Reg Pridmore was the first AMA Superbike Champion, winning the series for the first three years of its existence: 1976, 1977, and 1978. He helped put BMW motorcycles on the map racing the F750 and R90S. Reg tells his fascinating story from beginnings in the UK of his birth, to his later successes in the USA. All new footage of his BMW F750 hitting the track for the first time after a painstaking restoration reminds us of the skill and daring that Reg brought to early Superbike racing.
Josh Herrin won MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race Two Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R on Dunlop Sportmax Slick control tires, Herrin took the lead, crept away from the field with a consistently fast pace, and won the 16-lap race by 5.063 seconds. It was Herrin’s second win of the season and the 12th Superbike win of his career.
Bobby Fong was fourth on the opening lap but was able to push forward to a second-place finish on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1.
Race One winner Cameron Petersen got off to a strong start in Race Two but said he suffered from arm pump problems and had to settle for third place on his Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha Racing YZF-R1.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz was unable to convert his pole position to a podium finish, but the Frenchman was able to score fourth place.
Sean Dylan Kelly bounced back from a non-point-scoring finish in Race One to grab fifth place on his EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing BMW in Race Two.
Hayden Gillim used a last-lap pass to secure sixth on his Real Steel Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
Xavi Fores ran as high as fifth on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R but fell victim to Kelly and Gillim in the second half of the race and ended up seventh.
Five-time Champion Cameron Beaubier, who is still recovering from a broken right heel, crossed the finish line 0.199 second behind Fores and collected eighth-place points.
Three-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne ran fifth in the early laps but slipped back to eventually finish ninth.
Fores’ teammate Brandon Paasch passed Beaubier’s teammate JD Beach on the last lap to grab 10th.
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More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Herrin Wins, Superbike Title Chase Features Four At The Top
Four Riders Are Within Eight Points Of The MotoAmerica Steel Commander
Superbike Championship Points Lead
SHELTON, WA (June 30, 2024) – Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin won his second Steel Commander Superbike race of the season on Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park, and it vaulted him into championship contention in what is arguably the closest Superbike Championship in AMA history at this point in the season.
After two races at Ridge Motorsports Park, four riders are separated by just eight points and there’s just a single point between first and second, making it anybody’s game with a two-week break before the series returns at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, July 12-14.
Herrin won his second race of the year in typical Herrin fashion. He got out front early, made a gap and held it, crossing the line with a tick over five seconds in hand. In addition to being his second win of the year, it was also his sixth podium of the year and his 12th career AMA Superbike victory.
Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong worked his way to second place with 11 laps to go when he passed Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen. Fong set sail after Herrin and was able to pull back some ground but was never close enough to threaten.
However, second place on the day was enough to move Fong back into the lead in the 2024 Steel Commander Superbike Championship points lead after losing it in what was a rainy debacle for the Californian on Saturday.
Third place went to Petersen, a day after the South African won his third race of the season on Saturday. Petersen was some four seconds behind Fong and another four some seconds clear of Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz. His two podiums in the two races put him squarely in the hunt for the title.
Fifth place went to a rather lonely Sean Dylan Kelly on the TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim was an impressive sixth on his Stock 1000-spec Honda CBR1000RR-R SP after barely beating Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Xavi Forés with the Spaniard finishing seventh.
Five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier rode through the pain of his surgically repaired broken right heel to finish just off the back of Forés and seven seconds clear of three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne with the latter still struggling mightily with arm pump.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch rounded out the top 10 finishers.
About that championship we were talking about earlier. How’s this for close? Fong leads Gagne by a single point, 158-157. Petersen is next with 151 and Herrin is fourth with 149, and that all translates to the fact that the top four in the championship point standings are separated by just eight points.
Superbike Race Two
Quotes
Josh Herrin – Winner
“Obviously, I wish I was further ahead and didn’t do so bad in all four of the rain races we had, but it’s exactly what the championship needs with a fight like this with a bunch of different manufacturers. So, I’m excited for that, especially since Laguna Seca is all of our home rounds. So, it’s going to be a lot of our family there cheering us on. It should be an exciting weekend. Race went great. Tires were great. Everything just clicked today, just like Road America. Like I said all year, we knew Barber was difficult, but every other race we’ve been right there with the exception of the rain. Maybe Dunlop will let us go use the rain track for the end of the year and try to get a little bit better. It’s mainly my fault with all the stupid choices I’ve made with tires the last couple years, running slicks in the rain. I’m just happy to be up here, happy to claw back in the points again. This is the closest we’ve been all year. Thank you to my entire team. Really excited to go to Laguna, not just for the race but Ducati DRE on Monday and hang out with all the Ducati fans and riders. Can’t wait to see you there.”
