Fastrack Riders’ Imad Samhat and Ademar Nunes video chat with their #QUARANTEAM of Fastrack Riders Academy instructors – including Eric Bostrom, Josh Hayes, Jeremy Toye, Chris Ulrich, and Jake Zemke – about lessons learned.
The MotoAmerica Supersport class is primed and ready for the next rising stars to claim fame in 2020.
The top three riders in the 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship point standings are not returning to the class in 2020. Reigning Supersport Champion Bobby Fong has graduated to the MotoAmerica Superbike class. PJ Jacobsen, the 2019 Supersport Championship runner-up, has transitioned to the MotoAmerica Superbike Cup and Stock 1000 classes. And Hayden Gillim, a five-time race winner and third-place Championship finisher last year, is not on any of MotoAmerica’s pre-season entry lists.
To help us preview some of the riders who are entered for the full 2020 MotoAmerica Supersport season, we’ve enlisted the help of Josh Hayes.
Not only has Hayes won four AMA Pro Superbike Championships, he’s won a total of 83 AMA Pro/MotoAmerica races and three support class titles; raced in the Endurance World Championship; run at the front in Supersport World Championship races; and finished seventh while competing in his first (and only) MotoGP race as a substitute rider at Valencia in 2011.
More recently, Hayes won two races at the International Island Classic vintage event in January of this year at Phillip Island; raced at the front throughout the 2019 Daytona 200 and was on provisional pole position for the 2020 Daytona 200; and finished on the podium in the MotoAmerica Supersport class in 2019.
When he’s not racing, Hayes is a USMCA-certified rider coach for top competitors, including Bobby Fong and Jake Gagne, as well as working with Garrett Gerloff.
After winning the KTM RC Cup Championship in Mexico and then spending three years in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, Floridian Sean Dylan Kelly, now 17, burst onto the professional racing scene in the USA by claiming pole position and eventually finishing runner-up in the 2019 Daytona 200. Kelly followed that up with a strong debut season in the 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship, winning two races, finishing on the podium in five others, and placing fourth in the final point standings. For 2020, Kelly is again riding for Team Hammer, Inc.’s M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team.
“I have really high expectations for SDK, after what he showed last year,” said Hayes. “I was impressed with Sean last year even at the first test and how well he rode at Daytona. Wherever we went, he was at the front and managed to win a couple of races.
“I have expectations for him to be relatively dominant this year — unless a few people really find something. I think he should go into things without too much pressure knowing he has the speed and a bunch of the front runners from last year won’t be there this year to hassle him. I’ll be pretty bummed if I don’t see him ride the way Bobby [Fong] rode in 2019 – first or second in every race all season long.”
Kelly’s greatest challenge may come from 25-year-old Mexican Richie Escalante, who will be riding a Honos-sponsored, Graves Motorsports-built Kawasaki ZX-6R in 2020.
Escalante finished fifth in the 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship, three points behind Kelly, thanks to consistent top-five finishes and six trips to the podium on his Hudson Motorcycles/HB Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. Escalante also had two podium finishes in the 2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship and before that was a force in MotoAmerica’s Superstock 600 class, finishing as Championship runner-up in 2015.
“Richie is super talented,” said Hayes. “He’s been in the series for a couple of years. He showed a lot of promise when he was in the lower class, Superstock 600, and in Supersport he showed some really good promise with a good Yamaha underneath him. There were some really good performances, but from working with Richie in the past I see some limitations, also. One thing, in my opinion, there’s some difficulty with communication as English is not his first language.
“Richie is someone I had high expectations for in 2019 and I thought he should have gotten himself up there. He did get on the podium a few times, but he needed a breakthrough win and couldn’t quite make it happen. Hopefully, that’s still in the cards for him.
“Going from a Yamaha to a Kawasaki, I do not think that’s going to make it easier for him. We saw Braeden Ortt, who did some amazing things on a Yamaha, get onto a Kawasaki and struggle and actually take a step backwards from what he was doing the year before.
“I don’t know if Richie is going to be able to take that next step on a Kawasaki. It’s not going to be easy. Only time will tell, and only he can answer that question, honestly.”
Jason Aguilar, a 23-year-old from Placentia, California, has been in professional motorcycle road racing since 2014, when he finished sixth in the then-age-restricted AMA Pro Supersport class. Three years later, Aguilar won the 2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship. Since moving up to the MotoAmerica Supersport class in 2018, Aguilar has continued to show his talent but hasn’t be able to achieve the consistency needed to compete for a title.
Last season, Aguilar started off with a fourth at Road Atlanta and a fifth at VIRginia International Raceway, before struggling to break into the top 10 through the middle of the season. Aguilar finished 2019 strongly on his Riderz Law/Aguilar Racing Yamaha after rebuilding his program and reuniting with his 2017 crew chief, Pancho Rangel, collecting 10 consecutive top-10 finishes on his way to eighth in the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship.
“Jason’s had some flashes of brilliance that made it look like he could really do it, but the inconsistency is the thing that really hurts him the most,” said Hayes. “He’s going to have to figure out how to be fast not just at tracks he likes but every weekend. That’s never easy, but I think that’s what missing from his program.
“I don’t think anyone has a real question about his talent. He’s shown that he can run up at the front from time to time, but there’s something that keeps him from being at the front every weekend. I understand that there’s bad luck, but there’s not bad luck every weekend, every season. Jason’s been in the paddock a while and it’s time for him to show he can do it and not be just another name on the grid.”
