The five-time World Champion fights off Rabat for victory on his virtual return to MotoGP™
Sunday, 31 May 2020
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo is a virtual MotoGP™ race winner! The five-time Champion wildcard got the better of Reale Avintia Racing’s Tito Rabat in the closing stages of Sunday’s Michelin® Virtual British Grand Prix, making the most of his only wildcard appearance in 2020 by taking pole position and the win. Despite another fairly dramatic encounter in the virtual world, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completed the podium behind Rabat.
As ever in virtual races, the opening lap wasn’t short of drama with the first incident coming when LCR Honda Idemitsu ‘s Takaaki Nakagami wiped out Lorenzo through Turns 2 and 3, leaving Quartararo with the holeshot. He was quickly dropped to second when Nakagami slipped through, however, with the group powering down the Hangar Straight for the first time.
Quartararo was keen to make up for his earlier mistake, and possibly in the end he proved too keen. Lorenzo headed into the gravel trap to put a dint in his progress and the Frenchman followed when the front end of his Yamaha folded. Quartararo’s crash elevated Pramac Racing’s Francesco Bagnaia to second place, but it wasn’t long until the Italian also tucked the front; a surprising mistake from the Red Bull Ring victor and consistent performer in virtual races…
Jorge Lorenzo and Fabio Quartararo battling virtually at Silverstone. Image courtesy Dorna.
As we completed the opening lap, Nakagami led Rabat and Ducati Team’s Michelle Pirro in an slightly unlikely opening trio given track records – but Quartararo was starting to make some progress back through the field after his first lap crash. He had another setback when crashing after contact with Rabat, however, and by four laps completed Lorenzo was starting to find his feet, squeezing past Pirro and up into third.
Nakagami hit half race distance without making a single mistake, but that was soon to change as the Japanese rider’s hopes of a debut MotoGP™ win evaporated in a crash at The Loop – handing the lead to Rabat, much to the Spaniard’s excitement. But five-time World Champion Lorenzo was on a charge, up to second and with his eyes firmly set on the race lead.
Slowly but surely, the lead came down. Ultimately it took the Yamaha rider two laps to close in on the rear wheel of Rabat’s Ducati, and a further lap to properly dispatch him. Then, Lorenzo began to break clear and by the time he reached the flag, came across the line two seconds ahead to clinch his first virtual victory in MotoGP™.
Quartararo clinched the final place on the virtual podium after diving past Nakagami on the last lap to take a debut virtual podium and finally overcome his bad luck and trouble with crashes, leaving early leader Nakagami in fourth. Pirro completed the top five, ahead of Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori and a disappointed Bagnaia in seventh after an adventurous event. Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Joan Mir was the final finisher, his race starting to go wrong at Turn 1 on Lap 1 and the Suzuki rider not able to pull it back.
That’s it from a virtual trip to Silverstone! Make sure to stay tuned to motogp.com and social media for more reactions, clips, interviews and #StayAtHomeGP content from MotoGP™, riders and teams.
Race results from MotoGP virtual race five. Image courtesy Dorna.
Jorge Lorenzo: “Like some Roman Emperor said, ‘Veni, Vidi, Vici’! So I arrived, I took the pole position and I won. But I have to say that Fabio today was much faster than me but to win the race you have to finish. We did it, even if I crashed at the second corner. I was consistent, I was quite fast. I overheated the rear tyre a little bit so It wasn’t easy to catch Tito but finally I overtook him and won the race. It was a lot of fun and I’m very happy.
“During these days I have tried all of the tyre options and I went with the hard rear. I was clear with the soft front, it didn’t overheat, but the medium rear overheated a little and was tough to manage; it was on the limit. So the hard option for the final laps was better and I was lucky Fabio crashed as many times as he did, otherwise, it would’ve been hard to beat him.”
Bendsneyder comes out on top in a British Moto2™ battle
The Dutchman goes two better at Silverstone after a podium at Jerez
Action from the virtual Moto2 race at Silverstone. Image courtesy Dorna.
In Moto2™, NTS RW Racing GP’s Bo Bendsneyder went two better than Jerez at the Michelin® Virtual British Grand Prix, the Dutchman starting from pole position and never looking back after getting a lightning start. He went on to take the chequered flag with an impressive advantage ahead of two rookies: ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team’s Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin and FlexBox HP 40’s Hector Garzo.
It didn’t take long for the drama to begin on the opening lap when Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) crashed out down the Hangar Straight by running straight into the back of Kasmayudin, the Malaysian suffering some lag issues and the same problems then causing Garzo to crash a few laps later too. The pair were sweeping around the final corner when Kasmayudin’s Moto2™ machine stopped dead in the middle of the track, leaving the Spaniard nowhere to go…
That meant the final podium place had seemingly been handed to Liqui Moly Intact GP’s Marcel Schrötter, but the German then suddenly threw away a rostrum finish on the penultimate lap after touching the grass and crashing heading on to the Wellington Straight.
No such mistakes were made by Bendsneyder, who eased over the line eight seconds clear of Kasmayudin in second, with Garzo stealing the final podium place. Schrötter’s disastrous final two laps were compounded by Fernandez beating him to fourth in the last sector, leaving the number 23 to complete the top five.
Sky Racing Team VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi had to settle for sixth place, just a tenth adrift of a top five finish, with Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) in seventh. Moto2™ World Championship leader Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) ended up eighth, ahead of Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) as the final finisher in ninth. Petronas Sprinta Racing’s Xavi Vierge was unable to finish after his internet dropped out halfway through!
Results from the virtual Moto2 race at Silverstone. Image courtesy Dorna.
Bo Bendsneyder: “I worked hard for it and trained a lot! So I’m happy.
“I won by eight seconds in the end, but it wasn’t easy. My hands are a bit sweaty now, but I finished the race!”
Nepa annihilates the competition for virtual Moto3™ win
Italian a class above the rest in the lightweight class at the Michelin Virtual British Grand Prix
Action from the virtual Moto3 race at Silverstone. Image courtesy Dorna.
Aspar Team Gaviota’s Stefano Nepa clinched a debut virtual Moto3™ victory in emphatic style by taking a lights-to-flag victory at the Michelin® Virtual British Grand Prix. The Italian was a class above the rest throughout the day, earlier taking pole position by a handsome margin and unmatched in the six-lap race… eventually taking the chequered flag nearly ten seconds clear of Jeremy Alcoba (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3). who completed the podium.
In a frantic opening lap, CarXpert PrüstelGP’s Barry Baltus and Alcoba swapped paint in a tight fight for second as behind, British hopeful John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) saw his home hopes take an early scuppering after a coming together with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Kaito Toba….
Despite Baltus and Alcoba’s antics, the pair were able to escape from the clutches of those behind and looked like dead certs for taking the final two podium spots… but that was until the Belgian clipped the rear-end of Alcoba, then crashing out of third place on lap three.
That allowed Sasaki to swoop through into third place with three laps left, and no further mistakes were made at the front to shake things up. Nepa therefore took the chequered flag ahead of Alcoba and Sasaki, with Scotsman McPhee recovering from his earlier crash to take fourth.
Honda Team Asia’s Yuki Kunii beat compatriot Toba on the final lap to clinch the final place in the top five, Toba crashing late on and ending up P6, before Baltus and Max Kofler (CIP Green Power) came across the line in seventh and eighth respectively. The final two to finish were Carlos Tatay (Reale Avintia Racing) and Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing), although the latter was glad of the finish after starting the race joking he’d be the Safety Car after qualifying 24 seconds off pole…
Results from the virtual Moto3 race at Silverstone. Image courtesy Dorna.
Stefano Nepa: “I had just one track limit moment, during the race it was only a penalty of three tenths. In the global standings I think I’m P7 or P6 at Silverstone, but today yeah the race was incredible! They were all 2:10s and it was a good race.
