Nielsen Racing’s Justin Miest Dominates Central Roadracing Association’s Overall Championship.
Brainerd International Raceway
9/20 -9/22
On September 20-22 the Central Roadracing Association hosted its 5th and final event of the 2019 season on the infamous Donnybrooke configuration at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, MN. The event included action packed sprint races, the honorary Framstad Cup (tortoise vs. the hare race in memory of Don Framstad), and an annual 5-hour endurance race.
The talk of the paddock was all about Nielsen Racing’s Justin Miest, who entered round 5 with over a 500 point lead in the Expert championship over runner up Brian Hebeisen of Fisk Bro’s Racing. Miest continued to add to his point total by taking home wins in both Middleweight and Heavyweight superbike expert classes during Saturday’s sprints. He ended the weekend having gained the most points in CRA history and securing the #1 expert plate for the 2019 season.
In the novice ranks, junior racer Brady Fors was in nothing short of excellent form on his beautiful Spears Racing/Podium Finishes Yamaha R3. Brady won all his races in the novice Featherweight and Ultralight classes, and even managing to sneak past expert racers Justin Miest and Brian Rogers on one occasion. By the end of Saturday, Brady had won his 20th race in a row, crowning him the #1 novice plate. He is also 1 of 2 racers to attempt practice during a monsoon which left carnage across the racetrack Saturday morning.
Saturday’s sprints were action packed with exciting wet and dry racing. Expert racers Justin Ebnet and Jordan Imrie took advantage of mother nature’s mishap and braved the VHT covered front straight away to take commanding wins in Middleweight Supersport and Heavyweight Supersport respectively. The Lightweight Superbike and GP classes were dominated by recruited ringer and man from down under, Rennie Scaysbrook. Brian Hebeisen also pulled out a win against MotoAmerica racer and former CRA President Jon Champ in a nail biting finish during Lightweight Supersport. In the big boy Unlimited class, it was a constant swap of domination between friends Jesse Nelson and Jake Schmotter, each taking wins on their beautiful Yamaha R1’s.
Sunday’s Framstad cup is an annual honorary race where the top 3 finishers in all the GP races are eligible to enter. Bikes from varying classes are released from the grid based on their average lap times with the intent that they all cross the finish line at the same time. The race was nothing short of exciting; the Ninja 300’s and Yamaha R3’s were passing the start finish just as the last Unlimited bikes were released, starting them a lap down. In the end it was the Wisconsin native and MotoAmerica Twins Cup racer Daniel Mataczynski that snuck past the Zorbaz pizza slinger Jeff Quam to take the win. Word has it Daniel ran around the paddock in celebration with nothing but a little hat with a dorky spinner on top.
The 5-hour endurance race brought out some amazing talent from all over the globe. Local racer and world traveler Kris Skellenger spared no expense and formulated his motorcycle dream team that was backed by Kramer Motorcycles USA – they ended up taking the win in the GP2 class. The GP3 class showed a valiant effort by team Sand Law PLLC, but their mechanicals left them in 2nd next to Team Hawaii, who not only took the GP3 win, but also the overall win. In GP4, the Schmotter Motion/Cheap Thrills Motorsports guys were expected to win the race but experienced a bit of bad luck at the halfway point when their A bike caught fire, and B bike got sent flying over the wall in turn 1. Luckily everyone from that team was okay and in good spirits. The Riders of Misfit Toys, backed by TenRacing Dunlop Motorcycle Tires took the win in GP4 with team Evil Pumpkin taking a close second place.
The Central Roadracing Association would like to thank all the volunteers that have contributed their time and effort into the season. It couldn’t have been done without them. Thank you.
Yamaha Revved up and Ready for the Last European WorldSBK Weekend in Magny-Cours Setup
The Pata Yamaha WorldSBK pairing of Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark head into final European round of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship at Magny-Cours this weekend with their sights set firmly on the podium, as they continue to dispute third place in the championship standings.
The Pata Yamaha WorldSBK pairing of Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark head into final European round of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship at Magny-Cours this weekend with their sights set firmly on the podium, as they continue to dispute third place in the championship standings.
It was Lowes who held the advantage going into the Portimão weekend, only for the Briton, who celebrated his 29th birthday in the week after the Portuguese round, to be demoted to fourth place in the standings by van der Mark, who finished on the podium in WorldSBK Race 1. Lowes bounced back on Sunday, with a podium finish in the Superpole sprint race and a fourth place in WorldSBK Race 2 enough to see him reclaim third place in the standings with a five-point advantage over his teammate.
Van der Mark and Lowes have enjoyed success at Magny-Cours in the past, with the Dutchman finishing on the podium in France in every year except his rookie WorldSBK season, while the Briton joined his teammate on the podium in second place two years ago. Both Pata Yamaha riders head into this weekend determined to add to their podium tally, which currently stands at six for both, including a race win in Jerez for van der Mark.
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK riders, Sandro Cortese and Marco Melandri, are both looking forward to racing at Magny-Cours, a circuit that combines both fast and slow corners with a number of tricky chicanes. Cortese showed last time out in Portimão that he is now fully recovered from the injury sustained before the summer break, with the reigning Supersport World Champion racking up three top ten finishes in Portugal. Cortese is keen to build on these results this weekend in France, even though it will be his first time at Magny-Cours racing a Superbike.
Melandri bounced back from a difficult start to the Portimão weekend to pick up a top-ten finish in both WorldSBK feature races. The veteran Italian is keen to get back to work this weekend in France, at a track that he rates as difficult but well suited to his riding style and one at which he’s won races previously and been a regular podium presence.
Ten Kate Yamaha’s Loris Baz can count on strong support in Magny-Cours this weekend, as he heads home to race in front of the French WorldSBK fans for the first time since returning to the championship in Jerez. Baz, who was unfortunate to crash on oil at last weekend’s Bol d’Or while leading on the YART YZF-R1, is confident he has the pace to challenge for a top-three finish in front of his home crowd in Magny-Cours.
The Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is located in central France, 250km south of Paris. The track was originally built back in 1960 but has been revamped a number of times, most recently in 2003. It is 4.411km long, consists of 17 corners – nine rights and eight lefts – and has a start/finish straight just 250m in length. Most of the corners are modelled on famous turns from other tracks and bear the names of the circuits that inspired them.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“I’m looking forward to getting to Magny-Cours this weekend, for the final European round of the season before heading to the two overseas races in Argentina and Qatar. The weather has been a bit unpredictable in the past, and it looks like it’s going to be the same this weekend, but I’ve enjoyed some good results in all conditions there in the past. The goal this weekend is to challenge for the podium in all three races and give the French fans, who are always so enthusiastic and welcoming, something to cheer about.”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“I can’t quite believe we’re heading to the final European round at Magny-Cours this weekend, the season seems to have flown past! I like the track and I’ve had some decent results there in the past, so I’m looking forward to the weekend ahead. Top-three is the target, as I’m determined to return to the podium after a disappointing Race 2 in Portugal. Hopefully the notoriously changeable weather will be kind to us again this year!”
Sandro Cortese
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“I’m looking forward to heading to Magny-Cours, as it’s a great track. I’ve only raced there once before, last year on the Supersport bike, so it will be new to me on the Superbike. Hopefully the weather will be okay, at least for the two free practice sessions on Friday, to allow me to learn the track as quickly as possible. After a solid weekend last time out in Portimão I can’t wait to return to the track this weekend in France, where I hope I can do the same.”
Marco Melandri
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“Magny-Cours is a really nice track for me; very difficult and technical, with some fast corners, some slow corners and some chicanes that look very similar from the outside but require a very different approach. The weather is traditionally very unpredictable, and the grip can be the same, changing from corner to corner. I hope we can find a stable condition for the weekend, as I think this track will be better for me than Portimão and I’m looking forward to getting started.”
Loris Baz
Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“If there’s a positive to take from the Bol d’Or crash then it’s that it didn’t take as long to recover as it normally would after finishing a 24-hour race. It will be great racing in front of my home crowd in Magny-Cours, although we know from the Bol d’Or test that it will take a few laps in FP1 on Friday to get a feel for the WorldSBK specification R1 and the Pirelli tyres again. The plan for this weekend is the same as it was for Portimão, but we need to ensure we do better in qualifying than we did in Portugal. If we can do that and get a good start in the races, then I think we can fight for a podium finish. Of course, it’s Magny-Cours, so we also need to keep our fingers crossed for good weather, especially as the bad weather seems to be following me around at the moment!”
Kyle Wyman closes out 2019 MotoAmerica season with a Ducati Top-5 finish at Barber Motorsports Park
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Sept. 24) — Kyle Wyman and the KWR Ducati Team closed out the 2019 MotoAmerica Superbike season with a top-5 finish at Barber Motorsports Park this past weekend in Birmingham, Alabama. Wyman bounced back from a 7th place finish on Saturday to battle for fourth spot all the way to the line in Sunday’s final race of the season.
Wyman had a strong start on Friday, posting the 5th fastest time overall on his KATO Fastening/Ducati Richmond Panigale V4 R, carrying momentum from a successful run at New Jersey Motorsports Park just two weeks prior.
“Going into Barber I was feeling more confident from our past few weekends on the bike,” Wyman said. “We’ve made our biggest steps forward over the past few weeks, as my wrist has healed and we’ve made smart decisions on which way to go with the chassis of the Ducati. Fifth overall at Barber to start Friday was exactly what we needed to set the tone for the weekend.”
Wyman qualified 6th fastest in Superpole, securing a spot on the second row of the grid for the third round in a row. The good starting spot would pay dividends, as the Ducati rider got an excellent start in race one to battle in the lead group early on. After a mistake and subsequent drop in pace mid-race, Wyman could only salvage a 7th place finish out of his good start.
“Saturday’s race was a big step for us, despite what the end result looked like,” Wyman said. “We took a lot of positives from our race in that we battled hard with the lead group for the first half of the laps, and learned a lot about what it takes to keep the Panigale close to the front for race distance.”
For race two, the KWR team focused primarily on electronics changes to help Wyman manage the rear tire life mid-race and hold a better lap time to the end of the 21-lap event. Another good start put Wyman in a top-5 spot early on. Wyman lost ground on the top five riders mid-race, but not enough to put him out of the fight. He clawed his way back up to 4th spot to engage in a last-lap battle with then points leader Toni Elias. Elias got the best of Wyman with three corners to go, and was only 0.135 seconds ahead of the Ducati rider at the stripe.
“Sunday’s result was a culmination of our entire season on the new Ducati Panigale V4 R,” Wyman added. “My goal from the start of the season was to run consistently in the top-5 by the end. I feel like these last two weekends have been exactly what I had hoped for, and race two was the perfect way to close out the season. I would have loved to pull out 4th spot on the last lap, but Toni is a former Moto2 world champion and he knows how to get the job done.”
“As I look back on the season, it’s amazing how far we’ve come since Atlanta in April,” Wyman added. “We started with a bone stock bike, and developed it into a top-level Superbike, capable of competing with some of the best in the world. I’m proud of that fact and proud of my team for all the hard work they’ve put in to get us to this point. Our work starts now on 2020, and I can’t wait until our first round at COTA next year where we will be ready to fight for the podium.”
The KWR Ducati Team would like to extend their gratitude to the following weekend title sponsors who contributed in a significant way to the 2019 program — Excelsus Motorsports Graphics, Lucas Oil, SC Project USA, Inde Motorsports Ranch, Genuine Broaster Chicken, Cycle Gear, Ducati Richmond, Lion Fuel and KATO Fastening Systems.
Visit www.kylewymanracing.com for more news and updates.
More, from a press release issued by Scheibe Racing:
Scheibe Racing’s Jake Gagne (32). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
The team was in good spirits heading into the final round of the 2019 MotoAmerica Superbike Se-ries at Barber Motorsports Park. The previous round at New Jersey had once again shown that the Hayes Brakes equipped Scheibe Racing BMW S 1000 RR is fast. Rider Jake Gagne was feeling like himself again as his ankle injury continued to heal and was looking forward to returning to Alabama.
“We were all pretty excited coming into Barber, I think we all had a pretty good idea the bike would like it here.” stated Gagne, after the two qualifying practice sessions on Friday which decided the nine riders advancing to the Superpole session on Saturday. In morning free practice, 1.26 seconds was all that separated the top ten riders as everyone in the field got used to the unique characteristics of the track surface and harder compound Dunlop tires. The 17-turn, 2.38 mile road course, which opened in 2003, recently underwent a complete repave to fix surface and drainage issues which introduced a few new variables for all the teams with the fresh, abrasive surface. In the Superpole session, Jake achieved the best result of the season for grid position finishing the session in fourth. “That was cool, it’s fun to be up there closer to the front of the grid.”
The start of Race one saw a tight group at the front. “I got a pretty bad start and got used up from the second row and lost a couple positions.” After dropping back to seventh, he pulled the bike back up to sixth, with pace to continue pushing forward until an unusual electrical component problem caused the bike’s wheelie control to actuate inappropriately, and Jake lost touch with the lead group but held on to sixth.
Sunday morning the team bounced back and were excited to show the true potential of the BMW, completing the short morning warm up with the team’s fastest lap of the weekend, and third fastest lap of the session. “We were really happy going into the race. I think we knew we would be in the hunt.” He got his best launch of the season at the start in race two, and as the field came back into view of the paddock, heading down into the turn known as Charlotte’s Web, he was in third. On lap four, after being passed by eventual 2019 series Champion Cameron Beaubier, they both passed Josh Herrin to get back into third with the pace to stay there. Then catastrophe struck in turn 13 as the electronic throttle put the bike into “limp mode” forcing the bike to only go idle speeds. “I know we could have had a good race, but regardless, we mad a lot a progress so we have to take the positives.”
It was a good building year for the team. Starting out in Atlanta at the first race upping the game with a new pit setup to learn, a new additional primary sponsor with VP Racing Lubricants, and a new rider recovering from a serious injury – steady progress was made. “We started off slow, I was way behind on my injury and we didn’t get a lot of time on the bike in testing.” Jake slowly but continuously got healthier, and the team worked hard to get the bike dialed in. It was all finally coming together at Barber, and while the last race was a devastating disappointment, it was still a good year. “It’s over now, but you wish you could just restart it and go racing again next weekend. That’s how it goes. We learned a lot and I’m happy with the progress we made.”
We’d like to thank our sponsors, partners, family, friends, and fans for all the support and for cheering us on. None of this would be possible without your contributions to the team. We’re looking forward to the 2020 season.
More, from a press release issued by Aguilar Racing:
RiderzLaw/Aguilar Racing Ends Season With Some Momentum Going Into 2020
Jason Aguilar (96). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Jason Aguilar was looking to end the season on a positive note at Barber Motorsports Park. With injuries, personnel changes, data and setup issues, affecting Jason most of the season, things were starting to look up. The team was making consistent progress and Jason was starting to feel more comfortable on his RiderzLaw/Aguilar Racing Yamaha R6. Earning a 5th place qualifying position in the 2nd qualifying session, Jason had the pace for a good finish. However, a mistake in Race 1 cost Jason several positions, and he was only able to salvage an 8th place finish.
Jason Aguilar: “I changed to a new clutch last round and it really helped my starts. While I got a good launch, I bumped elbows with a rider going into Turn 1 that threw me off my line, and then got my front chopped off by another rider in Turn 2 that set me further back. Then, when I was starting to move up midway through the race, I tucked the front in Turn 1, fell off the side of the bike, ran off track, but somehow saved it and got back on track. I have no clue how I saved it, but I am grateful for my luck.”
Race 2 did not start much better with Jason dropping back to 11th after getting roughed up in the first 2 turns again. However, once Jason got past some of the riders in front of him and had some clear track, he set off after the next group of riders and was reeling them in by half a second per lap. That would have allowed him to capture a 5th place finish if it had not been for a red flag stopping the race with several laps to go. The race ended early denying Jason a Top 5 finish.
Jason Aguilar: “I had good race pace and was running the pace of the podium finishers on my last lap and had more to give, but my race got cut short due to a red flag. It is too bad, I really wanted a good finish for the team. They worked so hard this season. We learned a lot. We never had time to test this season as I was scrambling to put a team together and secure sponsorship. Now that the team personnel are set for next season, we can start preparing for next season as soon as I get home. I can’t wait for 2020 to start. Thank you to all the sponsors that stepped up to make this season possible, and we are planning an outstanding 2020 season already.”
Big Thanks to All of our Sponsors: RiderzLaw, Lexin, Honos, Torco, CL Auto Group, Moto Station, Graves Motorsports, Metric Method, TaylorMade Racing, Dunlop Tires, Yamaha Motor USA, FTECU, Superlite Sprockets, Motion Pro, Arai Helmets, Mithos USA, Alien Motion Batteries, SBS Brakes, EF Signs, SBK Paint, RFA Designs
More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports:
MotoAmerica: Altus Motorsports Tucker TerpTastick.com VP Lubricants Race Report “Ending on a High Note“ at Barber Motorsports Park
(Birmingham, AL) The MotoAmerica 2019 season wrapped up in Alabama this past weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. The recent repave meant that every rider in every class would be on a learning curve.
Kevin Olmedo (14). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Liqui Moly Junior Cup: Kevin Olmedo’s goal for the weekend was to collect enough points to secure second place in the championship. Barber has been a good track for him in the past, but this weekend he struggled to find a setup that worked with the new surface and the allocated Dunlop tires. He started Race 1 from P3 and held that position for most of the laps. With two laps to go, he was in a large group battling for the final podium spot when a rider crashed directly in front of him. With nowhere to go, Olmedo also ended up on the ground. On Sunday, Kevin was in an epic race-long 6-bike battle for third place. He finished the race in 4th and missed 3rd by only a few hundredths of a second. Olmedo summed up the 2019 season by saying, “It was great. We were consistently fighting for the podium this year. Altus builds a great Ninja400 and the support was amazing. I can’t thank the team enough. And the entire MotoAmerican paddock – it’s like family. It was an amazing year and I cannot wait to come back in 2020.”
Miles Thornton (72). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Stock 1000: Miles Thornton finished the 2019 MotoAmerica season on a high. Building on the confidence and a bike setup from the two previous rounds, Miles managed to qualify in the 6th position on the second row. Unfortunately, off the start of Race 1, he got stuck behind a slower rider and by the time he made the pass, the lead group had pulled a gap. He finished the race in a lonely but respectable 5th. Sunday’s race began in a similar fashion. Thornton got shuffled back to seventh. And, again, it took a few laps to clear the slower traffic, putting him at a four-second deficit to the group fighting for 3rd. All season, Miles has known he has the experience to fight for the podium and this was the final race of the year. With nothing to lose, Thornton put his head down and went for it. From lap 7 to the finish, every lap was faster than the previous as he closed down on the pack ahead of him. His final lap was his fastest of the weekend by almost one second and put him in the race to the line for 3rd place. He crossed in 5th. “Miles really showed what he is made of today. If he had one more lap, at the pace he was running, I think he could have taken that 3rd place,” said team owner George Nassaney. Miles Thornton had this to say: “This was the toughest year of my career for me, personally. But I learned a lot. I’m happy to end on a real positive note and I’m looking forward to next season.”
Lucas Silva (23). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Supersport 600: Lucas Silva spent the practice and qualifying sessions finding a setup for the new Barber track surface. He started Race 1 in P12 and finished in 11th. In Race 2, he started from 11th and grabbed another top 10 finish in 8th. Silva closes out the 2019 season in 11th overall, just 3 points out of the top 10. “The beginning of the year was a bit of a challenge. It was my first year on the Suzuki and I was learning the GSX-R. But after a few rounds, we clicked with the bike and we were consistently fighting for top 10 finishes,” said Lucas Silva.
Jaret Nassaney (59). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Jaret Nassaney’s goal for the final MotoAmerica round was to get back to the pace and confidence he had before his crash at Sonoma. With his wrist still recovering, it was a big ask. Finishing the first practice in 13th was a good sign. And placing 13th and 14th in the two qualifying sessions was confirmation. While his pace was good, Jaret was struggling slightly to find a good race setup with the new pavement and Dunlop tires. Hoping to have grip at the end of the race, he chose the harder option tires for Race 1. Unfortunately, on the second lap, the rear lost traction and quickly spit Nassaney off. Starting from 12th position on Sunday, Jaret and another rider began battling for 9th. In the final laps of the race, they were closing in the distance to the rider ahead of them. With only four laps to go, Jaret had moved into 9th when a red flag reverted the results back to the previous lap, making his official position 10th. Nassaney Finished the season in 14th overall and considers 2019 a ‘breakthrough season’ for him.
“What an amazing way to finish the season. We had a great weekend. Kevin locked down second place in the Junior Cup; Lucas and Jaret both rode great and seeing Miles show what he is truly capable of in the very last race was fantastic. We had a great group of people on the team this year. I want to say ‘thank you’ to MotoAmerica for their continued commitment to our sport. Every season gets better. At Altus, we share that commitment and we plan to be back in 2020 bigger and better than ever,” said George Nassaney.
The Altus Motorsports team is supported by our great family of sponsors: Altus Motorsports, Tucker Powersports ,TerpTastick.com, Conquest CBD, VP Lubricants, RS Taichi, Arai, Moto D, Bonamici, Hotbodies Racing, SBS Brakes, Vortex, Motion Pro, STACYC, Law Tigers Oklahoma, BrakeTech Rotors, M4 Exhaust , Braking Rotors, Yoshimura R & D, Dunlop, Team Hammer, and Altus Factory Racing
More, from a press release issued by Dunlop:
MotoAmerica and American Flat Track Crown Champions
Buffalo, NY: This past weekend saw two racing series crown several champions.
MotoAmerica
The MotoAmerica road race series hosted its double-header finale at the Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama this past weekend.
The big question was who was going to take the Superbike title as championship leader Toni Elias had a slight points cushion over Cameron Beaubier. To win the title, Beaubier needed to win both races, and Elias needed to finish third or worse in both races. That’s exactly what happened. Beaubier won both events, and his teammate Garrett Gerloff finished second both times, giving Beaubier his fourth AMA Superbike championship.
In the penultimate Supersport race of the season, Bobby Fong led from start to finish to clinch the 2019 championship—his first AMA title. Just to prove the point, he ended the season with another win on Sunday.
The Junior Cup class saw 14-year-old phenom Rocco Landers win both races on the weekend to cap off his 2019 championship with his 14th race win out of 17 total races this year.
Young gun Alex Dumas clinched the 2019 Twins Cup Championship at Barber with a third-place finish. Andrew Lee, who locked up the 1000 Stock title earlier this year, ended the season at Barber with double victories, bringing his tally to 8 wins out of 11 races.
American Flat Track
The Minnesota Mile at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, saw Briar Bauman win his first American Flat Track Twins championship. The title didn’t come without high drama. After a high-speed crash involving Bauman in the early laps of the main event brought out the red flag, it was questionable if Bauman’s crew could get his heavily damaged bike back together in time for the restart. They did, and even though he was forced to start from the back row, Bauman raced his way forward, passing nearly the entire field to finish on the podium—for the 15th time this season—and take the championship.
“Several championships went down to the wire this year, and that adds a lot of excitement to MotoAmerica and America Flat Track,” said Mike Buckley, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. “We’re very proud to be the official tire of both these series with road race and flat-track tires made here in Buffalo, New York, and we congratulate all the riders and their crews who worked hard to win championships.”
About Dunlop Motorcycle Tires
Dunlop is the official spec tire of both the MotoAmerica and American Flat Track series, and largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in the U.S.A. For more information, visit www.dunlopmotorcycletires.com.
Kolby Carlile (136). Photo by Andrea Wilson, courtesy of Estenson Racing.
