Toprak Razgatlioglu ran away to victory in FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) Race One Saturday at Donington Park, in England. On board his Pirelli-shod ROKiT BMW Motorrad M 1000 RR, the Turkish star pulled away from the 23-rider field to win the 23-lap race by over 11 seconds.
Alex Lowes was the runner-up on his factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR.
Two-time and defending Champion Alvaro Bautista finished third on his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R.
Bautista’s teammate Nicolo Bulega crossed the finish line 1.7 seconds behind him in fourth.
Six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea got fifth – his best result so far on his new Pata Prometeon Yamaha YZF-R1.
American Garrett Gerloff got 14th on his Bonovo Action BMW.
Carrasco celebrates her first WorldWCR win of the season
Race 1 Highlights:
Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) stormed to victory in Race 1 at Donington Park, crossing the line half a second ahead of her closest rival after a four-way battle for victory
The weekend’s first WorldWCR race at Donington Park saw polesitter Carrasco battle it out against fellow Spaniards Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team), Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) and Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha)
Less than a second separated the Spanish foursome as they fought tooth and nail for the podium positions, with Neila and Sanchez ultimately joining Carrasco on the rostrum, a fraction of a second ahead of current championship leader Herrera
Over the twelve-lap race, the four frontrunners set a blistering pace, with Neila setting the fastest time, a 1’39.593, on lap eleven. Beatriz will therefore start from pole for Sunday’s Race 2
Lap 5 brought an innocuous crash for Emily Bondi (YART Zelos Black Knights Team); the French rider was able to rejoin the race and complete it, albeit at the back of the field. British entry Alyssia Whitmore (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) also suffered a crash and has been passed unfit to continue, having sustained a left wrist contusion in the incident
A last lap crash for American Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) through turn 12 saw fellow rider Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) receive a 3-second penalty for irresponsible riding
Championship Standings:
Herrera continues to lead the way in the WorldWCR general standings with a tally of 63 points
Carrasco and Sanchez remain hot on Herrera’s heels, with 61 and 52 points respectively
Key Points:
Pole position: Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) – 1’40.581
Race 1 winner: Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team)
“It was tough because I didn’t expect the leading group to be so big; some of the riders took quite a big step between yesterday and today. But I was confident as the race got going. The slipstream was important, especially today with the wind along the back straight, but I tried to remain calm and maintain strong pace. On the final lap I decided to go for it to avoid being involved in any difficult situation through the last turns. My strategy paid off, and I was perhaps expecting them to try to pass through the final corners, but it feels a long time since I won my last race so I’m really happy with the result. And I’ll do my best to do it again tomorrow, but it will be more difficult because everyone is improving with every session. We also have to see if the weather remains dry. We’ll keep working to take another step anyway and see what we can do.”
“The race went really well; we were all strong from start to finish and I was able to set the fastest lap time right at the end, on lap eleven. Before the race, I didn’t think I’d be able to fight like that to be honest because this morning I’d had a few issues with the rear. But we made a change to the bike and that really worked. I’m so pleased with my first podium and want to thank the whole team for all their help and support. Tomorrow, I expect a similar race and will be doing all I can to score another top three result.”
P3 | Sara Sanchez | 511 Terra&Vita Racing Team
“It was tough at first and I thought that the others perhaps had a little more than us, but in the end, we were able to fight at the front. I spent most of the race in third and then Neila came past me, and I realised I was fourth with Ponziani not far behind. I didn’t want to miss out on the podium so I reacted on the last lap and got up to second before Neila got back in front and I ultimately crossed the line third. It was a great race anyway, and I’m happy with the result, the important thing is that we’ve scored solid points. I think Race 2 will play out in the same way, with a group of four or five of us battling for the top three; I’m looking forward to getting back out there again tomorrow.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu crushed the lap record and the competition during World Superbike Superpole qualifying Saturday at Donington Park, in England. Riding his ROKiT BMW Motorrad M 1000 RR on Pirelli control tires, the Turkish star turned a lap time of 1:24.629 around the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) circuit. Not only was that good enough to top the 23-rider field and the next-fastest rider by more than 0.5 second, it blew away the All-Time Lap Record of 1:25.823 that Remy Gardner set earlier in the day during Free Practice Three (FP3) by 1.2 seconds!
Rookie sensation Nicolo Bulega was the best of the rest with a 1:25.202 on his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R, and Scott Redding thrilled the English fans by claiming the third and final spot on the front row with a time of 1:25.406 on his Bonovo Action BMW.
Sam Lowes was fourth with a 1:25.492 in spite of crashing his Elf Marc VDS Racing Ducati during the session. Dominique Aegerter qualified fifth with a 1:25.528 on his GYTR GRT Yamaha YZF-R1. And Razgatlioglu’s teammate Michael van der Mark earned the sixth spot on the grid with a 1:25.621.
American Garrett Gerloff, Redding’s teammate, qualified 12th with a lap time of 1:25.845 – just 0.6 second from P2.
Ducati rider Broc Pearson has claimed the Saturday spoils in round four of the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at Morgan Park Raceway in Queensland.
On a brisk day at the 2.96km circuit where ambient and track temperatures remained very low, the 23-year-old secured his second career pole position in the Alpinestars Superbike class after the final qualifying session was cut short following two red-flag stoppages.
That wasn’t to the detriment of the Gold Coast-based realtor though, who had already laid down the fastest marker which will position him at the pointy end of the grid for tomorrow’s two 16-lap races.
It was also qualifying in the other four ASBK Championship classes today – Michelin Supersport, Race and Road Supersport 300, ShopYamaha R3 Cup and the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup – and all but Supersport kicked off their race programs.
That sets the scene for Sunday: 10 races at a circuit where exceptionally close racing is a staple. Off-track activities on Sunday will include pit walks, ‘Mini Moto come and try’ sessions for the kids, the ASBK Trade Alley and autograph sessions with riders and ASBK ambassadors Garry McCoy, Chris Vermeulen and Steve Martin.
There’s also a big screen in the heart of the ASBK Fan Zone at turn three displaying all the on-track action, with a bevy of food trucks in the vicinity.
Pearson stopped the clock at 1m12.830sec on his Panigale V4 R, with Max Stauffer (Penrite Racing Yamaha) and Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) to start alongside him.
The two red-flag stoppages in qualifying came after near identical crashes for Stauffer and Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW) at turn three – both riders okay – but the former was fortunate that he had already locked in a sharp time.
Meanwhile, Allerton qualified sixth behind championship leader Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati) in fourth and Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) in fifth.
Arthur Sissis (Stop and Seal Yamaha), Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha), Bryan Staring (MotoGP Yamaha) and Cameron Dunker (Penrite Racing Yamaha) rounded out the top 10 qualifiers in the 18-rider field.
