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British Superbike: American Brandon Paasch Wins Another British Motostar Race, At Brands Hatch

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British Superbike: American Brandon Paasch Wins Another British Motostar Race, At Brands Hatch

BRANDON PAASCH AND FPW RACING INCREASE LEAD IN 2019 HEL PERFORMANCE BRITISH MOTOSTAR CHAMPIONSHIP AT BRANDS HATCH GP

After a six-week intermission, Brandon Paasch and FPW Racing returned for the second round of the 2019 HEL Performance British Motostar Championship at Brands Hatch GP Circuit. The team’s plan was to continue the success they had in the first round at Oulton Park, where Brandon took both wins on the KTM Moto3 GP racebike. Starting strong in practice, Brandon and the team improved each session, ending up third at the end of the second practice session. With clouds overhead, Brandon quickly set a fast pace in qualifying while the track stayed dry, securing Pole starting position on a final flying lap.

Race 1 set off again in cloudy and cool conditions, but a poor start saw Brandon swallowed up in Turn 1 and pushed back to 7th place on the first lap. Putting his head down and working hard to regain the front, he set consistently fast lap times and made it back to the front of the pack by the fourth lap to chase down the leaders. But the gap was too big, and Brandon and the team worked to secure a second place finish that helped increase his championship points lead.

In Race 2 on Sunday, Brandon launched well and was immediately fighting for the lead from the first lap. The battle for the lead was intense, with several competitors vying for the front spot. Brandon took the lead on Lap 6, but was quickly slowed by the Safety Car when a couple racers crashed hard while chasing Brandon. The Safety Car was pulled in two laps later, and Brandon promptly dropped his lap times and managed his control at the front to bring home his third win of the season.

“I almost don’t have the words for how amazing I feel after this weekend! Usually I’m pretty calm and focused when I get ready on the starting grid, but I was definitely feeling some extra energy with the team at Brands Hatch GP. Practice went well, and I quickly felt comfortable again back on the KTM Moto3 GP bike after riding the TSE Racing Yamaha R6 in MotoAmerica Supersport at Road America. It was a long break from Oulton, and I was eager to get back to business here in the UK in the HEL Performance British Motostar Championship.

“We got up to speed quickly in practice, and I just took most of the sessions to fine tune some of my lines and feel out where we could improve the bike setup. There was a touch of rain at the end of P1, so Adrian waved me and Jamie in early. P2 was a really good session, and we picked up some speed. I felt confident on the bike in qualifying, and to see that we took Pole for the weekend on my last lap was really cool!

“For Race 1, I screwed up the start and dug myself a good hole that I had to climb out of to get back to the front. Again, I felt so comfortable on the bike that I was able to set some fast laps and make good moves around the other racers. Unfortunately, the leader had gapped us too big, so I brought the bike home in second place as part of our team strategy to focus on the championship. In Race 2, I was determined to make a better launch, and I got settled in with the lead group right off the start. It was fun dicing with the leaders for the first few laps, but I saw a chance to make a move, and I pushed into the lead to see if I could move away from the group. I was surprised to see the Safety Car come out shortly after I took the lead, but my team let me know on the pit board what happened with the downed riders. Once the Safety Car moved off, I cleared my head and worked on setting consistently fast laps. I saw on my pit board that I had a decent gap, and I managed that for the last few laps to take home another win. I was so stoked that I could hardly wait to get back to the pits to thank my team – I’m still really pumped up! Thanks to Adrian, Sarah, Andy, Dave and all my sponsors and supporters for helping me all weekend, I can’t wait for the next round at Knockhill!” (Brandon Paasch)

“It’s good to have Brandon back here, and the whole team is really excited about our results so far. We’re getting the KTM Moto3 GP racebike dialed in, and every session we get great feedback from Brandon to make some adjustments. The whole crew pitched in and stepped up again this weekend, but we know that we still have a while to go in the season. Our goal is to maintain the championship lead, and we’ll stay focused on that for our next race weekend. Thanks to all the fans that stopped by our pits – we really enjoy meeting them and taking pictures with Brandon and the racebike!” (Adrian Mason, Team Owner)

The next round for the 2019 HEL Performance British Motostar Championship and Bennetts British Superbikes series will be June 28-30 at Knockhill Racing Circuit in Fife, Scotland. To follow the races and get the latest updates with Live Timing, download the Bennetts British Superbikes app in the iTunes or Google stores, or watch all the action at www.britishsuperbike.com.

Subscribe and follow Brandon and FPW Racing on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter:

– YouTube: search for Brandon Paasch and

– Facebook: @BrandonPaasch facebook.com/BrandonPaasch/ https://www.facebook.com/FPWRacing/

– Instagram: instagram.com/brandon_paasch instagram.com/fpwracing/

– Twitter: @PaaschBrandon @fpwracing

– Hashtags: #SendItBP2019 #PaaschFPWRacing #Paasch_HELPerformanceMoto3GP #BrandsHatchGP2019

Brandon Paasch is sponsored by Electronic Concepts, luxeStar VIP, Manhattan CCC, Evolv GT, Impact Armor, Arai, and Spidi. Rider coaching and physical conditioning provided by Birdhouse Training.

FPW racing is an amalgamation of the Fireplace Warehouse and several like-minded bike enthusiasts to support one common goal – to establish young riders and to give them a leg up in their racing careers. For more information, visit us at www.fpwracing.co.uk 

Kawasaki Announces Most-Powerful KX250 Ever For 2020

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Kawasaki Announces Most-Powerful KX250 Ever For 2020

KAWASAKI MOTORS CORP., U.S.A. ANNOUNCES 2020 KX™ and KLX® MOTORCYCLE MODELS

Foothill Ranch, California – Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. announces 2020 Off-Road Motorcycle Models, including the NEW 2020 KX™250 Motorcycle.

The KX250 is instilled with a high level of technology and KX™ DNA that makes it the bike that builds champions. Its power, handling and adjustability personalize the feel and provide high confidence for motocross and off-road riding, both at the amateur and professional level. The most powerful KX250 engine to date comes by the way of a revised bore and stroke, valve train designed by Kawasaki’s World Superbike engineers and bridged-box piston that is inspired by Kawasaki’s factory racing efforts. Complementing the increased power is an updated slim aluminum perimeter frame with new lower front engine mounts and a new 48 mm KYB coil-spring front fork and rear shock unit that allow for precise tuning.

In addition, the following off-road motorcycles are returning for 2020:

KX™ Model Range

KX™450

KX™100

KX™85

KX™65

KLX® Model Range (Off-Road)

KLX®140

KLX®140L

KLX®140G

KLX®110

KLX®110L

KLX® Model Range (Dual-Purpose)

KLX®250

KLX®250 Camo

More, from another press release issued by Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.:

KAWASAKI KX™250 MOTORCYCLE

MOST POWERFUL KX™250 TO DATE

The Kawasaki KX™250 has more AMA motocross and supercross success than any other manufacturer in its class and returns for 2020 with a list of enhancements that are designed to keep it the best performing bike on the track. The 2020 model offers a newengine with improvements inspired by Kawasaki’s racing efforts for more top end power, as well as better handling thanks to a revised chassis and new KYB suspension components. With championship heritage that boasts 17 AMA professional titles and more than 160 race wins since 2004, the KX250 is the ideal platform for experienced riders looking to get the upper hand on their competition.

The KX250 is instilled with a high level of technology and KX™DNA that makes it the bike that builds champions. Its power, handling and adjustability personalize the feel and provide high confidence for motocross and off-road riding, both at the amateur and professional level. The most powerful KX250 engine to date comes by the way of a revised bore and stroke, valve train designed by Kawasaki’s World Superbike engineers and bridged-box piston that is inspired by Kawasaki’s factory racing efforts. Complementing the increased power is an updated slim aluminum perimeter frame with new lower front engine mounts and a new 48 mm KYB coil-spring front fork and rear shock unit that allow for precise tuning.

ENGINE

  • NEW engine with increased peak power
  • NEW revised bore and stroke
  • NEW finger-follower valve actuation
  • NEW larger-diameter intake and exhaust valves
  • NEW larger-bore high performance piston
  • NEW low-friction crankshaft pin plain bearings
  • NEW stronger camchain and relocated cam chain tensioner
  • NEW shorter intake funnel
  • NEW larger throttle body
  • NEW shorter exhaust system design

Acclaimed for its high output and smooth power delivery, the KX250 features a new engine with improved power, an even more potent high rpm range and a higher rev limit. Tuned to best suit race-experienced riders, the 249cc liquid-cooled, four-stroke engine focuses on more top-end rev thanks to improvements by Kawasaki’s factory racing efforts. The new engine features a revised bore and stroke that measures 78.0 x 52.2 mm. The wider bore enables the use of larger intake and exhaust valves and provides greater flow for high rpm performance.

Like the design found on the KX™450 motorcycle, the KX250 now utilizes the finger-follower valve actuation – a valve train designed by Kawasaki’s World Superbike engineers.This design increases the rev limit and allows for the use of more aggressive cam profiles, which contributes to high rpm performance. The change to finger-follower valve actuation reduces the valve train mass compared to a tappet-style actuation. A diamond-like carbon coating on the finger followers helps protect against wear. Complementing the more aggressive cams are larger-diameter intake and exhaust valves with increased lift, flowing more air and contributing to improved power. Straighter intake ports contribute to increased intake efficiency. The new cams benefit from a thin and highly durable gas soft-nitride treatment to reduce wear and increase high rpm reliability. Lightweight titanium valves reduce reciprocating weight and offer high rpm reliability. The cylinder is offset 3 mm forward, reducing mechanical loss and increasing engine performance. Further increasing reliability is a stronger cam chain and relocation of the cam chain tensioner to the cylinder head, which offsets the increased loads from the more aggressive camshafts and higher revving engine.

A plateau honing process of the cylinder bore results in a smooth surface with good oil-retention. The smooth surface also helps to reduce mechanical loss and improve power. A new, larger-bore, high-performance piston features the same design used by Kawasaki’s factory racers and contributes strong performance at all rpm. A short skirt, reinforced external ribs and the use of a bridged-box piston, featuring internal bracing, allow for a lightweight and strong piston design. The piston’s revised crown design helps achieve the engine’s higher compression ratio, while a dry film lubricant coating on the piston skirts reduces friction at low rpm and helps with the piston bedding-in process. To reduce mechanical loss and lift overall performance, the crankshaft pin has been fitted with new low-friction plain bearings.

The airbox construction has been revised and features a shorter, tapered intake funnel, contributing to increased high rpm performance. The KX250 remains the only production motocross bike with dual injectors, an injector downstream of the throttle valve that is tasked with delivering a smooth, instant response, and a second, upstream injector located close to the airbox for a significant contribution to engine output at high rpm.The exhaust system length has been shortened to help increase high rpm performanceand the hydro-formed joint pipe now features a reverse taper design. A larger throttle body flows a greater volume of air and provides a boost in high rpm performance. Adding to Kawasaki’s engineering efforts for increased airflow is the repositioning of the intake duct for an even straighter approach for intake air. The downdraft-style intake routing increases the intake air’s approach angle into the cylinder, improving cylinder-filling efficiency and increasing the engines power.

DFI® COUPLERS

Contributing to the race-winning engine characteristics, the digital fuel injection system of the KX250 features a coupler package that has set the industry standard.Each KX250 motorcycle comes standard with three different couplers, easily allowing riders to select pre-programmed fuel injection and ignition mapping to suit their riding style or track conditions. The four-pin DFI® couplers select maps that are designed for standard, hard or soft terrain settings. Changing the engine map is as simple as connecting the coupler cap of choice. For riders looking to fine tune their ECU settings,the KX FI Calibration Kit (Handheld) is offered as a Kawasaki Genuine Accessory, and provides access to the fully programmable ECU. The handheld device eliminates the need for a trackside laptop and gives riders the ability to create custom maps for precise adjustment of fuel and ignition settings.The user-friendly device can store up to seven preset maps and is PC-compatible.

LAUNCH CONTROL

The launch control system of the KX250 motorcycle is a major advantage and favorite for riders who are focused on getting to the first turn ahead of their competition. The push-button activation retards ignition timing in first and second gear, helping maximize traction on slippery surfaces like concrete starting pads and put the bike’s potent power to the ground. Once the rider shifts into third gear, normal ignition mapping immediately resumes and full power is restored.

CHASSIS

  • NEW lower front engine mounts

The slim aluminium perimeter frame uses a lightweight construction composed of forged, extruded and cast parts that contribute to light, nimble handling. Thanks to new lower front engine mounts, changing from a through bolt to stud bolts at the front of the crankcase, the overall frame rigidity has been revised with improved ability to absorb bumps. The center of gravity and key dimensions such as swingarm pivot, output sprocket and rear axle locations have all been carefully selected so that the rear tire drives the bike forward.

SUSPENSION & BRAKES

  • NEW 48 mm KYB coil-spring fork
  • NEW KYB shock unit complements front fork
  • NEW Uni-Trak® rear suspension link
  • NEW stiffer front and rear spring rates
  • NEW revised front brake pad material
  • NEW larger-diameter 250 mm rear disc
  • NEW rear brake master cylinder

For 2020, the KX250 is equipped with new large diameter 48 mm KYB inverted coil-spring front forks that offer improved action at the initial part of the fork stroke. The forks feature large-diameter inner tubes, enabling the use of 25 mm damping pistons and delivering smooth action and firm damping. A Kashima Coaton the forks’ outer tubes creates a hard, low-friction surface to help prevent wear abrasion on the inside of the tubes, ensuring the sliding surfaces remain smooth over time, while protecting the outside against corrosion. The lubricating material in the coat contributes to smoother suspension action and a better overall ride feel.

On the rear, a new KYB shock unit complements the new front fork. The rear shock features dual compression adjustability, which allows high-speed and low-speed damping to be tuned separately. Kashima Coat on the tank cylinder helps prevent wear abrasion and reduces friction for smoother suspension action. A new Uni-Trak® rear suspension system mounts the suspension arm below the swingarm, allowing a longer rear suspension stroke. The longer stroke allows for more precise suspension tuning. In order to match the KX250’s more powerful engine, the front forks and rear shock feature stiffer overall spring rates.

Contributing to the numerous factory-style racing components on the KX250 motorcycle are petal disc brakes. Up front is an oversized 270 mm Braking® brand rotor, which delivers strong braking force and superb control. A revised front brake pad material, like that found on the KX450, delivers linear brake force application, helping to facilitate control.

On the rear, a new larger-diameter 250 mm Braking brand disc contributes to stronger stopping power, complementing the large front disc. A lighter rear brake master cylinder, like those found on the KX450 motorcycle, powers the larger disc. The petal style discs contribute to both sporty looks and help deflect debris. A rear caliper guard helps protect the caliper from damage.

ERGO-FIT® Adjustable Components

Kawasaki continues its unmatched commitment towards providing riders with class-leadingcomfort thanks to its ERGO-FIT® adjustable handlebar mounting system and footpegs to fit a variety of riders and riding styles. The handlebars feature four-way adjustable mounts. The multi-position handlebars offer two mounting holes with 35mm of adjustability, and the 180-degree offset clamps boast four individual settings to suit different size riders. The footpegs feature dual-position mounting points, with a lower position that reduces the standard setting by an additional 5mm. The lower position effectively lowers the center of gravity when standing, and reduces knee angle when taller riders are seated.

BODYWORK & SEAT

  • NEW factory-inspired green bodywork

Complementing the improved power and precise handling of the KX250 is minimalistic bodywork that includes slim radiator shrouds for an aggressive race-ready look. A flat fuel tank and seat design help to aid in a more seamless design, making it easy for riders to move around on top of the bike.

For 2020, the number plates and airbox of the KX250 motorcycle have been updated to the color green, resembling the same look found on the bikes used by the factory racing team. The front and rear fenders and fork guards implement a sharp design that makes the bike look more compact. Adding to the distinctive Kawasaki factory race team look is a green oil cap, generator cover plugs, green alumite suspension adjusters and black alumite rims.

Kawasaki Team Green™ Racer Rewards

Kawasaki Team Green Racer Rewards return for the 2020 racing season with nearly $7.5 million in contingency available for eligible KX riders. Team Green’s Racer Rewards program will be available at more than 200 races with more than $5.4 million in payouts.Off-Road racers will also be rewarded at nearly 250 events with more than $2 million available.

KAWASAKI KX™250

Color: Lime Green

MSRP: $7,799

Availability: Now

MotoE World Cup: Hector Garzo Quickest On First Day Of Testing At Valencia

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MotoE World Cup: Hector Garzo Quickest On First Day Of Testing At Valencia

Garzo fastest as FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup gets back on track

Spaniard quickest on Day 1 of the Official MotoE™ Test in Valencia

Tech 3 E-Racing’s Hector Garzo has finished Day 1 of the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup official Valencia Test at the top of the timesheets thanks to his 1:41.743, with Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) and Niki Tuuli (Ajo MotoE) completing the top three. Granado, who topped the first day of testing in Jerez, was just 0.060 off the top.

A 1:42.136 puts EG 0,0 Marc VDS’ Mike Di Meglio in fourth on the opening day at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, but it wasn’t such a successful day for fellow Frenchman Randy de Puniet. The LCR-E Team rider suffered a highside at Turn 11 and will have an x-ray on Monday evening on his foot. Nevertheless, the MotoGP™ podium finisher intends to be back on the bike for Days 2 and 3.

Nico Terol (Openbank Angel Nieto Team) rounded out the top five, ahead of Trentino Gresini MotoE’s Matteo Ferrari, with Maria Herrera (Openbank Angel Nieto Team) slotting into seventh. Alex De Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE), Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Kenny Foray (Tech 3 E-Racing) completed the top ten.

One man not on track was Bradley Smith, who was on MotoGP™ test rider duty in Barcelona. But stay tuned for more action tomorrow as the riders will be back out for another two days of testing on Tuesday and Wednesday, including a race simulation!

Daytona 200-Winning Team Owner Michelle Lindsay Recovering Quickly Following Surgery To Remove Cancerous Tumor

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Daytona 200-Winning Team Owner Michelle Lindsay Recovering Quickly Following Surgery To Remove Cancerous Tumor

Michelle Lindsay, owner of TOBC Racing, which has won multiple Daytona 200 races, is recovering quickly after undergoing surgery on June 14 in Falls Church, Virginia, to remove a pancreatic cancer tumor, according to a post on Facebook made by her husband Myles Wilson.

On June 16, Wilson posted: 

“Updates on my wife Michelle A Lindsay: so she is a week or so ahead of schedule somehow. All drainage and stomach tubes are out and she is on a liquid diet. She has been working very hard toward being able to eat and drink. Spirits are high and she’s barely on any pain meds. I honestly don’t know what to say. Hospital and surgical staff are just kind of in awe at her recovery. I’m sure some of you have done some reading on the Whipple procedure. It’s day two and her body is already doing everything on its own. That’s normally something that takes about two weeks for most.”

People wishing to send messages to Lindsay can do so via her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/michelle.a.lindsay.7, and they may also send cards and flowers to her at Inova Fairfax Hospital, in Falls Church, Virginia. 

Lindsay’s TOBC Racing won the Daytona 200 three times (2015, 2017, and 2018) with rider Danny Eslick.

MotoGP: Aprilia Issues Medical Update On Aleix Espargaro

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MotoGP: Aprilia Issues Medical Update On Aleix Espargaro

ALEIX ESPARGARÓ IN THE APRILIA GARAGE FOR THE BARCELONA TESTS

THE MEDICAL CHECK-UP ENCOURAGING FOR RIDER AND TEAM, NOW RECOVERY BEGINS

As Andrea Iannone and Bradley Smith continue developing the RS-GP on the day of testing after the Barcelona race, Aleix Espargaró visited the Aprilia garage. The Spanish rider, involved in an accident yesterday, suffered a micro-fracture to the femur and an injury to the left tibia. At the moment, significant damage to the ligaments has been ruled out, so Aleix can begin recovery quickly.

The situation with the knee will be assessed in the coming days in anticipation of the Assen race. Espargaró’s goal is to be back in the saddle as soon as possible.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“I’m relieved since the medical check-up showed a better situation than we had initially expected. In any case, I’m sorry to have missed this day of testing. My goal is to begin recovery as soon as possible and speed up my return to the saddle, compatibly with the feedback from the doctors. They told me that in a couple days I’ll be able to get back to cycling and I’m counting down the hours!”

MotoGP: Maverick Vinales Fastest During Official Testing Monday At Catalunya

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MotoGP: Maverick Vinales Fastest During Official Testing Monday At Catalunya

MotoGP Race Lap Record: Jorge Lorenzo, 1:40.021, 2018

MotoGP All Time Lap Record: Jorge Lorenzo, 1:38.680, 2018

2019 FIM MotoGP World Championship

Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, Spain

June 17, 2019

Best Test Lap Times (all on Michelin tires):

1. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:38.967

2. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:39.014

3. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:39.257

4. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:39.334

5. Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:39.428

6. Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:39.466

7. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:39.555

8. Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:39.670

9. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:39.745

10. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:39.903

11. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:39.917

12. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:39.925

13. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:39.938

14. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:39.968

15. Johann Zarco, France (KTM), 1:40.197

16. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:40.201

17. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Honda), 1:40.357

18. Bradley Smith, UK (Aprilia), 1:40.564

19. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Aprilia), 1:40.606

20. Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:40.862

21. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:41.100

22. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (KTM), 1:41.162

23. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Suzuki), 1:41.243

24. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Honda), 1:41.429

25. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (KTM), 1:41.824

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Viñales strikes late to top the Official Test

A one-day test for the premier class saw the number 12 top the timesheets, but not by much

Monday, 17 June 2019

After a dramatic Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, it was time for more laps on Monday as the premier class got back on track for a one-day Official Test. On the more general agenda, MotoGP™ tyre supplier Michelin brought four different rear tyres to test, added to those which were in the allocation for the race weekend. Three of them are being evaluated for use in 2020, and the other is being tested ahead of possible use at the Red Bull Ring and Buriram. And then, of course, teams had their own agendas.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP were testing electronics to improve engine braking and want to improve the smoothness of power delivery. The fastest man of the day with a lap much quicker than pole position, Maverick Viñales did a staggering 98 laps with a final laptime of 1:38.967, the lap with which he topped the timesheets. Teammate Valentino Rossi was testing a new exhaust and a new finger-operated rear brake, putting in a best of 1:39.968 after 71 laps.

Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Franco Morbidelli ended the day in P2, just 0.047 behind Viñales and another who improved late in the day, on lap 76 of 78. First time podium finisher and teammate Fabio Quartararo headed out later in the day to aid his recovery from arm pump surgery, but he put in 56 laps and did a best of 1:39.428. He practiced some starts and also focused on working with the tyres.

At Repsol Honda, reigning Champion Marc Marquez had three different bikes in the garage, and there was also a new swingarm attachment spotted. Marquez did 80 laps and his best was a 1:39.257 after 80 laps, but the Catalan GP winner also had a crash in the early afternoon at Turn 4, rider ok.

Teammate Jorge Lorenzo was another who crashed, this time in the morning, and the five-time World Champion went down at Turn 9. His best lap was a 1:40.357 and he did 65 laps, ending the day in P17. Lorenzo was seen with a new black front fairing to test.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) those aero parts from HRC to test, the same as seen on Lorenzo’s machine, and both he and teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) were working on race setup. Crutchlow was P10 after 73 laps, Nakagami P7 after 59 – and the Japanese rider also tried the 2019 bike. HRC test rider Stefan Bradl was also out on track, doing 84 laps.

Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins led the way at midday, and he was P4 by the end of play. He was testing an upgrade to Suzuki’s chassis, the same one that test rider Sylvain Guintoli used throughout the weekend at the Catalan GP.. The Spaniard did 75 laps and rookie teammate Joan Mir did 67. After his best MotoGP™ finish yet on Sunday Mir was back out on track to continue his adaptation to the premier class and he did a fastest lap of 1:39.670, improving later in the day. Guintoli was also at the test and did 69 laps.

At Mission Winnow Ducati, meanwhile, a carbon reinforced chassis was spotted. Andrea Dovizioso did 63 laps with a best of 1:39.917 to take P12, with teammate Danilo Petrucci doing 57 laps. The Mugello winner was 0.008 quicker than his teammate at the test to end the day in 11th.

Pramac Racing had rookie Francesco Bagnaia up in sixth overall as he did 54 laps, the best of which was a 1:39.466 set before a crash at Turn 13 next time around, rider ok. He tested the tyres and worked on improving setup. Teammate Jack Miller ended the day in P9 after 60 laps, and he had a new unit at the rear of the bike and worked with the new tyres. Tito Rabat (Real Avintia Racing) was first out on track and was P13 after 75 laps, and teammate Karel Abraham did 35 laps – with the Czech rider suffering a crash and the bike coming off pretty worse for wear.

KTM certainly had something high profile and pretty new on track: test rider Dani Pedrosa. The Spaniard appeared for the first time at an official test and did 51 laps as he worked through his program. Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) tested a new chassis and put in 70 laps, moving up the timesheets late in the day to depose teammate Pol Espargaro from P15 by just 0.004, with Espargaro putting 57 laps despite a crash. Portuguese rookie Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) did 61 laps and ended the day just behind Iannone, with teammate Hafizh Syahrin putting in 52 as both continue adapting to the KTM MotoGP™ machine.

Finally, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini were represented by Andrea Iannone and test rider Bradley Smith, with the Noale factory working on the engine and with some small items to test in a host of different areas. Iannone was working more on short terms solutions and did 76 laps with a best of 1:40.606, with Smith focused more on the long term. He did 88 laps and was just half a tenth quicker than Iannone. Aleix Espargaro is sidelined after the crash near the start of the Catalan GP race.

That’s all from Monday, MotoGP™ returns at the classic TT Circuit Assen from the 28th to 30th June.

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:

Action continues as Oliveira and Syahrin test at Barcelona

Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira and Hafizh Syahrin were back at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today for one day of official testing following the seventh round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship season. Thereby, premier class rookie Oliveira did 61 laps in total with a fastest time of 1:40.862 minutes. At the same time, Syahrin clocked a 1:41.162 after doing 52 laps in the Catalan sunshine.

Miguel Oliveira

Position: 20th

Time: 1:40.862

Laps: 61

“Today has been a very productive day. We confirmed some parts that we already tried in the past, but because it was in race condition, we couldn’t really validate, what we tested and we did some tyre tests for Michelin and finally we also tried some different setups suggested by KTM.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 22nd

Time: 1:41.162

Laps: 52

“This has been a truly good test. I was able to improve my riding a bit, but we had to start a bit later with a mechanical problem on the bike. Everybody already set a time in the morning, therefore, we were not concentrating on doing a fast lap anymore. I didn’t use many new tyre, but a new one from Michelin, which was really good and even better than the one we chose in the race. I was able to do very consistent laps. I know, they are still far off, but with the race condition from yesterday, it would have been very good. Overall, this test has been positive. We also tried some things with the electronic, which was a bit better, but also the same at some places. We need to keep working hard and try to be better in Assen next time out. I’m happy with this test.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:

NAKAGAMI COMPLETES DAY OF TESTING IN BARCELONA

Japanese star Takaaki Nakagami and his LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team were back out on track at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Monday, joining the rest of the MotoGP field for a one-day test. Having taken a sixth top-ten finish of the year in Sunday’s challenging race, Nakagami and his crew had lots of positives to build on having dealt well with the tricky, hot conditions.

With track temperatures soaring past the 50°C mark again, the track surface was greasy as it had been for Sunday’s 24-lap race. Nakagami put in a total of 59 laps as he focused on fine-tuning his own RC213V, as well as spending time testing a 2019 factory version of Honda’s MotoGP machine. With a best time of 1’39.555, Taka ended the day seventh overall on the timesheets, and was the second Honda behind runaway championship leader Marc Marquez.

Takaaki Nakagami – 7th

(1’39.555 – lap 52 of 59)

“It was a very important test for us today, because we tested the 2019 Honda RC213V – actually one of my team-mate Cal’s (Crutchlow). We only did three or four short outings in the afternoon, but HRC asked me to test it and it was positive. During the season, during races and practices I have seen the differences when fighting with the factory Hondas, and today I got chance to jump on it, which I enjoyed”.

“It’s a good package and I’m really happy that HRC gave me the opportunity to test it, I’d like to thank them for that. The lap times were good with my 2018 bike as well as the 2019 machine, so that’s a positive too. The LCR Honda IDEMITSU team have done a great job”.

“Having finished this test in a decent way, I’m really looking forward to Assen now as it’s a track I’ve had success at before. However, our target is still trying to put together the best package we can, and to show the best of our abilities. I like the layout in the Netherlands, and even if it is physically hard the straight isn’t too long and our bike handles well. The only concern will be the weather, but you can’t control this!”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:

PRODUCTIVE DAY BACK AT BARCELONA TRACK FOR CRUTCHLOW

Cal Crutchlow was back in action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Monday with a full day of testing with his LCR Honda CASTROL RC213V. The Brit slid out of the Catalan GP on Sunday whilst battling for a podium finish, and he and the team were aiming to build on the positive progress made during a difficult race in terms of track conditions.

In similar searing heat as experienced during the race, Crutchlow switched between the setting he used to claw back numerous positions in Barcelona, and the one used two weeks previously in Italy. Putting in 73 laps of the track, he worked on a variety of geometry settings, engine brake mapping and tested some aerodynamic parts for HRC.

Crutchlow and his LCR Honda CASTROL team now head home before reconvening for the classic Dutch TT at Assen in under two weeks’ time.

Cal Crutchlow – 10th

(1’39.903 – lap 34 of 73)

“Overall we’re happy. We’ve been doing a lot of work today. We had a lot of small items to test, and we were evaluating the setting of the bike from the last race to the one yesterday because they were completely different set-ups. Again, I can do the same lap time on both settings, so we are none the wiser in that area”.

“I felt good with the bike today, just as I did in the race yesterday. We’ve assessed some parts for Honda and had some good results. As always with testing, there have been positives and negatives, but that’s why we do it!”

More, from a press release issued by Mission Winnow Ducati:

The Mission Winnow Ducati team concludes a one-day official test at Montmeló, next stop Assen

On the eve of the Grand Prix of Catalunya, the Mission Winnow Ducati team resumed action at Montmeló for a one-day, collective test. In hot weather conditions, with 30 degrees in the atmosphere and 55 on the tarmac, Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso clocked 57 and 63 laps respectively to try several chassis, electronics and aerodynamics upgrades on the factory Desmosedici GP 19. Petrucci finished with a personal best of 1:39.917 in eleventh position overall, with Dovizioso (12th) just eight tenths of a second behind him in 1:39.925.

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:39.917 (11th)

“I’m satisfied with how this test went. We tried several upgrades in terms of chassis, electronics and aerodynamics, finding some solutions that gave me better sensations on the bike. In particular, we improved the feeling with the front and mid-corner turning. The track may have been a bit quicker compared to yesterday, but we were fast with used tyres, which is never something to take for granted. We’ll utilize some of these upgrades starting from next round at Assen, where we’ll resume from this base to keep the positive momentum.”

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:39.925 (12th)

“It’s been a positive test, in which we focused on several areas. We tried some new tyres brought by Michelin ahead of the next races, and a chassis upgrade that gave us a good feeling especially in corner entry, even though we’ll be able to gauge its true advantages only during a race. Yesterday didn’t go as planned, but it’s important to keep working hard to understand where we have more room for improvement and to further increase our competitiveness. Starting from Assen, we’ll try to use these upgrades to our advantage.”

The Mission Winnow Ducati team will resume action at Assen (Netherlands) for the eighth round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship, scheduled for June 28-30.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

PRODUCTIVE CATALAN TEST FOR TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR

Alex Rins: 4th – 1:39.334 (+0.367)

Joan Mir: 8th – 1:39.670 (+0.703)

Sylvain Guintoli: 23rd – 1:41.243 (+2.276)

•Alex Rins continues great pace around Montmelò as he tests chassis.

•Joan Mir working on fine-tuning settings and building confidence.

•Team end the test on a high following positive findings.

Following a successful race day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in which Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders brought home 4th, 6th, and 13th places, it was time to get back on track on Monday morning for a one-day test.

The three riders present at the test had three slightly different agendas for the day.

Test Rider, Sylvain Guintoli, continued working with the chassis he used throughout the Catalan race weekend, and he also tried some different set-up configurations. The Frenchman felt much quicker than during yesterday’s race and he gave positive feedback about the modified chassis.

Alex Rins left the pit box feeling confident and comfortable with his GSX-RR, and he set some quick laps early in the session, topping the time sheets for much of the day. He then had the opportunity to try the chassis which Guintoli debuted, and he also found an improved feeling with the bike, especially under braking.

Rookie, Joan Mir, concentrated his time on fine-tuning his settings around the technical track, before turning his attention to electronics. Joan reported that his confidence is building lap-by-lap and he was happy to spend more time on his bike at a circuit he likes.

Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager

“We gained a lot of information today with Sylvain and Alex both trying our newly modified chassis. During a race weekend it’s difficult to properly test new parts and settings, so test days like these are really important and useful for us. All three riders felt improvements today, and that means we’ve worked well.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“It’s been a good test day, especially following a good race weekend. Alex and Sylvain tried a modified chassis and we found it quite helpful. We think it will improve braking stability; it could be useful in some circuits so Alex will probably try it again in Assen. We also tested electronics, ergonomics, and a tyre from Michelin. Overall a positive test with good pace from Alex. Joan tried some different settings, including suspension, but also he was just working on his riding style and some basic things.”

Alex Rins

“Today I found that the modified chassis had a lot of positive points, but also there are some things about it that I would like to improve. There’s not a lot to change with it, but we will evaluate it further to try and get the best from it. I’ve done quite a lot of laps today and in general I think we can feel very positive about the way things are going.”

Joan Mir

“I’m happy because I’ve improved my general pace and my fast lap pace. We’ve worked well all day, improving every area of the bike a little bit. We didn’t focus on any one thing really, more just my overall feeling with bike and building my experience up.”

Sylvain Guintoli

“I’ve done quite a bit of work today, continuing to test this modified chassis we have – trying to adapt it and find the strongest points and the weaker points. We also made some good discoveries with the bike in general, so we feel it’s going well. I was much quicker than yesterday, so I improved my pace. It’s great to test following a race because I already felt comfortable with the track and the conditions so I could put in quicker laps right from the start of the day.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

 Busy Catalunya Test for Repsol Honda Team duo

Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo completed 145 laps between them at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, gathering valuable information on the Honda RC213V.

Fresh from his fourth win of the 2019 MotoGP season, Marc Marquez was straight back to work with the Repsol Honda Team on Monday. A multitude of components to compare had the seven-time world champion completing an extensive testing program across his 80 laps at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. A crash late in the session saw Marquez avoid injury. His fastest time of 1’39.257 placed him third overall.

Jorge Lorenzo’s test was interrupted by a fall a Turn 9 several hours into the day. The five-time world champion visited the medical centre for precautionary checks but was able to return to the circuit soon after. Despite some pain from the crash, Lorenzo completed 65 laps with a best time of 1’40.357 before the fall.

The team now enjoy a brief pause before action resumes with the double-header of the Assen TT, June 30 and the German GP, July 07.

Marc Marquez

3RD 1’39.257

“It has been a very good test and we were able to get a lot of information after trying a few different things for the future. We were looking at not only this year but also the future and what direction we need to take. We looked at both 2020 and also the second half of the season. We tried a new chassis and some new aerodynamics looking to try something for the future. Like always, there were some positives and also some negatives with everything. In the afternoon we made another step and we’ll see how we can use it in Assen.”

Jorge Lorenzo

17TH 1’40.357

“The crash affected my speed and my stamina a lot during the test, it was a very big crash at Turn 9 and I rolled a lot in the gravel. I was lucky not to break anything and I’ve had pain in my elbows, fingers and back all day but we needed to keep working. We worked more on the ergonomics and on some small chassis details, some things for the next races and some things for next year. I want to say thank you again to Honda for organising the trip to Japan we had and their rapid developments.”

More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha SRT:

Morbidelli places second on official testing day in Barcelona

Italian is second fastest rider in post-race test, with team-mate Fabio Quartararo fifth.

2nd FRANCO MORBIDELLI +0.047

5th FABIO QUARTARARO +0.461

After a great weekend at the Catalan GP, PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team were back out on track on Monday for an official post-race test in Barcelona. Franco Morbidelli set the second fastest time of the day, less than a tenth of a second off the fastest lap. Both he and team-mate Fabio Quartararo – who placed fifth – used the one-day test to work more thoroughly on different aspects of their Yamaha YZR-M1.

Morbidelli enjoyed a positive day, which he ended with a quickest lap of 1min 39.014secs that put him second on the timesheets after eight hours of action. The PETRONAS Yamaha SRT rider focused his work on electronics from early in the morning, with the aim of finding an explanation for the race pace and performance challenge he faced in Sunday’s race. The Italian, who completed a total of 78 laps of the Catalan track, also tested a new rear tyre.

Fresh from his first premier class podium, Quartararo continued his quest for further improvement from the performance of his bike. The Frenchman had his first outing on track after noon, and devoted much of the test to electronic settings and strategies. Over the course of 56 laps, he also tried out several different tyre compounds, and finished the day as the fifth fastest rider with a time of 1min 39.428secs.

The MotoGP riders will return to action from June 28th-30th at the Dutch GP.

#21 Franco Morbidelli

“Today we had the opportunity to work on aspects of the bike that we didn’t have the chance to look at during the race weekend. In particular, we tested different electronics set-ups. We took a step forward with engine braking, especially in the afternoon, so this has been a very positive point of this test. I’m also very happy with the results from the tyres we tested, and I think it is a step in the right direction. Today has been a positive day for us and we hope to be able to use everything we tried today at Assen – especially the electronics.”

#20 Fabio Quartararo

“Today we tried out some changes to the electronics, some different settings for Assen and some new tyre compounds that have been brought here specially for the test. We haven’t put in many laps, since today I felt that my arm was very stiff after a weekend of riding. However, it was a positive day because we were able to work more thoroughly on the electronics, something that is always interesting to manage. In addition, I think we found something special on corner exit that can help us to prolong the life of the tyres at the end of the race. We hope to be able to put it into practice at the coming races.”

More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:

MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP CLOSE CATALUNYA VISIT WITH SUCCESSFUL TEST

Barcelona (Spain), 17th June 2019

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi got back into action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today, completing the IRTA test in 1st and 14th place respectively.

1st MAVERICK VIÑALES 1’38.967 / 98 LAPS

14th VALENTINO ROSSI 1’39.968 / 71 LAPS

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi were back at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today to try new items for their YZR-M1s. The team-mates finished in 1st and 14th place respectively in the timesheets.

For the test, the Yamaha Factory riders were each able to evaluate new electronics and a new exhaust, both aimed at making the acceleration smoother, as well as some new prototype Michelin tyres.

After an abrupt end to his Catalunya challenge yesterday, Viñales was keen to get back on his bike. His goal for today was to find an improvement in acceleration. He focused on this task for most of the session but couldn‘t help but put in a time attack at the very end. The Spaniard rode a total of 98 laps and set a best time of the day, a 1‘38.967s, on his final try. He was the only rider to get under the 1‘39-mark and finished 0.047s ahead of his closest rival.

Rossi also made strides during the test. He started the day a little after eleven and got straight down to business. He focused on fine-tuning his bike and comparing the testing options, and rode most of his stints on hard tyre specs to work on race pace. His efforts resulted in positive findings and after completing 71 laps, he ended the day in 14th place with a fastest lap of 1‘39.968s, 1.001s from the top.

Following today’s progress, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will evaluate the gained data in preparation for the Motul TT Assen held in two weeks‘ time.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

“After the unlucky end to the Catalan Grand Prix weekend, it‘s important to get straight back into the saddle again, with the same motivation we always have. Today‘s weather and track conditions were similar to those of the previous days, so this gave us the opportunity to compare our testing items with the data we collected over the weekend. Our main goal was to evaluate the new electronics, try the exhaust again, and improve the smoothness of the acceleration. Both riders mainly focused only on this objective. Some parts they liked more than others, but they gave positive feedback overall. They are especially enthusiastic about the new prototype Michelin rear tyres. Maverick had time to put in a time attack at the end and topped the timesheets, but the feeling on the bike in general is the most important today. Since both riders feel good on the bike, we feel confident as we prepare for the next race in two weeks‘ time.”

MAVERICK VIÑALES

“I’m quite satisfied about the test, not because of the lap time, but because of the way we handled this test, because it was important to try many things. The whole team put in hard work and we changed many parts of the bike. To end at the top is important for us, also for the mechanics, who worked very hard today. But the most important thing is that my feeling on the bike was really good and let’s see if we can keep this momentum, which we had here in Barcelona, going at the next race in Assen. We changed the settings on the bike quite a lot because we think we found one area here that helped us for the race, and it seemed to work, so we will continue to work in that direction and get more confidence on the bike. The feedback on the new Michelin tyres is good. The grip from the tyres is good, so I was able to do really good laps, and I hope they will bring these tyres in the future, because for our bike that will help a lot. But for now we are in 2019 and we keep improving race by race.”

VALENTINO ROSSI

“We tried some different things, especially with the electronics, traction control, and engine brake, to make some improvements. We also tried some mechanical things, some parts on the bike. Some things were good, others normal, but overall, we found something positive. We worked a bit with an eye on the future, also for next year and also for the next race, so we noticed a small difference already and I hope we can be faster. The Michelin tyres are fantastic! They did a good job, because they improved the grip in acceleration. You can open the throttle earlier and go faster, so the new tyres are better.”

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:

RED BULL KTM CONTINUE WORK AT CIRCUIT DE BARCELONA-CATALUNYA

MotoGP 2019 IRTA test Catalunya (ESP)

Today’s official IRTA test represented the first of two days of work for Red Bull KTM in the direct aftermath of the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya. Pol Espargaro and Johann Zarco were joined by test rider Dani Pedrosa for the first time as work on the KTM RC16 pressed forward.

High temperatures and windy conditions remained in place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the MotoGP field formed again the day after the seventh Grand Prix of the season.

Pol Espargaro worked through chassis, electronic and aerodynamic updates and the Spaniard managed 57 laps with the 16th fastest time before a small tumble ended his day late in the afternoon. Johann Zarco was 15th quickest and posted 70 laps as he also assessed a list of ideas and solutions to improve his comfort and speed. The pair counted on the presence of Dani Pedrosa who was busy through the whole day building up his knowledge of KTM’s factory machinery and imparting his vast experience where necessary.

Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo Miguel Oliveira and Hafizh Syahrin were also diligent with the next phases of development and adaption to their RC16 race bikes.

KTM will continue with a private testing day in Barcelona on Wednesday before turning their attention to round eight of 2019 MotoGP at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands.

Pol Espargaro: “We tried a lot of chassis parts and also electronics because we had problems at the weekend through Turns 12 and 13. I had a small crash and could not make a faster time. We’ll have to see in the races to come if we have found some more improvements but we did some work on the aerodynamics and other aspects such as the change of direction with the bike. I’m happy. The bike we finished the race with here we will use in Holland because we have a good package and it will be interesting to see what we have now works in cooler conditions.”