“I’m happy for my first win in virtual racing but it’s better to win in reality!”
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
Road America
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
May 31, 2020
Twins Cup Race Two Results (all on Dunlop tires):
Kaleb De Keyrel (Yam MT-07), 8 laps, Total Race Time 20 minutes, 1.900 seconds, Average Race Speed 96.998 mph, Best Lap Time 2:28.892
Jackson Blackmon (Suz SV650), -0.081 second, 2:28.584
Rocco Landers (Suz SV650), -0.082, 2:28.928
Jason Madama (Yam MT-07), -4.278 seconds, 2:29.111
Chris Parrish (Yam MT-07), -4.455, 2:29.255
Toby Khamsouk (Suz SV650), -6.000, 2:28.913
Cooper McDonald (Yam MT-07), -16.944, 2:30.053
Daniel Adams (Suz SV650), -22.749, 2:31.457
Kris Lillegard (Yam MT-07), -33.570, 2:33.021
Trevor Standish (Suz SV650), -33.777, 2:33.268
Hayden Schultz (Yam MT-07), -59.189, 2:36.573
Austin Miller (Suz SV650), -63.013, 2:36.031
Sam Wiest (Suz SV650), -72.461, 2:36.610
Shawn Adams (Suz SV650), -77.981, 2:37.984
Shawn Hill (Yam MT-07), -78.022, 2:37.325
Anthony Marcinek (Yam MT-07), -78.478, 2:37.208
Dr. Carl Price (Suz SV650), -88.712, 2:39.172
Robert Cichielo, Jr. (Suz SV650), -88.722, 2:39.245
Steven Smith (Suz SV650), -89.913, 2:38.973
Paul Hopkins (Suz SV650), -94.045, 2:40.352
Rodney Vest (Suz SV650), -137.207, 2:44.646
Gino Angella (Yam MT-07), -137.265, 2:44.677
Ryne Snooks (Suz SV650), DNF, 2:41.433
Ray Hofman (Suz SV650), DNS
Teagg Hobbs (Suz SV650), DNS
Championship Point Standings (after 2 of 12 races):
De Keyrel, 50 points
Landers, 36
Blackmon, 31
Madama, 29
Parrish, 24
Khamsouk, 19
McDonald, 19
Daniel Adams, 16
Lillegard, 14
Schultz, 10
Miller, 10
Kaleb De Keyrel (51), Rocco Landers (97), and Jackson Blackmon (18) race for the lead in MotoAmerica Twins Cup Race Two at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne was the fastest rider during MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike warm-up Sunday morning at Road America with a lap time of 2:12.390 on his YZF-R1.
Race One winner Cameron Beaubier, meanwhile, was unable to do any flying laps because his Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha shut off while he was on track early in the session. Beaubier pulled off the track, was able to restart his machine, rode back to the pits, but his team was not able to resolve his issue before the 15-minute session ended.
In an interview on MotoAmerica Live+, Beaubier’s crew chief Richard Stanboli said it looked like “an electrical shut off” had occurred and he and his team had plenty of time to find and fix the issue. Beaubier, however, will only have a sighting lap and a warm-up to confirm that his bike is good to go.
MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike Race Two is scheduled to start just after 1:00 p.m. Central Time Sunday to make a live TV window on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) preceding the NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway, which begins at 2:30 p.m. Central Time.
MotoAmerica Superbikes at Road America
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
Road America
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
May 31, 2020
HONOS Superbike Warm-Up Results (all on Dunlop tires):
Jason Madama (Yam MT-07), -6.880 seconds, 2:30.614
Chris Parrish (Yam MT-07), -6.886, 2:30.249
Jackson Blackmon (Suz SV650), -7.216, 2:30.456
Cooper McDonald (Yam MT-07), -23.300, 2:32.432
Toby Khamsouk (Suz SV650), -23.994, 2:32.609
Daniel Adams (Suz SV650), -38.536, 2:33.892
Kris Lillegard (Yam MT-07), -40.723, 2:34.708
Austin Miller (Suz SV650), -58.848, 2:36.764
Hayden Schultz (Yam MT-07), -59.086, 2:37.041
Sam Wiest (Suz SV650), -84.894, 2:39.717
Ryne Snooks (Suz SV650), -84.904, 2:39.466
Shawn Hill (Yam MT-07), -84.993, 2:39.044
Anthony Marcinek (Yam MT-07), -85.606, 2:39.392
Dr. Carl Price (Suz SV650), -86.280, 2:39.515
Robert Cichielo, Jr. (Suz SV650), -93.730, 2:40.920
Steven Smith (Suz SV650), -93.861, 2:40.565
Paul Hopkins (Suz SV650), -96.707, 2:41.465
Gino Angella (Yam MT-07), -134.094, 2:45.627
Rodney Vest (Suz SV650), -1 lap, DNF, 2:44.199
Ray Hofman (Suz SV650), DNF, 2:44.653
Trevor Standish (Suz SV650), -8 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded
Teagg Hobbs (Suz SV650), DNS
Shawn Adams (Suz SV650), DNS
Rocco Landers (97) leads Toby Khamsouk (27), Kaleb De Keyrel (51) and the rest of the field early in MotoAmerica Twins Cup Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Cameron Petersen (Suz GSX-R1000R), -78.297, 2:15.606, docked three positions for being late to parc ferme*
Jeremy Coffey (BMW S1000RR), -111.197, 2:20.240
Joseph Giannotto (Kaw ZX-10R), -111.318, 2:20.419*
Sam Verderico (Yam YZF-R1), -128.242, 2:21.528
Toni Elias (Suz GSX-R1000R), -4 laps, DNF, mechanical/lost chain, 2:13.786
Ashton Yates (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), DNS
*Stock 1000/Superbike Cup entry
Cameron Beaubier (1) leads Jake Gagne (32), Bobby Fong (50), Toni Elias (behind Gagne), Mathew Scholtz (11), Kyle Wyman (33), and the rest of the MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike field early in Race One at Road America. Photo courtesy of Yamaha.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
As Superbike racing returned to the AMA/ MotoAmerica series after lockdown, new M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong made an impressive Superbike debut aboard his GSX-R1000 to finish just off the podium after leading the race mid-distance.
With the Road America Circuit closed to the public because of the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the 29-year-old reigning Supersport Champion was always in the leading group from the start, moving into the lead at the mid-way point, but finishing a fraction of a second from the podium.
Team-mate and 2010 Moto2 World Champion / 2017 MotoAmerica Champion Toni Elias was moving forward and holding fifth until he was forced out with five laps to go.
Bobby Fong (50). Photo courtesy Team Suzuki Press Office.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Beaubier Scores Dominant Victory at MotoAmerica Season Opener
Cameron Beaubier scored a dominant win for the Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing team on Saturday, May 30, at the Road America circuit. He was joined on the podium by his teammate Jake Gagne in third at the first round of the 2020 MotoAmerica Superbike season.
Returning to action after a long wait for the season to start, Beaubier put his R1 in prime position for Race 1 with a stunning performance in Superpole earlier in the day, taking pole position by 0.4 of a second from Gagne.
Lining up 1-2 on the grid, when the lights went out the reigning champion delivered a strong launch to lead into Turn 1, followed by Gagne. As Beaubier raced into a clear track ahead and built a gap on the pack, his teammate was engaged in a thrilling fight with Bobby Fong for second. Fong pushed past towards the end of the first lap, but Gagne bit straight back into Canada Corner to retake the position.
At the front Beaubier’s lead grew, his first flying lap time of 2’11 on race tires surpassing his own pole time and laying down a serious marker for his rivals. Leading by 2.4 seconds at the start of lap four, his position at the top went unchallenged for the remaining eight laps.
