M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong Victorious at Road America
Suzuki Riders Petersen and Landers Also Capture Impressive Wins
Brea, CA – Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki returned to Road America for Round 2 of the 2020 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season where they scored four podium finishes, capped off in spectacular fashion by Bobby Fong’s maiden MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike class victory. In addition, Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen and Roadracing World Young Guns Rocco Landers both grabbed impressive victories over the weekend on their Team Hammer built Suzuki machines; Petersen won the Stock 1000 on his Suzuki GSX-R1000 while Landers took the Twins Cup win on his Suzuki SV650.
The 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport champion built upon the impressive pace he flashed aboard his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the opener and translated it into a highlight packed follow-up weekend. On Saturday, Fong qualified second for the twin premier-class finals and raced to an unchallenged second. He took another step forward on Sunday, ultimately rewarding the team with a victory.
“It’s been a pleasure riding for M4 ECSTAR Suzuki,” said Fong. “They gave me an opportunity to ride this Superbike and showcase my talents and show what I can do against the big boys and now it’s paying off. We’ve just got to keep the ball rolling.”
Toni Elias (24) during Race 2 at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
Teammate Toni Elias endured another eventful weekend, but it was a big step up from his zero-points opener. The 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike champion appeared to have taken a podium position in Saturday’s Superbike Race 1, but was later assessed to have overtaken under yellow-flag conditions on the final lap. As a result, he was docked a position and awarded fourth in the official results. On Sunday, the Spainard was again in podium contention before being knocked off his machine by another rider. Elias remounted and raced his way to a hard-earned seventh.
Cameron Petersen (45) takes the Stock 1000 win on his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
In addition, Petersen, who rides for Suzuki’s dealer effort Altus Motorsports, clinched a win on his Team Hammer built Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the Stock 1000 class. Petersen showed good pace on the high-speed Road America track and is eager to add to his points standings.
Rocco Landers (97) displays impressive speed at Road America on his Suzuki SV650. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
Landers grabbed his first Twins Cup victory on Sunday aboard the Roadracing World Young Guns/Sportbiketrackgear.com Suzuki SV650 built by Team Hammer after topping qualifying with a new class record lap of 2:27.452. Landers is looking forward to adding another win to his young career throughout the season.
Sean Dylan Kelly (40) grabs a podium finish in Race 1 and 2 on his Suzuki GSX-R600. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
Sean Dylan Kelly, who earned the team’s sole podium result in the opener, stepped his game up in the MotoAmerica Supersport class. ‘SDK’ took full advantage of the capabilities of his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R600 to secure the first pole position of his MotoAmerica career. He then backed that up with a pair of runner-up results, each one a step closer to the win than the last.
“It was a fun race,” said Kelly. “We definitely showed a lot of fight and had some nice passes for the lead. We’re taking it race by race, but at the end of the day, we want the championship and that means taking as many points as possible.”
Lucas Silva (23) logged a solid seventh-place finish on his Suzuki GSX-R600 in Race 1. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
Supersport teammate Lucas Silva remained steady, notching up seventh- and eighth-place finishes on the weekend.
Alex Dumas (16) finishes within the top-five in the Stock 1000 class. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
Alex Dumas made huge strides of his own in his second weekend in the Stock 1000 category after previously winning national titles in the Junior Cup and Twins Cup classes. After both qualifying and finishing seventh in his literbike debut, the French Canadian qualified fifth and finished fourth in his second go on the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000, battling for the podium throughout.
Suzuki and its riders will look to capitalize on its renewed momentum when the series resumes for Round 3 at Road Atlanta on July 31-August 2.
More, from a press release issued by Hayden Schultz Racing:
Hayden Schultz Emerges On Top of Battle Royale for Final Podium Spot.
Hayden Schultz (259). Photo courtesy of Hayden Schultz Racing.
Hayden Schultz returned to the MotoAmerica Podium for the first time in 5 Years at Road America. The last spot for the podium was decided after a thrilling battle that saw up to 6 riders swapping positions over the 8 lap race. In the end it was Schultz that came out on top after a draft pass to the finish line. After a first round that saw the team resort to a stock motor for the races after a technical issue, a trip to the podium was helpful in jumpstarting the teams 2020 campaign.
Schultz said “I’m excited to see all the hard work from my team and myself start to show some results. After such a great battle with a group of fast guys it feels incredible to come out with a podium. I had a plan for the last lap and thought it was out the door after nearly highsiding coming out of turn 5. Thankfully, I was able to battle back and put myself in the position I wanted to be in. Coming out of the last corner I felt good about the drive and knew we had a shot and getting into 3rd by the line. I’m so happy for my team. Gene Burcham, Ron “Dink” Glidden, Gary Jeffries, and Michael Burcham have been putting in countless hours back at the shop and my program and this result would not have been possible without them. This is only my fourth time on a road race bike in the last 2 years and the second time on this race bike so I know we can improve and close the gap to the very front. I’m ready to get to some more technical tracks where I think we can do better and fight for wins.”
The team is headed back to the race shop to make more progress with the race bike and get ready for the next round at Road Atlanta where they will be joined by a second rider.
Hayden Schultz Racing would like to thank their sponsors that make the season possible:
Brittenum Construction, Law Tigers, Dreyer Motorsports, Robem Engineering, Glidden Racing, aRacer USA, Wossner Pistons, Full Spectrum Power, 6D Helmets, RS Taichi USA, Moto Liberty, Blud Lubricants, Ohlins USA, Gene Burcham, Gary Jeffries, Shundi Self-Storage
Yamaha and Van der Mark to Part Company at Conclusion of 2020 WorldSBK Season
Yamaha and Michael van der Mark will part ways at the end of the 2020 FIM Superbike World Championship season, with the 27-year-old Dutch rider opting to take on a new challenge in 2021. Van der Mark’s departure brings to a close a four-year partnership that has so far brought three WorldSBK race wins and two victories at the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hour race.
Van der Mark joined the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team in 2017 and twice finished on the podium during his debut season. The following year saw the Dutch rider secure his first WorldSBK race win, and Yamaha’s first since returning to the championship in 2016, with victory in Race 1 at Donington Park. Van der Mark doubled up with a win in the following day’s Race 2 and, with eight additional podium finishes over the course of the season, ended the year third in the championship standings.
The former FIM Supersport World Champion added to his win tally in 2019 with victory in Race 2 at Jerez but was sidelined by injury in the following round at Misano following a crash in free practice. Despite missing out at Misano and riding injured at the following two rounds, Van der Mark racked up eight podium finishes in 2019 to end the season fourth in the championship standings.
The Pata Yamaha rider was a contender for the win in all three races at the opening round of the 2020 season in Australia but was unfortunate to miss out on the chance to add to his podium tally. Since the Phillip Island round, racing has been suspended due the coronavirus pandemic, but Van der Mark will return to action next month, with the WorldSBK season set to resume with back-to-back races in Jerez and Portimão.
Both Yamaha and Van der Mark head into the rescheduled 2020 season determined to end their successful four-year collaboration on a high note, by battling for race wins and, ultimately, challenging for the World Championship title.
Mountain View, Calif., June 29, 2020 – The second round of the MotoAmerica race series took place at Road America in Wisconsin this past weekend as Kyle Wyman #33 took the Ducati Panigale V4 R to its first Superbike podium while P.J. Jacobson set the fastest lap during Stock 1000 practice and won the Race 1 Superbike Cup class.
On Friday, Kyle Wyman #33 completed the final qualifying practice session as the second quickest rider, just .325 seconds off from the leader and finishing the final practice in sixth overall with a 2:14.125” lap time. Later, he set a Superpole lap of 2:12.863” placing him sixth on the starting grid.
In Race 1, starting from the second row (P6) after a crash during Friday’s practice, Kyle had a jump on the start to stay with the top four riders for all twelve laps before being involved in a last-lap battle with the T. Elias (Suzuki). During the battle, the Suzuki rider made an illegal pass on a waving yellow flag giving up the third place podium to Kyle Wyman #33, who also recorded the highest top speed over the weekend at 184.275 mph. This is Kyle’s first podium finish since 2017 and his first on his KWR Ducati Panigale V4 R. During Race 2, Kyle raced with the leaders in P3 from lap 4 and walked away with another third-place trophy.
PJ Jacobsen (99). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Celtic HSBK Racing P.J. Jacobson #99, set the quickest Stock 1000 practice lap at 2:15.279” and tied the class top speed of 174.081 mph. P.J. finished Saturday in ninth place in the Superbike class but missed Sunday’s races from a warm-up lap crash incident. Additionally, Stock 1000 riders are able to enter their bike in Superbike races to allow them more practice and experience, which also puts Stock 1000 class racers in the Superbike classes in a unique “Superbike Cup” class. With Jacobson having the first place Stock 1000 bike in the Superbike race, he therefore was also named the winner of the Race 1 Superbike Cup class.
Both Ducati riders ended the weekend in the top 10 rankings for the championship standings, with Kyle Wyman #33 in fourth overall with 56 points, trailing only 2 points from third place, and P.J. Jacobson in eighth place with 27 points.
“What a great weekend. I think we were due for a breakthrough result, and after missing a bunch of time on Friday it was a tall order but the KWR crew gave me a great bike to go fight for the podium,” said Kyle Wyman. “Double podiums on the weekend feels amazing, and I’m grateful to give the Ducati Panigale V4 R the results it deserves. We’ve come a long way from last year in the development of the bike and we are finally seeing the reward! I’m looking forward to Atlanta and keeping the momentum rolling.”
Race 1 Results
P 1 – C. Beaubier (Yamaha)
P 2 – B. Fong (Suzuki) +6.325
P 3 – K. Wyman (Ducati) +9.78
Race 2 Results
P 1 – B. Fong (Suzuki)
P 2 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) +.509
P 3 – Kyle Wyman (Ducat i) +10.348
More, from a press release issued by Jason Aguilar Racing:
Jason Aguilar Rockets To Fifth In Supersport Points After Double Fourth At Road America
Jason Aguilar (96). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Jason Aguilar Racing.
Jason Aguilar picked up his first double points finish of the 2020 MotoAmerica Supersport season at Road America this past weekend, converting fourth on the grid to a double fourth position finish in the latest round of the championship.
Starting strongly and moving into third at the start of the restarted Race 1 on Saturday, Jason was in podium contention until he overshot at Turn 5 on lap two. Able to recover, he regained his composure and was quickly back into P4, able to stretch a comfortable gap over his pursuers. With the podium out of reach he rode a sensible final third of the race, finishing fourth at the flag.