Bobby Fong – Second Place
“Like Josh said earlier, I need to capitalize on these rain races. I’ve done terrible, and it’s all on me. It’s something that I need to work on. To win this championship, you can’t just be getting 10th in the rain races. I’ve got to do better. That’s plain and simple. I’ve got to do better. But today was great. We rode good. I felt like the bike was quite good. We tried a new swingarm this morning and I was really unsure of it. I’m still unsure of it, but it worked great. We’re always pretty strong at the end of these races. The class is so tight now, you’ve got to qualify on front row to do something, unless you have crazy outright speed. Everybody is so close. When you’re trying to make your way up to Josh (Herrin), it’s basically too late. It’s like World Superbike nowadays. You got to qualify good, like MotoGP. I need to work on my qualifying. I’ve been struggling in qualifying a little bit. What can I say? We’ve got the points lead, but there’s still a lot of races to go. Each weekend, there’s a dogfight up front. You never know what’s going to happen. We’re all on the limit, so anybody can make a mistake. We’re just going to try to stay consistent.”
Cameron Petersen – Third Place
“Yeah, great weekend. Can’t complain with two podiums. The only reason why I’m a little bit frustrated was just we had a bike that was capable of winning both races. The bike felt really good in the beginning. I felt comfortable. Even when Josh (Herrin) came past me I felt like I had a really good rhythm and pace. Was just losing a little bit in the last sector. I was really good everywhere else. About halfway through the race, my left arm just completely locked up. My hand came off the handlebar a few times. It got a little bit scary out there. Just super stoked at the weekend. Like you said, points are close. So, overall, a great weekend. We learned a bunch this weekend and look forward to the rest of the season. Congrats to Josh (Herrin) and Bob (Fong). They rode an incredible race. I think it’s going to be a dogfight for the rest of the season every race we go to, so I’m looking forward to it.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Josh Herrin Hammers a Dominant Win in Race Two at The Ridge
Sunnyvale, Calif., June 30, 2024 — Josh Herrin showed his love affair with The Ridge Motorsports Park by taking a dominant win in race two of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
The race two win marks the third consecutive year Herrin has tasted victory, and the fourth year in a row he has stood on the podium at The Ridge. It also means Herrin now lies only nine points off the championship lead.
The result on Sunday more than made up for the result of race one, where tricky wet/dry conditions meant tire choice was a make-or-break gamble. Herrin and teammate Loris Baz both elected to run slicks, which ultimately proved the incorrect move, with Herrin taking 11th and Baz ninth.
In race two, Herrin got to the front early after disposing of race leader Cameron Petersen and set about lapping at a metronomic pace, posting the fastest lap and eventually coming home five seconds clear of Bobby Fong.
Loris Baz rode brilliantly all weekend. The Frenchman took his first-ever MotoAmerica Superbike pole position and his inspired ninth place in race one made him the first slick-shod rider home.
Race two saw Baz in the fight for the podium early in the 16-lap encounter, but he finally had to settle for fourth at the flag and bagged 13 championship points.
2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship After Round Five
P1 – Bobby Fong 158
P2 – Jake Gagne 157
P3 – Cameron Petersen 151
P4 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 149
P5 – Loris Baz (Ducati) 122
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“I’d like to say it was a great weekend, but it certainly was a great day,” Herrin said after winning race two. “Saturday, we lost out due to an incorrect tire selection. It was a gamble, and it didn’t pay off. It happens in racing sometimes.”
“But the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team rebounded big time today—and the bike was awesome. The team has been working hard to nail the right set-up and we got it right for the race today. I’m so happy with how the weekend finished. Next up is Laguna Seca, not just for the MotoAmerica Superbike races but also for the DRE (Ducati Rider Experience) day on Monday. I can’t wait to get there and ride with all the Ducatisti.”
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“I want to keep the positive of the weekend,” said Baz after race two. “First, I want to congratulate Josh. He rode a fantastic race today. On my side of the garage, it was a good weekend. I took my first MotoAmerica pole position, but we got caught out with the tire selection in race one, so that was a shame.
“Today I was really confident going into the race. We had a few issues with the front set-up, and I was trying to over-compensate in some areas. I still have a bit of work to do to make sure I can be as competitive over the race distance as I am in qualifying, but we are making huge steps every weekend. The team is working really well and we’re off to Laguna Seca next, which is a place I absolutely love.”
The fifth round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship sees the series head to one of the premier events in the calendar at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in California over the July 10-12 weekend.
Mathew Scholtz won MotoAmerica Supersport Race Two Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Riding his Strack Racing Yamaha on Dunlop spec tires, the South African came from behind to win the 15-lap race by 8.530 seconds.