Behind him, a fierce battle for second and third place was heating up between Gagne, Fong and Mathew Scholtz. Holding his rivals off well, Gagne ran slightly wide at Turn 7, dropping him to fourth. On lap 10 he forced his way back into third and hounded Scholtz in second, coming home just 0.7 of a second behind him to take the third step on the podium.
Lapping consistently in the low 2’12s for most of the race, Beaubier was faultless in his Race 1 performance and took the first checkered flag of the year 7.8 seconds ahead of second place.
After their impressive double podium on Saturday, the Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing squad head into Sunday’s Race 2 in an excellent position to consolidate their strong start to 2020.
Richard Stanboli – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“We had some challenges for the first race of 2020. We just kept working and I think we nailed it for the race. Cameron is an awesome rider and everybody did their part to make this program work, so we’re super happy about that. Jake did really well in his first race for the team. We struggled in the last few tests to find a baseline for him, but we finally found it and all of a sudden, he just figured it out. I think it’s just going to get better from here.”
Cameron Beaubier (1). Photo courtesy of Yamaha.
Cameron Beaubier – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“It feels so good just to be at the racetrack. I keep saying it, but I really am just so pumped to be back at the races. We were pretty much ready to go racing right after the Barber test, and then everything hit with COVID-19. So it’s been a long time waiting to get back racing.
“As soon as I got on the bike, I just felt so good this weekend. I was able to beat the track record yesterday, I’ve just been feeling so strong on this thing. Yamaha and Attack Performance put their heads together and came up with a great package. I think at first everyone wasn’t sure how the new team would measure up, but we came out swinging. It feels so good to get this win for them. They’ve been working really, really hard. I don’t want to get too excited, I just want to keep the ball rolling.”
Jake Gagne (32). Photo courtesy of Yamaha.
Jake Gagne – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“We’re on the podium at the first race! That’s it. That’s a good day. We started off yesterday a little bit slower for sure. From what we’ve been testing at Buttonwillow, this track is just quite a bit different. We definitely found a good step forward, getting the front end more comfortable for me this morning in that first practice.
“I was happy going into the race. I wanted to try to see if we could get a little bit closer to Cam, because he is really going good. I got a good first couple laps then I started struggling with grip a little bit more than I thought. We need to smooth it out for tomorrow, but I’m happy. We’re on the podium. This Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha R1 is up here. I’m happy for these guys. They’re working really hard. So we’ll see if we can make a couple little tweaks for tomorrow and get it up there on top.”
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Beaubier Dominates HONOS Superbike Race One At Road America
Four-Time Defending Champ In A Class Of His Own In Season Opener
ELKHART LAKE, WI (May 30, 2020) – Four-time defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier has been unstoppable thus far in the season-opener at Road America, the Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha rider leading every session, breaking the lap record, earning pole position and winning today’s first HONOS Superbike race by a country mile.
Beaubier led every lap to win his eighth career Superbike race at the scenic racetrack in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, his win today tying him with his former teammate Josh Hayes for second on the Road America career win list. If Beaubier wins tomorrow’s race two, it will be his ninth and that will tie him for the all-time lead with Mat Mladin.
An extremely confident Beaubier led off the line from pole position, led into the first corner and was never headed, eventually winning by 7.8 seconds at a racetrack where margins of victory are usually less than half a second.
“I don’t know, man,” Beaubier said when asked if this is the best he’s ever ridden in his career. “Just this off-season with Yamaha and Richard (Stanboli) at Attack putting their heads together, they kind of came up with an incredible package. We made a huge step, I feel like chassis, electronics-wise, a little bit motor. Everything’s just working. I feel so good on this thing. I don’t want to jinx nothing. I just want to keep the ball rolling. I’ve just been having pure fun on the thing. We’ve been able to beat our track records back home at Buttonwillow. It’s just been great working with the whole team. Everyone’s kind of come together. It’s been great. So, I finally got a good start and just put my head down there at the beginning. Clicked off some good laps at the beginning. Then I saw my gap grew a little bit. I just kept the head down and tried to ride as consistent as I could. Everything’s working really good right now. It’s one of my favorite podiums, my two buddies in the pits up on the podium with me. It’s been really good. I’m definitely ready for things to get back to normal, though. It’s been a little strange not having fans and having to keep your distance with your team after you get a good result. I’m just so pumped to be racing. Everything’s good. Looking forward to tomorrow.”
Second place went to Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, the South African fighting through after a less-than-stellar start. He mowed the through the pack, however, passing Toni Elias, Bobby Fong and Jake Gagne en route to the runner-up finish.
“My start was terrible, as usual,” Scholtz said. “I’ve kind of gotten used to it by now. But it actually worked out well for me. We missed quite a lot of track time on Friday practice, so I kind of slotted in behind (Bobby) Fong, (Jake) Gagne and them, so I was able to kind of see what they were doing for the first couple laps. I think that really helped me to figure out one or two things. Once I kind of got up to the back of them, I saw that in some of the harder braking points I was a little bit stronger than them. So just kind of kept to myself then. With five laps to go, I managed to get past Jake (Gagne) and Bobby (Fong) and just kind of rode my own race from there. I was really looking at where to try to pass. I was told they had their own battle going on, so it kind of worked out well for me. I want to say a huge thank you to the Westby team. It’s been difficult to pre-season test with me breaking my collarbone and stuff. Just really, really thankful to be back on the podium.”
Scholtz ended up beating Gagne by .705 of a second with Beaubier’s Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha teammate Gagne getting the better of M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Fong on the final lap, besting him by just .524 of a second for the final podium spot.
“Cam (Beaubier) got off to a heater of a start,” Gagne said. “I knew if he could get off to a start and I could kind of be in second, I wanted to try to see if I could at least run a couple laps and pick up the pace. He was flying right away. I was charging those first couple laps. I could see on my pit board I had .2, .3, .4 at one point. Then those guys immediately started creeping up. That was kind of the push I wanted to try to make. Mat (Scholtz) was hauling butt. Bobby (Fong) was right there. I made a mistake I think one lap in. Mat got underneath me, Bobby got up underneath me and then from there I got a few laps to kind of see what they were doing, which was nice. Kind of struggling with the grip a little bit more than I thought, but Mat was really looking good. Bobby was looking good. It was fun to race with those guys again. It’s been a while since we had a little battle and go back and forth. Bobby and I had a pretty good last lap. Went back and forth a couple times. So that was fun. Hats off to these guys. They were riding great. Hats off to my team and Monster Energy Attack Yamaha. This bike is working better and better every time we get on it, and we’re getting more and more comfortable. Thankful for tomorrow. We’ll see if we can make a couple little adjustments and try to get closer to these guys.”
Inde Motorsports Ranch/KWR Ducati’s Kyle Wyman ended up a lonely fifth, the New Yorker some seven seconds clear of Josh Herrin, who was making his debut on the Scheibe Racing BMW S 1000 RR. Herrin, in turn, was 2.2 seconds ahead of Celtic HSBK Racing’s PJ Jacobsen and his Ducati Panigale V4 R.
FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony was eighth with Scheibe Racing’s Jake Lewis and Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman rounded out the top 10.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Toni Elias was the most notable non-finisher, the 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion suffering a mechanical problem on the fourth lap.
New Winners Aplenty In MotoAmerica Season Opener
No Fans But Plenty Of Action In Elkhart Lake On Opening Day
There were three new winners in the four support classes at Road America today with PJ Jacobsen, Dominic Doyle and Richie Escalante scoring victories in the Stock 1000, Liqui Moly Junior Cup and Supersport classes, respectively, in the opening round of the 2020 MotoAmerica Series.