Race one is at 11:25am tomorrow.
Michelin Supersport
Jonathan Nahlous has secured his second Michelin Supersport pole position of the season – and he’ll be hoping it’s a portent of things to come after converting his first one at Phillip Island into a clean sweep!
Nahlous, the current championship leader, will have fellow Yamaha riders Tom Toparis and Tom Bramich alongside him for tomorrow’s two 14-lap races.
Nahlous only pipped Toparis by 0.003 seconds, while it’s extremely tight between Bramich, Hayden Nelson (Kawasaki), Jack Favelle (Yamaha), Archie McDonald (Yamaha) and Olly Simpson (Yamaha).
All sixteen riders qualified for the two 14-lap races.
Race and Road Supersport 300
Valentino Knezovic (Yamaha) has been in the Race and Road Supersport 300 hot zone since he arrived at Morgan Park, and it showed in race one as he bolted from pole position and cruised to a four-second victory – his third of the season after previous successes at Sydney Motorsport Park and Queensland Raceway.
While the imperious Knezovic made the 10-lapper his own, the battle for second was a five-way doozy and eventually fell the way of Casey Middelton (Yamaha) ahead of Josh Newman (Kawasaki), Will Nassif (Yamaha), Harrison Watts (Kawasaki) and Jordan Simpson (Yamaha).
New Zealander Jesse Stroud (Yamaha) was in the early mix as well before crashing at turn six – the same piece of tarmac that also claimed Georgia Stephens (Yamaha) a few laps later. They were the only two DNFs in the 17-rider field.
The championship battle has now tightened appreciably, with Newman 6pts (189 to 183) in front of Watts, followed by the charging Knezovic (182).
Races two and three will be held tomorrow.
ShopYamaha R3 Cup
What a breathtaking way to start the new ShopYamaha R3 Cup season, with Valentino Knezovic outlasting Jesse Stroud by a miniscule 0.032 seconds after a race full of punching and counter-punching.
They were glued together the whole way as Knezovic continued his rich vein of form and Stroud hit back hard after a crash in the earlier Supersport 300 opener.
The battle for third was also eye-catching, with Will Nassif securing the last spot on the podium from Jordan Simpson, John Pelgrave and Ryder Gilbert.
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
Hunter Corney’s spectacular bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup season has continued, with the 13-year-old Toowoomba rider winning his sixth race of the season in front of Ethan Johnson, Elijah Andrew, Nicolas Lazos, William Strugnell and Jed Louis.
The race was red-flagged early after an incident involving front runners Hunter Charlett and Ross McAdam, after what been another breathtaking battle between the Yamaha YZF-R15 brigade.
Corney’s lead has now ballooned to 43pts over Johnson, who takes over second from McAdam.
Cory West was the rider to beat in MotoAmerica RSD Mission Super Hooligan Qualifying One Friday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America, West lapped the historic 2.2-mile track in 1:29.624 to head the field of 32 entries.
West’s teammate Jake Lewis was second-best with a time of 1:29.777.
Defending Champion Tyler O’Hara was third-fastest with a 1:29.934 on his S&S Indian FTR.
KWR Harley-Davidson teammates Cody Wyman (1:29.983) and Hayden Schultz (1:30.020) were fourth and fifth, respectively. And O’Hara’s teammate Troy Herfoss was sixth (1:30.230).
Cody Wyman’s older brother Travis Wyman (1:30.493) was seventh on the third Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America, Stefano Mesa (1:31.427) was eighth on the Tytlers Cycle Racing Energica Eva Ribelle RS electric machine, Hawk Mazzotta (1:33.949) was ninth on his Roland Sands Design/Trackhouse Racing Indian, and Kole King (1:35.529) rounded out the top 10 on a King Performance Triumph.
Kyle Wyman was fastest in MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. On board his Dunlop-shod Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide, the New Yorker covered the 2.2-mile road course in 1:28.583, which topped the field of 14 entries.
Riding a new wave of confidence since Brainerd, Rocco Landers was second in Q1 with a 1:28.705 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.
Landers’ teammate Hayden Gillim, the defending Champion, did the third-quickest lap time, a 1:28.773 – just 0.190 second slower than Wyman.
Provisional row-two qualifiers included S&S Indian’s Troy Herfoss (1:29.622), Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli (1:29.822), and Bobby Fong (1:29.966) on his SDI/Roland Sands Racing Indian Challenger.
Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara was hindered by technical issues in Q1 and finished 11th in the session with a 1:32.940 on his first flying lap.
Jayson Uribe was fastest in MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Qualifying One Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his OrangeCat Racing BMW M 1000 RR on spec Dunlop slicks, the Californian lapped the 2.2-mile course in 1:24.733 to lead the field of 33 entries.
Defending Champion Hayden Gillim was second-best with a time of 1:26.049 on his Real Steel Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
Andrew Lee, another California native, earned the third and final spot on the provisional front row with a 1:26.214 on his Motorsport Exotica BMW.
Josh Herrin was fastest during MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R on Dunlop Sportmax Slick control tires, Herrin lapped the 2.2-mile course in 1:23.827 to lead the tight session.
Five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier led practice on Friday morning and was second in Q1 with a time of 1:23.885 on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW in spite of still recovering from a broken right foot suffered at Road America.
Superbike rookie Sean Dylan Kelly jumped up to third in the final 90 seconds of Q1 with a lap of 1:24.107 on his EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Three-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne limited the laps he did during Q1, presumably to keep from aggravating his ongoing arm pump issues, but he was fourth-fastest at 1:24.168 on his Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1.
Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen was right behind him with a fifth-fastest 1:24.192.
Current Superbike Championship point leader Bobby Fong didn’t put in any fast laps at the end of Q1 and ended up sixth with a 1:24.307 on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz was seventh with a lap time of 1:24.379, making it 0.552 second separating the top seven riders.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch finished Q1 in eighth with a time of 1:24.928.
Beaubier’s teammate JD Beach (1:24.940) was ninth, and Paasch’s teammate Xavi Fores (1:25.808) rounded out the top 10 riders.
Herrin Stays Hot With Provisional Pole At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Josh Herrin Leads Steel Commander Superbike Qualifying 1 In Ultra-Close Afternoon Session
Josh Herrin (2). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
MONTEREY, CA (July 12, 2024) – Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin continued with the hot hand in the MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike series as he stormed to provisional pole position on Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Herrin, the lap record holder at the 2.238-mile course in the hills east of Monterey, lapped at 1:23.827 to better Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier’s best by just .058 of a second. Herrin, who won the second of two races at Ridge Motorsports Park two weeks ago, said his lap record of 1:22.908 will be difficult to top as the track is bumpier than when that record was set in 2018.
TopPro Racing’s Superbike rookie Sean Dylan Kelly continues to impress as he ended the opening day third fastest and just .280 of a second off Herrin’s session leader.