Scholtz was coming back from a slow start when he caught and tried to overtake PJ Jacobsen, who had led from the start on his Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL Panigale V2.
Scholtz slipped up the inside of Jacobsen in a decreasing radius left-hander, the two made light contact, and Jacobsen fell down. Scholtz rode on to his fourth straight victory and sixth of the season, while Jacobsen was forced to retire.
Jacobsen’s teammate Kayla Yaakov came out on top of a race-long battle to grab the runner-up spot. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott finished third, 0.214 second behind Yaakov and just 0.295 second ahead of Corey Alexander and his Rahal Ducati Moto w/Code 3 Associates machine.
Wrench Motorcycles Suzuki’s David Anthony edged out N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha’s Blake Davis by 0.073 second to finish fifth.
Updated: Following the race, a protest was filed by PJ Jacobsen’s Rahal Ducati Moto team against Mathew Scholtz. A FIMNA Stewards Panel ruled that both Scholtz and PJ Jacobsen shared some responsibility in the incident, but Scholtz was accessed a three-second penalty which changed nothing but Scholtz’s margin of victory. See the official FIMNA ruling below.
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More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Gillim Miscues, Uribe Wins In Ridge Stock 1000 Battle At Ridge Motorsports Park
High Drama In Supersport As Top Two Riders Come Together
SHELTON, WA (June 30, 2024) – Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim made his second mistake of the season in Sunday’s Stock 1000 at Ridge Motorsports Park and it was again a double whammy as it not only cost him victory and championship points, but it also handed a second victory to his thus-far series rival Jayson Uribe.
OrangeCat Racing’s Uribe was hot on Gillim’s tail when the defending MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion crashed in turn 14 on the fourth lap with the pursuing pack of Uribe, Benjamin Smith and Ashton Yates zooming past. By the time Hayden remounted he was 14th and had some work to do.
With Uribe pulling away to an eventual 9.7-second win over FLO4LAW Racing’s Smith and Jones’ Honda’s Yates, Gillim set about gaining as many points back as possible. At the completion of the 13-lap race, the Kentuckian was up to fourth place.
However, Gillim went straight after the finish line and didn’t make the turn-one chicane and was thus handed a two-second penalty, which gifted fourth to Visit Indiana/Tom Wood Powersports’ Nolan Lampkin and fifth to AMD Motorsport RK Racing’s Richard Kerr, the last two riders Gillim had passed prior to the finish line.
That put Gillim sixth and cut his championship points lead over Uribe to six points after six races.
BPR Racing’s Bryce Prince, OrangeCat Racing’s Travis Wyman, Team Brazil’s Danilo Lewis and Prince’s BPR Racing teammate Deion Campbell rounded out the top 10.
“It’s always a bummer when you see someone else crash, but the biggest thing for me was getting a better start and being able to be there in the beginning,” Uribe said. “Yesterday I gave myself a little bit too much to work towards. I think that it could have been possible, but I was taking a lot of risks just to keep up. Today we kind of came out with a new plan to just be there, be aggressive, be rough. I feel like we were pretty good at doing that at the start. Like you said, when Hayden went down, it was a bummer but for me it was a realization of, ‘Now I need to conserve. Now I need to stop pushing so hard and save the tire, save the bike, save my body.’ That’s really what I tried to do. I caught a false neutral going into 14 one of those laps and it made me pretty nervous. I thought for sure someone was going to come up the inside. Luckily, we were able to get it back into gear. That OrangeCat BMW was running really good. Kind of like what everybody else was saying. All these bikes have strong points and weak points. I feel like the BMW is really good on the brakes. I can really push that thing going into corners. The biggest thing for us is just being able to get power to the ground on the exit. We’re working on it. We’re working every time we get on that bike to try something new and improve. It’s going good.”
Supersport – Scholtz Wins With High Drama
Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz won his sixth Supersport race of the season at Ridge Motorsports Park, but this was the first one that came with a big dose of drama.
Scholtz had finally caught up to the fast-starting PJ Jacobsen on the Rahal Ducati Moto Panigale V2 with two laps to go. The South African then made an inside move on the New Yorker and it didn’t end well. The two came together and Jacobsen went down, ending his run of finishing on the podium in all the nine previous races.
Jacobsen obviously wasn’t happy with the outcome as the championship was turned on its head. Scholtz went from having a three-point lead to what is now a 28-point lead.
Jacobsen got a flier of a start and instantly put his head down. Scholtz, meanwhile, had a slower start and had work to do to get to second. Once he did, he started to run the New Yorker down. With five to go, the two were together. With two to go, the accident happened, and it was called a racing incident by race control.