Estenson Racing’s Kolby Carlile once again proved perfect for the second year running at the Minnesota Mile. The 2017 AFT Singles Champion topped the timesheets and won his Semi en route to scoring his second win during his debut season in American Flat Track’s AFT Production Twins Championship.
Carlile feels quite at home on the Mile tracks, especially at Canterbury Park. Last year he had a perfect night in the AFT Singles class, scoring his third win that season and fourth of his career. This year, it took him a session to dial in his machine, but from there on out it was all Carlile. He was the fastest qualifier and dominated his Semi, crossing the line four seconds ahead of his title rival. In the Main Event, he didn’t get the start he was looking for and the race leader was able to build a gap. Undeterred, the “Flying Tomato” put his head down and was able to take the lead around the halfway mark and build a gap of his own to stay undefeated at the Minnesota Mile. The win also helped close the points deficit in the title chase. Carlile heads into the season finale at the Meadowlands Mile just 15 points behind the leader.
His AFT Twins teammate Jake Johnson continued to work on developing the team’s all-new flat track racer, but unfortunately slick track conditions continued to be a challenge. The two-time Grand National Champion was able to take the final spot in his Semi to qualify for the Main Event. As it came time for the final race of the evening, track conditions deteriorated. Looking at the long-term goals, the veteran retired after the race was red-flagged after a multi-rider crash on the first lap.
The Estenson Racing team now heads to New Jersey for the American Flat Track season finale at the Meadowlands Mile on September 28.
Kolby Carlile – AFT Production Twins #136:
“Another perfect day. It feels really good. It’s always really cool when you can put those together. I think I’ve done a few now in my career. I just felt good all day. First practice we were a little off on the bike setup, but we quickly figured that out. The rest of the day we were fastest and felt confident. We won the Semi with a straightaway lead or something like that. In the Main event, Chad (Cose) got a good jump on me. I just started putting down the laps and caught up to him, passed him and dropped him by three seconds and won the thing. The bike was working awesome. I really can’t thank my crew enough. We’re 15 points down from the championship going into the last round. It stinks that I missed a whole race because of my knee injury, but to be able to close the gap to 15 points is cool. I’m going to try and do everything I can to win next weekend. With a little luck on my side, we could still win it. I got nothing to lose so I’m not going to crack under the pressure.”
Jake Johnson — AFT Twins #5:
“It was a little bit of everything. The track was tough, obviously. We just struggled all day, with grip more than anything. I kind of thought coming into this race, the way the weather was and what we heard about track prep, that it was going have a little bit deeper cushion and maybe have some more grip, something to get ahold of. But it was the complete opposite. It was kind of like riding on wet concrete with sand on it, really. I was just trying not to spin 360’s. We kind of hoped for better and had some options coming in, but maybe made the wrong decision by guessing what the track was going to be like. We have some things to try for next week. Something a little different. We’re going to come back fighting and try to close out the season with a good finish.”
More, from another press release issued by Estenson Racing:
Estenson Racing’s AFT Singles Squad Scores Double Podium at the Minnesota Mile
Ryan Wells (94) and Dallas Daniels (163). Photo by Andrea Wilson, courtesy of Estenson Racing.
Estenson Racing’s Ryan Wells and Dallas Daniels finished second and third, respectively, at the penultimate round of American Flat Track’s AFT Singles Championship – the Minnesota Mile.
Wells, who feels quite at home on the Mile tracks, was in his comfort zone. He finished second in both his Heat and Semi. In the Main Event, he didn’t get the start he was hoping for and the leader started to build a healthy gap. The 2016 AFT Singles Champion kept pushing and was able to take the lead in the final laps. It then turned into a thrilling fight to the finish line with Wells coming up just short of his second win of the season by .004 of a second.
Daniels also had a solid day at Canterbury Park. In just the second Mile race of his professional career, the 16-year-old got off to a good start. In the Heat race, he finished behind his teammate in third and made forward strides to win the Semi race, giving him the second gate pick for the Main Event. Although Daniels didn’t quite get the start he was looking for, either, he won a hard-fought battle to cross the line third.
The Estenson Racing team now heads to New Jersey for the American Flat Track season finale at the Meadowlands Mile on September 28.
Ryan Wells — AFT Singles #94:
“I’m so freaking excited to be back on the podium. It’s my first Mile podium on a 450. It was a great day all along and the Main Event was a super fun race. I had to chase down Mikey (Rush) from a-ways back. I thought I had the win in the end, but I came up just a bit short. I can’t wait for next weekend and to be fighting for a win again.”
Dallas Daniels — AFT Singles #163:
“The day started out really well with qualifying. We were up front early on, but had a little struggle in the Heat race and ended up fourth. I was actually able to come back from a bad start and get the win in the Semi and start second in the Main Event. So that was good, a front-row start, but for some reason, I could not get off the line all night. I think I got off the line in sixth or seventh, and in the first corner I was able to pass all the way up to second. By that time, Mikey had pulled out a pretty big gap, at least two or three seconds. My teammate Ryan passed me and he gapped me and caught up to Mikey, so I was trying to hold down third because I really wasn’t catching them. Every time I would get passed, it would be somebody different. One time it was Brandon Kitchen. One time it was Trent Lowe. One time it was Morgen Mischler. Then it was Dalton Gauthier. Dalton got by me on the back straightaway and I was able to hang back a little bit and draft by him at the line and we ended up third. I’m very excited about that.
“It’s obviously really cool to be able to get another podium during my rookie season, a podium period. But it’s really cool for the team, for us to be able to go second and third. Hopefully next weekend we can move up a couple spots.”
Catch the race on NBCSN, September 29 at 7:30 p.m.
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:
TOUGH NIGHT FOR RED BULL KTM AT PENULTIMATE ROUND OF AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP
Dan Bromley (1). Photo courtesy of Red Bull KTM.
Round 17 – American Flat Track Championship – September 23, 2019
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – It was a challenging night for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team as they made their way to Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday for the penultimate round of the 2019 American Flat Track Championship. AFT Singles Championship hopeful Dan Bromley finished 10th overall in the class, while his teammate Shayna Texter rounded out the top-15 for what proved to be a difficult night at the Minnesota Mile.
In qualifying, Bromley earned a fourth-place spot to give himself a favorable start position heading into the evening’s heat races. He took advantage of his position and powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into the lead off the start. He led the first lap and continued to battle for a top position, ultimately finishing third in the heat. In the Semi, Bromley got off to a third-place start and quickly charged into the lead by the second lap. He bounced around inside the top four for the remainder of the race but a close-call in the final laps ultimately dropped him back to a fifth-place finish. In the Main Event, he got off to a great start in third, where he battled inside the top-five early on. He struggled to adapt to the ever-changing track during the 15-lap race and he ultimately dropped a few positions back to finish 10th for the day.
Dan Bromley: “The day started off good, I qualified fourth and finished third in my heat. In the Main Event, I was able to get a great start and battle up front early but with the track changing by the lap, I wasn’t able to find a line that worked best for me. We still have a chance to win the championship. It’s a very small chance but anything’s possible.”
Team rider Shayna Texter had a great start to the day as she claimed pole position for the heat race with a top qualifying time of 42.72. In AFT Singles Heat 1, Texter powered her KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into a top-five position off the start. She immediately passed her way into fourth on lap two, finishing strong with a fourth-place finish. In the Semi, Texter once again got a fifth-place start and battled inside the top-five for the entire eight-lap race, ultimately securing a fourth-place transfer into the Main Event. In the main, she began from the second row and put herself into a top-10 position off the start. She experienced some vision issues early on that dropped her back to 15th and from there, she was forced to play catch-up in a stacked field of riders. She charged as much as she could in the second half of the race but it wasn’t enough to make up her early deficit and she finished 15th overall for the day.
Shayna Texter: “The day started off pretty good, I qualified fastest of everyone and sat on the pole for the heat race, which was great. In the Main Event, I got caught up in the loose dirt and I was struggling to rip off my tear-offs for about three or four laps, so I wasn’t able to see and I lost a bunch of positions in turn one. After that, I was struggling to regroup as I lost the lead draft and I was kind of like a sitting duck riding by myself. It was a rough night on Saturday but we had a great test on Sunday so I’m definitely feeling motivated to try and end this season on top.”
Next Race: September 28, 2019 – Meadowlands Mile – East Rutherford, New Jersey
Biketoberfest® 2019 Motorcycle Racing, Live Music, Bike Shows, Oct. 17-20
More events and information are available at Biketoberfest.org
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (September 24, 2019) – Biketoberfest® 2019 celebrates the adventure and the spirit of today’s motorcycle enthusiast. More than 125,000 motorcycle enthusiasts come together each year to enjoy beautiful Florida weather, live music, motorcycle racing at Daytona International Speedway, and miles of scenic rides along famous A1A, historic Main Street or the scenic Loop during this four-day rally. Come experience the Southeast’s best motorcycle rally Thursday, Oct. 17 through Sunday, Oct. 20 featuring motorcycle shows, custom bike builds and hundreds of the industry’s top vendors throughout Daytona Beach.
The motorcycle rally is supported by GEICO Motorcycle® and promotional sponsors Daytona Beach Racing & Card Club and Southern Stone Communications WHOG 95.7 FM, the official radio station.
From exciting motorcycle racing events to live music, let this list guide you to some of what the Biketoberfest® motorcycle rally has to offer:
OFFICIAL WELCOME CENTER
Official Biketoberfest® Welcome Center presented by GEICO
Oct. 17-20
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17 through Saturday, Oct. 20 and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 21. Be sure to stop by the Official Biketoberfest® Welcome Center presented by GEICO at ONE DAYTONA, directly across from Daytona International Speedway. The Welcome Center will be on the corner of Checkered Flag Boulevard and Daytona Boulevard where rally goers will be able to pick up free official Biketoberfest® pins, posters, poker chips, and visitor information.
DEMO RIDES
Harley Davidson 2020 Models and Exclusive LIVEWIRE™ Demo Rides
Bruce Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona, Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 17-20
Harley-Davidson Factory Demo Truck featuring new 2020 models and exclusive LIVEWIRE™. Test rides tentatively scheduled 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday. Please visit BruceRossmeyer.com or call 386-671-7100 for more information.
MOTORCYCLE RACING
Daytona International Speedway Motorcycle Races
Friday, Oct. 18-Sunday, Oct. 20. Tickets are $10 on Friday and $25/day on Saturday and Sunday. Daily admission also includes access to the UNOH Fanzone, garages, infield and free parking! Fans can also purchase a three-day ticket for $50. Kids 12 and under are FREE all weekend. Friday kicks off with the Team Hammer Riding School and Saturday and Sunday features the Championship Cup Series (CCS) and the American Sportbike Racing Association competing on Daytona’s 3.51-mile road course. For tickets, call 1-800-PITSHOP or visit com. 1801 West International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach.
Florida Fall Classic Motorcycle Race Volusia Speedway Park, Friday, Oct. 18 open practice 2 to 8 p.m. followed by live music; Saturday, Oct. 19 infield pit party 3 to 5:45 p.m., racing starts at 6 p.m.; VIP infield access 5:45 to 9:30 p.m. followed by live music by Little Vicious. Flat Track Futures and Volusia Speedway Parkpresent the inaugural Florida Fall Classic Presented by Dunlop. Two days of youth to expert racing on super fast Volusia Speedway Park’s 1/2 mile track with open practice, infield pit party, VIP infield access and live music both nights.
Billy Lane’s Sons of Speed Vintage Motorcycle Race 2019
New Smyrna Speedway, Friday, Oct. 18, 6 to 8 p.m.
Sons of Speed is a motorcycle race inspired by early 20th-century board-track racing. Featuring stripped-down bikes with pre-1925 American V-Twin engines, Sons of Speed hearkens back to a wide-open, full-throttle, thrilling style of motorcycle racing. Founded by veteran motorcycle builder Billy Lane of Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off and Monster Garage, the Sons of Speed race will feature some of the sport’s most accomplished riders, builders, and enthusiasts at New Smyrna Speedway’s half-mile, paved, banked racetrack.
LIVE MUSIC
Big Engine’s Biketoberfest® 2019 Kick-Off Party
Main Street Station, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Kickstart Biketoberfest® with Big Engine at Main Street Station on the Garage Stage!
Foreigner & Bad Company Tribute Show
Daytona Beach Racing & Card Club, Thursday, Oct.17, 6:15 p.m.
Free live concert by the Ultimate Foreigner and Bad Company tribute band! Vendors, raffles, beer specials, and a grand prize giveaway! Concert starts at 6:15 p.m. Stick around after the concert for 11 spectacular live-action greyhound races, beginning at 8:30 p.m. Bring your bike and get ready to rock out at this Biketoberfest® Bash!
Jasmine Cain
Full Moon Saloon, Friday, Oct. 18, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The rock explosion that is Jasmine Cain takes to the Full Moon Saloon stage on legendary Main Street! Current NIMA (Nashville Industry Music Awards) Best Live Rock Performer, and former Artist of the Year, Alternative Rock Band Nashville’s Music City Mayhem (MCMA) four-time Female Rock Vocalist, Jasmine lives her life through her songs and gypsy spirit like a modern day Janis Joplin.
Live Music at ONE DAYTONA
Directly across from Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, Oct. 17 through Saturday, Oct. 19, 6 to 9 p.m.
Check out free live music at ONE DAYTONA, an entertainment center across from Daytona International Speedway that offers shopping and dining, too. Free parking.
October 17 – The Click (Rock/Classic Rock), 6 to 9 p.m.
October 18 – Greye (Rock/Pop), 6 to 9 p.m.
October 19 – Chad Cribb Band (Rock/Country), 6 to 9 p.m.
Marshall Tucker Band
Iron Horse Saloon, Friday, Oct.18, 9:30 p.m.
Southern-Rock pioneers, the Marshall Tucker Band, make a stop at the World Famous Iron Horse Saloon during Biketoberfest® on their “Through Hell & High Water and Back” tour.
Reverend Horton Heat
Iron Horse Saloon, Saturday, Oct. 19, 9:30 p.m.
The godfather of modern rockabilly and psychobilly, Reverend Horton Heat takes to the World Famous Iron Horse Saloon stage for a free Biketoberfest® concert before heading out on the “Continental Hayride” tour.
WARRANT Live in Concert
Main Street Station, Thursday, Oct. 17, beginning at 8 p.m.
A Biketoberfest® must see show at the Authentic Garage Bar, Main Street Station! Located in the heart of Main Street, experience an incredible show with American glam band and crowd favorite WARRANT. Lead singer Robert Mason will put on a rock show Main Street Station-style at this street wide block party. Free admission to music at the World’s Most Famous Beach bike rally and see loads of music, motorcycles and ride on the beach. Visit MainStreetLive.com for more details or call (386) 214-1388. Stay late for AC/DC Tribute ThunderJack!”
BIKE SHOWS
Big Wheel Women Sound Off and Red Carpet Event
Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach, Friday, Oct. 18, 5 p.m.
Big Wheel Women (BWW) is hosting a Sound Off Rematch and full scale red carpet event at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach. Classes range from lightweight (motorcycles with eight speakers or less) to heavy weight (with 15+ speakers). Tickets are limited and are available on EventBrite.com for $20 in advance.
Boardwalk/Full Throttle Classic Bike Show Daytona Beach Boardwalk, Friday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Biketoberfest® Boardwalk/Full Throttle Classic Bike Show is the best show at the beach! See one-of-a-kind, gorgeous bikes in this beautiful beachfront setting.
Chopper Time Willie’s Tropical Tattoo, Thursday, Oct. 17, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Chopper Time at Willie’s Tropical Tattoo is a happening Biketoberfest® event with lots of artistic original bike builds, live music, and more!
Full Throttle Magazine Bike Show presented by GEICO
Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Oct. 19, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; awards at 5 p.m.
Full Throttle Magazine Bike Show presented by GEICO will take place next to the Harley-Davidson Thunder Alley stage. Trophies will be awarded in 10 categories and a $500 cash prize will be awarded to Best in Show. (Categories include: Bagger, H-D Non-Bagger, Metric, Stock Street, Trike, Antique, Ladies, Paint, Custom/Pro Build and Anything Goes.)
Handbuild Bike Show 2019
Streamline Hotel, Friday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Calling all motorcycle lovers to the Streamline Hotel for the Handbuild Bike Show during Biketoberfest®! Choppers, baggers, bobbers, cafe racers, pre- and post-1975 antique and vintage motorcycles will be represented. The show starts at 10:00 a.m.; judging by “Big Al” takes place from 11:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. and awards will be presented at 3:00 p.m. Enjoy food, drinks, music and more!
Jam-On Productions Motorcycle Swap Meet & Bike Show
Daytona Flea and Farmers Market, Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 17-20, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Daily Wall of Death free shows, Xtreme Fury Stunterz, Dyno tuning, autographs with Top Fuels Nationals Dirt Drag Champion Paul Plummer and more! Enjoy browsing through new and used parts, dealer spots, food and drink, and live music.
Lowdown Hoedown Ride In Bike Show
Last Resort Bar, Saturday, Oct. 19
Sponsored in part by Harley-Davidson, the Lowdown Hoedown Ride In Bike Show is a grassroots show with live music happening during Biketoberfest® at Last Resort Bar in Port Orange.
Rat’s Hole Custom Bike & Chopper Show
Indian Motorcycle Daytona Beach, Saturday, Oct. 19
The longest running bike show in Daytona Beach! 14 classes open to all bikes during Biketoberfest® with special one-of-a-kind Rat trophies for the winners. To enter your bike, visit the website or register before 10 a.m. on the day of the show.
Yaffe’s Baddest Bagger Bike Show
Daytona International Speedway, Friday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Harley-Davidson Thunder Alley at Daytona International Speedway will showcase Yaffe’s Baddest Bagger Bike Show presented by GEICO on Friday, Oct. 18 during Biketoberfest®.
& MORE
Country & Bluegrass Festival Valentine Park, Orange City, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2 to 6 p.m.
Fall is in the air and so is lively music! Come out to Valentine Park for a wonderful Country & Blue Grass Festival benefit. Gates open at 2 p.m. Free to the public with an unwrapped gift for the Toys for Tots Gift Box.
HOG Pin Stop (Harley Owners Group)
Bruce Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona, Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 17-20
The official HOG Pin Stop is exclusively at Bruce Rossmeyer’s Harley-Davidson for Biketoberfest® 2019! Pick up your Harley Owners Group pins inside the showroom during store hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 17 to Saturday, Oct. 19, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20. Please visit BruceRossmeyer.com or call 386-671-7100 for more information.
Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 17-20
Visit the lighthouse, tour the historical museums, learn about lighthouse life over 100 years ago and climb the tallest lighthouse in Florida. Exhibition chronicling the history of motorcycles on the beach on display, noon to 2 p.m., Oct. 17-20. All activities are included with general admission, no reservations required. General admission $6.95 adults, $1.95 children age 2-11. Open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Last admission sold at 5 p.m.
Ruff Ride Poker Run
Halifax Humane Society Dog Park, Thursday, Oct. 17, noon to 5 p.m.
Come out for the Ruff Ride Poker Run! Includes a limited-edition t-shirt, one poker hand, barbeque dinner, and a drink at Iron Horse Saloon. Fabulous prizes will be awarded for the best and worse poker hands.
Second Avenue Merchants Association BikeFest
Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard, Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 17-20
Welcome to this historic location! Join area merchants for DJs, vendors, unique food and lots of fun.
More information, including where to stay, events, and more is available at Biketoberfest.org.
About the Daytona Beach Area and Biketoberfest® Since 1993, Biketoberfest® has drawn hundreds of thousands of riders to its motorcycle rally in Daytona Beach every October. Named by TripAdvisor as one of “10 Most Affordable Beach Vacations on Florida’s East Coast,” Daytona Beach is recognized worldwide for annual events including Bike Week, Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and the DAYTONA 500, and its famed heritage also claims the headquarters of LPGA and NASCAR — and is home to Daytona International Speedway, the ‘World Center of Racing.’ With more than 12,000 rooms, the destination boasts accommodations for all lifestyles and budgets, including campgrounds, B&B’s, hotels, RV parks and resorts, and everything in between. Visit Biketoberfest.org, Facebook.com/Biketoberfest, Instagram.com/BiketoberfestRally, Twitter.com/Biketoberfest, YouTube.com/Biketoberfest to engage with #Biketoberfest.
About GEICO
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company), the second-largest auto insurer in the U.S., was founded in 1936 and insures more than 28 million vehicles. For more than 80 years, the company has worked to make people’s lives better by protecting policyholders against unexpected events. As GEICO has grown, it has delivered money-saving coverage and outstanding customer service to policyholders through its investment in human resources and technology. GEICO is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies. GEICO also provides motorcycle, ATV, RV, homeowners, renters, condo, flood, identity theft and term life coverages through non-affiliated insurance companies secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Inc. Commercial auto and personal umbrella coverages are also available.
GEICO has a national workforce of 40,000 associates. GEICO sales representatives throughout the country are licensed insurance agents in order to help guide customers through coverage decisions. To make changes, report claims, print insurance cards and/or purchase additional products, policyholders can access their insurance policy here, connect via GEICO Mobile or by phone. Sales and service is also available at GEICO Local Offices. Visit www.geico.com for a quote or to learn more.
New guidelines come into force for infractions on the last lap
In previous eras of the Championship, the limits of the track were defined by a wall/barrier, which meant riders had no margin for error. As circuits got safer and run-off areas were created, kerbs were installed to signal the limit of the track. They were also intended to be detrimental for riding on as they were not flat. However, in time, the machines developed and improved, meaning they no longer lost any traction on kerbs.
Therefore, with the aim of improving upon natural grass but without providing good traction, artificial grass was installed on the outside of the kerbs. However, this was found to be dangerous after rain as it wouldn’t dry as fast as the track, causing crashes.
Now, artificial grass has been replaced by a concrete edge, giving the riders a safe margin to be able to push for the limit, make mistakes and fight for positions. However, there are clear advantages to exceeding the limits of the track, and therefore it must be discouraged.
Exceeding track limits means a rider has both tyres outside the track at the same time. If an infraction occurs at any time other than during a race, it results in the cancellation of the sector time and therefore cancellation of the lap. If an infraction occurs during a race, there can be a number of different outcomes.
If the rider loses time and is clearly disadvantaged, no action is taken and it’s not recorded.
Some mistakes are allowed if a loss or gain is indeterminable, but too many incidents are deemed an advantage because the rider is not using the same track as their competitors. If a rider makes three infractions, a warning message is sent to their dash. Once there are five track limit infractions, a Long Lap Penalty is issued via a signal board, with a message sent to the rider’s dashboard as well.
In MotoE™, races are much shorter. Therefore the number of permitted track limit incidents has now been reduced from five to three, with a warning after one.
If the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards deem a rider to have gained a clear advantage in one single track limit infraction, a penalty can be issued. This can vary from a Change of Position, a Time Penalty or a Long Lap Penalty. These instances are recorded but not included in the undetermined count, as a rider will already have been penalised for them.
At the Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragon and following consultation with the Safety Commission, it has been decided to update the protocol for track limit infractions that occur on the last lap of a race.
From now on, an infraction on the last lap that has affected a race result must indicate that the rider in question was disadvantaged by exceeding track limits. If the Stewards deem there is no clear disadvantage, the rider will be penalised with a change of position or a time penalty. This is to ensure that any rider exceeding track limits on the final lap must be in a worse position than the rider or riders with whom they are directly competing for a finish position.
Decisions regarding track limits are the sole responsibility of the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards Panel and are final, with infractions confirmed by video. There is no possibility of protest or appeal.
COSTA MESA, CA – MotoAmerica has announced that it has renewed its agreement with NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) with the network again slated to air the popular one-hour “Inside MotoAmerica” shows for the 2020 MotoAmerica Series.
