Cameron Beaubier and Garrett Gerloff Split Wins at Sonoma
(Above) Cameron Beaubier (1). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Cameron Beaubier and Garrett Gerloff scored a win each for the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team at round seven of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Sonoma Raceway, on August 10-11.
In Saturday’s race one, Beaubier went for the holeshot from pole position, but found himself in second with Gerloff right behind in third. Track conditions on the 2.2-mile track in Northern California’s wine country were a bit tricky and caught many riders off-guard, including the reigning Superbike Champion, who lost the front in turn four on the third lap of the race.
Soon after, his Texan teammate took the lead and knocked down some fast, consistent laps to build a healthy gap. Gerloff went unchallenged to cross the line by more than 10 seconds, earning his second-career Superbike win in back-to-back races aboard the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory YZF-R1.
Looking for some redemption at his home track, Beaubier got off on a much better foot in Sunday’s race two. The Californian got the holeshot he was looking for and led from start to finish to take his third victory of the season. A combination of his win and his title rival’s error in race two allowed Beaubier to gain back five points in his battle for the championship.
Now that he has the taste for it, Gerloff was looking to keep his winning streak alive. He was in third when the series points leader made an error and ended up on the ground. Gerloff then attempted to catch his teammate, but unfortunately his tire choice made it difficult to make a late race charge to the front. At the end of the day, the runner-up finish was a good points haul for the newly turned 24 year old, who sits third in the standings, 40-points adrift of the championship leader with three rounds remaining.
Up next on the schedule for the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing team is round eight of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, August 23-25.
Tom Halverson
Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“It was a fantastic weekend. It was great seeing Garrett get his second win in a row, and in a really commanding way. It was an unfortunate day for Cameron, but today it all turned around for him as he took the win we expected him to get. In the end, we ended up gaining five points out of this weekend, so we’re still in the championship hunt. Being 1-2 on the podium today was fantastic, both guys rode great. I think our strategy was great, the team worked flawlessly, so overall it was a really strong weekend for us.”
Cameron Beaubier
Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team
“I was really bummed throwing it down only three laps into Saturday’s race. I feel like I was getting a little impatient. I was trying to get to the front because I felt like I had really good pace. After that race, I was just kind of thinking the championship was kind of out of reach. I just put that out of my mind and was just focused on trying to win some races and to take it race-by-race and do the best I can. Then everything kind of flip-flopped today. It was pretty crazy. We still have a lot of work to do in out of the championship, but we’re still in sniffing distance.
“All in all, I’m just really happy to leave Sonoma with a win. It feels really good. Like I said going into the weekend, I feel like we’ve been in kind of a little rut lately. We’ve been really fast in practice and qualifying but not when it counts in the race. We just haven’t been able to put good races together. It just feels good to stand on top of the box again and carry some good momentum going into Pittsburgh.”
Garrett Gerloff
Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team
“Race one, I felt really good going into it after qualifying and everything. I felt like we had a good bike and good pace. After a good start, riding right there with Toni and Cameron. I was looking forward to a good battle with everybody. Then, when Cameron crashed, I was like, ‘I knew that we had a little bit of pace on Toni.’ So I tried to make the pass as soon as I could. When I made the pass, I knew I could put my head down and maybe get a little bit of a gap. That’s luckily what happened. It was awesome to get that second win.
“I had a little bit of a problem in the first race with my front tire shredding, because I went with the softest compound. This morning I tried a little bit stiffer compound to try to have a little bit more life during the race, but the softer compound gave me the best feel. So we went back to the softest compound again for the race today knowing that there was a pretty high potential that it would shred again, even though the temperature was hotter. That’s what ended up happening. I’m disappointed about that, but at the end of the day, I can’t be too disappointed because the championship has kind of come back to us a little bit. I have felt really good the past two weekends. I’m ready to keep this kind of rhythm going the last few rounds.”