It takes a lot to overshadow Kayla Yaakov, but her teammate’s crash did just that. Yaakov raced to her best-career Supersport finish of second, just a day after she finished third. Quite a weekend for the 17-year-old Pennsylvanian.
Yaakov had come out best in a battle with Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott that went to the finish line with Yaakov .214 of a second ahead at the finish line. Meanwhile, her teammate Corey Alexander was just as close in fourth place.
Wrench Motorcycles’ David Anthony had his best finish of the year in fifth.
When asked about the racing incident with Jacobsen, Scholtz said “I thought that I made the move pretty clean past him and ran slightly wider than you would usually do. But I feel that he just tipped in and knew that I was there and carried on turning and hit the side of my foot peg. I felt him there, but I carried on turning and I looked back and I saw that he had crashed. Obviously, that’s not something I want, but I feel that I got to the point of making the pass fair and he should have given me room. But I think that if you’re on their side, they’re going to say that I was wrong. I feel that maybe PJ was slightly wrong. So, we’ll just take it as a 50/50. But overall, I feel that I definitely had the pace and just really happy to pull the championship lead a little bit further. Looking forward to the next couple rounds. Laguna Seca is one of my favorite tracks. Myself and PJ had a massive battle there last year on the Superbikes, so I’m sure we’ll do the same thing there.”
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – Lewis!
Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson’s Jake Lewis did what everyone has been waiting for him to do on Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park – he won a round of the Super Hooligan National Championship on his Harley-Davidson Pan America.
Always thought of as the fastest guy in the class to have not yet won, Lewis made good on the promise he’s shown by storming into the lead and pulling away to win by a tick over two seconds. And that’s with a final-lap blunder that put him off track momentarily.
Lewis’s victory helped make up for his first-lap crash in wet conditions in Saturday’s race.
Lewis beat S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara with the defending series champion earning his second podium of the weekend and this one put him atop the championship standings after two rounds and four races.
Third place went to Lewis’s teammate Cory West, who also made up for his crash from the lead in yesterday’s wet race.
O’Hara’s teammate Troy Herfoss ended up fourth after a race-long battle with KWR’s Hayden Schultz.
“I’m two for four on Hooligan finishes,” Lewis said. “Last night I was just so pissed off and bummed. Both Cory and I. It just feels really bad. It feels like you let your team down doing that. Especially me on the first lap. I felt good during the little warmup before the rain race and then, first lap, just threw it on my head and didn’t get any points. Now it’s kind of do or die for me. It’s like my only chance is to try to go out there and win every single Hooligan race. I put in some good, consistent laps this morning and we changed a little bit of setup stuff from yesterday qualifying, and it was a better direction, and it made it even a little bit better for the race. I saw Cory struggling in a couple little spots and felt TO come up my inside there at a couple spots. I thought he was going to stuff me, but I think he played it a little bit nice. I knew once I got by Cory just to put it in first, especially that first lap, two or three good, hard sprint laps, which I did. My lap time was quite a bit faster than I qualified. Then I looked over and saw I had a little gap on TO and just kind of maintained that. But then on that last lap, that lapper, it was just my fault. He broke a lot deeper than I thought he would, and I kind of missed my brake marker and ran off the track. Luckily I had a big lead.”
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – Another Record For Moore
Mikayla Moore said after her victory on Saturday that she uses lap times for part of her motivation. Her best lap time was a 2:02.801. On Sunday she went even faster, setting a new lap record with her 2:02.683 on the sixth lap to set the bar is even higher for the next wave of Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. racers. Oh, and she also won. By 44 seconds.
The win was Moore’s fifth of the year.
Second place today went to Lauren Prince, the Nashville, Tennessee, resident earning her first MotoAmerica podium a day after crashing on the sighting lap with a cold front tire. Even today wasn’t easy on Prince as her rear tire warmer got stuck and she was forced to start from the back of the pack.
Aubrey Credaroli rounded out the top three with her first podium finish of the season.
“Yesterday I did a 2:02.8 and if I rounded up the numbers, that’s technically still a 2:03,” Moore commented. “So, I was like, I wanted more. I talked with the K Tech guys and they suggested a lot of things that I was nervous about, because I had already done my warmup lap. So, it was really about trusting myself and the bike that I’ll be able to accomplish my goal. I was super happy I was able to do it on the seventh lap. I just kept watching myself drop time. To be able to do the 2:02.3, super happy. I wanted to go for that 2:01, but hey, I’m happy with the 2:02. I exceeded my expectations, like I always do. Super happy to be here.”