Sunday’s race ran the full eleven lap duration. Another great start saw the #96 hit the front on the opening lap, the first time he had led a MotoAmerica Supersport race, before keeping with the leading trio in the early stages.
His pace was such that he opened a significant gap over the fifth and sixth place riders and with the podium in sight throughout, he had plenty to focus on. The leading three slowly eased away but not by much meaning Jason crossed the line to take a well earned second fourth position finish of the weekend and elevate himself to fifth overall in the standings ahead of Round 3 of the series at Road Atlanta next month.
Jason Aguilar: “The opening session of the weekend we were trying something new but unfortunately the chain came off. In qualifying one I was hard on the brakes and I felt something snap. I thought we had blown another motor but thankfully after an inspection back at the pit it wasn’t. The team did a great job to overcome the electrical issues and we had no issues at all during Q2 which was nice, and it meant that I could finally have a full day on track after the problems on Friday. I got stuck with some traffic in final qualifying, so I came in and changed tyres, albeit a bit earlier than I had wanted to. I was able to move momentarily onto the front row but just dropped back at the very end. It wasn’t the end of the world starting from the second row, I knew what I had to do. I actually made a good start when it came to the race which was a first for me. I was in the mix for third and then they red flagged it which I was a little bummed about. I was finally with the lead guys and now I had to do it all over again. I regrouped and made another great start on the restart. I got around Richie (Escalante) initially and third into the first corner. I was with the lead group but ran into turn five a bit too hot on lap two and dropped to fifth after surviving a big stoppie. I was able to get back into fourth relatively quickly and just got my head down. I put in a few good laps but realised that I wasn’t going to catch the top three, so I put it on cruise control and rode it in for an easy fourth place finish at the flag. I knew I had the pace, but I made a mistake and it is what it is. The main thing is that I showed I can run with the lead group, so the plan was to not change anything and push again in Race 2. I am usually really bad at starts but I was able to get another good one and had the fastest first lap of the race of anyone! I was second into Turn 1 and was able to draft SDK for the lead into Turn 5. He got me back right away which kind of messed up my drive a little and then Richie (Escalante) came past which messed me up again so Paasch (Brandon) also got by me. It sucked to get shuffled back like that but once I settled down my pace was good, and I was able to run with them for a little bit. I made a couple of mistakes but was able to close them back down. I was within 1-2 seconds of the podium for almost the whole race, but I had a few slides and although I really wanted the podium, I knew we needed the points so I backed it off a little. I feel we made some good progress and I was a lot more competitive. We are doing some great things here with the bike and the team is really working well. We go to Atlanta giving everything we’ve got and trying to win some races. Thanks to everyone for the support especially those that are now following me on Twitter!”
More, from a press release issued by Bradley Ward Racing:
Bradley Ward Digs Deep To Secure Two Solid Superbike Finishes At Road America
Bradley Ward (57). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Bradley Ward Racing.
Bradley Ward leaves MotoAmerica’s second visit in a month to Road America in Wisconsin thirteenth position overall in the 2020 MotoAmerica Superbike standings after finishing fourteenth and twelfth in the weekend’s two twelve lap races.
In contention for the top ten in the opening encounter, the #57 suffered a shredded rear sprocket after clipping the outside kerb at Canada Corner. Despite a valiant effort to nurse his FLY Racing ADR Motorsports Kawasaki ZX-10R home, the British rider was forced to pull in with a lap to go, the vibrations making it impossible for him to continue. He was classified P14 under the regulations so bagged two points for his efforts.
Sadly, in Sunday’s second race Bradley was unable to show his true potential after an off-track excursion in the opening laps saw him plummet backwards through the pack. Working his way steadily back into contention, he crossed the line twelfth adding another four points to his season tally.
Bradley Ward: “The opening day didn’t go to plan. Conditions were perfect but I was only able to complete two and a half laps and coming out of Turn 2, I changed from second to third gear and the bike locked up. I ran straight on and was able to keep it upright through the gravel. Initially I thought the chain had come off, so I pulled the clutch in managed to get it stopped. The chain was still there and there was no noise from the motor, but it was clear after further inspection that we needed to swap engines. Then the rain came so we just did three laps to make sure everything was ok and parked it. FP3 went a lot better. We had a new motor and new tyres and improved my lap time considerably considering I had lost most of day one and had little track time. Race 1 was at the back of the grid because they took the times from Q1 which is when the motor let go which meant I was second to last! I made a reasonable start and was dicing with Michael Gilbert, Corey Alexander, Max Flinders and Wyman (Travis). I was in eleventh, holding my own and feeling pretty good to be fair when coming out of Canada Corner I clipped a kerb after the bike slid sideways and the chain jumped the sprocket which completely wrecked it. All of the teeth started dropping off. I had to nurse the bike home, but it became unrideable, so I pulled in with a lap to go. Luckily, I was still classified as a finisher so scored a couple of points, but it wasn’t the best way to end the first race. A good sleep and I was raring to go for Race 2. I had to start at the back again, but I made a good start and was running tenth or eleventh and lining up to pass Max Flinders down into Turn 5. I was going 5-6mph faster than I would usually as I was in the slipstream and ran out of road on the brakes. I was dead last but managed to pick my way back through the pack to twelfth. Not a great weekend overall, it was pretty tough. We learned a lot and I went quicker than I had before so it’s steps in the right direction even though it’s not where we should be. I’m taking the positives and already looking forward to the next round in Atlanta.”
Aprilia unveiled two special, limited edition models specifically for the U.S. market on Sunday night, each featuring its Misano livery that echoes the design scheme of the machine that Loris Reggiani took to the company’s first ever Grand Prix win back in 1987.
The RSV4 RR Misano Edition and the Tuono RR Misano Edition offer the limited white, red and green paint scheme, as well as a lightweight battery, a carbon-fiber front fender, and a plaque signifying which of the 100 offered in the U.S. the individual machine represents.
The models were uncovered (literally!) in a Facebook Live presentation from Buttonwillow Raceway Park, where the company was scheduled to host the first of its Aprilia Racers Days invite-only track event for the 2020 riding season.
The model upon which the RSV4 RR Misano Edition is based produces a claimed 201 horsepower at 13,000 rpm, with peak torque of 84.8 lbs.-ft. at 10,500 rpm. Riders can select from three power maps. Sachs 43mm inverted forks offer 4.3 inches (110mm) of travel, with a Sachs shock at the rear providing 5.1 inches (130mm) of travel.
Brembo M50 four-piston calipers are mated to 330mm rotors at the front, while rear braking duties are handled by a 220mm disc and a Brembo two-piston caliper. The electronic rider aid suite includes cornering ABS with an anti rear-wheel lift strategy, traction control, wheelie control, launch control, quickshifter, cruise control and a pit lane speed limiter.
The Tuono RR, which is the base for the Tuono RR Misano Edition, produces a claimed 175 bhp at 11,000 rpm and 89.2 lbs.-ft. of torque at 9,000 rpm. Sachs inverted 43mm forks offer compression in one leg and rebound damping in the other and 4.6 inches (117mm) of travel.
Suggested retail price for the RSV4 RR Misano Edition is $17,999, while the Tuono RR Misano Edition is $15,999. Units are expected in dealer showrooms next week.
Matt Tisdale and Chris Duran took the headlining Formula One wins at the WERA Sportsman Series/WERA West Presented by Lucas Oil Products doubleheader round at the 2.5-mile Willow Springs main circuit on June 27-28.
Saturday saw triple-digit temperatures early, and the famous Antelope Valley wind kicked up in the early afternoon. Riding his Dunlop-shod Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, Tisdale, who started road racing with WERA West only 11 months ago, got to the front of the Formula One race quickly and powered in a best lap of 1:24.247. He finished 6.365 seconds ahead of David Price, with Cesar Meza finishing third, less than a tenth of a second behind Price.
Matt Tisdale (81) at Willow Springs on his way to his first WERA West Formula One win. Photo by Michael Gougis.
Duran took the A Superbike race, in which Tisdale and Meza crashed in the Willow’s ultra-fast Turn Eight, fortunately with no serious injuries. Anthony Norton was second, ahead of Price. Duran’s best lap was 1:24.267, and he finished 3.668 seconds ahead of Norton. Norton won the A Superstock race ahead of Sahar Zvik and Tyler Bengford.
Chris Duran (27) won Sunday’s Formula One race, as well as both A Superbike races. Photo by Michael Gougis.
Sunday’s temperatures were cooler, but the winds increased, with gusts well over 40 miles an hour and tumbleweeds firing across the track during the races. On his Dunlop-shod BMW S1000RR, Duran took the Formula One race with a best lap of 1:25.473 and a 2.297 second gap over Zvik, with Norton third. Duran also won the A Superbike race, lowering his lap time to a 1:24.297, over Zvik and Norton. Zvik won the A Superstock race over Norton and Ben Gary.
Andrea Dovizioso underwent successful left collarbone surgery at Policlinico di Modena
The Ducati Team rider was operated yesterday evening a few hours after getting injured.
Since the operation had a positive outcome, he will be able to start physiotherapy immediately to be ready in time for the first 2020 MotoGP race, scheduled for the upcoming 19th July at Jerez de la Frontera.
Andrea Dovizioso underwent surgery at Policlinico di Modena yesterday evening after sustaining a left collarbone injury yesterday afternoon during a motocross race at Monte Coralli race track, in Faenza province.
The Ducati Team rider, following consultation with Professor Giuseppe Porcellini, decided to undergo immediate surgery to fix a plate on the injured collarbone to speed up his recuperation in time for the first 2020 MotoGP race in Jerez.
The operation took place yesterday evening with a positive outcome, and Dovizioso has been discharged this morning and will be able to start physiotherapy rehabilitation already this afternoon. The rider from Forlì will, therefore, participate in the next Spanish GP scheduled for the upcoming 19th July, and has declared to be confident to be able to arrive at the first meeting in Jerez in the best possible conditions.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team, #04)
“The surgery went well, and I want to thank all the medical team that did the operation so quickly. I don’t feel much pain, and that makes me very optimistic. I came home this morning, and during the afternoon, I will plan my rehabilitation. I am confident that in these weeks I will be able to recover and that I will be in full shape in time for the first 2020 GP in Jerez.”