NBCSN, NBC Sports Group’s dedicated 24/7 linear sports network, will air 11 of the “Inside MotoAmerica” shows with each show being re-aired for a total of 22 hours of coverage in 2020. The shows feature on-track action, interviews and behind-the-scenes features from the previous weekends’ rounds.
“We were very pleased with our “Inside MotoAmerica” shows this season,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “NBC Sports did a great job and we look forward to making the 2020 shows even better. “Inside MotoAmerica” had great ratings for its first season and our new and existing fans were very receptive to the show and its content.”
“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with MotoAmerica for the 2020 season,” said Jeff Macaluso, Senior Director, Program Acquisitions. “It’s a great complement to our “Home of Motorsports” portfolio.”
The complete “Inside MotoAmerica” schedule will be released at a later date.
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Fong Wins Again and Dumas Earns Twins Cup Championship For Team Hammer
Brea, CA — One day after securing the sixth AMA Pro/MotoAmerica National Championship of its illustrious history, Team Hammer added a seventh to its long list of accomplishments as Roadracing World Young Guns Suzuki’s Alex Dumas put the finishing touches on his successful MotoAmerica Twins Cup title campaign in the final race of the 2019 season at Barber Motorsports Park.
Despite entering the day with an imposing points lead and having the option to cruise around for points, Dumas earned the title in impressive fashion. The talented Canadian teenager twice took the holeshot on his Team Hammer-tuned Suzuki SV650 in the once red-flagged and restarted race and promptly went wire-to-wire at the front despite battling a tight four-rider pack for the win.
Although he took the checkered flag first, Dumas was later assessed a one-second penalty for weaving during the final sprint to the stripe. That decision dropped him back from first to third in the final race results, which was still easily enough to earn him the 2019 class crown.
Even without being credited with Sunday’s triumph, Dumas earned five victories on the year and finished on the podium in the final eight races of the 11-race championship.
Dumas said, “The beginning of the season didn’t go how we planned and Team Hammer responded by just making my bike faster and faster all year. And now we have the #1 bike.
“I really want to thank team owners John and Chris Ulrich for this opportunity in the Twins Cup. I also want to give a huge shout out to the whole Team Hammer crew who worked so hard on the bike. I’m a little bummed to end up third today, but that was my mistake. I apologize for that.
“I’m extremely happy about this championship; it really means a lot to me. And I think we’re going to come back even stronger in 2020.”
After locking up his championship on Saturday, 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport champion Bobby Fong was free to push the limits and again demonstrate his pace on his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki in Sunday’s finale.
That pace saw him leave the field in his wake as he lapped almost four tenths faster than his pole time. As a result, Fong broke free from the start and piled up a multi-second advantage in his favor. However, the Californian crashed avoiding a lapped rider with five laps remaining.
That late incident brought out a red flag and the race was ultimately called complete. The official results credited Fong with his final victory of the season. As a result, he ended his remarkable championship campaign with six wins and 14 podiums in a year in which he never took the checkered flag lower than second in any given race.
“I’m happy to get the win,” said Fong. “I felt I was the fastest guy out there today. The pressure was off having locked up the championship on Saturday. I was able to race my own race and I felt good doing my own thing. I crashed when I missed my line getting through lapped traffic and it brought out the red flag. The rules are the rules and we got the win. Sometimes, these things go against you a little bit like they did for us at Daytona and VIR but they went our way today. I’m happy for our team and it is good to close out the year this way.”
MotoAmerica rookie Sean Dylan Kelly officially ended up fourth in the race results despite celebrating on the podium. He also finished fourth in the 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport standings on the strength of two wins and seven podiums.
Kelly said, “We made a pretty big step compared to yesterday. We were struggling all weekend long and crashed in FP1, which didn’t help. We’ve been working really hard.
“I want to thank my crew chief and the whole M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team for all that work and all their patience. They’ve been amazing this year. We picked up a number of podiums and met our goal with a couple of wins in the middle of the season.
“As a rider, we always expect more. But overall, this is my first season and the objective was to learn and I think we learned quite a lot. Every weekend was something new. We have some work to do over the winter, but I learned a lot this season and I’m super grateful for the opportunity.
“It was also great to have Bobby as a teammate. He was doing some incredible lap times out there. I was running almost a second faster than yesterday, and he was just going away from us at the front.”
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis concluded the 2019 MotoAmerica Superbike campaign with a eighth-place result aboard his GSX-R1000 on Sunday. The Kentuckian closed out the season ranked seventh in the premier class with seven top-five results on the year.
Autovest Suzuki’s Joseph Blasius also picked up a top ten for Team Hammer on Sunday with a ninth-place finish in the Twins Cup race. Blasius had surgery to repair a broken right wrist and a broken left metacarpal just three and a half weeks ago but closed out the season with an impressive ride that showed his toughness and dedication. He ended the season seventh in the Twins Cup standings with a podium and four top-fives.
About Team Hammer
The 2019 season marks Team Hammer’s 39th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 83 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 234 times and have won seven AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships. The team has also won 135 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Cameron Beaubier Crowned Champion at MotoAmerica Season Finale in Alabama
Cameron Beaubier (1), the 2019 and four-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion, and his teammate Garrett Gerloff (31). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
The Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team scored the results needed for Cameron Beaubier to retain his number-one plate in a spectacular come-from-behind run for the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. Beaubier and Garrett Gerloff capped off the season in dominant fashion finishing first and second, respectively, at Barber Motorsports Park on September 20-22.
Beaubier had a 16-point deficit going into the season finale. With the cards out of his hands, the reigning Superbike champ was all in for the wins. He also needed his teammate Gerloff to join him on the podium in second for that final push in his late-season charge to the title.
From the start, the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing duo showed speed, topping the timesheets, with Gerloff leading the way on Friday and Beaubier taking Superpole. In race one, the Californian got a great start from pole but was shuffled back to third. His younger teammate put his head down and built a healthy lead up front. On lap six, Beaubier made his move into second and set after the Texan. With five laps remaining, he was able to make the pass into the lead, and the factory bLU cRU riders set a hot pace to cross the line 1-2, over 18 seconds ahead of the competition.
With the championship still in sight, Beaubier lined up again in Sunday’s race hoping for a repeat performance. That nearly went up in a puff of dirt going into the first corner as he was pushed wide into turn one. He recovered but was shuffled back to sixth. As champions do, he kept fighting while Gerloff was once again out front setting the pace. Beaubier was able to move his way through the pack fairly quickly and take the number two spot by lap five. He caught up to his teammate and moved into the lead four laps later. Once again, the pair set a fast pace and kept it on two wheels to get the job done, securing Beaubier’s fourth MotoAmerica Superbike Championship and Yamaha’s 10th AMA Superbike title. It also marked Beaubier’s sixth win of the season and his 17th podium. The cherry on top for a successful weekend was an all-Yamaha YZF-R1 podium with Mathew Scholtz joining the factory riders on the podium.
It was a solid end to an impressive year for the sophomore Superbike rider. The Texan overcame challenges and really hit his stride in the second half of the season. After scoring his first career win in the premier class in race two at Laguna Seca, he backed it up with three more victories and earned a total of 15 podiums to end the year third in the standings.
Tom Halverson Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“I am just so incredibly proud of our entire organization, our riders, crew, supporters and sponsors. This was a really special championship for us. We came in here having to get first and second in both races. Our guys pulled it off. It was just an unbelievable effort. We never gave up. Again, I’m just so proud of everybody. It’s a really emotional victory. Congratulations to Cameron for his fourth Superbike Championship and to Garrett for ending the season on such a high note. Both guys rode so great. They are incredible teammates. Together they brought home this championship for us, so again congratulations to the whole organization.”
Cameron Beaubier Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing
“I did everything I could to stay on the track there (in turn one). Herrin got in there hot and I was on the outside of him. I clipped the dirt a little bit, got shuffled way back and I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I felt so good going into the race because of the pace Garrett and I had yesterday and it felt even better this morning in warmup, so it put me on the back foot right away. I just gave it everything I had to pass all those guys. They were so tough to pass. They’ve been ripping all year. I was so happy I was able to put a little gap on them. I just can’t believe it.
“My teammate helped me out a little bit there at the end without fighting me too much. Hats off to him. He’s been riding incredible. It’s really tough but really rewarding having such a fast teammate like that. It feels so good to keep the number one on my bike for everyone that supports us and especially Yamaha. It really is a big family. I love all of those guys. This one’s definitely for my crew chief, Rick Hobbs. He’s been my crew chief ever since we started on the Superbike together. He’s an amazing crew chief and an even better guy. This one’s for him.”
Garrett Gerloff Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing
“It was awesome. I started off slow. The tires were working great, but it just kind of took me a while to get comfortable on them. I’ve also been having a little bit of an issue with my brakes all weekend, just fading and stuff, so I was kind of fighting that. I’m super happy to be on the podium to finish the season off.
“I’m really happy that Yamaha was able to get the championship today. They’ve been like a family for me since I started road racing. They’ve always had me by their side, so I’m just super happy that they were able to get another championship this year. We had to fight for it. I was hoping a couple races ago that this could have been my championship. I was fighting for it, but I’m so happy for Yamaha, happy for the whole team. These guys work their butts off. Coming into this, we didn’t know what was going to happen so to walk out, coming from so far back to getting the championship, it’s awesome. Congrats to Cameron. Congrats to the whole team.”
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Mathew Scholtz Bounces Back From Saturday Adversity To Finish On The Podium In Sunday’s Superbike Race Two At Barber Motorsports Park
Mathew Scholtz (11) leading Toni Elias (24) at Barber Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Birmingham, AL – September 23, 2019 – The 2019 MotoAmerica season concluded on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park, and in the final Superbike race of the year, Mathew Scholtz piloted the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike to a third-place result, which completed an all-Yamaha podium and brought his tally to 13 top-five finishes out of a total of 20 races this season.
For Mathew and the Westby Racing team, it was a triumphant return to form after a difficult Saturday. In the 15-minute Sunday morning warmup, Mathew was the fifth fastest Superbike rider, which gave the team a much-needed boost heading into the afternoon’s Superbike race two.
Starting from the middle of the third row on the grid, Mathew got a good jump off the line and moved up to fifth on the first lap. He then got shuffled back to ninth, but he went to work and methodically made his way back up to fifth. After the halfway point of the 21-lap race, he moved up to fourth, and then, one lap later, into third, which he maintained all the way to the checkered flag.
“It was definitely good to finish up with a podium,” Mathew said. “Spirits were really low yesterday. The boys were really pumped. I’ve had an up-and-down season. Started off, I wouldn’t say terribly, but nowhere near where we thought. I feel like, the last couple of races, we’ve come on well. Just thank you to the Westby guys. They’ve been working hard. I’m just really happy to be back up here racing. We haven’t signed a contract yet, but 2020 is basically down for us. Just happy to be back here. After last year, things went pretty well but just the normal checkbox on the Yamaha getting everything ready. The Yamaha factory guys stepped up the pace at every single track. They were in a class of their own the last couple races. So I feel like, today, if I maybe could have tagged on with them, I could have followed them, so that gives me huge confidence for next year that we can at least challenge for race wins occasionally. I think that’s the goal for us. To everyone watching back home–my friends, family, my fiancée, everyone–it’s been a dream come true racing here.”
2019 MotoAmerica Superbike Final Standings
1. Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha – 367
2. Toni Elias – Suzuki – 362
3. Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha – 316
6. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 204
For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit https://www.WestbyRacing.com
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More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.:
Heartbreak for Yoshimura Suzuki as Championship Slips Away
A Difficult Weekend in Alabama Costs the Team its Title Hopes
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias (24). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Brea, CA (September 23, 2019) — The 2019 MotoAmerica Superbike season finale will go down as one of supreme disappointment for Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing. Toni Elias, who led the standings nearly the entire season, and had a 16-point advantage coming into the event, suffered a challenging weekend, chasing bike setup all along the way. He managed a podium on Saturday with third, and a fourth-place finish in Sunday’s race, but it wasn’t enough. Elias ended the year second in the standings, losing the title chase by only five points.
In spite of ending the year with a stinging of a loss, Yoshimura Suzuki had a lot to be proud of in 2019. Elias can be proud of the fact that he scored a series-leading seven wins on the season. Teammate Josh Herrin pitched in with two additional wins, giving the team a total of nine wins this year.
Elias also etched his name in the record books this year, moving into a tie for fourth with Miguel Duhamel on the all-time MotoAmerica/AMA Superbike wins list with 32-career wins.
The Suzuki GSX-R1000 and its Superbike predecessors remain the all-time wins and championship leader in MotoAmerica/AMA Superbike Championship history.
Elias displayed his characteristic class even in defeat.
“First of all, I want to congratulate Cameron Beaubier and Yamaha,” Elias said. “They did an amazing end of the season and they deserve this win. For me it is not nice – it’s hard and sad. It will take some days to digest this loss and accept it. We tried hard. We did everything we could. The whole team gave 200 percent. We tried to find grip where there was no grip. I also want to say thank you to my teammate Josh Herrin. He tried to help and did a great job, but it was not enough.
“I’m very proud of my team, every single person. It’s very difficult for them as well, but we must accept that we tried our best and be content with that fact.”
Herrin did an outstanding job in Saturday’s race supporting his teammate as they both battled hard for positions. The former AMA Superbike Champion reflected on the season finale.
“Yesterday was an easier race,” Herrin explained of Saturday’s race one. “We were able to get in a good position and control the race as much as possible. Today I chose a softer tire than everybody else and it chewed up and I wasn’t able to stay with them. I did what I could to help the team in the championship and unfortunately it didn’t go our way. Hopefully we get the opportunity to come back next year, now that we have data with me on the bike from all the tracks, I’m confident we could make a stronger showing.”
Suzuki Motor of America’s Vice President of Motorcycle/ATV Sales and Marketing, Kerry Graeber echoed the sentiments of both riders. “Obviously we’re terribly disappointed to lose the championship, especially since it was within our grasp,” commented Graeber. “That said we’re very proud of our team and the incredibly rich history of the Yoshimura Suzuki partnership. Don Sakakura sets a standard of excellence that is reflected in every member of the team. I and Suzuki are honored to be partners with the Yoshimura organization and the record-setting level of success we have enjoyed together over the many years.”
2019 marked the 41st season of the Suzuki and Yoshimura Superbike partnership. With the nine wins this season, Suzuki adds to its record in All-Time MotoAmerica/AMA Superbike wins reaching 212 victories since the series launched in 1976.
More, from a press release issued by Attack Performance/Estenson Racing Yamaha:
Tough End to the Weekend for Beach at Barber
Attack Performance/Estenson Racing Yamaha’s JD Beach (95) and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis (85) in action in Alabama. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
JD Beach’s race two ended early with a crash in challenging conditions at Barber Motorsports Park, on Sunday, September 21. Although not the end to the year he was hoping for, the Attack Performance Estenson Racing rider finished his debut MotoAmerica Superbike season fourth in the standings.
Beach was looking to build on his top-five finish in race one. Unfortunately, in race two he was struggling to find grip in the hot, greasy conditions on the newly paved track in Leeds, Alabama. He improved from 10th to eighth on the start and was able to maintain that spot for most of the race until he lost the front in turn 16 before the halfway mark.
In spite of the error, Beach was able to finish the year fourth in points with four podiums and a win at VIRginia International Raceway. The dirt track/road racer now sets his sites on the American Flat Track season finale, this weekend, September 28, at the Meadowlands Mile.
JD Beach — MotoAmerica Superbike #95:
“Today was a rough day and not how I wanted to finish the year off on the Superbike. From the start of the race, I just didn’t feel great. The grip for me wasn’t the best and I was moving around a lot. I had a couple issues mid race and lost the lead group. Then in the last right hander, when the turn tightens up, I just got a tiny bit of too much front brake and lost the front. I’m not hurt or anything and I was able to push the bike back. I just feel bad for the team. The team has done an amazing job and it’s been a lot of fun this year. Like I said, it wasn’t how we wanted to finish the season but it’s been a great year with a win and some podiums.”
Untouchable Marquez reels in victory at 200th Grand Prix
Marc Marquez completed a perfect home weekend with a faultless 23-lap race where the World Championship leader delivered on his early weekend domination. Unfortunately teammate Jorge Lorenzo was left wanting more after a difficult race.
With a perfect start, Marc Marquez shot forward and immediately began to open an advantage of half a second after just a few corners, growing to a full second by the end of the first lap. Lapping on average half a second faster than the riders behind him for most of the race saw Marquez quickly build an insurmountable lead, 5.5 seconds clear by mid-race distance.
Viñales managed to gain a few tenths during the middle of the race, but Marquez quickly responded to stabilise the gap. Ultimately unchallenged, Marquez took his 78th career victory from 200 Grand Prix starts by 4.8 seconds in front of his adoring home fans. He now leaves Aragon with a clean 300 World Championship points, 98-points in front of second placed Andrea Dovizioso.
Like his teammate, Jorge Lorenzo charged off the line and soon found himself closing in on the top ten after just a few laps. Lorenzo’s progress continued and he became entangled in a battle with LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami before unfortunately dropping outside of the points. A lack of rear grip after the first laps betrayed Lorenzo’s pace and saw him unable to deliver on the potential he showed at the beginning of the weekend.
The weekend’s results leave Honda 65 points clear of second placed Ducati in the Constructor Championship and as a result of Marquez’s victory, the Repsol Honda Team move to within 24 points of the Ducati Team in the Team Championship.
Both riders and team now begin their preparations for the Thai GP on October 06. The Buriram race marks the start of the most intense part of the MotoGP season with four races in fives weeks and presents Marquez with his first chance to take the 2019 MotoGP World Championship.
Marc Marquez (93).
Marc Marquez
1ST
“I was convinced about my strategy and what I had to do. I had a good feeling from when I left the box, so I knew I could push in the beginning and open a gap of four or five seconds and just keep it there, not pushing too much. I saw at one stage of the race that Viñales closed in a little, so I pushed a little more for two or three laps and I stabilised the advantage. It looked easy but it wasn’t, we have been working hard all weekend to find the limit. It was amazing to win here in front of our home fans so I have to say thank you to them all!”
Jorge Lorenzo (99).
Jorge Lorenzo
20TH
“At the start of the race I was very hopeful of a good result as I made a very strong start and I was quite competitive in the opening laps. Unfortunately I felt a lot of drop on the rear tyre and I struggled for rear grip from early in the race. I tried to manage it by being as smooth as possible, but I dropped back little by little. It’s a pity, I would have rather started the race poorly and finished strong. But still we can take positives as we have learned more about the setting and I was pleased with how some sessions went this weekend. Congratulations to Marc and the Repsol Honda Team for a great win.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA’S ARAGON ASPIRATIONS RESULT IN FOURTH AND EIGHTH PLACE
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales put up a brave fight in today‘s Gran Premio Michelin de Aragón but came just short in maintaining his bid for the podium, finishing the race in fourth place. Valentino Rossi struggled to maintain the 1‘49s pace of the riders in front and ended in eighth place.
4th MAVERICK VIÑALES +5.811 / 23 LAPS
8th VALENTINO ROSSI +23.623 / 23 LAPS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales made the absolute most of his Yamaha‘s nimble character in the first three sectors of the MotorLand Aragón, but he couldn’t keep late chasing rivals at bay, finishing the race just off the podium in fourth place. Valentino Rossi was unable to mix in with the competitors in front. He rode a lonely race, taking eighth place.
Viñales lost just one position, from third to fourth, as he turned into the first tight left corner. He was stalking fellow Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo, knowing he could lap faster than him he was trying to figure out where to make his move. Once he did on lap 5, he was quick to put the pressure on Jack Miller next.
The local hero was pushing to the limit. With 16 laps to go he made a very brave move around the outside of Miller and then pulled away through Turn 10 and 11. Lying in second place with an over 4s gap to the front, Viñales mostly focused on maintaining the margin over the group of five riders behind him. Ultimately only Andrea Dovizioso and Miller were able to keep up. The number-12 rider did everything to fend off the chasing rivals but was unable to do so, finishing the race in fourth place 5.811s from first.
Rossi had a good start from sixth on the grid, maintaining his position, but was struggling to cut through the pack in the first few laps. He lost a place to both Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow and was unable to stay in the 1‘49s after lap 7 due to rear tyre degradation. It soon resulted in a lonely ride for the Doctor, with a 6s-gap to ninth and a growing gap to seventh.
Though the Italian didn‘t find a good rhythm in the latter stages of the race around the Aragon track, he put in a brave ride. Rossi maintained his eighth place as he brought his bike across the finish line. He took the chequered flag with a 23.623s gap to the front.
Today’s fourth place sees Viñales stay fifth in the championship standings, one place ahead of Rossi, with ten points between them. Yamaha remains third in the constructor standings, and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP also stay in third place in the team classification.
Viñales and Rossi next travel to the Chang International Circuit for the PTT Thailand Grand Prix, held from October 4-6.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
“It was an unexpectedly difficult race for us. Maverick and Vale suffered from rear tyre degradation. Valentino already at the beginning and Maverick later on, and in the latter’s case it cost him a podium. Losing a place on the rostrum on the last lap is of course very disappointing. During the practice sessions we never faced these tyre-drop problems, because the time we had didn’t allow us to do a long run. We don’t know if the change was due to the rain that fell yesterday, but anyway it is what it is. It is difficult to accept these results, because we were strong in all the sessions, so finishing off the podium isn’t in line with what we were expecting. Still, compared to last year, our performance over the weekend shows that we are consistently improving, but that said, we still have work to do.”
Maverick Vinales (12).
MAVERICK VIÑALES
“I knew second place was possible today, so I pushed and pushed and pushed, but finally, in the last two laps, the tyre was very much on the limit. I tried my best. I nearly crashed two or three times because of the rear and thought ’OK, today I have to be fourth, that‘s the maximum‘. I‘m actually happy that I was very strong in the middle of the race. At the end I didn‘t have enough grip on the tyres to keep going, but I‘m once again the first Yamaha, which is important to us. I tried to close the door everywhere to Dovi, but in the end it was impossible, on the straight I stood no chance.”
Valentino Rossi (46).
VALENTINO ROSSI
“I knew yesterday it would be difficult to fight for the podium because three or four guys were faster than me, but today was worse because after some laps I had to slow down. I didn‘t have grip and I had some kind of problem with the tyres, it happened a little like it did in Silverstone. To me, it‘s not a problem of the tyres, it‘s our problem. We always struggle with the grip on the rear, and because of this lack of grip we also damage the tyre more, so in the end it was a very difficult race. It looks like everybody on the hard rear tyre had some problems, also the other Yamahas, but more towards the end. I started having problems earlier on. But I don‘t know if we could have done better on the soft, because during the practice the soft wasn‘t very good for our bike.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
GP Michelin de Aragón: superb podium for Andrea Dovizioso, second ahead of the Ducati Pramac of Jack Miller. Danilo Petrucci finishes the race in twelfth place
Andrea Dovizioso scored a podium finish at the Gran Premio Michelin de Aragón after a spectacular comeback through the field, following a row 4 start, that helped him to catch, at the mid point of the race, Miller and Viñales who were fighting for second position. Andrea then passed the Pramac rider and set off after the Spaniard, whom he overtook on lap 21 to finish the race in a superb runner-up slot ahead of Miller.
It was a difficult race for Danilo Petrucci, who started from row 5. The rider from Umbria, who opted to fit a hard rear, moved up to ninth place on lap 8 but in the final stages he suffered a tyre drop and lost several positions, finishing the GP in twelfth.
In the Riders’ standings Andrea Dovizioso remains in second place, 98 points behind leader Marquez, while Danilo Petrucci drops to fourth place, one point behind Rins.