Jacobsen, a veteran of World Supersport and World Superbike and the runner-up in last year’s Supersport Series, won his first Stock 1000 race on a sunny Saturday at Road America; South African Doyle won his first career Liqui Moly Junior Cup race by just .078 of a second over defending champion Rocco Landers; and Escalante dominated the Supersport race, finishing 11.5 seconds ahead of Brandon Paasch.
The Twins Cup race, meanwhile, was won by Kaleb DeKeyrel by just .002 of a second over Landers, with DeKeyrel taking his second career win in the class in what was just his second race in Twins Cup.
Supersport: Escalante’s First
In Saturday’s Supersport race, HONOS team rider Richie Escalante notched his first career Supersport win with an impressive performance aboard his Graves Motorsports-built Kawasaki ZX-R. For Team Green, it was their first Supersport victory in an AMA-sanctioned road racing since Leandro Mercado’s win at Daytona in October 2009.
Second place went to Celtic HSBK Racing’s Brandon Paasch aboard a Yamaha, and Altus Motorsports rider Kevin Olmedo rounded out the podium in third on a Suzuki.
“I’m really happy,” Escalante said about his win. “The Graves Kawasaki is a very good bike. I’m really happy for me, the team, the bike, (the) new year. I’m working really hard this weekend. I’m riding a little bit on my limit. Today, I started really good. I pushed and I arrived in my rhythm. Tomorrow is another race. I need to keep working. Thanks to HONOS, the sponsor for the team. I’m ready for tomorrow.”
Stock 1000: Jacobsen In The Clear
In MotoAmerica’s first race of the season, not to mention the first motorcycle road racing National anywhere in the world since COVID-19, the Series’ literbike riders competed in the lone Stock 1000 race of the weekend at Road America.
South African Cameron Petersen got a great jump off the line, got the holeshot, and maintained the race lead aboard his Altus Motorsports Tucker Hagerty Suzuki for the majority of the eight-lap event. Polesitter PJ Jacobsen stalked Petersen aboard his Celtic HSBK Racing Ducati, then made his move around Petersen, and managed to pull out a gap of more than four seconds at the stripe to take the win. Petersen finished second, and Ride HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander brought his Kawasaki home in third.
“I haven’t really ridden this bike much; just at the Barber test where the weather was really bad,” Jacobsen said. “I’ve been off the bike for two months and haven’t ridden. Cam (Petersen) got into turn one pretty aggressive. I knew that he wanted to lead the race. I was like, ‘Let’s follow Cam and see what he can do.’ I hadn’t seen Corey (Alexander), so I didn’t know if he was hiding or what he was doing. Kind of sat there and figured out what he was doing and stuff. Then I kept looking back, and Corey was right there, too. So, I was just like, ‘What should I do?’ Then I saw the lap board. So, I was like, ‘I’m just going to try and go like qualifying lap times and put my head down.’ That’s what I did. The bike is really good. It has some good things like any bike and some difficult things. He (Petersen) could really get away from me, but in other places, we had an advantage. So, it’s pros and cons. It was really good. It’s good to ride with these guys. It was a fun race. I’m sure there’ll be some very exciting races throughout the season.”
Liqui Moly Junior Cup: Doyle Gets It Done
With 2019 Liqui Moly Junior Cup Champion Rocco Landers returning to the class to defend his title, the expectation was that he would continue his winning ways unabated. However, polesitter Dominic Doyle had other plans. The BARTCON Racing rider rode a masterful race and, even though Landers got by him on a couple of occasions, Doyle fought back and had enough of the lead coming up the hill to the finish line that he managed to hold off Landers’ Kawasaki by .078 of a second to capture his first-ever MotoAmerica victory. Landers, also aboard a Kawasaki, was second, while Celtic HSBK Racing’s Sam Lochoff finished third, also on a Kawasaki.
When asked about his breakthrough win, Doyle said, “I figured that (Landers) would pull some strings and get out to the front there with me. He knows how to follow and get with me. He’s an intelligent rider. I know that he’ll be there with me. He just plans things for the last few laps. He came past me a couple times, twice. On the third-to-last lap, he came by me, through Canada (Corner), I think. I got him back going down the straightaway. I tried to just put my head down and stay out front. So that was that.”
Twins Cup: DeKeyrel By A Whisker
The closest race of the day was in Twins Cup, which was the final race on Saturday’s schedule. And, what a finish to the race day it was. Rocco Landers, who was competing in his second-consecutive race of the day, looked to have the measure of the field in the eight-lap event, but Kaleb DeKeyrel had other plans. DeKeyrel, riding a 1833CJKNOWS Yamaha, put a perfect draft pass on Landers, who was riding an American Racing/SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki, to take the win. The margin of victory for DeKeyrel was a scant .002 of a second over Landers. Meanwhile, Syndicate Racing/Apex Assassins Yamaha rider Jason Madama won an intense battle against Chris Parrish to finish third.
“Our team this year has assembled a really good group,” DeKeyrel said. “This is the first time that I’m actually going to be able to take on the entire championship. Last year, we were planning on doing Laguna and then on, but we just couldn’t get everything put together, all the puzzle pieces together in time. So, I’m excited that I finally get to compete in my first full championship this year. It should be fun. I enjoy every second of being out here racing with these guys. I had a long break racing MotoAmerica, and I’m definitely happy to be back.”
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Westby Racing’s Scholtz Finishes Second In Superbike and Wyman Is Seventh In Junior Cup At Road America
Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy of Westby Racing.
Elkhart Lake, WI – May 30, 2020 – Saturday’s MotoAmerica race day at Road America was a good one for Westby Racing’s two-rider squad as Superbike rider Mathew Scholtz notched a runner-up finish and, in Junior Cup, Cody Wyman came home seventh.
Mathew’s fourth-place result in Superpole gave him a second-row start in the race. Capitalizing on all the hard work that he and the Westby Racing crew put in during the off-season—both in the race shop and during their on-track test sessions—Mathew exploited the power and prodigious handling of his #11 Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike and put himself firmly among the frontrunners in the race.
Despite the fact that defending Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier quickly built an insurmountable lead, Mathew raced hard and bested everyone else in the race besides Beaubier to finish second on the day.
“My start was terrible, as usual,” commented Scholtz. “I’ve kind of gotten used to it by now, but it actually worked out well for me. We missed quite a lot of track time in Friday practice, so I kind of slotted in behind (Bobby) Fong, (Jake) Gagne and them, and I was able to kind of see what they were doing for the first couple laps. I think that really helped me to figure out one or two things. Once I got up to the back of them, I saw that, in some of the harder braking points, I was a little bit stronger than them. With five laps to go, I managed to get past Jake (Gagne) and Bobby (Fong) and just kind of rode my own race from there. I was really looking at where to try to pass. I was told they had their own battle going on, so it kind of worked out well for me. I want to say a huge thank you to the Westby team. I’m just really, really thankful to be back on the podium.”
Mathew’s teammate Cody qualified third in Junior Cup on a track that he hasn’t raced at in five years, which earned him a front-row start in the race. Unfortunately, a technical issue on his #34 Yamaha YZF-R3 hampered his results, but he still managed to finish seventh.
“I had a great morning in final Qualifying, working the air to qualify third and start on the front row, which was my first time on the front row, and it felt awesome. On the warmup lap of the race, I had an issue with the front brakes, and that definitely daunted me in the first half of the race. We’ve got things sorted out for tomorrow’s race, and I can’t wait for another go at it.”
Sunday’s Superbike Race 2 is at 1:00 PM Central and Junior Cup Race 2 is at 3:00 PM Central.