Prof. Giuseppe Porcellini (Policlinico di Modena)
“Andrea Dovizioso underwent surgery to correct a displaced fracture of the sternal margin of the clavicle. We proceeded with the internal fixation of a plate with six screws with anatomic reduction and, from a mechanical point of view, we are delighted with the outcome of the operation. Apart from me, the medical team was composed by Prof. Fabio Catani, who personally supervised the operation, Prof. Luigi Tarallo and Doctor Andrea Giorgini. I want to thank the Direction of the Policlinico di Modena that made the operating room available in three hours, and all the staff who made possible to perform the surgery quickly”.
Paolo Ciabatti (Ducati Corse Sports Director)
“Although we know that motocross is an activity that presents several risks, we had still allowed Andrea to participate in this regional race, because he had explained to us that he needed to rediscover those stimuli and sensations that only a real competition can give. On the other hand, motocross is also the discipline with which many of the MotoGP riders train regularly. So, in the end, we must be relieved that the injury did not have serious consequences and that Andrea will be able to be regularly at the start of the 2020 championship in Jerez”.
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 28, 2020) – If nothing else, Sunday at Road America proved one thing: No one’s perfect. Well, okay, Richie Escalante still is.
HONOS Racing’s Escalante won his fourth MotoAmerica Supersport race in a row on a sunny Sunday in Wisconsin, but he was the only one of the undefeated riders going into day two at Road America that came out unscathed. Dominic Doyle, who was unbeaten until today, lost out in the Liqui Moly Junior Cup race to Rocco Landers; Landers stopped the Kaleb De Keyrel win streak in Twins Cup; and Cameron Petersen took advantage of PJ Jacobsen’s crash in the morning session that knocked him out of the race to win the Stock 1000 class.
Even four-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier failed to win for the first time in 2020 when he crashed out of the HONOS Superbike race.
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.
Supersport: Escalante Still Perfect
HONOS Kawasaki rider Richie Escalante is having quite the start to his 2020 season. In Sunday’s Supersport race two, Escalante once again notched the win, which was his fourth consecutive victory. Early in the 11-lap race, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly was giving Escalante all he could handle at the front of the pack, but Escalante maintained his focus and was able to pull away as the laps wound down. He took the checkers by a little less than six seconds over Kelly. Second place was very much in contention between Kelly and Celtic HSBK Racing’s Brandon Paasch. Kelly versus Paasch turned out to be the biggest skirmish of the race, and it was hotly contested, going right down to the final run up the hill to the finish line. At the stripe, Kelly prevailed over Paasch by a scant .044 of a second to take second place and Paasch filled out the podium.
“After finishing the two tests in the preseason and then it stopped for two months,” Escalante said. “I don’t have the feeling to this year win. Last race I am feeling very good in the bike. So, this track for this bike is good. Right now is the moment to change the track for the next race, so we’ll see. I’m really happy. The race is very fun. I take a long-time battle like this. So, it’s fun to pass on every corner. I’m really happy. The HONOS Racing Kawasaki is working really good and my team all weekend. I’m happy and ready for the next races.”
Rocco Landers (1) leads Dominic Doyle (25) and the rest of the field during MotoAmerica Liqui Moly Junior Cup Race 2 at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Liqui Moly Junior Cup: Landers Finally!
The final race of the weekend was Liqui Moly Junior Cup race two, and the two frontrunners from Saturday were the same on Sunday. BARTCON Racing Kawasaki’s Dominic Doyle, who was the victor in race one, had another showdown with Landers Racing Kawasaki’s Rocco Landers. Defending class champion Landers tried the same draft pass as yesterday in the run up the hill to the finish line, and he timed his move perfectly this time as he took the win over Doyle by .069 of a second. Third place went to Celtic HSBK Racing’s Sam Lochoff, the South African notching his second podium finish of the season.
“Going into Canada Corner I missed a shift,” Rocco explained. “I caught a false neutral in-between the gears. I ended up running wide. I think I put in a new lap record there, a 39:1. But I tried to get off to a good start and tried to pull away in the beginning, but that didn’t work. I looked back the second lap and he was there. I was like, ‘I’m just going to try to lead as much as I can and see if he’s not able to.’ Obviously, that didn’t work. Changed my strategy midway through the race and decided I was going to follow him like I normally do and see what they were doing. Then I knew it was a risk because it’s failed three times this year. So I was like, ‘I don’t even care. Just do it.’ Then I just decided to leave a little bit more room going into the last corner on the last lap and tried to pull into his draft and stay as long as possible and pull out as late as possible. Got by him up the hill and just tried to pinch him off a little bit. There’s no words. I’m stoked. I’m so happy to get the first win this season, finally.”
Rocco Landers (97) celebrates his MotoAmerica Twins Cup victory at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Twins Cup: Landers Doubles Up
The lone Twins Cup race of the weekend went green on Sunday morning, and polesitter Rocco Landers, who is new to the two-banger class this season, got a good jump off the line aboard his Roadracing World Young Guns/Sportbiketrackgear.com Suzuki. Kaleb De Keyrel, winner of the first two Twins Cup races of the year at Road America 1, challenged for the lead a couple of times during the eight-lap event, but the 1-833-CJKNOWS Accident & Injury Law Yamaha rider ultimately settled for second place, just .799 of a second behind Landers. Brittenum Construction/Hayden Schultz Racing’s Hayden Schultz, who formerly raced in the MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup spec series, finished third to record his first podium in the Twins Cup class.
“The team worked so hard trying to get some more horsepower out of the bike for this round,” Landers said. “So, we came in, and we were top in every session so far. We just kept pushing, kept pushing, kept pushing. We got pole position. Then I was just trying to get as good of a start as possible and then try to lead in turn five on the first lap. So, the strategy worked out pretty all right. Then just kept pushing consistent, good laps and continued to pull away. The last lap, I saw ‘2.3,’ and I was like, ‘I’m probably all right, but I got to keep pushing.’”
Cameron Petersen (45) leads Stefano Mesa (37), Alex Dumas (16), and Michael Gilbert (55) during the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 race at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Stock 1000: Petersen’s First
In Sunday morning’s Stock 1000 morning warmup, current points leader PJ Jacobsen had a technical issue on his out-lap aboard the #99 Celtic HSBK Racing Ducati, which caused him to crash. He was unable to start the morning’s Stock 1000 race as a result, and Altus Motorsports Suzuki’s Cameron Petersen got the holeshot at the start.
In the early stages of the race, MESA37 Racing’s Stefano Mesa ran close with Petersen and tried to take the lead, but Petersen held on and stretched out his lead. At the checkers, Petersen took the win by over six seconds over Mesa. For Petersen, it was his first victory in the class and second-ever MotoAmerica win, which concluded a memorable week for the South African. On Thursday, Petersen also got engaged. Third place in the race went to Michael Gilbert Racing Kawasaki’s Michael Gilbert, who prevailed over Alex Dumas for the final spot on the podium.
Commenting on what could only be described as the “best week ever” for Petersen, he said with a smile, “If I knew this was going to change the game, I would have done it (gotten engaged) a long time ago. It’s been an unbelievable weekend. It started off with good vibes, obviously, with getting engaged. Then I knew coming into Road America having back-to-back weekends we were going to step it up pretty big this weekend. The race was interesting. I’m not going to lie. We’ve been having some pretty bad brake problems all weekend. Right before the race, pretty much five minutes before we went out there, the front wheel was off, and they were trying to make a plan. New brake pads, new everything. The brakes had a completely different feel just riding out on the sighting lap. Then on the warmup lap, going into turn seven I had nothing. I went to go grab the front brakes and there was nothing there. So, I was all over the rear brake. I did everything I could, and that scared me. The brakes came back to me kind of the rest of the lap. And I wanted this so bad. I was just like, ‘You know what? It’s life or death. I’m going to do everything I can.’ Thankfully the brakes held up. I didn’t have much brakes towards the end there. It was a little bit scary, but I’m doing this for myself and especially the team. They work so hard and they deserve these results. Perfect weekend. Just going to keep building on this. My thoughts are with PJ. He had an unlucky one this morning. Obviously, I want to be racing against him. Hopefully he gets better soon and he’s not too bad.”
Celtic HSBK Racing Ducati rider PJ Jacobsen is being taken to a local hospital for precautionary checks, after crashing his Panigale V4 R during the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 warm-up session Sunday morning at Road America.
Jacobsen was involved in an incident in Road America’s “Canada Corner,” Turn 12, that resulted in the 15-minute session being stopped.
At 8:50 a.m. local time, Celtic HSBK Racing co-owner Barry Gilsenan told Roadracingworld.com that Jacobsen is currently in the medical center at the racetrack and will be transported to a local hospital for precautionary checks.
Gilsenan said Jacobsen should be fine but he did not comment about the likelihood of Jacobsen participating in the Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup races today.
Jacobsen is currently leading the Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup Championship point standings.
We will update this post as more information becomes available.
UPDATE: PJ Jacobsen has been withdrawn from the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 race and removed from the grid sheet.
SECOND UPDATE: The following was posted on the HSBK Racing Instagram feed:
“Celtic / HSBK Racing Stock 1000cc rider PJ Jacobsen is out of competition for both Stock 1000cc and Superbike races scheduled for today. Due to an unfortunate incident during this morning’s warm-up session, PJ has been transported to a local area hospital for follow on evaluation. On his out lap this morning, his motorcycle caught fire heading into Canada Corner, forcing PJ to dismount at speed. The cause of the fire is being investigated and PJ has sustained minor injuries. Following an evaluation at the track medical facilities it was determined that he should be transferred to a local hospital for a more thorough examination.”
Bobby Fong (50) leads Jake Gagne (32) late in MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike Race 2 at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Fong Gets His First Superbike Win At Road America
Beaubier Crashes Out And The Rest Take Advantage
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 28, 2020) – M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong won the first HONOS Superbike race of his career today, the Californian taking full advantage of Cameron Beaubier’s only miscue of the young season to become the 59th rider in history to win an AMA Superbike National.
Fong was in second, a few seconds adrift of Beaubier, when the previously unbeaten Beaubier hit a bump in turn one, lost the front end and crashed. Fong took over at the front but soon had Beaubier’s Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha’s teammate Jake Gagne nipping at his heels. For whichever one of those two who won, it would be a career first, and both of them rode like it. Fong, however, was able to withstand the pressure in the closing laps and led Gagne across the finish line by .509 of a second.