Kelly’s M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate for 2020 is Lucas Silva, a 19-year-old from Brazil who has been living in Miami, Florida for the last 12 years. Silva raced alongside his brothers Bruno Silva and Fernando Silva in MotoAmerica for two years before joining the Altus Motorsports team and riding a Team Hammer-built Suzuki GSX-R600 in 2019. Silva earned a best race result of seventh in Race One at VIRginia International Raceway and placed 11th in the 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport point standings.
“Last year, Lucas he got up there from time to time and showed some promise,” said Hayes. “There were some sessions at tracks here and there it seemed like he was ready to play, but come race time, he wasn’t always able to follow it up. It seems like he did get better towards the end of 2019 and hopefully he’s ready to take the next step.
“I think stepping into a big, established team like M4 ECSTAR Suzuki with a lot more information gives you a good grounding. ‘OK, this team knows their stuff. They’re going to give me a bike that’s going to be pretty close. It’s up to me now.’ Hopefully, that’s the right thing he needs to jump him up to that next level.”
The list of full-season entries for the 2020 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship includes Benjamin Smith, 19, of Glenmoore, Pennsylvania. After winning the MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Championship in 2017, Smith graduated to the Supersport class with Team Norris Racing, spending 2018 on a Suzuki GSX-R600 and 2019 on a Yamaha YZF-R6. Last year, Smith suffered a batch of DNF’s with a season highlight of a seventh-place finish at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, his home race, on his way to 16th in the final standings. For 2020, Smith is entered to ride a Northeast Cycle Outlet Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.
“I’m a big fan of Ben Smith,” said Hayes. “I think he’s a great kid. I think his family is really excited about racing. When he was doing the KTM RC Cup there were so many of them near the front the year he won the Championship–but he was the only one who was consistently up there week-in and week-out. I was thinking some good stuff is going to come from this kid. Unfortunately, it never materialized from there. As he’s moved into the bigger class he’s become very ordinary, as much as I hate to say that. I believe he’s a talented kid and someone I’ve wanted very badly to see do well.”
Smith finished one point behind Cycle Gear Racing’s Nolan Lamkin and two points behind Altus Motorsports’ Jaret Nassaney in the 2019 Supersport Championship standings. Lamkin and Nassaney have both committed to another full season in Supersport in 2020, and another rider to watch this year is a newcomer to the class – Kevin Olmedo.
Olmedo, 19, from El Salvador, started off with MotoAmerica in 2017 in the KTM RC Cup. In 2018, he joined the new MotoAmerica Junior Cup on a Yamaha YZF-R3 and achieved respectable results, including a win in a wet race at New Jersey Motorsports Park and eighth in the Championship. When Olmedo joined the Altus Motorsports team and switched to the popular Kawasaki Ninja 400 for the 2019 MotoAmerica Junior Cup season, he quickly became one of the elite riders in the class. Olmedo won a race, finished on the podium 10 other times, and was the Championship runner-up.
For 2020, Olmedo has been promoted by Altus Motorsports to race one of its Team Hammer-built Suzuki GSX-R600s in Supersport, and the youngster immediately proved he was up to the task by posting the fastest lap time among Supersport regulars at the official MotoAmerica pre-season test at Barber Motorsports Park in June.
“My outside favorite right now is probably Kevin Olmedo,” said Hayes. “I’ve always liked Kevin. When he did the Graves Yamaha bLU cRU program on the R3 I liked what I saw from him. He’s another one where he’s so young and there’s a language barrier, but his speed is not in question. It’s just going to be if he can figure out what to do with all that speed. And when he gets to the bigger bikes it’s going to bite harder when it goes bad. But I think he could do big things.”
Xavier Zayat, 21, of New York, is listed on the full-season MotoAmerica Supersport entry list as riding an N2 Racing Yamaha. While Zayat hasn’t ever completed an entire MotoAmerica season, he’s been doing American Flat Track (AFT) events and ASRA Sportbike races and could be someone to reckon with this coming season.
Some riders who have run the entire MotoAmerica season and done well in the past are notably absent from the 2020 pre-entry list, including Nick McFadden, Braeden Ortt, Bryce Prince, and Cory Ventura.
McFadden says he has no plans to go road racing in 2020; Ortt announced in late 2019 that he was going to focus on his college education; Prince informed Roadracingworld.com that he has no plans to race in 2020; and Ventura says he plans to compete in regional events close to his home in California and may race in selected MotoAmerica Supersport rounds.
The Roadracing World Reader Survey, Part 2, was brought to you by KurveyGirl.com.
The prize winner for Roadracing World’s Reader Survey, Part Two is Wilson Lawrence, from Ft. Washington, Maryland.
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KurveyGirl.com offered a set of four Titanium Caliper Bolts and an IP67 Rated USB Cable as a prize for this reader survey.
The KurveyGirl.com Titanium Caliper Bolts are pre-drilled on six faces for safety wire and are 30% lighter than OEM bolts. The double drive bolt head allows the use of both 12mm socket driver and positive engagement T50 Torx bits. Bolts are available in six variations to fit most radial mount calipers, including BMW caliper mounts.
The KurveyGirl.com IP67 Rated USB Cable is dust and water resistant and offers quick and easy access to aftermarket ECU and add-on fuel controller. With over six feet of cable, there is no need to remove parts to gain access to the USB Data port, and allows easy routing from ECU to anywhere on the bike.
KurveyGirl.com Titanium Caliper Bolts are available with a MSRP of $65.00 for a package of four bolts. The KurveyGirl.com IP67 Rated USB Cable is available with a MSRP of $20. Visit www.KurveyGirl.com, or call (623) 444-5022 to order.
For more information on how your product can be the presenting sponsor of an upcoming portion of the Roadracing World Reader Survey, email Natalie Ulrich Heard, [email protected].
Limited Re-Opening for Utah Motorsports Campus
Kart Center to reopen, track rentals to resume
TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH (April 30, 2020) — Utah Motorsports Campus (UMC) will begin a limited re-opening on May 1.
