Moto3 Race Lap Record: Fabio Di Giannantonio, 1:56.628, 2018

Moto3 All Time Lap Record: Tony Arbolino, 1:56.407, 2019

2019 FIM Moto3 World Championship

Autodromo Internazionale Del Mugello

Tuscany, Italy

June 2, 2019

Race Results (all on Dunlop tires):

1. Tony Arbolino, Italy (Honda), 20 laps, Total Race Time 39:29.874

2. Lorenzo Dalla Porta, Italy (Honda), -0.029 second

3. Jaume Masia, Spain (KTM), -0.078

4. Niccolo Antonelli, Italy (Honda), -0.156

5. Dennis Foggia, Italy (KTM), -0.267

6. John McPhee, UK (Honda), -0.403

7. Aron Canet, Spain (KTM), -0.559

8. Tatsuki Suzuki, Japan (Honda), -0.595

9. Celestino Vietti, Italy (KTM), -1.566 seconds

10. Darryn Binder, South Africa (KTM), -1.597

World Championship Point Standings (after 6 of 19 races):

1. Canet, 83 points

2. Dalla Porta, 80

3. Antonelli, 70

4. Masia, 65

5. Vietti, 52

6. TIE, Arbolino/Toba, 51

8. McPhee, 44

9. Migno, 40

10. Rodrigo, 37

MotoGP Race Lap Record: Marc Marquez, 1:47.639, 2013

Previous MotoGP All Time Lap Record: Danilo Petucci, 1:46.056, 2019

2019 FIM MotoGP World Championship

Autodromo Internazionale Del Mugello

Tuscany, Italy

June 1, 2019

Qualifying Results (all on Michelin tires):

From Qualifying Two:

1. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:45.519, New All Time Lap Record

2. Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:45.733

3. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:45.881

4. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:45.959

5. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:46.029

6. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:46.079

7. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:46.181

8. Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:46.260

9. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:46.293

10. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:46.387

11. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:46.433

12. Michele Pirro, Italy (Ducati), 1:46.638

From Qualifying One:

13. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:46.539

14. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:46.678

15. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:46.899

16. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:47.028

17. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Honda), 1:47.135

18. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:47.184

19. Johann Zarco, France (KTM), 1:47.394

20. Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:47.519

21. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (KTM), 1:48.222

22. Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:48.235

23. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Aprilia), 1:48.303

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

Fast and flowing Mugello circuit stretches Red Bull KTM Tech3 pair to the limit

Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Hafizh Syahrin and Miguel Oliveira faced a difficult challenge at the Italian circuit today, finishing Qualifying one in P11 and P12, respectively.

Syahrin was using the sunny Saturday to improve his feeling aboard the KTM RC16 at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello and did his best time of the weekend during his last lap in Qualifying to hop from 13th to 11th position. Meanwhile, Oliveira was 0.891 seconds quicker in FP4 than on Friday, but was a bit unlucky in the final seconds of Q1. Therefore, the Portuguese MotoGP rookie has to attack from row eight in tomorrow’s 23 laps encounter at 14.00 local time.

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 21st

Time: 1:48.222

Laps: 7

“Overall, I have to admit, it was a difficult day for us. I tried to do a good lap time and, in the end, it was better, but we are still far from the top. We try to understand how to improve more for tomorrow’s race, where we aim to stay on the wheel of some other riders in order to learn more about our new bike and have a decent race.”

Miguel Oliveira

Position: 22nd

Time: 1:48.235

Laps: 7

“Today after FP4 we had a quite good feeling and pace. Actually, it was the shortest gap we had to the front, so I was pretty positive and going into the Qualifying, obviously on the first run, I couldn’t make a perfect lap. After this, I was waiting for a tow and when I finally got it I crossed the finish line one second down and got the flag. But in any case, this lap was more than half a second faster than my best, although it doesn’t count. Anyway, we’ll see tomorrow, hope to have a good race and learn as much as possible.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini:

MOTOGP QUALIFIERS AT MUGELLO

FIFTH ROW FOR ALEIX ESPARGARÓ AND EIGHTH FOR ANDREA IANNONE

In a qualifying session that had never been so fast, where all the Mugello track records were smashed, Aleix Espargaró also did much better than his times a year ago, also improving his starting position, lapping at 1’46.988 to earn fifth place in Q1 and therefore fifteenth (fifth row) on the starting grid for tomorrow.

Andrea Iannone had to settle for a time of 1’48.303 which stopped him on the eighth row. The race tomorrow will be a difficult one for both where they will have to come back from behind if they want a spot in the top ten, an undertaking which has been well within the potential of the RS-GP in this first part of the season.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“I think that getting below the 1’47 mark is a good result for the level we are at today. I certainly can’t be satisfied with the final position, but I did a good lap in a time that nobody has ever done with this bike, so I feel like I did as much as possible.In terms of top speed, we do not have big problems, but we are struggling too much in acceleration. I think I have a bit better race pace than I had at Le Mans, but it will be a very difficult race, with the heat and on a very difficult track.”

ANDREA IANNONE

“We are continuing to try a lot of different configurations and that does not help when you’re trying to find the best performance, especially in qualifiers that are this close right from the start. Yesterday we thought we were on the right path, but evidently we missed something. Starting so far back does not make life easy. It will be a complicated race that we’ll also need to use to better understand the reactions of the RS-GP.”

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

Excellent front row for Quartararo at Italian GP

PETRONAS Yamaha SRT rider will start from second on the grid, with Franco Morbidelli fourth.

2nd FABIO QUARTARARO +0.214

4th FRANCO MORBIDELLI +0.440

PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team had an excellent Saturday at the Italian GP, with Fabio Quartararo setting the second fastest time in Q2, for a front-row start tomorrow, whilst team-mate Franco Morbidelli claimed fourth for his first home Grand Prix for the team.

Both riders set times in the 1min 45secs, which had not been achieved until this season. A stellar time of 1min 45.733secs allowed Quartararo to reach the front row of the grid for the second time in his short MotoGP career. The young Frenchman showed incredible speed in his two runs during Q2 and was only ousted from pole at the last moment. He was the best placed rookie and independent team rider in the class on Saturday.

It was also a great day for Morbidelli, who shone in front of the Italian fans at Mugello. The PETRONAS Yamaha SRT rider broke the 1min 46secs barrier on his last run with a 1min 45.959secs lap, just 78 thousandths of a second off the front row.

In the morning’s FP3 session, Quartararo improved his time from Friday and sealed his place in Q2, finishing sixth with a time of 1min 46.488secs. Morbidelli took ninth thanks to his 1min 46.518secs lap, allowing him to bypass Q1.

Quartararo was fastest in FP4 – with a 1min 46.799secs time – and Morbidelli was tenth with his 1min 47.457secs lap.

The 23-lap MotoGP Italian Grand Prix – the sixth round of the 2019 season – will get underway at 2pm local time tomorrow.

#21 Franco Morbidelli

“I’m very happy with our performance today; I didn’t expect to be that fast. I had a good feeling in FP4, although not so much in our first time attack in Q2. I felt better in the second run and I was able to set a 1:45.9, which is a good time at this circuit. It’s a good starting position for tomorrow. Tyre management will be very difficult in the race. We have to study the choice of compounds well tonight and we must take care of the tyres very well during the race. I’m eager to race in front of the Italian fans and give them a good result.”

#20 Fabio Quartararo

“It was an incredible qualifying session! When I set a 1:45, I thought it was a very fast lap, but then I was able to repeat it. On my last lap I tried everything but I made some small mistakes. Nevertheless, we managed to finish on the front row. We feel really good with the bike, I’m very happy and our race pace is great. Tyre choice will be critical tomorrow. I love this circuit and I enjoy it a lot on a MotoGP bike. The bike corners very well and I feel very strong. I can’t wait.”

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

UPHILL BATTLE AWAITS RINS AND MIR AFTER DIFFICULT SATURDAY

Alex Rins: 13th – 1:46.539

Joan Mir: 20th – 1:47.519

• Alex Rins narrowly misses out in Q1.