“I saw Cameron (Beaubier) go down and I knew immediately that there was going to be pressure on me,” Fong said. “I knew that (Jake) Gagne had extra motivation, near a race win. I didn’t know who was behind me. I just saw plus one on my board, and then I was looking at the big screen down the straightaway to see who it was. Just depending on who it was, I knew how aggressive they were and how defensive I needed to ride. I knew it was Gagne and he rides pretty well. He takes risks, takes risks to get that win. I just tried to keep a steady pace in the middle of the race and not push too hard and at least not try to put it all out there in the middle of the race. I knew he was going to be there at the end of the race. I just put the hammer down. Thankfully we got the win, but we have some work to do to actually beat Cameron. But we’re making big steps and I’m proud of the work we did this weekend.”
Gagne finished second, as he continues his solid start to the season that was briefly interrupted by a problem with his brakes that limited him to a sixth-place finish on Saturday at Road America.
“Yeah. No doubt,” Gagne said when asked if he saw an opportunity to win an HONOS Superbike race when he saw Beaubier crash. “That’s definitely what we were thinking. It was a bummer to see Cameron go down. Obviously, he’s been pushing the pace all year long. It just shows how well these things are doing. Hats off to Bobby (Fong). He really rode his heart out. I could tell. I was seeing those tires and it was greasy out there. It was tough out there. I feel like I’m happy to bring it home in second. Obviously, we know we were fighting for a win, so that’s extra motivation to get it up there. It was a fun race. There were some sections, the first section and last section, where I could close in and then there was some sections in the middle where Bobby really pulled away. So, we were kind of teeter-tottering and that makes it real tough to even try to find a place to stick it in. Bobby is really strong on the brakes in some of the sections where I wanted to make passes. I’m happy. We brought it home. Like Bobby said, it was a slick, greasy race out there. So hats off to the team, Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha. These guys are working really hard. Obviously, we still got to go catch Cam when we get to Road Atlanta. See if we can do some work on him. But it’s been fun battling these guys. It was a good race.”
KATO Fastening/KWR Ducati’s Kyle Wyman waited 1022 days between podiums, ending his drought in yesterday’s HONOS Superbike race. Then he only waited a day to do it all gain, the New Yorker getting his second podium in a row after holding off the ever-persistent Mathew Scholtz on the Westby Racing Yamaha.
“It feels great,” Wyman said. “I saw Cam go down and inherited… Actually, I don’t even know if I was in third at that point. I had to pass Toni (Elias) into Canada Corner I think on lap three or so. He was really strong in the first few laps. I think our only weakness really at this point, I think the middle of the race these guys, every time they tipped into turn eight was the same time every lap from lap four to lap eight or nine, so we need to get our first laps’ pace down and try to get closer there. Mathew (Scholtz) put on a really good fight. He was plus .6 for four laps in a row, and then plus .9 for the last three laps. It was tough to just stay focused and not make any mistakes. But Ducati’s on the podium.”
Scholtz, meanwhile, had an eventful race and was in a battle with Wyman and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Toni Elias when he clashed with Elias in the chicane, causing the luckless Spaniard to crash. Elias was able to remount to finish seventh.
Fifth place went to Scheibe BMW’s Josh Herrin, the Georgian some three seconds ahead of FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony, the Australian continuing his consistent start to the season. With Elias seventh, Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen raced to eighth, well clear of RideHVMC’s Corey Alexander. Thrashed Bike Racing LLC’s Max Flinders rounded out the top 10.
Beaubier now leads the championship by just nine points over Gagne, 75-66, with Fong jumping up to third with 58 points, just two points ahead of Wyman’s 56. Herrin rounds out the top five in the series with 46 points.
Superbike Race 2
Bobby Fong (Suzuki)
Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
Kyle Wyman (Ducati)
Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha)
Josh Herrin (BMW)
David Anthony (Suzuki)
Toni Elias (Suzuki)
Cameron Petersen (Suzuki)
Corey Alexander (Kawasaki)
Max Flinders (Yamaha)
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:
Gagne Returns to the Podium at Road America
Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne bounced back from a tough race yesterday to finish second in race two at Road America on Sunday, June 28, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Unfortunately for Cameron Beaubier, a crash in Turn 1 ended his race early.
Gagne was fifth at the start but quickly moved into fourth and then made the pass for third in Turn 8 on the first lap. With Beaubier well up front, the 27-year-old was trying to chase down second. By lap four he was able to close the two-second gap and advanced to second after his teammate’s error. Gagne stayed on the competition for the rest of the race but was unable to make the pass and crossed the line second for his third podium of the season. He leaves Road America second in the championship standings, trailing his teammate by nine points.
It was looking like another repeat performance for Beaubier who grabbed the holeshot and started to build a gap on the competition. On the third lap he set the fastest lap of the race with a 2’11.436 and was looking to keep expanding his lead when he went over the infamous bump in turn one and tucked the front. The four-time Superbike champ tried to rejoin the race, but ultimately had to pull in to the pits with the bike not 100% after the crash.
Next up for the Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing team is Round 3 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Road Atlanta, July 31 – August 2, in Braselton, Georgia.
Richard Stanboli – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Jake rode well to earn that second-place finish. The team made some good steps forward and Jake continues to build his confidence. I think he will be a strong challenger for the top spot as soon as the next event. Cameron has been in a class of his own and his 2020 R1 continues to give him the confidence he needs. Unfortunately the notorious turn one bump caught him out just as it has done to many riders in the past. Even with a DNF we leave Road America with a comfortable first- and second-place in the championship. We look forward to racing and seeing our fans at Road Atlanta.”
Jake Gagne (32). Photo courtesy Yamaha Racing.
Jake Gagne – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“We made some good progress with the bike in warm up this morning and I figured a few things out. My start was much better today and I was running behind Bobby (Fong) and Cam. Unfortunately Cam went down in Turn 1 trying to make a break. From then on I just tried to keep close to Fong. There were some sections of track he was really pulling me, then I’d pull time back in others. It was close there at the end, but I just wasn’t close enough and brought it home in second. I’m really glad to get the R1 back on the podium and I’m pumped to get to Road Atlanta!”
Cameron Beaubier – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“The race today started with a good jump off the line and I was feeling good like yesterday, but unfortunately I tucked the front over the bumps in Turn 1. Other than that, I feel great on my bike. We will put it behind us and get going at Road Atlanta.”
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Sunday At Road America Nets A Fourth-Place Result For Mathew Scholtz And A Ninth For Cody Wyman
Elkhart Lake, WI – June 28, 2020 – In motorcycle road racing, riders feel more comfortable at certain racetracks, and motorcycles perform better at certain racetracks. Such is the case with the riders and motorcycles of Westby Racing.
Superbike rider Mathew Scholtz will be the first to tell you that, while he loves most everything about Road America—especially the fans—it is a track that has vexed him ever since he started racing in America in 2016. He’s had some very good results, like his second-place finish in Superbike race one last month. He’s also had his share of tipovers at Road America. On Sunday, Mathew finished fourth, one position better than the fifth he recorded on Saturday, to complete a decent weekend at “America’s National Park of Speed.” But, for him and the team, they hoped for better results.
Starting from fourth on the grid, Mathew battled with Kyle Wyman and Toni Elias. While going through Road America’s chicane on lap eight, Mathew saw an opportunity to pass Elias on the inside, and he made his move. The slight opening closed quickly, however, and Mathew’s and Toni’s bikes touched, which caused Toni to crash. Mathew continued on while Toni got back aboard his bike and re-joined the race.
Mathew Scholtz (11) leads Josh Herrin (2) at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson courtesy Westby Racing.
Mathew said, “For Sunday’s race, we put in the old motor that we had from the previous round because the new motor wasn’t pulling as well out of the corners, and it was making the engine-braking a little bit worse, so we went back to what we knew worked well for us. Sunday morning warmup was pretty difficult because we only had 15 minutes with used tires, but the motor change definitely felt better to me. In the race, I didn’t get the best start, but it was alright. I got in behind Toni and Kyle and, even though I made one or two mistakes in the first couple of laps, I closed the gap to them. Toni’s and Kyle’s bikes are a little bit quicker than mine, but I made a move on Toni in the chicane. It was unfortunately one of those things. He was committed, and I had already committed to the pass. We touched and he crashed, which I obviously didn’t mean to happen. I tried to catch Kyle with a couple of laps to go, but there just wasn’t enough time for me. I think what happened to Toni was a racing incident, and I apologize for that. I didn’t want to touch him. The team knows where we went wrong with the other engine and where we need to focus on making the bike better. We’re just really looking forward to racing at Road Atlanta in a month’s time. With me being a bigger guy, it really suits my riding style a lot better. The team has been working really hard, and it’s just very unfortunate how this weekend went because we were expecting better things. The next couple of tracks, for us, should be pretty good.”
Cody Wyman (34). Photo courtesy Westby Racing.
Junior Cup rider Cody Wyman finished seventh in Saturday’s race one, and he had high hopes for a better result in race two on Sunday. Unfortunately, the characteristics of the Yamaha YZF-R3 are not as suited to Road America’s 4.048-mile, 14-turn course as most of the other bikes in the class. The long straightaways are daunting, so Cody has to rely on corner speed to maintain his momentum.
On Sunday, he raced hard with a group of riders a little further back in the pack just as he did on Saturday, but he wasn’t able to gain an advantage over them and he finished ninth.
“It was a tough weekend for us,” Cody lamented. “I really wanted to finish in the top five and get out of Road America with strong finishes. Unfortunately, my qualifying position didn’t give me a very good starting position. The leaders got away early, and I got stuck in a battle for sixth. A couple of riders in the group got away from me on the run to the finish line, and I ended the weekend with a ninth to follow up my seventh on Saturday. It’s not what I wanted, but I’m glad to move on to round three and a racetrack that I really like. Big thanks to my team, family, and sponsors for helping me get me through these first two rounds. I’m looking forward to competing again under the Westby Racing Yamaha banner.”
Next up for Westby Racing is round three of the MotoAmerica Championship, which will take place at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, on July 31 through August 2.
Bobby Fong won Superbike Race 2 at Road America #2 on his Suzuki GSX-R1000R. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong Victorious at Road America
Suzuki Riders Petersen and Landers Also Capture Impressive Wins
Brea, CA – Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki returned to Road America for Round 2 of the 2020 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season where they scored four podium finishes, capped off in spectacular fashion by Bobby Fong’s maiden MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike class victory. In addition, Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen and Roadracing World Young Guns Rocco Landers both grabbed impressive victories over the weekend on their Team Hammer built Suzuki machines; Petersen won the Stock 1000 on his Suzuki GSX-R1000 while Landers took the Twins Cup win on his Suzuki SV650.