Ducati remains in second place in the Constructors’ classification and the Ducati Team first in the special Teams’ ranking.
Andrea Dovizioso (04).
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 2nd
“It was very important to get back onto the podium after the races at Silverstone and Misano, and so today I’m very happy, especially because of the way in which we were able to get this second place. I started tenth from the fourth row because of a mistake I made in qualifying yesterday, but I knew I had a good pace and on the grid we made the right choice of tyres, going for the soft rear. In the race I was constant right until the very end, I saved my tyres and managed to gain place after place until I could pass Jack and Maverick to finish the GP in second place”.
Danilo Petrucci (9).
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 12th
“It was a very difficult race for me. I tried for a bit to fight in ninth place because I didn’t have the pace of the frontrunners, but towards the end of the race I suffered a drop in the rear tyre and lost some places to finish twelfth. Probably the hard rear was not the best choice and I could do little else than limit the damage. Now we have a short break before leaving for Thailand and we will have to try and understand what is missing so we can get back to being as fast as we were in the first half of the season”.
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:
13TH FOR OLIVEIRA AT ARAGON AS BINDER AND CANET CELEBRATE GRAND PRIX WINS
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira took his Red Bull KTM RC16 to 13th place after 23 intense laps of a bright MotorLand Aragon today. Pol Espargaro sat out the fourteenth Grand Prix of 2019 with a left wrist injury that required surgery Sunday morning. KTM celebrated success at the Gran Premio Michelin de Aragon with Brad Binder victorious in Moto2 and Aron Canet winning in Moto3.
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira defied the discomfort of his weak right shoulder to battle on the fringes of the top ten of the Gran Premio Michelin de Aragon. The Portuguese set an impressive pace after starting from 16th place on the grid and was beaten by just two hundredths of a second in the chase for 12th position by Danilo Petrucci. His classification represented the eighth time the rookie has posted points in the premier class of the FIM World Championship.
Close to opening his account on a comeback to full-time MotoGP racing was Mika Kallio. The Red Bull KTM man circulated just behind Oliveira but felt the pace of his first Grand Prix event in over a year and crossed the finish line in 17th. Hafizh Syahrin was five-spots further back in 21st after running off the track.
Pol Espargaro will spend 24 hours in hospital after his operation to insert a titanium plate on the multi-fragment fracture of the left distal radius and an assessment of the recovery period two days later.
After back-to-back fixtures in Italy and Spain MotoGP now enters a phase of four events outside of Europe. There is a two-day test scheduled at MotorLand this week but then the PTT Thailand Grand Prix at the Chang International Circuit will host round fifteen in a fortnight.
Miguel Oliveira (88) racing with Takaaki Nakagami (30).
Miguel Oliveira: “It was a good race today. We had a decent fight with strong riders; which makes me happy. It was difficult to overtake, especially in the last laps, but I was there fighting. I thought we had the potential for a bit more today but at the same time it was nice to finish the race like this after not scoring the last two rounds. I feel much calmer and more relaxed to approach the upcoming challenges.”
Mika Kallio (82).
Mika Kallio: “My last MotoGP race was a long time ago so it was difficult to find the rhythm and get on the same level as the others. We needed the laps today and I think we did quite OK. Everything can always be better but for the first weekend it was alright and we made kept the mistakes to a minimum. The only disappointing thing was missing out of the points and I think maybe I made a mistake with the tyre choice. I was missing experience with how the soft or the hard would behave. We made good times in tricky conditions and I always like those and I had a good feeling with the bike. Who knows? Maybe we can have a race like that in the rest of the season. We’ll set some target now for the rest of the weekends this year. We’ll see how it goes in Thailand.”
Hafizh Syahrin: “It was a hard race! In the beginning, there were many touches with other riders, going wide and it was difficult to come out of this without any harm. I tried to manage a good rhythm and aimed to try to catch Kallio but in the end in turn 12, I couldn’t stop the bike, so I went onto the gravel and I just came back behind Lorenzo. It was very close but not enough. We have five races more, which is going to be long, but we try everything.”
Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Team Manager: “The first race for Mika and until the second phase it was going pretty well as he could stay with the group near the top ten. Of course he is missing experience with the correct race tyre and strategy but we’re happy with what he did. The rear tyre choice stopped him getting into the points. Miguel had a great race and a big fight with other riders and we’re happy with that performance. We missed Pol and he was performing well this weekend up until the crash but he had successful surgery this morning and we wish him all the best. We have the test on Tuesday and Wednesday now and then we’ll look to Thailand.”
Moto2 & Moto3
In Moto2 – that took place after the MotoGP race due to a schedule change – Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brad Binder rode superbly to front the Grand Prix and escape for his second triumph of the season (and second consecutive year at Aragon). The South African is currently 5th in the championship. Teammate Jorge Martin took 9th place in what is still the Moto3 World Champion’s first term in the intermediate category.
Brad Binder: “The strategy went out window after three laps when I saw small gap at the front so I did my absolute best every lap and tried to limit the mistakes. I knew the end of race would be hard and I was really struggling but I have to give huge thanks to the team for giving the equipment to last the distance and win here.”
Two KTM’s finished on the Moto3 podium with Aron Canet running free to his third victory of the season and seventh top three result to launch straight back into title contention. The Spaniard is just 2 points away from Lorenzo Dalla Porta at the peak of the standings. Dennis Foggia grabbed 3rd position for his second career visit to the podium. Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion Carlos Tatay grabbed 12th on his Grand Prix debut.
Aron Canet: “It was a difficult race actually because my strategy was to push hard at beginning and find a strong rhythm but finally I could take the victory.”
Next race: October 6th, Chang International Circuit, PTT Thailand Grand Prix (THA)
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:
CRUTCHLOW INTO THE TOP SIX IN ARAGON
Cal Crutchlow claimed a fine top-six finish at the Grand Prix of Aragon on Sunday to sign off in impressive style ahead of the flyaway races. The LCR Honda CASTROL rider was pleased with his performance after a difficult weekend at Misano last time out and is looking to take his momentum into the final rounds of the 2019 season.
Having gone second fastest in a damp warm up session, Crutchlow was always looking to be involved towards the front of the field in Sunday’s race. Although the Briton could not get as close to the leaders as he wanted after some early difficulties, a late pass on Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro ensured he moved into the top six and got good reward for his weekend’s work.
Cal Crutchlow (35).
Cal Crutchlow – 6th
“I’m happy with that, I think today was a race we had to finish after last week’s disaster, so to come here and get a good result in Aragon, we’re happy with that. I just lost too much time, I got caught in some stupid battles on the first lap and then in the middle of the race I also ran off the track and lost another couple of seconds. I’m pleased with my pace overall, we didn’t think the race was going to be as fast as that for a start and we also held our pace throughout the race pretty well. I was able to make some good passes and get a top-six here in Aragon.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:
TOP-10 FINISH FOR TAKA IN ARAGON
Takaaki Nakagami battled hard to eventually claim a top-10 finish at the Grand Prix of Aragon on Sunday. Having qualified in place 14th on the grid, the LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider overcame a difficult start to fight his way through the field and secure a creditable result in the last European-based race until the final round of the season at Valencia.
Despite a strong showing in the morning’s damp warm-up session, Taka lost ground at the start of the race as he made an error leaving the starting line. He lost further ground attempting to make an early pass on Danilo Petrucci, but then showed all of his fighting qualities to reel in the Ducati man and get to the front of the group fighting for tenth late on in the race.
Takaaki Nakagami (30).
Takaaki Nakagami – 10th
“It was really tough from the beginning. First of all, I had a big mistake at the start, a big wheelie which I did not expect because our start practice had gone well all weekend. So that made things tough, then I tried to overtake (Danilo) Petrucci but I wasn’t able to stop the bike and ended up going off the track, so I lost another two positions. I tried to come again and keep the pace until the end, but it was a long race because for many laps I was alone. In the end I was able to catch the top ten group, which was Petrucci (Andrea) Iannone and (Miguel) Oliveira, with about three or four laps to go. I did my best and in the end we got a top-10 which isn’t bad, but the pace wasn’t great so we still have room to improve the bike.”
More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha SRT:
Quartararo finishes fifth on up and down day for PETRONAS Yamaha SRT
Fabio Quartararo finishes in a solid fifth place at MotorLand Aragon but Franco Morbidelli taken out of the race
PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team rider Fabio Quartararo has taken a strong top-five finish at the Gran Premio de Aragon, converting second on the grid into another impressive finish. Team-mate Franco Morbidelli had a less fortunate day at the MotorLand Aragon circuit, getting taken out of the race on the opening lap by another rider and failing to finish.
Quartararo made a strong start, running inside the battle for the podium in the early stages before settling into fifth place and holding onto the spot until the chequered flag. Happy with his result and with the hard work from the team all weekend, it means that he retains the lead in both the independent riders’ championship and the rookie of the year contest.
Morbidelli’s race ended before it started when contact from another rider only three-quarters of the way around the opening lap left him in the gravel. Crashing out at turn 12 and unable to convert his strong pace into a result at Aragon, he’s keen to use it as a base to build from next time out in Thailand.
The 2019 MotoGP World Championship continues in two weeks’ time at the Thai Grand Prix, with action getting underway at the Buriram International Circuit on Friday 4th October, ahead of race day on Sunday 6th October.
Franco Morbidelli (21).
Franco Morbidelli
DNF
“We leave Europe for the overseas races with strong results behind us. In MotoGP, we’re still the top independent team and rider, and the result for Fabio today was good in difficult conditions. It was very unfortunate for Franky on the first lap, but we’re looking forward to getting going again. It was a great fight for John in Moto3, still finishing a very good fourth – and jumping to fourth in the championship – despite losing a knee slider. Ayumu had a good result too, even though we hoped for a little more. With five races to go, there’s still lots of time for him to show his potential. In Moto2 as we were hoping to see Adam learning and progressing until he crashed and hurt himself. We leave Europe well-motivated and can’t wait to get to Thailand, Japan, Australia and of course Malaysia.”
Fabio Quartararo (20) leading Maverick Vinales (12).
Fabio Quartararo
5th
“It was a day of mixed fortunes. Franky was really unlucky to be hit by Rins on the first lap. It’s always a drama for a team when you prepare all weekend and then you’re on the floor after half a lap, without any blame for our rider. But that’s racing and luckily he’s unharmed, which is very important for the coming races. Fabio had a stable race, without the result we dreamed for after yesterday’s qualifying – but to finish a difficult race with low grip in fifth isn’t something we can complain about, it’s something to be proud of.”
“Yesterday I showed really strong pace and I was hoping for a good race so it’s very unfortunate what happened on the first lap. We improved the bike this morning and I knew that we could have a nice result, but in turn 12 I was hit by Rins and there was nothing else I could do. He came after the race and told me he was sorry for the mistake, and that he tried to stop but couldn’t. The positive is that we were fast all weekend, so we’ll aim to exploit our strengths when we go to Thailand.”
“Overall we did a really good job at Aragon and I’m pleased with the result because the goal was to finish inside the top five. We were just missing a little bit of grip in the left corners, and we need to analyse the data and see what happened. Our pace was good at the end but just not quite good enough to stay with the guys in front; I gave my 100% to try but I couldn’t manage it. We’re fighting for the top independent rider with Jack [Miller] and it’ll be good to carry that battle on through the overseas races. I’m looking forward to arriving in Thailand because it’s a track that I like even though it’s going to take hard work to be competitive there.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
DAMAGE LIMITATION FOR TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR IN ARAGON
Alex Rins: 9th (+ 27.998)
Joan Mir: 14th (+ 33.363)
Alex Rins recoups to 9th place and regains 3rd in standings.
Unfortunate clash for Joan Mir sees him fight back to 14th.
Difficult day for Team, now focusing on the fly-aways.
After a strong morning Warm-Up session for both Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders, the Team were feeling positive for the 14th race of the season at Motorland Aragon.
Lining up on the grid with the medium-hard tyre combination, the tension was running high for the whole field as clouds closed in and the threat of rain increased.
Joan Mir and Alex Rins launched off the line and were together in the first corners of the 23-lap race. Rins was then involved in an incident with Franco Morbidelli at Turn 12 which saw the Italian crash, and sent Rins into the gravel trap, rejoining in 19th place. Rins then began to recoup his lost positions and was in 12th when Race Direction decided to hand him a long lap penalty for his involvement in Morbidelli’s crash.
The Spaniard promptly took the penalty loop and didn’t lose any further positions thanks to the buffer he had built up. He then began a battle with four riders for 9th place and put in several passes but struggled to hold position, in part due to the damage sustained to the aero package on his GSX-RR on the first lap. Rins was determined to finish well and he fiercely held on to 9th place before the chequered flag, regaining 3rd place in the championship standings.
Mir had been enjoying a strong weekend at one of his favourite circuits, but he struggled to find a good feeling under braking, and this resulted in a tough first part of the race for him. He then settled into a strong pace but incurred some contact from other riders – also reporting damages to his GSX-RR. His struggles continued until the end of the race, where he finished in 14th place.
Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:
“It was a hard race for Suzuki today. Our pace wasn’t bad this weekend, and both riders had good speed. But today both riders were involved with incidents, and we’re sorry that Morbidelli went out of the race. It was not easy for Alex or Joan to continue after the clashes, they lost positions, but I want to thank them because they didn’t give up and they scored points and got the best finishes they could in the circumstances.”
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“We knew it would be a hard race from the beginning, but in the end it was even more difficult than we were expecting. Alex did a really good start and slotted into 8th early on, but then he made a mistake, and we’re so sorry for Morbidelli and his team. Alex then took the long lap penalty because of the incident. It’s a pity because I think he had the pace to fight nearer the front, but it didn’t work out like that. On the plus side he regained 3rd in the championship, which is important. Joan was unlucky today after contact with another rider, but he also collected some points and did well to finish. We hope to recover in Thailand and have a better race for both riders.”
Alex Rins (42) leads a group of riders at Motorland Aragon.
Alex Rins:
“First of all, I want to say sorry to Franky for what happened. I went to see him directly after the race to apologise. It was a difficult day, I had a long lap penalty, which I completely accept, but I then I had to try and fight back through the pack. Anyway, 9th position isn’t too bad given everything that happened during the race. I need to try and improve my qualifying, let’s see what happens in Thailand.”
Joan Mir (36).
Joan Mir:
“The race didn’t work out how I expected at all, and I’m really disappointed about it. On the first laps I went wide several times and I sustained some damage to my bike. I kept trying to recover positions throughout the race and although I took points, this wasn’t the race that we were expecting, and it’s not the result I hoped for. I’m really hoping that Thailand will be better for us, I want to finish well there.”
More, from a press release issued by Michelin:
MICHELIN’S GRAND PRIX SEES A MARQUEZ MASTERCLASS
2019 14 GP Aragon 00530
Michelin’s own Grand Prix at MotorLand Aragon witnessed a dominant weekend’s performance by reigning MotoGP™ champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as he took the spoils during today’s Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragon.
This weekend was the first European circuit to bear the French tyre company’s name, as Michelin changed its race sponsorship to the Spanish venue following three seasons as title sponsor at Phillip Island in Australia and it proved a busy weekend for Michelin as changeable weather around the 5,077m layout meant the whole range of MICHELIN Power Slick and MICHELIN Power Rain tyres were tested at some point over the three-days.
Friday saw almost perfect weather for racing and fast times were produced as the riders worked on set-up in anticipation of today’s race, but overnight rain changed plans and Saturday morning’s Free Practice was wet, giving the riders the opportunity to assess the treaded rubber, should the same conditions arise for race day. The track dried in time for Qualifying and Marquez took pole position, with Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) in second and Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) third. Sunday Morning’s Warm-up again saw rain fall on the Spanish track and although it had dried in time for the race, it meant that the track was quite slippery and gave less grip to the riders than had been expected, meaning the MICHELIN Power Slick tyres had to work to the extremes to create as much adhesion as possible and give the racers the performance and confidence they demanded, as the surface temperature only reached 32°C, because of heavy cloud cover.
Marquez got the holeshot as the lights changed to signal the start of the 23-lap Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragon and pushed hard from the start to make the break, his intent was signalled as he set the fastest lap of the race on only the second circulation. He led for the whole duration and crossed the line almost five-seconds ahead of his nearest rival, a result which gave him his 78th victory from his 200th Grand Prix start and strengthened his lead at the top of the riders’ championship. Following him home was Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), despite stating from tenth on the grid, the Italian carved his way through the field with a battling display to take second, setting a new Best Maximum Speed record in the process as he clocked 346.1Km/h. Third went to Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), as his manoeuvre on the final lap saw him take the final podium place and the position of First Independent Rider. Viñales finished fourth, with Quartararo in fifth. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) crossed the line in sixth, as Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) took the flag for seventh and his best result of the season so far. Eighth went to Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), with Alex Rins (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) ninth and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) rounding out the top-ten.
A crowd of 59,112 gathered trackside to witness live the Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragon, with many millions watching on TV and Internet around the globe. Following today’s trio of races, the top-three in MotoGP, Moto2™ and Moto3™, plus the winning constructor in each category were presented with specially commissioned trophies. These 12 unique pieces were specifically 3D printed for this weekend’s races and reflected the iconic MotorLand Aragon circuit and Michelin tyre patterns in their design. Presented during the three podium ceremonies at Aragon, these trophies were designed and 3D printed in titanium by AddUp (co-owned by Michelin) and Poly-Shape, leaders of the metal 3D printing industry.
Michelin now begins a four-race fly-away tour which will take in Thailand, Japan, Australia and Malaysia over five weekends, with the first of these scheduled for the Chang International Circuit at Buriram in Thailand on Sunday 6th October.
Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team:
“During the whole weekend we did a great job. We were so convinced about our strategy and about what we needed to be fast at this racetrack and I think we worked in a very good way. We chose the best option today as it was cloudier and this made it a difficult decision, but in the end we did a great job and chose the best tyre for the race distance. I am happy because it was possible to be fast with two options of rear tyres today and this gave the chance to all the riders to be in a good way. It was the Michelin Grand Prix and my 200th GP, so I was very happy to win today. I will now just keep going and keep enjoying and this will be my target for the rest of the season.”
“We came to our Grand Prix in a determined manner to set some new records and make this very much our own race and after Friday it looked like that would be the case. We saw some fast times and the track looked like it was in good condition, but then the rain intervened. This took away any of the rubber that had been laid down and made grip a bit more of a premium, not quite as bad as Misano last week, but enough to have a bearing on lap-times. The rain did give us more data for how the tyres perform in the wet and due to this it meant we were able to test every specification of tyre this weekend, so from that point of view it was a positive event. Unfortunately it rained again on Sunday morning and it was cooler and overcast at the start of the race, although the track was completely dry, but this gave the riders a big dilemma as to which rubber to choose and because of this we only saw four options in the race, with most of them favouring the front medium slick and then a split between the soft and hard rear. This weekend has been a very mixed affair with the conditions, but the tyres performed well and gave the control and performance where it was needed. We now head to Thailand and one of the most demanding tracks of the year to start the fly-away tour. We’re all looking forward to these races as it tests us and the tyres to the limit on four very different racetracks.
“I would like to thank all the management and staff from Michelin that came to support us here at Aragon this weekend. It was very pleasing to see so many of them here and to be able to show them around the MotoGP operation and how we work at the racetrack. I hope they had an informative time and enjoyed the show.”
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:
Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragon – RACE
#AragonGP RACE. What a PODIUM Jack! Fantastic race by the Australian who celebrates in Parc Ferme. Pecco finishes in P16
Jack Miller and his team celebrate his third-place finish in parc ferme.
What a fabulous race. Jack Miller takes the third podium of the 2019 season, the most beautiful, conquered with pride, after fighting with Quartararo, Vinales and Dovizioso since the first laps. Jack got off to a great start and was for seven laps in second position before the attack of Vinales and Dovi. The Australian rider did not lose his concentration and remained with the group on the podium until the end. In the last lap Jack makes a masterpiece and overcomes Maverick for a podium finish celebrated by the whole team and that allows Jack to remain in the race for the title of independent rider, 6 points behind Quartararo. Pecco fights first with Lorenzo and Kallio, then from mid-race engages in a nice duel with Mir. The Italian rider closes in 16th position.
P16 – Pecco Bagnaia
It was an interesting race to collect data but not positive in terms of result. We continue to have big traction problems at the rear. We have to figure out how to solve this situation that is limiting us a lot, especially during the race.
P3 – Jack Miller
It was a great race. I tried to stay close to Marquez in the early laps, then I had fun fighting with Quartararo, Dovizioso and Vinales. This is an important result for the team and for Ducati and I thank them for the extraordinary work they’ve done not only this weekend but since the beginning of the season
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
OUTSTANDING TEAM EFFORT FOR THE APRILIAS AT ARAGÓN
ALEIX BATTLES WITH THE TOP TEN AND FINISHES SEVENTH FIVE SECONDS FROM THE PODIUM
ANDREA, SUFFERING WITH PAIN IN HIS SHOULDER, BATTLES AND FINISHES JUST OUTSIDE THE TOP TEN
At Aragón Aprilia takes the best result of the season, with Aleix Espargaró finishing seventh, but close to the leaders, and Andrea Iannone, still suffering with pain in his shoulder after the Misano accident, finishing eleventh.
After the good sessions yesterday that had placed him on the second row, Aleix started off strong, holding onto his position and fending off an attack by Rossi, staying close to the group of top riders battling for podium positions. The battle with Crutchlow for sixth continued all the way to the last lap when Aleix recovered ground, finishing in the Brit’s slipstream but, more importantly, keeping the gap to five and a half seconds behind the second place finisher in a race where the winner – Marquez – was in a race by himself. This is a great result that placed Aleix among the protagonists in the Spanish race and it is an excellent way to head off for the overseas tour.
Throughout the race Andrea had to deal with pain in the left shoulder he injured in Misano. He gritted his teeth and, although having to dose out his strength, he remained consistently in the positions battling for the top ten. He missed it by less than half a second, but after a nice battle where he prevailed over Petrucci precisely on the final lap. The week-long break before flying out to Thailand will be essential for his full physical recovery.
Bradley Smith, in the race with the third RS-GP, finished nineteenth, completing the work he had planned with the Test Team.
Aleix Espargaro (41) leading Cal Crutchlow (35).
ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“Today’s result was good. The team and I gave 100% and we deserve it. At the start, with the fuel tank full, I didn’t have the best feeling with the front end, but things got better and better after a few laps. I had fun. Battling in the leading group is always nice, although the characteristics of the track undoubtedly helped us.”
ANDREA IANNONE
“This weekend I had to grit my teeth and even in the race, the pain in my shoulder forced me to save my energy, especially when grip began to decrease. I am pleased with the team result, but we need to keep working hard, first and foremost, to reduce the gap in acceleration and top speed compared to Aleix. We can’t let this race fool us. This is a track that suits the Aprilia well and we still have a long way to go.”
BRADLEY SMITH
“It was a good day for Aprilia, the result of hard work by everyone. I am happy, first of all, about finishing the race, since in my last wild cards that had not been possible. We took a shot in the dark, starting with an entirely new setting. It was also a functional decision because of the tests we’ll be doing here in a few days, during which we want to give Aleix and Andrea a little extra help for the rest of the season.”
2019 CRA Champion Justin Miest (1). Photo by Jim Sendy, courtesy of CRA.
Nielsen Racing’s Justin Miest Dominates Central Roadracing Association’s Overall Championship.
Brainerd International Raceway
9/20 -9/22
On September 20-22 the Central Roadracing Association hosted its 5th and final event of the 2019 season on the infamous Donnybrooke configuration at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, MN. The event included action packed sprint races, the honorary Framstad Cup (tortoise vs. the hare race in memory of Don Framstad), and an annual 5-hour endurance race.