•Joan Mir getting to grips with Mugello ahead of race.

•Team acknowledge mountain to climb on Sunday.

The second day of track action proved challenging for Team SUZUKI ECSTAR. Mugello’s bright start on Saturday morning meant a highly competitive FP3 session, with many riders battling it out for direct passage to Q2. An early crash for Alex Rins at Turn 11 (Palagio) cost the Spaniard dearly, although he was luckily uninjured. The session was also tough for rookie, Joan Mir, who is still learning this very technical track, he finished 20th.

The team searched for improvements in the 30-minute FP4 session, keen to prepare an attack in Q1. Alex shot into 3rd place with a few minutes to go and closed the session in a decent 4th place.

Both Rins and Mir headed out for qualifying with the hard-soft tyre combination, and they quickly slotted in to 2nd and 5th places respectively. Joan tried hard to find his rhythm, but he will start from 20th on the grid. Alex held onto this 2nd place – which would have promoted him to Q2 – until the final seconds of the session, when he just missed a last flying lap, pushing him to 3rd in the session and 13th on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“This morning was difficult because Alex’s crash made the whole session more complicated. Then, in FP4, we found a good feeling again and we think our race pace is quite good. Alex was very close to getting into Q2, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. Despite the starting position, he has a strong enough pace to make up a lot of places tomorrow. Joan did a good lap right at the end of Q1, and he is learning in every session, the race will be tough for him from that position – but we know he will give his best.”

Alex Rins

“I lost some confidence after my crash, but I recovered it in the later sessions. For the final lap of Q1, I exited the pits at the same time as Rossi, he was behind me on the time sheets and I thought he would be pushing, so I intended to stay behind him on the track as it’s always easier here with a tow. But in the end the lap got messed up and I just lost out on Q2. Tomorrow I’ll try to put together a good race, there are many competitive riders at the front, and I’ll push hard to be up with them.”

Joan Mir

“Qualifying was tough, I couldn’t manage to do a fast lap. I was trying to improve my lap time, but I was in a big group and I didn’t see the chequered flag, which was a shame because I felt I had good pace at the end of the session. It will be interesting to start this Italian Grand Prix from 20th place, I think it will still be a nice race because I feel that I’ll be able to get into a rhythm tomorrow. We’ll see what happens!”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

 Marquez shatters lap record for Gran Premio D’Italia Oakley pole

Blistering pace under the Tuscan sun saw Marc Marquez take his fourth pole of 2019 as Lorenzo prepares for a comeback from 17th on the grid.

Having finished third fastest in both Free Practice 3 and Free Practice 4, Marc Marquez headed into Q2 confident of challenging for at least a front-row start. A busy session saw Marquez working hard for track position during his first run, setting a best time of 1’46.291 before a perfectly planned and executed second run had the reigning World Champion take his fourth pole of 2019.

Marquez’s 1’45.519 is a new lap record at the Mugello Circuit, Marquez one of only four riders ever to complete a 1’45 lap. This is Marquez’s second premier class pole in Mugello, his first coming in 2014 when he took six straight pole positions.

Saving fresh tyres for Saturday looked to pay off for Jorge Lorenzo in Free Practice 3, immediately able to go a full second faster as soon as a fresh rear was fitted. Eventually setting a 1’46.893, Lorenzo finished the session 12th. He continued to work on his pace for the race throughout Free Practice 4 and spent the session lapping consistently. Unable to improve his time as he had in FP3, Lorenzo will start 17th on the grid with a 1’47.135.

The Gran Premio D’Italia Oakley is scheduled for 14:00 local time on Sunday, June 01.

Marc Marquez

1ST 1’45.519

“It was a difficult Qualifying because it was different to other races and a bit hard to find space. With the first tyre I was ready to attack straight away but then Dovi slowed down so I overtook him and I lost some time there. Pirro was also trying to follow me for the slipstream so tactics were needed. With the second tyre we just followed our strategy and I found a good space with slipstream and I calculated the space to Dovi perfectly. The pole position is important but the most important part is being on the front row. There are a lot of opponents for tomorrow’s race!”

Jorge Lorenzo

17TH 1’47.135

“We tried to improve the bike but we’re still missing that last piece or step and I’m struggling more than normal. Honda and myself are working hard together to find a solution to make me more comfortable on the bike but of course the rules limit what we can do. Tomorrow we will see what happens at this physical track.”

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

Petrucci, 3rd in qualifying practice at Mugello, will start the Italian GP from first row. Dovizioso 9th, Pirro 12th

The Mission Winnow Ducati team resumed action today at Mugello Circuit for the Italian Gran Prix qualifiers. In sunny conditions, with 26 degrees in the atmosphere and almost 50 on the tarmac, Danilo Petrucci seized first row for the second time after Le Mans posting the third-fastest time in Q2 with a 1:45.881, while Andrea Dovizioso will start from third row in ninth position with a personal best of 1:46.293.

After gaining direct access to Q2 posting the fastest time in FP3 in the morning with a new (provisional) best lap of the track in 1:46.056, Petrucci then improved by two more tenths of a second in the second and decisive session, missing pole position by just 0.362 seconds. Dovizioso also made strides after facing some issues in the morning, progressively posting quicker lap times and improving the feeling with the Desmosedici GP to finish Q1 in first position before taking ninth place on the grid in the final session. Michele Pirro, on track as a wild-card with a third Desmosedici GP fielded by the Mission Winnow Ducati team, brilliantly passed Q1 just behind Dovizioso then finished Q2 in 12th position.

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:45.881 (3rd)

“I’m very happy for this first row, because it was really important for us to make the most of our potential even during qualifying after posting the provisional new best lap in the morning. Before going out on track for Q2, my goal was to do a 1:45.8 and take first row, which is what actually happened, even though someone was able to do slightly better. I expect a tough race tomorrow, because I’m still not 100 percent fit due to a cold. After some laps I feel fatigued, but our pace seems competitive and the support of all the ducatisti in the grandstands will surely give me extra energy. It’ll be crucial to have a good start, then we’ll try to play our cards wisely.”

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:46.293 (9th)

“We’re competitive in terms of race pace but unfortunately today we struggled on the single lap, which slightly complicated our plans but also helped us understand how to improve the setup of my Desmosedici GP during FP4, as shown by the good lap time posted to get through Q1. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to push to the limit in Q2 because of the traffic, which made it very difficult to put a clean lap together even though second row was within our reach. Tomorrow we’ll have to recover positions and keep a strong pace from the very start. Given the track conditions, it’ll be crucial to pick the right tyres for the race, then we’ll be able to fight.”

Michele Pirro (#51 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:46.638 (12th)

“I’m quite happy because I was able to do a 1:46.2 in Q1, which is my personal best here at Mugello, and both Dovizioso and I were able to make it through and be in Q2, preceding some tough rivals. Unfortunately, in Q2, the ‘waiting’ game with other riders made me lose a bit of focus and I wasn’t able to post a really quick lap time as I made some mistakes. I’m sorry because, with two new soft rear tyres, I could have possibly posted a high 1:45 and start much closer to the front, but I’m also confident ahead of the race and I hope all Ducati riders can be in the mix. We all work together to be protagonists here at Mugello.”

The Mission Winnow Ducati team will take it back to the track tomorrow, June 2nd, at 09:40 for a warm-up session ahead of the race, which is scheduled to start at 14:00 local time (CET).

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

 #ItalianGP Quali. Precious second row for Jack. Best qualifying in MotoGP for Pecco who will start from P8

FP3 (Practice Conditions: Dry – Air 23°. Ground 34°)

P5 Jack Miller (1’46.478, + 0.422 from P1)

Jack seems to be in great shape and easily gains direct access to Q2 by setting the best overall time in T1

P10 Francesco Bagnaia (1’46.713, +0.657 from P1)

The super laptime set in FP2 would have served Pecco to qualify directly to Q2. The Italian rider improves in the FP3 but the feeling with the bike is not that of Friday.