Fourth fastest on Friday was Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne with the three-time and defending series champion turning in a best of 1:24.168 to finish slightly faster than his teammate Cameron Petersen.
Steel Commander Superbike Championship points leader Bobby Fong was sixth fastest on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1 and less than half a second from Herrin.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz was seventh and .552 of a second from his teammate. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach and Paasch’s teammate Xavi Forés rounded out the top 10.
Stock 1000 – Uribe On Top
OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe used all of his home-track knowledge to lead the way in the first of two Stock 1000 qualifying sessions, besting his championship rival Hayden Gillim by .306 of a second.
Uribe lapped at 1:25.733 with Gillim turning in a 1:26.049 with the Californian getting the best of the Kentuckian for the first time in a qualifying session.
Another Californian was third quickest with Motorsport Exotica’s Andrew Lee ending up third on his BMW M 1000 RR. Two more racers were within a second of Uribe with FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith fourth and OrangeCat Racing’s Travis Wyman fifth.
Mission King Of The Baggers – Wyman Down And Up
Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman didn’t let a little crash slow him down as he bounced back from an early-session tipover in turn 11 to earn provisional pole position for the two Mission King Of The Baggers races.
Wyman’s fast lap came late in the session and his 1:28.705 topped RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Rocco Landers by just .122 of a second. Yes, you read that right – Rocco Landers.
Landers continued to gain momentum in his rookie season of Baggers racing and he put that all together to hold the top spot until getting knocked down a peg by Wyman in the closing stages of the session.
Landers’ teammate Hayden Gillim was third fastest, the defending class champion only .190 of a second behind Wyman.
Laguna first-timer Troy Herfoss was fourth fastest on the S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle Challenger, a second slower than Wyman and .2 faster than Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli.
Supersport – Jacobsen Strikes First
The season-long Supersport battle between Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen and Mathew Scholtz resumed at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with Jacobsen striking first in Q1 on Friday afternoon.
But, like all the races held thus far in 2024, the pair weren’t separated by very much.
Jacobsen ripped off a 1:27.031 lap to lead the way over Scholtz, with the South African just .032 of a second adrift of the New Yorker with his 1:27.063. But those two were by no means alone at the top.
N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis was next best, and he was closer to the front than he’s been all year, trailing Jacobsen by just .217 of a second.
TopPro Racing’s Maxi Gerardo ended up fourth quickest with Jacobsen’s teammate Corey Alexander rounding out the top five.
The top nine were all within a second of Jacobsen with Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott, the only rider other than Scholtz or Jacobsen to win a race in 2024, ninth and .990 of a second from the top.
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – West Goes West
Saddlemen Racing/Harley-Davidson’s Cory West saved his best for last in stealing provisional pole position for the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship in the waning moments of the final session of the day at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
West and his Harley-Davidson Pan America lapped at 1:29.624 to snatch pole from his teammate Jake Lewis by .153 of a second.
S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara ended the day third fastest with KWR Harley-Davidson’s Cody Wyman and his teammate Hayden Schultz rounding out the top five.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Josh Herrin shines at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Friday
Sunnyvale, Calif., July 12, 2024 — When you’re hot, you’re hot! That’s exactly how Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin feels after topping the Friday times for the sixth round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Noting the increased confidence and stability that stems from his second year within the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati superbike team, Herrin completed the opening practice session in third place but then rocketed to P1 with a 1:23.827s lap time. Herrin completed a marathon of 36 laps of the legendary 2.23-mile venue over the day.
The result puts Herrin in a provisional pole position. The final grid places for the two 20-lap races will be decided after Qualifying 2 tomorrow morning.
Fellow Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati teamster Loris Baz was also on the pace in California. The Frenchman circulated 27 times around the undulating WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca across the day to finish seventh overall, 0.55s off his teammate Herrin in an incredibly close top 10.
2024 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Superbike Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 1:23.827
P2 – Cameron Beaubier 1:23.885
P3 – Sean Dylan Kelly 1:24.107
P4 – Jake Gagne 1:24.168
P5 – Cameron Petersen 1:24.192
P6 – Bobby Fong 1:24.307
P7 – Loris Baz (Ducati) 1:24.379
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“I’m really happy with that,” Herrin said. “I just feel like everything has been clicking of late. I really like this track but this second year—I’ve been talking it up—but having two years on the same bike and the same team has been a huge help. We have what it takes to not just win but win by five, but 10 seconds or more.
“I’m getting confident again now that we haven’t had as many wet races. Everything is feeling great in the team and it’s really nice being able to put on a show in Ducati North America’s backyard for the fans. The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team is so good to be around, and that makes my job easier when all the pieces fall together.”
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“Today wasn’t as good as the last round at The Ridge, where we had a super good feeling of the bike as today I missed a bit of feeling with the front and a bit of rear grip, but that’s the same for everyone,” Baz said. It’s really tight—we have seven guys within half a second.
“We’ll try to find a better set-up for the front-end. More than anything, I want a bike that will allow me to take different lines and overtake people, so that’s what we’re working towards. I love this track, so we’ll go through the data, improve the bike, and make sure we are in the battle for the win.”
Qualifying 2 for round six of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. PST on Saturday, July 13.
Race one of the Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike class is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. PST on Saturday, July 13, with race two set for 3:10 p.m. PST on Sunday, July 14.
PJ Jacobsen led MotoAmerica Supersport Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna, in Monterey, California. Riding his Rahal Ducati Moto Panigale V2 on spec Dunlop tires, the New York native navigated the 2.2-mile course in 1:27.031 to take provisional pole position.
Mathew Scholtz, the current Championship point leader, was the best of the rest with a 1:27.063 on his Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.
Blake Davis continued his strong performance on Friday with a third-quickest 1:27.248 on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha.
Like Davis, Maxi Gerardo has returned to his early-season form at Laguna Seca and was fourth in Q1 at 1:27.507 on his EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing Suzuki GSX-R750.
Rahal Ducati Moto w/Roller Die + Forming’s Corey Alexander was fifth in the session with a 1:27.735.
Jake Lewis posted the sixth-best lap time, a 1:27.838, on his Altus Motorsports Suzuki.
Stefano Mesa was seventh in the session with a 1:27.923 on his Tytlers Cycle Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R.
David Anthony was in the top five for most of the session but slipped to eighth at 1:27.936 on his Wrench Motorcycles Suzuki.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott finished the session ninth at 1:28.021, just 0.990 second behind Jacobsen.
And Jacobsen’s teammate Kayla Yaakov rounded out the top 10 riders in the tight group with a lap of 1:28.272.