Johann Zarco: “I got a new chassis and a different seat to try and improve. It is not an easy job because when I change things I feel better but it is not immediately visible so I need to push myself to get the faster lap-time and use the parts. I improved today compared to my qualifying time on Saturday so I am quite happy. Everyone was very fast today and it was pretty tough but we must keep working hard. I’m quite satisfied.”

Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Team Manager: “Another productive test day and we had five riders on the track and each of them had their special items to test. We have some positive and some negatives. In general we are happy. Pol had a small crash at the end of the day but it was not too dramatic. Johann focussed on certain things on his bike and re-checked some settings with suspension and chassis as well as aerodynamics. It was quite interesting, and now we plan for Wednesday. It’s good the riders will have one day off now because it can be tiring after a busy race weekend to test all day.”

Sebastian Risse, Technical Director MotoGP: “Conditions tend to be difficult here and we’re happy to take this chance to improve our bike. We tried a lot of hardware: frame, swingarm, suspension and I think we made some progress, especially with Johann; I think we found some items that can really help him. With Pol the day was cut short unfortunately but we also confirmed some useful items. Overall, I think there was bigger progress for Johann. We’ll do some more work on Wednesday.”

MotoAmerica: More From The Races At Utah Motorsports Campus

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MotoAmerica: More From The Races At Utah Motorsports Campus

BOBBY FONG AND ALEX DUMAS WIN FOR TEAM HAMMER IN UTAH

Team Hammer closed out the MotoAmerica weekend at Utah Motorsports Campus with a pair of spectacular victories on Sunday.

After finishing second in MotoAmerica Supersport on Saturday, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong came through in a huge way in Sunday’s rematch. Again, Fong leapt out to the lead on the opening lap, only to be quickly pushed back into second. From that point forward, Fong hounded his leader, applying extreme pressure and constantly reminding his rival that he was there, showing him a wheel in corner after corner while planning a last-lap, last-corner move.

Even his crew thought Fong was destined to finish second again, because he hadn’t told anyone that he had a strategy before the race even started. But when the leader ran another defensive line into the final corner of the race, Fong set him up perfectly, got a great drive out of the corner, swung alongside and powered past on the short run to the finish line to win by 0.003-second.

An excited Fong said, “We have such good acceleration with the Suzuki GSX-R600, I knew if he ran tight in the last corner, I could get a drive on him. I had that in my mind the entire race and was sizing it up. I figured he would run a defensive line on the last lap, and I worked my strategy just right. I’m excited to get the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki on top of the box today. Kudos to my team–we got the ‘W’ today, and I’m looking forward to my home round at Laguna Seca coming up next.”

Young Sean Dylan Kelly appeared destined to make it another Supersport double rostrum result for Team Hammer, on another track he had never seen before the start of practice on Saturday. The teenager got away in third, clung on to the lead duo for several laps, and then ran alone in third for most of the race. Unfortunately, a heat-related issue slowed his bike and forced him to give up a pair of positions on the final lap-and-a-half. Kelly still managed to hold on to collect a top-five result at the stripe.

While Fong left his winning move for the last possible moment, Twins Cup contender Alex Dumas made an immediate bid for victory on his Roadracing World Young Guns Suzuki SV650. After qualifying on pole earlier in the day, Dumas powered off the grid in the lead and never looked back. By the finish of the 13-lap race, Dumas had built an impressive lead of more than 14 seconds on his way to scoring his first Twins Cup victory.


(Above) Alex Dumas (16) leads Autovest Suzuki’s Joseph Blasius (24) early in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup Race at Utah Motorsports Campus. Photo by Brian J Nelson.

“I’m really happy how the race went,” said Dumas, the 2018 Junior Cup Champion who has moved up into the Twins Cup for 2019. “It’s incredible to win a Twins Cup race. We’re off to a good start in the season and hopefully the rest of the races go like this.”

Autovest Suzuki’s Joseph Blasius very nearly gave Team Hammer a double podium Twins Cup result. Blasius qualified third and then ran second early in the race, found himself dropped back to fifth, and then charged back into position to fight for the podium at the flag.

He made a bold attempt at third with just over a lap remaining, but encountered an errant lapped rider and couldn’t quite hold the position when he changed his line to make a pass, got on a sealer strip, and lost traction while accelerating, doing well to stay on board but allowing his rival to swoop back ahead. Blasius finished in fourth, less than a second off the podium.

Team M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis enjoyed another solid outing in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Superbike race. Lewis was embroiled in a fight for another top-five result when the race was red-flagged with 10 laps remaining. He got away from the restart in sixth to resume that battle, and maintained to finish sixth.

Team Hammer will next head to Monterey, California, on July 12-14 for the highly-anticipated combined WorldSBK/MotoAmerica Superbike weekend at Laguna Seca.

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 74 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 216 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 Jayson Uribe’s publicist:

Jayson Uribe In The MotoAmerica Superbike Mix At Utah – UPDATED

Jayson Uribe made a welcome return to the MotoAmerica Superbike series at the Utah Motorsports Campus this weekend, campaigning the sole Honda in the series and showing from the off that he wasn’t back simply to make up the numbers.


(Above) Jayson Uribe (36). Photo by Steve Midgley.

A new track configuration at UMC, situated close to Salt Lake City, levelled the playing field a little with Uribe qualifying an encouraging tenth position ahead of the opening twenty-three lap encounter.

A fast start followed by an aggressive but fair first few turns soon saw the #36 up into eighth where he sat comfortably on the back of the leading group. After losing touch slightly with the leaders as the race progressed after a small brake issue, Jayson rode smart to ensure he crossed the line eighth at the flag.

Race two saw Uribe end the opening lap in twelfth, the Californian easing himself into the weekend’s second twenty-three lap race. Up to ninth after a couple of laps, the race was halted prematurely on lap fourteen after a crash at turn six.

A short stoppage before the grid reformed for a ten-lap re-run allowed which gave the sole Honda on the grid a second bite of the cherry. A better start saw Jayson immediately slot into eighth where he would remain until the flag after a race long duel with former World Superbike top ten finisher Jake Gagne.

Jayson will be back on the grid at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in a few weeks’ time when MotoAmerica runs alongside the FIM Superbike World Championship.

Jayson Uribe: “Had a great debut weekend in the MotoAmerica Superbike championship. We’ve been preparing for this weekend since early November 2018, and it seems that our hard work has paid off. Being a two-day race event, everything was pretty compact. Not much time to find a decent set up or fix problems. My Honda CBR1000RR ran like a champ, and we only had two minor mechanical issues throughout the weekend. We ran up front for a short period in both races. It was good for me to see where I was stronger, and weaker, than my competitors. Had rear brake problems in both races, but we ended up finishing P8 regardless. Had a killer battle with Jake Gagne – sorry about the extra rubber and red paint on your BMW Jake! – We came in with no expectations, and we’re leaving with high hopes of a top 5 in the future rounds. Can’t wait to get back out there! Also: I need to thank Danny Walker and Steve Karol for the parts. Without their help, I couldn’t build a bike to finish these long races.”

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Garrett Gerloff and Cameron Beaubier Make Positive Strides in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Utah Motorsports Campus


(Above) Garrett Gerloff (31) and Cameron Beaubier (1) at Utah Motorsports Campus. 

The weekend at Utah Motorsports Campus always proves interesting with the challenges of high elevation but Garrett Gerloff was able to stand on the podium in both races, while his Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing teammate Cameron Beaubier took the runner-up spot in race two after finishing off the podium in fourth in race one.

After qualifying on pole, Beaubier took advantage and rocketed out to the lead in race one. He was setting pace for most of the race but fell to second just after halfway. When he wasn’t expecting it, the reigning Superbike champ moved back to third and then lost another position when he wasn’t able to hold his teammate at bay. Gerloff, who struggled with a technical issue, had found himself as far back as sixth around the midway point of the race before taking advantage of competitors’ mistakes and pushing his Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing YZF-R1 to a podium finish in third by the end of the 23-lap race.

The team put in the work overnight and race two saw Beaubier claim the lead and build a comfortable gap on the competition. Gerloff also looked good and was in a solid podium position when a red flag was called for a downed rider. On the restart, the Californian didn’t get the same jump as the first green flag and was shuffled back to second whilst his teammate maintained third. Beaubier did everything he possibly could to make a pass stick and retake the lead he held for much of the race before the restart, but ultimately had to settle for second and take some championship points. Gerloff joined him on the podium in third. Although the red flag was unfortunate, positive ground was made for the team on the weekend and they look to build on that forward progress.

Up next on the schedule for the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing team is a joint round with the World Superbike Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, July 12-14.

Tom Halverson

Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“This was a difficult weekend racing a two-day schedule on a track layout that we’ve never been on. On Saturday, Cameron had some problems but managed a fourth. Garrett put in another really strong ride to finish in third. On Sunday, Cam turned things around and had over a two-second lead before a red flag. After the red flag it was a great fight, but unfortunately Cameron missed the win by just 0.3 seconds with Garrett a really close just 0.5 seconds back. It was disappointing for us not to get the win today, but we were in the fight with both riders. We’re looking forward to Laguna and will fight again for the win.”

Cameron Beaubier

Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing

“Saturday’s race we were pretty confident going into after leading both practice sessions, but as soon as the lights went out, I had no rear grip compared to practice. I rode as hard as I could, but fourth was the best we could do. Sunday morning’s practice went really well and we confirmed it was the tire. I put my head down early in the race and opened up a healthy gap. My R1 was feeling so good. Then the race got red flagged and we restarted with 10 laps to go. It was a battle to the finish and unfortunately we came up short in second. No wins this weekend, but we are gonna keep trucking. My team is great, and I’m happy with my riding. I’m really looking forward to my home race at Laguna.”

Garrett Gerloff

Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing

“It was a good weekend. We had a pretty decent qualifying and two solid races. I had a little technical issue in race one, which kind of cost me in the middle of the race and I dropped back to fifth place, but I was able to work my way back to third. Today I was running in third place, I felt good. Toni and I were doing the same pace, but we were all separated with a pretty good gap to Cam. After the restart everything got a lot tighter and I was able to be there for the last 10 laps of the race. I gave it my all, rode the best that I could, I was just maybe just missing a half a percent. I was able to throw in some shots in the earlier parts, but on the last lap, I was there but had no advantage to be able to try and make a pass. I just kind of had a front row seat to watch those guys duking it out in the last couple of corners.

“I’m glad to have two podiums, my sixth one in a row. I just want to get higher up on that podium. We’re making progress and we’re doing good work, so I’m excited to go to Laguna and keep moving forward.”

More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:

After Finishing Second in MotoAmerica Superbike Race One At Utah Motorsports Campus, Westby Racing’s Fortunes Bite The Dust On Sunday


(Above) Mathew Scholtz (11) trails Garrett Gerloff (31) and Toni Elias (24) into Turn One at the start of Superbike Race Two at UMC. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Grantsville, UT – June 17, 2019 – As is sometimes the case in MotoAmerica Superbike racing, the joy that Mathew Scholtz and his Westby Racing team felt after their runner-up result in Saturday’s Superbike race one at Utah Motorsports Park was countered by disappointment when Mathew suffered a tipover in Sunday’s race two and was unable to restart what ended up as a 10-lap sprint to the checkers.

Mathew got a great start in Sunday’s race, was immediately among the lead pack, and looked to heading for a result as good, if not better, than his second-place finish on Saturday. Running in fourth at the time, he unfortunately lost the front end of his #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike in turn six and took a high-speed tumble into the gravel.

The race was red-flagged, and Mathew hitched a ride back to the pits with Kyle Wyman. Meanwhile, the crash truck brought Mathew’s bike back to the garage, and the crew immediately went to work on getting the bike ready for the restart. Unfortunately, it was too damaged to be repaired in time to make the restart, so Mathew and the team had to call it a day.

Westby Racing team manager Chuck Giacchetto summarized the up-and-down weekend by saying, “All told, the weekend was spectacular. The drive out to Utah was drama-free and perfect, very enjoyable ride out. The team worked exceptionally well Friday night till about 9:30 to get everything settled for the weekend. Right out of the box, Mathew was really fast, and a good part of that is due to the setup by the crew, which is led by our technical director Ed Sullivan. First qualifying was very good; we were happy. But, we made a change that really didn’t make the bike better for Q2, and Mathew’s P4 result wasn’t very accurate of his real pace. We think he could have qualified on the front row, at least, if we hadn’t made that change.

“Race one was fantastic. Saturday was a glorious race for us. Good feedback and good info to add to the database. The team worked very well together. I don’t think anyone should look at Mathew’s crash in Sunday’s race two as a ‘fail.” He’s disappointed enough in himself. The bike actually did not have a lot of damage to it despite the entire fuel cell coming off. We had a little bit of damage to the wiring harness and that was really the only reason we couldn’t continue. We had all the spare parts ready to go, except that the damage to the wiring harness was too much to overcome in the short timeframe before the restart.

“So, now, we’re heading to California to do some work out there before heading back home. We’ll fly back out to California and possibly get a test in with another team or two before the next round. Again, fantastic job this weekend. I’m really proud of Mathew and our crew.”

The Westby Racing team will regroup and get ready for the second half of the 2019 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which begins with round six at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, on July 12 through 14.

MotoAmerica Superbike Standings

1. Toni Elias – Suzuki – 201

2. Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha – 175

3. Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha – 136

6. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 100

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 Attack Performance/Estenson Racing:

Beach Scores Another Top-Five MotoAmerica Superbike Finish for Attack Performance Estenson Racing Team


(Above) JD Beach (95). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Attack Performance Estenson Racing team’s JD Beach took home another top five finish in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship on Sunday’s race two at Utah Motorsport Campus on June 16.

After a rough Saturday in the gravel, the dirt track/road racer went into the second day of the two-format looking for some redemption. Beach got off to a good start but a technical issue prevented him from fighting up front. He got a second chance after the red flag with a 10-lap battle for the finish, but ultimately it was a repeat of the first part of the race and he opted to keep it on two wheels. In the final moments Jake Lewis, challenged for position but he was able to hold off his fellow Kentuckian to finish fifth.

Beach also currently sits fifth in the championship standings as the series hits the halfway mark.

Next up on the calendar is Laguna Seca in Monterey, California on July 12-14, held in conjunction with the World Superbike Championship.

JD Beach — MotoAmerica Superbike #95:

“Race two was good. We finished the race and came home with another top five. We did struggle with the front a little bit and we were getting a lot of chatter. We’ve been fighting that all weekend. We can’t really figure out where that’s coming from, so being able to fight back from that and get fifth is a good result for the day. We’ve got some work to do. We’ll go back to the drawing board and see what we can come up with for Laguna.”

More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura Suzuki:

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias Scores Double Victory in Utah

Elias Pushes Series Lead to 26 Points at Mid-Season


(Above) Josh Herrin (2) and Toni Elias (24) racing at the front in Utah. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Grantsville, Utah — It was a big weekend for Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Toni Elias at Utah Motorsports Campus. Elias won Saturday’s race convincingly, but had to fight hard to take a thrilling victory in Sunday’s race two. It was a major bounce back for Elias after crashing in race two at Road America a couple of weeks ago and seeing his series lead narrowed to nine points.

At the halfway point in the 2019 season Elias now has a series-leading five wins, and with the Utah sweep pushed his series lead back up to 26 points. Also significant is Elias reached a milestone 30th-career MotoAmerica Superbike victory on Sunday. He moved past former Yoshimura Suzuki racing legend Ben Spies for fifth on the all-time MotoAmerica/AMA Superbike wins list.

Icing on the cake for Elias is that he was able to celebrate the Father’s Day victory with his dad on the winner’s rostrum.

It was a decent weekend for Yoshimura Suzuki’s Josh Herrin as well. Coming off his second win of the season in Wisconsin, at the last round, Herrin scored a sixth on Saturday (hampered by severe back pain) and bounced back to take fourth on Sunday.

Herrin moved from fifth to fourth in the standings.

Saturday’s race was an epic battle early, with seven riders in the lead pack. Elias was able to open a gap late in the race and took a 1.969-second margin of victory. On Sunday Elias was helped by a red flag stop of the race. That allowed him a fresh shot at the other riders. On the restart it was a 10-lap sprint on the very tight and technical 2.2-mile UMC East Course, being used for the first time in a MotoAmerica event. It was a thrilling final lap with Elias and Cameron Beaubier swapping the lead. With just a few turns to go, Elias shot up inside exiting the corner, then forged ahead and held on by a scant three-tenths of a second at the checkered flag.

“This was an amazing weekend for us,” Elias said. “We found a very good setting to allow me to open a gap in the final laps in Saturday’s race. Then today the red flag helped. I had picked a tire that was too hard and I was not comfortable pushing. But then things got much better late in the race. Cameron fought very hard, but I was fortunate to find a way to get back into the lead before the finish.

“Today was a great day to win because it was Father’s Day and MotoAmerica allowed my father to come up on the podium and this was very emotional. I dedicate this win to him and to my son.”

Herrin had a lower back problem crop up suddenly in Saturday’s race after leading several laps

“I was running up front and felt like I could pass whenever I wanted,” Herrin explained. “And then I had a problem with my back. It was so bad I had to set up and stretch it out and then nurse it home. In Sunday’s race I was nervous about it. In the back of my mind I felt like I had to be careful. I made a mistake in turn six, ran wide and lost the leaders with three laps to go. I’m bummed, but I was able to run up front this weekend, so I’m really looking forward to Laguna.”

Yoshimura Suzuki and the MotoAmerica Series visits Monterey Bay next for the combined Superbike World Championship/MotoAmerica weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on July 12-14, 2019. If you can’t make the race in person, MotoAmerica Superbike races can be watched on Fox Sports 2. Check your local listings for times.

More, from a press release issued by Hudson Motorcycles:

Hudson Motorcycles leaves Utah Motorsports Campus MotoAmerica Supersport Round 5 holding onto their 3rd place in the Championship.


(Above) Richie Escalante (54). 

Escalante finished the weekend with one Podium 3rd Place 9finish) on Saturday. After a strong practice and qualifying in P3, he was able to position himself and his Hudson Motorcycles Yamaha R6 into the front row of the starting grid during Race 1. With a great start, Escalante fought his way to the podium, finishing in 3rd. Sunday, Escalante once again started from P3 and positioned himself in 5th, keeping up consistent lap times with the front 4 riders. However, while trying to over-take (another rider) into turn 1, Richie overestimated his breaking point and ran off the track. Quickly recovering he was able to get back on track and finished Race 2 in 6th place.

This weekend brought the team a lot of new information to help steer them into the right direction for the upcoming races and the team couldn’t be more pleased with how the weekend turned out. Not only has the team built a strong camaraderie amongst themselves, the rider and crew chief; Curtice Thom, have developed a great communication system between themselves to be able to get the bike to where it needs to be to stay in the front of the pack with the top riders.

Mark Shinder (Team Manager): “I couldn’t be more proud of our team and our rider, Richie Escalante. We have really come together as a family and we continue to learn and improve as the season progresses. In the next couple weeks, we plan to regroup, refocus and return to the raceway with our eyes set on a race win.”

As always we couldn’t do this without our sponsors. Thank you for all your support. Akropovic Exhaust, Bel Ray Lubricants, Vortex EK, Vesrah, Motion Pro, Velocity Tape, Sprint Filter, Dynojet, CoreMotoUSA, Galfer, Shoei Helmets USA, Vesrah and Spidi.

More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports:

MotoAmerica: Altus Motorsports Tucker TerpTastick.com VP Lubricants Race Report “A Solid and Successful Weekend“ at Utah Motorsports Campus

(Tooele, UT) While Utah Motorsports Campus has been on the MotoAmerica Calendar for many years, 2019 marks the first time the shorter East Course has been used. This layout incorporates the last half of the previous configuration but shortens the front straight and replaces the first half of the track with seven fast, flowing new corners. For many pro racers, this was the first time riding the East Course. This leveled the playing field slightly and made for some exciting racing. For Altus Motorsports Tucker TerpTastick.com Team, the Utah event was the smoothest weekend yet with all of the riders making progress and finishing in the points in every race.


(Above) Kevin Olmedo (14).

Liqui Moly Junior Cup: The MotoAmerica event at Utah is another of the season’s 2-day events. The compressed schedule means that there is very little time to get the bike sorted. For the Junior Cup riders, they get just one practice session and one qualifying. Kevin Olmedo learned the new track layout quickly but struggled with front end chatter through practice and qualifying. The issue continued in the first race but Olmedo managed to better his lap time and bring the bike home in third. By warm-up on Sunday, the team had solved the front end issue and Kevin felt great on the bike and was ready to run at the front. A couple of early mistakes created a gap from the battle for first. Kevin pushed to get back in touch but the track was a bit slick and he opted to play it safe and collect the third place points. “My pace on Sunday was good and if I hadn’t made a couple of mistakes in the first few laps, I think I would have been in the battle for first,” said Olmedo.

Stock 1000: For Miles Thornton, UMC was the best round of the season to date. In spite of overheating during Qualifying 1, his Suzuki GSX-R1000 was solid and the team managed to make progress every session. Starting the race from p6 Thornton got a good launch and jumped up to 5th before being shuffled back to 7th. The new UMC layout has very few places to pass without significant risk. As the race went on, Miles felt better and better. With a couple of laps to go, Thornton made the pass for 6th. On the next lap, with worn tires, Miles dropped his lap time by 1.2 seconds and clocked his second fastest lap of the race. “In hindsight, I wish I had made the pass earlier in the race. The bike felt great and I had amazing pace. I think I could have run down the group ahead of me if I had pulled the trigger sooner. But it’s a long season and I didn’t want to push my luck,” said Thornton. With the bike issues resolved and a good foundation for setup, the team is excited for the rest of the season.