Jayson Uribe won MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Race Two Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Riding his OrangeCat Racing BMW M 1000 RR, Uribe took the lead on lap three of 13 and pulled away to win by 9.744 seconds.
Benjamin Smith was the runner-up on his FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, and Ashton Yates completed the podium finishers in third place on his Jones Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
Defending Champion Hayden Gillim got the holeshot, but crashed out of the lead on lap three. Gillim picked up his Real Steel Motorsports Honda, finished lap three in 14th, and then went on a charge that culminated in him crossing the finish line fourth. However, after the race Gillim was given a two-second penalty for a “track cut” at the chicane which dropped him to sixth.
Visit Indiana/Tom Wood Powersports BMW’s Nolan Lamkin and AMD Motorsport RK Racing Honda’s Richard Kerr took fourth and fifth, respectively.
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Jake Lewis won MotoAmerica RSD Mission Super Hooligan Race Two Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Lewis took the lead from his Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson teammate Cory West in the early going and pulled away to win the eight-lap race by 2.004 seconds on his Dunlop-shod Pan America.
Defending Champion Tyler O’Hara also got past West but he couldn’t gain any ground on Lewis and had to settle for a second-place finish on his S&S Indian FTR 1200. That allowed O’Hara to take over the Championship point lead.
West said he suffered from front-end chatter, but he had enough pace to hang on and get third.
O’Hara’s teammate Troy Herfoss came home fourth, just behind West and only 0.122 second ahead of KWR Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Schultz.
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Mikayla Moore won MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Race Two Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Riding a Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 on Dunlop control tires, Moore broke her own lap lap record with a 2:02.327 on her way to winning the eight-lap race by over 44 seconds.
Lauren Prince missed the sighting lap and had to start the race from pit lane, but she was able to come through the field and finish second.
Aubrey Credarolli used a last-lap pass to earn the third and final spot on the podium.
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More, from a press release issued by Red Bull:
Marco Morelli unpassable in Assen Rookies Race 2
After the red-hot Race 1 on Saturday, the Dutch clouds cooled the Assen track surface for Sunday afternoon and perhaps that helped Marco Morelli inspire a record pace and a superb victory. The Argentine can celebrate his 17th birthday on Wednesday in great style after his second win of the season.
A wonderful turn-around from his first lap crash yesterday and a superb demonstration of skill and consistency over 15 laps, 13.695 seconds quicker than Saturday’s race. Álvaro Carpe, the 17-year-old Spaniard chased him across the line (2nd) with 16-year-old Finn Rico Salmela (3rd).
6 KTMs had broken away from the field, towed by Morelli at a pace faster than Qualifying. At the finish, the rest of the field was 15 seconds behind, the same riders who had all finished in the lead pack on Saturday.
That 6 put on a thrilling, on-the-limit-at-every-corner, display. On the final lap, Saturday’s winner Brian Uriarte and 3rd place man Valentin Perrone both almost crashed as they tried to better Morelli.
Morelli’s perfect race
“Super good, I knew that I could do it, I feel that at all the tracks I am fast, I can be fast alone or with a group. So when I had the crash yesterday I was thinking, yes I am sad but tomorrow is another opportunity.”
“The group was much smaller, less overtaking less battles, less crazy people. All the race I pushed, and on the last lap I pushed more, I almost touched the green twice on the final lap and I was thinking, ‘oh, oh, oh.”
“At the last chicane, I braked absolutely as late as possible and I took victory. I think this is better than the win at the start of the year in Jerez. I dedicate it to my Dad and his birthday plus the little boss of my Junior Team Macauley Webb and also for me,” he grinned.
Carpe right there
“The race was so fast with Marco leading. Not too many overtakes, the group was smaller, the race was faster. The bike was more on the limit, tyres, bike, everything.”
“I was studying Marco to see if I could pass him on the last lap but had a small problem in Turn 5 coming out onto the straight and they all passed me. I pushed and coming back to the final corners I got to 3rd. Then Valentine made a save and I overtook for 2nd. I was trying to catch Marco and brake later in the last chicane but he was a bit too far.”.
Salmela on the limit
“It was a really difficult race, Marco was fast, I was struggling a lot, pushing hard and on the limit, more than yesterday, I could follow but I didn’t feel super confident with the front to try and overtake.”
“In the last lap, the plan was to pass a few riders but I had some chatter and ran wide. Then in the final fast left something happened and they gave me the opportunity, I took it.”
Uriarte went for it
“I got back with the group for the final lap,” explained the Spanish 15-year-old Cup points leader. “But in the fast chicane just before the final fast left I hit the rev limiter and couldn’t overtake. Then I went super hard into that last left and I tucked the front a little bit, also I saw Valentine tucking the front and I had to release the gas, everyone passed on the inside. I had calculated to pass Valentine and in the last corner Marco but it didn’t turn out, sometimes you learn and P4 has to be enough.