The talk of the paddock was all about Nielsen Racing’s Justin Miest, who entered round 5 with over a 500 point lead in the Expert championship over runner up Brian Hebeisen of Fisk Bro’s Racing. Miest continued to add to his point total by taking home wins in both Middleweight and Heavyweight superbike expert classes during Saturday’s sprints. He ended the weekend having gained the most points in CRA history and securing the #1 expert plate for the 2019 season.
In the novice ranks, junior racer Brady Fors was in nothing short of excellent form on his beautiful Spears Racing/Podium Finishes Yamaha R3. Brady won all his races in the novice Featherweight and Ultralight classes, and even managing to sneak past expert racers Justin Miest and Brian Rogers on one occasion. By the end of Saturday, Brady had won his 20th race in a row, crowning him the #1 novice plate. He is also 1 of 2 racers to attempt practice during a monsoon which left carnage across the racetrack Saturday morning.
Saturday’s sprints were action packed with exciting wet and dry racing. Expert racers Justin Ebnet and Jordan Imrie took advantage of mother nature’s mishap and braved the VHT covered front straight away to take commanding wins in Middleweight Supersport and Heavyweight Supersport respectively. The Lightweight Superbike and GP classes were dominated by recruited ringer and man from down under, Rennie Scaysbrook. Brian Hebeisen also pulled out a win against MotoAmerica racer and former CRA President Jon Champ in a nail biting finish during Lightweight Supersport. In the big boy Unlimited class, it was a constant swap of domination between friends Jesse Nelson and Jake Schmotter, each taking wins on their beautiful Yamaha R1’s.
Sunday’s Framstad cup is an annual honorary race where the top 3 finishers in all the GP races are eligible to enter. Bikes from varying classes are released from the grid based on their average lap times with the intent that they all cross the finish line at the same time. The race was nothing short of exciting; the Ninja 300’s and Yamaha R3’s were passing the start finish just as the last Unlimited bikes were released, starting them a lap down. In the end it was the Wisconsin native and MotoAmerica Twins Cup racer Daniel Mataczynski that snuck past the Zorbaz pizza slinger Jeff Quam to take the win. Word has it Daniel ran around the paddock in celebration with nothing but a little hat with a dorky spinner on top.
The 5-hour endurance race brought out some amazing talent from all over the globe. Local racer and world traveler Kris Skellenger spared no expense and formulated his motorcycle dream team that was backed by Kramer Motorcycles USA – they ended up taking the win in the GP2 class. The GP3 class showed a valiant effort by team Sand Law PLLC, but their mechanicals left them in 2nd next to Team Hawaii, who not only took the GP3 win, but also the overall win. In GP4, the Schmotter Motion/Cheap Thrills Motorsports guys were expected to win the race but experienced a bit of bad luck at the halfway point when their A bike caught fire, and B bike got sent flying over the wall in turn 1. Luckily everyone from that team was okay and in good spirits. The Riders of Misfit Toys, backed by TenRacing Dunlop Motorcycle Tires took the win in GP4 with team Evil Pumpkin taking a close second place.
The Central Roadracing Association would like to thank all the volunteers that have contributed their time and effort into the season. It couldn’t have been done without them. Thank you.
Pata Yamaha's Alex Lowes (22) and Michael van der Mark (60).
Yamaha Revved up and Ready for the Last European WorldSBK Weekend in Magny-Cours Setup
The Pata Yamaha WorldSBK pairing of Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark head into final European round of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship at Magny-Cours this weekend with their sights set firmly on the podium, as they continue to dispute third place in the championship standings.
The Pata Yamaha WorldSBK pairing of Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark head into final European round of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship at Magny-Cours this weekend with their sights set firmly on the podium, as they continue to dispute third place in the championship standings.
It was Lowes who held the advantage going into the Portimão weekend, only for the Briton, who celebrated his 29th birthday in the week after the Portuguese round, to be demoted to fourth place in the standings by van der Mark, who finished on the podium in WorldSBK Race 1. Lowes bounced back on Sunday, with a podium finish in the Superpole sprint race and a fourth place in WorldSBK Race 2 enough to see him reclaim third place in the standings with a five-point advantage over his teammate.
Van der Mark and Lowes have enjoyed success at Magny-Cours in the past, with the Dutchman finishing on the podium in France in every year except his rookie WorldSBK season, while the Briton joined his teammate on the podium in second place two years ago. Both Pata Yamaha riders head into this weekend determined to add to their podium tally, which currently stands at six for both, including a race win in Jerez for van der Mark.
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK riders, Sandro Cortese and Marco Melandri, are both looking forward to racing at Magny-Cours, a circuit that combines both fast and slow corners with a number of tricky chicanes. Cortese showed last time out in Portimão that he is now fully recovered from the injury sustained before the summer break, with the reigning Supersport World Champion racking up three top ten finishes in Portugal. Cortese is keen to build on these results this weekend in France, even though it will be his first time at Magny-Cours racing a Superbike.
Melandri bounced back from a difficult start to the Portimão weekend to pick up a top-ten finish in both WorldSBK feature races. The veteran Italian is keen to get back to work this weekend in France, at a track that he rates as difficult but well suited to his riding style and one at which he’s won races previously and been a regular podium presence.
Ten Kate Yamaha’s Loris Baz can count on strong support in Magny-Cours this weekend, as he heads home to race in front of the French WorldSBK fans for the first time since returning to the championship in Jerez. Baz, who was unfortunate to crash on oil at last weekend’s Bol d’Or while leading on the YART YZF-R1, is confident he has the pace to challenge for a top-three finish in front of his home crowd in Magny-Cours.
The Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is located in central France, 250km south of Paris. The track was originally built back in 1960 but has been revamped a number of times, most recently in 2003. It is 4.411km long, consists of 17 corners – nine rights and eight lefts – and has a start/finish straight just 250m in length. Most of the corners are modelled on famous turns from other tracks and bear the names of the circuits that inspired them.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“I’m looking forward to getting to Magny-Cours this weekend, for the final European round of the season before heading to the two overseas races in Argentina and Qatar. The weather has been a bit unpredictable in the past, and it looks like it’s going to be the same this weekend, but I’ve enjoyed some good results in all conditions there in the past. The goal this weekend is to challenge for the podium in all three races and give the French fans, who are always so enthusiastic and welcoming, something to cheer about.”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“I can’t quite believe we’re heading to the final European round at Magny-Cours this weekend, the season seems to have flown past! I like the track and I’ve had some decent results there in the past, so I’m looking forward to the weekend ahead. Top-three is the target, as I’m determined to return to the podium after a disappointing Race 2 in Portugal. Hopefully the notoriously changeable weather will be kind to us again this year!”
Sandro Cortese
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“I’m looking forward to heading to Magny-Cours, as it’s a great track. I’ve only raced there once before, last year on the Supersport bike, so it will be new to me on the Superbike. Hopefully the weather will be okay, at least for the two free practice sessions on Friday, to allow me to learn the track as quickly as possible. After a solid weekend last time out in Portimão I can’t wait to return to the track this weekend in France, where I hope I can do the same.”
Marco Melandri
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“Magny-Cours is a really nice track for me; very difficult and technical, with some fast corners, some slow corners and some chicanes that look very similar from the outside but require a very different approach. The weather is traditionally very unpredictable, and the grip can be the same, changing from corner to corner. I hope we can find a stable condition for the weekend, as I think this track will be better for me than Portimão and I’m looking forward to getting started.”
Loris Baz
Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“If there’s a positive to take from the Bol d’Or crash then it’s that it didn’t take as long to recover as it normally would after finishing a 24-hour race. It will be great racing in front of my home crowd in Magny-Cours, although we know from the Bol d’Or test that it will take a few laps in FP1 on Friday to get a feel for the WorldSBK specification R1 and the Pirelli tyres again. The plan for this weekend is the same as it was for Portimão, but we need to ensure we do better in qualifying than we did in Portugal. If we can do that and get a good start in the races, then I think we can fight for a podium finish. Of course, it’s Magny-Cours, so we also need to keep our fingers crossed for good weather, especially as the bad weather seems to be following me around at the moment!”
Kyle Wyman (33) leads Toni Elias (24), Josh Herrin (2) and others during a Superbike race at Barber Motorsports Park.
Kyle Wyman closes out 2019 MotoAmerica season with a Ducati Top-5 finish at Barber Motorsports Park
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Sept. 24) — Kyle Wyman and the KWR Ducati Team closed out the 2019 MotoAmerica Superbike season with a top-5 finish at Barber Motorsports Park this past weekend in Birmingham, Alabama. Wyman bounced back from a 7th place finish on Saturday to battle for fourth spot all the way to the line in Sunday’s final race of the season.
Wyman had a strong start on Friday, posting the 5th fastest time overall on his KATO Fastening/Ducati Richmond Panigale V4 R, carrying momentum from a successful run at New Jersey Motorsports Park just two weeks prior.
“Going into Barber I was feeling more confident from our past few weekends on the bike,” Wyman said. “We’ve made our biggest steps forward over the past few weeks, as my wrist has healed and we’ve made smart decisions on which way to go with the chassis of the Ducati. Fifth overall at Barber to start Friday was exactly what we needed to set the tone for the weekend.”
Wyman qualified 6th fastest in Superpole, securing a spot on the second row of the grid for the third round in a row. The good starting spot would pay dividends, as the Ducati rider got an excellent start in race one to battle in the lead group early on. After a mistake and subsequent drop in pace mid-race, Wyman could only salvage a 7th place finish out of his good start.
“Saturday’s race was a big step for us, despite what the end result looked like,” Wyman said. “We took a lot of positives from our race in that we battled hard with the lead group for the first half of the laps, and learned a lot about what it takes to keep the Panigale close to the front for race distance.”
For race two, the KWR team focused primarily on electronics changes to help Wyman manage the rear tire life mid-race and hold a better lap time to the end of the 21-lap event. Another good start put Wyman in a top-5 spot early on. Wyman lost ground on the top five riders mid-race, but not enough to put him out of the fight. He clawed his way back up to 4th spot to engage in a last-lap battle with then points leader Toni Elias. Elias got the best of Wyman with three corners to go, and was only 0.135 seconds ahead of the Ducati rider at the stripe.
“Sunday’s result was a culmination of our entire season on the new Ducati Panigale V4 R,” Wyman added. “My goal from the start of the season was to run consistently in the top-5 by the end. I feel like these last two weekends have been exactly what I had hoped for, and race two was the perfect way to close out the season. I would have loved to pull out 4th spot on the last lap, but Toni is a former Moto2 world champion and he knows how to get the job done.”
“As I look back on the season, it’s amazing how far we’ve come since Atlanta in April,” Wyman added. “We started with a bone stock bike, and developed it into a top-level Superbike, capable of competing with some of the best in the world. I’m proud of that fact and proud of my team for all the hard work they’ve put in to get us to this point. Our work starts now on 2020, and I can’t wait until our first round at COTA next year where we will be ready to fight for the podium.”
The KWR Ducati Team would like to extend their gratitude to the following weekend title sponsors who contributed in a significant way to the 2019 program — Excelsus Motorsports Graphics, Lucas Oil, SC Project USA, Inde Motorsports Ranch, Genuine Broaster Chicken, Cycle Gear, Ducati Richmond, Lion Fuel and KATO Fastening Systems.
Visit www.kylewymanracing.com for more news and updates.
More, from a press release issued by Scheibe Racing:
Scheibe Racing’s Jake Gagne (32). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
The team was in good spirits heading into the final round of the 2019 MotoAmerica Superbike Se-ries at Barber Motorsports Park. The previous round at New Jersey had once again shown that the Hayes Brakes equipped Scheibe Racing BMW S 1000 RR is fast. Rider Jake Gagne was feeling like himself again as his ankle injury continued to heal and was looking forward to returning to Alabama.
“We were all pretty excited coming into Barber, I think we all had a pretty good idea the bike would like it here.” stated Gagne, after the two qualifying practice sessions on Friday which decided the nine riders advancing to the Superpole session on Saturday. In morning free practice, 1.26 seconds was all that separated the top ten riders as everyone in the field got used to the unique characteristics of the track surface and harder compound Dunlop tires. The 17-turn, 2.38 mile road course, which opened in 2003, recently underwent a complete repave to fix surface and drainage issues which introduced a few new variables for all the teams with the fresh, abrasive surface. In the Superpole session, Jake achieved the best result of the season for grid position finishing the session in fourth. “That was cool, it’s fun to be up there closer to the front of the grid.”
The start of Race one saw a tight group at the front. “I got a pretty bad start and got used up from the second row and lost a couple positions.” After dropping back to seventh, he pulled the bike back up to sixth, with pace to continue pushing forward until an unusual electrical component problem caused the bike’s wheelie control to actuate inappropriately, and Jake lost touch with the lead group but held on to sixth.
Sunday morning the team bounced back and were excited to show the true potential of the BMW, completing the short morning warm up with the team’s fastest lap of the weekend, and third fastest lap of the session. “We were really happy going into the race. I think we knew we would be in the hunt.” He got his best launch of the season at the start in race two, and as the field came back into view of the paddock, heading down into the turn known as Charlotte’s Web, he was in third. On lap four, after being passed by eventual 2019 series Champion Cameron Beaubier, they both passed Josh Herrin to get back into third with the pace to stay there. Then catastrophe struck in turn 13 as the electronic throttle put the bike into “limp mode” forcing the bike to only go idle speeds. “I know we could have had a good race, but regardless, we mad a lot a progress so we have to take the positives.”
It was a good building year for the team. Starting out in Atlanta at the first race upping the game with a new pit setup to learn, a new additional primary sponsor with VP Racing Lubricants, and a new rider recovering from a serious injury – steady progress was made. “We started off slow, I was way behind on my injury and we didn’t get a lot of time on the bike in testing.” Jake slowly but continuously got healthier, and the team worked hard to get the bike dialed in. It was all finally coming together at Barber, and while the last race was a devastating disappointment, it was still a good year. “It’s over now, but you wish you could just restart it and go racing again next weekend. That’s how it goes. We learned a lot and I’m happy with the progress we made.”
We’d like to thank our sponsors, partners, family, friends, and fans for all the support and for cheering us on. None of this would be possible without your contributions to the team. We’re looking forward to the 2020 season.
More, from a press release issued by Aguilar Racing:
RiderzLaw/Aguilar Racing Ends Season With Some Momentum Going Into 2020
Jason Aguilar (96). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Jason Aguilar was looking to end the season on a positive note at Barber Motorsports Park. With injuries, personnel changes, data and setup issues, affecting Jason most of the season, things were starting to look up. The team was making consistent progress and Jason was starting to feel more comfortable on his RiderzLaw/Aguilar Racing Yamaha R6. Earning a 5th place qualifying position in the 2nd qualifying session, Jason had the pace for a good finish. However, a mistake in Race 1 cost Jason several positions, and he was only able to salvage an 8th place finish.
Jason Aguilar: “I changed to a new clutch last round and it really helped my starts. While I got a good launch, I bumped elbows with a rider going into Turn 1 that threw me off my line, and then got my front chopped off by another rider in Turn 2 that set me further back. Then, when I was starting to move up midway through the race, I tucked the front in Turn 1, fell off the side of the bike, ran off track, but somehow saved it and got back on track. I have no clue how I saved it, but I am grateful for my luck.”
Race 2 did not start much better with Jason dropping back to 11th after getting roughed up in the first 2 turns again. However, once Jason got past some of the riders in front of him and had some clear track, he set off after the next group of riders and was reeling them in by half a second per lap. That would have allowed him to capture a 5th place finish if it had not been for a red flag stopping the race with several laps to go. The race ended early denying Jason a Top 5 finish.
Jason Aguilar: “I had good race pace and was running the pace of the podium finishers on my last lap and had more to give, but my race got cut short due to a red flag. It is too bad, I really wanted a good finish for the team. They worked so hard this season. We learned a lot. We never had time to test this season as I was scrambling to put a team together and secure sponsorship. Now that the team personnel are set for next season, we can start preparing for next season as soon as I get home. I can’t wait for 2020 to start. Thank you to all the sponsors that stepped up to make this season possible, and we are planning an outstanding 2020 season already.”
Big Thanks to All of our Sponsors: RiderzLaw, Lexin, Honos, Torco, CL Auto Group, Moto Station, Graves Motorsports, Metric Method, TaylorMade Racing, Dunlop Tires, Yamaha Motor USA, FTECU, Superlite Sprockets, Motion Pro, Arai Helmets, Mithos USA, Alien Motion Batteries, SBS Brakes, EF Signs, SBK Paint, RFA Designs
More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports:
MotoAmerica: Altus Motorsports Tucker TerpTastick.com VP Lubricants Race Report “Ending on a High Note“ at Barber Motorsports Park
(Birmingham, AL) The MotoAmerica 2019 season wrapped up in Alabama this past weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. The recent repave meant that every rider in every class would be on a learning curve.
Kevin Olmedo (14). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Liqui Moly Junior Cup: Kevin Olmedo’s goal for the weekend was to collect enough points to secure second place in the championship. Barber has been a good track for him in the past, but this weekend he struggled to find a setup that worked with the new surface and the allocated Dunlop tires. He started Race 1 from P3 and held that position for most of the laps. With two laps to go, he was in a large group battling for the final podium spot when a rider crashed directly in front of him. With nowhere to go, Olmedo also ended up on the ground. On Sunday, Kevin was in an epic race-long 6-bike battle for third place. He finished the race in 4th and missed 3rd by only a few hundredths of a second. Olmedo summed up the 2019 season by saying, “It was great. We were consistently fighting for the podium this year. Altus builds a great Ninja400 and the support was amazing. I can’t thank the team enough. And the entire MotoAmerican paddock – it’s like family. It was an amazing year and I cannot wait to come back in 2020.”
Miles Thornton (72). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Stock 1000: Miles Thornton finished the 2019 MotoAmerica season on a high. Building on the confidence and a bike setup from the two previous rounds, Miles managed to qualify in the 6th position on the second row. Unfortunately, off the start of Race 1, he got stuck behind a slower rider and by the time he made the pass, the lead group had pulled a gap. He finished the race in a lonely but respectable 5th. Sunday’s race began in a similar fashion. Thornton got shuffled back to seventh. And, again, it took a few laps to clear the slower traffic, putting him at a four-second deficit to the group fighting for 3rd. All season, Miles has known he has the experience to fight for the podium and this was the final race of the year. With nothing to lose, Thornton put his head down and went for it. From lap 7 to the finish, every lap was faster than the previous as he closed down on the pack ahead of him. His final lap was his fastest of the weekend by almost one second and put him in the race to the line for 3rd place. He crossed in 5th. “Miles really showed what he is made of today. If he had one more lap, at the pace he was running, I think he could have taken that 3rd place,” said team owner George Nassaney. Miles Thornton had this to say: “This was the toughest year of my career for me, personally. But I learned a lot. I’m happy to end on a real positive note and I’m looking forward to next season.”
Lucas Silva (23). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Supersport 600: Lucas Silva spent the practice and qualifying sessions finding a setup for the new Barber track surface. He started Race 1 in P12 and finished in 11th. In Race 2, he started from 11th and grabbed another top 10 finish in 8th. Silva closes out the 2019 season in 11th overall, just 3 points out of the top 10. “The beginning of the year was a bit of a challenge. It was my first year on the Suzuki and I was learning the GSX-R. But after a few rounds, we clicked with the bike and we were consistently fighting for top 10 finishes,” said Lucas Silva.
Jaret Nassaney (59). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Jaret Nassaney’s goal for the final MotoAmerica round was to get back to the pace and confidence he had before his crash at Sonoma. With his wrist still recovering, it was a big ask. Finishing the first practice in 13th was a good sign. And placing 13th and 14th in the two qualifying sessions was confirmation. While his pace was good, Jaret was struggling slightly to find a good race setup with the new pavement and Dunlop tires. Hoping to have grip at the end of the race, he chose the harder option tires for Race 1. Unfortunately, on the second lap, the rear lost traction and quickly spit Nassaney off. Starting from 12th position on Sunday, Jaret and another rider began battling for 9th. In the final laps of the race, they were closing in the distance to the rider ahead of them. With only four laps to go, Jaret had moved into 9th when a red flag reverted the results back to the previous lap, making his official position 10th. Nassaney Finished the season in 14th overall and considers 2019 a ‘breakthrough season’ for him.
“What an amazing way to finish the season. We had a great weekend. Kevin locked down second place in the Junior Cup; Lucas and Jaret both rode great and seeing Miles show what he is truly capable of in the very last race was fantastic. We had a great group of people on the team this year. I want to say ‘thank you’ to MotoAmerica for their continued commitment to our sport. Every season gets better. At Altus, we share that commitment and we plan to be back in 2020 bigger and better than ever,” said George Nassaney.
The Altus Motorsports team is supported by our great family of sponsors: Altus Motorsports, Tucker Powersports ,TerpTastick.com, Conquest CBD, VP Lubricants, RS Taichi, Arai, Moto D, Bonamici, Hotbodies Racing, SBS Brakes, Vortex, Motion Pro, STACYC, Law Tigers Oklahoma, BrakeTech Rotors, M4 Exhaust , Braking Rotors, Yoshimura R & D, Dunlop, Team Hammer, and Altus Factory Racing
More, from a press release issued by Dunlop:
MotoAmerica and American Flat Track Crown Champions
Buffalo, NY: This past weekend saw two racing series crown several champions.
MotoAmerica
The MotoAmerica road race series hosted its double-header finale at the Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama this past weekend.
The big question was who was going to take the Superbike title as championship leader Toni Elias had a slight points cushion over Cameron Beaubier. To win the title, Beaubier needed to win both races, and Elias needed to finish third or worse in both races. That’s exactly what happened. Beaubier won both events, and his teammate Garrett Gerloff finished second both times, giving Beaubier his fourth AMA Superbike championship.
In the penultimate Supersport race of the season, Bobby Fong led from start to finish to clinch the 2019 championship—his first AMA title. Just to prove the point, he ended the season with another win on Sunday.
The Junior Cup class saw 14-year-old phenom Rocco Landers win both races on the weekend to cap off his 2019 championship with his 14th race win out of 17 total races this year.
Young gun Alex Dumas clinched the 2019 Twins Cup Championship at Barber with a third-place finish. Andrew Lee, who locked up the 1000 Stock title earlier this year, ended the season at Barber with double victories, bringing his tally to 8 wins out of 11 races.
American Flat Track
The Minnesota Mile at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, saw Briar Bauman win his first American Flat Track Twins championship. The title didn’t come without high drama. After a high-speed crash involving Bauman in the early laps of the main event brought out the red flag, it was questionable if Bauman’s crew could get his heavily damaged bike back together in time for the restart. They did, and even though he was forced to start from the back row, Bauman raced his way forward, passing nearly the entire field to finish on the podium—for the 15th time this season—and take the championship.
“Several championships went down to the wire this year, and that adds a lot of excitement to MotoAmerica and America Flat Track,” said Mike Buckley, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. “We’re very proud to be the official tire of both these series with road race and flat-track tires made here in Buffalo, New York, and we congratulate all the riders and their crews who worked hard to win championships.”
About Dunlop Motorcycle Tires
Dunlop is the official spec tire of both the MotoAmerica and American Flat Track series, and largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in the U.S.A. For more information, visit www.dunlopmotorcycletires.com.
Shayna Texter (52) leading Ryan Wells (94) at the Minnesota Mile. Photo courtesy of Red Bull KTM.
Kolby Carlile Stays Perfect at the Minnesota Mile
Kolby Carlile (136). Photo by Andrea Wilson, courtesy of Estenson Racing.