The 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport champion built upon the impressive pace he flashed aboard his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the opener and translated it into a highlight packed follow-up weekend. On Saturday, Fong qualified second for the twin premier-class finals and raced to an unchallenged second. He took another step forward on Sunday, ultimately rewarding the team with a victory.
“It’s been a pleasure riding for M4 ECSTAR Suzuki,” said Fong. “They gave me an opportunity to ride this Superbike and showcase my talents and show what I can do against the big boys and now it’s paying off. We’ve just got to keep the ball rolling.”
Toni Elias (24) during Race 2 at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
Teammate Toni Elias endured another eventful weekend, but it was a big step up from his zero-points opener. The 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike champion appeared to have taken a podium position in Saturday’s Superbike Race 1, but was later assessed to have overtaken under yellow-flag conditions on the final lap. As a result, he was docked a position and awarded fourth in the official results. On Sunday, the Spainard was again in podium contention before being knocked off his machine by another rider. Elias remounted and raced his way to a hard-earned seventh.
Cameron Petersen (45) takes the Stock 1000 win on his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
In addition, Petersen, who rides for Suzuki’s dealer effort Altus Motorsports, clinched a win on his Team Hammer built Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the Stock 1000 class. Petersen showed good pace on the high-speed Road America track and is eager to add to his points standings.
Rocco Landers (97) displays impressive speed at Road America on his Suzuki SV650. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
Landers grabbed his first Twins Cup victory on Sunday aboard the Roadracing World Young Guns/Sportbiketrackgear.com Suzuki SV650 built by Team Hammer after topping qualifying with a new class record lap of 2:27.452. Landers is looking forward to adding another win to his young career throughout the season.
Sean Dylan Kelly (40) grabs a podium finish in Race 1 and 2 on his Suzuki GSX-R600. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
Sean Dylan Kelly, who earned the team’s sole podium result in the opener, stepped his game up in the MotoAmerica Supersport class. ‘SDK’ took full advantage of the capabilities of his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R600 to secure the first pole position of his MotoAmerica career. He then backed that up with a pair of runner-up results, each one a step closer to the win than the last.
“It was a fun race,” said Kelly. “We definitely showed a lot of fight and had some nice passes for the lead. We’re taking it race by race, but at the end of the day, we want the championship and that means taking as many points as possible.”
Lucas Silva (23) logged a solid seventh-place finish on his Suzuki GSX-R600 in Race 1. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
Supersport teammate Lucas Silva remained steady, notching up seventh- and eighth-place finishes on the weekend.
Alex Dumas (16) finishes within the top-five in the Stock 1000 class. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
Alex Dumas made huge strides of his own in his second weekend in the Stock 1000 category after previously winning national titles in the Junior Cup and Twins Cup classes. After both qualifying and finishing seventh in his literbike debut, the French Canadian qualified fifth and finished fourth in his second go on the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000, battling for the podium throughout.
Suzuki and its riders will look to capitalize on its renewed momentum when the series resumes for Round 3 at Road Atlanta on July 31-August 2.
More, from a press release issued by Hayden Schultz Racing:
Hayden Schultz Emerges On Top of Battle Royale for Final Podium Spot.
Hayden Schultz (259). Photo courtesy of Hayden Schultz Racing.
Hayden Schultz returned to the MotoAmerica Podium for the first time in 5 Years at Road America. The last spot for the podium was decided after a thrilling battle that saw up to 6 riders swapping positions over the 8 lap race. In the end it was Schultz that came out on top after a draft pass to the finish line. After a first round that saw the team resort to a stock motor for the races after a technical issue, a trip to the podium was helpful in jumpstarting the teams 2020 campaign.
Schultz said “I’m excited to see all the hard work from my team and myself start to show some results. After such a great battle with a group of fast guys it feels incredible to come out with a podium. I had a plan for the last lap and thought it was out the door after nearly highsiding coming out of turn 5. Thankfully, I was able to battle back and put myself in the position I wanted to be in. Coming out of the last corner I felt good about the drive and knew we had a shot and getting into 3rd by the line. I’m so happy for my team. Gene Burcham, Ron “Dink” Glidden, Gary Jeffries, and Michael Burcham have been putting in countless hours back at the shop and my program and this result would not have been possible without them. This is only my fourth time on a road race bike in the last 2 years and the second time on this race bike so I know we can improve and close the gap to the very front. I’m ready to get to some more technical tracks where I think we can do better and fight for wins.”
The team is headed back to the race shop to make more progress with the race bike and get ready for the next round at Road Atlanta where they will be joined by a second rider.
Hayden Schultz Racing would like to thank their sponsors that make the season possible:
Brittenum Construction, Law Tigers, Dreyer Motorsports, Robem Engineering, Glidden Racing, aRacer USA, Wossner Pistons, Full Spectrum Power, 6D Helmets, RS Taichi USA, Moto Liberty, Blud Lubricants, Ohlins USA, Gene Burcham, Gary Jeffries, Shundi Self-Storage
Michael van der Mark. Photo courtesy Yamaha Motor Europe.
Yamaha and Van der Mark to Part Company at Conclusion of 2020 WorldSBK Season
Yamaha and Michael van der Mark will part ways at the end of the 2020 FIM Superbike World Championship season, with the 27-year-old Dutch rider opting to take on a new challenge in 2021. Van der Mark’s departure brings to a close a four-year partnership that has so far brought three WorldSBK race wins and two victories at the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hour race.
Van der Mark joined the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team in 2017 and twice finished on the podium during his debut season. The following year saw the Dutch rider secure his first WorldSBK race win, and Yamaha’s first since returning to the championship in 2016, with victory in Race 1 at Donington Park. Van der Mark doubled up with a win in the following day’s Race 2 and, with eight additional podium finishes over the course of the season, ended the year third in the championship standings.
The former FIM Supersport World Champion added to his win tally in 2019 with victory in Race 2 at Jerez but was sidelined by injury in the following round at Misano following a crash in free practice. Despite missing out at Misano and riding injured at the following two rounds, Van der Mark racked up eight podium finishes in 2019 to end the season fourth in the championship standings.
The Pata Yamaha rider was a contender for the win in all three races at the opening round of the 2020 season in Australia but was unfortunate to miss out on the chance to add to his podium tally. Since the Phillip Island round, racing has been suspended due the coronavirus pandemic, but Van der Mark will return to action next month, with the WorldSBK season set to resume with back-to-back races in Jerez and Portimão.
Both Yamaha and Van der Mark head into the rescheduled 2020 season determined to end their successful four-year collaboration on a high note, by battling for race wins and, ultimately, challenging for the World Championship title.
Mountain View, Calif., June 29, 2020 – The second round of the MotoAmerica race series took place at Road America in Wisconsin this past weekend as Kyle Wyman #33 took the Ducati Panigale V4 R to its first Superbike podium while P.J. Jacobson set the fastest lap during Stock 1000 practice and won the Race 1 Superbike Cup class.
On Friday, Kyle Wyman #33 completed the final qualifying practice session as the second quickest rider, just .325 seconds off from the leader and finishing the final practice in sixth overall with a 2:14.125” lap time. Later, he set a Superpole lap of 2:12.863” placing him sixth on the starting grid.
In Race 1, starting from the second row (P6) after a crash during Friday’s practice, Kyle had a jump on the start to stay with the top four riders for all twelve laps before being involved in a last-lap battle with the T. Elias (Suzuki). During the battle, the Suzuki rider made an illegal pass on a waving yellow flag giving up the third place podium to Kyle Wyman #33, who also recorded the highest top speed over the weekend at 184.275 mph. This is Kyle’s first podium finish since 2017 and his first on his KWR Ducati Panigale V4 R. During Race 2, Kyle raced with the leaders in P3 from lap 4 and walked away with another third-place trophy.
PJ Jacobsen (99). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Celtic HSBK Racing P.J. Jacobson #99, set the quickest Stock 1000 practice lap at 2:15.279” and tied the class top speed of 174.081 mph. P.J. finished Saturday in ninth place in the Superbike class but missed Sunday’s races from a warm-up lap crash incident. Additionally, Stock 1000 riders are able to enter their bike in Superbike races to allow them more practice and experience, which also puts Stock 1000 class racers in the Superbike classes in a unique “Superbike Cup” class. With Jacobson having the first place Stock 1000 bike in the Superbike race, he therefore was also named the winner of the Race 1 Superbike Cup class.
Both Ducati riders ended the weekend in the top 10 rankings for the championship standings, with Kyle Wyman #33 in fourth overall with 56 points, trailing only 2 points from third place, and P.J. Jacobson in eighth place with 27 points.
“What a great weekend. I think we were due for a breakthrough result, and after missing a bunch of time on Friday it was a tall order but the KWR crew gave me a great bike to go fight for the podium,” said Kyle Wyman. “Double podiums on the weekend feels amazing, and I’m grateful to give the Ducati Panigale V4 R the results it deserves. We’ve come a long way from last year in the development of the bike and we are finally seeing the reward! I’m looking forward to Atlanta and keeping the momentum rolling.”
Race 1 Results
P 1 – C. Beaubier (Yamaha)
P 2 – B. Fong (Suzuki) +6.325
P 3 – K. Wyman (Ducati) +9.78
Race 2 Results
P 1 – B. Fong (Suzuki)
P 2 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) +.509
P 3 – Kyle Wyman (Ducat i) +10.348
More, from a press release issued by Jason Aguilar Racing:
Jason Aguilar Rockets To Fifth In Supersport Points After Double Fourth At Road America
Jason Aguilar (96). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Jason Aguilar Racing.
Jason Aguilar picked up his first double points finish of the 2020 MotoAmerica Supersport season at Road America this past weekend, converting fourth on the grid to a double fourth position finish in the latest round of the championship.
Starting strongly and moving into third at the start of the restarted Race 1 on Saturday, Jason was in podium contention until he overshot at Turn 5 on lap two. Able to recover, he regained his composure and was quickly back into P4, able to stretch a comfortable gap over his pursuers. With the podium out of reach he rode a sensible final third of the race, finishing fourth at the flag.
Sunday’s race ran the full eleven lap duration. Another great start saw the #96 hit the front on the opening lap, the first time he had led a MotoAmerica Supersport race, before keeping with the leading trio in the early stages.