FP4 (Practice Conditions: Dry – Air 25°. Ground 45°)

P5 Jack Miller (1’47.266, +0.467 from P1)

The race pace is extremely convincing.

P14 Francesco Bagnaia (1’47.817, +0.360 from Top 10, +1.018 from P1)

Pecco’s race pace is also incisive and is in line with the Top 10 group.

Q2 (Practice Conditions: Dry – Air 26°. Ground 47°)

P5 Jack Miller (1’46.029, +0.510 from P1)

Jack gets a valuable fifth place after lapping alone in a very convincing way in the second run.

P8 Francesco Bagnaia (1’46.260, +0.741 from P1)

Pecco wins the best grid position in his MotoGP career. He will start between Vinales and Dovizioso, seventh and ninth respectively.

P8 – Pecco Bagnaia

“We are improving and this is a very important fact. I really enjoyed the set up we did. The goal is to finish the race and try to take the Top 10. I can say that we are competitive and for tomorrow there is a lot of confidence”.

P5 – Jack Miller

“I am quite satisfied also because the race pace is positive. We have also worked hard on the tyres and we have taken important data in view of tomorrow’s choice. In qualifying I was expecting a bit more but the second row is not bad”.

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

CRUTCHLOW SECURES SECOND ROW START FOR ITALIAN GP

LCR Honda CASTROL Team’s Cal Crutchlow will start from the second row of the grid after making excellent progress throughout the Italian Grand Prix weekend. The British rider had felt improvements were needed after the first day of practice, and seemingly he and the crew made the necessary steps forward to give him a fighting chance of success in Sunday’s 23-lap race.

Crutchlow went straight through to the Qualifying 2 final, despite a small crash during the morning free practice session. He then put in an excellent lap time during the 15-minute shootout, despite being unable to take advantage from a slipstream as some of his rivals were able.

Cal Crutchlow – 6th

(1’46.079 – lap 7 of 7)

“I feel good actually and definitely a lot better than I did yesterday. We decided to focus our work on one bike and one setting which was good, because we could adjust small things from there. I wanted to be a bit quicker, and down into the 1’45s because that would have been there. We’re half a second behind Marquez in qualifying, but with the tow he got he probably picked up four-tenths, so we’re right there.”

“I’m quite pleased with my qualifying lap because I did it all alone and it felt good. We threw everything at it with the package we have, which hasn’t felt the best. We’re working hard and the LCR Honda CASTROL team are working great, getting the information we need to improve the bike. Overall, it’s good. It’s probably going to be a tyre war tomorrow, and hopefully we’ll make the right choices.”

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

NAKAGAMI LOOKING STRONG FOR ITALIAN GP

Taka Nakagami was in a positive mood after qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix, a very important race for his LCR Honda IDEMITSU squad. The Japanese rider was fourth fastest in the morning free practice session, securing his placing in the qualifying final, before claiming a tenth-place grid position for Sunday’s 23-lap race.

Nakagami’s smooth style has looked perfectly at home around the undulations of the beautiful Mugello circuit, and if not for a slight glitch in the final corner of his fastest lap, he could well have been much higher up the grid. Given the pace he has shown through practice, Taka is confident of making forward progress in the race and adding yet another top-ten finish to his collection this season.

Takaaki Nakagami – 10th

(1’46.378 – lap 7 of 7)

“Of course I’m really happy about the second day today because we have improved a lot from yesterday. During qualifying I was a little bit disappointed with what happened in sector four on the last lap. I hit the bumps and couldn’t hold on to the bike, so I lost a bit of time. Despite this, I was still able to improve on my best lap of the weekend.”

“I’m a bit disappointed to drop to tenth on the grid, which is the fourth row. On the other hand, I’m really happy with my feeling on the bike. I am strong, especially in the middle two sectors on the track and everything is working well on the bike.”

“For the race the tyre situation is quite clear for us, and so hopefully we will get a good start. I might not be fastest in terms of top speed, but I think we can be strong in the whole race. The main thing is not to give up, and I will do my best to bring home a good result for my LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team”.

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

THIRD AND SIXTH ROW START FOR MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA AT MUGELLO

Scarperia (Italy), 1st June 2019

GRAND PRIX OF ITALY

QUALIFYING

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi improved their feeling at the Autodromo del Mugello on Day 2 but struggled to make the results materialise during qualifying. They will start tomorrow‘s Gran Premio d‘Italia Oakley from 7th and 18th place respectively on the grid.

7th MAVERICK VIÑALES 1’46.181 / 7 LAPS

18th VALENTINO ROSSI 1’47.184 / 6 LAPS

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales put up a fight in a hot Q2 and secured 7th place on the grid for tomorrow‘s Gran Premio d‘Italia Oakley. Valentino Rossi aimed to battle his way through Q1 after finishing outside the combined top-10 results in this morning’s FP3 session, but couldn’t find the pace he was looking for. He will be starting the race from 18th position.

Viñales showed he had a strong pace, especially in sectors 1-3. He was keen on putting his agility to good use in the Q2 session and immediately positioned his YZR-M1 in fourth place on his first flying lap. He was pushed down a couple of positions soon after, but only briefly, as he responded by clocking a 1‘46.181s to take second place.

With more than six minutes remaining he was back in the pit box for a fresh set of tyres. There was a 0.336s-gap to bridge to snatch pole, so the Spaniard set out to give it another go. When he didn‘t improve on his next try, he was lying in fifth place. He gritted his teeth and set three personal best sectors but again couldn‘t better his time, taking seventh on the grid for tomorrow’s race, 0.662s from first.

Rossi had to contest in Q1, after only just missing out on a place inside the top-10 in this morning‘s FP3 session. The local hero let the majority of the riders go out ahead of him and also held back on his first flyer, so he had plenty of clear space on track to put in a hot lap on his second attempt, moving up from 11th to 7th.

The Doctor hurried into the pits with seven minutes on the clock. Two minutes later he was back on the track and after his sighting lap he, in theory, had just enough time left for two more tries. However, the Italian wasn‘t able to improve his time on his next go and just fractionally missed the opportunity to get another lap in. With other riders completing their final laps, he was pushed back to eighth place. He finished 0.906s off the fastest Q1 time and will start tomorrow‘s race from P18 on the grid.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

“Today didn‘t play out the way we wanted it to. We made some small steps in the morning. Maverick promoted to Q2 without too much trouble, but at the end of FP3 it became clear that Vale would have to join Q1 because of an issue in the last corner, which ultimately proved very costly for him today. Valentino struggled to set the pace required to get into Q2 and, unfortunately, in the end the strategy he chose didn’t work out. Maverick showed competitive lap times in his first stint of Q2, but he couldn’t push the way he wanted to on the second run. Most likely the hard front tyre would have been the better option for him in qualifying. The team will be working hard all night to find a solution that we can test in tomorrow‘s Warm Up. Starting from row three and six is very difficult, so the start of the race will be crucial. Both riders will be pushing early on to battle their way up the order.”

MAVERICK VIÑALES

“My pace is really good, but starting from seventh is always very difficult, very tough. We’re going to try to make a good start and ride some good first laps, which we have been working really hard on this weekend. Anyway, the race is always different, so then we will see where we are. The bike is moving a lot, I’m fighting it every lap. But anyway, luckily I’m physically really fit. I think I can arrive at the end of the race in a good condition. It’s going to be a tough and long race, with many bikes and overtakes, so we have to be smart and also manage the tyres.”

VALENTINO ROSSI

“This morning was quite a good practice. At the end I was on a good lap to get inside the top-10, but unfortunately I made a mistake in the last corner, and after that I had to go to Q1. In the afternoon, in FP4, I used a used tyre but, sincerely, I wasn’t very fast, so that’s when I realised it would be difficult to try to get into Q2. In Q1 we waited a bit and I took the chequered flag at the end. But anyway, I was too slow to get into Q2, unfortunately. Tomorrow we will try something different, because today – though we already improved the pace a lot compared to yesterday – it’s not enough. So in tomorrow’s Warm Up it will be very interesting to try to find something better. After that, the race will be hard, because I will start far towards the back and my pace is not fantastic. We need to stay concentrated, give the maximum, and try to take some points.”