2019 MotoAmerica Superbike Sonoma Race One Results
1. Garrett Gerloff
2. Toni Elias
3. Mathew Scholtz
4. JD Beach
5. Jake Gagne
6. Max Flinders
7. Sam Verderico
DNF. Cameron Beaubier
2019 MotoAmerica Superbike Utah Race Two Results
1. Cameron Beaubier
2. Garrett Gerloff
3. Josh Herrin
4. Mathew Scholtz
5. JD Beach
6. Jake Gagne
7. Cameron Petersen
9. David Anthony
10. Sam Verderico
2019 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings
1. Toni Elias 266
2. Cameron Beaubier 232
3. Garrett Gerloff 226
4. JD Beach 159
5. Josh Herrin 148
6. Mathew Scholtz 139
7. Jake Lewis 121
8. Cameron Petersen 90
9. David Anthony 84
10. Jake Gagne 83
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Westby Racing Rides An Emotional Roller Coaster At Sonoma Raceway, Culminating In A Podium Result And A Top-Four Finish For Superbike Rider Mathew Scholtz
(Above) Mathew Scholtz (11), Josh Herrin (2), and JD Beach (95) at speed at Sonoma Raceway. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Sonoma, CA – The MotoAmerica Championship of Sonoma was a two-day race weekend, but for the Westby Racing team, it felt like they experienced a week’s worth of emotions in those 48 hours.
On Saturday, the disappointment of Mathew Scholtz’s morning crash during qualifying practice was countered by the excitement of his triumphant podium finish aboard the team’s backup #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 in the afternoon’s Superbike race one. And, like déjà vu, Mathew unfortunately crashed the backup motorcycle in the Sunday morning warmup. The team went to work quickly and rebuilt the bike with a full three hours to spare before the afternoon’s Superbike race two.
Then, just like on Saturday, it all came good in the race as Mathew was vying for a repeat podium result. He ultimately finished fourth in the 22-lap feature event, but considering the crashfest that the two mornings at Sonoma Raceway were for the team, to end the weekend with a third- and a fourth-place result–and the Championship points that accompany those finishes, which moved Mathew from seventh in the points standings up to sixth–it was a productive weekend for the Westby Racing team. In fact, in both races, Mathew was the top-finishing non-factory rider.
Commenting on his Sunday, Mathew said, “First of all, I have to give a huge thanks to the team for getting the bike ready for today’s race after I had another crash this morning. I crashed both of our bikes this weekend, which resulted in a lot of extra work for the Westby boys, and I’m sorry to (team owner) Tryg (Westby) for ruining some very expensive parts. Even with the podium yesterday and the fourth-place finish in today’s race, it doesn’t feel like I made up for my mistakes. We were able to collect some points and move up a position in the Championship, which is good, but I wish I could have done even better. Sonoma is a tough track, and it caught a lot of riders out, but I’m not making excuses. I’ve got to put this weekend behind me and two better in the next round.”
After a week off, Mathew and the Westby Racing team will be back in action for round eight of the 2019 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which will be take place at Pittsburgh International Race Complex on August 23rd through 25th in Wampum, Pennsylvania.
MotoAmerica Superbike Standings
1. Toni Elias – Suzuki – 296
2. Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha – 232
3. Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha – 226
6. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 139
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 Team Hammer:
ALEX DUMAS WINS AT SONOMA RACEWAY WHILE BOBBY FONG INCREASES HIS POINTS LEAD FOR TEAM HAMMER
(Above) Alex Dumas (16) and Joseph Blasius (24) finished finished first and third respectively in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup race at Sonoma. Photo by Brian J Nelson.
Team Hammer scored big at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, leaving the Northern Californian circuit with first-, second-, and third-place MotoAmerica trophies to add to the squad’s extensive hardware collection.
Twins Cup pilots Alex Dumas and Joseph Blasius closed out the weekend in supreme fashion, producing a double podium in the final race of the weekend.
Dumas put the Roadracing World Young Guns Suzuki SV650 on top of the podium following a 12.521-second blowout victory. The youngster appeared destined for a race-long scrap for the win, but his primary opponent developed a mechanical problem early and Dumas promptly set sail at the front.
Dumas now trails the Twins Cup championship lead by a single point. “I had so much fun,” he said. “I saw a puff of smoke from the bike in front of me and then saw him pull off track. I just took home the win, and I’m really happy.”
Blasius more than earned his first MotoAmerica podium by finishing third. He was forced off course by another rider while battling over second, and had to fight hard just to stay upright during his off-course excursion. Despite dropping to fifth place and several seconds back, he channeled his anger at the incident, transformed it into sheer speed, and ran the group back down.
He looked likely to deliver Team Hammer a 1-2 result, but his last-lap plans were foiled by an unfortunate run-in with a lapper who blocked him a few corners from the finish.