The five-time World Champion fights off Rabat for victory on his virtual return to MotoGP™
Sunday, 31 May 2020
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo is a virtual MotoGP™ race winner! The five-time Champion wildcard got the better of Reale Avintia Racing’s Tito Rabat in the closing stages of Sunday’s Michelin® Virtual British Grand Prix, making the most of his only wildcard appearance in 2020 by taking pole position and the win. Despite another fairly dramatic encounter in the virtual world, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completed the podium behind Rabat.
As ever in virtual races, the opening lap wasn’t short of drama with the first incident coming when LCR Honda Idemitsu ‘s Takaaki Nakagami wiped out Lorenzo through Turns 2 and 3, leaving Quartararo with the holeshot. He was quickly dropped to second when Nakagami slipped through, however, with the group powering down the Hangar Straight for the first time.
Quartararo was keen to make up for his earlier mistake, and possibly in the end he proved too keen. Lorenzo headed into the gravel trap to put a dint in his progress and the Frenchman followed when the front end of his Yamaha folded. Quartararo’s crash elevated Pramac Racing’s Francesco Bagnaia to second place, but it wasn’t long until the Italian also tucked the front; a surprising mistake from the Red Bull Ring victor and consistent performer in virtual races…
Jorge Lorenzo and Fabio Quartararo battling virtually at Silverstone. Image courtesy Dorna.
As we completed the opening lap, Nakagami led Rabat and Ducati Team’s Michelle Pirro in an slightly unlikely opening trio given track records – but Quartararo was starting to make some progress back through the field after his first lap crash. He had another setback when crashing after contact with Rabat, however, and by four laps completed Lorenzo was starting to find his feet, squeezing past Pirro and up into third.
Nakagami hit half race distance without making a single mistake, but that was soon to change as the Japanese rider’s hopes of a debut MotoGP™ win evaporated in a crash at The Loop – handing the lead to Rabat, much to the Spaniard’s excitement. But five-time World Champion Lorenzo was on a charge, up to second and with his eyes firmly set on the race lead.
Slowly but surely, the lead came down. Ultimately it took the Yamaha rider two laps to close in on the rear wheel of Rabat’s Ducati, and a further lap to properly dispatch him. Then, Lorenzo began to break clear and by the time he reached the flag, came across the line two seconds ahead to clinch his first virtual victory in MotoGP™.
Quartararo clinched the final place on the virtual podium after diving past Nakagami on the last lap to take a debut virtual podium and finally overcome his bad luck and trouble with crashes, leaving early leader Nakagami in fourth. Pirro completed the top five, ahead of Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori and a disappointed Bagnaia in seventh after an adventurous event. Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Joan Mir was the final finisher, his race starting to go wrong at Turn 1 on Lap 1 and the Suzuki rider not able to pull it back.
That’s it from a virtual trip to Silverstone! Make sure to stay tuned to motogp.com and social media for more reactions, clips, interviews and #StayAtHomeGP content from MotoGP™, riders and teams.
Race results from MotoGP virtual race five. Image courtesy Dorna.
Jorge Lorenzo: “Like some Roman Emperor said, ‘Veni, Vidi, Vici’! So I arrived, I took the pole position and I won. But I have to say that Fabio today was much faster than me but to win the race you have to finish. We did it, even if I crashed at the second corner. I was consistent, I was quite fast. I overheated the rear tyre a little bit so It wasn’t easy to catch Tito but finally I overtook him and won the race. It was a lot of fun and I’m very happy.
“During these days I have tried all of the tyre options and I went with the hard rear. I was clear with the soft front, it didn’t overheat, but the medium rear overheated a little and was tough to manage; it was on the limit. So the hard option for the final laps was better and I was lucky Fabio crashed as many times as he did, otherwise, it would’ve been hard to beat him.”
Bendsneyder comes out on top in a British Moto2™ battle
The Dutchman goes two better at Silverstone after a podium at Jerez
Action from the virtual Moto2 race at Silverstone. Image courtesy Dorna.
In Moto2™, NTS RW Racing GP’s Bo Bendsneyder went two better than Jerez at the Michelin® Virtual British Grand Prix, the Dutchman starting from pole position and never looking back after getting a lightning start. He went on to take the chequered flag with an impressive advantage ahead of two rookies: ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team’s Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin and FlexBox HP 40’s Hector Garzo.
It didn’t take long for the drama to begin on the opening lap when Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) crashed out down the Hangar Straight by running straight into the back of Kasmayudin, the Malaysian suffering some lag issues and the same problems then causing Garzo to crash a few laps later too. The pair were sweeping around the final corner when Kasmayudin’s Moto2™ machine stopped dead in the middle of the track, leaving the Spaniard nowhere to go…
That meant the final podium place had seemingly been handed to Liqui Moly Intact GP’s Marcel Schrötter, but the German then suddenly threw away a rostrum finish on the penultimate lap after touching the grass and crashing heading on to the Wellington Straight.
No such mistakes were made by Bendsneyder, who eased over the line eight seconds clear of Kasmayudin in second, with Garzo stealing the final podium place. Schrötter’s disastrous final two laps were compounded by Fernandez beating him to fourth in the last sector, leaving the number 23 to complete the top five.
Sky Racing Team VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi had to settle for sixth place, just a tenth adrift of a top five finish, with Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) in seventh. Moto2™ World Championship leader Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) ended up eighth, ahead of Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) as the final finisher in ninth. Petronas Sprinta Racing’s Xavi Vierge was unable to finish after his internet dropped out halfway through!
Results from the virtual Moto2 race at Silverstone. Image courtesy Dorna.
Bo Bendsneyder: “I worked hard for it and trained a lot! So I’m happy.
“I won by eight seconds in the end, but it wasn’t easy. My hands are a bit sweaty now, but I finished the race!”
Nepa annihilates the competition for virtual Moto3™ win
Italian a class above the rest in the lightweight class at the Michelin Virtual British Grand Prix
Action from the virtual Moto3 race at Silverstone. Image courtesy Dorna.
Aspar Team Gaviota’s Stefano Nepa clinched a debut virtual Moto3™ victory in emphatic style by taking a lights-to-flag victory at the Michelin® Virtual British Grand Prix. The Italian was a class above the rest throughout the day, earlier taking pole position by a handsome margin and unmatched in the six-lap race… eventually taking the chequered flag nearly ten seconds clear of Jeremy Alcoba (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3). who completed the podium.
In a frantic opening lap, CarXpert PrüstelGP’s Barry Baltus and Alcoba swapped paint in a tight fight for second as behind, British hopeful John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) saw his home hopes take an early scuppering after a coming together with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Kaito Toba….
Despite Baltus and Alcoba’s antics, the pair were able to escape from the clutches of those behind and looked like dead certs for taking the final two podium spots… but that was until the Belgian clipped the rear-end of Alcoba, then crashing out of third place on lap three.
That allowed Sasaki to swoop through into third place with three laps left, and no further mistakes were made at the front to shake things up. Nepa therefore took the chequered flag ahead of Alcoba and Sasaki, with Scotsman McPhee recovering from his earlier crash to take fourth.
Honda Team Asia’s Yuki Kunii beat compatriot Toba on the final lap to clinch the final place in the top five, Toba crashing late on and ending up P6, before Baltus and Max Kofler (CIP Green Power) came across the line in seventh and eighth respectively. The final two to finish were Carlos Tatay (Reale Avintia Racing) and Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing), although the latter was glad of the finish after starting the race joking he’d be the Safety Car after qualifying 24 seconds off pole…
Results from the virtual Moto3 race at Silverstone. Image courtesy Dorna.
Stefano Nepa: “I had just one track limit moment, during the race it was only a penalty of three tenths. In the global standings I think I’m P7 or P6 at Silverstone, but today yeah the race was incredible! They were all 2:10s and it was a good race.