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA
FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2024 | PRACTICE & QUALIFYING 1
MONTEREY, CA., (7.12.2024) – All three riders ended Qualifying 1 at the iconic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in the top 10, with PJ Jacobsen topping the charts, Corey Alexander following in fifth, and Kayla Yaakov rounding out the top 10.
Jacobsen sits on provisional pole after Qualifying 1, and heads into tomorrow’s race looking to close the gap to championship leader Mathew Scholtz, who is currently 28 points ahead.
Yaakov has jumped up to 6th in the championship after a double-podium finish at The Ridge.
Tomorrow’s schedule hosts Qualifying 2 from 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM EST and the green flag will wave for Race 1 at 5:10 PM. Coverage of Race 1 will be available live on MAVTV and streamed at motoamericaliveplus.com.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
PRACTICE: P1 (1:27.477)
QUALIFYING 1: P1 (1:27.031)
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today went really well. I’m on Provisional Pole, which is always a good feeling. We’ll make some changes to try and improve our lap times even further for tomorrow’s qualifying session. We have both groups together tomorrow, which will make it more difficult to find a clean lap, but we’ll try our hardest. Right now we are on Provisional Pole so we just need to keep it up. I’m looking forward to Race 1 tomorrow.”
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 ROLLER DIE + FORMING PANIGALE V2
PRACTICE: P7 (1:28.568)
QUALIFYING 1: P5 (1:27.735)
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was a productive day here at Laguna. The pace was definitely very fast and close up at the front, so to be fifth and as close to the leaders as we are says a lot for where the class is at. We’ll go back to work tonight and try to get a bit more comfortable to find that next step that we’re missing to run with PJ up at the front.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
PRACTICE: P10 (1:29.430)
QUALIFYING 1: P10 (1:28.272)
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Day one was pretty decent. This is one of those tracks that I’ve honestly, never had good luck at, but we’re making it happen step by step. Being within about a second and a half of pole is great. We’re getting closer and closer to the top guys here, which is great, but we’re still struggling with some feeling with the front end. We’re going to try to improve that for tomorrow. I’m super excited to keep improving on the bike and have a good race.”
BEN SPIES
TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a good Friday. PJ being on Provisional Pole is always good. Obviously his times are tight with Mathew like we knew they would be. Corey and Kayla are both riding really well. We have a few changes to the bikes we’ll make tonight that will hopefully find them a little bit of time so they can move up into the top five or top six. We’re looking forward to the race. Laguna is always a special track for everybody. The weather looks really good this week, so hopefully we can put it all together for some good results.”
Young nabs fourth consecutive CSBK pole on Friday at AMP
Shubenacadie, NS – Ben Young continued his impeccable qualifying run on Friday, securing his fourth BS Battery Pole Position in a row to begin the fourth round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship at Atlantic Motorsport Park, presented by Pro Cycle and Canadian Kawasaki.
After starting the opening three rounds from the front of the GP Bikes Pro Superbike grid, Young’s perfect streak of 2024 came under some threat when he encountered a mechanical issue late in FP1, allowing rival Alex Dumas to top the session and carry a bit of extra momentum into Q1.
The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW squad quickly resolved the issue though, and it took Young only three minutes to jump to the front of a scorching-hot Q1 as he leapfrogged Sam Guerin and Jordan Szoke.
The defending champion was safe to rest for the remainder of the session, with the top six of Young, Guerin, Szoke, Dumas, David MacKay, and Mavrick Cyr all within a comfortable range of earning a top-ten spot in Q2.
Sport Bike frontrunners Andrew Van Winkle and Sebastien Tremblay would improve their times enough to later join that group, pushing local favourite John Fraser and star rookie Connor Campbell onto the cut line. However, both would sneak through at the expense of Elliot Vieira in eleventh, setting the top-ten for BS Battery Q2.
It was there where the tactics shifted at the front of the grid, with Sam Guerin and later Alex Dumas trying to tuck in behind Young for a tow around the 2.5 km circuit, though Young quickly wised up to it and backed out of his opening few laps.
That cat-and-mouse game allowed Szoke to take the early lead in Q2, but it was short-lived as Young promptly returned to the front with the first 1:07 lap of the weekend, surpassing it just one lap later with a time of 1:07.702.
The lead quartet would stay in the same order for majority of Q2 before Dumas put in a pair of late flyers with under five minutes to go, climbing to second but still 0.618 seconds behind Young as no one could touch the three-time Canada Cup winner.
“Obviously the races are the focus, but qualifying is such an important part of the weekend so it’s always nice to start at the front,” Young said. “I have a big week coming up [at Suzuka] so I didn’t really want to risk it any more than I did, but we put down a couple good laps and were able to keep the BMW on pole.”
The 17th pole of Young’s career was also enough to clinch the season-long BS Battery Pole Position Award, giving him a 20-point advantage over Szoke with only 20 points remaining and Young owning the tiebreaker.
“That’s really great news. It’s awesome that BS Battery sponsors the series and we’re really happy to have them on board, so it’s a nice award to add heading into the weekend,” Young said.
Dumas would settle for second in his first trip to AMP aboard the Economy Lube Ducati, a result that brought him mixed emotions ahead of race one.
“Most of our qualifying was just about setup, because we’ve really been struggling the last two days,” Dumas admitted. “It’s not pole, but it’s not third or worse, so I’ll take it. The four of us should still be really close and it should be a fun couple of races.”
Completing the front row was Szoke, who avoided the early Q2 antics to put in a strong time all on his own for CKM Kawasaki.
“I saw a bit of a freight train behind Ben, so I just tried to jump in after the queue and put a good lap in,” Szoke said. “Alex managed to squeak by me at the end there, and no one was catching Ben today, but it’s a super close difference between the front four so hopefully we can take advantage of that tomorrow.”
Missing out on a front row spot was Guerin, who ran in the top-three for almost the entire qualifying process before a late crash in Q2 left him relegated to fourth.
The EFC Group BMW rider was thankfully unhurt and should be good to go for race one on Saturday, with the top four separated by less than a second through qualifying.
Completing the top five and centering the second row will be MacKay, who ended both Q1 and Q2 in a strong fifth for ODH Snow City Cycle Honda.
Ending the second row will be rookie sensation Cyr, posting a career-best Superbike effort in just his second weekend with the Economy Lube Ducati program.
Local favourite Fraser could only marginally improve in Q2, putting himself seventh on the grid for his home round aboard the RLS Contracting Suzuki as he tries to make up ground and latch onto the lead group this weekend.
The feature class will now prepare for the first half of their doubleheader at AMP at approximately 3 pm local time (2 pm ET) on Saturday, with Young chasing a fourth victory of the season from pole position.
Full results can be found on the series’ official website.