Supersport 600: Lucas Silva came into the Utah round suffering from a knee injury that plagued him all weekend. Despite the pain, Silva managed to qualify 10th. After recovering from a rough start in Race 1, he found himself in a group of three riders vying for 8th place. With all three riders running an almost identical pace, the fast, flowing track didn’t allow for many passing opportunities. Rather than force it, Lucas brought his Suzuki GSX-R600 across the line in 10th. Sunday’s race start was significantly better but an outside move into turn one didn’t work and he was forced to give up the gains he made on his great launch. After battling for part of the race, things settled down and Silva finished in 10th again. With a few weeks off before the next round, Lucas is going to rest the knee so he can come back fully recovered and ready to race.

It seems that every weekend Jaret Nassaney feels stronger and more confident on his GSX-R600. And his results show it. The shortened weekend meant that the team needed to take advantage of every session to make improvements, which they did. From Practice to Qualifying, Jaret dropped more than 2 seconds and moved from p18 to p12. In Race 1, he battled for 12th place most of the race, finally crossing the line in 13th. In Race 2, Jaret found himself again in a multi-bike battle for 12th. Having come out on the wrong side of the fight on Saturday, Nassaney was committed to owning the spot on Sunday. Every time he was passed he tried to quickly retake the position. His tenacity paid off and he held 12th place at the finish.

Team owner George Nassaney was thrilled with how the UMC weekend went: “This was our smoothest event yet. While some of the riders have had better individual results in the past, as a team, this round was our best. We are blessed to have this group of riders, mechanics and staff around us. They truly make these weekends fun and rewarding.”

The next round for the MotoAmerica series will be at Laguna Seca and the entire team is excited. All of the riders have previous experience on the track and are looking forward to another successful weekend.

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.

Racing History: When Eddie Lawson Left Yamaha, Won On A Honda, And Changed Everything

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Racing History: When Eddie Lawson Left Yamaha, Won On A Honda, And Changed Everything

Featured in the June 2019 Issue of Roadracing World:

     It was 30 years ago this summer that American Eddie
Lawson became the first rider to win back-to-back 500cc World Championships on
different brands. Premier-class Grand Prix bikes were never nastier than in the
1980s—two-stroke power was pushing them towards 200 mph, overpowering tires,
frames and suspension.

     Honda’s NSR500 was the nastiest of the nasty. The
single-crank V4 had a precipitous power curve that was too much for any
chassis, let alone the strange things HRC engineers created at the time. HRC
tried to tame the NSR with weird geometry, frame rigidities, and centers of
gravity, none of which worked.

     The bikes were fast—quick enough to take Freddie
Spencer and Wayne Gardner to the 1985 and 1987 World Championships—but they
were hellish to ride and not getting any better. “The 1988 bike was a piece of
s***—it was just an evil thing,” recalls Gardner.

     Thus when Eddie Lawson quit Giacomo Agostini’s
Marlboro Yamaha team to join Erv Kanemoto’s Rothmans Honda team for 1989, most
of the paddock thought the Californian had lost his mind. Lawson’s first few
outings on the 1989 NSR500 suggested they might be right …

-Racing History by Mat Oxley, in the June 2019 Issue of Roadracing World

Legendary
tuner and crew chief Erv Kanemoto was responsible for transforming the vicious
Honda NSR500 into something that World Champion Eddie Lawson said finally
“felt like a motorcycle.” In doing so, Kanemoto and HRC started down
a path of chassis development still followed by the very latest Grand Prix
machines. Grand Prix Editor Mat Oxley details the pivotal 1989 500cc Grand Prix
season in the June 2019 issue of Roadracing World!

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World Superbike: Championship Racing At Misano This Coming Weekend

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World Superbike: Championship Racing At Misano This Coming Weekend
#RiminiWorldSBK: Electric feel
There’s electricity in the air as WorldSBK returns to the Riviera di Rimini for Round 7 of the season

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship heads back to Italy, at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, for the first of three rounds inside four weeks. The season is moving forward at breakneck pace and mistakes are becoming costlier than ever. Just ask the two championship frontrunners. Before Jerez, there were few visible cracks in Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) or Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) respective armors, as they waltzed onto the rostrum in every single race so far.

But then there was Spain. One rider crashed whilst leading, unopposed; the other was forced into an uncharacteristic mistake that very nearly ruined his weekend. Is the tension of the title race getting to the top men? Or was Jerez a one-off, a two-pronged lightning bolt which won’t strike again? They have both visited Misano more times than they can remember, but then again, that was the case for Jerez too. Continued issues and misfortune for teammates Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) will be another cause for concern for both teams as we edge closer to do-or-die time.

Either way, Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was the person who profited the most from the other two’s woes, yet it would be foolish to think that he needed any assistance. The Dutchman was on another level at the Spanish circuit and broke his duck for the year, just over twelve months since his Donington double, by simply riding perfectly all weekend. The YZF R1 itself was also up for the challenge, highlighted by Alex Lowes’ (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) equally admirable pace – unfortunate incidents aside. If the blue bike is capable at last of beating the Ducati and Kawasaki week in, week out… Then who said the fight for the championship will be a two-horse race come Autumn?

Conversely, after Thailand, many thought that the Independent Riders’ championship would be decided between a pair Yamahas, Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK). It was a bold assumption to make and one that Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) seems committed to proving wrong, as he sits just seven points behind the rider from Ravenna and twelve ahead of the German rookie. After taking third in Imola’s Race 1, the Turkish starlet stated that he needed more podiums. Well, he’s got two now, and we’re just six rounds in. At this rate, Razgatlioglu will be shifting his focus towards a greater goal very soon, perhaps as soon as this weekend.

The fact that it’s a home round for the Puccetti squad may help his case, but in fairness, Misano is a home round for a large share of hungry challengers, including a long-time rival of Razgatlioglu’s: Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team). The 23-year-old scored his personal best WorldSBK result in Jerez (4th in Race 2) and is growing each and every race on the V4 R. Squad resources will be split at Misano, however, as Michele Pirro joins Rinaldi inside the BARNI squad. Experience versus youth, national champion versus world stage hopeful – another thrilling duel to look out for in Italy.

And then there’s the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, who – whisper it – are edging ever closer to the top positions. Jerez was a relatively quiet weekend for Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), yet that was perhaps more down to other teams’ ups-and-downs and overall chaos than to the Yorkshireman’s performances themselves. In fact, Sykes scored more points than at any other Round this year, a sign that the project is chugging along according to plan. The 2013 World Champion seems happy and with more updates for the S1000 RR potentially arriving in the near future, it may become hard to rub the smile off his face.

BMW have been edging further and further away from Honda in the Manufacturer’s Championship, as the Japanese manufacturer endured a weekend of disappointment in Jerez. With Leon Camier’s (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) status still uncertain, it could be up to Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) to once again guide the HRC-backed outfit into the battlefield in search of a breakthrough.

It’s all about to kick off again in Italy! Summer officially starts for our Northern Hemisphere fans on June 21st and so does the Pata Riviera di Rimini Round, with FP1 and FP2 set for Friday. The Tissot Superpole will decide the grid for the next two races in Italy: Race 1 on Saturday 22nd (14:00 local time, GMT+2) and the Tissot Superpole Race on Sunday 23rd (11:00 LT), before Race 2 pulls down the curtain on Round Seven at 14:00 LT.

WorldSSP: Title pendulum set to take another swing at Misano
As the season unfolds, the title fight is heating up, but who will be able to master Misano?

With the 2019 FIM Supersport World Championship kicking up another gear at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, the title race is well and truly on as Misano beckons in Italy. The Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” has been a regular fixture on the calendar in the WorldSBK calendar and is steeped in history for WorldSSP, but who will write their name in the record books this time?

Randy Krummenacher’s (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) championship lead was whittled down at Jerez, back to 17 points after finishing second to his ever-improving teammate, Federico Caricasulo. The Swiss rider has never finished on the podium at Misano, having been fifth last season and fourth in 2016. However, he is also yet to finish outside of the top two positions this season; will Krummenacher keep his title lead after the Pata Riviera di Rimini Round?

It was a mesmerizing final two laps that gave Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) a second victory of the 2019 WorldSSP season. The 23-year-old romped home for his second win at the Jerez circuit and will look to repeat that statistic at Misano, a circuit he won at in 2018. With his strong current form and a positive history at Misano, will the title fight continue to swing in the Italian’s favour at his home round?

Back on the podium at Jerez for the first time since he won at Buriram, Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) is back in the title fight, with an inspired ride at the Acerbis Spanish Round. The Frenchman, who currently sits 41 points behind Randy Krummenacher, will need to find his race-winning form if he is to have realistic hopes of clinching that elusive first title. Having won at Misano in 2015 and 2016, the 30-year-old knows what it takes to succeed at the Italian venue.

Once again featuring prominently at the sharp end, Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) holds fourth in the championship after a sixth top-ten finish of the season at Jerez. The Japanese sensation arrives at Misano where in 2018, he achieved ninth. Besides a retirement at Losail last season, Okubo has been inside the top ten in every race since then and will look to continue his strong form this weekend. Is a first podium in the offing?

It was another positive showing from Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse), as the Italian continues his quest for a first WorldSSP victory. Heading to Misano onboard the MV Agusta, the partisan crowd will be cheering De Rosa on for his first win at a circuit where he was second last year and in Superstock 1000, back in 2015. Will De Rosa deliver the goods at home?

Fighting tooth-and-nail to remain in the championship battle and the battle for his first race win, Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) was back in the leading group last time out at Jerez, finishing fourth. The Austrian rider, who is sixth in the championship, heads to Misano, where he suffered his only DNF of the 2018 WorldSSP season. With just six points covering fourth, to sixth in the standings, it could be all change again after Misano.

Keep an eye on other riders too, starting with 2017 WorldSSP Champion, Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), who led a race for the first time this season at Jerez. Isaac Viñales’ (Kallio Racing) consistency has kept him in the top eight overall, ahead of Corentin Perolari (GMT94 YAMAHA) and Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) who secured another top ten at Jerez. Massimo Roccoli (Team Rosso Corsa) is one of eight wildcards in the class.

WorldSSP300: the championship fight set to rage at Misano
In a frantic season which has seen records shattered, rivalries ignited and early celebrations, what is on the horizon for WorldSSP300 at Misano?

The WorldSSP300 championship battle is beginning to take shape, with both former champions joining champion-elect Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) at the front of the title fight. Jerez proved a pivotal round for the likes of Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT), as he failed to score points, meaning that Gonzalez has momentarily been let off the hook – but Misano always throws up a surprise.

It has been an impressive start to the season for Manuel Gonzalez, who before the start of his 2019 campaign, had never won a WorldSSP300 race. Now with three wins from the opening four races, the 16-year-old heads to Misano, where he picked up his first career podium last year. With this being the fifth round, it is the second half of the season and Gonzalez could certainly put one hand on the championship trophy.

However, that is if everything goes to plan – which in WorldSSP300, is a rarity. Chasing him down in second position is Scott Deroue, with the Dutchman losing lots of ground on Gonzalez after being taken out in the first start of Race 2 at Jerez and not climbing through the order. The Dutchman has a mountain to climb to claw back the lost ground from Jerez but Misano could be the place – although he’s never achieved a podium at the circuit.

A return to the top in Jerez Race 1 for Marc Garcia (DS Junior Team) saw him launch up the order to third in the standings and just six points back of Deroue. The 2017 WorldSSP300 champion finally showed some of his 2017 form at the track which he clinched the championship at. Garcia’s form at Misano isn’t as fruitful, having only managed a sixth in 2017. Can he come good again for a second round running?

Fourth place sees Jan-Ole Jahnig (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) sitting pretty, with a consistent start to 2019 meaning he remains in contention. The German teenager, who has a best result of third in 2019, will be hoping to get back on the podium for only the second time in his career. He was 20th on the grid at Misano but strong race craft saw him carve his way into eighth.

Completing the top five is French rider Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno Yamaha), who has also enjoyed a consistent start to the 2019 season, finishing every race in the top eight and with a podium at Aragon. At Misano in 2018, the 17-year-old scored his first points of his career and will be hoping to vastly improve on that in 2019, in a bid to stay in the title fight, with just nine points covering second to fifth.

Keep an eye out for Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300), as the reigning champion made a return to the podium at Jerez, whilst Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) took his best result of the season. Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) was in the leading battle at Jerez, whilst the winner of the 2018 race at Misano, Manuel Bastianelli (Prodina IRCOS Kawasaki), will look to do it all again. There’s plenty of wildcards to keep an eye out for too, with six in the WorldSSP300 class.

American Flat Track: Even More From The Laconia Short Track

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American Flat Track: Even More From The Laconia Short Track

TOP-FIVE FINISH FOR RED BULL KTM’S DAN BROMLEY AT LACONIA SHORT TRACK

Round 8 – American Flat Track Championship

LOUDON, N.H. – Round 8 of the 2019 American Flat Track Championship made its way to Loudon, New Hampshire over the weekend for the Laconia Short Track, where Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Dan Bromley scored a top-five finish in the AFT Singles Main Event.

Bromley, the defending AFT Singles Champion, put himself into a front row start position in Heat #2, where he put his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into a top-four position off the start. He battled for a top-three spot throughout the five-lap heat race, where he ultimately finished third. In the Semi, Bromley grabbed a top-10 start and climbed his way up to third by the fourth lap. From there, he maintained a solid pace to secure a third-place transfer into the Main Event. Bromley took advantage of a front row start position in the Main Event as he powered his way to a fourth-place start. He once again inserted himself into the lead battles early on, dicing for the second-place position before the first red flag came out. He held onto second after the restart but a small mistake allowed two riders to catch up and he continued the three-way battle into the second restart, eventually moving into fifth late in the race.

Dan Bromley: “Laconia was an eventful weekend! Overall, I felt that as a team we did great. Everything was super smooth in the pits and the day went by great. I had a few small mistakes that cost me in the Main Event, but I learned from it and I’m going to use those mistakes to my advantage in the remaining races.”

Shayna Texter got off to a great start, qualifying fourth overall to claim a front-row start position in AFT Singles Heat #1. She powered her KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into third off the start, where she maintained a solid position throughout the heat race. With a third-place finish, Texter sustained her front-row grid position in the Semi. She got off to a fourth-place start in the Semi, quickly working her way into third by lap two. From there, she continued to dice it up inside the top-five, where she ultimately claimed a fifth-place transfer into the Main Event. Beginning from row two, Texter didn’t get off to the best start as she rounded the opening lap in the 16th position. Racing through a clutch issue for the duration of the Main Event, Texter did her best to push through the adversity and ultimately salvaged 16th place for the night.

Shayna Texter: “This was one of the gnarliest and roughest tracks around. I qualified fourth overall, so I was really excited for that given the conditions and how physical the race track was. I was feeling good and competitive heading into the Main Event but unfortunately, we had a little bit of a clutch issue going on. I was able to ride through the issue but it definitely was noticeable and a factor in our result. Overall, I’m happy with how I rode and with how the bike was working through all the rough stuff. It makes me super excited heading into Lima, a race that I won last year.”

Next Race: June 29, 2019 – Lima Half-Mile – Lima, Ohio


AFT Singles Main Event

1. Mikey Rush, Honda

2. Dalton Gauthier, Husqvarna

3. Max Whale, Kawasaki

OTHER KTM

5. Dan Bromley, KTM

11. Tristan Avery, KTM

15. Morgen Mischler, KTM

16. Shayna Texter, KTM

17. Jeremy Orr, KTM


AFT Singles Point Standings

1. Mikey Rush, 141 points

2. Dalton Gauthier, 131

3. Jesse Janisch, 129

4. Dan Bromley, 114

OTHER KTM

6. Shayna Texter, 66

9. Morgen Mischler, 61

12. Tristan Avery, 44

More, from a press release issued by Estenson Racing:

Jake Johnson Returns to the Podium, Roger Hayden Earns National Number at Laconia Short Track

Jake Johnson scored his second American Flat Track podium this season aboard the Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT, crossing the line third at the inaugural Laconia Short Track in Loudon, New Hampshire, on Saturday, June 15. Fill-in rider Roger Hayden also had a good result on the day with a top-10 finish as well as earning his National Number by making the Main Event.

The all-new venue at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was packed with fans to watch the sport’s best flat track racers tackle challenging conditions on the quarter-mile track. For the Estenson Racing AFT Twins team, the tough track made for a difficult start to the day for both Johnson and Hayden.

When it came down to racing, though, the hard work paid off in the Semis with Johnson and Hayden finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Hayden’s fifth-place finish not only earned him a transfer spot, but dirt track’s traditional honor of a National Number.

The 25-lap Main Event was a battle not only for top honors, but to keep it on two wheels. Although challenging, Johnson actually prefers the rougher tracks. Once again the two-time Grand National Champion’s starts helped him in a big way and with multiple restarts, he kept making progress forward. A rider error further helped that and moved him into third before the third red flag. On that restart, Johnson decided to tuck in behind the leaders rather than take a risky outside line that would either put him in the lead or back in the pack. He waited patiently for the leaders to make a mistake as well as held off a challenger to take his second podium this season, and his fourth with the team.

At the start of the Main, Hayden got off to a good start, as well. With many riders in the mix – sometimes three- or four-wide on the small track – there were multiple position changes throughout the race. The road racer with dirt track roots kept fighting, ultimately crossing the line eighth in just his second AFT Twins race.

The Estenson Racing squad gets a weekend off before heading to Lima, Ohio, for the Lima Half-Mile on Saturday, June 29.

Jake Johnson — AFT Twins #5:

“From where we started the day and where we’ve been most of the season, it feels good to get on the podium. We’ve still got some work to do, obviously, on the bigger tracks, but it’s definitely a big confidence booster. The track was gnarly. As far as my riding ability and fitness and all that stuff, I think I’m doing all right. Lima is next, so it’s going to be just as gnarly as this, but three times as big. That’s encouraging. I think we learned some things today that can help us for those kinds of tracks. We changed the setup a lot. It made a difference, but I think today a lot of it just came down to squeezing the tank and just hanging on and going for it. I had to do that a couple times today. Being that close to where you can smell a win… It kind of stinks, but definitely needed that good finish. We’ve had some rough rounds lately, so to get back on the box is definitely good.”

Roger Hayden — AFT Twins #195:

“I’m really happy with the day, to make the Main and get a top ten. That was my goal – to make the Main, but the day started out a little rough. I was 21st in the first practice, but was just gradually getting better and better. The crew did a great job making the bike better as the day went on. I learned a lot in the Main. It makes me want to do a lot more races now. I’m just thankful to Tim and the team for this opportunity. The track was brutal. I’ve never ridden something like that before, so I needed all 25 laps for the practice. But we did good, so we’re happy.”

Catch the race on NBCSN, June 23 at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Stay up to date with Estenson Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

More, from another press release issued by Estenson Racing:

Ryan Wells Salvages Points at the Laconia Short Track with Sixth-Place Finish

Estenson Racing’s Ryan Wells took home a sixth-place finish in challenging conditions at the inaugural Laconia Short Track, June 2, in Loudon, New Hampshire. Although not the result he was hoping for, it was a valuable points-haul to sit fifth in American Flat Track’s AFT Singles Championship.

It was perfect weather for racing in front of a packed house at New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s all-new quarter-mile flat track. Short tracks are inherently “bull rings,” and the fans were treated to some fever-pitched battles. Those battles were not easily fought, as the tricky track surface presented a challenge to the riders throughout the day.

Wells started the day out well with a solid, third-place finish in his Heat. In the Semi, the 2016 AFT Singles Champion won an epic battle to take victory aboard his Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F. He went on to get a good start in the Main Event, but unfortunately, on the restart taking the outside line shuffled him back in the pack. Wells fought on and was able to work his way back to up sixth.

The Estenson Racing squad gets a weekend off before heading to Lima, Ohio, for the Lima Half-Mile on Saturday, June 29.

Ryan Wells — AFT Singles #94:

“I started off fairly decent, just a little bit off the pace and third in the heat. I made some good passes in the Semi, got to the lead and won the race. The Main Event started out well. I was running third and then the red flag came out. I got a really good start on the restart, was side-by-side with second, but I tried to go around the outside and got hung way out in the loose stuff and kind of faded. It dropped me back to eighth in one straightaway. Luckily, we had another restart, so I got to pick a few more off. It was just a rough short track. It was tough to make passes, tough to stay consistent, which I knew I needed to do. At the end of the day, I stayed upright and got some points.”

Catch the race on NBCSN, June 23 at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Stay up to date with Estenson Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:

INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING’S BRONSON BAUMAN EARNS FIRST CAREER AFT TWINS WIN AT INAUGURAL LACONIA SHORT TRACK

Bauman Brothers go 1-2, as Briar Bauman Maintains Perfect Podium Streak for 2019 Season

LOUDON, N.H. – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, continued its dominance on Saturday night at the inaugural Laconia Short Track. Wrecking Crew Rider Bronson Bauman earned his first-career Twins win, holding off points leader and big brother Briar Bauman in thrilling fashion. The result also marked Briar’s fifth consecutive runner-up finish, as he continued his perfect podium streak for the 2019 season.

Laconia’s maiden race was met with several red flags, as the all-new track developed several bumps and berms that caused lines to change. After three restarts, Bauman and his #37 FTR750 were able to get a clean getaway, thwarting off the competition for the final five laps to finally secure his long-awaited Twins victory.

“We know how hard Bronson works every single day and how much racing means to him,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology & Service for Indian Motorcycle. “It’s great to see him have success, and we know he is going to take this momentum and build on it for the remainder of the season to finish strong.

After seven races, Briar Bauman has continued to further separate himself in the point standings with 142 points, a staggering 34 points ahead of Indian Motorcycle Privateer Brandon Robinson. Reigning Champion Jared Mees is third with 107 total points, while Bronson’s win ranks him fourth with 87 points.