“I’m happy for my first win in virtual racing but it’s better to win in reality!”
Road America, prior to its recent repaving. Photo by John Ewert, courtesy of Road America.
MotoAmerica Superbikes at Road America
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
Road America
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
May 31, 2020
Twins Cup Race Two Results (all on Dunlop tires):
Kaleb De Keyrel (Yam MT-07), 8 laps, Total Race Time 20 minutes, 1.900 seconds, Average Race Speed 96.998 mph, Best Lap Time 2:28.892
Jackson Blackmon (Suz SV650), -0.081 second, 2:28.584
Rocco Landers (Suz SV650), -0.082, 2:28.928
Jason Madama (Yam MT-07), -4.278 seconds, 2:29.111
Chris Parrish (Yam MT-07), -4.455, 2:29.255
Toby Khamsouk (Suz SV650), -6.000, 2:28.913
Cooper McDonald (Yam MT-07), -16.944, 2:30.053
Daniel Adams (Suz SV650), -22.749, 2:31.457
Kris Lillegard (Yam MT-07), -33.570, 2:33.021
Trevor Standish (Suz SV650), -33.777, 2:33.268
Hayden Schultz (Yam MT-07), -59.189, 2:36.573
Austin Miller (Suz SV650), -63.013, 2:36.031
Sam Wiest (Suz SV650), -72.461, 2:36.610
Shawn Adams (Suz SV650), -77.981, 2:37.984
Shawn Hill (Yam MT-07), -78.022, 2:37.325
Anthony Marcinek (Yam MT-07), -78.478, 2:37.208
Dr. Carl Price (Suz SV650), -88.712, 2:39.172
Robert Cichielo, Jr. (Suz SV650), -88.722, 2:39.245
Steven Smith (Suz SV650), -89.913, 2:38.973
Paul Hopkins (Suz SV650), -94.045, 2:40.352
Rodney Vest (Suz SV650), -137.207, 2:44.646
Gino Angella (Yam MT-07), -137.265, 2:44.677
Ryne Snooks (Suz SV650), DNF, 2:41.433
Ray Hofman (Suz SV650), DNS
Teagg Hobbs (Suz SV650), DNS
Championship Point Standings (after 2 of 12 races):
De Keyrel, 50 points
Landers, 36
Blackmon, 31
Madama, 29
Parrish, 24
Khamsouk, 19
McDonald, 19
Daniel Adams, 16
Lillegard, 14
Schultz, 10
Miller, 10
Kaleb De Keyrel (51), Rocco Landers (97), and Jackson Blackmon (18) race for the lead in MotoAmerica Twins Cup Race Two at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne was the fastest rider during MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike warm-up Sunday morning at Road America with a lap time of 2:12.390 on his YZF-R1.
Race One winner Cameron Beaubier, meanwhile, was unable to do any flying laps because his Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha shut off while he was on track early in the session. Beaubier pulled off the track, was able to restart his machine, rode back to the pits, but his team was not able to resolve his issue before the 15-minute session ended.
In an interview on MotoAmerica Live+, Beaubier’s crew chief Richard Stanboli said it looked like “an electrical shut off” had occurred and he and his team had plenty of time to find and fix the issue. Beaubier, however, will only have a sighting lap and a warm-up to confirm that his bike is good to go.
MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike Race Two is scheduled to start just after 1:00 p.m. Central Time Sunday to make a live TV window on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) preceding the NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway, which begins at 2:30 p.m. Central Time.
MotoAmerica Superbikes at Road America
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
Road America
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
May 31, 2020
HONOS Superbike Warm-Up Results (all on Dunlop tires):
Jason Madama (Yam MT-07), -6.880 seconds, 2:30.614
Chris Parrish (Yam MT-07), -6.886, 2:30.249
Jackson Blackmon (Suz SV650), -7.216, 2:30.456
Cooper McDonald (Yam MT-07), -23.300, 2:32.432
Toby Khamsouk (Suz SV650), -23.994, 2:32.609
Daniel Adams (Suz SV650), -38.536, 2:33.892
Kris Lillegard (Yam MT-07), -40.723, 2:34.708
Austin Miller (Suz SV650), -58.848, 2:36.764
Hayden Schultz (Yam MT-07), -59.086, 2:37.041
Sam Wiest (Suz SV650), -84.894, 2:39.717
Ryne Snooks (Suz SV650), -84.904, 2:39.466
Shawn Hill (Yam MT-07), -84.993, 2:39.044
Anthony Marcinek (Yam MT-07), -85.606, 2:39.392
Dr. Carl Price (Suz SV650), -86.280, 2:39.515
Robert Cichielo, Jr. (Suz SV650), -93.730, 2:40.920
Steven Smith (Suz SV650), -93.861, 2:40.565
Paul Hopkins (Suz SV650), -96.707, 2:41.465
Gino Angella (Yam MT-07), -134.094, 2:45.627
Rodney Vest (Suz SV650), -1 lap, DNF, 2:44.199
Ray Hofman (Suz SV650), DNF, 2:44.653
Trevor Standish (Suz SV650), -8 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded
Teagg Hobbs (Suz SV650), DNS
Shawn Adams (Suz SV650), DNS
Rocco Landers (97) leads Toby Khamsouk (27), Kaleb De Keyrel (51) and the rest of the field early in MotoAmerica Twins Cup Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Cameron Petersen (Suz GSX-R1000R), -78.297, 2:15.606, docked three positions for being late to parc ferme*
Jeremy Coffey (BMW S1000RR), -111.197, 2:20.240
Joseph Giannotto (Kaw ZX-10R), -111.318, 2:20.419*
Sam Verderico (Yam YZF-R1), -128.242, 2:21.528
Toni Elias (Suz GSX-R1000R), -4 laps, DNF, mechanical/lost chain, 2:13.786
Ashton Yates (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), DNS
*Stock 1000/Superbike Cup entry
Cameron Beaubier (1) leads Jake Gagne (32), Bobby Fong (50), Toni Elias (behind Gagne), Mathew Scholtz (11), Kyle Wyman (33), and the rest of the MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike field early in Race One at Road America. Photo courtesy of Yamaha.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
As Superbike racing returned to the AMA/ MotoAmerica series after lockdown, new M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong made an impressive Superbike debut aboard his GSX-R1000 to finish just off the podium after leading the race mid-distance.
With the Road America Circuit closed to the public because of the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the 29-year-old reigning Supersport Champion was always in the leading group from the start, moving into the lead at the mid-way point, but finishing a fraction of a second from the podium.
Team-mate and 2010 Moto2 World Champion / 2017 MotoAmerica Champion Toni Elias was moving forward and holding fifth until he was forced out with five laps to go.
Bobby Fong (50). Photo courtesy Team Suzuki Press Office.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Beaubier Scores Dominant Victory at MotoAmerica Season Opener
Cameron Beaubier scored a dominant win for the Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing team on Saturday, May 30, at the Road America circuit. He was joined on the podium by his teammate Jake Gagne in third at the first round of the 2020 MotoAmerica Superbike season.
Returning to action after a long wait for the season to start, Beaubier put his R1 in prime position for Race 1 with a stunning performance in Superpole earlier in the day, taking pole position by 0.4 of a second from Gagne.
Lining up 1-2 on the grid, when the lights went out the reigning champion delivered a strong launch to lead into Turn 1, followed by Gagne. As Beaubier raced into a clear track ahead and built a gap on the pack, his teammate was engaged in a thrilling fight with Bobby Fong for second. Fong pushed past towards the end of the first lap, but Gagne bit straight back into Canada Corner to retake the position.