Perrone went even harder
“Marco made an amazing race, every lap, pushing and pushing like crazy. I have to give him congrats,” smiled the Argentine 16-year-old. “In the last lap, I overtook Carpe and Brian and was P2. In the last fast left, I tried to overtake Marco and win but lost the front. I did a massive save and P5 is not so bad, good points for the championship and we’ll continue like this.”
Ruche Moodley hung on for 6th
“The pace was really fast today,” said the South African 17-year-old. “I think today I made a better race than yesterday because today I think I did everything I could have done. I was battling with Brian, I made a block pass and we lost the group. I couldn’t catch the group after that, the pace was quicker than Qualifying.”
Francesco Bagnaia’s win at the Motul TT Assen wasn’t just his third in a row at the track, but it was his fifth straight win. He has won the last three Grand Prix races and the last two Sprint races. Only a silly mistake in Barcelona where he crashed out of the lead of the Sprint race prevented him from notching up six straight wins. “We are very, very strong right now,” Bagnaia said in the post-race news conference. Announcements in recent days about he dramatic changes in store for Ducati in 2025 – losing two race-winning riders, losing a team, putting Marc Marquez on the factory squad – did little to faze Bagnaia, he said, adding that he’s quite content to not be the subject of conversation and speculation.
Results from the warm-up sessions Sunday morning at the MotoAmerica Superbikes At The Ridge event at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington.
Francesco Bagnaia shot to the front, pulled a half a second on the field in a lap and was never headed en route to the MotoGP win at the Motul TT Assen.
World Championship leader Jorge Martin overcame a grid penalty and was in second by the end of the first lap, but he was never close to Bagnaia, took second and protected his points lead.
Bagnaia’s teammate, Enea Bastianini, came from deep in the field to snatch third, ahead of a fierce battle for fourth between Marc Marquez, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Maverick Vinales.
Martin led Bagnaia 200-190 in the World Championship points chase, with Marc Marquez third with 149.
Update: Following the race, Marc Marquez received a 16-second time penalty for improper tire pressure, dropping him from fourth to 10th. The revised race results are below and the original race results are below that. At post time, Dorna had not yet issued revised World Championship point standings.
Session for NED MotoGP RAC
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Hat-trick hero: Bagnaia retains Assen crown ahead of Martin, penalty for Marquez
It’s now 10 points in it at the top of the table and a little further back to #MM93 after a tyre pressure penalty sees the eight-time World Champion classified tenth
Sunday, 30 June 2024
Francesco Bagnaia’s Motul TT Assen couldn’t have been better. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider did the double from pole, with a Sunday masterclass cutting the Championship deficit to just 10 points as Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) was forced to follow him home and focus on limiting the damage. Bagnaia is the first rider to win three successive MotoGP™️ Grand Prix races in a single season since he did it in 2022 with four in a row from Assen to Misano, it’s his third win in a row at the TT Circuit Assen, and he equals Casey Stoner’s 23 wins with Ducati to tie the MotoGP™ Legend as the two most successful riders with the Borgo Panigale factory. All that said, Martin will now look to use his right of reply in Germany.
Meanwhile, Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) charged up from a tougher qualifying to complete the podium, denying Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing). Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was also denied after crossing the line in fourth, with a tyre pressure penalty dropping him to P10.
As the lights went out, Bagnaia nailed the start to take the holeshot, with Viñales just holding onto second to deny Martin. Still, the #89 launched it to near perfection from his P5 after that three-place penalty, and soon enough he did get it done to take over in second. Marc Marquez, meanwhile, was on the march and soon put his own moves on Viñales to slot into third.
That duo stayed glued together as the battle behind was hotting up. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) had shot up past front-row starter Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), but soon it was Di Giannantonio on the move, and he made it past Acosta at Turn 1, caught the Marquez-Viñales duo and then pounced on the Aprilia at the final chicane. Next up: #MM93.
By 19 to go, the yellow flash of the VR46 machine went past, but with Marquez also seeming to gesture at the Italian and make it a little easier for him too. Expecting to have been in a group fight and set up for it? Wanting a reference to follow? Either way, the two Ducatis stayed close together, with Viñales on their tail and Acosta on his. Lap by lap, however, Bastianini was cutting the deficit to the podium battle.