Following extensive consultation with state and county officials and the Tooele County Health Department, submission of a detailed Health and Sanitation Protocol plan to county officials and the executive order from the Governor moving Utah to a “moderate risk” status, UMC will re-open its Kart Center on May 1 and resume track rentals on a limited basis.
“We’re happy to be able to re-open on a limited basis,” said Dixon Hunt, UMC Senior Vice President. “It’s not as open as we’d like to be, but it’s a solid step in the right direction. It’s a fine line between getting Utah businesses re-opened and keeping everyone safe, and we’re committed to do whatever we can to work with county and state officials to get back to normality as soon as practicable.”
Per the state and county requirements, UMC will be limited to gatherings of no more than 20 people. Face masks, gloves and social distancing will be encouraged for all guests.
For the Kart Center, guests will be able to download the Activity Box App to their phone and book their karting sessions in advance. Should there be any glitches with the app, UMC will have touchless check-in available onsite. The Kart Center has obtained new, state-of-the-art SaniBoXX Ride Safe Decontamination Units to keep rental helmets sanitized after each use. Anyone with questions or concerns about karting or check-in procedures can call the Kart Center at 435-277-8575 at any time.
Regarding track rentals, UMC will be renting the track to various groups for testing and racing, but no spectators will be allowed and each renting group will be responsible for enforcing social distancing rules among their group. Renting groups will be responsible for promulgating and promoting their own event dates.
As conditions improve and restrictions decrease, UMC will announce revisions to the re-opening plan, the return of other UMC driving events and our remaining schedule for the 2020 season.
For those who wish to view it, UMC’s detailed Health and Sanitation Protocol Plan that was submitted to Tooele County is posted on the track’s website.
For event or ticket information, or for questions regarding UMC, call 435-277-8000 or visit the track’s website at www.UtahMotorsportsCampus.com.
Racer and TrackDaz owner Dustin Coyner interviews Richard Stanboli, owner of Attack Performance and the Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha MotoAmerica Superbike team, on a variety of subjects.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 30, 2020) – Tonight we bring on the folks surrounding AFT’s newest OEM partner: Royal Enfield. This special AFT Show presented by Royal Enfield features Bree Poland, Marketing Lead Americas for Royal Enfield, and Johnny Lewis, the man piloting their show-stopping Royal Enfield Twins FT in AFT competition this season.
Join the voice of AFT, Scottie Deubler, and our newest edition to the show, pit reporter Kristen Beat, as we dig into what has become the most anticipated flat track machine of 2020.
Tune into the AFT Show presented by Royal Enfield on AFT’s Facebook Page beginning tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT).
To access AFT’s Facebook page visit www.facebook.com/AmericanFlatTrack.
For more information on American Flat Track visit www.americanflattrack.com.
To get the latest American Flat Track clothing and merchandise visit www.americanflattracker.com.
#VirtualSpanishGP: MotoGP™ and Two Wheels for Life unite against coronavirus
The Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain sees Two Wheels and Dorna Sports team up to raise funds for the fight against Covid-19
Thursday, 30 April 2020
The Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain takes place this Sunday at 3pm (GMT +2), with the MotoGP™, Moto2™ and Moto3™ classes all suiting up to do digital battle in a world first event. The star-studded line-up will be taking on the challenge on the new official MotoGP™20 Videogame from videogame developer, publisher and longstanding partner Milestone; racing around the legendary Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto in Andalucia.
This time there’s more than glory at stake, however, as the event is in aid of MotoGP™’s official charity Two Wheels for Life to support their fight against Covid-19. The campaign is open for donations now and Dorna Sports begins the fundraising drive with a donation of €20,000! Fans and supporters can make their donations HERE, and links will also be available on social media throughout the broadcast of the Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain.
Two Wheels for Life works with on-the-ground partners Riders for Health in a number of African countries, supporting African run and led healthcare initiatives using motorcycles. Experts in healthcare delivery across the continent, Riders for Health use their unique systems to ensure motorcycles and other vehicles run reliably, allowing health workers to access difficult-to-reach communities and villages delivering services such as child immunisation and emergency health transport, as well as ensuring test results can be taken to labs and returned swiftly to enable diagnoses.
For 30 years they have enabled healthcare workers to reach the most remote areas, and their work is more vital than ever as the world battles coronavirus. The Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain is part of a new campaign to raise funds to fight Covid-19 in the countries in which Two Wheels for Life and Riders for Health operate, and the money raised will go towards the delivery of healthcare, test results, education and supplies for hard to reach communities – all using the power of motorcycles.
As stated, the campaign to support this vital work is now open, and it runs until a week after the Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain so there’s plenty of time to get involved. Click HERE to visit the page and donate, and make sure to tune in to the event on Sunday. The broadcast begins at 3pm (GMT +2), with qualifying highlights shown before each race. Moto3™ lead the way before Moto2™ take over to make their virtual racing debuts, with MotoGP™ then taking centre stage.
Fans can watch on motogp.com and esport.motogp.com, on selected TV broadcasters, and across social media platforms including YouTube (via the MotoGP and MotoGP eSport channels), MotoGP eSport Twitter, Instagram, Facebook (via both the MotoGP and MotoGP eSport pages) and on Twitch (via MotoGP and MotoGP eSport). And after the races, stay tuned as there will be LIVE ‘Press Conferences’ on MotoGP™ Instagram to debrief the day’s action, with MotoGP™ live at 17:00, Moto2™ at 17:30 and Moto3™ at 18:00!