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

PACE AND POTENTIAL CONTINUES AT MUGELLO WITH ESPARGARO 11TH ON THE MOTOGP GRID

MotoGP 2019 – Round 6, Mugello (ITA)

Red Bull KTM maintained their exciting level of competitiveness in MotoGP and around the demanding fast layout of the Autodromo Internazionali del Mugello as Pol Espargaro took his KTM RC16 to 11th place in the Q2 Qualification session today for the Gran Premio D’Italia Oakley.

Still buoyed after 6th position from round five of nineteen at Le Mans two weeks ago, Red Bull KTM travelled to Mugello and the wonderfully scenic and challenging course a short distance north of Florence. Largely unaltered in design since the circuit first appeared in Grand Prix back in the mid 1970s, Mugello was a different prospect altogether compared to the heavy braking zones and tighter corners at the French venue.

Pol Espargaro was immediately on the clock from the first Free Practice sessions on Friday, already dipping into the 1min 46 bracket to vie for direct Q2 selection. Team-mate Johann Zarco also approached the top ten, split by fractions of the second as he took 12th. On Saturday Pol roared out of the pitbox to set the second fastest time in FP3; achieved with a lap almost two seconds better than the effort he managed in 2018 and thus representing fantastic progress.

As Zarco pushed in Q1 he unfortunately crashed in the third sector of a flying lap and rested 19th. Meanwhile Espargaro was able to wait until Q2 (the second time in six rounds he was able to enter the chrono) where he used his last flying lap of the fifteen-minute session to log a 1min46.4 and end the day in 11th.

Red Bull KTM Tech3 pairing Hafizh Syahrin and Miguel Oliveira will occupy 21st and 22nd positions respectively. The Portuguese misjudged the remaing time in Q1 to further improve his ranking.

Pol Espargaro: “I’m more than satisfied. The lap-time we did this morning was outstanding and I feel super-proud of what we are doing. I wanted to do better in the afternoon but if there is a small change then we pay for it quite hard. It was quite windy in some parts of the track in the afternoon and with the change of direction I could not move the bike. I was hitting T1 even faster than the morning lap but I was losing it through T2, 3, 4: more than four tenths of a second there. Honestly though I am super-happy and looking forward to tomorrow because I think we have better pace than what we are showing. It will be a fun race.”

Johann Zarco: “I tried to adapt myself as much as possible to the bike to use different lines and different places to brake and open the throttle – because this is what I have to do. Pol is going very well this morning and this means he has good confidence and this is possible on the bike and I am trying to change myself to do it. I need to learn and keep pushing for the race.”

Hafizh Syahrin: “I tried to do a good lap time and, in the end, it was better but we are still far from the top. We try to understand how to improve more for tomorrow, where we aim to stay on the wheel of some other riders in order to learn more about our new bike and have a decent race.”

Miguel Oliveira: “Today after FP4 we had a quite good feeling and pace. Actually, it was the shortest gap we had to the front, so I was pretty positive and going into the Qualifying, obviously on the first run, I couldn’t make a perfect lap. After this, I was waiting for a tow and when I finally got it I crossed the finish line one second down. This lap was more than half a second faster than my best, although it doesn’t count! Anyway, we’ll see tomorrow, we hope to have a good race and learn as much as possible.”

Moto2 & Moto3

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jorge Martin came through the Q1 period to take 12th place in Moto2 while teammate Brad Binder missed the qualification cut and will start from the seventh row in 19th spot. Former Moto3 Grand Prix winner at Mugello, Andrea Migno, was the highest KTM rider with 4th position after the Moto3 Q2 period. The Italian will line-up behind Lorenzo Dalla Porta, Gabriel Rodrigo and Polesitter Tony Arbolino for what will be the first race of the day tomorrow.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Reigning Champion vs rookie: Marquez snatches pole from Quartararo at Mugello

The number 93 takes a last dash pole in enemy territory as fast Fabio once again unleashes some serious speed

Saturday, 01 June 2019

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) played qualifying to perfection in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley as the reigning Champion struck late to take his second pole position at Mugello and reassert some authority over ever-impressive rookie Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT), setting a new lap record in the process. Nevertheless, Frenchman Quartararo will start his first premier class race at Mugello from second as both top Yamaha and top Independent Team rider, with Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) completing the front row and flying the tricolore after a difficult day for a couple of his compatriots on home turf.

It was a star-studded Q1 to begin deciding the grid, with Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) and Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) all fighting it out to move through, and it was a nail-biter of a finale – for Dovizioso at least. On his final flying lap it was all or nothing for the 2017 Mugello winner, but he made it count to top wildcard and teammate Michele Pirro by just thousandths – knocking out Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who therefore starts 13th. But that’s better reading than it is for Lorenzo and Rossi, who line up in P17 and P18 respectively after not making it out of Q1 – 13 premier class wins at Mugello on Row 6.

In Q2 then, Dovizioso had another shot – but it was Marquez who was back in the driving seat. After getting followed by Pirro the reigning Champion decided to turn the tables on Ducati in the latter half of the session and actually followed key rival Dovizioso on what would turn out to be his record-breaking pole lap – getting a good tow from the Borgo Panigale machine as the flag came out and able to depose Quartararo. The Frenchman topped FP4 but couldn’t quite eke out those final two tenths, and he didn’t get a tow to the line…

Petrucci then is the sole home hero on the front row, and he’s had some serious pace all weekend. Searching for his first win and with previous podium experience at the venue, he could be one to watch and will be joining Quartararo on the mission to overtake Marquez off the line and convert pace into podium.

Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) heads an all-Independent Team Row 2 ahead of Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), with Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in P7 and Friday’s fastest, rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing), having a solid qualifying in P8 – just ahead of Dovizioso, who enjoyed a less solid day at the office. ‘DesmoDovi’ will need quite a start to try and get in the fight at the front from the off on Sunday – and it’s his 300th Grand Prix.

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) locks out the top ten, ahead of Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) after another automatic graduation to Q2 for the impressive Spaniard. Pirro slots into 12th as he starts his 100th GP, just ahead of the aforementioned Rins – one of many big names looking to launch forward quick style when the lights go out.

Mugello is always an incredible event, but with such a tantalising grid and a mix of searing ambition and veteran experience on every row, 2019 will surely be something special. Don’t miss the premier class race at 14:00 local time (GMT+2).

Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup

Autodromo Internazionale Del Mugello

Tuscany, Italy

June 1, 2019

Race Results (all on KTM 250s with Dunlop tires):

1. Carlos Tatay, Spain, 15 laps, Total Race Time 30:36.821

2. Pedro Acosta, Spain, -9.902 seconds

3. Haruki Noguchi, Japan, -9.984

4. David Salvador, Spain, -10.315

5. Lorenzo Fellon, France, -10.323

6. Jason Dupasquier, Switzerland, -10.372

7. Clement Rouge, France, -12.474

8. Barry Baltus, Belgium, -13.322

9. Adrian Huertas, Spain, -15.809

10. Nicholas Hernandez, Colombia, -22.050

18. Tyler Scott, USA, -86.774

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull:

Tyrant Tatay takes Mugello

No one stood a chance once Carlos Tatay stormed into the lead on lap two in Mugello. The 16-year-old Spaniard soon had a one, a two and finally a ten second lead over the chasing pack.

Jerez arch rival and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup joint points leader Yuki Kunii had no answer but set about limiting the damage in the chasing pack of 16. That all came undone for the 16-year-old Japanese on the last lap. Italian Matteo Bertelle had his rear step sideways under acceleration, starting a chain reaction that took himself, Kunii, Billy van Eerde and Marcos Uriarte out of the pack.

Though they all avoided serious injury, Kunii has a small fracture in his hand, it left a smaller pack to struggle for the podium. It was Pedro Acosta, the 15-year-old Spaniard who put in the perfect last lap to take second ahead of 17-year-old Japanese Haruki Noguchi.