His pace was such that he opened a significant gap over the fifth and sixth place riders and with the podium in sight throughout, he had plenty to focus on. The leading three slowly eased away but not by much meaning Jason crossed the line to take a well earned second fourth position finish of the weekend and elevate himself to fifth overall in the standings ahead of Round 3 of the series at Road Atlanta next month.
Jason Aguilar: “The opening session of the weekend we were trying something new but unfortunately the chain came off. In qualifying one I was hard on the brakes and I felt something snap. I thought we had blown another motor but thankfully after an inspection back at the pit it wasn’t. The team did a great job to overcome the electrical issues and we had no issues at all during Q2 which was nice, and it meant that I could finally have a full day on track after the problems on Friday. I got stuck with some traffic in final qualifying, so I came in and changed tyres, albeit a bit earlier than I had wanted to. I was able to move momentarily onto the front row but just dropped back at the very end. It wasn’t the end of the world starting from the second row, I knew what I had to do. I actually made a good start when it came to the race which was a first for me. I was in the mix for third and then they red flagged it which I was a little bummed about. I was finally with the lead guys and now I had to do it all over again. I regrouped and made another great start on the restart. I got around Richie (Escalante) initially and third into the first corner. I was with the lead group but ran into turn five a bit too hot on lap two and dropped to fifth after surviving a big stoppie. I was able to get back into fourth relatively quickly and just got my head down. I put in a few good laps but realised that I wasn’t going to catch the top three, so I put it on cruise control and rode it in for an easy fourth place finish at the flag. I knew I had the pace, but I made a mistake and it is what it is. The main thing is that I showed I can run with the lead group, so the plan was to not change anything and push again in Race 2. I am usually really bad at starts but I was able to get another good one and had the fastest first lap of the race of anyone! I was second into Turn 1 and was able to draft SDK for the lead into Turn 5. He got me back right away which kind of messed up my drive a little and then Richie (Escalante) came past which messed me up again so Paasch (Brandon) also got by me. It sucked to get shuffled back like that but once I settled down my pace was good, and I was able to run with them for a little bit. I made a couple of mistakes but was able to close them back down. I was within 1-2 seconds of the podium for almost the whole race, but I had a few slides and although I really wanted the podium, I knew we needed the points so I backed it off a little. I feel we made some good progress and I was a lot more competitive. We are doing some great things here with the bike and the team is really working well. We go to Atlanta giving everything we’ve got and trying to win some races. Thanks to everyone for the support especially those that are now following me on Twitter!”
More, from a press release issued by Bradley Ward Racing:
Bradley Ward Digs Deep To Secure Two Solid Superbike Finishes At Road America
Bradley Ward (57). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Bradley Ward Racing.
Bradley Ward leaves MotoAmerica’s second visit in a month to Road America in Wisconsin thirteenth position overall in the 2020 MotoAmerica Superbike standings after finishing fourteenth and twelfth in the weekend’s two twelve lap races.
In contention for the top ten in the opening encounter, the #57 suffered a shredded rear sprocket after clipping the outside kerb at Canada Corner. Despite a valiant effort to nurse his FLY Racing ADR Motorsports Kawasaki ZX-10R home, the British rider was forced to pull in with a lap to go, the vibrations making it impossible for him to continue. He was classified P14 under the regulations so bagged two points for his efforts.
Sadly, in Sunday’s second race Bradley was unable to show his true potential after an off-track excursion in the opening laps saw him plummet backwards through the pack. Working his way steadily back into contention, he crossed the line twelfth adding another four points to his season tally.
Bradley Ward: “The opening day didn’t go to plan. Conditions were perfect but I was only able to complete two and a half laps and coming out of Turn 2, I changed from second to third gear and the bike locked up. I ran straight on and was able to keep it upright through the gravel. Initially I thought the chain had come off, so I pulled the clutch in managed to get it stopped. The chain was still there and there was no noise from the motor, but it was clear after further inspection that we needed to swap engines. Then the rain came so we just did three laps to make sure everything was ok and parked it. FP3 went a lot better. We had a new motor and new tyres and improved my lap time considerably considering I had lost most of day one and had little track time. Race 1 was at the back of the grid because they took the times from Q1 which is when the motor let go which meant I was second to last! I made a reasonable start and was dicing with Michael Gilbert, Corey Alexander, Max Flinders and Wyman (Travis). I was in eleventh, holding my own and feeling pretty good to be fair when coming out of Canada Corner I clipped a kerb after the bike slid sideways and the chain jumped the sprocket which completely wrecked it. All of the teeth started dropping off. I had to nurse the bike home, but it became unrideable, so I pulled in with a lap to go. Luckily, I was still classified as a finisher so scored a couple of points, but it wasn’t the best way to end the first race. A good sleep and I was raring to go for Race 2. I had to start at the back again, but I made a good start and was running tenth or eleventh and lining up to pass Max Flinders down into Turn 5. I was going 5-6mph faster than I would usually as I was in the slipstream and ran out of road on the brakes. I was dead last but managed to pick my way back through the pack to twelfth. Not a great weekend overall, it was pretty tough. We learned a lot and I went quicker than I had before so it’s steps in the right direction even though it’s not where we should be. I’m taking the positives and already looking forward to the next round in Atlanta.”
A 2020-model Aprilia RSV4 RR Misano Limited Edition. The U.S. gets a limited run of 100 of these Misano Edition Aprilia RSV4 RR models. Photo courtesy Aprilia.
Aprilia unveiled two special, limited edition models specifically for the U.S. market on Sunday night, each featuring its Misano livery that echoes the design scheme of the machine that Loris Reggiani took to the company’s first ever Grand Prix win back in 1987.
The RSV4 RR Misano Edition and the Tuono RR Misano Edition offer the limited white, red and green paint scheme, as well as a lightweight battery, a carbon-fiber front fender, and a plaque signifying which of the 100 offered in the U.S. the individual machine represents.
The models were uncovered (literally!) in a Facebook Live presentation from Buttonwillow Raceway Park, where the company was scheduled to host the first of its Aprilia Racers Days invite-only track event for the 2020 riding season.
The model upon which the RSV4 RR Misano Edition is based produces a claimed 201 horsepower at 13,000 rpm, with peak torque of 84.8 lbs.-ft. at 10,500 rpm. Riders can select from three power maps. Sachs 43mm inverted forks offer 4.3 inches (110mm) of travel, with a Sachs shock at the rear providing 5.1 inches (130mm) of travel.
Brembo M50 four-piston calipers are mated to 330mm rotors at the front, while rear braking duties are handled by a 220mm disc and a Brembo two-piston caliper. The electronic rider aid suite includes cornering ABS with an anti rear-wheel lift strategy, traction control, wheelie control, launch control, quickshifter, cruise control and a pit lane speed limiter.
The Tuono RR, which is the base for the Tuono RR Misano Edition, produces a claimed 175 bhp at 11,000 rpm and 89.2 lbs.-ft. of torque at 9,000 rpm. Sachs inverted 43mm forks offer compression in one leg and rebound damping in the other and 4.6 inches (117mm) of travel.
Suggested retail price for the RSV4 RR Misano Edition is $17,999, while the Tuono RR Misano Edition is $15,999. Units are expected in dealer showrooms next week.
WERA West racers Anthony Norton (521), Sahar Zvik (161), Matt Tisdale (81), David Price (13) and Thomas Asseo (hidden) at the start of a WERA West race at Willow Springs. Photo by Michael Gougis.
Matt Tisdale and Chris Duran took the headlining Formula One wins at the WERA Sportsman Series/WERA West Presented by Lucas Oil Products doubleheader round at the 2.5-mile Willow Springs main circuit on June 27-28.
Saturday saw triple-digit temperatures early, and the famous Antelope Valley wind kicked up in the early afternoon. Riding his Dunlop-shod Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, Tisdale, who started road racing with WERA West only 11 months ago, got to the front of the Formula One race quickly and powered in a best lap of 1:24.247. He finished 6.365 seconds ahead of David Price, with Cesar Meza finishing third, less than a tenth of a second behind Price.
Matt Tisdale (81) at Willow Springs on his way to his first WERA West Formula One win. Photo by Michael Gougis.
Duran took the A Superbike race, in which Tisdale and Meza crashed in the Willow’s ultra-fast Turn Eight, fortunately with no serious injuries. Anthony Norton was second, ahead of Price. Duran’s best lap was 1:24.267, and he finished 3.668 seconds ahead of Norton. Norton won the A Superstock race ahead of Sahar Zvik and Tyler Bengford.
Chris Duran (27) won Sunday’s Formula One race, as well as both A Superbike races. Photo by Michael Gougis.
Sunday’s temperatures were cooler, but the winds increased, with gusts well over 40 miles an hour and tumbleweeds firing across the track during the races. On his Dunlop-shod BMW S1000RR, Duran took the Formula One race with a best lap of 1:25.473 and a 2.297 second gap over Zvik, with Norton third. Duran also won the A Superbike race, lowering his lap time to a 1:24.297, over Zvik and Norton. Zvik won the A Superstock race over Norton and Ben Gary.
Andrea Dovizioso with his 2020 Mission Winnow Ducati Desmosedici GP20 MotoGP racebike. Photo courtesy Ducati.
Andrea Dovizioso underwent successful left collarbone surgery at Policlinico di Modena
The Ducati Team rider was operated yesterday evening a few hours after getting injured.
Since the operation had a positive outcome, he will be able to start physiotherapy immediately to be ready in time for the first 2020 MotoGP race, scheduled for the upcoming 19th July at Jerez de la Frontera.
Andrea Dovizioso underwent surgery at Policlinico di Modena yesterday evening after sustaining a left collarbone injury yesterday afternoon during a motocross race at Monte Coralli race track, in Faenza province.
The Ducati Team rider, following consultation with Professor Giuseppe Porcellini, decided to undergo immediate surgery to fix a plate on the injured collarbone to speed up his recuperation in time for the first 2020 MotoGP race in Jerez.
The operation took place yesterday evening with a positive outcome, and Dovizioso has been discharged this morning and will be able to start physiotherapy rehabilitation already this afternoon. The rider from Forlì will, therefore, participate in the next Spanish GP scheduled for the upcoming 19th July, and has declared to be confident to be able to arrive at the first meeting in Jerez in the best possible conditions.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team, #04)
“The surgery went well, and I want to thank all the medical team that did the operation so quickly. I don’t feel much pain, and that makes me very optimistic. I came home this morning, and during the afternoon, I will plan my rehabilitation. I am confident that in these weeks I will be able to recover and that I will be in full shape in time for the first 2020 GP in Jerez.”
