance Racing with Track Day Partners N2 and Sportbike Track Time. WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was voted the 2017 AMA Track Organizer of the Year.
For more information on WERA Motorcycle Roadracing please check out our web site at wera.com
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November 13, 2026
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