Long gone

Tatay was already celebrating on his KTM RC 250 R on the slow down lap and then beaming broadly in parc fermé. “It was perfect,” he enthused. “I really worked on different strategies in practice and when I got in front I decided to really push and I felt really good on the bike, everything was working.”

“When I saw the gap in the middle of the race I thought that I must be dreaming, this couldn’t be the real race. But it was, it’s a great feeling to win like that and I want to thank my family and everyone around me for making me a better person as well as a better rider,” he concluded before even considering the 25 point lead he now has in the title chase over Kunii who is still second.

Making up for Jerez

Acosta missed both races in Jerez after injuring himself in practice but made up for that with his great ride to second in Mugello. “I really enjoyed that. It was a huge battle and I was not really comfortable until about the middle of the race when I really understood the front more and got confidence in it.”

“From there I could brake later and get into the corner quicker so that I could pass the other riders more easily. I used that in the last laps to get through the group.”

Making steps

Noguchi had been running at the front of the group for much of the race and was still there at the end. “I’m very happy with that. In Qualifying here I managed a better feeling for the bike than I had in Jerez and each time I get on the KTM I understand it better and on track I have a better feeling for the other riders in the Rookies Cup. I concentrated on finishing both races in Spain but here I wanted more.”

“I realised that Tatay was too fast as he went away so I changed my plan to make it a battle for the podium and that is what I managed. It is going forward step by step and that is just what I want.”

Points are the thing

Noguchi now stands third in the points chase, just in front of David Salvador who took a fine fourth. “It was difficult,” explained the 15-year-old Spaniard. “The start was not very good, but I was in the pack and it was a big fight. But I was very happy with the bike, on Friday I struggled with it a bit but the guys improved it and it was fun to ride today. So over the last two laps I really could go full gas and especially out of the last corner it worked.”

Missing the podium

Battling at the front again was Lorenzo Fellon, the 14-year-old Frenchman had missed out on a Jerez podium and tried again. “I was happy enough to start from seventh but I made a bad start and terrible first lap. I had to work from there but with the slipstream I could get to the front of the group and often leading it going into the first corner.”

“I realised that that was probably not the best place to be going into the last lap so I changed my rhythm a bit to give the chance to a couple of riders to get in front but then at the end Baltus touched me, I got off line with Kunii and I lost a few places so I missed out on the podium.”

Dunlop Championship of Road America

MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series

Road America

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

June 1, 2019

Stock 1000 Race One Results (all on Dunlop tires):

1. Geoff May (Kaw ZX-10R), 8 laps, Total Race Time 18:23.735, Best Lap Time 2:16.769

2. Stefano Mesa (Kaw ZX-10R), -0.015 second, 2:16.687

3. Andrew Lee (Kaw ZX-10R), -15.466 seconds, 2:17.678

4. Travis Wyman (BMW S1000RR), -15.578, 2:17.944

5. Michael Gilbert (Kaw ZX-10R), -20.087, 2:18.969

6. Corey Alexander (Kaw ZX-10R), -34.103, 2:20.694

7. Miles Thornton (Suz GSX-R1000), -42.848, 2:21.341

8. Wyatt Farris (Kaw ZX-10R), -46.262, 2:21.731

9. Garrick Schneiderman (Yam YZF-R1), -50.958, 2:22.760

10. Rhett Norman (Yam YZF-R1), -54.714, 2:22.597

11. Aaron Risinger (BMW S1000RR), -55.328, 2:21.946

12. Zachary Schumacher (Yam YZF-R1), -56.004, 2:22.024

13. Bradley Ward (Kaw ZX-10R), -56.042, 2:22.417

14. Dr. Jeffrey Purk (Yam YZF-R1), -56.605, 2:21.919

15. Felipe MacLean (Suz GSX-R1000), -74.904, 2:25.581

16. Tony Storniolo (Kaw ZX-10R), -83.544, 2:23.448

17. Melissa Paris (Yam YZF-R6), -90.062, 2:26.391

18. Sean Thomas (Suz GSX-R1000), -98.984, 2:27.703

19. Michael Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), -101.829, 2:28.619

20. Roi Holster (Yam YZF-R1), -104.748, 2:28.942

21. Samuel Kok (Kaw ZX-10R), -105.083, 2:28.127

22. Jeremy Kolewski (Kaw ZX-10R), -105.170, 2:29.176

23. Stefan Dolipski (BMW S1000RR), -117.203, 2:29.496

24. Manuel Segura (Kaw ZX-10R), -117.903, 2:30.095

25. Corey Heflin (Yam YZF-R1), -129.948, 2:31.592

26. Shane Hobgood (Kaw ZX-10R), -146.357, 2:34.083

27. Chad Lewin (Yam YZF-R1), DNF, 2:30.675

Championship Point Standings (after 3 of 11 races):

1. TIE, Gilbert/Mesa, 56 points

3. Lee, 54

4. Wyman, 42

5. May, 25

6. Norman, 24

7. Ward, 21

8. TIE, Schneiderman/John Dunham, 12

10. TIE, Lewin/Ryan Jones, 11

(Above) Geoff May (99) leads Stefano Mesa (37) during Stock 1000 Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Dunlop Championship of Road America

MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series

Road America

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

June 1, 2019

EBC Brakes Superbike Race One Results (all on Dunlop tires):

1. Toni Elias (Suz GSX-R1000), 12 laps, Total Race Time 27:17.351, Best Lap Time 2:13.618

2. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), -0.253 second, 2:13.350

3. Garrett Gerloff (Yam YZF-R1), -0.787, 2:13.777

4. Josh Herrin (Suz GSX-R1000), -2.805 seconds, 2:13.953

5. Mathew Scholtz (Yam YZF-R1), -6.890, 2:14.748

6. Cameron Petersen (Yam YZF-R1), -11.247, 2:15.438

7. JD Beach (Yam YZF-R1), -22.987, ran off track, 2:14.319 

8. Jake Gagne (BMW S1000RR), -23.674, 2:16.118

9. David Anthony (Kaw ZX-10RR), -55.741, 2:18.186

10. Jake Lewis (Suz GSX-R1000), -56.265, 2:18.757

11. Max Flinders (Yam YZF-R1), -110.758, 2:22.970

12. Sam Verderico (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, 2:29.111

13. Kyle Wyman (Duc Panigale V4 R), DNF, crash, 2:16.902

Championship Point Standings (after 7 of 20 races):

1. Elias, 151 points

2. Beaubier, 122

3. Gerloff, 88

4. Beach, 87

5. Herrin, 71

6. Scholtz, 69

7. Lewis, 68

8. Anthony, 59

9. Petersen, 58

10. Wyman, 38

11. Flinders, 37

12. Gagne, 26

13. Verderico, 23

14. Samuel Trepanier, 19

15. Geoff May, 14

16. Travis Wyman, 12

17. TIE, Bradley Ward/Felipe MacLean, 4

(Above) Toni Elias (24) leads Cameron Beaubier (1) and Garrett Gerloff to the checkered flag at the end of Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Elias Wins Race One At Road America

Gillim Wins Supersport, Landers Takes Junior Cup

ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 1, 2019) – Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias won his third race of the season today in the Championship at Road America, the fourth round of the 10-round MotoAmerica EBC Brakes Superbike Championship held in changing conditions in Wisconsin.

Elias came out on top of a battle that featured as many as seven riders at times and whittled down to four riders by the end of the race. At the finish line, Elias was .253 of a second ahead of his championship rival Cameron Beaubier to pull 29 points clear of the Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory racing rider with six rounds and 12 races left in the title chase. Elias has 151 points to Beaubier’s 122.

Elias also earned his second pole position of the season earlier in the day during Superpole, doubling his amount of poles from a season ago. The win was the 28th Superbike victory of Elias’ career and it moved him into a tie with Ben Spies for fifth on the all-time list.