Free Contactless Commerce Solution
All Dealers Eligible Through MIC BankCard
IRVINE, Calif., April 30, 2020 – Updated government guidelines confirmed that many powersports businesses nationwide are essential and can be open while following federal, state, and local COVID-19 directives. Helping dealerships meet those challenges, the MIC BankCard Program allows any dealership to set up a virtual store with contactless commerce using online invoicing and an online shopping cart, all for free.
All dealerships are eligible and not required to become MIC BankCard members or use BankCard for any other credit card processing.
“If your dealership is open or is looking to open, customers can buy products or pay for service with minimal to zero contact,” said Matt Tanzy, president of the MIC BankCard Program.
The program’s invoicing and shopping cart can work with any existing website. The online invoicing can work even if the dealership does not have a website. MIC BankCard allows a dealer to accept credit card payments online, via email, and no additional equipment is needed.
How Invoicing Works:
A customer makes a purchase over the phone or drops their bike off for service, Tanzy explained. The dealership then creates and sends the customer a customized invoice via email through the secure MIC BankCard portal. The email will have a pay button for the customer to click to pay online with a credit card. The dealership can then arrange to ship the product or leave the product for pickup at a designated area at the dealership or elsewhere.
The MIC BankCard is waiving set-up fees for online invoicing, and there are no other MIC BankCard fees, he said. Dealers will still see typical fees from credit card companies. “Dealers just need to contact us to set up their merchant ID, which is needed so MIC BankCard can transfer payments to their bank account,” Tanzy said.
Online Shopping Cart:
The cart allows a website to process credit card payments. It’s a plug-in that is very easy to add to a website, Tanzy said, and most importantly, it allows dealers to sell on their website immediately.
“Once it’s online, a dealership can upload their inventory and customers can then browse the website and add products to their cart, then check out and pay, like they do on Amazon,” Tanzy said. “Once payment is made, the dealer can ship the products or leave them at a specified area for pickup. There are no contracts, no membership requirements, and no obligations to use either BankCard feature. If a dealer doesn’t like the feature, they can cancel at any time.”
“We are grateful for the CISA 3.0 update, and now we want to do something to help the dealerships that are still operating,” Tanzy said. “These are extremely difficult times, and the last thing we want to see is a shop close and never open again. We’re all in this together, and we can work together to ride it out.”
Any dealership interested in the free virtual store features should email [email protected].
The Motorcycle Industry Council exists to preserve, protect, and promote motorcycling through government relations, communications, media relations, statistics and research, aftermarket programs, data communications standards, and involvement in technical and regulatory issues. As a not-for-profit national industry association, the MIC seeks to support motorcyclists by representing manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and retailers of motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, ROVs, motorcycle/ATV/ROV parts, accessories, and related services, and members of allied trades such as insurance, finance and investment companies, media companies, and consultants.
The MIC is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with a government relations office in metropolitan Washington, D.C. First called the MIC in 1970, the organization has been in operation since 1914. Visit the MIC at MIC.org.
MV AGUSTA EXTENDS WARRANTY ON ALL ITS BIKES
owners will receive a bonus 3 months extension to make up for the time they were unable to enjoy their bikes because of Covid-19 lockdown
Schiranna, Varese – With production activities now gradually and fully resuming, MV Agusta announced a 3 months bonus extension on all its models and on all its bikes presently covered by warranty. Because of the Coronavirus crisis and the resulting lockdown enforced in almost every country, owners around the world have been prevented from actually using their bikes. A necessary halt to stop the spreading of the virus, but also a period of time during which warranty coverage has had very little use. An idle time MV Agusta has decided to give back to its customers.
Claudio Quintarelli, head of after sales services MV Agusta Motor S.p.A., commented: “In these particularly difficult times, it is important for MV Agusta to express its attention towards its owners community in some practical and tangible way. With this move, we want to make sure owners don’t lose out because of the crisis and are able to fully enjoy their bikes with complete peace of mind once the restrictions are lifted. This warranty extension is of course completely free and applies to all bikes currently covered by our standard 3 years warranty and registered before 30.04.2020.”
ROAD AMERICA LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – As part of an ongoing effort to better serve and engage fans, Road America has revamped the track’s digital experience ahead of the 2020 season by announcing the launch of its new website featuring a fresh look, and improved navigation, which will make roadamerica.com a destination for race fans throughout the year. The completely redesigned site focuses on streamlined content that is easy to navigate and optimized for desktop and mobile devices alike.
“With the launch of our new website, Road America fans now have a greatly improved resource to keep them informed of all that our facility has to offer,” said Road America President and General Manager, Mike Kertscher. “Our website is a key ingredient of our commitment to customer service, so we want to make sure it’s easy to use and as helpful as any of our staff.”
Road America’s website highlights ticket and event information available before, during and after race weekends, including camping information, promotions, gate policies, race day activities, details on schools, programs, the latest news and much more. The new website design offers increased functionality, a live customer service chat feature, clear navigation menus and large buttons to quickly access major subsections of the website. Fans also have the opportunity to purchase Paddock Shop official merchandise at shop.roadamerica.com which is linked to the new website enabling fans to have access to more items year-round.
“To go along with the expanded features, the new layout and design fits our brand image, Kertscher added.” So, for fans who want to buy tickets to one of our NASCAR, INDYCAR or IMSA races or for those who want to stay informed of all that is happening at Road America, the new site will make the experience that much more enjoyable. The user experience is simple and seamless for customers, thanks to the intuitive design and well-displayed links.”
REMINDER: Print At Home customers will need to print new vouchers from their account history to be valid at the gate.
NOTE: Current usernames and passwords previously used by customers remain the same on the new website. Account holders can click on My Account to review their purchase history.
Anyone requiring additional assistance can use the live customer chat feature during business hours or call 800-365-7223.