He made it past the rookie by nine to go, and a lap later the group shuffled again. Diggia was wide, Marc Marquez didn’t seem to want to take advantage, and Viñales shot past both. Bastianini was then right on that trio once again, and by seven to go was past Diggia. A lap later he did a near carbon copy on Marquez to take over in fourth, with a bit of a closer racing kiss for the #93, who headed wide but recovered it in time to keep Di Giannantonio at bay. At the time, anyway, before the two started duelling, Acosta got involved once more, and it looked like Viñales and Bastianini had disappeared up the road. But not so.
At the final chicane, the ‘Beast’ struck for the podium and got past Viñales with four full laps remaining, and from there the group couldn’t quite stay with him. By the penultimate lap it then looked like a Viñales-Marquez duel for the podium, but there was still drama to come.
On the final lap, Acosta slid out at Turn 7, and then Viñales headed just wide enough to allow Marquez through, leaving it an Aprilia-VR46 drag to the line for fifth instead. But when all is judged and confirmed, Viñales was forced to drop one position due to exceeding track limits at the chicane, promoting Diggia to fifth, and then the tyre pressure penalty for Marquez saw the #93 drop to P10.
When the dust settles, Bagnaia’s masterclass puts the cherry on top of a weekend that saw him top every session bar Warm Up, but Martin took a valuable second. Bastianini takes back-to-back podiums to recover from a P10 qualifying, and it’s Diggia classified fourth ahead of Viñales, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) taking P6 after a quiet but valuable ride. Alex Marquez takes P7 ahead of a solid result for Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) in eighth, with Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) next up ahead of the #93 completing the top ten. Check out the full results below.
Unfortunately, one piece of tougher news on the grid was for Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), who suffered a big crash at Turn 1 and was declared unfit for a right wrist fracture.
Now, the paddock heads for Germany. It’s ten points in it, a venue we’ve seen Martin deny Bagnaia before… and some of the most successful turf Marc Marquez has ever raced. Will the number 93 be able to find that form at one of his true signature tracks, or do his rivals have a statement of their own up their sleeves? Join us next weekend to find out!
Reg Pridmore was the first AMA Superbike Champion, winning the series for the first three years of its existence: 1976, 1977, and 1978. He helped put BMW motorcycles on the map racing the F750 and R90S. Reg tells his fascinating story from beginnings in the UK of his birth, to his later successes in the USA. All new footage of his BMW F750 hitting the track for the first time after a painstaking restoration reminds us of the skill and daring that Reg brought to early Superbike racing.
Josh Herrin won MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race Two Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R on Dunlop Sportmax Slick control tires, Herrin took the lead, crept away from the field with a consistently fast pace, and won the 16-lap race by 5.063 seconds. It was Herrin’s second win of the season and the 12th Superbike win of his career.
Bobby Fong was fourth on the opening lap but was able to push forward to a second-place finish on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1.
Race One winner Cameron Petersen got off to a strong start in Race Two but said he suffered from arm pump problems and had to settle for third place on his Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha Racing YZF-R1.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz was unable to convert his pole position to a podium finish, but the Frenchman was able to score fourth place.
Sean Dylan Kelly bounced back from a non-point-scoring finish in Race One to grab fifth place on his EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing BMW in Race Two.
Hayden Gillim used a last-lap pass to secure sixth on his Real Steel Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
Xavi Fores ran as high as fifth on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R but fell victim to Kelly and Gillim in the second half of the race and ended up seventh.
Five-time Champion Cameron Beaubier, who is still recovering from a broken right heel, crossed the finish line 0.199 second behind Fores and collected eighth-place points.
Three-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne ran fifth in the early laps but slipped back to eventually finish ninth.
Fores’ teammate Brandon Paasch passed Beaubier’s teammate JD Beach on the last lap to grab 10th.
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More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Herrin Wins, Superbike Title Chase Features Four At The Top
Four Riders Are Within Eight Points Of The MotoAmerica Steel Commander
Superbike Championship Points Lead
SHELTON, WA (June 30, 2024) – Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin won his second Steel Commander Superbike race of the season on Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park, and it vaulted him into championship contention in what is arguably the closest Superbike Championship in AMA history at this point in the season.
After two races at Ridge Motorsports Park, four riders are separated by just eight points and there’s just a single point between first and second, making it anybody’s game with a two-week break before the series returns at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, July 12-14.
Herrin won his second race of the year in typical Herrin fashion. He got out front early, made a gap and held it, crossing the line with a tick over five seconds in hand. In addition to being his second win of the year, it was also his sixth podium of the year and his 12th career AMA Superbike victory.
Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong worked his way to second place with 11 laps to go when he passed Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen. Fong set sail after Herrin and was able to pull back some ground but was never close enough to threaten.
However, second place on the day was enough to move Fong back into the lead in the 2024 Steel Commander Superbike Championship points lead after losing it in what was a rainy debacle for the Californian on Saturday.