Beaubier’s teammate Garrett Gerloff was a shadow third, just .787 of a second behind Elias. He was some two seconds clear of Elias’ teammate Josh Herrin, the Georgian in the mix until the final laps when he and Elias nearly clashed, and Herrin got the worst of it. Herrin was visibly upset after the race, gesturing at his teammate on the cool-down lap. Herrin ran wide on the final lap while trying to beat Gerloff and slipped to fourth.

“We finished the race and he was super mad at me,” Elias said of Herrin. “You can understand if someone is mad with a good reason, but the reason was we were doing the same thing and we were playing the same game. If you are frustrated because I pass you and you ran wide, I ran wide too, but it’s the last lap and we brake as we could. I didn’t want to make him do a wide line or lose some positions. I’m sorry about that, but I can’t accept the way he come to me and start to yelling like this. Hey, man, calm down. No, it’s not like this. We are playing the same game. Sorry. It’s like this. Another day I will receive. It’s okay. I will shut up my mouth, but we didn’t even touch. Nobody went to the ground. Nobody ran off the track. So, sorry but this is racing. I was trying to defend my side and I don’t feel I did anything wrong. So that’s why verbally or with signals I was trying to defend myself after the race. But we did a good job as teammates. He helped me a lot for the first five or six laps. After we start to battle who arrive first in the finish line for the last five laps in case of red flag in the race. It was not only the last lap; it was the previous five laps when we start to pass each other. Then we found a lapper. I’m happy. We are doing a great job, but everybody is so fast. It’s so competitive, so close, and anything can happen. Let’s see tomorrow. I hope to have a good race tomorrow.”

Beaubier had started slowly and was shuffled well back in the lead pack before getting comfortable and moving forward.

“It was difficult,” Beaubier said. “It was tough. It was kind of an odd race. One lap we’d be down in the 2:13, 2:14 range and then the next was 2:17 or 2:18. Just going off feel, really, whoever was in front. I think both of us saw Herrin get loose one time going into turn two. I was like, ‘whoa, I don’t want to do that,’ type of thing. I was just kind of judging off the guys in front of me, because we pretty much saw mist all the way through mid-race. Then the last couple laps it wasn’t really an issue. I got shuffled back there pretty good at the beginning and just put my head down once I got by. Got a little more comfortable. To be honest, at the beginning I was not comfortable at all after crashing this morning and stuff like that. I’m happy to be on the podium. It’s not a win. It is a little bit of a bummer just because I love this track and my bike works good here. I feel like this is a really good track for me, but we’ve always got tomorrow. Hats off to this guy (Elias) and also Garrett (Gerloff). They were riding really good, same with Herrin and JD (Beach). I think JD might have had a little problem with his bike or something. It was a good, tough race. I’m ready to go tomorrow.”

For Gerloff, it was podium number four as he still seeks that elusive first EBC Brakes Superbike win. He also didn’t get the message that it was the last lap.

“There was just so much going on,” Gerloff said. “There were four or five guys there so everybody’s board was in front of the other one. It just slipped my mind. I knew it was at least two laps to go, so I was trying to put myself in a good spot. But I just didn’t know that it was the actual last lap. It didn’t matter. I was still giving it my all. It was an interesting race. It started off, everything seemed pretty good. We started going and the rain started to come down around halfway. I remember going into turn three and was kind of back in there. Then I came back, and the rear just started coming around on me. Not the best feeling, but you don’t want to lose sight of these guys. The last couple laps were dry. Everything feels pretty good with the bike. There are just a couple things that we’re going to try to face for tomorrow. But I feel good. The team and I are working awesome together. Looking forward to maybe a little more straightforward race tomorrow.”

Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz was fifth, some four seconds behind Herrin and racing alone as he had a 4.3-second lead on his South African countryman Cameron Petersen on the Omega Moto Yamaha YZF-R1.

Seventh place went to JD Beach, the Attack Performance Estenson Racing Yamaha rider in the mix at the front until his bike shut off with a few laps to go. Beach was able to get it going again, but then ran into clutch issues and slipped back to seventh.

Scheibe Racing BMW’s Jake Gagne was eighth with FLY Racing/ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony ninth. M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis rounded out the top 10.

Supersport – Gillim’s Third Of The Year

Supersport polesitter Hayden Gillim grabbed his third victory of the season aboard his Rickdiculous Racing Yamaha, and in what has been a consistent theme in MotoAmerica’s middleweight class, the win did not come easily. Gillim had to fight off a fierce challenge from M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Bobby Fong and Sean Dylan Kelly. Fong finished second while Kelly finished third, which was the rookie Supersport rider’s third podium result of his season.

“I wanted to try and get away, separate the group,” Gillim said. “I was able to do that, but Bobby ran me back down, and then Sean. I sat behind Bobby for a little bit because I knew I couldn’t pull away. So there was no point in me just going and burning up my tires, pitching the bike away or anything like that. I waited for the last lap and then Sean got up in there. It was a fight. It was tough. It was a really fun race. I was just happy I was able to stay in there.

Liqui Moly Junior Cup – Landers!

In Liqui Moly Junior Cup, early-season over-dog Rocco Landers notched his fourth victory in five races over his rival Dallas Daniels, who has finished second in all four of the races that Landers has won.

Landers, who started from the pole aboard his Ninja400R.com/Norton Motorsports/Dr. Farr Kawasaki, got the holeshot, with Daniels close behind aboard his Quarterley Racing/On Track Development Kawasaki. The pair of Ninja warriors battled each other throughout the entire seven-lap sprint, and with Daniels was in the lead on the final lap. Landers made a perfect draft pass around Daniels on the run up the hill to the finish line to take the checkered flag in dramatic fashion.

Meanwhile, Altus Motorsports Kawasaki rider Kevin Olmedo was in a battle with BARTCON Racing/Farrell Performance Kawasaki rider Damian Jigalov, and Olmedo prevailed to round out the podium in third.

When asked about his strategy to make a last-lap pass on Daniels, Landers said: “I was just going corner to corner. I didn’t really know what I was doing. I was just like, let’s see what’s going to happen. Just do what we can. I was able to pull that move off, and here we are.”

Stock 1000 – May Day

Saturday’s Stock 1000 race saw the return of former factory Superbike contender and World Superbike rider Geoff May to the top step of the podium. It had been 11 years since the Georgian had won an AMA-sanctioned road race, and he was understandably emotional in the winner’s circle. May, who was aboard a Kawasaki sponsored by his “day-job” employer Ameris Bank, for whom he is a mortgage banker, held off MESA37 Racing’s Stefano Mesa to get the win. Third place went to Franklin Armory/Graves Kawasaki’s Andrew Lee.

“It’s amazing to be back,” May said. “I’ve been club racing. I’ve probably been racing more than you would if you were just doing MotoAmerica, racing about every two weeks in club racing. Taking some Kawasaki money and even BMW money. I was content with that for a while, thinking I’ve had my time. I’ve had my career. I had a good run. I did very well for a long time. After World Superbike everything kind of changed. The series was in a transition period. It’s harder to find sponsorship. The way that you used to get rides back in the 2000s was just by beating people. People had to hire you because if they didn’t hire you, they were going to get beat by you and then they weren’t going to get any TV time. That whole way went away. When social media came around it was more about how many likes you have and what kind of presence you have on social media. So the way I made a career and a living in road racing went away. After 16 years at that point my wife was like, ‘You know, Geoff, it’s over.’ Thank God she told me that because I wasn’t going to wreck. I went and got my mortgage license after I set up for Westby and it didn’t work out. I was like, okay, it’s over. Joined the real world and the workforce and started a new career. Then Kawasaki in ’16 came out with a bike and I was like, ‘Look! I can do this; I can race again. There’s actually money. There’s contingency. I can go win money racing bikes.’ She’s like, ‘If you can win money, you can race.’ We worked real hard for a long time in racing and I made a lot of money back when it was good, and there was no way I was going to just throw it away to go chase a dead dream. Thankfully with Kawi and also BMW the contingency allowed me to rekindle my career. Then this year with MotoAmerica in the stock class, I saw what MotoAmerica is doing and it’s like that but another level, and it is in line what I do with Ameris Bank, and they like it too. I’m trying to bring an outside industry sponsor into what I love to help. I want to see this sport grow. I’m going to race as long as I can. It might be this year. It might be ten more years. I don’t know. But I want to see this sport grow, and so I’m trying to bring money into the sport and ideally build my own team, a bring a team into the paddock. We’ll see what happens. Everything is going on track right now. Everything looks good. I’m really happy with everything MotoAmerica is doing. The TV is fantastic. I was begging for that 10 years ago. All of us were. The golf channel can make golf look amazing. Why can’t we show what motorcycles are actually doing? And you guys finally did it. It’s something that you can invest in going forward, I believe.”