To purchase season passes, tickets or learn more about upcoming events at Road America, please visit Road America online at roadamerica.com or call 800-365-RACE (7223).
Fastrack Riders’ Imad Samhat and Ademar Nunes video chat with their #QUARANTEAM of Fastrack Riders Academy instructors – including Eric Bostrom, Josh Hayes, Jeremy Toye, Chris Ulrich, and Jake Zemke – about lessons learned.
The MotoAmerica Supersport class is primed and ready for the next rising stars to claim fame in 2020.
The top three riders in the 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship point standings are not returning to the class in 2020. Reigning Supersport Champion Bobby Fong has graduated to the MotoAmerica Superbike class. PJ Jacobsen, the 2019 Supersport Championship runner-up, has transitioned to the MotoAmerica Superbike Cup and Stock 1000 classes. And Hayden Gillim, a five-time race winner and third-place Championship finisher last year, is not on any of MotoAmerica’s pre-season entry lists.
To help us preview some of the riders who are entered for the full 2020 MotoAmerica Supersport season, we’ve enlisted the help of Josh Hayes.
Not only has Hayes won four AMA Pro Superbike Championships, he’s won a total of 83 AMA Pro/MotoAmerica races and three support class titles; raced in the Endurance World Championship; run at the front in Supersport World Championship races; and finished seventh while competing in his first (and only) MotoGP race as a substitute rider at Valencia in 2011.
More recently, Hayes won two races at the International Island Classic vintage event in January of this year at Phillip Island; raced at the front throughout the 2019 Daytona 200 and was on provisional pole position for the 2020 Daytona 200; and finished on the podium in the MotoAmerica Supersport class in 2019.
When he’s not racing, Hayes is a USMCA-certified rider coach for top competitors, including Bobby Fong and Jake Gagne, as well as working with Garrett Gerloff.
After winning the KTM RC Cup Championship in Mexico and then spending three years in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, Floridian Sean Dylan Kelly, now 17, burst onto the professional racing scene in the USA by claiming pole position and eventually finishing runner-up in the 2019 Daytona 200. Kelly followed that up with a strong debut season in the 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship, winning two races, finishing on the podium in five others, and placing fourth in the final point standings. For 2020, Kelly is again riding for Team Hammer, Inc.’s M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team.
“I have really high expectations for SDK, after what he showed last year,” said Hayes. “I was impressed with Sean last year even at the first test and how well he rode at Daytona. Wherever we went, he was at the front and managed to win a couple of races.
“I have expectations for him to be relatively dominant this year — unless a few people really find something. I think he should go into things without too much pressure knowing he has the speed and a bunch of the front runners from last year won’t be there this year to hassle him. I’ll be pretty bummed if I don’t see him ride the way Bobby [Fong] rode in 2019 – first or second in every race all season long.”
Kelly’s greatest challenge may come from 25-year-old Mexican Richie Escalante, who will be riding a Honos-sponsored, Graves Motorsports-built Kawasaki ZX-6R in 2020.
Escalante finished fifth in the 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship, three points behind Kelly, thanks to consistent top-five finishes and six trips to the podium on his Hudson Motorcycles/HB Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. Escalante also had two podium finishes in the 2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship and before that was a force in MotoAmerica’s Superstock 600 class, finishing as Championship runner-up in 2015.
“Richie is super talented,” said Hayes. “He’s been in the series for a couple of years. He showed a lot of promise when he was in the lower class, Superstock 600, and in Supersport he showed some really good promise with a good Yamaha underneath him. There were some really good performances, but from working with Richie in the past I see some limitations, also. One thing, in my opinion, there’s some difficulty with communication as English is not his first language.
“Richie is someone I had high expectations for in 2019 and I thought he should have gotten himself up there. He did get on the podium a few times, but he needed a breakthrough win and couldn’t quite make it happen. Hopefully, that’s still in the cards for him.
“Going from a Yamaha to a Kawasaki, I do not think that’s going to make it easier for him. We saw Braeden Ortt, who did some amazing things on a Yamaha, get onto a Kawasaki and struggle and actually take a step backwards from what he was doing the year before.
“I don’t know if Richie is going to be able to take that next step on a Kawasaki. It’s not going to be easy. Only time will tell, and only he can answer that question, honestly.”
Jason Aguilar, a 23-year-old from Placentia, California, has been in professional motorcycle road racing since 2014, when he finished sixth in the then-age-restricted AMA Pro Supersport class. Three years later, Aguilar won the 2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship. Since moving up to the MotoAmerica Supersport class in 2018, Aguilar has continued to show his talent but hasn’t be able to achieve the consistency needed to compete for a title.
Last season, Aguilar started off with a fourth at Road Atlanta and a fifth at VIRginia International Raceway, before struggling to break into the top 10 through the middle of the season. Aguilar finished 2019 strongly on his Riderz Law/Aguilar Racing Yamaha after rebuilding his program and reuniting with his 2017 crew chief, Pancho Rangel, collecting 10 consecutive top-10 finishes on his way to eighth in the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship.
“Jason’s had some flashes of brilliance that made it look like he could really do it, but the inconsistency is the thing that really hurts him the most,” said Hayes. “He’s going to have to figure out how to be fast not just at tracks he likes but every weekend. That’s never easy, but I think that’s what missing from his program.
“I don’t think anyone has a real question about his talent. He’s shown that he can run up at the front from time to time, but there’s something that keeps him from being at the front every weekend. I understand that there’s bad luck, but there’s not bad luck every weekend, every season. Jason’s been in the paddock a while and it’s time for him to show he can do it and not be just another name on the grid.”