Toprak Razgatlioglu ran away to victory in FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) Race One Saturday at Donington Park, in England. On board his Pirelli-shod ROKiT BMW Motorrad M 1000 RR, the Turkish star pulled away from the 23-rider field to win the 23-lap race by over 11 seconds.
Alex Lowes was the runner-up on his factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR.
Two-time and defending Champion Alvaro Bautista finished third on his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R.
Bautista’s teammate Nicolo Bulega crossed the finish line 1.7 seconds behind him in fourth.
Six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea got fifth – his best result so far on his new Pata Prometeon Yamaha YZF-R1.
American Garrett Gerloff got 14th on his Bonovo Action BMW.
Carrasco celebrates her first WorldWCR win of the season
Race 1 Highlights:
Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) stormed to victory in Race 1 at Donington Park, crossing the line half a second ahead of her closest rival after a four-way battle for victory
The weekend’s first WorldWCR race at Donington Park saw polesitter Carrasco battle it out against fellow Spaniards Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team), Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) and Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha)
Less than a second separated the Spanish foursome as they fought tooth and nail for the podium positions, with Neila and Sanchez ultimately joining Carrasco on the rostrum, a fraction of a second ahead of current championship leader Herrera
Over the twelve-lap race, the four frontrunners set a blistering pace, with Neila setting the fastest time, a 1’39.593, on lap eleven. Beatriz will therefore start from pole for Sunday’s Race 2
Lap 5 brought an innocuous crash for Emily Bondi (YART Zelos Black Knights Team); the French rider was able to rejoin the race and complete it, albeit at the back of the field. British entry Alyssia Whitmore (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) also suffered a crash and has been passed unfit to continue, having sustained a left wrist contusion in the incident
A last lap crash for American Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) through turn 12 saw fellow rider Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) receive a 3-second penalty for irresponsible riding
Championship Standings:
Herrera continues to lead the way in the WorldWCR general standings with a tally of 63 points
Carrasco and Sanchez remain hot on Herrera’s heels, with 61 and 52 points respectively
Key Points:
Pole position: Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) – 1’40.581
Race 1 winner: Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team)
“It was tough because I didn’t expect the leading group to be so big; some of the riders took quite a big step between yesterday and today. But I was confident as the race got going. The slipstream was important, especially today with the wind along the back straight, but I tried to remain calm and maintain strong pace. On the final lap I decided to go for it to avoid being involved in any difficult situation through the last turns. My strategy paid off, and I was perhaps expecting them to try to pass through the final corners, but it feels a long time since I won my last race so I’m really happy with the result. And I’ll do my best to do it again tomorrow, but it will be more difficult because everyone is improving with every session. We also have to see if the weather remains dry. We’ll keep working to take another step anyway and see what we can do.”
“The race went really well; we were all strong from start to finish and I was able to set the fastest lap time right at the end, on lap eleven. Before the race, I didn’t think I’d be able to fight like that to be honest because this morning I’d had a few issues with the rear. But we made a change to the bike and that really worked. I’m so pleased with my first podium and want to thank the whole team for all their help and support. Tomorrow, I expect a similar race and will be doing all I can to score another top three result.”
P3 | Sara Sanchez | 511 Terra&Vita Racing Team
“It was tough at first and I thought that the others perhaps had a little more than us, but in the end, we were able to fight at the front. I spent most of the race in third and then Neila came past me, and I realised I was fourth with Ponziani not far behind. I didn’t want to miss out on the podium so I reacted on the last lap and got up to second before Neila got back in front and I ultimately crossed the line third. It was a great race anyway, and I’m happy with the result, the important thing is that we’ve scored solid points. I think Race 2 will play out in the same way, with a group of four or five of us battling for the top three; I’m looking forward to getting back out there again tomorrow.”
Toprak "Stoprak" Razgatlioglu in action on Saturday at Donington Park. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Toprak Razgatlioglu crushed the lap record and the competition during World Superbike Superpole qualifying Saturday at Donington Park, in England. Riding his ROKiT BMW Motorrad M 1000 RR on Pirelli control tires, the Turkish star turned a lap time of 1:24.629 around the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) circuit. Not only was that good enough to top the 23-rider field and the next-fastest rider by more than 0.5 second, it blew away the All-Time Lap Record of 1:25.823 that Remy Gardner set earlier in the day during Free Practice Three (FP3) by 1.2 seconds!
Rookie sensation Nicolo Bulega was the best of the rest with a 1:25.202 on his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R, and Scott Redding thrilled the English fans by claiming the third and final spot on the front row with a time of 1:25.406 on his Bonovo Action BMW.
Sam Lowes was fourth with a 1:25.492 in spite of crashing his Elf Marc VDS Racing Ducati during the session. Dominique Aegerter qualified fifth with a 1:25.528 on his GYTR GRT Yamaha YZF-R1. And Razgatlioglu’s teammate Michael van der Mark earned the sixth spot on the grid with a 1:25.621.
American Garrett Gerloff, Redding’s teammate, qualified 12th with a lap time of 1:25.845 – just 0.6 second from P2.
Ducati rider Broc Pearson has claimed the Saturday spoils in round four of the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at Morgan Park Raceway in Queensland.
On a brisk day at the 2.96km circuit where ambient and track temperatures remained very low, the 23-year-old secured his second career pole position in the Alpinestars Superbike class after the final qualifying session was cut short following two red-flag stoppages.
That wasn’t to the detriment of the Gold Coast-based realtor though, who had already laid down the fastest marker which will position him at the pointy end of the grid for tomorrow’s two 16-lap races.
It was also qualifying in the other four ASBK Championship classes today – Michelin Supersport, Race and Road Supersport 300, ShopYamaha R3 Cup and the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup – and all but Supersport kicked off their race programs.
That sets the scene for Sunday: 10 races at a circuit where exceptionally close racing is a staple. Off-track activities on Sunday will include pit walks, ‘Mini Moto come and try’ sessions for the kids, the ASBK Trade Alley and autograph sessions with riders and ASBK ambassadors Garry McCoy, Chris Vermeulen and Steve Martin.
There’s also a big screen in the heart of the ASBK Fan Zone at turn three displaying all the on-track action, with a bevy of food trucks in the vicinity.
Pearson stopped the clock at 1m12.830sec on his Panigale V4 R, with Max Stauffer (Penrite Racing Yamaha) and Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) to start alongside him.
The two red-flag stoppages in qualifying came after near identical crashes for Stauffer and Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW) at turn three – both riders okay – but the former was fortunate that he had already locked in a sharp time.
Meanwhile, Allerton qualified sixth behind championship leader Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati) in fourth and Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) in fifth.
Arthur Sissis (Stop and Seal Yamaha), Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha), Bryan Staring (MotoGP Yamaha) and Cameron Dunker (Penrite Racing Yamaha) rounded out the top 10 qualifiers in the 18-rider field.
Race one is at 11:25am tomorrow.