After the race Blasius said of his off-track detour, “The door was shut on me, and I had to brake check myself. He almost hit my front tire. I went all the way out by the Airfence and almost lost the front moto-crossing it out there. At that point, I just got really mad and started super-late-braking in every corner. Sure enough, I started catching back up, and was like, ‘I think I can do this!’
“Team Hammer gave me a great bike today. I’m so excited to be on the podium — I’ve been wanting this all year.”
Meanwhile, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong extended his MotoAmerica Supersport championship points lead with yet another strong, consistent, and smart ride. Just as on Saturday, the Californian sprinted out into an early lead before being passed for first approximately a third of the way in.
Fong refused to give in, throwing down the fastest lap of the race (1:38.512) aboard his GSX-R600 racebike on lap 11 of 19 while in pursuit. Ultimately, however, Fong thought better of it, and accepted second-place points since his chief title rival was several positions back.
The result was Fong’s ninth top-two finish of the season, and his seventh in succession, giving him a 20-point advantage with six races left to decide the 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship.
“I’m really happy about how the weekend went,” Fong said. “We learned a lot, and I’m still building with the team. It was a good race today, but it was strange. This morning in the warm-up session, the track had superior grip, but then the temperatures went up and when I got out there for the race, I couldn’t do the times.
“When I was passed for the lead, I just tried to latch on. I actually felt like I was catching a little bit, but I was so on the limit it was too risky. I decided to think about the bigger picture and back it down to collect my points.”
Sean Dylan Kelly suffered a double-whammy as a result of Saturday’s opening-lap incident when he was punted off the track and hit a tire wall. To add to his Race 1 disappointment, Kelly was forced to start from the very back of the 25-rider grid, with Sunday’s start positions based on Saturday’s best times in the race. Since Kelly wasn’t able to complete a lap before being loaded in an ambulance and taken to the medical center, he found himself facing a steep climb in Race 2. He was fortunate to be able to start at all, after being transported to a local trauma center where a cut on his chin was stitched up and he was scanned and checked for internal injuries. Once treated and released, he passed a MotoAmerica concussion test at the track Sunday morning, was quick in the warm-up session, and gridded up for the race in last place.
Kelly made the most of the challenge, storming up through the field on his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R600, matching the lap times of the leaders and fighting all the way up to sixth position, with a top-five finish in his sights when he took the checkered flag.
Superbike runner Jake Lewis closed out a weekend to forget with a second DNF. He again got an outstanding start aboard the team’s fire-breathing GSX-R1000R, holding down fourth position early.
However, the former Superbike Rookie of the Year crashed out of fourth while working lap three, leaving him to wonder what might have been if things had gone just a bit differently in Sonoma. “I got a really good start again and tried to hang on to the front three guys but crashed on lap three while giving it my all. It feels nice to be making progress with the team and actually get back up to competitive speed. I can’t wait for the next race!”
Team Hammer is now looking forward to the next round of the 2019 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship season, August 23-25 at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
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 76 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 222 times and have won five AMA Pro 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 Yoshimura Suzuki:
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias and Josh Herrin Score Podiums in Sonoma
Elias holds 34-point lead in MotoAmerica Superbike Championship in spite of crash
(Above) Toni Elias (24). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
At Sonoma Raceway Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Toni Elias took second in MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 and then crashed out while running second in Race 2. Elias now holds a 34-point lead in the series. (Brian J. Nelson photo)
Sonoma, CA (Aug. 11, 2019) — Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Toni Elias and Josh Herrin both visited the podium at the Sonoma Raceway round of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship in Sonoma, California.
It was an up and down weekend for both riders. Elias finished second in Saturday’s race, then crashed while running second early in Sunday’s round. Herrin crashed out early Saturday, but then rallied to finish third on Sunday. Both were uninjured in their falls.
In spite of Sunday’s tumble, Elias’ MotoAmerica Superbike lead didn’t take much of a hit. He was 39-points ahead coming into Sonoma and finished the weekend in Wine Country still holding a 34-point advantage in the title chase.
Elias capitalized on the power of his Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike, blasting off the start from the outside of the front row to lead race one in the early going. At the checkered flag Elias came home second. It marked his 12th podium in 13 races. In Sunday’s race Elias was comfortably in second, set to make a charge later in the race, when he lost the front end in turn seven on the third lap and crashed.