Prof. Giuseppe Porcellini (Policlinico di Modena)
“Andrea Dovizioso underwent surgery to correct a displaced fracture of the sternal margin of the clavicle. We proceeded with the internal fixation of a plate with six screws with anatomic reduction and, from a mechanical point of view, we are delighted with the outcome of the operation. Apart from me, the medical team was composed by Prof. Fabio Catani, who personally supervised the operation, Prof. Luigi Tarallo and Doctor Andrea Giorgini. I want to thank the Direction of the Policlinico di Modena that made the operating room available in three hours, and all the staff who made possible to perform the surgery quickly”.
Paolo Ciabatti (Ducati Corse Sports Director)
“Although we know that motocross is an activity that presents several risks, we had still allowed Andrea to participate in this regional race, because he had explained to us that he needed to rediscover those stimuli and sensations that only a real competition can give. On the other hand, motocross is also the discipline with which many of the MotoGP riders train regularly. So, in the end, we must be relieved that the injury did not have serious consequences and that Andrea will be able to be regularly at the start of the 2020 championship in Jerez”.
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 28, 2020) – If nothing else, Sunday at Road America proved one thing: No one’s perfect. Well, okay, Richie Escalante still is.
HONOS Racing’s Escalante won his fourth MotoAmerica Supersport race in a row on a sunny Sunday in Wisconsin, but he was the only one of the undefeated riders going into day two at Road America that came out unscathed. Dominic Doyle, who was unbeaten until today, lost out in the Liqui Moly Junior Cup race to Rocco Landers; Landers stopped the Kaleb De Keyrel win streak in Twins Cup; and Cameron Petersen took advantage of PJ Jacobsen’s crash in the morning session that knocked him out of the race to win the Stock 1000 class.
Even four-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier failed to win for the first time in 2020 when he crashed out of the HONOS Superbike race.
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.
Supersport: Escalante Still Perfect
HONOS Kawasaki rider Richie Escalante is having quite the start to his 2020 season. In Sunday’s Supersport race two, Escalante once again notched the win, which was his fourth consecutive victory. Early in the 11-lap race, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly was giving Escalante all he could handle at the front of the pack, but Escalante maintained his focus and was able to pull away as the laps wound down. He took the checkers by a little less than six seconds over Kelly. Second place was very much in contention between Kelly and Celtic HSBK Racing’s Brandon Paasch. Kelly versus Paasch turned out to be the biggest skirmish of the race, and it was hotly contested, going right down to the final run up the hill to the finish line. At the stripe, Kelly prevailed over Paasch by a scant .044 of a second to take second place and Paasch filled out the podium.
“After finishing the two tests in the preseason and then it stopped for two months,” Escalante said. “I don’t have the feeling to this year win. Last race I am feeling very good in the bike. So, this track for this bike is good. Right now is the moment to change the track for the next race, so we’ll see. I’m really happy. The race is very fun. I take a long-time battle like this. So, it’s fun to pass on every corner. I’m really happy. The HONOS Racing Kawasaki is working really good and my team all weekend. I’m happy and ready for the next races.”
Rocco Landers (1) leads Dominic Doyle (25) and the rest of the field during MotoAmerica Liqui Moly Junior Cup Race 2 at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Liqui Moly Junior Cup: Landers Finally!
The final race of the weekend was Liqui Moly Junior Cup race two, and the two frontrunners from Saturday were the same on Sunday. BARTCON Racing Kawasaki’s Dominic Doyle, who was the victor in race one, had another showdown with Landers Racing Kawasaki’s Rocco Landers. Defending class champion Landers tried the same draft pass as yesterday in the run up the hill to the finish line, and he timed his move perfectly this time as he took the win over Doyle by .069 of a second. Third place went to Celtic HSBK Racing’s Sam Lochoff, the South African notching his second podium finish of the season.
“Going into Canada Corner I missed a shift,” Rocco explained. “I caught a false neutral in-between the gears. I ended up running wide. I think I put in a new lap record there, a 39:1. But I tried to get off to a good start and tried to pull away in the beginning, but that didn’t work. I looked back the second lap and he was there. I was like, ‘I’m just going to try to lead as much as I can and see if he’s not able to.’ Obviously, that didn’t work. Changed my strategy midway through the race and decided I was going to follow him like I normally do and see what they were doing. Then I knew it was a risk because it’s failed three times this year. So I was like, ‘I don’t even care. Just do it.’ Then I just decided to leave a little bit more room going into the last corner on the last lap and tried to pull into his draft and stay as long as possible and pull out as late as possible. Got by him up the hill and just tried to pinch him off a little bit. There’s no words. I’m stoked. I’m so happy to get the first win this season, finally.”
Rocco Landers (97) celebrates his MotoAmerica Twins Cup victory at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Twins Cup: Landers Doubles Up
The lone Twins Cup race of the weekend went green on Sunday morning, and polesitter Rocco Landers, who is new to the two-banger class this season, got a good jump off the line aboard his Roadracing World Young Guns/Sportbiketrackgear.com Suzuki. Kaleb De Keyrel, winner of the first two Twins Cup races of the year at Road America 1, challenged for the lead a couple of times during the eight-lap event, but the 1-833-CJKNOWS Accident & Injury Law Yamaha rider ultimately settled for second place, just .799 of a second behind Landers. Brittenum Construction/Hayden Schultz Racing’s Hayden Schultz, who formerly raced in the MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup spec series, finished third to record his first podium in the Twins Cup class.
“The team worked so hard trying to get some more horsepower out of the bike for this round,” Landers said. “So, we came in, and we were top in every session so far. We just kept pushing, kept pushing, kept pushing. We got pole position. Then I was just trying to get as good of a start as possible and then try to lead in turn five on the first lap. So, the strategy worked out pretty all right. Then just kept pushing consistent, good laps and continued to pull away. The last lap, I saw ‘2.3,’ and I was like, ‘I’m probably all right, but I got to keep pushing.’”
Cameron Petersen (45) leads Stefano Mesa (37), Alex Dumas (16), and Michael Gilbert (55) during the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 race at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Stock 1000: Petersen’s First
In Sunday morning’s Stock 1000 morning warmup, current points leader PJ Jacobsen had a technical issue on his out-lap aboard the #99 Celtic HSBK Racing Ducati, which caused him to crash. He was unable to start the morning’s Stock 1000 race as a result, and Altus Motorsports Suzuki’s Cameron Petersen got the holeshot at the start.
In the early stages of the race, MESA37 Racing’s Stefano Mesa ran close with Petersen and tried to take the lead, but Petersen held on and stretched out his lead. At the checkers, Petersen took the win by over six seconds over Mesa. For Petersen, it was his first victory in the class and second-ever MotoAmerica win, which concluded a memorable week for the South African. On Thursday, Petersen also got engaged. Third place in the race went to Michael Gilbert Racing Kawasaki’s Michael Gilbert, who prevailed over Alex Dumas for the final spot on the podium.
Commenting on what could only be described as the “best week ever” for Petersen, he said with a smile, “If I knew this was going to change the game, I would have done it (gotten engaged) a long time ago. It’s been an unbelievable weekend. It started off with good vibes, obviously, with getting engaged. Then I knew coming into Road America having back-to-back weekends we were going to step it up pretty big this weekend. The race was interesting. I’m not going to lie. We’ve been having some pretty bad brake problems all weekend. Right before the race, pretty much five minutes before we went out there, the front wheel was off, and they were trying to make a plan. New brake pads, new everything. The brakes had a completely different feel just riding out on the sighting lap. Then on the warmup lap, going into turn seven I had nothing. I went to go grab the front brakes and there was nothing there. So, I was all over the rear brake. I did everything I could, and that scared me. The brakes came back to me kind of the rest of the lap. And I wanted this so bad. I was just like, ‘You know what? It’s life or death. I’m going to do everything I can.’ Thankfully the brakes held up. I didn’t have much brakes towards the end there. It was a little bit scary, but I’m doing this for myself and especially the team. They work so hard and they deserve these results. Perfect weekend. Just going to keep building on this. My thoughts are with PJ. He had an unlucky one this morning. Obviously, I want to be racing against him. Hopefully he gets better soon and he’s not too bad.”
PJ Jacobsen and his Celtic HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R. Photo courtesy Celtic HSBK Racing.
Celtic HSBK Racing Ducati rider PJ Jacobsen is being taken to a local hospital for precautionary checks, after crashing his Panigale V4 R during the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 warm-up session Sunday morning at Road America.
Jacobsen was involved in an incident in Road America’s “Canada Corner,” Turn 12, that resulted in the 15-minute session being stopped.
At 8:50 a.m. local time, Celtic HSBK Racing co-owner Barry Gilsenan told Roadracingworld.com that Jacobsen is currently in the medical center at the racetrack and will be transported to a local hospital for precautionary checks.
Gilsenan said Jacobsen should be fine but he did not comment about the likelihood of Jacobsen participating in the Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup races today.
Jacobsen is currently leading the Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup Championship point standings.
We will update this post as more information becomes available.
UPDATE: PJ Jacobsen has been withdrawn from the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 race and removed from the grid sheet.
SECOND UPDATE: The following was posted on the HSBK Racing Instagram feed:
“Celtic / HSBK Racing Stock 1000cc rider PJ Jacobsen is out of competition for both Stock 1000cc and Superbike races scheduled for today. Due to an unfortunate incident during this morning’s warm-up session, PJ has been transported to a local area hospital for follow on evaluation. On his out lap this morning, his motorcycle caught fire heading into Canada Corner, forcing PJ to dismount at speed. The cause of the fire is being investigated and PJ has sustained minor injuries. Following an evaluation at the track medical facilities it was determined that he should be transferred to a local hospital for a more thorough examination.”
Bobby Fong (50) leads Jake Gagne (32) late in MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike Race 2 at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Fong Gets His First Superbike Win At Road America
Beaubier Crashes Out And The Rest Take Advantage
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 28, 2020) – M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong won the first HONOS Superbike race of his career today, the Californian taking full advantage of Cameron Beaubier’s only miscue of the young season to become the 59th rider in history to win an AMA Superbike National.