More, from a press release issued by Attack Performance/Estenson Racing:

JD Beach Looking to Bounce Back Tomorrow at Road America Race Two

Although bad luck spoiled JD Beach’s podium ambitions, he was able to salvage valuable championship points with a seventh-place finish in MotoAmerica Superbike race one at Road America on Saturday, June 1.

After a tough day one of qualifying, Beach continued to make progress on day two moving up a position in Superpole and lining up on the grid seventh on his Attack Performance Estenson Racing Yamaha YZF-R1. He got a decent start, but was shuffled around a bit in the top seven. Around lap five, the rain flags came out. Although conditions were tricky, riders stayed out on the slick tires and it was a heated battle for position. Beach had his eyes set on another podium finish, but unfortunately a technical issue with three laps to go made seventh the best-possible position for him that day.

JD Beach — MotoAmerica Superbike #95:

“It was a good race. I think we took some big steps forward from the way we were going yesterday in practice. The first few laps, I was feeling really good. Then it started to sprinkle a little bit towards the middle of the race. I just kind of backed it down a little bit and the lead four kind of got a little bit of a gap. Once I started feeling a bit better, I started charging back up to them. I got up to the lead group and was making some moves. Then I think with about three laps to go we had a slight mechanical issue going into the first turn. I had to go wide and kind of get that sorted out. Once I got it fixed, we got going again and I tried to salvage some points. Coming away with a seventh isn’t horrible. That’s where we started. I think we learned a lot about the bike and about the track, so I’m feeling really good for the race tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to race two.”

MotoAmerica Superbike race two at Road America will be aired on FS2 Sunday, June 2 at 6:00 p.m. ET. You can also stream all the action live on MotoAmerica Live+ starting at 10:15 a.m. ET.

More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:

Saturday In The Park Yields A Top-Five And Top-Eight Result For Westby Racing At Road America

Elkhart Lake, WI – June 2, 2019 – At Road America, affectionately known as “America’s National Park of Speed,” Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz raced to a solid fifth-place finish in MotoAmerica Superbike race one, while Junior Cup rider Sam Lochoff crossed the stripe for an eighth-place result in his race.

After qualifying on the second row in Saturday morning’s wet Superpole session, Mathew lined up in sixth position on the grid for the start of the race. The event was slightly delayed by the Wisconsin weather, declared dry, and shortened to a 12-lap sprint on the dry track.

Mathew got a good start off the line, but he was embroiled in a battle for position into the first turn, which pushed him a little bit further back in the pack. He raced hard aboard his #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike and got back up to fifth, one position further towards the front than he had qualified in, and he maintained his fifth spot all the way to the checkered flag.

“We made a couple of changes in Friday’s practice, but unfortunately, it ended up raining on Saturday morning, so we didn’t get to test everything out,” Mathew said. “In the wet, I felt strong and confident that, if it was a rain race, I’d be battling for first. I got a pretty good start in the race but got a little bit bogged down in the first corner and lost a couple of spots. I clawed my way back up to the front group and, every lap, the pace was getting quicker and quicker, and I was just struggling to hang onto the guys. There were some sections where I felt like I could make up time, but in one or two corners, I was losing a lot of time, so we need to make some changes to the setup for Sunday. We had a long debriefing on Saturday night, probably the longest one I’ve ever had, and we have a very good idea what we need to do on Sunday, We’ll be very busy in the morning warmup, and it looks like it’s going to be dry, so we hope to finish on the podium on Sunday.”

Mathew’s teammate Sam Lochoff, who qualified 16th in Junior Cup on a track that he’d never seen until Friday, cut that starting position in half and moved up eight positions during the seven-lap race to notch an eighth-place result aboard his #57 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R3. Sam has been improving with each lap he rides on the unfamiliar Wisconsin circuit, and he and the team are looking for a top-five result in Sunday’s race.

Sunday’s Junior Cup Race 2 is at 1:10 PM Central and Superbike Race 2 is at 3:00 PM Central.

For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com

Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.

Dunlop Championship of Road America

MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series

Road America

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

June 1, 2019

Supersport Race One Results (all on Dunlop tires):

1. Hayden Gillim (Yam YZF-R6), 11 laps, Total Race Time 26:05.871, Best Lap Time 2:20.869

2. Bobby Fong (Suz GSX-R600), -0.646 second, 2:20.901

3. Sean Dylan Kelly (Suz GSX-R600), -0.687, 2:20.944

4. Richie Escalante (Yam YZF-R6), -7.115 seconds, 2:21.125

5. Bryce Prince (Yam YZF-R6), -13.693, 2:22.045

6. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R6), -13.771, 2:21.967

7. Brandon Paasch (Yam YZF-R6), -14.720, 2:21.901

8. Nick McFadden (Yam YZF-R6), -20.916, 2:22.293

9. Danny Eslick (Kaw ZX-6R), -21.086, 2:22.785

10. Jason Aguilar (Yam YZF-R6), -21.708, 2:21.858

11. Braeden Ortt (Kaw ZX-6R), -23.181, 2:23.091

12. Cory Ventura (Yam YZF-R6), -36.539, 2:23.872

13. Carl Soltisz (Yam YZF-R6), -50.104, 2:24.877

14. Caroline Olsen (Yam YZF-R6), -50.268, 2:24.885

15. Lucas Silva (Suz GSX-R600), -50.646, 2:25.521

16. Ashton Yates (Yam YZF-R6), -59.319, 2:24.363

17. Patrick Coleman (Kaw ZX-6R), -87.488, 2:28.783

18. Alejandro Thermiotis (Yam YZF-R6), -87.506, 2:28.274

19. Aaron Graham (Yam YZF-R6), -94.254, 2:29.063

20. Carlos Abraham Garcia (Yam YZF-R6), -97.607, 2:24.680

21. Jeremy Simmons (Yam YZF-R6), -129.671, 2:32.358

22. Jaret Nassaney (Suz GSX-R600), -282.621, 2:23.825

23. Benjamin Smith (Yam YZF-R6), DNF, crash, 2:24.117

24. PJ Jacobsen (Yam YZF-R6), DNF, crash, 2:22.048

25. Xavier Zayat (Yam YZF-R6), DNF, no lap time provided

26. Tony Blackall (Yam YZF-R6), DNF, no lap time provided

27. Nolan Lamkin (Yam YZF-R6), DNF, 2:24.697

Championship Point Standings (after 5 of 17 races):

1. Gillim, 81 points

2. Escalante, 71

3. Fong, 65

4. Jacobsen, 63

5. Kelly, 58

6. TIE, Hayes/Prince, 46

8. Aguilar, 43

9. McFadden, 38

10. Zayat, 30

(Above) Hayden Gillim (69) leads Bobby Fong (50), Sean Dylan Kelly (40), and Josh Hayes (4) during Supersport Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

More, from a press release issued by Team Hammer:

FONG AND KELLY ON THE PODIUM AT ROAD AMERICA

Team Hammer scored a double trophy haul on Saturday as the 2019 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season resumed at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Bobby Fong and Sean Dylan Kelly entered the day’s MotoAmerica Supersport race as podium favorites after showcasing the amazing power of their GSX-R600s around the high-speed venue by qualifying 1-2. And they proved to be major factors in the race, battling at the front of a six-rider pack during the opening laps.