Elias had the suspension on his bike stiffened Sunday, and even though it helped him earn P1 in morning warm up, he speculates the firmer settings ultimately may have been too stiff to comfortably handle Sonoma’s bumpier sections.
“I didn’t feel like I was pushing,” Elias said of his Sunday tumble. “I didn’t feel like I made a mistake or braked too late, but maybe with the change I did in the front [suspension], it was too hard and I just lost the front on one of the bumps. I’m sorry for the team, but I want to look in a positive way. We still have a 34-point lead. It’s not 59 like it was yesterday, but it’s still 34. We have six races and we’ll see what happens.”
Elias went on to say he was looking forward to continuing the championship battle in Pittsburgh in two weeks.
Herrin was quick to thank the entire Yoshimura Suzuki crew for rebuilding his bike after Saturday’s race crash. Herrin ran a solid race on Sunday, making a strong pass in the closing stages of the 22-lap event enabling him to earn his third rostrum of the season.
“It feels great to get back up here on the podium,” Herrin said. “I especially want to thank my team for going the extra mile in getting my bike ready for today’s race. Hopefully I can build on this result and keep turning in strong finishes in the final races of the year.”
There are three race weekends, six races, remaining in the 2019 MotoAmerica season. The championship enters the home stretch in two weeks at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Wampum, PA, on Aug. 23-25. The Pittsburgh races will be nationally televised, with primetime, same-day coverage on Fox Sports 2.
More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports:
MotoAmerica: Altus Motorsports Tucker TerpTastick.com VP Lubricants Race Report “Extreme Highs and Lows“ at Sonoma Raceway
(Above) Kevin Olmedo (14). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
(Sonoma, CA) A weekend of extreme highs and lows for the Altus Motorsports team at Sonoma Raceway in California.
Liqui Moly Junior Cup: Kevin Olmedo made a huge leap forward this weekend. “The kid has been running toward the front all year, but the adjustments he made before the Sunday race have put him in another league,” said George Nassaney about the young gun from El Salvador. Olmedo topped the timing charts in the practice and qualifying sessions to start the Saturday race from Pole Position. In that race, he ended up in an exciting battle for second, managing to fend off attacks from two other riders on the last lap to hold the position over the line. But Kevin doesn’t want to race for second; he wants to be battling for the lead. After reviewing video and data on Saturday night, the team identified some riding style and line adjustments that Olmedo could make. As a result, during the Sunday race he was fighting for first. He led for a significant amount of the race and barely lost first place at the line. While disappointed to take second after all that time in the lead, Olmedo and the team are excited at the prospects for the remainder of the season.
Stock 1000: Since the beginning of the season, an elusive electrical issue has plagued Miles Thornton’s GSX-R 1000. The team showed up at Sonoma confident that the work and testing they had done since the last round had fixed the long-standing problem. And in Practice 1, that seemed to be the case. Every lap, Thornton gained more confidence and trust in the bike. As a result, he went faster in each sector of almost every lap. But during Qualifying 1 on Sunday morning, the electro-gremlin returned, deeply disappointing and frustrating the team. Between Q1 and Q2 the team decided to change the ECU. They quickly sourced another, swapped and updated it. During the second qualifying session, the bike was “the best it’s ever felt,” according to Thornton. Miles rode the bike to an 8th place finish in the lone Stock 1000 race of the weekend. With the bike trouble seemingly resolved, Miles is looking forward to racing in Pittsburgh in a few weeks.
Supersport 600: Jaret Nassaney arrived at Sonoma Raceway extremely excited and confident. Coming off a phenomenal test a few weeks ago, Jaret was eager to grid up. “The bike was on rails!” said Nassaney about his performance at the CMRA event on July 28th. Unfortunately, on the first lap of the first practice session, Jaret hit the paint at the exit of turn 4 while on the gas. The consequence was sudden and catastrophic. The rear of the bike came around and spit the rider into the air. The bike was heavily damaged but could have been repaired for the next session. Sadly, the same is not true for Nassaney. Jaret suffered a dislocated (and possibly broken) left wrist. The injury will be evaluated later this week to determine if he will be able to return this season.