Fong was in second, a few seconds adrift of Beaubier, when the previously unbeaten Beaubier hit a bump in turn one, lost the front end and crashed. Fong took over at the front but soon had Beaubier’s Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha’s teammate Jake Gagne nipping at his heels. For whichever one of those two who won, it would be a career first, and both of them rode like it. Fong, however, was able to withstand the pressure in the closing laps and led Gagne across the finish line by .509 of a second.
“I saw Cameron (Beaubier) go down and I knew immediately that there was going to be pressure on me,” Fong said. “I knew that (Jake) Gagne had extra motivation, near a race win. I didn’t know who was behind me. I just saw plus one on my board, and then I was looking at the big screen down the straightaway to see who it was. Just depending on who it was, I knew how aggressive they were and how defensive I needed to ride. I knew it was Gagne and he rides pretty well. He takes risks, takes risks to get that win. I just tried to keep a steady pace in the middle of the race and not push too hard and at least not try to put it all out there in the middle of the race. I knew he was going to be there at the end of the race. I just put the hammer down. Thankfully we got the win, but we have some work to do to actually beat Cameron. But we’re making big steps and I’m proud of the work we did this weekend.”
Gagne finished second, as he continues his solid start to the season that was briefly interrupted by a problem with his brakes that limited him to a sixth-place finish on Saturday at Road America.
“Yeah. No doubt,” Gagne said when asked if he saw an opportunity to win an HONOS Superbike race when he saw Beaubier crash. “That’s definitely what we were thinking. It was a bummer to see Cameron go down. Obviously, he’s been pushing the pace all year long. It just shows how well these things are doing. Hats off to Bobby (Fong). He really rode his heart out. I could tell. I was seeing those tires and it was greasy out there. It was tough out there. I feel like I’m happy to bring it home in second. Obviously, we know we were fighting for a win, so that’s extra motivation to get it up there. It was a fun race. There were some sections, the first section and last section, where I could close in and then there was some sections in the middle where Bobby really pulled away. So, we were kind of teeter-tottering and that makes it real tough to even try to find a place to stick it in. Bobby is really strong on the brakes in some of the sections where I wanted to make passes. I’m happy. We brought it home. Like Bobby said, it was a slick, greasy race out there. So hats off to the team, Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha. These guys are working really hard. Obviously, we still got to go catch Cam when we get to Road Atlanta. See if we can do some work on him. But it’s been fun battling these guys. It was a good race.”
KATO Fastening/KWR Ducati’s Kyle Wyman waited 1022 days between podiums, ending his drought in yesterday’s HONOS Superbike race. Then he only waited a day to do it all gain, the New Yorker getting his second podium in a row after holding off the ever-persistent Mathew Scholtz on the Westby Racing Yamaha.
“It feels great,” Wyman said. “I saw Cam go down and inherited… Actually, I don’t even know if I was in third at that point. I had to pass Toni (Elias) into Canada Corner I think on lap three or so. He was really strong in the first few laps. I think our only weakness really at this point, I think the middle of the race these guys, every time they tipped into turn eight was the same time every lap from lap four to lap eight or nine, so we need to get our first laps’ pace down and try to get closer there. Mathew (Scholtz) put on a really good fight. He was plus .6 for four laps in a row, and then plus .9 for the last three laps. It was tough to just stay focused and not make any mistakes. But Ducati’s on the podium.”
Scholtz, meanwhile, had an eventful race and was in a battle with Wyman and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Toni Elias when he clashed with Elias in the chicane, causing the luckless Spaniard to crash. Elias was able to remount to finish seventh.
Fifth place went to Scheibe BMW’s Josh Herrin, the Georgian some three seconds ahead of FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony, the Australian continuing his consistent start to the season. With Elias seventh, Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen raced to eighth, well clear of RideHVMC’s Corey Alexander. Thrashed Bike Racing LLC’s Max Flinders rounded out the top 10.
Beaubier now leads the championship by just nine points over Gagne, 75-66, with Fong jumping up to third with 58 points, just two points ahead of Wyman’s 56. Herrin rounds out the top five in the series with 46 points.
Superbike Race 2
Bobby Fong (Suzuki)
Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
Kyle Wyman (Ducati)
Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha)
Josh Herrin (BMW)
David Anthony (Suzuki)
Toni Elias (Suzuki)
Cameron Petersen (Suzuki)
Corey Alexander (Kawasaki)
Max Flinders (Yamaha)
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:
Gagne Returns to the Podium at Road America
Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne bounced back from a tough race yesterday to finish second in race two at Road America on Sunday, June 28, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Unfortunately for Cameron Beaubier, a crash in Turn 1 ended his race early.
Gagne was fifth at the start but quickly moved into fourth and then made the pass for third in Turn 8 on the first lap. With Beaubier well up front, the 27-year-old was trying to chase down second. By lap four he was able to close the two-second gap and advanced to second after his teammate’s error. Gagne stayed on the competition for the rest of the race but was unable to make the pass and crossed the line second for his third podium of the season. He leaves Road America second in the championship standings, trailing his teammate by nine points.
It was looking like another repeat performance for Beaubier who grabbed the holeshot and started to build a gap on the competition. On the third lap he set the fastest lap of the race with a 2’11.436 and was looking to keep expanding his lead when he went over the infamous bump in turn one and tucked the front. The four-time Superbike champ tried to rejoin the race, but ultimately had to pull in to the pits with the bike not 100% after the crash.
Next up for the Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing team is Round 3 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Road Atlanta, July 31 – August 2, in Braselton, Georgia.
Richard Stanboli – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Jake rode well to earn that second-place finish. The team made some good steps forward and Jake continues to build his confidence. I think he will be a strong challenger for the top spot as soon as the next event. Cameron has been in a class of his own and his 2020 R1 continues to give him the confidence he needs. Unfortunately the notorious turn one bump caught him out just as it has done to many riders in the past. Even with a DNF we leave Road America with a comfortable first- and second-place in the championship. We look forward to racing and seeing our fans at Road Atlanta.”
Jake Gagne (32). Photo courtesy Yamaha Racing.
Jake Gagne – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“We made some good progress with the bike in warm up this morning and I figured a few things out. My start was much better today and I was running behind Bobby (Fong) and Cam. Unfortunately Cam went down in Turn 1 trying to make a break. From then on I just tried to keep close to Fong. There were some sections of track he was really pulling me, then I’d pull time back in others. It was close there at the end, but I just wasn’t close enough and brought it home in second. I’m really glad to get the R1 back on the podium and I’m pumped to get to Road Atlanta!”
Cameron Beaubier – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“The race today started with a good jump off the line and I was feeling good like yesterday, but unfortunately I tucked the front over the bumps in Turn 1. Other than that, I feel great on my bike. We will put it behind us and get going at Road Atlanta.”
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Sunday At Road America Nets A Fourth-Place Result For Mathew Scholtz And A Ninth For Cody Wyman
Elkhart Lake, WI – June 28, 2020 – In motorcycle road racing, riders feel more comfortable at certain racetracks, and motorcycles perform better at certain racetracks. Such is the case with the riders and motorcycles of Westby Racing.
Superbike rider Mathew Scholtz will be the first to tell you that, while he loves most everything about Road America—especially the fans—it is a track that has vexed him ever since he started racing in America in 2016. He’s had some very good results, like his second-place finish in Superbike race one last month. He’s also had his share of tipovers at Road America. On Sunday, Mathew finished fourth, one position better than the fifth he recorded on Saturday, to complete a decent weekend at “America’s National Park of Speed.” But, for him and the team, they hoped for better results.
Starting from fourth on the grid, Mathew battled with Kyle Wyman and Toni Elias. While going through Road America’s chicane on lap eight, Mathew saw an opportunity to pass Elias on the inside, and he made his move. The slight opening closed quickly, however, and Mathew’s and Toni’s bikes touched, which caused Toni to crash. Mathew continued on while Toni got back aboard his bike and re-joined the race.
Mathew Scholtz (11) leads Josh Herrin (2) at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson courtesy Westby Racing.
Mathew said, “For Sunday’s race, we put in the old motor that we had from the previous round because the new motor wasn’t pulling as well out of the corners, and it was making the engine-braking a little bit worse, so we went back to what we knew worked well for us. Sunday morning warmup was pretty difficult because we only had 15 minutes with used tires, but the motor change definitely felt better to me. In the race, I didn’t get the best start, but it was alright. I got in behind Toni and Kyle and, even though I made one or two mistakes in the first couple of laps, I closed the gap to them. Toni’s and Kyle’s bikes are a little bit quicker than mine, but I made a move on Toni in the chicane. It was unfortunately one of those things. He was committed, and I had already committed to the pass. We touched and he crashed, which I obviously didn’t mean to happen. I tried to catch Kyle with a couple of laps to go, but there just wasn’t enough time for me. I think what happened to Toni was a racing incident, and I apologize for that. I didn’t want to touch him. The team knows where we went wrong with the other engine and where we need to focus on making the bike better. We’re just really looking forward to racing at Road Atlanta in a month’s time. With me being a bigger guy, it really suits my riding style a lot better. The team has been working really hard, and it’s just very unfortunate how this weekend went because we were expecting better things. The next couple of tracks, for us, should be pretty good.”
Cody Wyman (34). Photo courtesy Westby Racing.
Junior Cup rider Cody Wyman finished seventh in Saturday’s race one, and he had high hopes for a better result in race two on Sunday. Unfortunately, the characteristics of the Yamaha YZF-R3 are not as suited to Road America’s 4.048-mile, 14-turn course as most of the other bikes in the class. The long straightaways are daunting, so Cody has to rely on corner speed to maintain his momentum.
On Sunday, he raced hard with a group of riders a little further back in the pack just as he did on Saturday, but he wasn’t able to gain an advantage over them and he finished ninth.
“It was a tough weekend for us,” Cody lamented. “I really wanted to finish in the top five and get out of Road America with strong finishes. Unfortunately, my qualifying position didn’t give me a very good starting position. The leaders got away early, and I got stuck in a battle for sixth. A couple of riders in the group got away from me on the run to the finish line, and I ended the weekend with a ninth to follow up my seventh on Saturday. It’s not what I wanted, but I’m glad to move on to round three and a racetrack that I really like. Big thanks to my team, family, and sponsors for helping me get me through these first two rounds. I’m looking forward to competing again under the Westby Racing Yamaha banner.”
Next up for Westby Racing is round three of the MotoAmerica Championship, which will take place at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, on July 31 through August 2.
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