The season continues on Saturday, June 29, with the Indian Motorcycle Lima Half-Mile Presented By Johnny K’s Indian at the Allen County Fairgrounds. For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For more information Indian Motorcycle Racing’s sponsors, visit their websites: Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, S&S Cycle, Indian Motorcycle Oil, Parts Unlimited, Drag Specialties, Alpinestars, Bell Helmets and J&P Cycles.

ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®

Indian Motorcycle is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.

British Superbike: American Brandon Paasch Wins Another British Motostar Race, At Brands Hatch

BRANDON PAASCH AND FPW RACING INCREASE LEAD IN 2019 HEL PERFORMANCE BRITISH MOTOSTAR CHAMPIONSHIP AT BRANDS HATCH GP

After a six-week intermission, Brandon Paasch and FPW Racing returned for the second round of the 2019 HEL Performance British Motostar Championship at Brands Hatch GP Circuit. The team’s plan was to continue the success they had in the first round at Oulton Park, where Brandon took both wins on the KTM Moto3 GP racebike. Starting strong in practice, Brandon and the team improved each session, ending up third at the end of the second practice session. With clouds overhead, Brandon quickly set a fast pace in qualifying while the track stayed dry, securing Pole starting position on a final flying lap.

Race 1 set off again in cloudy and cool conditions, but a poor start saw Brandon swallowed up in Turn 1 and pushed back to 7th place on the first lap. Putting his head down and working hard to regain the front, he set consistently fast lap times and made it back to the front of the pack by the fourth lap to chase down the leaders. But the gap was too big, and Brandon and the team worked to secure a second place finish that helped increase his championship points lead.

In Race 2 on Sunday, Brandon launched well and was immediately fighting for the lead from the first lap. The battle for the lead was intense, with several competitors vying for the front spot. Brandon took the lead on Lap 6, but was quickly slowed by the Safety Car when a couple racers crashed hard while chasing Brandon. The Safety Car was pulled in two laps later, and Brandon promptly dropped his lap times and managed his control at the front to bring home his third win of the season.

“I almost don’t have the words for how amazing I feel after this weekend! Usually I’m pretty calm and focused when I get ready on the starting grid, but I was definitely feeling some extra energy with the team at Brands Hatch GP. Practice went well, and I quickly felt comfortable again back on the KTM Moto3 GP bike after riding the TSE Racing Yamaha R6 in MotoAmerica Supersport at Road America. It was a long break from Oulton, and I was eager to get back to business here in the UK in the HEL Performance British Motostar Championship.

“We got up to speed quickly in practice, and I just took most of the sessions to fine tune some of my lines and feel out where we could improve the bike setup. There was a touch of rain at the end of P1, so Adrian waved me and Jamie in early. P2 was a really good session, and we picked up some speed. I felt confident on the bike in qualifying, and to see that we took Pole for the weekend on my last lap was really cool!

“For Race 1, I screwed up the start and dug myself a good hole that I had to climb out of to get back to the front. Again, I felt so comfortable on the bike that I was able to set some fast laps and make good moves around the other racers. Unfortunately, the leader had gapped us too big, so I brought the bike home in second place as part of our team strategy to focus on the championship. In Race 2, I was determined to make a better launch, and I got settled in with the lead group right off the start. It was fun dicing with the leaders for the first few laps, but I saw a chance to make a move, and I pushed into the lead to see if I could move away from the group. I was surprised to see the Safety Car come out shortly after I took the lead, but my team let me know on the pit board what happened with the downed riders. Once the Safety Car moved off, I cleared my head and worked on setting consistently fast laps. I saw on my pit board that I had a decent gap, and I managed that for the last few laps to take home another win. I was so stoked that I could hardly wait to get back to the pits to thank my team – I’m still really pumped up! Thanks to Adrian, Sarah, Andy, Dave and all my sponsors and supporters for helping me all weekend, I can’t wait for the next round at Knockhill!” (Brandon Paasch)

“It’s good to have Brandon back here, and the whole team is really excited about our results so far. We’re getting the KTM Moto3 GP racebike dialed in, and every session we get great feedback from Brandon to make some adjustments. The whole crew pitched in and stepped up again this weekend, but we know that we still have a while to go in the season. Our goal is to maintain the championship lead, and we’ll stay focused on that for our next race weekend. Thanks to all the fans that stopped by our pits – we really enjoy meeting them and taking pictures with Brandon and the racebike!” (Adrian Mason, Team Owner)

The next round for the 2019 HEL Performance British Motostar Championship and Bennetts British Superbikes series will be June 28-30 at Knockhill Racing Circuit in Fife, Scotland. To follow the races and get the latest updates with Live Timing, download the Bennetts British Superbikes app in the iTunes or Google stores, or watch all the action at www.britishsuperbike.com.

Subscribe and follow Brandon and FPW Racing on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter:

– YouTube: search for Brandon Paasch and

– Facebook: @BrandonPaasch facebook.com/BrandonPaasch/ https://www.facebook.com/FPWRacing/

– Instagram: instagram.com/brandon_paasch instagram.com/fpwracing/

– Twitter: @PaaschBrandon @fpwracing

– Hashtags: #SendItBP2019 #PaaschFPWRacing #Paasch_HELPerformanceMoto3GP #BrandsHatchGP2019

Brandon Paasch is sponsored by Electronic Concepts, luxeStar VIP, Manhattan CCC, Evolv GT, Impact Armor, Arai, and Spidi. Rider coaching and physical conditioning provided by Birdhouse Training.

FPW racing is an amalgamation of the Fireplace Warehouse and several like-minded bike enthusiasts to support one common goal – to establish young riders and to give them a leg up in their racing careers. For more information, visit us at www.fpwracing.co.uk 

Kawasaki Announces Most-Powerful KX250 Ever For 2020

KAWASAKI MOTORS CORP., U.S.A. ANNOUNCES 2020 KX™ and KLX® MOTORCYCLE MODELS

Foothill Ranch, California – Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. announces 2020 Off-Road Motorcycle Models, including the NEW 2020 KX™250 Motorcycle.

The KX250 is instilled with a high level of technology and KX™ DNA that makes it the bike that builds champions. Its power, handling and adjustability personalize the feel and provide high confidence for motocross and off-road riding, both at the amateur and professional level. The most powerful KX250 engine to date comes by the way of a revised bore and stroke, valve train designed by Kawasaki’s World Superbike engineers and bridged-box piston that is inspired by Kawasaki’s factory racing efforts. Complementing the increased power is an updated slim aluminum perimeter frame with new lower front engine mounts and a new 48 mm KYB coil-spring front fork and rear shock unit that allow for precise tuning.

In addition, the following off-road motorcycles are returning for 2020:

KX™ Model Range

KX™450

KX™100

KX™85

KX™65

KLX® Model Range (Off-Road)

KLX®140

KLX®140L

KLX®140G

KLX®110

KLX®110L

KLX® Model Range (Dual-Purpose)

KLX®250

KLX®250 Camo

More, from another press release issued by Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.:

KAWASAKI KX™250 MOTORCYCLE

MOST POWERFUL KX™250 TO DATE

The Kawasaki KX™250 has more AMA motocross and supercross success than any other manufacturer in its class and returns for 2020 with a list of enhancements that are designed to keep it the best performing bike on the track. The 2020 model offers a newengine with improvements inspired by Kawasaki’s racing efforts for more top end power, as well as better handling thanks to a revised chassis and new KYB suspension components. With championship heritage that boasts 17 AMA professional titles and more than 160 race wins since 2004, the KX250 is the ideal platform for experienced riders looking to get the upper hand on their competition.

The KX250 is instilled with a high level of technology and KX™DNA that makes it the bike that builds champions. Its power, handling and adjustability personalize the feel and provide high confidence for motocross and off-road riding, both at the amateur and professional level. The most powerful KX250 engine to date comes by the way of a revised bore and stroke, valve train designed by Kawasaki’s World Superbike engineers and bridged-box piston that is inspired by Kawasaki’s factory racing efforts. Complementing the increased power is an updated slim aluminum perimeter frame with new lower front engine mounts and a new 48 mm KYB coil-spring front fork and rear shock unit that allow for precise tuning.

ENGINE

  • NEW engine with increased peak power
  • NEW revised bore and stroke
  • NEW finger-follower valve actuation
  • NEW larger-diameter intake and exhaust valves
  • NEW larger-bore high performance piston
  • NEW low-friction crankshaft pin plain bearings
  • NEW stronger camchain and relocated cam chain tensioner
  • NEW shorter intake funnel
  • NEW larger throttle body
  • NEW shorter exhaust system design

Acclaimed for its high output and smooth power delivery, the KX250 features a new engine with improved power, an even more potent high rpm range and a higher rev limit. Tuned to best suit race-experienced riders, the 249cc liquid-cooled, four-stroke engine focuses on more top-end rev thanks to improvements by Kawasaki’s factory racing efforts. The new engine features a revised bore and stroke that measures 78.0 x 52.2 mm. The wider bore enables the use of larger intake and exhaust valves and provides greater flow for high rpm performance.

Like the design found on the KX™450 motorcycle, the KX250 now utilizes the finger-follower valve actuation – a valve train designed by Kawasaki’s World Superbike engineers.This design increases the rev limit and allows for the use of more aggressive cam profiles, which contributes to high rpm performance. The change to finger-follower valve actuation reduces the valve train mass compared to a tappet-style actuation. A diamond-like carbon coating on the finger followers helps protect against wear. Complementing the more aggressive cams are larger-diameter intake and exhaust valves with increased lift, flowing more air and contributing to improved power. Straighter intake ports contribute to increased intake efficiency. The new cams benefit from a thin and highly durable gas soft-nitride treatment to reduce wear and increase high rpm reliability. Lightweight titanium valves reduce reciprocating weight and offer high rpm reliability. The cylinder is offset 3 mm forward, reducing mechanical loss and increasing engine performance. Further increasing reliability is a stronger cam chain and relocation of the cam chain tensioner to the cylinder head, which offsets the increased loads from the more aggressive camshafts and higher revving engine.

A plateau honing process of the cylinder bore results in a smooth surface with good oil-retention. The smooth surface also helps to reduce mechanical loss and improve power. A new, larger-bore, high-performance piston features the same design used by Kawasaki’s factory racers and contributes strong performance at all rpm. A short skirt, reinforced external ribs and the use of a bridged-box piston, featuring internal bracing, allow for a lightweight and strong piston design. The piston’s revised crown design helps achieve the engine’s higher compression ratio, while a dry film lubricant coating on the piston skirts reduces friction at low rpm and helps with the piston bedding-in process. To reduce mechanical loss and lift overall performance, the crankshaft pin has been fitted with new low-friction plain bearings.

The airbox construction has been revised and features a shorter, tapered intake funnel, contributing to increased high rpm performance. The KX250 remains the only production motocross bike with dual injectors, an injector downstream of the throttle valve that is tasked with delivering a smooth, instant response, and a second, upstream injector located close to the airbox for a significant contribution to engine output at high rpm.The exhaust system length has been shortened to help increase high rpm performanceand the hydro-formed joint pipe now features a reverse taper design. A larger throttle body flows a greater volume of air and provides a boost in high rpm performance. Adding to Kawasaki’s engineering efforts for increased airflow is the repositioning of the intake duct for an even straighter approach for intake air. The downdraft-style intake routing increases the intake air’s approach angle into the cylinder, improving cylinder-filling efficiency and increasing the engines power.

DFI® COUPLERS

Contributing to the race-winning engine characteristics, the digital fuel injection system of the KX250 features a coupler package that has set the industry standard.Each KX250 motorcycle comes standard with three different couplers, easily allowing riders to select pre-programmed fuel injection and ignition mapping to suit their riding style or track conditions. The four-pin DFI® couplers select maps that are designed for standard, hard or soft terrain settings. Changing the engine map is as simple as connecting the coupler cap of choice. For riders looking to fine tune their ECU settings,the KX FI Calibration Kit (Handheld) is offered as a Kawasaki Genuine Accessory, and provides access to the fully programmable ECU. The handheld device eliminates the need for a trackside laptop and gives riders the ability to create custom maps for precise adjustment of fuel and ignition settings.The user-friendly device can store up to seven preset maps and is PC-compatible.

LAUNCH CONTROL

The launch control system of the KX250 motorcycle is a major advantage and favorite for riders who are focused on getting to the first turn ahead of their competition. The push-button activation retards ignition timing in first and second gear, helping maximize traction on slippery surfaces like concrete starting pads and put the bike’s potent power to the ground. Once the rider shifts into third gear, normal ignition mapping immediately resumes and full power is restored.

CHASSIS

  • NEW lower front engine mounts

The slim aluminium perimeter frame uses a lightweight construction composed of forged, extruded and cast parts that contribute to light, nimble handling. Thanks to new lower front engine mounts, changing from a through bolt to stud bolts at the front of the crankcase, the overall frame rigidity has been revised with improved ability to absorb bumps. The center of gravity and key dimensions such as swingarm pivot, output sprocket and rear axle locations have all been carefully selected so that the rear tire drives the bike forward.

SUSPENSION & BRAKES

  • NEW 48 mm KYB coil-spring fork
  • NEW KYB shock unit complements front fork
  • NEW Uni-Trak® rear suspension link
  • NEW stiffer front and rear spring rates
  • NEW revised front brake pad material
  • NEW larger-diameter 250 mm rear disc
  • NEW rear brake master cylinder

For 2020, the KX250 is equipped with new large diameter 48 mm KYB inverted coil-spring front forks that offer improved action at the initial part of the fork stroke. The forks feature large-diameter inner tubes, enabling the use of 25 mm damping pistons and delivering smooth action and firm damping. A Kashima Coaton the forks’ outer tubes creates a hard, low-friction surface to help prevent wear abrasion on the inside of the tubes, ensuring the sliding surfaces remain smooth over time, while protecting the outside against corrosion. The lubricating material in the coat contributes to smoother suspension action and a better overall ride feel.

On the rear, a new KYB shock unit complements the new front fork. The rear shock features dual compression adjustability, which allows high-speed and low-speed damping to be tuned separately. Kashima Coat on the tank cylinder helps prevent wear abrasion and reduces friction for smoother suspension action. A new Uni-Trak® rear suspension system mounts the suspension arm below the swingarm, allowing a longer rear suspension stroke. The longer stroke allows for more precise suspension tuning. In order to match the KX250’s more powerful engine, the front forks and rear shock feature stiffer overall spring rates.

Contributing to the numerous factory-style racing components on the KX250 motorcycle are petal disc brakes. Up front is an oversized 270 mm Braking® brand rotor, which delivers strong braking force and superb control. A revised front brake pad material, like that found on the KX450, delivers linear brake force application, helping to facilitate control.

On the rear, a new larger-diameter 250 mm Braking brand disc contributes to stronger stopping power, complementing the large front disc. A lighter rear brake master cylinder, like those found on the KX450 motorcycle, powers the larger disc. The petal style discs contribute to both sporty looks and help deflect debris. A rear caliper guard helps protect the caliper from damage.

ERGO-FIT® Adjustable Components

Kawasaki continues its unmatched commitment towards providing riders with class-leadingcomfort thanks to its ERGO-FIT® adjustable handlebar mounting system and footpegs to fit a variety of riders and riding styles. The handlebars feature four-way adjustable mounts. The multi-position handlebars offer two mounting holes with 35mm of adjustability, and the 180-degree offset clamps boast four individual settings to suit different size riders. The footpegs feature dual-position mounting points, with a lower position that reduces the standard setting by an additional 5mm. The lower position effectively lowers the center of gravity when standing, and reduces knee angle when taller riders are seated.

BODYWORK & SEAT

  • NEW factory-inspired green bodywork

Complementing the improved power and precise handling of the KX250 is minimalistic bodywork that includes slim radiator shrouds for an aggressive race-ready look. A flat fuel tank and seat design help to aid in a more seamless design, making it easy for riders to move around on top of the bike.

For 2020, the number plates and airbox of the KX250 motorcycle have been updated to the color green, resembling the same look found on the bikes used by the factory racing team. The front and rear fenders and fork guards implement a sharp design that makes the bike look more compact. Adding to the distinctive Kawasaki factory race team look is a green oil cap, generator cover plugs, green alumite suspension adjusters and black alumite rims.

Kawasaki Team Green™ Racer Rewards

Kawasaki Team Green Racer Rewards return for the 2020 racing season with nearly $7.5 million in contingency available for eligible KX riders. Team Green’s Racer Rewards program will be available at more than 200 races with more than $5.4 million in payouts.Off-Road racers will also be rewarded at nearly 250 events with more than $2 million available.

KAWASAKI KX™250

Color: Lime Green

MSRP: $7,799

Availability: Now

MotoE World Cup: Hector Garzo Quickest On First Day Of Testing At Valencia

Garzo fastest as FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup gets back on track

Spaniard quickest on Day 1 of the Official MotoE™ Test in Valencia

Tech 3 E-Racing’s Hector Garzo has finished Day 1 of the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup official Valencia Test at the top of the timesheets thanks to his 1:41.743, with Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) and Niki Tuuli (Ajo MotoE) completing the top three. Granado, who topped the first day of testing in Jerez, was just 0.060 off the top.

A 1:42.136 puts EG 0,0 Marc VDS’ Mike Di Meglio in fourth on the opening day at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, but it wasn’t such a successful day for fellow Frenchman Randy de Puniet. The LCR-E Team rider suffered a highside at Turn 11 and will have an x-ray on Monday evening on his foot. Nevertheless, the MotoGP™ podium finisher intends to be back on the bike for Days 2 and 3.

Nico Terol (Openbank Angel Nieto Team) rounded out the top five, ahead of Trentino Gresini MotoE’s Matteo Ferrari, with Maria Herrera (Openbank Angel Nieto Team) slotting into seventh. Alex De Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE), Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Kenny Foray (Tech 3 E-Racing) completed the top ten.

One man not on track was Bradley Smith, who was on MotoGP™ test rider duty in Barcelona. But stay tuned for more action tomorrow as the riders will be back out for another two days of testing on Tuesday and Wednesday, including a race simulation!

Daytona 200-Winning Team Owner Michelle Lindsay Recovering Quickly Following Surgery To Remove Cancerous Tumor

Michelle Lindsay, owner of TOBC Racing, which has won multiple Daytona 200 races, is recovering quickly after undergoing surgery on June 14 in Falls Church, Virginia, to remove a pancreatic cancer tumor, according to a post on Facebook made by her husband Myles Wilson.

On June 16, Wilson posted: 

“Updates on my wife Michelle A Lindsay: so she is a week or so ahead of schedule somehow. All drainage and stomach tubes are out and she is on a liquid diet. She has been working very hard toward being able to eat and drink. Spirits are high and she’s barely on any pain meds. I honestly don’t know what to say. Hospital and surgical staff are just kind of in awe at her recovery. I’m sure some of you have done some reading on the Whipple procedure. It’s day two and her body is already doing everything on its own. That’s normally something that takes about two weeks for most.”

People wishing to send messages to Lindsay can do so via her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/michelle.a.lindsay.7, and they may also send cards and flowers to her at Inova Fairfax Hospital, in Falls Church, Virginia. 

Lindsay’s TOBC Racing won the Daytona 200 three times (2015, 2017, and 2018) with rider Danny Eslick.

MotoGP: Aprilia Issues Medical Update On Aleix Espargaro

ALEIX ESPARGARÓ IN THE APRILIA GARAGE FOR THE BARCELONA TESTS

THE MEDICAL CHECK-UP ENCOURAGING FOR RIDER AND TEAM, NOW RECOVERY BEGINS

As Andrea Iannone and Bradley Smith continue developing the RS-GP on the day of testing after the Barcelona race, Aleix Espargaró visited the Aprilia garage. The Spanish rider, involved in an accident yesterday, suffered a micro-fracture to the femur and an injury to the left tibia. At the moment, significant damage to the ligaments has been ruled out, so Aleix can begin recovery quickly.

The situation with the knee will be assessed in the coming days in anticipation of the Assen race. Espargaró’s goal is to be back in the saddle as soon as possible.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“I’m relieved since the medical check-up showed a better situation than we had initially expected. In any case, I’m sorry to have missed this day of testing. My goal is to begin recovery as soon as possible and speed up my return to the saddle, compatibly with the feedback from the doctors. They told me that in a couple days I’ll be able to get back to cycling and I’m counting down the hours!”

MotoGP: Maverick Vinales Fastest During Official Testing Monday At Catalunya

MotoGP Race Lap Record: Jorge Lorenzo, 1:40.021, 2018

MotoGP All Time Lap Record: Jorge Lorenzo, 1:38.680, 2018

2019 FIM MotoGP World Championship

Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, Spain

June 17, 2019

Best Test Lap Times (all on Michelin tires):

1. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:38.967

2. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:39.014

3. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:39.257

4. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:39.334

5. Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:39.428

6. Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:39.466

7. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:39.555

8. Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:39.670

9. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:39.745

10. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:39.903

11. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:39.917

12. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:39.925

13. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:39.938

14. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:39.968

15. Johann Zarco, France (KTM), 1:40.197

16. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:40.201

17. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Honda), 1:40.357

18. Bradley Smith, UK (Aprilia), 1:40.564

19. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Aprilia), 1:40.606

20. Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:40.862

21. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:41.100

22. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (KTM), 1:41.162

23. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Suzuki), 1:41.243

24. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Honda), 1:41.429

25. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (KTM), 1:41.824

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Viñales strikes late to top the Official Test

A one-day test for the premier class saw the number 12 top the timesheets, but not by much

Monday, 17 June 2019

After a dramatic Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, it was time for more laps on Monday as the premier class got back on track for a one-day Official Test. On the more general agenda, MotoGP™ tyre supplier Michelin brought four different rear tyres to test, added to those which were in the allocation for the race weekend. Three of them are being evaluated for use in 2020, and the other is being tested ahead of possible use at the Red Bull Ring and Buriram. And then, of course, teams had their own agendas.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP were testing electronics to improve engine braking and want to improve the smoothness of power delivery. The fastest man of the day with a lap much quicker than pole position, Maverick Viñales did a staggering 98 laps with a final laptime of 1:38.967, the lap with which he topped the timesheets. Teammate Valentino Rossi was testing a new exhaust and a new finger-operated rear brake, putting in a best of 1:39.968 after 71 laps.

Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Franco Morbidelli ended the day in P2, just 0.047 behind Viñales and another who improved late in the day, on lap 76 of 78. First time podium finisher and teammate Fabio Quartararo headed out later in the day to aid his recovery from arm pump surgery, but he put in 56 laps and did a best of 1:39.428. He practiced some starts and also focused on working with the tyres.

At Repsol Honda, reigning Champion Marc Marquez had three different bikes in the garage, and there was also a new swingarm attachment spotted. Marquez did 80 laps and his best was a 1:39.257 after 80 laps, but the Catalan GP winner also had a crash in the early afternoon at Turn 4, rider ok.

Teammate Jorge Lorenzo was another who crashed, this time in the morning, and the five-time World Champion went down at Turn 9. His best lap was a 1:40.357 and he did 65 laps, ending the day in P17. Lorenzo was seen with a new black front fairing to test.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) those aero parts from HRC to test, the same as seen on Lorenzo’s machine, and both he and teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) were working on race setup. Crutchlow was P10 after 73 laps, Nakagami P7 after 59 – and the Japanese rider also tried the 2019 bike. HRC test rider Stefan Bradl was also out on track, doing 84 laps.

Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins led the way at midday, and he was P4 by the end of play. He was testing an upgrade to Suzuki’s chassis, the same one that test rider Sylvain Guintoli used throughout the weekend at the Catalan GP.. The Spaniard did 75 laps and rookie teammate Joan Mir did 67. After his best MotoGP™ finish yet on Sunday Mir was back out on track to continue his adaptation to the premier class and he did a fastest lap of 1:39.670, improving later in the day. Guintoli was also at the test and did 69 laps.

At Mission Winnow Ducati, meanwhile, a carbon reinforced chassis was spotted. Andrea Dovizioso did 63 laps with a best of 1:39.917 to take P12, with teammate Danilo Petrucci doing 57 laps. The Mugello winner was 0.008 quicker than his teammate at the test to end the day in 11th.

Pramac Racing had rookie Francesco Bagnaia up in sixth overall as he did 54 laps, the best of which was a 1:39.466 set before a crash at Turn 13 next time around, rider ok. He tested the tyres and worked on improving setup. Teammate Jack Miller ended the day in P9 after 60 laps, and he had a new unit at the rear of the bike and worked with the new tyres. Tito Rabat (Real Avintia Racing) was first out on track and was P13 after 75 laps, and teammate Karel Abraham did 35 laps – with the Czech rider suffering a crash and the bike coming off pretty worse for wear.

KTM certainly had something high profile and pretty new on track: test rider Dani Pedrosa. The Spaniard appeared for the first time at an official test and did 51 laps as he worked through his program. Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) tested a new chassis and put in 70 laps, moving up the timesheets late in the day to depose teammate Pol Espargaro from P15 by just 0.004, with Espargaro putting 57 laps despite a crash. Portuguese rookie Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) did 61 laps and ended the day just behind Iannone, with teammate Hafizh Syahrin putting in 52 as both continue adapting to the KTM MotoGP™ machine.

Finally, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini were represented by Andrea Iannone and test rider Bradley Smith, with the Noale factory working on the engine and with some small items to test in a host of different areas. Iannone was working more on short terms solutions and did 76 laps with a best of 1:40.606, with Smith focused more on the long term. He did 88 laps and was just half a tenth quicker than Iannone. Aleix Espargaro is sidelined after the crash near the start of the Catalan GP race.

That’s all from Monday, MotoGP™ returns at the classic TT Circuit Assen from the 28th to 30th June.

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:

Action continues as Oliveira and Syahrin test at Barcelona

Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira and Hafizh Syahrin were back at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today for one day of official testing following the seventh round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship season. Thereby, premier class rookie Oliveira did 61 laps in total with a fastest time of 1:40.862 minutes. At the same time, Syahrin clocked a 1:41.162 after doing 52 laps in the Catalan sunshine.

Miguel Oliveira

Position: 20th

Time: 1:40.862

Laps: 61

“Today has been a very productive day. We confirmed some parts that we already tried in the past, but because it was in race condition, we couldn’t really validate, what we tested and we did some tyre tests for Michelin and finally we also tried some different setups suggested by KTM.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 22nd

Time: 1:41.162

Laps: 52

“This has been a truly good test. I was able to improve my riding a bit, but we had to start a bit later with a mechanical problem on the bike. Everybody already set a time in the morning, therefore, we were not concentrating on doing a fast lap anymore. I didn’t use many new tyre, but a new one from Michelin, which was really good and even better than the one we chose in the race. I was able to do very consistent laps. I know, they are still far off, but with the race condition from yesterday, it would have been very good. Overall, this test has been positive. We also tried some things with the electronic, which was a bit better, but also the same at some places. We need to keep working hard and try to be better in Assen next time out. I’m happy with this test.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:

NAKAGAMI COMPLETES DAY OF TESTING IN BARCELONA

Japanese star Takaaki Nakagami and his LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team were back out on track at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Monday, joining the rest of the MotoGP field for a one-day test. Having taken a sixth top-ten finish of the year in Sunday’s challenging race, Nakagami and his crew had lots of positives to build on having dealt well with the tricky, hot conditions.

With track temperatures soaring past the 50°C mark again, the track surface was greasy as it had been for Sunday’s 24-lap race. Nakagami put in a total of 59 laps as he focused on fine-tuning his own RC213V, as well as spending time testing a 2019 factory version of Honda’s MotoGP machine. With a best time of 1’39.555, Taka ended the day seventh overall on the timesheets, and was the second Honda behind runaway championship leader Marc Marquez.

Takaaki Nakagami – 7th

(1’39.555 – lap 52 of 59)

“It was a very important test for us today, because we tested the 2019 Honda RC213V – actually one of my team-mate Cal’s (Crutchlow). We only did three or four short outings in the afternoon, but HRC asked me to test it and it was positive. During the season, during races and practices I have seen the differences when fighting with the factory Hondas, and today I got chance to jump on it, which I enjoyed”.

“It’s a good package and I’m really happy that HRC gave me the opportunity to test it, I’d like to thank them for that. The lap times were good with my 2018 bike as well as the 2019 machine, so that’s a positive too. The LCR Honda IDEMITSU team have done a great job”.

“Having finished this test in a decent way, I’m really looking forward to Assen now as it’s a track I’ve had success at before. However, our target is still trying to put together the best package we can, and to show the best of our abilities. I like the layout in the Netherlands, and even if it is physically hard the straight isn’t too long and our bike handles well. The only concern will be the weather, but you can’t control this!”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:

PRODUCTIVE DAY BACK AT BARCELONA TRACK FOR CRUTCHLOW

Cal Crutchlow was back in action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Monday with a full day of testing with his LCR Honda CASTROL RC213V. The Brit slid out of the Catalan GP on Sunday whilst battling for a podium finish, and he and the team were aiming to build on the positive progress made during a difficult race in terms of track conditions.

In similar searing heat as experienced during the race, Crutchlow switched between the setting he used to claw back numerous positions in Barcelona, and the one used two weeks previously in Italy. Putting in 73 laps of the track, he worked on a variety of geometry settings, engine brake mapping and tested some aerodynamic parts for HRC.

Crutchlow and his LCR Honda CASTROL team now head home before reconvening for the classic Dutch TT at Assen in under two weeks’ time.

Cal Crutchlow – 10th

(1’39.903 – lap 34 of 73)

“Overall we’re happy. We’ve been doing a lot of work today. We had a lot of small items to test, and we were evaluating the setting of the bike from the last race to the one yesterday because they were completely different set-ups. Again, I can do the same lap time on both settings, so we are none the wiser in that area”.

“I felt good with the bike today, just as I did in the race yesterday. We’ve assessed some parts for Honda and had some good results. As always with testing, there have been positives and negatives, but that’s why we do it!”

More, from a press release issued by Mission Winnow Ducati:

The Mission Winnow Ducati team concludes a one-day official test at Montmeló, next stop Assen

On the eve of the Grand Prix of Catalunya, the Mission Winnow Ducati team resumed action at Montmeló for a one-day, collective test. In hot weather conditions, with 30 degrees in the atmosphere and 55 on the tarmac, Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso clocked 57 and 63 laps respectively to try several chassis, electronics and aerodynamics upgrades on the factory Desmosedici GP 19. Petrucci finished with a personal best of 1:39.917 in eleventh position overall, with Dovizioso (12th) just eight tenths of a second behind him in 1:39.925.

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:39.917 (11th)

“I’m satisfied with how this test went. We tried several upgrades in terms of chassis, electronics and aerodynamics, finding some solutions that gave me better sensations on the bike. In particular, we improved the feeling with the front and mid-corner turning. The track may have been a bit quicker compared to yesterday, but we were fast with used tyres, which is never something to take for granted. We’ll utilize some of these upgrades starting from next round at Assen, where we’ll resume from this base to keep the positive momentum.”

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:39.925 (12th)

“It’s been a positive test, in which we focused on several areas. We tried some new tyres brought by Michelin ahead of the next races, and a chassis upgrade that gave us a good feeling especially in corner entry, even though we’ll be able to gauge its true advantages only during a race. Yesterday didn’t go as planned, but it’s important to keep working hard to understand where we have more room for improvement and to further increase our competitiveness. Starting from Assen, we’ll try to use these upgrades to our advantage.”

The Mission Winnow Ducati team will resume action at Assen (Netherlands) for the eighth round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship, scheduled for June 28-30.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

PRODUCTIVE CATALAN TEST FOR TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR

Alex Rins: 4th – 1:39.334 (+0.367)

Joan Mir: 8th – 1:39.670 (+0.703)

Sylvain Guintoli: 23rd – 1:41.243 (+2.276)

•Alex Rins continues great pace around Montmelò as he tests chassis.

•Joan Mir working on fine-tuning settings and building confidence.

•Team end the test on a high following positive findings.

Following a successful race day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in which Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders brought home 4th, 6th, and 13th places, it was time to get back on track on Monday morning for a one-day test.

The three riders present at the test had three slightly different agendas for the day.

Test Rider, Sylvain Guintoli, continued working with the chassis he used throughout the Catalan race weekend, and he also tried some different set-up configurations. The Frenchman felt much quicker than during yesterday’s race and he gave positive feedback about the modified chassis.

Alex Rins left the pit box feeling confident and comfortable with his GSX-RR, and he set some quick laps early in the session, topping the time sheets for much of the day. He then had the opportunity to try the chassis which Guintoli debuted, and he also found an improved feeling with the bike, especially under braking.

Rookie, Joan Mir, concentrated his time on fine-tuning his settings around the technical track, before turning his attention to electronics. Joan reported that his confidence is building lap-by-lap and he was happy to spend more time on his bike at a circuit he likes.

Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager

“We gained a lot of information today with Sylvain and Alex both trying our newly modified chassis. During a race weekend it’s difficult to properly test new parts and settings, so test days like these are really important and useful for us. All three riders felt improvements today, and that means we’ve worked well.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“It’s been a good test day, especially following a good race weekend. Alex and Sylvain tried a modified chassis and we found it quite helpful. We think it will improve braking stability; it could be useful in some circuits so Alex will probably try it again in Assen. We also tested electronics, ergonomics, and a tyre from Michelin. Overall a positive test with good pace from Alex. Joan tried some different settings, including suspension, but also he was just working on his riding style and some basic things.”

Alex Rins

“Today I found that the modified chassis had a lot of positive points, but also there are some things about it that I would like to improve. There’s not a lot to change with it, but we will evaluate it further to try and get the best from it. I’ve done quite a lot of laps today and in general I think we can feel very positive about the way things are going.”

Joan Mir

“I’m happy because I’ve improved my general pace and my fast lap pace. We’ve worked well all day, improving every area of the bike a little bit. We didn’t focus on any one thing really, more just my overall feeling with bike and building my experience up.”

Sylvain Guintoli

“I’ve done quite a bit of work today, continuing to test this modified chassis we have – trying to adapt it and find the strongest points and the weaker points. We also made some good discoveries with the bike in general, so we feel it’s going well. I was much quicker than yesterday, so I improved my pace. It’s great to test following a race because I already felt comfortable with the track and the conditions so I could put in quicker laps right from the start of the day.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

 Busy Catalunya Test for Repsol Honda Team duo

Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo completed 145 laps between them at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, gathering valuable information on the Honda RC213V.

Fresh from his fourth win of the 2019 MotoGP season, Marc Marquez was straight back to work with the Repsol Honda Team on Monday. A multitude of components to compare had the seven-time world champion completing an extensive testing program across his 80 laps at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. A crash late in the session saw Marquez avoid injury. His fastest time of 1’39.257 placed him third overall.

Jorge Lorenzo’s test was interrupted by a fall a Turn 9 several hours into the day. The five-time world champion visited the medical centre for precautionary checks but was able to return to the circuit soon after. Despite some pain from the crash, Lorenzo completed 65 laps with a best time of 1’40.357 before the fall.

The team now enjoy a brief pause before action resumes with the double-header of the Assen TT, June 30 and the German GP, July 07.

Marc Marquez

3RD 1’39.257

“It has been a very good test and we were able to get a lot of information after trying a few different things for the future. We were looking at not only this year but also the future and what direction we need to take. We looked at both 2020 and also the second half of the season. We tried a new chassis and some new aerodynamics looking to try something for the future. Like always, there were some positives and also some negatives with everything. In the afternoon we made another step and we’ll see how we can use it in Assen.”

Jorge Lorenzo

17TH 1’40.357

“The crash affected my speed and my stamina a lot during the test, it was a very big crash at Turn 9 and I rolled a lot in the gravel. I was lucky not to break anything and I’ve had pain in my elbows, fingers and back all day but we needed to keep working. We worked more on the ergonomics and on some small chassis details, some things for the next races and some things for next year. I want to say thank you again to Honda for organising the trip to Japan we had and their rapid developments.”

More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha SRT:

Morbidelli places second on official testing day in Barcelona

Italian is second fastest rider in post-race test, with team-mate Fabio Quartararo fifth.

2nd FRANCO MORBIDELLI +0.047

5th FABIO QUARTARARO +0.461

After a great weekend at the Catalan GP, PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team were back out on track on Monday for an official post-race test in Barcelona. Franco Morbidelli set the second fastest time of the day, less than a tenth of a second off the fastest lap. Both he and team-mate Fabio Quartararo – who placed fifth – used the one-day test to work more thoroughly on different aspects of their Yamaha YZR-M1.

Morbidelli enjoyed a positive day, which he ended with a quickest lap of 1min 39.014secs that put him second on the timesheets after eight hours of action. The PETRONAS Yamaha SRT rider focused his work on electronics from early in the morning, with the aim of finding an explanation for the race pace and performance challenge he faced in Sunday’s race. The Italian, who completed a total of 78 laps of the Catalan track, also tested a new rear tyre.

Fresh from his first premier class podium, Quartararo continued his quest for further improvement from the performance of his bike. The Frenchman had his first outing on track after noon, and devoted much of the test to electronic settings and strategies. Over the course of 56 laps, he also tried out several different tyre compounds, and finished the day as the fifth fastest rider with a time of 1min 39.428secs.

The MotoGP riders will return to action from June 28th-30th at the Dutch GP.

#21 Franco Morbidelli

“Today we had the opportunity to work on aspects of the bike that we didn’t have the chance to look at during the race weekend. In particular, we tested different electronics set-ups. We took a step forward with engine braking, especially in the afternoon, so this has been a very positive point of this test. I’m also very happy with the results from the tyres we tested, and I think it is a step in the right direction. Today has been a positive day for us and we hope to be able to use everything we tried today at Assen – especially the electronics.”

#20 Fabio Quartararo

“Today we tried out some changes to the electronics, some different settings for Assen and some new tyre compounds that have been brought here specially for the test. We haven’t put in many laps, since today I felt that my arm was very stiff after a weekend of riding. However, it was a positive day because we were able to work more thoroughly on the electronics, something that is always interesting to manage. In addition, I think we found something special on corner exit that can help us to prolong the life of the tyres at the end of the race. We hope to be able to put it into practice at the coming races.”

More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:

MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP CLOSE CATALUNYA VISIT WITH SUCCESSFUL TEST

Barcelona (Spain), 17th June 2019

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi got back into action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today, completing the IRTA test in 1st and 14th place respectively.

1st MAVERICK VIÑALES 1’38.967 / 98 LAPS

14th VALENTINO ROSSI 1’39.968 / 71 LAPS

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi were back at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today to try new items for their YZR-M1s. The team-mates finished in 1st and 14th place respectively in the timesheets.

For the test, the Yamaha Factory riders were each able to evaluate new electronics and a new exhaust, both aimed at making the acceleration smoother, as well as some new prototype Michelin tyres.

After an abrupt end to his Catalunya challenge yesterday, Viñales was keen to get back on his bike. His goal for today was to find an improvement in acceleration. He focused on this task for most of the session but couldn‘t help but put in a time attack at the very end. The Spaniard rode a total of 98 laps and set a best time of the day, a 1‘38.967s, on his final try. He was the only rider to get under the 1‘39-mark and finished 0.047s ahead of his closest rival.

Rossi also made strides during the test. He started the day a little after eleven and got straight down to business. He focused on fine-tuning his bike and comparing the testing options, and rode most of his stints on hard tyre specs to work on race pace. His efforts resulted in positive findings and after completing 71 laps, he ended the day in 14th place with a fastest lap of 1‘39.968s, 1.001s from the top.

Following today’s progress, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will evaluate the gained data in preparation for the Motul TT Assen held in two weeks‘ time.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

“After the unlucky end to the Catalan Grand Prix weekend, it‘s important to get straight back into the saddle again, with the same motivation we always have. Today‘s weather and track conditions were similar to those of the previous days, so this gave us the opportunity to compare our testing items with the data we collected over the weekend. Our main goal was to evaluate the new electronics, try the exhaust again, and improve the smoothness of the acceleration. Both riders mainly focused only on this objective. Some parts they liked more than others, but they gave positive feedback overall. They are especially enthusiastic about the new prototype Michelin rear tyres. Maverick had time to put in a time attack at the end and topped the timesheets, but the feeling on the bike in general is the most important today. Since both riders feel good on the bike, we feel confident as we prepare for the next race in two weeks‘ time.”

MAVERICK VIÑALES

“I’m quite satisfied about the test, not because of the lap time, but because of the way we handled this test, because it was important to try many things. The whole team put in hard work and we changed many parts of the bike. To end at the top is important for us, also for the mechanics, who worked very hard today. But the most important thing is that my feeling on the bike was really good and let’s see if we can keep this momentum, which we had here in Barcelona, going at the next race in Assen. We changed the settings on the bike quite a lot because we think we found one area here that helped us for the race, and it seemed to work, so we will continue to work in that direction and get more confidence on the bike. The feedback on the new Michelin tyres is good. The grip from the tyres is good, so I was able to do really good laps, and I hope they will bring these tyres in the future, because for our bike that will help a lot. But for now we are in 2019 and we keep improving race by race.”

VALENTINO ROSSI

“We tried some different things, especially with the electronics, traction control, and engine brake, to make some improvements. We also tried some mechanical things, some parts on the bike. Some things were good, others normal, but overall, we found something positive. We worked a bit with an eye on the future, also for next year and also for the next race, so we noticed a small difference already and I hope we can be faster. The Michelin tyres are fantastic! They did a good job, because they improved the grip in acceleration. You can open the throttle earlier and go faster, so the new tyres are better.”

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:

RED BULL KTM CONTINUE WORK AT CIRCUIT DE BARCELONA-CATALUNYA

MotoGP 2019 IRTA test Catalunya (ESP)

Today’s official IRTA test represented the first of two days of work for Red Bull KTM in the direct aftermath of the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya. Pol Espargaro and Johann Zarco were joined by test rider Dani Pedrosa for the first time as work on the KTM RC16 pressed forward.

High temperatures and windy conditions remained in place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the MotoGP field formed again the day after the seventh Grand Prix of the season.

Pol Espargaro worked through chassis, electronic and aerodynamic updates and the Spaniard managed 57 laps with the 16th fastest time before a small tumble ended his day late in the afternoon. Johann Zarco was 15th quickest and posted 70 laps as he also assessed a list of ideas and solutions to improve his comfort and speed. The pair counted on the presence of Dani Pedrosa who was busy through the whole day building up his knowledge of KTM’s factory machinery and imparting his vast experience where necessary.

Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo Miguel Oliveira and Hafizh Syahrin were also diligent with the next phases of development and adaption to their RC16 race bikes.

KTM will continue with a private testing day in Barcelona on Wednesday before turning their attention to round eight of 2019 MotoGP at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands.

Pol Espargaro: “We tried a lot of chassis parts and also electronics because we had problems at the weekend through Turns 12 and 13. I had a small crash and could not make a faster time. We’ll have to see in the races to come if we have found some more improvements but we did some work on the aerodynamics and other aspects such as the change of direction with the bike. I’m happy. The bike we finished the race with here we will use in Holland because we have a good package and it will be interesting to see what we have now works in cooler conditions.”

Johann Zarco: “I got a new chassis and a different seat to try and improve. It is not an easy job because when I change things I feel better but it is not immediately visible so I need to push myself to get the faster lap-time and use the parts. I improved today compared to my qualifying time on Saturday so I am quite happy. Everyone was very fast today and it was pretty tough but we must keep working hard. I’m quite satisfied.”

Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Team Manager: “Another productive test day and we had five riders on the track and each of them had their special items to test. We have some positive and some negatives. In general we are happy. Pol had a small crash at the end of the day but it was not too dramatic. Johann focussed on certain things on his bike and re-checked some settings with suspension and chassis as well as aerodynamics. It was quite interesting, and now we plan for Wednesday. It’s good the riders will have one day off now because it can be tiring after a busy race weekend to test all day.”

Sebastian Risse, Technical Director MotoGP: “Conditions tend to be difficult here and we’re happy to take this chance to improve our bike. We tried a lot of hardware: frame, swingarm, suspension and I think we made some progress, especially with Johann; I think we found some items that can really help him. With Pol the day was cut short unfortunately but we also confirmed some useful items. Overall, I think there was bigger progress for Johann. We’ll do some more work on Wednesday.”

MotoAmerica: More From The Races At Utah Motorsports Campus

BOBBY FONG AND ALEX DUMAS WIN FOR TEAM HAMMER IN UTAH

Team Hammer closed out the MotoAmerica weekend at Utah Motorsports Campus with a pair of spectacular victories on Sunday.

After finishing second in MotoAmerica Supersport on Saturday, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong came through in a huge way in Sunday’s rematch. Again, Fong leapt out to the lead on the opening lap, only to be quickly pushed back into second. From that point forward, Fong hounded his leader, applying extreme pressure and constantly reminding his rival that he was there, showing him a wheel in corner after corner while planning a last-lap, last-corner move.

Even his crew thought Fong was destined to finish second again, because he hadn’t told anyone that he had a strategy before the race even started. But when the leader ran another defensive line into the final corner of the race, Fong set him up perfectly, got a great drive out of the corner, swung alongside and powered past on the short run to the finish line to win by 0.003-second.

An excited Fong said, “We have such good acceleration with the Suzuki GSX-R600, I knew if he ran tight in the last corner, I could get a drive on him. I had that in my mind the entire race and was sizing it up. I figured he would run a defensive line on the last lap, and I worked my strategy just right. I’m excited to get the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki on top of the box today. Kudos to my team–we got the ‘W’ today, and I’m looking forward to my home round at Laguna Seca coming up next.”

Young Sean Dylan Kelly appeared destined to make it another Supersport double rostrum result for Team Hammer, on another track he had never seen before the start of practice on Saturday. The teenager got away in third, clung on to the lead duo for several laps, and then ran alone in third for most of the race. Unfortunately, a heat-related issue slowed his bike and forced him to give up a pair of positions on the final lap-and-a-half. Kelly still managed to hold on to collect a top-five result at the stripe.

While Fong left his winning move for the last possible moment, Twins Cup contender Alex Dumas made an immediate bid for victory on his Roadracing World Young Guns Suzuki SV650. After qualifying on pole earlier in the day, Dumas powered off the grid in the lead and never looked back. By the finish of the 13-lap race, Dumas had built an impressive lead of more than 14 seconds on his way to scoring his first Twins Cup victory.


(Above) Alex Dumas (16) leads Autovest Suzuki’s Joseph Blasius (24) early in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup Race at Utah Motorsports Campus. Photo by Brian J Nelson.

“I’m really happy how the race went,” said Dumas, the 2018 Junior Cup Champion who has moved up into the Twins Cup for 2019. “It’s incredible to win a Twins Cup race. We’re off to a good start in the season and hopefully the rest of the races go like this.”

Autovest Suzuki’s Joseph Blasius very nearly gave Team Hammer a double podium Twins Cup result. Blasius qualified third and then ran second early in the race, found himself dropped back to fifth, and then charged back into position to fight for the podium at the flag.

He made a bold attempt at third with just over a lap remaining, but encountered an errant lapped rider and couldn’t quite hold the position when he changed his line to make a pass, got on a sealer strip, and lost traction while accelerating, doing well to stay on board but allowing his rival to swoop back ahead. Blasius finished in fourth, less than a second off the podium.

Team M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis enjoyed another solid outing in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Superbike race. Lewis was embroiled in a fight for another top-five result when the race was red-flagged with 10 laps remaining. He got away from the restart in sixth to resume that battle, and maintained to finish sixth.

Team Hammer will next head to Monterey, California, on July 12-14 for the highly-anticipated combined WorldSBK/MotoAmerica Superbike weekend at Laguna Seca.

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 74 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 216 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 Jayson Uribe’s publicist:

Jayson Uribe In The MotoAmerica Superbike Mix At Utah – UPDATED

Jayson Uribe made a welcome return to the MotoAmerica Superbike series at the Utah Motorsports Campus this weekend, campaigning the sole Honda in the series and showing from the off that he wasn’t back simply to make up the numbers.


(Above) Jayson Uribe (36). Photo by Steve Midgley.

A new track configuration at UMC, situated close to Salt Lake City, levelled the playing field a little with Uribe qualifying an encouraging tenth position ahead of the opening twenty-three lap encounter.

A fast start followed by an aggressive but fair first few turns soon saw the #36 up into eighth where he sat comfortably on the back of the leading group. After losing touch slightly with the leaders as the race progressed after a small brake issue, Jayson rode smart to ensure he crossed the line eighth at the flag.

Race two saw Uribe end the opening lap in twelfth, the Californian easing himself into the weekend’s second twenty-three lap race. Up to ninth after a couple of laps, the race was halted prematurely on lap fourteen after a crash at turn six.

A short stoppage before the grid reformed for a ten-lap re-run allowed which gave the sole Honda on the grid a second bite of the cherry. A better start saw Jayson immediately slot into eighth where he would remain until the flag after a race long duel with former World Superbike top ten finisher Jake Gagne.

Jayson will be back on the grid at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in a few weeks’ time when MotoAmerica runs alongside the FIM Superbike World Championship.

Jayson Uribe: “Had a great debut weekend in the MotoAmerica Superbike championship. We’ve been preparing for this weekend since early November 2018, and it seems that our hard work has paid off. Being a two-day race event, everything was pretty compact. Not much time to find a decent set up or fix problems. My Honda CBR1000RR ran like a champ, and we only had two minor mechanical issues throughout the weekend. We ran up front for a short period in both races. It was good for me to see where I was stronger, and weaker, than my competitors. Had rear brake problems in both races, but we ended up finishing P8 regardless. Had a killer battle with Jake Gagne – sorry about the extra rubber and red paint on your BMW Jake! – We came in with no expectations, and we’re leaving with high hopes of a top 5 in the future rounds. Can’t wait to get back out there! Also: I need to thank Danny Walker and Steve Karol for the parts. Without their help, I couldn’t build a bike to finish these long races.”

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Garrett Gerloff and Cameron Beaubier Make Positive Strides in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Utah Motorsports Campus


(Above) Garrett Gerloff (31) and Cameron Beaubier (1) at Utah Motorsports Campus. 

The weekend at Utah Motorsports Campus always proves interesting with the challenges of high elevation but Garrett Gerloff was able to stand on the podium in both races, while his Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing teammate Cameron Beaubier took the runner-up spot in race two after finishing off the podium in fourth in race one.

After qualifying on pole, Beaubier took advantage and rocketed out to the lead in race one. He was setting pace for most of the race but fell to second just after halfway. When he wasn’t expecting it, the reigning Superbike champ moved back to third and then lost another position when he wasn’t able to hold his teammate at bay. Gerloff, who struggled with a technical issue, had found himself as far back as sixth around the midway point of the race before taking advantage of competitors’ mistakes and pushing his Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing YZF-R1 to a podium finish in third by the end of the 23-lap race.

The team put in the work overnight and race two saw Beaubier claim the lead and build a comfortable gap on the competition. Gerloff also looked good and was in a solid podium position when a red flag was called for a downed rider. On the restart, the Californian didn’t get the same jump as the first green flag and was shuffled back to second whilst his teammate maintained third. Beaubier did everything he possibly could to make a pass stick and retake the lead he held for much of the race before the restart, but ultimately had to settle for second and take some championship points. Gerloff joined him on the podium in third. Although the red flag was unfortunate, positive ground was made for the team on the weekend and they look to build on that forward progress.

Up next on the schedule for the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing team is a joint round with the World Superbike Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, July 12-14.

Tom Halverson

Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“This was a difficult weekend racing a two-day schedule on a track layout that we’ve never been on. On Saturday, Cameron had some problems but managed a fourth. Garrett put in another really strong ride to finish in third. On Sunday, Cam turned things around and had over a two-second lead before a red flag. After the red flag it was a great fight, but unfortunately Cameron missed the win by just 0.3 seconds with Garrett a really close just 0.5 seconds back. It was disappointing for us not to get the win today, but we were in the fight with both riders. We’re looking forward to Laguna and will fight again for the win.”

Cameron Beaubier

Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing

“Saturday’s race we were pretty confident going into after leading both practice sessions, but as soon as the lights went out, I had no rear grip compared to practice. I rode as hard as I could, but fourth was the best we could do. Sunday morning’s practice went really well and we confirmed it was the tire. I put my head down early in the race and opened up a healthy gap. My R1 was feeling so good. Then the race got red flagged and we restarted with 10 laps to go. It was a battle to the finish and unfortunately we came up short in second. No wins this weekend, but we are gonna keep trucking. My team is great, and I’m happy with my riding. I’m really looking forward to my home race at Laguna.”

Garrett Gerloff

Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing

“It was a good weekend. We had a pretty decent qualifying and two solid races. I had a little technical issue in race one, which kind of cost me in the middle of the race and I dropped back to fifth place, but I was able to work my way back to third. Today I was running in third place, I felt good. Toni and I were doing the same pace, but we were all separated with a pretty good gap to Cam. After the restart everything got a lot tighter and I was able to be there for the last 10 laps of the race. I gave it my all, rode the best that I could, I was just maybe just missing a half a percent. I was able to throw in some shots in the earlier parts, but on the last lap, I was there but had no advantage to be able to try and make a pass. I just kind of had a front row seat to watch those guys duking it out in the last couple of corners.

“I’m glad to have two podiums, my sixth one in a row. I just want to get higher up on that podium. We’re making progress and we’re doing good work, so I’m excited to go to Laguna and keep moving forward.”

More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:

After Finishing Second in MotoAmerica Superbike Race One At Utah Motorsports Campus, Westby Racing’s Fortunes Bite The Dust On Sunday


(Above) Mathew Scholtz (11) trails Garrett Gerloff (31) and Toni Elias (24) into Turn One at the start of Superbike Race Two at UMC. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Grantsville, UT – June 17, 2019 – As is sometimes the case in MotoAmerica Superbike racing, the joy that Mathew Scholtz and his Westby Racing team felt after their runner-up result in Saturday’s Superbike race one at Utah Motorsports Park was countered by disappointment when Mathew suffered a tipover in Sunday’s race two and was unable to restart what ended up as a 10-lap sprint to the checkers.

Mathew got a great start in Sunday’s race, was immediately among the lead pack, and looked to heading for a result as good, if not better, than his second-place finish on Saturday. Running in fourth at the time, he unfortunately lost the front end of his #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike in turn six and took a high-speed tumble into the gravel.

The race was red-flagged, and Mathew hitched a ride back to the pits with Kyle Wyman. Meanwhile, the crash truck brought Mathew’s bike back to the garage, and the crew immediately went to work on getting the bike ready for the restart. Unfortunately, it was too damaged to be repaired in time to make the restart, so Mathew and the team had to call it a day.

Westby Racing team manager Chuck Giacchetto summarized the up-and-down weekend by saying, “All told, the weekend was spectacular. The drive out to Utah was drama-free and perfect, very enjoyable ride out. The team worked exceptionally well Friday night till about 9:30 to get everything settled for the weekend. Right out of the box, Mathew was really fast, and a good part of that is due to the setup by the crew, which is led by our technical director Ed Sullivan. First qualifying was very good; we were happy. But, we made a change that really didn’t make the bike better for Q2, and Mathew’s P4 result wasn’t very accurate of his real pace. We think he could have qualified on the front row, at least, if we hadn’t made that change.

“Race one was fantastic. Saturday was a glorious race for us. Good feedback and good info to add to the database. The team worked very well together. I don’t think anyone should look at Mathew’s crash in Sunday’s race two as a ‘fail.” He’s disappointed enough in himself. The bike actually did not have a lot of damage to it despite the entire fuel cell coming off. We had a little bit of damage to the wiring harness and that was really the only reason we couldn’t continue. We had all the spare parts ready to go, except that the damage to the wiring harness was too much to overcome in the short timeframe before the restart.

“So, now, we’re heading to California to do some work out there before heading back home. We’ll fly back out to California and possibly get a test in with another team or two before the next round. Again, fantastic job this weekend. I’m really proud of Mathew and our crew.”

The Westby Racing team will regroup and get ready for the second half of the 2019 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which begins with round six at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, on July 12 through 14.

MotoAmerica Superbike Standings

1. Toni Elias – Suzuki – 201

2. Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha – 175

3. Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha – 136

6. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 100

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 Attack Performance/Estenson Racing:

Beach Scores Another Top-Five MotoAmerica Superbike Finish for Attack Performance Estenson Racing Team


(Above) JD Beach (95). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Attack Performance Estenson Racing team’s JD Beach took home another top five finish in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship on Sunday’s race two at Utah Motorsport Campus on June 16.

After a rough Saturday in the gravel, the dirt track/road racer went into the second day of the two-format looking for some redemption. Beach got off to a good start but a technical issue prevented him from fighting up front. He got a second chance after the red flag with a 10-lap battle for the finish, but ultimately it was a repeat of the first part of the race and he opted to keep it on two wheels. In the final moments Jake Lewis, challenged for position but he was able to hold off his fellow Kentuckian to finish fifth.

Beach also currently sits fifth in the championship standings as the series hits the halfway mark.

Next up on the calendar is Laguna Seca in Monterey, California on July 12-14, held in conjunction with the World Superbike Championship.

JD Beach — MotoAmerica Superbike #95:

“Race two was good. We finished the race and came home with another top five. We did struggle with the front a little bit and we were getting a lot of chatter. We’ve been fighting that all weekend. We can’t really figure out where that’s coming from, so being able to fight back from that and get fifth is a good result for the day. We’ve got some work to do. We’ll go back to the drawing board and see what we can come up with for Laguna.”

More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura Suzuki:

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias Scores Double Victory in Utah

Elias Pushes Series Lead to 26 Points at Mid-Season


(Above) Josh Herrin (2) and Toni Elias (24) racing at the front in Utah. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Grantsville, Utah — It was a big weekend for Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Toni Elias at Utah Motorsports Campus. Elias won Saturday’s race convincingly, but had to fight hard to take a thrilling victory in Sunday’s race two. It was a major bounce back for Elias after crashing in race two at Road America a couple of weeks ago and seeing his series lead narrowed to nine points.

At the halfway point in the 2019 season Elias now has a series-leading five wins, and with the Utah sweep pushed his series lead back up to 26 points. Also significant is Elias reached a milestone 30th-career MotoAmerica Superbike victory on Sunday. He moved past former Yoshimura Suzuki racing legend Ben Spies for fifth on the all-time MotoAmerica/AMA Superbike wins list.

Icing on the cake for Elias is that he was able to celebrate the Father’s Day victory with his dad on the winner’s rostrum.

It was a decent weekend for Yoshimura Suzuki’s Josh Herrin as well. Coming off his second win of the season in Wisconsin, at the last round, Herrin scored a sixth on Saturday (hampered by severe back pain) and bounced back to take fourth on Sunday.

Herrin moved from fifth to fourth in the standings.

Saturday’s race was an epic battle early, with seven riders in the lead pack. Elias was able to open a gap late in the race and took a 1.969-second margin of victory. On Sunday Elias was helped by a red flag stop of the race. That allowed him a fresh shot at the other riders. On the restart it was a 10-lap sprint on the very tight and technical 2.2-mile UMC East Course, being used for the first time in a MotoAmerica event. It was a thrilling final lap with Elias and Cameron Beaubier swapping the lead. With just a few turns to go, Elias shot up inside exiting the corner, then forged ahead and held on by a scant three-tenths of a second at the checkered flag.

“This was an amazing weekend for us,” Elias said. “We found a very good setting to allow me to open a gap in the final laps in Saturday’s race. Then today the red flag helped. I had picked a tire that was too hard and I was not comfortable pushing. But then things got much better late in the race. Cameron fought very hard, but I was fortunate to find a way to get back into the lead before the finish.

“Today was a great day to win because it was Father’s Day and MotoAmerica allowed my father to come up on the podium and this was very emotional. I dedicate this win to him and to my son.”

Herrin had a lower back problem crop up suddenly in Saturday’s race after leading several laps

“I was running up front and felt like I could pass whenever I wanted,” Herrin explained. “And then I had a problem with my back. It was so bad I had to set up and stretch it out and then nurse it home. In Sunday’s race I was nervous about it. In the back of my mind I felt like I had to be careful. I made a mistake in turn six, ran wide and lost the leaders with three laps to go. I’m bummed, but I was able to run up front this weekend, so I’m really looking forward to Laguna.”

Yoshimura Suzuki and the MotoAmerica Series visits Monterey Bay next for the combined Superbike World Championship/MotoAmerica weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on July 12-14, 2019. If you can’t make the race in person, MotoAmerica Superbike races can be watched on Fox Sports 2. Check your local listings for times.

More, from a press release issued by Hudson Motorcycles:

Hudson Motorcycles leaves Utah Motorsports Campus MotoAmerica Supersport Round 5 holding onto their 3rd place in the Championship.


(Above) Richie Escalante (54). 

Escalante finished the weekend with one Podium 3rd Place 9finish) on Saturday. After a strong practice and qualifying in P3, he was able to position himself and his Hudson Motorcycles Yamaha R6 into the front row of the starting grid during Race 1. With a great start, Escalante fought his way to the podium, finishing in 3rd. Sunday, Escalante once again started from P3 and positioned himself in 5th, keeping up consistent lap times with the front 4 riders. However, while trying to over-take (another rider) into turn 1, Richie overestimated his breaking point and ran off the track. Quickly recovering he was able to get back on track and finished Race 2 in 6th place.

This weekend brought the team a lot of new information to help steer them into the right direction for the upcoming races and the team couldn’t be more pleased with how the weekend turned out. Not only has the team built a strong camaraderie amongst themselves, the rider and crew chief; Curtice Thom, have developed a great communication system between themselves to be able to get the bike to where it needs to be to stay in the front of the pack with the top riders.

Mark Shinder (Team Manager): “I couldn’t be more proud of our team and our rider, Richie Escalante. We have really come together as a family and we continue to learn and improve as the season progresses. In the next couple weeks, we plan to regroup, refocus and return to the raceway with our eyes set on a race win.”

As always we couldn’t do this without our sponsors. Thank you for all your support. Akropovic Exhaust, Bel Ray Lubricants, Vortex EK, Vesrah, Motion Pro, Velocity Tape, Sprint Filter, Dynojet, CoreMotoUSA, Galfer, Shoei Helmets USA, Vesrah and Spidi.

More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports:

MotoAmerica: Altus Motorsports Tucker TerpTastick.com VP Lubricants Race Report “A Solid and Successful Weekend“ at Utah Motorsports Campus

(Tooele, UT) While Utah Motorsports Campus has been on the MotoAmerica Calendar for many years, 2019 marks the first time the shorter East Course has been used. This layout incorporates the last half of the previous configuration but shortens the front straight and replaces the first half of the track with seven fast, flowing new corners. For many pro racers, this was the first time riding the East Course. This leveled the playing field slightly and made for some exciting racing. For Altus Motorsports Tucker TerpTastick.com Team, the Utah event was the smoothest weekend yet with all of the riders making progress and finishing in the points in every race.


(Above) Kevin Olmedo (14).

Liqui Moly Junior Cup: The MotoAmerica event at Utah is another of the season’s 2-day events. The compressed schedule means that there is very little time to get the bike sorted. For the Junior Cup riders, they get just one practice session and one qualifying. Kevin Olmedo learned the new track layout quickly but struggled with front end chatter through practice and qualifying. The issue continued in the first race but Olmedo managed to better his lap time and bring the bike home in third. By warm-up on Sunday, the team had solved the front end issue and Kevin felt great on the bike and was ready to run at the front. A couple of early mistakes created a gap from the battle for first. Kevin pushed to get back in touch but the track was a bit slick and he opted to play it safe and collect the third place points. “My pace on Sunday was good and if I hadn’t made a couple of mistakes in the first few laps, I think I would have been in the battle for first,” said Olmedo.

Stock 1000: For Miles Thornton, UMC was the best round of the season to date. In spite of overheating during Qualifying 1, his Suzuki GSX-R1000 was solid and the team managed to make progress every session. Starting the race from p6 Thornton got a good launch and jumped up to 5th before being shuffled back to 7th. The new UMC layout has very few places to pass without significant risk. As the race went on, Miles felt better and better. With a couple of laps to go, Thornton made the pass for 6th. On the next lap, with worn tires, Miles dropped his lap time by 1.2 seconds and clocked his second fastest lap of the race. “In hindsight, I wish I had made the pass earlier in the race. The bike felt great and I had amazing pace. I think I could have run down the group ahead of me if I had pulled the trigger sooner. But it’s a long season and I didn’t want to push my luck,” said Thornton. With the bike issues resolved and a good foundation for setup, the team is excited for the rest of the season.