Michelin Supersport
Jonathan Nahlous has secured his second Michelin Supersport pole position of the season – and he’ll be hoping it’s a portent of things to come after converting his first one at Phillip Island into a clean sweep!
Nahlous, the current championship leader, will have fellow Yamaha riders Tom Toparis and Tom Bramich alongside him for tomorrow’s two 14-lap races.
Nahlous only pipped Toparis by 0.003 seconds, while it’s extremely tight between Bramich, Hayden Nelson (Kawasaki), Jack Favelle (Yamaha), Archie McDonald (Yamaha) and Olly Simpson (Yamaha).
All sixteen riders qualified for the two 14-lap races.
Race and Road Supersport 300
Valentino Knezovic (Yamaha) has been in the Race and Road Supersport 300 hot zone since he arrived at Morgan Park, and it showed in race one as he bolted from pole position and cruised to a four-second victory – his third of the season after previous successes at Sydney Motorsport Park and Queensland Raceway.
While the imperious Knezovic made the 10-lapper his own, the battle for second was a five-way doozy and eventually fell the way of Casey Middelton (Yamaha) ahead of Josh Newman (Kawasaki), Will Nassif (Yamaha), Harrison Watts (Kawasaki) and Jordan Simpson (Yamaha).
New Zealander Jesse Stroud (Yamaha) was in the early mix as well before crashing at turn six – the same piece of tarmac that also claimed Georgia Stephens (Yamaha) a few laps later. They were the only two DNFs in the 17-rider field.
The championship battle has now tightened appreciably, with Newman 6pts (189 to 183) in front of Watts, followed by the charging Knezovic (182).
Races two and three will be held tomorrow.
ShopYamaha R3 Cup
What a breathtaking way to start the new ShopYamaha R3 Cup season, with Valentino Knezovic outlasting Jesse Stroud by a miniscule 0.032 seconds after a race full of punching and counter-punching.
They were glued together the whole way as Knezovic continued his rich vein of form and Stroud hit back hard after a crash in the earlier Supersport 300 opener.
The battle for third was also eye-catching, with Will Nassif securing the last spot on the podium from Jordan Simpson, John Pelgrave and Ryder Gilbert.
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
Hunter Corney’s spectacular bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup season has continued, with the 13-year-old Toowoomba rider winning his sixth race of the season in front of Ethan Johnson, Elijah Andrew, Nicolas Lazos, William Strugnell and Jed Louis.
The race was red-flagged early after an incident involving front runners Hunter Charlett and Ross McAdam, after what been another breathtaking battle between the Yamaha YZF-R15 brigade.
Corney’s lead has now ballooned to 43pts over Johnson, who takes over second from McAdam.
Cory West was the rider to beat in MotoAmerica RSD Mission Super Hooligan Qualifying One Friday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America, West lapped the historic 2.2-mile track in 1:29.624 to head the field of 32 entries.
West’s teammate Jake Lewis was second-best with a time of 1:29.777.
Defending Champion Tyler O’Hara was third-fastest with a 1:29.934 on his S&S Indian FTR.
KWR Harley-Davidson teammates Cody Wyman (1:29.983) and Hayden Schultz (1:30.020) were fourth and fifth, respectively. And O’Hara’s teammate Troy Herfoss was sixth (1:30.230).
Cody Wyman’s older brother Travis Wyman (1:30.493) was seventh on the third Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America, Stefano Mesa (1:31.427) was eighth on the Tytlers Cycle Racing Energica Eva Ribelle RS electric machine, Hawk Mazzotta (1:33.949) was ninth on his Roland Sands Design/Trackhouse Racing Indian, and Kole King (1:35.529) rounded out the top 10 on a King Performance Triumph.
Kyle Wyman was fastest in MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. On board his Dunlop-shod Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide, the New Yorker covered the 2.2-mile road course in 1:28.583, which topped the field of 14 entries.
Riding a new wave of confidence since Brainerd, Rocco Landers was second in Q1 with a 1:28.705 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.
Landers’ teammate Hayden Gillim, the defending Champion, did the third-quickest lap time, a 1:28.773 – just 0.190 second slower than Wyman.
Provisional row-two qualifiers included S&S Indian’s Troy Herfoss (1:29.622), Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli (1:29.822), and Bobby Fong (1:29.966) on his SDI/Roland Sands Racing Indian Challenger.
Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara was hindered by technical issues in Q1 and finished 11th in the session with a 1:32.940 on his first flying lap.
Jayson Uribe was fastest in MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Qualifying One Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his OrangeCat Racing BMW M 1000 RR on spec Dunlop slicks, the Californian lapped the 2.2-mile course in 1:24.733 to lead the field of 33 entries.
Defending Champion Hayden Gillim was second-best with a time of 1:26.049 on his Real Steel Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
Andrew Lee, another California native, earned the third and final spot on the provisional front row with a 1:26.214 on his Motorsport Exotica BMW.
Josh Herrin was fastest during MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R on Dunlop Sportmax Slick control tires, Herrin lapped the 2.2-mile course in 1:23.827 to lead the tight session.
Five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier led practice on Friday morning and was second in Q1 with a time of 1:23.885 on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW in spite of still recovering from a broken right foot suffered at Road America.
Superbike rookie Sean Dylan Kelly jumped up to third in the final 90 seconds of Q1 with a lap of 1:24.107 on his EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Three-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne limited the laps he did during Q1, presumably to keep from aggravating his ongoing arm pump issues, but he was fourth-fastest at 1:24.168 on his Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1.
Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen was right behind him with a fifth-fastest 1:24.192.
Current Superbike Championship point leader Bobby Fong didn’t put in any fast laps at the end of Q1 and ended up sixth with a 1:24.307 on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz was seventh with a lap time of 1:24.379, making it 0.552 second separating the top seven riders.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch finished Q1 in eighth with a time of 1:24.928.
Beaubier’s teammate JD Beach (1:24.940) was ninth, and Paasch’s teammate Xavi Fores (1:25.808) rounded out the top 10 riders.
Herrin Stays Hot With Provisional Pole At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Josh Herrin Leads Steel Commander Superbike Qualifying 1 In Ultra-Close Afternoon Session
Josh Herrin (2). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
MONTEREY, CA (July 12, 2024) – Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin continued with the hot hand in the MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike series as he stormed to provisional pole position on Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Herrin, the lap record holder at the 2.238-mile course in the hills east of Monterey, lapped at 1:23.827 to better Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier’s best by just .058 of a second. Herrin, who won the second of two races at Ridge Motorsports Park two weeks ago, said his lap record of 1:22.908 will be difficult to top as the track is bumpier than when that record was set in 2018.
TopPro Racing’s Superbike rookie Sean Dylan Kelly continues to impress as he ended the opening day third fastest and just .280 of a second off Herrin’s session leader.