Kelly’s M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate for 2020 is Lucas Silva, a 19-year-old from Brazil who has been living in Miami, Florida for the last 12 years. Silva raced alongside his brothers Bruno Silva and Fernando Silva in MotoAmerica for two years before joining the Altus Motorsports team and riding a Team Hammer-built Suzuki GSX-R600 in 2019. Silva earned a best race result of seventh in Race One at VIRginia International Raceway and placed 11th in the 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport point standings.
“Last year, Lucas he got up there from time to time and showed some promise,” said Hayes. “There were some sessions at tracks here and there it seemed like he was ready to play, but come race time, he wasn’t always able to follow it up. It seems like he did get better towards the end of 2019 and hopefully he’s ready to take the next step.
“I think stepping into a big, established team like M4 ECSTAR Suzuki with a lot more information gives you a good grounding. ‘OK, this team knows their stuff. They’re going to give me a bike that’s going to be pretty close. It’s up to me now.’ Hopefully, that’s the right thing he needs to jump him up to that next level.”
The list of full-season entries for the 2020 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship includes Benjamin Smith, 19, of Glenmoore, Pennsylvania. After winning the MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Championship in 2017, Smith graduated to the Supersport class with Team Norris Racing, spending 2018 on a Suzuki GSX-R600 and 2019 on a Yamaha YZF-R6. Last year, Smith suffered a batch of DNF’s with a season highlight of a seventh-place finish at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, his home race, on his way to 16th in the final standings. For 2020, Smith is entered to ride a Northeast Cycle Outlet Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.
“I’m a big fan of Ben Smith,” said Hayes. “I think he’s a great kid. I think his family is really excited about racing. When he was doing the KTM RC Cup there were so many of them near the front the year he won the Championship–but he was the only one who was consistently up there week-in and week-out. I was thinking some good stuff is going to come from this kid. Unfortunately, it never materialized from there. As he’s moved into the bigger class he’s become very ordinary, as much as I hate to say that. I believe he’s a talented kid and someone I’ve wanted very badly to see do well.”
Smith finished one point behind Cycle Gear Racing’s Nolan Lamkin and two points behind Altus Motorsports’ Jaret Nassaney in the 2019 Supersport Championship standings. Lamkin and Nassaney have both committed to another full season in Supersport in 2020, and another rider to watch this year is a newcomer to the class – Kevin Olmedo.
Olmedo, 19, from El Salvador, started off with MotoAmerica in 2017 in the KTM RC Cup. In 2018, he joined the new MotoAmerica Junior Cup on a Yamaha YZF-R3 and achieved respectable results, including a win in a wet race at New Jersey Motorsports Park and eighth in the Championship. When Olmedo joined the Altus Motorsports team and switched to the popular Kawasaki Ninja 400 for the 2019 MotoAmerica Junior Cup season, he quickly became one of the elite riders in the class. Olmedo won a race, finished on the podium 10 other times, and was the Championship runner-up.
For 2020, Olmedo has been promoted by Altus Motorsports to race one of its Team Hammer-built Suzuki GSX-R600s in Supersport, and the youngster immediately proved he was up to the task by posting the fastest lap time among Supersport regulars at the official MotoAmerica pre-season test at Barber Motorsports Park in June.
“My outside favorite right now is probably Kevin Olmedo,” said Hayes. “I’ve always liked Kevin. When he did the Graves Yamaha bLU cRU program on the R3 I liked what I saw from him. He’s another one where he’s so young and there’s a language barrier, but his speed is not in question. It’s just going to be if he can figure out what to do with all that speed. And when he gets to the bigger bikes it’s going to bite harder when it goes bad. But I think he could do big things.”
Xavier Zayat, 21, of New York, is listed on the full-season MotoAmerica Supersport entry list as riding an N2 Racing Yamaha. While Zayat hasn’t ever completed an entire MotoAmerica season, he’s been doing American Flat Track (AFT) events and ASRA Sportbike races and could be someone to reckon with this coming season.
Some riders who have run the entire MotoAmerica season and done well in the past are notably absent from the 2020 pre-entry list, including Nick McFadden, Braeden Ortt, Bryce Prince, and Cory Ventura.
McFadden says he has no plans to go road racing in 2020; Ortt announced in late 2019 that he was going to focus on his college education; Prince informed Roadracingworld.com that he has no plans to race in 2020; and Ventura says he plans to compete in regional events close to his home in California and may race in selected MotoAmerica Supersport rounds.
The Roadracing World Reader Survey, Part 2, was brought to you by KurveyGirl.com.
The prize winner for Roadracing World’s Reader Survey, Part Two is Wilson Lawrence, from Ft. Washington, Maryland.
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KurveyGirl.com offered a set of four Titanium Caliper Bolts and an IP67 Rated USB Cable as a prize for this reader survey.
The KurveyGirl.com Titanium Caliper Bolts are pre-drilled on six faces for safety wire and are 30% lighter than OEM bolts. The double drive bolt head allows the use of both 12mm socket driver and positive engagement T50 Torx bits. Bolts are available in six variations to fit most radial mount calipers, including BMW caliper mounts.
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KurveyGirl.com Titanium Caliper Bolts are available with a MSRP of $65.00 for a package of four bolts. The KurveyGirl.com IP67 Rated USB Cable is available with a MSRP of $20. Visit www.KurveyGirl.com, or call (623) 444-5022 to order.
For more information on how your product can be the presenting sponsor of an upcoming portion of the Roadracing World Reader Survey, email Natalie Ulrich Heard, [email protected].
Limited Re-Opening for Utah Motorsports Campus
Kart Center to reopen, track rentals to resume
TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH (April 30, 2020) — Utah Motorsports Campus (UMC) will begin a limited re-opening on May 1.