Polesitter Fong and a rival shook free of that close-knit group at mid-distance and threatened to make it a two-rider fight to the checkered flag. However, 17-year-old Kelly reeled them back in, setting up an epic final lap.

Fong led to open it, but Kelly stormed through from third to first in Turn 5. He was shuffled back to second where he and Fong then tangled, providing their rival with an opportunity to eek open a small advantage that he maintained to the stripe.

Fong managed to re-pass Kelly to take back second, which he held to the flag by just 0.041 seconds.

Runner-up Fong said, “I’m ready to move forward to tomorrow and get another shot at it. It was fun racing with the guys. We knew we had a better bike down the front straight for sure, and we’ve been working so hard this year to try to get my performance on the brakes a little better. We’ll continue to do that, and hopefully we can find something for tomorrow. If we’re able to do that, I feel we’ll have the package to beat. Overall, I can’t complain. We got some good points, and we’re looking forward to tomorrow.”

Kelly’s third-place finish continues his amazing streak of finishing on the podium at each race weekend in what is his first season of professional racing in the United States.

“That was definitely a fun race, Kelly said. “We really battled up front the first few laps — there were a lot of us up there. Man, it was crazy how those two up front pulled out from that group like that, but it did help by spacing things out. I had a little bit of gap to them midway through the race, so I gave it my all to bridge that gap. I really wanted to get close to them and I did, but I just didn’t have enough to get the win at the end. The bike is ready to win, and Bobby and I are both competitive enough to try to make it happen tomorrow. I’m very thankful to the whole M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team for all their work — the bike was awesome.”

The weather took a turn for the worse immediately after the conclusion of the Supersport race. Some light, intermittent rain impacted the mostly dry Superbike race, and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis suffered in particular when late set-up changes backfired. Despite his struggles, Lewis finished the 12-lap race in 10th.

M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Felipe MacLean earned a points-paying finish in the deep, 28-rider Stock 1000 field. MacLean finished 15th aboard his GSX-R1000 after qualifying in that same position.

With just a single Twins Cup race on the weekend schedule, Roadracing World Young Guns Suzuki’s Alex Dumas and Autovest Suzuki’s Joseph Blasius spent their Saturday dedicated to qualifying on a wet track. Dumas ended the day ranked sixth provisionally at 2:44.326, while Blasius was 13th at 2:46.728. They have an opportunity to improve their positions Sunday morning before their afternoon race.

Team Hammer will target the top of the podium as the Road America weekend concludes tomorrow.

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 71 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 210 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.

Dunlop Championship of Road America

MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series

Road America

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

June 1, 2019

Liqui Moly Junior Cup Race One Results (all on Dunlop tires):

1. Rocco Landers (Kaw Ninja 400), 7 laps, Total Race Time 19:27.143, Best Lap Time 2:43.774

2. Dallas Daniels (Kaw Ninja 400), -0.095 second, 2:44.074

3. Kevin Olmedo (Kaw Ninja 400), -5.380 seconds, 2:45.203

4. Damian Jigalov (Kaw Ninja 400), -5.386, 2:45.058

5. Dominic Doyle (Kaw Ninja 400), -5.528, 2:45.363

6. Brenden Ketelsen (Kaw Ninja 400), -5.689, 2:44.651

7. Gauge Rees (Kaw Ninja 400), -5.743, 2:45.282

8. Samuel Lochoff (Yam YZF-R3), -18.671, 2:47.722

9. Jackson Blackmon (Yam YZF-R3), -18.664, 2:47.699

10. Isiah Burleson (Kaw Ninja 400), -18.697, 2:47.124

11. Marc Edwards (Kaw Ninja 400), -26.458, 2:47.962

12. Teagg Hobbs (Kaw Ninja 400), -27.161, 2:47.373

13. Trevor Standish (Kaw Ninja 400), -36.132, 2:49.750

14. Hunter Dunham (Kaw Ninja 400), -39.261, 2:49.789

15. Gus Rodio (Kaw Ninja 400), -51.267, 2:49.154

16. Cameron Jones (Hon CBR500R), -57.078, 2:51.056

17. Daniel Cano Flores (Kaw Ninja 400), -57.087, 2:51.980

18. Jamie Astudillo (Kaw Ninja 400), -57.767, 2:52.507

19. Brady Fors (Yam YZF-R3), -57.874, 2:52.439

20. John Knowles (Kaw Ninja 400), -59.194, 2:52.050

21. Grayson Davidson (Kaw Ninja 400), DNF, 2:57.124

22. Toby Khamsouk (Kaw Ninja 400), DNF, 2:49.575

Championship Point Standings (after 5 of 17 races):

1. Landers, 105 points

2. Daniels, 93

3. Blackmon, 53

4. Rees, 49

5. TIE, Olmedo/Doyle, 45

7. Jigalov, 43

8. Lochoff, 37

9. Jones, 33

10. Standish, 30

(Above) Rocco Landers (97) passed Dallas Daniels (69) on the final lap to win Junior Cup Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Dunlop Championship of Road America

MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series

Road America

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

June 1, 2019

Twins Cup Qualifying One Results (damp-to-dry conditions, all on Dunlop tires):

1. Chris Parrish (Suz SV650), 2:41.082

2. Curtis Murray (Suz SV650), 2:42.745

3. Draik Beauchamp (Yam FZ-07/MT-07), 2:43.097

4. Kris Turner (Suz SV650), 2:43.576

5. Jason Madama (Yam FZ-07/MT-07), 2:43.795

6. Alex Dumas (Suz SV650), 2:44.326

7. Daniel Adams (Suz SV650), 2:44.964

8. Shawn Hill (Yam FZ-07/MT-07), 2:45.136

9. Robert Fisher (Yam FZ-07/MT-07), 2:45.359

10. Chris Bays (Suz SV650), 2:45.561

11. Cooper McDonald (Yam FZ-07/MT-07), 2:46.313

12. Jonathan Champ (Suz SV650), 2:46.643

13. Joseph Blasius (Suz SV650), 2:46.728

14. Shawn Adams (Suz SV650), 2:47.719

15. Darren James (Yam FZ-07/MT-07), 2:47.920

16. Ned Brown (Suz SV650), 2:51.268

17. Kris Lillegard (Yam FZ-07/MT-07), 2:52.366

18. Steve Shakespeare (Duc), 2:52.817

19. Dave Juntunen (Suz SV650), 2:53.121

20. Anthony Marcinek (Yam FZ-07/MT-07), 2:53.220

21. Carl Price (Yam FZ-07/MT-07), 2:54.272

22. Clifton Ramsdell (Suz SV650), 2:55.185

23. Gino Angella (Suz SV650), 2:55.618

24. Robert Cichielo, Jr. (Suz SV650), 2:56.155

25. Jonathan Pellnitz (Suz SV650), 2:57.853

26. Jorge Ehrenstein (Suz SV650), 2:59.068

27. Nathan Jessup (Suz SV650), 2:59.880

28. Dustin Walbon (Suz SV650), 3:01.998

29. Tim Koebert (Suz SV650), no lap time recorded

30. Michael Barnes (Duc Monster 797), no lap time recorded

31. Jim Whitten (Yam FZ-07/M-07), no lap time recorded

32. Ray Hofman (Suz SV650), no lap time recorded

33. Jeffrey Tigert (Suz SV650), no lap time recorded

Dunlop Championship of Road America

MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series

Road America

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

June 1, 2019

EBC Brakes Superbike Superpole Results (wet-drying conditions, all on Dunlop tires):

1. Toni Elias (Suz GSX-R1000), 2:30.992

2. Josh Herrin (Suz GSX-R1000), 2:31.024, crash

3. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), 2:31.350

4. Garrett Gerloff (Yam YZF-R1), 2:32.376

5. Cameron Petersen (Yam YZF-R1), 2:32.929

6. Mathew Scholtz (Yam YZF-R1), 2:33.076

7. JD Beach (Yam YZF-R1), 2:34.534

8. David Anthony (Kaw ZX-10RR), 2:36.828

9. Jake Lewis (Suz GSX-R1000), 2:40.852