Fourth fastest on Friday was Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne with the three-time and defending series champion turning in a best of 1:24.168 to finish slightly faster than his teammate Cameron Petersen.
Steel Commander Superbike Championship points leader Bobby Fong was sixth fastest on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1 and less than half a second from Herrin.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz was seventh and .552 of a second from his teammate. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach and Paasch’s teammate Xavi Forés rounded out the top 10.
Stock 1000 – Uribe On Top
OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe used all of his home-track knowledge to lead the way in the first of two Stock 1000 qualifying sessions, besting his championship rival Hayden Gillim by .306 of a second.
Uribe lapped at 1:25.733 with Gillim turning in a 1:26.049 with the Californian getting the best of the Kentuckian for the first time in a qualifying session.
Another Californian was third quickest with Motorsport Exotica’s Andrew Lee ending up third on his BMW M 1000 RR. Two more racers were within a second of Uribe with FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith fourth and OrangeCat Racing’s Travis Wyman fifth.
Mission King Of The Baggers – Wyman Down And Up
Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman didn’t let a little crash slow him down as he bounced back from an early-session tipover in turn 11 to earn provisional pole position for the two Mission King Of The Baggers races.
Wyman’s fast lap came late in the session and his 1:28.705 topped RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Rocco Landers by just .122 of a second. Yes, you read that right – Rocco Landers.
Landers continued to gain momentum in his rookie season of Baggers racing and he put that all together to hold the top spot until getting knocked down a peg by Wyman in the closing stages of the session.
Landers’ teammate Hayden Gillim was third fastest, the defending class champion only .190 of a second behind Wyman.
Laguna first-timer Troy Herfoss was fourth fastest on the S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle Challenger, a second slower than Wyman and .2 faster than Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli.
Supersport – Jacobsen Strikes First
The season-long Supersport battle between Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen and Mathew Scholtz resumed at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with Jacobsen striking first in Q1 on Friday afternoon.
But, like all the races held thus far in 2024, the pair weren’t separated by very much.
Jacobsen ripped off a 1:27.031 lap to lead the way over Scholtz, with the South African just .032 of a second adrift of the New Yorker with his 1:27.063. But those two were by no means alone at the top.
N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis was next best, and he was closer to the front than he’s been all year, trailing Jacobsen by just .217 of a second.
TopPro Racing’s Maxi Gerardo ended up fourth quickest with Jacobsen’s teammate Corey Alexander rounding out the top five.
The top nine were all within a second of Jacobsen with Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott, the only rider other than Scholtz or Jacobsen to win a race in 2024, ninth and .990 of a second from the top.
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – West Goes West
Saddlemen Racing/Harley-Davidson’s Cory West saved his best for last in stealing provisional pole position for the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship in the waning moments of the final session of the day at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
West and his Harley-Davidson Pan America lapped at 1:29.624 to snatch pole from his teammate Jake Lewis by .153 of a second.
S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara ended the day third fastest with KWR Harley-Davidson’s Cody Wyman and his teammate Hayden Schultz rounding out the top five.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Josh Herrin shines at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Friday
Sunnyvale, Calif., July 12, 2024 — When you’re hot, you’re hot! That’s exactly how Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin feels after topping the Friday times for the sixth round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Noting the increased confidence and stability that stems from his second year within the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati superbike team, Herrin completed the opening practice session in third place but then rocketed to P1 with a 1:23.827s lap time. Herrin completed a marathon of 36 laps of the legendary 2.23-mile venue over the day.
The result puts Herrin in a provisional pole position. The final grid places for the two 20-lap races will be decided after Qualifying 2 tomorrow morning.
Fellow Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati teamster Loris Baz was also on the pace in California. The Frenchman circulated 27 times around the undulating WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca across the day to finish seventh overall, 0.55s off his teammate Herrin in an incredibly close top 10.
2024 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Superbike Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 1:23.827
P2 – Cameron Beaubier 1:23.885
P3 – Sean Dylan Kelly 1:24.107
P4 – Jake Gagne 1:24.168
P5 – Cameron Petersen 1:24.192
P6 – Bobby Fong 1:24.307
P7 – Loris Baz (Ducati) 1:24.379
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“I’m really happy with that,” Herrin said. “I just feel like everything has been clicking of late. I really like this track but this second year—I’ve been talking it up—but having two years on the same bike and the same team has been a huge help. We have what it takes to not just win but win by five, but 10 seconds or more.
“I’m getting confident again now that we haven’t had as many wet races. Everything is feeling great in the team and it’s really nice being able to put on a show in Ducati North America’s backyard for the fans. The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team is so good to be around, and that makes my job easier when all the pieces fall together.”
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“Today wasn’t as good as the last round at The Ridge, where we had a super good feeling of the bike as today I missed a bit of feeling with the front and a bit of rear grip, but that’s the same for everyone,” Baz said. It’s really tight—we have seven guys within half a second.
“We’ll try to find a better set-up for the front-end. More than anything, I want a bike that will allow me to take different lines and overtake people, so that’s what we’re working towards. I love this track, so we’ll go through the data, improve the bike, and make sure we are in the battle for the win.”
Qualifying 2 for round six of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. PST on Saturday, July 13.
Race one of the Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike class is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. PST on Saturday, July 13, with race two set for 3:10 p.m. PST on Sunday, July 14.
PJ Jacobsen led MotoAmerica Supersport Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna, in Monterey, California. Riding his Rahal Ducati Moto Panigale V2 on spec Dunlop tires, the New York native navigated the 2.2-mile course in 1:27.031 to take provisional pole position.
Mathew Scholtz, the current Championship point leader, was the best of the rest with a 1:27.063 on his Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.
Blake Davis continued his strong performance on Friday with a third-quickest 1:27.248 on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha.
Like Davis, Maxi Gerardo has returned to his early-season form at Laguna Seca and was fourth in Q1 at 1:27.507 on his EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing Suzuki GSX-R750.
Rahal Ducati Moto w/Roller Die + Forming’s Corey Alexander was fifth in the session with a 1:27.735.
Jake Lewis posted the sixth-best lap time, a 1:27.838, on his Altus Motorsports Suzuki.
Stefano Mesa was seventh in the session with a 1:27.923 on his Tytlers Cycle Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R.
David Anthony was in the top five for most of the session but slipped to eighth at 1:27.936 on his Wrench Motorcycles Suzuki.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott finished the session ninth at 1:28.021, just 0.990 second behind Jacobsen.
And Jacobsen’s teammate Kayla Yaakov rounded out the top 10 riders in the tight group with a lap of 1:28.272.