At the front Beaubier’s lead grew, his first flying lap time of 2’11 on race tires surpassing his own pole time and laying down a serious marker for his rivals. Leading by 2.4 seconds at the start of lap four, his position at the top went unchallenged for the remaining eight laps.
Behind him, a fierce battle for second and third place was heating up between Gagne, Fong and Mathew Scholtz. Holding his rivals off well, Gagne ran slightly wide at Turn 7, dropping him to fourth. On lap 10 he forced his way back into third and hounded Scholtz in second, coming home just 0.7 of a second behind him to take the third step on the podium.
Lapping consistently in the low 2’12s for most of the race, Beaubier was faultless in his Race 1 performance and took the first checkered flag of the year 7.8 seconds ahead of second place.
After their impressive double podium on Saturday, the Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing squad head into Sunday’s Race 2 in an excellent position to consolidate their strong start to 2020.
Richard Stanboli – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“We had some challenges for the first race of 2020. We just kept working and I think we nailed it for the race. Cameron is an awesome rider and everybody did their part to make this program work, so we’re super happy about that. Jake did really well in his first race for the team. We struggled in the last few tests to find a baseline for him, but we finally found it and all of a sudden, he just figured it out. I think it’s just going to get better from here.”
Cameron Beaubier (1). Photo courtesy of Yamaha.
Cameron Beaubier – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“It feels so good just to be at the racetrack. I keep saying it, but I really am just so pumped to be back at the races. We were pretty much ready to go racing right after the Barber test, and then everything hit with COVID-19. So it’s been a long time waiting to get back racing.
“As soon as I got on the bike, I just felt so good this weekend. I was able to beat the track record yesterday, I’ve just been feeling so strong on this thing. Yamaha and Attack Performance put their heads together and came up with a great package. I think at first everyone wasn’t sure how the new team would measure up, but we came out swinging. It feels so good to get this win for them. They’ve been working really, really hard. I don’t want to get too excited, I just want to keep the ball rolling.”
Jake Gagne (32). Photo courtesy of Yamaha.
Jake Gagne – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“We’re on the podium at the first race! That’s it. That’s a good day. We started off yesterday a little bit slower for sure. From what we’ve been testing at Buttonwillow, this track is just quite a bit different. We definitely found a good step forward, getting the front end more comfortable for me this morning in that first practice.
“I was happy going into the race. I wanted to try to see if we could get a little bit closer to Cam, because he is really going good. I got a good first couple laps then I started struggling with grip a little bit more than I thought. We need to smooth it out for tomorrow, but I’m happy. We’re on the podium. This Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha R1 is up here. I’m happy for these guys. They’re working really hard. So we’ll see if we can make a couple little tweaks for tomorrow and get it up there on top.”
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Beaubier Dominates HONOS Superbike Race One At Road America
Four-Time Defending Champ In A Class Of His Own In Season Opener
ELKHART LAKE, WI (May 30, 2020) – Four-time defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier has been unstoppable thus far in the season-opener at Road America, the Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha rider leading every session, breaking the lap record, earning pole position and winning today’s first HONOS Superbike race by a country mile.
Beaubier led every lap to win his eighth career Superbike race at the scenic racetrack in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, his win today tying him with his former teammate Josh Hayes for second on the Road America career win list. If Beaubier wins tomorrow’s race two, it will be his ninth and that will tie him for the all-time lead with Mat Mladin.
An extremely confident Beaubier led off the line from pole position, led into the first corner and was never headed, eventually winning by 7.8 seconds at a racetrack where margins of victory are usually less than half a second.
“I don’t know, man,” Beaubier said when asked if this is the best he’s ever ridden in his career. “Just this off-season with Yamaha and Richard (Stanboli) at Attack putting their heads together, they kind of came up with an incredible package. We made a huge step, I feel like chassis, electronics-wise, a little bit motor. Everything’s just working. I feel so good on this thing. I don’t want to jinx nothing. I just want to keep the ball rolling. I’ve just been having pure fun on the thing. We’ve been able to beat our track records back home at Buttonwillow. It’s just been great working with the whole team. Everyone’s kind of come together. It’s been great. So, I finally got a good start and just put my head down there at the beginning. Clicked off some good laps at the beginning. Then I saw my gap grew a little bit. I just kept the head down and tried to ride as consistent as I could. Everything’s working really good right now. It’s one of my favorite podiums, my two buddies in the pits up on the podium with me. It’s been really good. I’m definitely ready for things to get back to normal, though. It’s been a little strange not having fans and having to keep your distance with your team after you get a good result. I’m just so pumped to be racing. Everything’s good. Looking forward to tomorrow.”
Second place went to Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, the South African fighting through after a less-than-stellar start. He mowed the through the pack, however, passing Toni Elias, Bobby Fong and Jake Gagne en route to the runner-up finish.
“My start was terrible, as usual,” Scholtz said. “I’ve kind of gotten used to it by now. But it actually worked out well for me. We missed quite a lot of track time on Friday practice, so I kind of slotted in behind (Bobby) Fong, (Jake) Gagne and them, so I was able to kind of see what they were doing for the first couple laps. I think that really helped me to figure out one or two things. Once I kind of got up to the back of them, I saw that in some of the harder braking points I was a little bit stronger than them. So just kind of kept to myself then. With five laps to go, I managed to get past Jake (Gagne) and Bobby (Fong) and just kind of rode my own race from there. I was really looking at where to try to pass. I was told they had their own battle going on, so it kind of worked out well for me. I want to say a huge thank you to the Westby team. It’s been difficult to pre-season test with me breaking my collarbone and stuff. Just really, really thankful to be back on the podium.”
Scholtz ended up beating Gagne by .705 of a second with Beaubier’s Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha teammate Gagne getting the better of M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Fong on the final lap, besting him by just .524 of a second for the final podium spot.
“Cam (Beaubier) got off to a heater of a start,” Gagne said. “I knew if he could get off to a start and I could kind of be in second, I wanted to try to see if I could at least run a couple laps and pick up the pace. He was flying right away. I was charging those first couple laps. I could see on my pit board I had .2, .3, .4 at one point. Then those guys immediately started creeping up. That was kind of the push I wanted to try to make. Mat (Scholtz) was hauling butt. Bobby (Fong) was right there. I made a mistake I think one lap in. Mat got underneath me, Bobby got up underneath me and then from there I got a few laps to kind of see what they were doing, which was nice. Kind of struggling with the grip a little bit more than I thought, but Mat was really looking good. Bobby was looking good. It was fun to race with those guys again. It’s been a while since we had a little battle and go back and forth. Bobby and I had a pretty good last lap. Went back and forth a couple times. So that was fun. Hats off to these guys. They were riding great. Hats off to my team and Monster Energy Attack Yamaha. This bike is working better and better every time we get on it, and we’re getting more and more comfortable. Thankful for tomorrow. We’ll see if we can make a couple little adjustments and try to get closer to these guys.”
Inde Motorsports Ranch/KWR Ducati’s Kyle Wyman ended up a lonely fifth, the New Yorker some seven seconds clear of Josh Herrin, who was making his debut on the Scheibe Racing BMW S 1000 RR. Herrin, in turn, was 2.2 seconds ahead of Celtic HSBK Racing’s PJ Jacobsen and his Ducati Panigale V4 R.
FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony was eighth with Scheibe Racing’s Jake Lewis and Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman rounded out the top 10.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Toni Elias was the most notable non-finisher, the 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion suffering a mechanical problem on the fourth lap.
New Winners Aplenty In MotoAmerica Season Opener
No Fans But Plenty Of Action In Elkhart Lake On Opening Day
There were three new winners in the four support classes at Road America today with PJ Jacobsen, Dominic Doyle and Richie Escalante scoring victories in the Stock 1000, Liqui Moly Junior Cup and Supersport classes, respectively, in the opening round of the 2020 MotoAmerica Series.