Estenson Racing’s Kolby Carlile once again proved perfect for the second year running at the Minnesota Mile. The 2017 AFT Singles Champion topped the timesheets and won his Semi en route to scoring his second win during his debut season in American Flat Track’s AFT Production Twins Championship.
Carlile feels quite at home on the Mile tracks, especially at Canterbury Park. Last year he had a perfect night in the AFT Singles class, scoring his third win that season and fourth of his career. This year, it took him a session to dial in his machine, but from there on out it was all Carlile. He was the fastest qualifier and dominated his Semi, crossing the line four seconds ahead of his title rival. In the Main Event, he didn’t get the start he was looking for and the race leader was able to build a gap. Undeterred, the “Flying Tomato” put his head down and was able to take the lead around the halfway mark and build a gap of his own to stay undefeated at the Minnesota Mile. The win also helped close the points deficit in the title chase. Carlile heads into the season finale at the Meadowlands Mile just 15 points behind the leader.
His AFT Twins teammate Jake Johnson continued to work on developing the team’s all-new flat track racer, but unfortunately slick track conditions continued to be a challenge. The two-time Grand National Champion was able to take the final spot in his Semi to qualify for the Main Event. As it came time for the final race of the evening, track conditions deteriorated. Looking at the long-term goals, the veteran retired after the race was red-flagged after a multi-rider crash on the first lap.
The Estenson Racing team now heads to New Jersey for the American Flat Track season finale at the Meadowlands Mile on September 28.
Kolby Carlile – AFT Production Twins #136:
“Another perfect day. It feels really good. It’s always really cool when you can put those together. I think I’ve done a few now in my career. I just felt good all day. First practice we were a little off on the bike setup, but we quickly figured that out. The rest of the day we were fastest and felt confident. We won the Semi with a straightaway lead or something like that. In the Main event, Chad (Cose) got a good jump on me. I just started putting down the laps and caught up to him, passed him and dropped him by three seconds and won the thing. The bike was working awesome. I really can’t thank my crew enough. We’re 15 points down from the championship going into the last round. It stinks that I missed a whole race because of my knee injury, but to be able to close the gap to 15 points is cool. I’m going to try and do everything I can to win next weekend. With a little luck on my side, we could still win it. I got nothing to lose so I’m not going to crack under the pressure.”
Jake Johnson — AFT Twins #5:
“It was a little bit of everything. The track was tough, obviously. We just struggled all day, with grip more than anything. I kind of thought coming into this race, the way the weather was and what we heard about track prep, that it was going have a little bit deeper cushion and maybe have some more grip, something to get ahold of. But it was the complete opposite. It was kind of like riding on wet concrete with sand on it, really. I was just trying not to spin 360’s. We kind of hoped for better and had some options coming in, but maybe made the wrong decision by guessing what the track was going to be like. We have some things to try for next week. Something a little different. We’re going to come back fighting and try to close out the season with a good finish.”
More, from another press release issued by Estenson Racing:
Estenson Racing’s AFT Singles Squad Scores Double Podium at the Minnesota Mile
Ryan Wells (94) and Dallas Daniels (163). Photo by Andrea Wilson, courtesy of Estenson Racing.
Estenson Racing’s Ryan Wells and Dallas Daniels finished second and third, respectively, at the penultimate round of American Flat Track’s AFT Singles Championship – the Minnesota Mile.
Wells, who feels quite at home on the Mile tracks, was in his comfort zone. He finished second in both his Heat and Semi. In the Main Event, he didn’t get the start he was hoping for and the leader started to build a healthy gap. The 2016 AFT Singles Champion kept pushing and was able to take the lead in the final laps. It then turned into a thrilling fight to the finish line with Wells coming up just short of his second win of the season by .004 of a second.
Daniels also had a solid day at Canterbury Park. In just the second Mile race of his professional career, the 16-year-old got off to a good start. In the Heat race, he finished behind his teammate in third and made forward strides to win the Semi race, giving him the second gate pick for the Main Event. Although Daniels didn’t quite get the start he was looking for, either, he won a hard-fought battle to cross the line third.
The Estenson Racing team now heads to New Jersey for the American Flat Track season finale at the Meadowlands Mile on September 28.
Ryan Wells — AFT Singles #94:
“I’m so freaking excited to be back on the podium. It’s my first Mile podium on a 450. It was a great day all along and the Main Event was a super fun race. I had to chase down Mikey (Rush) from a-ways back. I thought I had the win in the end, but I came up just a bit short. I can’t wait for next weekend and to be fighting for a win again.”
Dallas Daniels — AFT Singles #163:
“The day started out really well with qualifying. We were up front early on, but had a little struggle in the Heat race and ended up fourth. I was actually able to come back from a bad start and get the win in the Semi and start second in the Main Event. So that was good, a front-row start, but for some reason, I could not get off the line all night. I think I got off the line in sixth or seventh, and in the first corner I was able to pass all the way up to second. By that time, Mikey had pulled out a pretty big gap, at least two or three seconds. My teammate Ryan passed me and he gapped me and caught up to Mikey, so I was trying to hold down third because I really wasn’t catching them. Every time I would get passed, it would be somebody different. One time it was Brandon Kitchen. One time it was Trent Lowe. One time it was Morgen Mischler. Then it was Dalton Gauthier. Dalton got by me on the back straightaway and I was able to hang back a little bit and draft by him at the line and we ended up third. I’m very excited about that.
“It’s obviously really cool to be able to get another podium during my rookie season, a podium period. But it’s really cool for the team, for us to be able to go second and third. Hopefully next weekend we can move up a couple spots.”
Catch the race on NBCSN, September 29 at 7:30 p.m.
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:
TOUGH NIGHT FOR RED BULL KTM AT PENULTIMATE ROUND OF AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP
Dan Bromley (1). Photo courtesy of Red Bull KTM.
Round 17 – American Flat Track Championship – September 23, 2019
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – It was a challenging night for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team as they made their way to Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday for the penultimate round of the 2019 American Flat Track Championship. AFT Singles Championship hopeful Dan Bromley finished 10th overall in the class, while his teammate Shayna Texter rounded out the top-15 for what proved to be a difficult night at the Minnesota Mile.
In qualifying, Bromley earned a fourth-place spot to give himself a favorable start position heading into the evening’s heat races. He took advantage of his position and powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into the lead off the start. He led the first lap and continued to battle for a top position, ultimately finishing third in the heat. In the Semi, Bromley got off to a third-place start and quickly charged into the lead by the second lap. He bounced around inside the top four for the remainder of the race but a close-call in the final laps ultimately dropped him back to a fifth-place finish. In the Main Event, he got off to a great start in third, where he battled inside the top-five early on. He struggled to adapt to the ever-changing track during the 15-lap race and he ultimately dropped a few positions back to finish 10th for the day.
Dan Bromley: “The day started off good, I qualified fourth and finished third in my heat. In the Main Event, I was able to get a great start and battle up front early but with the track changing by the lap, I wasn’t able to find a line that worked best for me. We still have a chance to win the championship. It’s a very small chance but anything’s possible.”
Team rider Shayna Texter had a great start to the day as she claimed pole position for the heat race with a top qualifying time of 42.72. In AFT Singles Heat 1, Texter powered her KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into a top-five position off the start. She immediately passed her way into fourth on lap two, finishing strong with a fourth-place finish. In the Semi, Texter once again got a fifth-place start and battled inside the top-five for the entire eight-lap race, ultimately securing a fourth-place transfer into the Main Event. In the main, she began from the second row and put herself into a top-10 position off the start. She experienced some vision issues early on that dropped her back to 15th and from there, she was forced to play catch-up in a stacked field of riders. She charged as much as she could in the second half of the race but it wasn’t enough to make up her early deficit and she finished 15th overall for the day.
Shayna Texter: “The day started off pretty good, I qualified fastest of everyone and sat on the pole for the heat race, which was great. In the Main Event, I got caught up in the loose dirt and I was struggling to rip off my tear-offs for about three or four laps, so I wasn’t able to see and I lost a bunch of positions in turn one. After that, I was struggling to regroup as I lost the lead draft and I was kind of like a sitting duck riding by myself. It was a rough night on Saturday but we had a great test on Sunday so I’m definitely feeling motivated to try and end this season on top.”
Next Race: September 28, 2019 – Meadowlands Mile – East Rutherford, New Jersey
Daytona International Speedway. Photo courtesy Daytona International Speedway.
Biketoberfest® 2019 Motorcycle Racing, Live Music, Bike Shows, Oct. 17-20
More events and information are available at Biketoberfest.org
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (September 24, 2019) – Biketoberfest® 2019 celebrates the adventure and the spirit of today’s motorcycle enthusiast. More than 125,000 motorcycle enthusiasts come together each year to enjoy beautiful Florida weather, live music, motorcycle racing at Daytona International Speedway, and miles of scenic rides along famous A1A, historic Main Street or the scenic Loop during this four-day rally. Come experience the Southeast’s best motorcycle rally Thursday, Oct. 17 through Sunday, Oct. 20 featuring motorcycle shows, custom bike builds and hundreds of the industry’s top vendors throughout Daytona Beach.
The motorcycle rally is supported by GEICO Motorcycle® and promotional sponsors Daytona Beach Racing & Card Club and Southern Stone Communications WHOG 95.7 FM, the official radio station.
From exciting motorcycle racing events to live music, let this list guide you to some of what the Biketoberfest® motorcycle rally has to offer:
OFFICIAL WELCOME CENTER
Official Biketoberfest® Welcome Center presented by GEICO
Oct. 17-20
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17 through Saturday, Oct. 20 and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 21. Be sure to stop by the Official Biketoberfest® Welcome Center presented by GEICO at ONE DAYTONA, directly across from Daytona International Speedway. The Welcome Center will be on the corner of Checkered Flag Boulevard and Daytona Boulevard where rally goers will be able to pick up free official Biketoberfest® pins, posters, poker chips, and visitor information.
DEMO RIDES
Harley Davidson 2020 Models and Exclusive LIVEWIRE™ Demo Rides
Bruce Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona, Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 17-20
Harley-Davidson Factory Demo Truck featuring new 2020 models and exclusive LIVEWIRE™. Test rides tentatively scheduled 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday. Please visit BruceRossmeyer.com or call 386-671-7100 for more information.
MOTORCYCLE RACING
Daytona International Speedway Motorcycle Races
Friday, Oct. 18-Sunday, Oct. 20. Tickets are $10 on Friday and $25/day on Saturday and Sunday. Daily admission also includes access to the UNOH Fanzone, garages, infield and free parking! Fans can also purchase a three-day ticket for $50. Kids 12 and under are FREE all weekend. Friday kicks off with the Team Hammer Riding School and Saturday and Sunday features the Championship Cup Series (CCS) and the American Sportbike Racing Association competing on Daytona’s 3.51-mile road course. For tickets, call 1-800-PITSHOP or visit com. 1801 West International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach.
Florida Fall Classic Motorcycle Race Volusia Speedway Park, Friday, Oct. 18 open practice 2 to 8 p.m. followed by live music; Saturday, Oct. 19 infield pit party 3 to 5:45 p.m., racing starts at 6 p.m.; VIP infield access 5:45 to 9:30 p.m. followed by live music by Little Vicious. Flat Track Futures and Volusia Speedway Parkpresent the inaugural Florida Fall Classic Presented by Dunlop. Two days of youth to expert racing on super fast Volusia Speedway Park’s 1/2 mile track with open practice, infield pit party, VIP infield access and live music both nights.
Billy Lane’s Sons of Speed Vintage Motorcycle Race 2019
New Smyrna Speedway, Friday, Oct. 18, 6 to 8 p.m.
Sons of Speed is a motorcycle race inspired by early 20th-century board-track racing. Featuring stripped-down bikes with pre-1925 American V-Twin engines, Sons of Speed hearkens back to a wide-open, full-throttle, thrilling style of motorcycle racing. Founded by veteran motorcycle builder Billy Lane of Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off and Monster Garage, the Sons of Speed race will feature some of the sport’s most accomplished riders, builders, and enthusiasts at New Smyrna Speedway’s half-mile, paved, banked racetrack.
LIVE MUSIC
Big Engine’s Biketoberfest® 2019 Kick-Off Party
Main Street Station, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Kickstart Biketoberfest® with Big Engine at Main Street Station on the Garage Stage!
Foreigner & Bad Company Tribute Show
Daytona Beach Racing & Card Club, Thursday, Oct.17, 6:15 p.m.
Free live concert by the Ultimate Foreigner and Bad Company tribute band! Vendors, raffles, beer specials, and a grand prize giveaway! Concert starts at 6:15 p.m. Stick around after the concert for 11 spectacular live-action greyhound races, beginning at 8:30 p.m. Bring your bike and get ready to rock out at this Biketoberfest® Bash!
Jasmine Cain
Full Moon Saloon, Friday, Oct. 18, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The rock explosion that is Jasmine Cain takes to the Full Moon Saloon stage on legendary Main Street! Current NIMA (Nashville Industry Music Awards) Best Live Rock Performer, and former Artist of the Year, Alternative Rock Band Nashville’s Music City Mayhem (MCMA) four-time Female Rock Vocalist, Jasmine lives her life through her songs and gypsy spirit like a modern day Janis Joplin.
Live Music at ONE DAYTONA
Directly across from Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, Oct. 17 through Saturday, Oct. 19, 6 to 9 p.m.
Check out free live music at ONE DAYTONA, an entertainment center across from Daytona International Speedway that offers shopping and dining, too. Free parking.
October 17 – The Click (Rock/Classic Rock), 6 to 9 p.m.
October 18 – Greye (Rock/Pop), 6 to 9 p.m.
October 19 – Chad Cribb Band (Rock/Country), 6 to 9 p.m.
Marshall Tucker Band
Iron Horse Saloon, Friday, Oct.18, 9:30 p.m.
Southern-Rock pioneers, the Marshall Tucker Band, make a stop at the World Famous Iron Horse Saloon during Biketoberfest® on their “Through Hell & High Water and Back” tour.
Reverend Horton Heat
Iron Horse Saloon, Saturday, Oct. 19, 9:30 p.m.
The godfather of modern rockabilly and psychobilly, Reverend Horton Heat takes to the World Famous Iron Horse Saloon stage for a free Biketoberfest® concert before heading out on the “Continental Hayride” tour.
WARRANT Live in Concert
Main Street Station, Thursday, Oct. 17, beginning at 8 p.m.
A Biketoberfest® must see show at the Authentic Garage Bar, Main Street Station! Located in the heart of Main Street, experience an incredible show with American glam band and crowd favorite WARRANT. Lead singer Robert Mason will put on a rock show Main Street Station-style at this street wide block party. Free admission to music at the World’s Most Famous Beach bike rally and see loads of music, motorcycles and ride on the beach. Visit MainStreetLive.com for more details or call (386) 214-1388. Stay late for AC/DC Tribute ThunderJack!”
BIKE SHOWS
Big Wheel Women Sound Off and Red Carpet Event
Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach, Friday, Oct. 18, 5 p.m.
Big Wheel Women (BWW) is hosting a Sound Off Rematch and full scale red carpet event at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach. Classes range from lightweight (motorcycles with eight speakers or less) to heavy weight (with 15+ speakers). Tickets are limited and are available on EventBrite.com for $20 in advance.
Boardwalk/Full Throttle Classic Bike Show Daytona Beach Boardwalk, Friday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Biketoberfest® Boardwalk/Full Throttle Classic Bike Show is the best show at the beach! See one-of-a-kind, gorgeous bikes in this beautiful beachfront setting.
Chopper Time Willie’s Tropical Tattoo, Thursday, Oct. 17, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Chopper Time at Willie’s Tropical Tattoo is a happening Biketoberfest® event with lots of artistic original bike builds, live music, and more!
Full Throttle Magazine Bike Show presented by GEICO
Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Oct. 19, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; awards at 5 p.m.
Full Throttle Magazine Bike Show presented by GEICO will take place next to the Harley-Davidson Thunder Alley stage. Trophies will be awarded in 10 categories and a $500 cash prize will be awarded to Best in Show. (Categories include: Bagger, H-D Non-Bagger, Metric, Stock Street, Trike, Antique, Ladies, Paint, Custom/Pro Build and Anything Goes.)
Handbuild Bike Show 2019
Streamline Hotel, Friday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Calling all motorcycle lovers to the Streamline Hotel for the Handbuild Bike Show during Biketoberfest®! Choppers, baggers, bobbers, cafe racers, pre- and post-1975 antique and vintage motorcycles will be represented. The show starts at 10:00 a.m.; judging by “Big Al” takes place from 11:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. and awards will be presented at 3:00 p.m. Enjoy food, drinks, music and more!
Jam-On Productions Motorcycle Swap Meet & Bike Show
Daytona Flea and Farmers Market, Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 17-20, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Daily Wall of Death free shows, Xtreme Fury Stunterz, Dyno tuning, autographs with Top Fuels Nationals Dirt Drag Champion Paul Plummer and more! Enjoy browsing through new and used parts, dealer spots, food and drink, and live music.
Lowdown Hoedown Ride In Bike Show
Last Resort Bar, Saturday, Oct. 19
Sponsored in part by Harley-Davidson, the Lowdown Hoedown Ride In Bike Show is a grassroots show with live music happening during Biketoberfest® at Last Resort Bar in Port Orange.
Rat’s Hole Custom Bike & Chopper Show
Indian Motorcycle Daytona Beach, Saturday, Oct. 19
The longest running bike show in Daytona Beach! 14 classes open to all bikes during Biketoberfest® with special one-of-a-kind Rat trophies for the winners. To enter your bike, visit the website or register before 10 a.m. on the day of the show.
Yaffe’s Baddest Bagger Bike Show
Daytona International Speedway, Friday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Harley-Davidson Thunder Alley at Daytona International Speedway will showcase Yaffe’s Baddest Bagger Bike Show presented by GEICO on Friday, Oct. 18 during Biketoberfest®.
& MORE
Country & Bluegrass Festival Valentine Park, Orange City, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2 to 6 p.m.
Fall is in the air and so is lively music! Come out to Valentine Park for a wonderful Country & Blue Grass Festival benefit. Gates open at 2 p.m. Free to the public with an unwrapped gift for the Toys for Tots Gift Box.
HOG Pin Stop (Harley Owners Group)
Bruce Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona, Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 17-20
The official HOG Pin Stop is exclusively at Bruce Rossmeyer’s Harley-Davidson for Biketoberfest® 2019! Pick up your Harley Owners Group pins inside the showroom during store hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 17 to Saturday, Oct. 19, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20. Please visit BruceRossmeyer.com or call 386-671-7100 for more information.
Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 17-20
Visit the lighthouse, tour the historical museums, learn about lighthouse life over 100 years ago and climb the tallest lighthouse in Florida. Exhibition chronicling the history of motorcycles on the beach on display, noon to 2 p.m., Oct. 17-20. All activities are included with general admission, no reservations required. General admission $6.95 adults, $1.95 children age 2-11. Open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Last admission sold at 5 p.m.
Ruff Ride Poker Run
Halifax Humane Society Dog Park, Thursday, Oct. 17, noon to 5 p.m.
Come out for the Ruff Ride Poker Run! Includes a limited-edition t-shirt, one poker hand, barbeque dinner, and a drink at Iron Horse Saloon. Fabulous prizes will be awarded for the best and worse poker hands.
Second Avenue Merchants Association BikeFest
Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard, Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 17-20
Welcome to this historic location! Join area merchants for DJs, vendors, unique food and lots of fun.
More information, including where to stay, events, and more is available at Biketoberfest.org.
About the Daytona Beach Area and Biketoberfest® Since 1993, Biketoberfest® has drawn hundreds of thousands of riders to its motorcycle rally in Daytona Beach every October. Named by TripAdvisor as one of “10 Most Affordable Beach Vacations on Florida’s East Coast,” Daytona Beach is recognized worldwide for annual events including Bike Week, Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and the DAYTONA 500, and its famed heritage also claims the headquarters of LPGA and NASCAR — and is home to Daytona International Speedway, the ‘World Center of Racing.’ With more than 12,000 rooms, the destination boasts accommodations for all lifestyles and budgets, including campgrounds, B&B’s, hotels, RV parks and resorts, and everything in between. Visit Biketoberfest.org, Facebook.com/Biketoberfest, Instagram.com/BiketoberfestRally, Twitter.com/Biketoberfest, YouTube.com/Biketoberfest to engage with #Biketoberfest.
About GEICO
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company), the second-largest auto insurer in the U.S., was founded in 1936 and insures more than 28 million vehicles. For more than 80 years, the company has worked to make people’s lives better by protecting policyholders against unexpected events. As GEICO has grown, it has delivered money-saving coverage and outstanding customer service to policyholders through its investment in human resources and technology. GEICO is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies. GEICO also provides motorcycle, ATV, RV, homeowners, renters, condo, flood, identity theft and term life coverages through non-affiliated insurance companies secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Inc. Commercial auto and personal umbrella coverages are also available.
GEICO has a national workforce of 40,000 associates. GEICO sales representatives throughout the country are licensed insurance agents in order to help guide customers through coverage decisions. To make changes, report claims, print insurance cards and/or purchase additional products, policyholders can access their insurance policy here, connect via GEICO Mobile or by phone. Sales and service is also available at GEICO Local Offices. Visit www.geico.com for a quote or to learn more.
New sensors around the track will automatically detect when riders exceed the track limits. Photo courtesy of Dorna.
FIM MotoGP™ Stewards update track limits protocol
New guidelines come into force for infractions on the last lap
In previous eras of the Championship, the limits of the track were defined by a wall/barrier, which meant riders had no margin for error. As circuits got safer and run-off areas were created, kerbs were installed to signal the limit of the track. They were also intended to be detrimental for riding on as they were not flat. However, in time, the machines developed and improved, meaning they no longer lost any traction on kerbs.
Therefore, with the aim of improving upon natural grass but without providing good traction, artificial grass was installed on the outside of the kerbs. However, this was found to be dangerous after rain as it wouldn’t dry as fast as the track, causing crashes.
Now, artificial grass has been replaced by a concrete edge, giving the riders a safe margin to be able to push for the limit, make mistakes and fight for positions. However, there are clear advantages to exceeding the limits of the track, and therefore it must be discouraged.
Exceeding track limits means a rider has both tyres outside the track at the same time. If an infraction occurs at any time other than during a race, it results in the cancellation of the sector time and therefore cancellation of the lap. If an infraction occurs during a race, there can be a number of different outcomes.
If the rider loses time and is clearly disadvantaged, no action is taken and it’s not recorded.
Some mistakes are allowed if a loss or gain is indeterminable, but too many incidents are deemed an advantage because the rider is not using the same track as their competitors. If a rider makes three infractions, a warning message is sent to their dash. Once there are five track limit infractions, a Long Lap Penalty is issued via a signal board, with a message sent to the rider’s dashboard as well.
In MotoE™, races are much shorter. Therefore the number of permitted track limit incidents has now been reduced from five to three, with a warning after one.
If the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards deem a rider to have gained a clear advantage in one single track limit infraction, a penalty can be issued. This can vary from a Change of Position, a Time Penalty or a Long Lap Penalty. These instances are recorded but not included in the undetermined count, as a rider will already have been penalised for them.
At the Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragon and following consultation with the Safety Commission, it has been decided to update the protocol for track limit infractions that occur on the last lap of a race.
From now on, an infraction on the last lap that has affected a race result must indicate that the rider in question was disadvantaged by exceeding track limits. If the Stewards deem there is no clear disadvantage, the rider will be penalised with a change of position or a time penalty. This is to ensure that any rider exceeding track limits on the final lap must be in a worse position than the rider or riders with whom they are directly competing for a finish position.
Decisions regarding track limits are the sole responsibility of the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards Panel and are final, with infractions confirmed by video. There is no possibility of protest or appeal.