Unfortunately for Lucas Silva, his weekend was hindered by illness. Sonoma Raceway is a technical and physically demanding track. Lack of sleep and cold symptoms made the sessions extremely draining. Not feeling 100%, Silva made the wise decision to manage the weekend the best he could, riding well within his limits and gathering as many points as possible. In spite of his sickness, Silva was p9 and p10 in Practice and Qualifying, respectively. Race 1 had him finish in a lonely but solid 9th. And in Race 2, he collected a very respectable 10th. “Lucas was struggling with his symptoms and not getting much sleep. To show up and get two top 10 finishes is really impressive,” said team-owner George Nassaney. Lucas is excited for the next few rounds. The series is headed to tracks that he knows and likes.
“It was a crazy weekend. Jaret’s injury on Saturday was devastating but we can’t focus on the negatives. Kevin continues to get better and faster. We think we’ve had a breakthrough on the Thornton’s bike and Lucas had two more top 10 finishes in a very competitive class. As a team, that was a pretty solid weekend,” said George Nassaney. “We are looking at what to do with Jaret’s seat over the next few races. We made a commitment to our sponsors to field two 600s and we plan to live up to that. There are a few exciting options.”
More, from a press release issued by 2Wheel Legal/Hudson Motorcycles:
(Above) Richie Escalante (54). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
After a podium finish in Laguna the 2Wheel Legal /Hudson Motorcycles team returned to the grid this past weekend at Sonoma Raceway. With some new changes to the Yamaha R6 Saturday Escalante finished Practice 1 in P5 and Qualifying 1 as well as Race 1 in P7. Saturday evening, the team together with the support of Ohlins and Josh Hayes worked together to make adjustments to the bike and by Sunday morning’s warmup knew they were heading into the right direction for Race 2.
Race 2 and a P7 start put Richie into 7th position during lap 1. Consistently improving his lap times, Escalante worked his bike into a solid P3 position, keeping up with the front 2 riders he maintained excellent sectors and was fighting for a Podium finish. Unfortunately during a turn in the Chicane, Escalante had a minor crash. He was able to continue the race even though he had a broken rearset as well as a bent lever and handlebar; he finished in 12th and secured some valuable points in the Championship.
Crew Chief Curtice Thom: “A weekend of results that did not match the effort of the team and rider has not dampened the confidence of Hudson Motorcycles Racing. We made big strides in our electronics that will allow Richie to show the potential that Sunday’s race alluded to. The rider, crew and coach continue to solve the problems presented to us. We head to Pittsburgh with confidence and resolve.”
As always we want to thank our Sponsors. We had the pleasure of hosting Vortex in our canopy this weekend. Thank you for your support. Also, big thank you to 2 Wheel Legal, for being our title sponsor the last 2 rounds! We look forward to working with you more in the future.
Thank you: Akropovic exhaust, Bel Ray Lubricants, Vortex EK, Vesrah, Motion Pro, Velocity Tape, Sprint Filter, Dynojet, CoreMotoUSA, Galfer, Shoei Helmets USA,Coxx Radiator Guards, Velocity Tape and Spidi.
More, from a press release issued by Attack Performance/Estenson Racing:
Another Top-Five Finish for JD Beach in Sonoma
(Above) JD Beach (95). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
JD Beach ended his weekend at Sonoma Raceway with another top-five finish aboard the Attack Performance Estenson Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 at the seventh round of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
It was another day of challenging conditions on the 2.2-mile track in Northern California. His fifth race in a week (Buffalo Chip TT, Black Hills Half-Mile and Sonoma), the dirt track/road racer got off to a decent start from the third row of the grid. Beach was quickly in the four-way battle for a spot just outside of the podium. He eventually found himself in fifth and held that position until the finish. The weekend’s performance was a good-points haul in the championship as he currently sits fourth in the standings in his debut MotoAmerica Superbike season.
JD Beach — MotoAmerica Superbike #95:
“I think it was a good day. We finished fifth again, which is not what we were hoping for, but we had a lot better race than we did the first day. From yesterday to this morning we made big changes to the bike. I think it helped a lot. Then we took another smaller step for the race, which I think was better. Cramming three-days into two days, I think that kind of hurt us a bit, but we ended the weekend strong. We were quick the whole race. I think we also learned some stuff for the next round. There are things that I need to work on back home. I’ve got a little bit of time to rest, which is good because this week has been crazy. I could definitely feel it at the end of the race today. The team worked hard this weekend. I think we have something to start with at Pittsburgh.”