Jacobsen, a veteran of World Supersport and World Superbike and the runner-up in last year’s Supersport Series, won his first Stock 1000 race on a sunny Saturday at Road America; South African Doyle won his first career Liqui Moly Junior Cup race by just .078 of a second over defending champion Rocco Landers; and Escalante dominated the Supersport race, finishing 11.5 seconds ahead of Brandon Paasch.
The Twins Cup race, meanwhile, was won by Kaleb DeKeyrel by just .002 of a second over Landers, with DeKeyrel taking his second career win in the class in what was just his second race in Twins Cup.
Supersport: Escalante’s First
In Saturday’s Supersport race, HONOS team rider Richie Escalante notched his first career Supersport win with an impressive performance aboard his Graves Motorsports-built Kawasaki ZX-R. For Team Green, it was their first Supersport victory in an AMA-sanctioned road racing since Leandro Mercado’s win at Daytona in October 2009.
Second place went to Celtic HSBK Racing’s Brandon Paasch aboard a Yamaha, and Altus Motorsports rider Kevin Olmedo rounded out the podium in third on a Suzuki.
“I’m really happy,” Escalante said about his win. “The Graves Kawasaki is a very good bike. I’m really happy for me, the team, the bike, (the) new year. I’m working really hard this weekend. I’m riding a little bit on my limit. Today, I started really good. I pushed and I arrived in my rhythm. Tomorrow is another race. I need to keep working. Thanks to HONOS, the sponsor for the team. I’m ready for tomorrow.”
Stock 1000: Jacobsen In The Clear
In MotoAmerica’s first race of the season, not to mention the first motorcycle road racing National anywhere in the world since COVID-19, the Series’ literbike riders competed in the lone Stock 1000 race of the weekend at Road America.
South African Cameron Petersen got a great jump off the line, got the holeshot, and maintained the race lead aboard his Altus Motorsports Tucker Hagerty Suzuki for the majority of the eight-lap event. Polesitter PJ Jacobsen stalked Petersen aboard his Celtic HSBK Racing Ducati, then made his move around Petersen, and managed to pull out a gap of more than four seconds at the stripe to take the win. Petersen finished second, and Ride HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander brought his Kawasaki home in third.
“I haven’t really ridden this bike much; just at the Barber test where the weather was really bad,” Jacobsen said. “I’ve been off the bike for two months and haven’t ridden. Cam (Petersen) got into turn one pretty aggressive. I knew that he wanted to lead the race. I was like, ‘Let’s follow Cam and see what he can do.’ I hadn’t seen Corey (Alexander), so I didn’t know if he was hiding or what he was doing. Kind of sat there and figured out what he was doing and stuff. Then I kept looking back, and Corey was right there, too. So, I was just like, ‘What should I do?’ Then I saw the lap board. So, I was like, ‘I’m just going to try and go like qualifying lap times and put my head down.’ That’s what I did. The bike is really good. It has some good things like any bike and some difficult things. He (Petersen) could really get away from me, but in other places, we had an advantage. So, it’s pros and cons. It was really good. It’s good to ride with these guys. It was a fun race. I’m sure there’ll be some very exciting races throughout the season.”
Liqui Moly Junior Cup: Doyle Gets It Done
With 2019 Liqui Moly Junior Cup Champion Rocco Landers returning to the class to defend his title, the expectation was that he would continue his winning ways unabated. However, polesitter Dominic Doyle had other plans. The BARTCON Racing rider rode a masterful race and, even though Landers got by him on a couple of occasions, Doyle fought back and had enough of the lead coming up the hill to the finish line that he managed to hold off Landers’ Kawasaki by .078 of a second to capture his first-ever MotoAmerica victory. Landers, also aboard a Kawasaki, was second, while Celtic HSBK Racing’s Sam Lochoff finished third, also on a Kawasaki.
When asked about his breakthrough win, Doyle said, “I figured that (Landers) would pull some strings and get out to the front there with me. He knows how to follow and get with me. He’s an intelligent rider. I know that he’ll be there with me. He just plans things for the last few laps. He came past me a couple times, twice. On the third-to-last lap, he came by me, through Canada (Corner), I think. I got him back going down the straightaway. I tried to just put my head down and stay out front. So that was that.”
Twins Cup: DeKeyrel By A Whisker
The closest race of the day was in Twins Cup, which was the final race on Saturday’s schedule. And, what a finish to the race day it was. Rocco Landers, who was competing in his second-consecutive race of the day, looked to have the measure of the field in the eight-lap event, but Kaleb DeKeyrel had other plans. DeKeyrel, riding a 1833CJKNOWS Yamaha, put a perfect draft pass on Landers, who was riding an American Racing/SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki, to take the win. The margin of victory for DeKeyrel was a scant .002 of a second over Landers. Meanwhile, Syndicate Racing/Apex Assassins Yamaha rider Jason Madama won an intense battle against Chris Parrish to finish third.
“Our team this year has assembled a really good group,” DeKeyrel said. “This is the first time that I’m actually going to be able to take on the entire championship. Last year, we were planning on doing Laguna and then on, but we just couldn’t get everything put together, all the puzzle pieces together in time. So, I’m excited that I finally get to compete in my first full championship this year. It should be fun. I enjoy every second of being out here racing with these guys. I had a long break racing MotoAmerica, and I’m definitely happy to be back.”
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Westby Racing’s Scholtz Finishes Second In Superbike and Wyman Is Seventh In Junior Cup At Road America
Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy of Westby Racing.
Elkhart Lake, WI – May 30, 2020 – Saturday’s MotoAmerica race day at Road America was a good one for Westby Racing’s two-rider squad as Superbike rider Mathew Scholtz notched a runner-up finish and, in Junior Cup, Cody Wyman came home seventh.
Mathew’s fourth-place result in Superpole gave him a second-row start in the race. Capitalizing on all the hard work that he and the Westby Racing crew put in during the off-season—both in the race shop and during their on-track test sessions—Mathew exploited the power and prodigious handling of his #11 Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike and put himself firmly among the frontrunners in the race.
Despite the fact that defending Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier quickly built an insurmountable lead, Mathew raced hard and bested everyone else in the race besides Beaubier to finish second on the day.
“My start was terrible, as usual,” commented Scholtz. “I’ve kind of gotten used to it by now, but it actually worked out well for me. We missed quite a lot of track time in Friday practice, so I kind of slotted in behind (Bobby) Fong, (Jake) Gagne and them, and I was able to kind of see what they were doing for the first couple laps. I think that really helped me to figure out one or two things. Once I got up to the back of them, I saw that, in some of the harder braking points, I was a little bit stronger than them. With five laps to go, I managed to get past Jake (Gagne) and Bobby (Fong) and just kind of rode my own race from there. I was really looking at where to try to pass. I was told they had their own battle going on, so it kind of worked out well for me. I want to say a huge thank you to the Westby team. I’m just really, really thankful to be back on the podium.”
Mathew’s teammate Cody qualified third in Junior Cup on a track that he hasn’t raced at in five years, which earned him a front-row start in the race. Unfortunately, a technical issue on his #34 Yamaha YZF-R3 hampered his results, but he still managed to finish seventh.
“I had a great morning in final Qualifying, working the air to qualify third and start on the front row, which was my first time on the front row, and it felt awesome. On the warmup lap of the race, I had an issue with the front brakes, and that definitely daunted me in the first half of the race. We’ve got things sorted out for tomorrow’s race, and I can’t wait for another go at it.”
Sunday’s Superbike Race 2 is at 1:00 PM Central and Junior Cup Race 2 is at 3:00 PM Central.
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