Following extensive consultation with state and county officials and the Tooele County Health Department, submission of a detailed Health and Sanitation Protocol plan to county officials and the executive order from the Governor moving Utah to a “moderate risk” status, UMC will re-open its Kart Center on May 1 and resume track rentals on a limited basis.
“We’re happy to be able to re-open on a limited basis,” said Dixon Hunt, UMC Senior Vice President. “It’s not as open as we’d like to be, but it’s a solid step in the right direction. It’s a fine line between getting Utah businesses re-opened and keeping everyone safe, and we’re committed to do whatever we can to work with county and state officials to get back to normality as soon as practicable.”
Per the state and county requirements, UMC will be limited to gatherings of no more than 20 people. Face masks, gloves and social distancing will be encouraged for all guests.
For the Kart Center, guests will be able to download the Activity Box App to their phone and book their karting sessions in advance. Should there be any glitches with the app, UMC will have touchless check-in available onsite. The Kart Center has obtained new, state-of-the-art SaniBoXX Ride Safe Decontamination Units to keep rental helmets sanitized after each use. Anyone with questions or concerns about karting or check-in procedures can call the Kart Center at 435-277-8575 at any time.
Regarding track rentals, UMC will be renting the track to various groups for testing and racing, but no spectators will be allowed and each renting group will be responsible for enforcing social distancing rules among their group. Renting groups will be responsible for promulgating and promoting their own event dates.
As conditions improve and restrictions decrease, UMC will announce revisions to the re-opening plan, the return of other UMC driving events and our remaining schedule for the 2020 season.
For those who wish to view it, UMC’s detailed Health and Sanitation Protocol Plan that was submitted to Tooele County is posted on the track’s website.
For event or ticket information, or for questions regarding UMC, call 435-277-8000 or visit the track’s website at www.UtahMotorsportsCampus.com.
Racer and TrackDaz owner Dustin Coyner interviews Richard Stanboli, owner of Attack Performance and the Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha MotoAmerica Superbike team, on a variety of subjects.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 30, 2020) – Tonight we bring on the folks surrounding AFT’s newest OEM partner: Royal Enfield. This special AFT Show presented by Royal Enfield features Bree Poland, Marketing Lead Americas for Royal Enfield, and Johnny Lewis, the man piloting their show-stopping Royal Enfield Twins FT in AFT competition this season.
Join the voice of AFT, Scottie Deubler, and our newest edition to the show, pit reporter Kristen Beat, as we dig into what has become the most anticipated flat track machine of 2020.
Tune into the AFT Show presented by Royal Enfield on AFT’s Facebook Page beginning tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT).
To access AFT’s Facebook page visit www.facebook.com/AmericanFlatTrack.
For more information on American Flat Track visit www.americanflattrack.com.
To get the latest American Flat Track clothing and merchandise visit www.americanflattracker.com.
#VirtualSpanishGP: MotoGP™ and Two Wheels for Life unite against coronavirus
The Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain sees Two Wheels and Dorna Sports team up to raise funds for the fight against Covid-19
Thursday, 30 April 2020
The Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain takes place this Sunday at 3pm (GMT +2), with the MotoGP™, Moto2™ and Moto3™ classes all suiting up to do digital battle in a world first event. The star-studded line-up will be taking on the challenge on the new official MotoGP™20 Videogame from videogame developer, publisher and longstanding partner Milestone; racing around the legendary Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto in Andalucia.
This time there’s more than glory at stake, however, as the event is in aid of MotoGP™’s official charity Two Wheels for Life to support their fight against Covid-19. The campaign is open for donations now and Dorna Sports begins the fundraising drive with a donation of €20,000! Fans and supporters can make their donations HERE, and links will also be available on social media throughout the broadcast of the Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain.
Two Wheels for Life works with on-the-ground partners Riders for Health in a number of African countries, supporting African run and led healthcare initiatives using motorcycles. Experts in healthcare delivery across the continent, Riders for Health use their unique systems to ensure motorcycles and other vehicles run reliably, allowing health workers to access difficult-to-reach communities and villages delivering services such as child immunisation and emergency health transport, as well as ensuring test results can be taken to labs and returned swiftly to enable diagnoses.
For 30 years they have enabled healthcare workers to reach the most remote areas, and their work is more vital than ever as the world battles coronavirus. The Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain is part of a new campaign to raise funds to fight Covid-19 in the countries in which Two Wheels for Life and Riders for Health operate, and the money raised will go towards the delivery of healthcare, test results, education and supplies for hard to reach communities – all using the power of motorcycles.
As stated, the campaign to support this vital work is now open, and it runs until a week after the Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain so there’s plenty of time to get involved. Click HERE to visit the page and donate, and make sure to tune in to the event on Sunday. The broadcast begins at 3pm (GMT +2), with qualifying highlights shown before each race. Moto3™ lead the way before Moto2™ take over to make their virtual racing debuts, with MotoGP™ then taking centre stage.
Fans can watch on motogp.com and esport.motogp.com, on selected TV broadcasters, and across social media platforms including YouTube (via the MotoGP and MotoGP eSport channels), MotoGP eSport Twitter, Instagram, Facebook (via both the MotoGP and MotoGP eSport pages) and on Twitch (via MotoGP and MotoGP eSport). And after the races, stay tuned as there will be LIVE ‘Press Conferences’ on MotoGP™ Instagram to debrief the day’s action, with MotoGP™ live at 17:00, Moto2™ at 17:30 and Moto3™ at 18:00!
Free Contactless Commerce Solution
All Dealers Eligible Through MIC BankCard
IRVINE, Calif., April 30, 2020 – Updated government guidelines confirmed that many powersports businesses nationwide are essential and can be open while following federal, state, and local COVID-19 directives. Helping dealerships meet those challenges, the MIC BankCard Program allows any dealership to set up a virtual store with contactless commerce using online invoicing and an online shopping cart, all for free.