MotoAmerica is returning to NBC Sports in 2020. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
MotoAmerica Renews Deal With NBC Sports Network
“Inside MotoAmerica” Back For 2020
COSTA MESA, CA – MotoAmerica has announced that it has renewed its agreement with NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) with the network again slated to air the popular one-hour “Inside MotoAmerica” shows for the 2020 MotoAmerica Series.
NBCSN, NBC Sports Group’s dedicated 24/7 linear sports network, will air 11 of the “Inside MotoAmerica” shows with each show being re-aired for a total of 22 hours of coverage in 2020. The shows feature on-track action, interviews and behind-the-scenes features from the previous weekends’ rounds.
“We were very pleased with our “Inside MotoAmerica” shows this season,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “NBC Sports did a great job and we look forward to making the 2020 shows even better. “Inside MotoAmerica” had great ratings for its first season and our new and existing fans were very receptive to the show and its content.”
“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with MotoAmerica for the 2020 season,” said Jeff Macaluso, Senior Director, Program Acquisitions. “It’s a great complement to our “Home of Motorsports” portfolio.”
The complete “Inside MotoAmerica” schedule will be released at a later date.
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Bobby Fong (#50) earns the 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Title aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600.
Fong Wins Again and Dumas Earns Twins Cup Championship For Team Hammer
Brea, CA — One day after securing the sixth AMA Pro/MotoAmerica National Championship of its illustrious history, Team Hammer added a seventh to its long list of accomplishments as Roadracing World Young Guns Suzuki’s Alex Dumas put the finishing touches on his successful MotoAmerica Twins Cup title campaign in the final race of the 2019 season at Barber Motorsports Park.
Despite entering the day with an imposing points lead and having the option to cruise around for points, Dumas earned the title in impressive fashion. The talented Canadian teenager twice took the holeshot on his Team Hammer-tuned Suzuki SV650 in the once red-flagged and restarted race and promptly went wire-to-wire at the front despite battling a tight four-rider pack for the win.
Although he took the checkered flag first, Dumas was later assessed a one-second penalty for weaving during the final sprint to the stripe. That decision dropped him back from first to third in the final race results, which was still easily enough to earn him the 2019 class crown.
Even without being credited with Sunday’s triumph, Dumas earned five victories on the year and finished on the podium in the final eight races of the 11-race championship.
Dumas said, “The beginning of the season didn’t go how we planned and Team Hammer responded by just making my bike faster and faster all year. And now we have the #1 bike.
“I really want to thank team owners John and Chris Ulrich for this opportunity in the Twins Cup. I also want to give a huge shout out to the whole Team Hammer crew who worked so hard on the bike. I’m a little bummed to end up third today, but that was my mistake. I apologize for that.
“I’m extremely happy about this championship; it really means a lot to me. And I think we’re going to come back even stronger in 2020.”
After locking up his championship on Saturday, 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport champion Bobby Fong was free to push the limits and again demonstrate his pace on his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki in Sunday’s finale.
That pace saw him leave the field in his wake as he lapped almost four tenths faster than his pole time. As a result, Fong broke free from the start and piled up a multi-second advantage in his favor. However, the Californian crashed avoiding a lapped rider with five laps remaining.
That late incident brought out a red flag and the race was ultimately called complete. The official results credited Fong with his final victory of the season. As a result, he ended his remarkable championship campaign with six wins and 14 podiums in a year in which he never took the checkered flag lower than second in any given race.
“I’m happy to get the win,” said Fong. “I felt I was the fastest guy out there today. The pressure was off having locked up the championship on Saturday. I was able to race my own race and I felt good doing my own thing. I crashed when I missed my line getting through lapped traffic and it brought out the red flag. The rules are the rules and we got the win. Sometimes, these things go against you a little bit like they did for us at Daytona and VIR but they went our way today. I’m happy for our team and it is good to close out the year this way.”
MotoAmerica rookie Sean Dylan Kelly officially ended up fourth in the race results despite celebrating on the podium. He also finished fourth in the 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport standings on the strength of two wins and seven podiums.
Kelly said, “We made a pretty big step compared to yesterday. We were struggling all weekend long and crashed in FP1, which didn’t help. We’ve been working really hard.
“I want to thank my crew chief and the whole M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team for all that work and all their patience. They’ve been amazing this year. We picked up a number of podiums and met our goal with a couple of wins in the middle of the season.
“As a rider, we always expect more. But overall, this is my first season and the objective was to learn and I think we learned quite a lot. Every weekend was something new. We have some work to do over the winter, but I learned a lot this season and I’m super grateful for the opportunity.
“It was also great to have Bobby as a teammate. He was doing some incredible lap times out there. I was running almost a second faster than yesterday, and he was just going away from us at the front.”
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis concluded the 2019 MotoAmerica Superbike campaign with a eighth-place result aboard his GSX-R1000 on Sunday. The Kentuckian closed out the season ranked seventh in the premier class with seven top-five results on the year.
Autovest Suzuki’s Joseph Blasius also picked up a top ten for Team Hammer on Sunday with a ninth-place finish in the Twins Cup race. Blasius had surgery to repair a broken right wrist and a broken left metacarpal just three and a half weeks ago but closed out the season with an impressive ride that showed his toughness and dedication. He ended the season seventh in the Twins Cup standings with a podium and four top-fives.
About Team Hammer
The 2019 season marks Team Hammer’s 39th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 83 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 234 times and have won seven AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships. The team has also won 135 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Cameron Beaubier Crowned Champion at MotoAmerica Season Finale in Alabama
Cameron Beaubier (1), the 2019 and four-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion, and his teammate Garrett Gerloff (31). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
The Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team scored the results needed for Cameron Beaubier to retain his number-one plate in a spectacular come-from-behind run for the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. Beaubier and Garrett Gerloff capped off the season in dominant fashion finishing first and second, respectively, at Barber Motorsports Park on September 20-22.
Beaubier had a 16-point deficit going into the season finale. With the cards out of his hands, the reigning Superbike champ was all in for the wins. He also needed his teammate Gerloff to join him on the podium in second for that final push in his late-season charge to the title.
From the start, the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing duo showed speed, topping the timesheets, with Gerloff leading the way on Friday and Beaubier taking Superpole. In race one, the Californian got a great start from pole but was shuffled back to third. His younger teammate put his head down and built a healthy lead up front. On lap six, Beaubier made his move into second and set after the Texan. With five laps remaining, he was able to make the pass into the lead, and the factory bLU cRU riders set a hot pace to cross the line 1-2, over 18 seconds ahead of the competition.
With the championship still in sight, Beaubier lined up again in Sunday’s race hoping for a repeat performance. That nearly went up in a puff of dirt going into the first corner as he was pushed wide into turn one. He recovered but was shuffled back to sixth. As champions do, he kept fighting while Gerloff was once again out front setting the pace. Beaubier was able to move his way through the pack fairly quickly and take the number two spot by lap five. He caught up to his teammate and moved into the lead four laps later. Once again, the pair set a fast pace and kept it on two wheels to get the job done, securing Beaubier’s fourth MotoAmerica Superbike Championship and Yamaha’s 10th AMA Superbike title. It also marked Beaubier’s sixth win of the season and his 17th podium. The cherry on top for a successful weekend was an all-Yamaha YZF-R1 podium with Mathew Scholtz joining the factory riders on the podium.
It was a solid end to an impressive year for the sophomore Superbike rider. The Texan overcame challenges and really hit his stride in the second half of the season. After scoring his first career win in the premier class in race two at Laguna Seca, he backed it up with three more victories and earned a total of 15 podiums to end the year third in the standings.
Tom Halverson Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“I am just so incredibly proud of our entire organization, our riders, crew, supporters and sponsors. This was a really special championship for us. We came in here having to get first and second in both races. Our guys pulled it off. It was just an unbelievable effort. We never gave up. Again, I’m just so proud of everybody. It’s a really emotional victory. Congratulations to Cameron for his fourth Superbike Championship and to Garrett for ending the season on such a high note. Both guys rode so great. They are incredible teammates. Together they brought home this championship for us, so again congratulations to the whole organization.”
Cameron Beaubier Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing
“I did everything I could to stay on the track there (in turn one). Herrin got in there hot and I was on the outside of him. I clipped the dirt a little bit, got shuffled way back and I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I felt so good going into the race because of the pace Garrett and I had yesterday and it felt even better this morning in warmup, so it put me on the back foot right away. I just gave it everything I had to pass all those guys. They were so tough to pass. They’ve been ripping all year. I was so happy I was able to put a little gap on them. I just can’t believe it.
“My teammate helped me out a little bit there at the end without fighting me too much. Hats off to him. He’s been riding incredible. It’s really tough but really rewarding having such a fast teammate like that. It feels so good to keep the number one on my bike for everyone that supports us and especially Yamaha. It really is a big family. I love all of those guys. This one’s definitely for my crew chief, Rick Hobbs. He’s been my crew chief ever since we started on the Superbike together. He’s an amazing crew chief and an even better guy. This one’s for him.”
Garrett Gerloff Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing
“It was awesome. I started off slow. The tires were working great, but it just kind of took me a while to get comfortable on them. I’ve also been having a little bit of an issue with my brakes all weekend, just fading and stuff, so I was kind of fighting that. I’m super happy to be on the podium to finish the season off.
“I’m really happy that Yamaha was able to get the championship today. They’ve been like a family for me since I started road racing. They’ve always had me by their side, so I’m just super happy that they were able to get another championship this year. We had to fight for it. I was hoping a couple races ago that this could have been my championship. I was fighting for it, but I’m so happy for Yamaha, happy for the whole team. These guys work their butts off. Coming into this, we didn’t know what was going to happen so to walk out, coming from so far back to getting the championship, it’s awesome. Congrats to Cameron. Congrats to the whole team.”
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Mathew Scholtz Bounces Back From Saturday Adversity To Finish On The Podium In Sunday’s Superbike Race Two At Barber Motorsports Park
Mathew Scholtz (11) leading Toni Elias (24) at Barber Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Birmingham, AL – September 23, 2019 – The 2019 MotoAmerica season concluded on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park, and in the final Superbike race of the year, Mathew Scholtz piloted the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike to a third-place result, which completed an all-Yamaha podium and brought his tally to 13 top-five finishes out of a total of 20 races this season.
For Mathew and the Westby Racing team, it was a triumphant return to form after a difficult Saturday. In the 15-minute Sunday morning warmup, Mathew was the fifth fastest Superbike rider, which gave the team a much-needed boost heading into the afternoon’s Superbike race two.
Starting from the middle of the third row on the grid, Mathew got a good jump off the line and moved up to fifth on the first lap. He then got shuffled back to ninth, but he went to work and methodically made his way back up to fifth. After the halfway point of the 21-lap race, he moved up to fourth, and then, one lap later, into third, which he maintained all the way to the checkered flag.
“It was definitely good to finish up with a podium,” Mathew said. “Spirits were really low yesterday. The boys were really pumped. I’ve had an up-and-down season. Started off, I wouldn’t say terribly, but nowhere near where we thought. I feel like, the last couple of races, we’ve come on well. Just thank you to the Westby guys. They’ve been working hard. I’m just really happy to be back up here racing. We haven’t signed a contract yet, but 2020 is basically down for us. Just happy to be back here. After last year, things went pretty well but just the normal checkbox on the Yamaha getting everything ready. The Yamaha factory guys stepped up the pace at every single track. They were in a class of their own the last couple races. So I feel like, today, if I maybe could have tagged on with them, I could have followed them, so that gives me huge confidence for next year that we can at least challenge for race wins occasionally. I think that’s the goal for us. To everyone watching back home–my friends, family, my fiancée, everyone–it’s been a dream come true racing here.”
2019 MotoAmerica Superbike Final Standings
1. Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha – 367
2. Toni Elias – Suzuki – 362
3. Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha – 316
6. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 204
For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit https://www.WestbyRacing.com
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.:
Heartbreak for Yoshimura Suzuki as Championship Slips Away
A Difficult Weekend in Alabama Costs the Team its Title Hopes
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias (24). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Brea, CA (September 23, 2019) — The 2019 MotoAmerica Superbike season finale will go down as one of supreme disappointment for Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing. Toni Elias, who led the standings nearly the entire season, and had a 16-point advantage coming into the event, suffered a challenging weekend, chasing bike setup all along the way. He managed a podium on Saturday with third, and a fourth-place finish in Sunday’s race, but it wasn’t enough. Elias ended the year second in the standings, losing the title chase by only five points.
In spite of ending the year with a stinging of a loss, Yoshimura Suzuki had a lot to be proud of in 2019. Elias can be proud of the fact that he scored a series-leading seven wins on the season. Teammate Josh Herrin pitched in with two additional wins, giving the team a total of nine wins this year.
Elias also etched his name in the record books this year, moving into a tie for fourth with Miguel Duhamel on the all-time MotoAmerica/AMA Superbike wins list with 32-career wins.
The Suzuki GSX-R1000 and its Superbike predecessors remain the all-time wins and championship leader in MotoAmerica/AMA Superbike Championship history.
Elias displayed his characteristic class even in defeat.
“First of all, I want to congratulate Cameron Beaubier and Yamaha,” Elias said. “They did an amazing end of the season and they deserve this win. For me it is not nice – it’s hard and sad. It will take some days to digest this loss and accept it. We tried hard. We did everything we could. The whole team gave 200 percent. We tried to find grip where there was no grip. I also want to say thank you to my teammate Josh Herrin. He tried to help and did a great job, but it was not enough.
“I’m very proud of my team, every single person. It’s very difficult for them as well, but we must accept that we tried our best and be content with that fact.”
Herrin did an outstanding job in Saturday’s race supporting his teammate as they both battled hard for positions. The former AMA Superbike Champion reflected on the season finale.
“Yesterday was an easier race,” Herrin explained of Saturday’s race one. “We were able to get in a good position and control the race as much as possible. Today I chose a softer tire than everybody else and it chewed up and I wasn’t able to stay with them. I did what I could to help the team in the championship and unfortunately it didn’t go our way. Hopefully we get the opportunity to come back next year, now that we have data with me on the bike from all the tracks, I’m confident we could make a stronger showing.”
Suzuki Motor of America’s Vice President of Motorcycle/ATV Sales and Marketing, Kerry Graeber echoed the sentiments of both riders. “Obviously we’re terribly disappointed to lose the championship, especially since it was within our grasp,” commented Graeber. “That said we’re very proud of our team and the incredibly rich history of the Yoshimura Suzuki partnership. Don Sakakura sets a standard of excellence that is reflected in every member of the team. I and Suzuki are honored to be partners with the Yoshimura organization and the record-setting level of success we have enjoyed together over the many years.”
2019 marked the 41st season of the Suzuki and Yoshimura Superbike partnership. With the nine wins this season, Suzuki adds to its record in All-Time MotoAmerica/AMA Superbike wins reaching 212 victories since the series launched in 1976.
More, from a press release issued by Attack Performance/Estenson Racing Yamaha:
Tough End to the Weekend for Beach at Barber
Attack Performance/Estenson Racing Yamaha’s JD Beach (95) and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis (85) in action in Alabama. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
JD Beach’s race two ended early with a crash in challenging conditions at Barber Motorsports Park, on Sunday, September 21. Although not the end to the year he was hoping for, the Attack Performance Estenson Racing rider finished his debut MotoAmerica Superbike season fourth in the standings.
Beach was looking to build on his top-five finish in race one. Unfortunately, in race two he was struggling to find grip in the hot, greasy conditions on the newly paved track in Leeds, Alabama. He improved from 10th to eighth on the start and was able to maintain that spot for most of the race until he lost the front in turn 16 before the halfway mark.
In spite of the error, Beach was able to finish the year fourth in points with four podiums and a win at VIRginia International Raceway. The dirt track/road racer now sets his sites on the American Flat Track season finale, this weekend, September 28, at the Meadowlands Mile.
JD Beach — MotoAmerica Superbike #95:
“Today was a rough day and not how I wanted to finish the year off on the Superbike. From the start of the race, I just didn’t feel great. The grip for me wasn’t the best and I was moving around a lot. I had a couple issues mid race and lost the lead group. Then in the last right hander, when the turn tightens up, I just got a tiny bit of too much front brake and lost the front. I’m not hurt or anything and I was able to push the bike back. I just feel bad for the team. The team has done an amazing job and it’s been a lot of fun this year. Like I said, it wasn’t how we wanted to finish the season but it’s been a great year with a win and some podiums.”
The start of the 2019 MotoGP race at Motorland Aragon. Photo courtesy of Michelin.
Untouchable Marquez reels in victory at 200th Grand Prix
Marc Marquez completed a perfect home weekend with a faultless 23-lap race where the World Championship leader delivered on his early weekend domination. Unfortunately teammate Jorge Lorenzo was left wanting more after a difficult race.
With a perfect start, Marc Marquez shot forward and immediately began to open an advantage of half a second after just a few corners, growing to a full second by the end of the first lap. Lapping on average half a second faster than the riders behind him for most of the race saw Marquez quickly build an insurmountable lead, 5.5 seconds clear by mid-race distance.
Viñales managed to gain a few tenths during the middle of the race, but Marquez quickly responded to stabilise the gap. Ultimately unchallenged, Marquez took his 78th career victory from 200 Grand Prix starts by 4.8 seconds in front of his adoring home fans. He now leaves Aragon with a clean 300 World Championship points, 98-points in front of second placed Andrea Dovizioso.
Like his teammate, Jorge Lorenzo charged off the line and soon found himself closing in on the top ten after just a few laps. Lorenzo’s progress continued and he became entangled in a battle with LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami before unfortunately dropping outside of the points. A lack of rear grip after the first laps betrayed Lorenzo’s pace and saw him unable to deliver on the potential he showed at the beginning of the weekend.
The weekend’s results leave Honda 65 points clear of second placed Ducati in the Constructor Championship and as a result of Marquez’s victory, the Repsol Honda Team move to within 24 points of the Ducati Team in the Team Championship.
Both riders and team now begin their preparations for the Thai GP on October 06. The Buriram race marks the start of the most intense part of the MotoGP season with four races in fives weeks and presents Marquez with his first chance to take the 2019 MotoGP World Championship.
Marc Marquez (93).
Marc Marquez
1ST
“I was convinced about my strategy and what I had to do. I had a good feeling from when I left the box, so I knew I could push in the beginning and open a gap of four or five seconds and just keep it there, not pushing too much. I saw at one stage of the race that Viñales closed in a little, so I pushed a little more for two or three laps and I stabilised the advantage. It looked easy but it wasn’t, we have been working hard all weekend to find the limit. It was amazing to win here in front of our home fans so I have to say thank you to them all!”
Jorge Lorenzo (99).
Jorge Lorenzo
20TH
“At the start of the race I was very hopeful of a good result as I made a very strong start and I was quite competitive in the opening laps. Unfortunately I felt a lot of drop on the rear tyre and I struggled for rear grip from early in the race. I tried to manage it by being as smooth as possible, but I dropped back little by little. It’s a pity, I would have rather started the race poorly and finished strong. But still we can take positives as we have learned more about the setting and I was pleased with how some sessions went this weekend. Congratulations to Marc and the Repsol Honda Team for a great win.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA’S ARAGON ASPIRATIONS RESULT IN FOURTH AND EIGHTH PLACE
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales put up a brave fight in today‘s Gran Premio Michelin de Aragón but came just short in maintaining his bid for the podium, finishing the race in fourth place. Valentino Rossi struggled to maintain the 1‘49s pace of the riders in front and ended in eighth place.
4th MAVERICK VIÑALES +5.811 / 23 LAPS
8th VALENTINO ROSSI +23.623 / 23 LAPS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales made the absolute most of his Yamaha‘s nimble character in the first three sectors of the MotorLand Aragón, but he couldn’t keep late chasing rivals at bay, finishing the race just off the podium in fourth place. Valentino Rossi was unable to mix in with the competitors in front. He rode a lonely race, taking eighth place.
Viñales lost just one position, from third to fourth, as he turned into the first tight left corner. He was stalking fellow Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo, knowing he could lap faster than him he was trying to figure out where to make his move. Once he did on lap 5, he was quick to put the pressure on Jack Miller next.
The local hero was pushing to the limit. With 16 laps to go he made a very brave move around the outside of Miller and then pulled away through Turn 10 and 11. Lying in second place with an over 4s gap to the front, Viñales mostly focused on maintaining the margin over the group of five riders behind him. Ultimately only Andrea Dovizioso and Miller were able to keep up. The number-12 rider did everything to fend off the chasing rivals but was unable to do so, finishing the race in fourth place 5.811s from first.
Rossi had a good start from sixth on the grid, maintaining his position, but was struggling to cut through the pack in the first few laps. He lost a place to both Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow and was unable to stay in the 1‘49s after lap 7 due to rear tyre degradation. It soon resulted in a lonely ride for the Doctor, with a 6s-gap to ninth and a growing gap to seventh.
Though the Italian didn‘t find a good rhythm in the latter stages of the race around the Aragon track, he put in a brave ride. Rossi maintained his eighth place as he brought his bike across the finish line. He took the chequered flag with a 23.623s gap to the front.
Today’s fourth place sees Viñales stay fifth in the championship standings, one place ahead of Rossi, with ten points between them. Yamaha remains third in the constructor standings, and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP also stay in third place in the team classification.
Viñales and Rossi next travel to the Chang International Circuit for the PTT Thailand Grand Prix, held from October 4-6.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
“It was an unexpectedly difficult race for us. Maverick and Vale suffered from rear tyre degradation. Valentino already at the beginning and Maverick later on, and in the latter’s case it cost him a podium. Losing a place on the rostrum on the last lap is of course very disappointing. During the practice sessions we never faced these tyre-drop problems, because the time we had didn’t allow us to do a long run. We don’t know if the change was due to the rain that fell yesterday, but anyway it is what it is. It is difficult to accept these results, because we were strong in all the sessions, so finishing off the podium isn’t in line with what we were expecting. Still, compared to last year, our performance over the weekend shows that we are consistently improving, but that said, we still have work to do.”
Maverick Vinales (12).
MAVERICK VIÑALES
“I knew second place was possible today, so I pushed and pushed and pushed, but finally, in the last two laps, the tyre was very much on the limit. I tried my best. I nearly crashed two or three times because of the rear and thought ’OK, today I have to be fourth, that‘s the maximum‘. I‘m actually happy that I was very strong in the middle of the race. At the end I didn‘t have enough grip on the tyres to keep going, but I‘m once again the first Yamaha, which is important to us. I tried to close the door everywhere to Dovi, but in the end it was impossible, on the straight I stood no chance.”
Valentino Rossi (46).
VALENTINO ROSSI
“I knew yesterday it would be difficult to fight for the podium because three or four guys were faster than me, but today was worse because after some laps I had to slow down. I didn‘t have grip and I had some kind of problem with the tyres, it happened a little like it did in Silverstone. To me, it‘s not a problem of the tyres, it‘s our problem. We always struggle with the grip on the rear, and because of this lack of grip we also damage the tyre more, so in the end it was a very difficult race. It looks like everybody on the hard rear tyre had some problems, also the other Yamahas, but more towards the end. I started having problems earlier on. But I don‘t know if we could have done better on the soft, because during the practice the soft wasn‘t very good for our bike.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
GP Michelin de Aragón: superb podium for Andrea Dovizioso, second ahead of the Ducati Pramac of Jack Miller. Danilo Petrucci finishes the race in twelfth place
Andrea Dovizioso scored a podium finish at the Gran Premio Michelin de Aragón after a spectacular comeback through the field, following a row 4 start, that helped him to catch, at the mid point of the race, Miller and Viñales who were fighting for second position. Andrea then passed the Pramac rider and set off after the Spaniard, whom he overtook on lap 21 to finish the race in a superb runner-up slot ahead of Miller.