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA
FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2024 | PRACTICE & QUALIFYING 1
MONTEREY, CA., (7.12.2024) – All three riders ended Qualifying 1 at the iconic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in the top 10, with PJ Jacobsen topping the charts, Corey Alexander following in fifth, and Kayla Yaakov rounding out the top 10.
Jacobsen sits on provisional pole after Qualifying 1, and heads into tomorrow’s race looking to close the gap to championship leader Mathew Scholtz, who is currently 28 points ahead.
Yaakov has jumped up to 6th in the championship after a double-podium finish at The Ridge.
Tomorrow’s schedule hosts Qualifying 2 from 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM EST and the green flag will wave for Race 1 at 5:10 PM. Coverage of Race 1 will be available live on MAVTV and streamed at motoamericaliveplus.com.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
PRACTICE: P1 (1:27.477)
QUALIFYING 1: P1 (1:27.031)
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today went really well. I’m on Provisional Pole, which is always a good feeling. We’ll make some changes to try and improve our lap times even further for tomorrow’s qualifying session. We have both groups together tomorrow, which will make it more difficult to find a clean lap, but we’ll try our hardest. Right now we are on Provisional Pole so we just need to keep it up. I’m looking forward to Race 1 tomorrow.”
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 ROLLER DIE + FORMING PANIGALE V2
PRACTICE: P7 (1:28.568)
QUALIFYING 1: P5 (1:27.735)
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was a productive day here at Laguna. The pace was definitely very fast and close up at the front, so to be fifth and as close to the leaders as we are says a lot for where the class is at. We’ll go back to work tonight and try to get a bit more comfortable to find that next step that we’re missing to run with PJ up at the front.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
PRACTICE: P10 (1:29.430)
QUALIFYING 1: P10 (1:28.272)
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Day one was pretty decent. This is one of those tracks that I’ve honestly, never had good luck at, but we’re making it happen step by step. Being within about a second and a half of pole is great. We’re getting closer and closer to the top guys here, which is great, but we’re still struggling with some feeling with the front end. We’re going to try to improve that for tomorrow. I’m super excited to keep improving on the bike and have a good race.”
BEN SPIES
TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a good Friday. PJ being on Provisional Pole is always good. Obviously his times are tight with Mathew like we knew they would be. Corey and Kayla are both riding really well. We have a few changes to the bikes we’ll make tonight that will hopefully find them a little bit of time so they can move up into the top five or top six. We’re looking forward to the race. Laguna is always a special track for everybody. The weather looks really good this week, so hopefully we can put it all together for some good results.”
Ben Young (1) will start this weekend's Superbike races from pole position after topping BS Battery Pole Position qualifying at Atlantic Motorsport Park on Friday. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Young nabs fourth consecutive CSBK pole on Friday at AMP
Shubenacadie, NS – Ben Young continued his impeccable qualifying run on Friday, securing his fourth BS Battery Pole Position in a row to begin the fourth round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship at Atlantic Motorsport Park, presented by Pro Cycle and Canadian Kawasaki.
After starting the opening three rounds from the front of the GP Bikes Pro Superbike grid, Young’s perfect streak of 2024 came under some threat when he encountered a mechanical issue late in FP1, allowing rival Alex Dumas to top the session and carry a bit of extra momentum into Q1.
The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW squad quickly resolved the issue though, and it took Young only three minutes to jump to the front of a scorching-hot Q1 as he leapfrogged Sam Guerin and Jordan Szoke.
The defending champion was safe to rest for the remainder of the session, with the top six of Young, Guerin, Szoke, Dumas, David MacKay, and Mavrick Cyr all within a comfortable range of earning a top-ten spot in Q2.
Sport Bike frontrunners Andrew Van Winkle and Sebastien Tremblay would improve their times enough to later join that group, pushing local favourite John Fraser and star rookie Connor Campbell onto the cut line. However, both would sneak through at the expense of Elliot Vieira in eleventh, setting the top-ten for BS Battery Q2.
It was there where the tactics shifted at the front of the grid, with Sam Guerin and later Alex Dumas trying to tuck in behind Young for a tow around the 2.5 km circuit, though Young quickly wised up to it and backed out of his opening few laps.
That cat-and-mouse game allowed Szoke to take the early lead in Q2, but it was short-lived as Young promptly returned to the front with the first 1:07 lap of the weekend, surpassing it just one lap later with a time of 1:07.702.
The lead quartet would stay in the same order for majority of Q2 before Dumas put in a pair of late flyers with under five minutes to go, climbing to second but still 0.618 seconds behind Young as no one could touch the three-time Canada Cup winner.
“Obviously the races are the focus, but qualifying is such an important part of the weekend so it’s always nice to start at the front,” Young said. “I have a big week coming up [at Suzuka] so I didn’t really want to risk it any more than I did, but we put down a couple good laps and were able to keep the BMW on pole.”
The 17th pole of Young’s career was also enough to clinch the season-long BS Battery Pole Position Award, giving him a 20-point advantage over Szoke with only 20 points remaining and Young owning the tiebreaker.
“That’s really great news. It’s awesome that BS Battery sponsors the series and we’re really happy to have them on board, so it’s a nice award to add heading into the weekend,” Young said.
Dumas would settle for second in his first trip to AMP aboard the Economy Lube Ducati, a result that brought him mixed emotions ahead of race one.
“Most of our qualifying was just about setup, because we’ve really been struggling the last two days,” Dumas admitted. “It’s not pole, but it’s not third or worse, so I’ll take it. The four of us should still be really close and it should be a fun couple of races.”
Completing the front row was Szoke, who avoided the early Q2 antics to put in a strong time all on his own for CKM Kawasaki.
“I saw a bit of a freight train behind Ben, so I just tried to jump in after the queue and put a good lap in,” Szoke said. “Alex managed to squeak by me at the end there, and no one was catching Ben today, but it’s a super close difference between the front four so hopefully we can take advantage of that tomorrow.”
Missing out on a front row spot was Guerin, who ran in the top-three for almost the entire qualifying process before a late crash in Q2 left him relegated to fourth.
The EFC Group BMW rider was thankfully unhurt and should be good to go for race one on Saturday, with the top four separated by less than a second through qualifying.
Completing the top five and centering the second row will be MacKay, who ended both Q1 and Q2 in a strong fifth for ODH Snow City Cycle Honda.
Ending the second row will be rookie sensation Cyr, posting a career-best Superbike effort in just his second weekend with the Economy Lube Ducati program.
Local favourite Fraser could only marginally improve in Q2, putting himself seventh on the grid for his home round aboard the RLS Contracting Suzuki as he tries to make up ground and latch onto the lead group this weekend.
The feature class will now prepare for the first half of their doubleheader at AMP at approximately 3 pm local time (2 pm ET) on Saturday, with Young chasing a fourth victory of the season from pole position.
Full results can be found on the series’ official website.
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