All dealerships are eligible and not required to become MIC BankCard members or use BankCard for any other credit card processing.
“If your dealership is open or is looking to open, customers can buy products or pay for service with minimal to zero contact,” said Matt Tanzy, president of the MIC BankCard Program.
The program’s invoicing and shopping cart can work with any existing website. The online invoicing can work even if the dealership does not have a website. MIC BankCard allows a dealer to accept credit card payments online, via email, and no additional equipment is needed.
How Invoicing Works:
A customer makes a purchase over the phone or drops their bike off for service, Tanzy explained. The dealership then creates and sends the customer a customized invoice via email through the secure MIC BankCard portal. The email will have a pay button for the customer to click to pay online with a credit card. The dealership can then arrange to ship the product or leave the product for pickup at a designated area at the dealership or elsewhere.
The MIC BankCard is waiving set-up fees for online invoicing, and there are no other MIC BankCard fees, he said. Dealers will still see typical fees from credit card companies. “Dealers just need to contact us to set up their merchant ID, which is needed so MIC BankCard can transfer payments to their bank account,” Tanzy said.
Online Shopping Cart:
The cart allows a website to process credit card payments. It’s a plug-in that is very easy to add to a website, Tanzy said, and most importantly, it allows dealers to sell on their website immediately.
“Once it’s online, a dealership can upload their inventory and customers can then browse the website and add products to their cart, then check out and pay, like they do on Amazon,” Tanzy said. “Once payment is made, the dealer can ship the products or leave them at a specified area for pickup. There are no contracts, no membership requirements, and no obligations to use either BankCard feature. If a dealer doesn’t like the feature, they can cancel at any time.”
“We are grateful for the CISA 3.0 update, and now we want to do something to help the dealerships that are still operating,” Tanzy said. “These are extremely difficult times, and the last thing we want to see is a shop close and never open again. We’re all in this together, and we can work together to ride it out.”
Any dealership interested in the free virtual store features should email [email protected].
The Motorcycle Industry Council exists to preserve, protect, and promote motorcycling through government relations, communications, media relations, statistics and research, aftermarket programs, data communications standards, and involvement in technical and regulatory issues. As a not-for-profit national industry association, the MIC seeks to support motorcyclists by representing manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and retailers of motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, ROVs, motorcycle/ATV/ROV parts, accessories, and related services, and members of allied trades such as insurance, finance and investment companies, media companies, and consultants.
The MIC is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with a government relations office in metropolitan Washington, D.C. First called the MIC in 1970, the organization has been in operation since 1914. Visit the MIC at MIC.org.
MV AGUSTA EXTENDS WARRANTY ON ALL ITS BIKES
owners will receive a bonus 3 months extension to make up for the time they were unable to enjoy their bikes because of Covid-19 lockdown
Schiranna, Varese – With production activities now gradually and fully resuming, MV Agusta announced a 3 months bonus extension on all its models and on all its bikes presently covered by warranty. Because of the Coronavirus crisis and the resulting lockdown enforced in almost every country, owners around the world have been prevented from actually using their bikes. A necessary halt to stop the spreading of the virus, but also a period of time during which warranty coverage has had very little use. An idle time MV Agusta has decided to give back to its customers.
Claudio Quintarelli, head of after sales services MV Agusta Motor S.p.A., commented: “In these particularly difficult times, it is important for MV Agusta to express its attention towards its owners community in some practical and tangible way. With this move, we want to make sure owners don’t lose out because of the crisis and are able to fully enjoy their bikes with complete peace of mind once the restrictions are lifted. This warranty extension is of course completely free and applies to all bikes currently covered by our standard 3 years warranty and registered before 30.04.2020.”
ROAD AMERICA LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – As part of an ongoing effort to better serve and engage fans, Road America has revamped the track’s digital experience ahead of the 2020 season by announcing the launch of its new website featuring a fresh look, and improved navigation, which will make roadamerica.com a destination for race fans throughout the year. The completely redesigned site focuses on streamlined content that is easy to navigate and optimized for desktop and mobile devices alike.
“With the launch of our new website, Road America fans now have a greatly improved resource to keep them informed of all that our facility has to offer,” said Road America President and General Manager, Mike Kertscher. “Our website is a key ingredient of our commitment to customer service, so we want to make sure it’s easy to use and as helpful as any of our staff.”
Road America’s website highlights ticket and event information available before, during and after race weekends, including camping information, promotions, gate policies, race day activities, details on schools, programs, the latest news and much more. The new website design offers increased functionality, a live customer service chat feature, clear navigation menus and large buttons to quickly access major subsections of the website. Fans also have the opportunity to purchase Paddock Shop official merchandise at shop.roadamerica.com which is linked to the new website enabling fans to have access to more items year-round.
“To go along with the expanded features, the new layout and design fits our brand image, Kertscher added.” So, for fans who want to buy tickets to one of our NASCAR, INDYCAR or IMSA races or for those who want to stay informed of all that is happening at Road America, the new site will make the experience that much more enjoyable. The user experience is simple and seamless for customers, thanks to the intuitive design and well-displayed links.”
REMINDER: Print At Home customers will need to print new vouchers from their account history to be valid at the gate.
NOTE: Current usernames and passwords previously used by customers remain the same on the new website. Account holders can click on My Account to review their purchase history.
Anyone requiring additional assistance can use the live customer chat feature during business hours or call 800-365-7223.
To purchase season passes, tickets or learn more about upcoming events at Road America, please visit Road America online at roadamerica.com or call 800-365-RACE (7223).