It was a difficult race for Danilo Petrucci, who started from row 5. The rider from Umbria, who opted to fit a hard rear, moved up to ninth place on lap 8 but in the final stages he suffered a tyre drop and lost several positions, finishing the GP in twelfth.
In the Riders’ standings Andrea Dovizioso remains in second place, 98 points behind leader Marquez, while Danilo Petrucci drops to fourth place, one point behind Rins.
Ducati remains in second place in the Constructors’ classification and the Ducati Team first in the special Teams’ ranking.
Andrea Dovizioso (04).
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 2nd
“It was very important to get back onto the podium after the races at Silverstone and Misano, and so today I’m very happy, especially because of the way in which we were able to get this second place. I started tenth from the fourth row because of a mistake I made in qualifying yesterday, but I knew I had a good pace and on the grid we made the right choice of tyres, going for the soft rear. In the race I was constant right until the very end, I saved my tyres and managed to gain place after place until I could pass Jack and Maverick to finish the GP in second place”.
Danilo Petrucci (9).
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 12th
“It was a very difficult race for me. I tried for a bit to fight in ninth place because I didn’t have the pace of the frontrunners, but towards the end of the race I suffered a drop in the rear tyre and lost some places to finish twelfth. Probably the hard rear was not the best choice and I could do little else than limit the damage. Now we have a short break before leaving for Thailand and we will have to try and understand what is missing so we can get back to being as fast as we were in the first half of the season”.
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:
13TH FOR OLIVEIRA AT ARAGON AS BINDER AND CANET CELEBRATE GRAND PRIX WINS
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira took his Red Bull KTM RC16 to 13th place after 23 intense laps of a bright MotorLand Aragon today. Pol Espargaro sat out the fourteenth Grand Prix of 2019 with a left wrist injury that required surgery Sunday morning. KTM celebrated success at the Gran Premio Michelin de Aragon with Brad Binder victorious in Moto2 and Aron Canet winning in Moto3.
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira defied the discomfort of his weak right shoulder to battle on the fringes of the top ten of the Gran Premio Michelin de Aragon. The Portuguese set an impressive pace after starting from 16th place on the grid and was beaten by just two hundredths of a second in the chase for 12th position by Danilo Petrucci. His classification represented the eighth time the rookie has posted points in the premier class of the FIM World Championship.
Close to opening his account on a comeback to full-time MotoGP racing was Mika Kallio. The Red Bull KTM man circulated just behind Oliveira but felt the pace of his first Grand Prix event in over a year and crossed the finish line in 17th. Hafizh Syahrin was five-spots further back in 21st after running off the track.
Pol Espargaro will spend 24 hours in hospital after his operation to insert a titanium plate on the multi-fragment fracture of the left distal radius and an assessment of the recovery period two days later.
After back-to-back fixtures in Italy and Spain MotoGP now enters a phase of four events outside of Europe. There is a two-day test scheduled at MotorLand this week but then the PTT Thailand Grand Prix at the Chang International Circuit will host round fifteen in a fortnight.
Miguel Oliveira (88) racing with Takaaki Nakagami (30).
Miguel Oliveira: “It was a good race today. We had a decent fight with strong riders; which makes me happy. It was difficult to overtake, especially in the last laps, but I was there fighting. I thought we had the potential for a bit more today but at the same time it was nice to finish the race like this after not scoring the last two rounds. I feel much calmer and more relaxed to approach the upcoming challenges.”
Mika Kallio (82).
Mika Kallio: “My last MotoGP race was a long time ago so it was difficult to find the rhythm and get on the same level as the others. We needed the laps today and I think we did quite OK. Everything can always be better but for the first weekend it was alright and we made kept the mistakes to a minimum. The only disappointing thing was missing out of the points and I think maybe I made a mistake with the tyre choice. I was missing experience with how the soft or the hard would behave. We made good times in tricky conditions and I always like those and I had a good feeling with the bike. Who knows? Maybe we can have a race like that in the rest of the season. We’ll set some target now for the rest of the weekends this year. We’ll see how it goes in Thailand.”
Hafizh Syahrin: “It was a hard race! In the beginning, there were many touches with other riders, going wide and it was difficult to come out of this without any harm. I tried to manage a good rhythm and aimed to try to catch Kallio but in the end in turn 12, I couldn’t stop the bike, so I went onto the gravel and I just came back behind Lorenzo. It was very close but not enough. We have five races more, which is going to be long, but we try everything.”
Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Team Manager: “The first race for Mika and until the second phase it was going pretty well as he could stay with the group near the top ten. Of course he is missing experience with the correct race tyre and strategy but we’re happy with what he did. The rear tyre choice stopped him getting into the points. Miguel had a great race and a big fight with other riders and we’re happy with that performance. We missed Pol and he was performing well this weekend up until the crash but he had successful surgery this morning and we wish him all the best. We have the test on Tuesday and Wednesday now and then we’ll look to Thailand.”
Moto2 & Moto3
In Moto2 – that took place after the MotoGP race due to a schedule change – Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brad Binder rode superbly to front the Grand Prix and escape for his second triumph of the season (and second consecutive year at Aragon). The South African is currently 5th in the championship. Teammate Jorge Martin took 9th place in what is still the Moto3 World Champion’s first term in the intermediate category.
Brad Binder: “The strategy went out window after three laps when I saw small gap at the front so I did my absolute best every lap and tried to limit the mistakes. I knew the end of race would be hard and I was really struggling but I have to give huge thanks to the team for giving the equipment to last the distance and win here.”
Two KTM’s finished on the Moto3 podium with Aron Canet running free to his third victory of the season and seventh top three result to launch straight back into title contention. The Spaniard is just 2 points away from Lorenzo Dalla Porta at the peak of the standings. Dennis Foggia grabbed 3rd position for his second career visit to the podium. Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion Carlos Tatay grabbed 12th on his Grand Prix debut.
Aron Canet: “It was a difficult race actually because my strategy was to push hard at beginning and find a strong rhythm but finally I could take the victory.”
Next race: October 6th, Chang International Circuit, PTT Thailand Grand Prix (THA)
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:
CRUTCHLOW INTO THE TOP SIX IN ARAGON
Cal Crutchlow claimed a fine top-six finish at the Grand Prix of Aragon on Sunday to sign off in impressive style ahead of the flyaway races. The LCR Honda CASTROL rider was pleased with his performance after a difficult weekend at Misano last time out and is looking to take his momentum into the final rounds of the 2019 season.
Having gone second fastest in a damp warm up session, Crutchlow was always looking to be involved towards the front of the field in Sunday’s race. Although the Briton could not get as close to the leaders as he wanted after some early difficulties, a late pass on Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro ensured he moved into the top six and got good reward for his weekend’s work.
Cal Crutchlow (35).
Cal Crutchlow – 6th
“I’m happy with that, I think today was a race we had to finish after last week’s disaster, so to come here and get a good result in Aragon, we’re happy with that. I just lost too much time, I got caught in some stupid battles on the first lap and then in the middle of the race I also ran off the track and lost another couple of seconds. I’m pleased with my pace overall, we didn’t think the race was going to be as fast as that for a start and we also held our pace throughout the race pretty well. I was able to make some good passes and get a top-six here in Aragon.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:
TOP-10 FINISH FOR TAKA IN ARAGON
Takaaki Nakagami battled hard to eventually claim a top-10 finish at the Grand Prix of Aragon on Sunday. Having qualified in place 14th on the grid, the LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider overcame a difficult start to fight his way through the field and secure a creditable result in the last European-based race until the final round of the season at Valencia.
Despite a strong showing in the morning’s damp warm-up session, Taka lost ground at the start of the race as he made an error leaving the starting line. He lost further ground attempting to make an early pass on Danilo Petrucci, but then showed all of his fighting qualities to reel in the Ducati man and get to the front of the group fighting for tenth late on in the race.
Takaaki Nakagami (30).
Takaaki Nakagami – 10th
“It was really tough from the beginning. First of all, I had a big mistake at the start, a big wheelie which I did not expect because our start practice had gone well all weekend. So that made things tough, then I tried to overtake (Danilo) Petrucci but I wasn’t able to stop the bike and ended up going off the track, so I lost another two positions. I tried to come again and keep the pace until the end, but it was a long race because for many laps I was alone. In the end I was able to catch the top ten group, which was Petrucci (Andrea) Iannone and (Miguel) Oliveira, with about three or four laps to go. I did my best and in the end we got a top-10 which isn’t bad, but the pace wasn’t great so we still have room to improve the bike.”
More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha SRT:
Quartararo finishes fifth on up and down day for PETRONAS Yamaha SRT
Fabio Quartararo finishes in a solid fifth place at MotorLand Aragon but Franco Morbidelli taken out of the race
PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team rider Fabio Quartararo has taken a strong top-five finish at the Gran Premio de Aragon, converting second on the grid into another impressive finish. Team-mate Franco Morbidelli had a less fortunate day at the MotorLand Aragon circuit, getting taken out of the race on the opening lap by another rider and failing to finish.
Quartararo made a strong start, running inside the battle for the podium in the early stages before settling into fifth place and holding onto the spot until the chequered flag. Happy with his result and with the hard work from the team all weekend, it means that he retains the lead in both the independent riders’ championship and the rookie of the year contest.
Morbidelli’s race ended before it started when contact from another rider only three-quarters of the way around the opening lap left him in the gravel. Crashing out at turn 12 and unable to convert his strong pace into a result at Aragon, he’s keen to use it as a base to build from next time out in Thailand.
The 2019 MotoGP World Championship continues in two weeks’ time at the Thai Grand Prix, with action getting underway at the Buriram International Circuit on Friday 4th October, ahead of race day on Sunday 6th October.
Franco Morbidelli (21).
Franco Morbidelli
DNF
“We leave Europe for the overseas races with strong results behind us. In MotoGP, we’re still the top independent team and rider, and the result for Fabio today was good in difficult conditions. It was very unfortunate for Franky on the first lap, but we’re looking forward to getting going again. It was a great fight for John in Moto3, still finishing a very good fourth – and jumping to fourth in the championship – despite losing a knee slider. Ayumu had a good result too, even though we hoped for a little more. With five races to go, there’s still lots of time for him to show his potential. In Moto2 as we were hoping to see Adam learning and progressing until he crashed and hurt himself. We leave Europe well-motivated and can’t wait to get to Thailand, Japan, Australia and of course Malaysia.”
Fabio Quartararo (20) leading Maverick Vinales (12).
Fabio Quartararo
5th
“It was a day of mixed fortunes. Franky was really unlucky to be hit by Rins on the first lap. It’s always a drama for a team when you prepare all weekend and then you’re on the floor after half a lap, without any blame for our rider. But that’s racing and luckily he’s unharmed, which is very important for the coming races. Fabio had a stable race, without the result we dreamed for after yesterday’s qualifying – but to finish a difficult race with low grip in fifth isn’t something we can complain about, it’s something to be proud of.”
“Yesterday I showed really strong pace and I was hoping for a good race so it’s very unfortunate what happened on the first lap. We improved the bike this morning and I knew that we could have a nice result, but in turn 12 I was hit by Rins and there was nothing else I could do. He came after the race and told me he was sorry for the mistake, and that he tried to stop but couldn’t. The positive is that we were fast all weekend, so we’ll aim to exploit our strengths when we go to Thailand.”
“Overall we did a really good job at Aragon and I’m pleased with the result because the goal was to finish inside the top five. We were just missing a little bit of grip in the left corners, and we need to analyse the data and see what happened. Our pace was good at the end but just not quite good enough to stay with the guys in front; I gave my 100% to try but I couldn’t manage it. We’re fighting for the top independent rider with Jack [Miller] and it’ll be good to carry that battle on through the overseas races. I’m looking forward to arriving in Thailand because it’s a track that I like even though it’s going to take hard work to be competitive there.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
DAMAGE LIMITATION FOR TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR IN ARAGON
Alex Rins: 9th (+ 27.998)
Joan Mir: 14th (+ 33.363)
Alex Rins recoups to 9th place and regains 3rd in standings.
Unfortunate clash for Joan Mir sees him fight back to 14th.
Difficult day for Team, now focusing on the fly-aways.
After a strong morning Warm-Up session for both Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders, the Team were feeling positive for the 14th race of the season at Motorland Aragon.
Lining up on the grid with the medium-hard tyre combination, the tension was running high for the whole field as clouds closed in and the threat of rain increased.
Joan Mir and Alex Rins launched off the line and were together in the first corners of the 23-lap race. Rins was then involved in an incident with Franco Morbidelli at Turn 12 which saw the Italian crash, and sent Rins into the gravel trap, rejoining in 19th place. Rins then began to recoup his lost positions and was in 12th when Race Direction decided to hand him a long lap penalty for his involvement in Morbidelli’s crash.
The Spaniard promptly took the penalty loop and didn’t lose any further positions thanks to the buffer he had built up. He then began a battle with four riders for 9th place and put in several passes but struggled to hold position, in part due to the damage sustained to the aero package on his GSX-RR on the first lap. Rins was determined to finish well and he fiercely held on to 9th place before the chequered flag, regaining 3rd place in the championship standings.
Mir had been enjoying a strong weekend at one of his favourite circuits, but he struggled to find a good feeling under braking, and this resulted in a tough first part of the race for him. He then settled into a strong pace but incurred some contact from other riders – also reporting damages to his GSX-RR. His struggles continued until the end of the race, where he finished in 14th place.
Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:
“It was a hard race for Suzuki today. Our pace wasn’t bad this weekend, and both riders had good speed. But today both riders were involved with incidents, and we’re sorry that Morbidelli went out of the race. It was not easy for Alex or Joan to continue after the clashes, they lost positions, but I want to thank them because they didn’t give up and they scored points and got the best finishes they could in the circumstances.”
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“We knew it would be a hard race from the beginning, but in the end it was even more difficult than we were expecting. Alex did a really good start and slotted into 8th early on, but then he made a mistake, and we’re so sorry for Morbidelli and his team. Alex then took the long lap penalty because of the incident. It’s a pity because I think he had the pace to fight nearer the front, but it didn’t work out like that. On the plus side he regained 3rd in the championship, which is important. Joan was unlucky today after contact with another rider, but he also collected some points and did well to finish. We hope to recover in Thailand and have a better race for both riders.”
Alex Rins (42) leads a group of riders at Motorland Aragon.
Alex Rins:
“First of all, I want to say sorry to Franky for what happened. I went to see him directly after the race to apologise. It was a difficult day, I had a long lap penalty, which I completely accept, but I then I had to try and fight back through the pack. Anyway, 9th position isn’t too bad given everything that happened during the race. I need to try and improve my qualifying, let’s see what happens in Thailand.”
Joan Mir (36).
Joan Mir:
“The race didn’t work out how I expected at all, and I’m really disappointed about it. On the first laps I went wide several times and I sustained some damage to my bike. I kept trying to recover positions throughout the race and although I took points, this wasn’t the race that we were expecting, and it’s not the result I hoped for. I’m really hoping that Thailand will be better for us, I want to finish well there.”
More, from a press release issued by Michelin:
MICHELIN’S GRAND PRIX SEES A MARQUEZ MASTERCLASS
2019 14 GP Aragon 00530
Michelin’s own Grand Prix at MotorLand Aragon witnessed a dominant weekend’s performance by reigning MotoGP™ champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as he took the spoils during today’s Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragon.
This weekend was the first European circuit to bear the French tyre company’s name, as Michelin changed its race sponsorship to the Spanish venue following three seasons as title sponsor at Phillip Island in Australia and it proved a busy weekend for Michelin as changeable weather around the 5,077m layout meant the whole range of MICHELIN Power Slick and MICHELIN Power Rain tyres were tested at some point over the three-days.
Friday saw almost perfect weather for racing and fast times were produced as the riders worked on set-up in anticipation of today’s race, but overnight rain changed plans and Saturday morning’s Free Practice was wet, giving the riders the opportunity to assess the treaded rubber, should the same conditions arise for race day. The track dried in time for Qualifying and Marquez took pole position, with Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) in second and Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) third. Sunday Morning’s Warm-up again saw rain fall on the Spanish track and although it had dried in time for the race, it meant that the track was quite slippery and gave less grip to the riders than had been expected, meaning the MICHELIN Power Slick tyres had to work to the extremes to create as much adhesion as possible and give the racers the performance and confidence they demanded, as the surface temperature only reached 32°C, because of heavy cloud cover.
Marquez got the holeshot as the lights changed to signal the start of the 23-lap Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragon and pushed hard from the start to make the break, his intent was signalled as he set the fastest lap of the race on only the second circulation. He led for the whole duration and crossed the line almost five-seconds ahead of his nearest rival, a result which gave him his 78th victory from his 200th Grand Prix start and strengthened his lead at the top of the riders’ championship. Following him home was Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), despite stating from tenth on the grid, the Italian carved his way through the field with a battling display to take second, setting a new Best Maximum Speed record in the process as he clocked 346.1Km/h. Third went to Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), as his manoeuvre on the final lap saw him take the final podium place and the position of First Independent Rider. Viñales finished fourth, with Quartararo in fifth. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) crossed the line in sixth, as Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) took the flag for seventh and his best result of the season so far. Eighth went to Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), with Alex Rins (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) ninth and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) rounding out the top-ten.
A crowd of 59,112 gathered trackside to witness live the Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragon, with many millions watching on TV and Internet around the globe. Following today’s trio of races, the top-three in MotoGP, Moto2™ and Moto3™, plus the winning constructor in each category were presented with specially commissioned trophies. These 12 unique pieces were specifically 3D printed for this weekend’s races and reflected the iconic MotorLand Aragon circuit and Michelin tyre patterns in their design. Presented during the three podium ceremonies at Aragon, these trophies were designed and 3D printed in titanium by AddUp (co-owned by Michelin) and Poly-Shape, leaders of the metal 3D printing industry.
Michelin now begins a four-race fly-away tour which will take in Thailand, Japan, Australia and Malaysia over five weekends, with the first of these scheduled for the Chang International Circuit at Buriram in Thailand on Sunday 6th October.
Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team:
“During the whole weekend we did a great job. We were so convinced about our strategy and about what we needed to be fast at this racetrack and I think we worked in a very good way. We chose the best option today as it was cloudier and this made it a difficult decision, but in the end we did a great job and chose the best tyre for the race distance. I am happy because it was possible to be fast with two options of rear tyres today and this gave the chance to all the riders to be in a good way. It was the Michelin Grand Prix and my 200th GP, so I was very happy to win today. I will now just keep going and keep enjoying and this will be my target for the rest of the season.”
“We came to our Grand Prix in a determined manner to set some new records and make this very much our own race and after Friday it looked like that would be the case. We saw some fast times and the track looked like it was in good condition, but then the rain intervened. This took away any of the rubber that had been laid down and made grip a bit more of a premium, not quite as bad as Misano last week, but enough to have a bearing on lap-times. The rain did give us more data for how the tyres perform in the wet and due to this it meant we were able to test every specification of tyre this weekend, so from that point of view it was a positive event. Unfortunately it rained again on Sunday morning and it was cooler and overcast at the start of the race, although the track was completely dry, but this gave the riders a big dilemma as to which rubber to choose and because of this we only saw four options in the race, with most of them favouring the front medium slick and then a split between the soft and hard rear. This weekend has been a very mixed affair with the conditions, but the tyres performed well and gave the control and performance where it was needed. We now head to Thailand and one of the most demanding tracks of the year to start the fly-away tour. We’re all looking forward to these races as it tests us and the tyres to the limit on four very different racetracks.
“I would like to thank all the management and staff from Michelin that came to support us here at Aragon this weekend. It was very pleasing to see so many of them here and to be able to show them around the MotoGP operation and how we work at the racetrack. I hope they had an informative time and enjoyed the show.”
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:
Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragon – RACE
#AragonGP RACE. What a PODIUM Jack! Fantastic race by the Australian who celebrates in Parc Ferme. Pecco finishes in P16
Jack Miller and his team celebrate his third-place finish in parc ferme.
What a fabulous race. Jack Miller takes the third podium of the 2019 season, the most beautiful, conquered with pride, after fighting with Quartararo, Vinales and Dovizioso since the first laps. Jack got off to a great start and was for seven laps in second position before the attack of Vinales and Dovi. The Australian rider did not lose his concentration and remained with the group on the podium until the end. In the last lap Jack makes a masterpiece and overcomes Maverick for a podium finish celebrated by the whole team and that allows Jack to remain in the race for the title of independent rider, 6 points behind Quartararo. Pecco fights first with Lorenzo and Kallio, then from mid-race engages in a nice duel with Mir. The Italian rider closes in 16th position.
P16 – Pecco Bagnaia
It was an interesting race to collect data but not positive in terms of result. We continue to have big traction problems at the rear. We have to figure out how to solve this situation that is limiting us a lot, especially during the race.
P3 – Jack Miller
It was a great race. I tried to stay close to Marquez in the early laps, then I had fun fighting with Quartararo, Dovizioso and Vinales. This is an important result for the team and for Ducati and I thank them for the extraordinary work they’ve done not only this weekend but since the beginning of the season
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
OUTSTANDING TEAM EFFORT FOR THE APRILIAS AT ARAGÓN
ALEIX BATTLES WITH THE TOP TEN AND FINISHES SEVENTH FIVE SECONDS FROM THE PODIUM
ANDREA, SUFFERING WITH PAIN IN HIS SHOULDER, BATTLES AND FINISHES JUST OUTSIDE THE TOP TEN
At Aragón Aprilia takes the best result of the season, with Aleix Espargaró finishing seventh, but close to the leaders, and Andrea Iannone, still suffering with pain in his shoulder after the Misano accident, finishing eleventh.
After the good sessions yesterday that had placed him on the second row, Aleix started off strong, holding onto his position and fending off an attack by Rossi, staying close to the group of top riders battling for podium positions. The battle with Crutchlow for sixth continued all the way to the last lap when Aleix recovered ground, finishing in the Brit’s slipstream but, more importantly, keeping the gap to five and a half seconds behind the second place finisher in a race where the winner – Marquez – was in a race by himself. This is a great result that placed Aleix among the protagonists in the Spanish race and it is an excellent way to head off for the overseas tour.
Throughout the race Andrea had to deal with pain in the left shoulder he injured in Misano. He gritted his teeth and, although having to dose out his strength, he remained consistently in the positions battling for the top ten. He missed it by less than half a second, but after a nice battle where he prevailed over Petrucci precisely on the final lap. The week-long break before flying out to Thailand will be essential for his full physical recovery.
Bradley Smith, in the race with the third RS-GP, finished nineteenth, completing the work he had planned with the Test Team.
Aleix Espargaro (41) leading Cal Crutchlow (35).
ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“Today’s result was good. The team and I gave 100% and we deserve it. At the start, with the fuel tank full, I didn’t have the best feeling with the front end, but things got better and better after a few laps. I had fun. Battling in the leading group is always nice, although the characteristics of the track undoubtedly helped us.”
ANDREA IANNONE
“This weekend I had to grit my teeth and even in the race, the pain in my shoulder forced me to save my energy, especially when grip began to decrease. I am pleased with the team result, but we need to keep working hard, first and foremost, to reduce the gap in acceleration and top speed compared to Aleix. We can’t let this race fool us. This is a track that suits the Aprilia well and we still have a long way to go.”
BRADLEY SMITH
“It was a good day for Aprilia, the result of hard work by everyone. I am happy, first of all, about finishing the race, since in my last wild cards that had not been possible. We took a shot in the dark, starting with an entirely new setting. It was also a functional decision because of the tests we’ll be doing here in a few days, during which we want to give Aleix and Andrea a little extra help for the rest of the season.”
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