Supersport 600: Lucas Silva came into the Utah round suffering from a knee injury that plagued him all weekend. Despite the pain, Silva managed to qualify 10th. After recovering from a rough start in Race 1, he found himself in a group of three riders vying for 8th place. With all three riders running an almost identical pace, the fast, flowing track didn’t allow for many passing opportunities. Rather than force it, Lucas brought his Suzuki GSX-R600 across the line in 10th. Sunday’s race start was significantly better but an outside move into turn one didn’t work and he was forced to give up the gains he made on his great launch. After battling for part of the race, things settled down and Silva finished in 10th again. With a few weeks off before the next round, Lucas is going to rest the knee so he can come back fully recovered and ready to race.

It seems that every weekend Jaret Nassaney feels stronger and more confident on his GSX-R600. And his results show it. The shortened weekend meant that the team needed to take advantage of every session to make improvements, which they did. From Practice to Qualifying, Jaret dropped more than 2 seconds and moved from p18 to p12. In Race 1, he battled for 12th place most of the race, finally crossing the line in 13th. In Race 2, Jaret found himself again in a multi-bike battle for 12th. Having come out on the wrong side of the fight on Saturday, Nassaney was committed to owning the spot on Sunday. Every time he was passed he tried to quickly retake the position. His tenacity paid off and he held 12th place at the finish.

Team owner George Nassaney was thrilled with how the UMC weekend went: “This was our smoothest event yet. While some of the riders have had better individual results in the past, as a team, this round was our best. We are blessed to have this group of riders, mechanics and staff around us. They truly make these weekends fun and rewarding.”

The next round for the MotoAmerica series will be at Laguna Seca and the entire team is excited. All of the riders have previous experience on the track and are looking forward to another successful weekend.

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.

Racing History: When Eddie Lawson Left Yamaha, Won On A Honda, And Changed Everything

Featured in the June 2019 Issue of Roadracing World:

     It was 30 years ago this summer that American Eddie
Lawson became the first rider to win back-to-back 500cc World Championships on
different brands. Premier-class Grand Prix bikes were never nastier than in the
1980s—two-stroke power was pushing them towards 200 mph, overpowering tires,
frames and suspension.

     Honda’s NSR500 was the nastiest of the nasty. The
single-crank V4 had a precipitous power curve that was too much for any
chassis, let alone the strange things HRC engineers created at the time. HRC
tried to tame the NSR with weird geometry, frame rigidities, and centers of
gravity, none of which worked.

     The bikes were fast—quick enough to take Freddie
Spencer and Wayne Gardner to the 1985 and 1987 World Championships—but they
were hellish to ride and not getting any better. “The 1988 bike was a piece of
s***—it was just an evil thing,” recalls Gardner.

     Thus when Eddie Lawson quit Giacomo Agostini’s
Marlboro Yamaha team to join Erv Kanemoto’s Rothmans Honda team for 1989, most
of the paddock thought the Californian had lost his mind. Lawson’s first few
outings on the 1989 NSR500 suggested they might be right …

-Racing History by Mat Oxley, in the June 2019 Issue of Roadracing World

Legendary
tuner and crew chief Erv Kanemoto was responsible for transforming the vicious
Honda NSR500 into something that World Champion Eddie Lawson said finally
“felt like a motorcycle.” In doing so, Kanemoto and HRC started down
a path of chassis development still followed by the very latest Grand Prix
machines. Grand Prix Editor Mat Oxley details the pivotal 1989 500cc Grand Prix
season in the June 2019 issue of Roadracing World!

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World Superbike: Championship Racing At Misano This Coming Weekend

#RiminiWorldSBK: Electric feel
There’s electricity in the air as WorldSBK returns to the Riviera di Rimini for Round 7 of the season

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship heads back to Italy, at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, for the first of three rounds inside four weeks. The season is moving forward at breakneck pace and mistakes are becoming costlier than ever. Just ask the two championship frontrunners. Before Jerez, there were few visible cracks in Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) or Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) respective armors, as they waltzed onto the rostrum in every single race so far.

But then there was Spain. One rider crashed whilst leading, unopposed; the other was forced into an uncharacteristic mistake that very nearly ruined his weekend. Is the tension of the title race getting to the top men? Or was Jerez a one-off, a two-pronged lightning bolt which won’t strike again? They have both visited Misano more times than they can remember, but then again, that was the case for Jerez too. Continued issues and misfortune for teammates Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) will be another cause for concern for both teams as we edge closer to do-or-die time.

Either way, Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was the person who profited the most from the other two’s woes, yet it would be foolish to think that he needed any assistance. The Dutchman was on another level at the Spanish circuit and broke his duck for the year, just over twelve months since his Donington double, by simply riding perfectly all weekend. The YZF R1 itself was also up for the challenge, highlighted by Alex Lowes’ (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) equally admirable pace – unfortunate incidents aside. If the blue bike is capable at last of beating the Ducati and Kawasaki week in, week out… Then who said the fight for the championship will be a two-horse race come Autumn?

Conversely, after Thailand, many thought that the Independent Riders’ championship would be decided between a pair Yamahas, Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK). It was a bold assumption to make and one that Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) seems committed to proving wrong, as he sits just seven points behind the rider from Ravenna and twelve ahead of the German rookie. After taking third in Imola’s Race 1, the Turkish starlet stated that he needed more podiums. Well, he’s got two now, and we’re just six rounds in. At this rate, Razgatlioglu will be shifting his focus towards a greater goal very soon, perhaps as soon as this weekend.

The fact that it’s a home round for the Puccetti squad may help his case, but in fairness, Misano is a home round for a large share of hungry challengers, including a long-time rival of Razgatlioglu’s: Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team). The 23-year-old scored his personal best WorldSBK result in Jerez (4th in Race 2) and is growing each and every race on the V4 R. Squad resources will be split at Misano, however, as Michele Pirro joins Rinaldi inside the BARNI squad. Experience versus youth, national champion versus world stage hopeful – another thrilling duel to look out for in Italy.

And then there’s the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, who – whisper it – are edging ever closer to the top positions. Jerez was a relatively quiet weekend for Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), yet that was perhaps more down to other teams’ ups-and-downs and overall chaos than to the Yorkshireman’s performances themselves. In fact, Sykes scored more points than at any other Round this year, a sign that the project is chugging along according to plan. The 2013 World Champion seems happy and with more updates for the S1000 RR potentially arriving in the near future, it may become hard to rub the smile off his face.

BMW have been edging further and further away from Honda in the Manufacturer’s Championship, as the Japanese manufacturer endured a weekend of disappointment in Jerez. With Leon Camier’s (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) status still uncertain, it could be up to Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) to once again guide the HRC-backed outfit into the battlefield in search of a breakthrough.

It’s all about to kick off again in Italy! Summer officially starts for our Northern Hemisphere fans on June 21st and so does the Pata Riviera di Rimini Round, with FP1 and FP2 set for Friday. The Tissot Superpole will decide the grid for the next two races in Italy: Race 1 on Saturday 22nd (14:00 local time, GMT+2) and the Tissot Superpole Race on Sunday 23rd (11:00 LT), before Race 2 pulls down the curtain on Round Seven at 14:00 LT.

WorldSSP: Title pendulum set to take another swing at Misano
As the season unfolds, the title fight is heating up, but who will be able to master Misano?

With the 2019 FIM Supersport World Championship kicking up another gear at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, the title race is well and truly on as Misano beckons in Italy. The Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” has been a regular fixture on the calendar in the WorldSBK calendar and is steeped in history for WorldSSP, but who will write their name in the record books this time?

Randy Krummenacher’s (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) championship lead was whittled down at Jerez, back to 17 points after finishing second to his ever-improving teammate, Federico Caricasulo. The Swiss rider has never finished on the podium at Misano, having been fifth last season and fourth in 2016. However, he is also yet to finish outside of the top two positions this season; will Krummenacher keep his title lead after the Pata Riviera di Rimini Round?

It was a mesmerizing final two laps that gave Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) a second victory of the 2019 WorldSSP season. The 23-year-old romped home for his second win at the Jerez circuit and will look to repeat that statistic at Misano, a circuit he won at in 2018. With his strong current form and a positive history at Misano, will the title fight continue to swing in the Italian’s favour at his home round?

Back on the podium at Jerez for the first time since he won at Buriram, Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) is back in the title fight, with an inspired ride at the Acerbis Spanish Round. The Frenchman, who currently sits 41 points behind Randy Krummenacher, will need to find his race-winning form if he is to have realistic hopes of clinching that elusive first title. Having won at Misano in 2015 and 2016, the 30-year-old knows what it takes to succeed at the Italian venue.

Once again featuring prominently at the sharp end, Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) holds fourth in the championship after a sixth top-ten finish of the season at Jerez. The Japanese sensation arrives at Misano where in 2018, he achieved ninth. Besides a retirement at Losail last season, Okubo has been inside the top ten in every race since then and will look to continue his strong form this weekend. Is a first podium in the offing?

It was another positive showing from Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse), as the Italian continues his quest for a first WorldSSP victory. Heading to Misano onboard the MV Agusta, the partisan crowd will be cheering De Rosa on for his first win at a circuit where he was second last year and in Superstock 1000, back in 2015. Will De Rosa deliver the goods at home?

Fighting tooth-and-nail to remain in the championship battle and the battle for his first race win, Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) was back in the leading group last time out at Jerez, finishing fourth. The Austrian rider, who is sixth in the championship, heads to Misano, where he suffered his only DNF of the 2018 WorldSSP season. With just six points covering fourth, to sixth in the standings, it could be all change again after Misano.

Keep an eye on other riders too, starting with 2017 WorldSSP Champion, Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), who led a race for the first time this season at Jerez. Isaac Viñales’ (Kallio Racing) consistency has kept him in the top eight overall, ahead of Corentin Perolari (GMT94 YAMAHA) and Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) who secured another top ten at Jerez. Massimo Roccoli (Team Rosso Corsa) is one of eight wildcards in the class.

WorldSSP300: the championship fight set to rage at Misano
In a frantic season which has seen records shattered, rivalries ignited and early celebrations, what is on the horizon for WorldSSP300 at Misano?

The WorldSSP300 championship battle is beginning to take shape, with both former champions joining champion-elect Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) at the front of the title fight. Jerez proved a pivotal round for the likes of Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT), as he failed to score points, meaning that Gonzalez has momentarily been let off the hook – but Misano always throws up a surprise.

It has been an impressive start to the season for Manuel Gonzalez, who before the start of his 2019 campaign, had never won a WorldSSP300 race. Now with three wins from the opening four races, the 16-year-old heads to Misano, where he picked up his first career podium last year. With this being the fifth round, it is the second half of the season and Gonzalez could certainly put one hand on the championship trophy.

However, that is if everything goes to plan – which in WorldSSP300, is a rarity. Chasing him down in second position is Scott Deroue, with the Dutchman losing lots of ground on Gonzalez after being taken out in the first start of Race 2 at Jerez and not climbing through the order. The Dutchman has a mountain to climb to claw back the lost ground from Jerez but Misano could be the place – although he’s never achieved a podium at the circuit.

A return to the top in Jerez Race 1 for Marc Garcia (DS Junior Team) saw him launch up the order to third in the standings and just six points back of Deroue. The 2017 WorldSSP300 champion finally showed some of his 2017 form at the track which he clinched the championship at. Garcia’s form at Misano isn’t as fruitful, having only managed a sixth in 2017. Can he come good again for a second round running?

Fourth place sees Jan-Ole Jahnig (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) sitting pretty, with a consistent start to 2019 meaning he remains in contention. The German teenager, who has a best result of third in 2019, will be hoping to get back on the podium for only the second time in his career. He was 20th on the grid at Misano but strong race craft saw him carve his way into eighth.

Completing the top five is French rider Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno Yamaha), who has also enjoyed a consistent start to the 2019 season, finishing every race in the top eight and with a podium at Aragon. At Misano in 2018, the 17-year-old scored his first points of his career and will be hoping to vastly improve on that in 2019, in a bid to stay in the title fight, with just nine points covering second to fifth.

Keep an eye out for Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300), as the reigning champion made a return to the podium at Jerez, whilst Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) took his best result of the season. Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) was in the leading battle at Jerez, whilst the winner of the 2018 race at Misano, Manuel Bastianelli (Prodina IRCOS Kawasaki), will look to do it all again. There’s plenty of wildcards to keep an eye out for too, with six in the WorldSSP300 class.

American Flat Track: Even More From The Laconia Short Track

TOP-FIVE FINISH FOR RED BULL KTM’S DAN BROMLEY AT LACONIA SHORT TRACK

Round 8 – American Flat Track Championship

LOUDON, N.H. – Round 8 of the 2019 American Flat Track Championship made its way to Loudon, New Hampshire over the weekend for the Laconia Short Track, where Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Dan Bromley scored a top-five finish in the AFT Singles Main Event.

Bromley, the defending AFT Singles Champion, put himself into a front row start position in Heat #2, where he put his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into a top-four position off the start. He battled for a top-three spot throughout the five-lap heat race, where he ultimately finished third. In the Semi, Bromley grabbed a top-10 start and climbed his way up to third by the fourth lap. From there, he maintained a solid pace to secure a third-place transfer into the Main Event. Bromley took advantage of a front row start position in the Main Event as he powered his way to a fourth-place start. He once again inserted himself into the lead battles early on, dicing for the second-place position before the first red flag came out. He held onto second after the restart but a small mistake allowed two riders to catch up and he continued the three-way battle into the second restart, eventually moving into fifth late in the race.

Dan Bromley: “Laconia was an eventful weekend! Overall, I felt that as a team we did great. Everything was super smooth in the pits and the day went by great. I had a few small mistakes that cost me in the Main Event, but I learned from it and I’m going to use those mistakes to my advantage in the remaining races.”

Shayna Texter got off to a great start, qualifying fourth overall to claim a front-row start position in AFT Singles Heat #1. She powered her KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into third off the start, where she maintained a solid position throughout the heat race. With a third-place finish, Texter sustained her front-row grid position in the Semi. She got off to a fourth-place start in the Semi, quickly working her way into third by lap two. From there, she continued to dice it up inside the top-five, where she ultimately claimed a fifth-place transfer into the Main Event. Beginning from row two, Texter didn’t get off to the best start as she rounded the opening lap in the 16th position. Racing through a clutch issue for the duration of the Main Event, Texter did her best to push through the adversity and ultimately salvaged 16th place for the night.

Shayna Texter: “This was one of the gnarliest and roughest tracks around. I qualified fourth overall, so I was really excited for that given the conditions and how physical the race track was. I was feeling good and competitive heading into the Main Event but unfortunately, we had a little bit of a clutch issue going on. I was able to ride through the issue but it definitely was noticeable and a factor in our result. Overall, I’m happy with how I rode and with how the bike was working through all the rough stuff. It makes me super excited heading into Lima, a race that I won last year.”

Next Race: June 29, 2019 – Lima Half-Mile – Lima, Ohio


AFT Singles Main Event

1. Mikey Rush, Honda

2. Dalton Gauthier, Husqvarna

3. Max Whale, Kawasaki

OTHER KTM

5. Dan Bromley, KTM

11. Tristan Avery, KTM

15. Morgen Mischler, KTM

16. Shayna Texter, KTM

17. Jeremy Orr, KTM


AFT Singles Point Standings

1. Mikey Rush, 141 points

2. Dalton Gauthier, 131

3. Jesse Janisch, 129

4. Dan Bromley, 114

OTHER KTM

6. Shayna Texter, 66

9. Morgen Mischler, 61

12. Tristan Avery, 44

More, from a press release issued by Estenson Racing:

Jake Johnson Returns to the Podium, Roger Hayden Earns National Number at Laconia Short Track

Jake Johnson scored his second American Flat Track podium this season aboard the Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT, crossing the line third at the inaugural Laconia Short Track in Loudon, New Hampshire, on Saturday, June 15. Fill-in rider Roger Hayden also had a good result on the day with a top-10 finish as well as earning his National Number by making the Main Event.

The all-new venue at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was packed with fans to watch the sport’s best flat track racers tackle challenging conditions on the quarter-mile track. For the Estenson Racing AFT Twins team, the tough track made for a difficult start to the day for both Johnson and Hayden.

When it came down to racing, though, the hard work paid off in the Semis with Johnson and Hayden finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Hayden’s fifth-place finish not only earned him a transfer spot, but dirt track’s traditional honor of a National Number.

The 25-lap Main Event was a battle not only for top honors, but to keep it on two wheels. Although challenging, Johnson actually prefers the rougher tracks. Once again the two-time Grand National Champion’s starts helped him in a big way and with multiple restarts, he kept making progress forward. A rider error further helped that and moved him into third before the third red flag. On that restart, Johnson decided to tuck in behind the leaders rather than take a risky outside line that would either put him in the lead or back in the pack. He waited patiently for the leaders to make a mistake as well as held off a challenger to take his second podium this season, and his fourth with the team.

At the start of the Main, Hayden got off to a good start, as well. With many riders in the mix – sometimes three- or four-wide on the small track – there were multiple position changes throughout the race. The road racer with dirt track roots kept fighting, ultimately crossing the line eighth in just his second AFT Twins race.

The Estenson Racing squad gets a weekend off before heading to Lima, Ohio, for the Lima Half-Mile on Saturday, June 29.

Jake Johnson — AFT Twins #5:

“From where we started the day and where we’ve been most of the season, it feels good to get on the podium. We’ve still got some work to do, obviously, on the bigger tracks, but it’s definitely a big confidence booster. The track was gnarly. As far as my riding ability and fitness and all that stuff, I think I’m doing all right. Lima is next, so it’s going to be just as gnarly as this, but three times as big. That’s encouraging. I think we learned some things today that can help us for those kinds of tracks. We changed the setup a lot. It made a difference, but I think today a lot of it just came down to squeezing the tank and just hanging on and going for it. I had to do that a couple times today. Being that close to where you can smell a win… It kind of stinks, but definitely needed that good finish. We’ve had some rough rounds lately, so to get back on the box is definitely good.”

Roger Hayden — AFT Twins #195:

“I’m really happy with the day, to make the Main and get a top ten. That was my goal – to make the Main, but the day started out a little rough. I was 21st in the first practice, but was just gradually getting better and better. The crew did a great job making the bike better as the day went on. I learned a lot in the Main. It makes me want to do a lot more races now. I’m just thankful to Tim and the team for this opportunity. The track was brutal. I’ve never ridden something like that before, so I needed all 25 laps for the practice. But we did good, so we’re happy.”

Catch the race on NBCSN, June 23 at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Stay up to date with Estenson Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

More, from another press release issued by Estenson Racing:

Ryan Wells Salvages Points at the Laconia Short Track with Sixth-Place Finish

Estenson Racing’s Ryan Wells took home a sixth-place finish in challenging conditions at the inaugural Laconia Short Track, June 2, in Loudon, New Hampshire. Although not the result he was hoping for, it was a valuable points-haul to sit fifth in American Flat Track’s AFT Singles Championship.

It was perfect weather for racing in front of a packed house at New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s all-new quarter-mile flat track. Short tracks are inherently “bull rings,” and the fans were treated to some fever-pitched battles. Those battles were not easily fought, as the tricky track surface presented a challenge to the riders throughout the day.

Wells started the day out well with a solid, third-place finish in his Heat. In the Semi, the 2016 AFT Singles Champion won an epic battle to take victory aboard his Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F. He went on to get a good start in the Main Event, but unfortunately, on the restart taking the outside line shuffled him back in the pack. Wells fought on and was able to work his way back to up sixth.

The Estenson Racing squad gets a weekend off before heading to Lima, Ohio, for the Lima Half-Mile on Saturday, June 29.

Ryan Wells — AFT Singles #94:

“I started off fairly decent, just a little bit off the pace and third in the heat. I made some good passes in the Semi, got to the lead and won the race. The Main Event started out well. I was running third and then the red flag came out. I got a really good start on the restart, was side-by-side with second, but I tried to go around the outside and got hung way out in the loose stuff and kind of faded. It dropped me back to eighth in one straightaway. Luckily, we had another restart, so I got to pick a few more off. It was just a rough short track. It was tough to make passes, tough to stay consistent, which I knew I needed to do. At the end of the day, I stayed upright and got some points.”

Catch the race on NBCSN, June 23 at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Stay up to date with Estenson Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:

INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING’S BRONSON BAUMAN EARNS FIRST CAREER AFT TWINS WIN AT INAUGURAL LACONIA SHORT TRACK

Bauman Brothers go 1-2, as Briar Bauman Maintains Perfect Podium Streak for 2019 Season

LOUDON, N.H. – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, continued its dominance on Saturday night at the inaugural Laconia Short Track. Wrecking Crew Rider Bronson Bauman earned his first-career Twins win, holding off points leader and big brother Briar Bauman in thrilling fashion. The result also marked Briar’s fifth consecutive runner-up finish, as he continued his perfect podium streak for the 2019 season.

Laconia’s maiden race was met with several red flags, as the all-new track developed several bumps and berms that caused lines to change. After three restarts, Bauman and his #37 FTR750 were able to get a clean getaway, thwarting off the competition for the final five laps to finally secure his long-awaited Twins victory.

“We know how hard Bronson works every single day and how much racing means to him,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology & Service for Indian Motorcycle. “It’s great to see him have success, and we know he is going to take this momentum and build on it for the remainder of the season to finish strong.

After seven races, Briar Bauman has continued to further separate himself in the point standings with 142 points, a staggering 34 points ahead of Indian Motorcycle Privateer Brandon Robinson. Reigning Champion Jared Mees is third with 107 total points, while Bronson’s win ranks him fourth with 87 points.

The season continues on Saturday, June 29, with the Indian Motorcycle Lima Half-Mile Presented By Johnny K’s Indian at the Allen County Fairgrounds. For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For more information Indian Motorcycle Racing’s sponsors, visit their websites: Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, S&S Cycle, Indian Motorcycle Oil, Parts Unlimited, Drag Specialties, Alpinestars, Bell Helmets and J&P Cycles.

ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®

Indian Motorcycle is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.

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