Third place went to Petersen, a day after the South African won his third race of the season on Saturday. Petersen was some four seconds behind Fong and another four some seconds clear of Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz. His two podiums in the two races put him squarely in the hunt for the title.
Fifth place went to a rather lonely Sean Dylan Kelly on the TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim was an impressive sixth on his Stock 1000-spec Honda CBR1000RR-R SP after barely beating Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Xavi Forés with the Spaniard finishing seventh.
Five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier rode through the pain of his surgically repaired broken right heel to finish just off the back of Forés and seven seconds clear of three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne with the latter still struggling mightily with arm pump.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch rounded out the top 10 finishers.
About that championship we were talking about earlier. How’s this for close? Fong leads Gagne by a single point, 158-157. Petersen is next with 151 and Herrin is fourth with 149, and that all translates to the fact that the top four in the championship point standings are separated by just eight points.
Superbike Race Two
Quotes
Josh Herrin – Winner
“Obviously, I wish I was further ahead and didn’t do so bad in all four of the rain races we had, but it’s exactly what the championship needs with a fight like this with a bunch of different manufacturers. So, I’m excited for that, especially since Laguna Seca is all of our home rounds. So, it’s going to be a lot of our family there cheering us on. It should be an exciting weekend. Race went great. Tires were great. Everything just clicked today, just like Road America. Like I said all year, we knew Barber was difficult, but every other race we’ve been right there with the exception of the rain. Maybe Dunlop will let us go use the rain track for the end of the year and try to get a little bit better. It’s mainly my fault with all the stupid choices I’ve made with tires the last couple years, running slicks in the rain. I’m just happy to be up here, happy to claw back in the points again. This is the closest we’ve been all year. Thank you to my entire team. Really excited to go to Laguna, not just for the race but Ducati DRE on Monday and hang out with all the Ducati fans and riders. Can’t wait to see you there.”
Bobby Fong – Second Place
“Like Josh said earlier, I need to capitalize on these rain races. I’ve done terrible, and it’s all on me. It’s something that I need to work on. To win this championship, you can’t just be getting 10th in the rain races. I’ve got to do better. That’s plain and simple. I’ve got to do better. But today was great. We rode good. I felt like the bike was quite good. We tried a new swingarm this morning and I was really unsure of it. I’m still unsure of it, but it worked great. We’re always pretty strong at the end of these races. The class is so tight now, you’ve got to qualify on front row to do something, unless you have crazy outright speed. Everybody is so close. When you’re trying to make your way up to Josh (Herrin), it’s basically too late. It’s like World Superbike nowadays. You got to qualify good, like MotoGP. I need to work on my qualifying. I’ve been struggling in qualifying a little bit. What can I say? We’ve got the points lead, but there’s still a lot of races to go. Each weekend, there’s a dogfight up front. You never know what’s going to happen. We’re all on the limit, so anybody can make a mistake. We’re just going to try to stay consistent.”
Cameron Petersen – Third Place
“Yeah, great weekend. Can’t complain with two podiums. The only reason why I’m a little bit frustrated was just we had a bike that was capable of winning both races. The bike felt really good in the beginning. I felt comfortable. Even when Josh (Herrin) came past me I felt like I had a really good rhythm and pace. Was just losing a little bit in the last sector. I was really good everywhere else. About halfway through the race, my left arm just completely locked up. My hand came off the handlebar a few times. It got a little bit scary out there. Just super stoked at the weekend. Like you said, points are close. So, overall, a great weekend. We learned a bunch this weekend and look forward to the rest of the season. Congrats to Josh (Herrin) and Bob (Fong). They rode an incredible race. I think it’s going to be a dogfight for the rest of the season every race we go to, so I’m looking forward to it.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Josh Herrin Hammers a Dominant Win in Race Two at The Ridge
Sunnyvale, Calif., June 30, 2024 — Josh Herrin showed his love affair with The Ridge Motorsports Park by taking a dominant win in race two of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
The race two win marks the third consecutive year Herrin has tasted victory, and the fourth year in a row he has stood on the podium at The Ridge. It also means Herrin now lies only nine points off the championship lead.
The result on Sunday more than made up for the result of race one, where tricky wet/dry conditions meant tire choice was a make-or-break gamble. Herrin and teammate Loris Baz both elected to run slicks, which ultimately proved the incorrect move, with Herrin taking 11th and Baz ninth.
In race two, Herrin got to the front early after disposing of race leader Cameron Petersen and set about lapping at a metronomic pace, posting the fastest lap and eventually coming home five seconds clear of Bobby Fong.
Loris Baz rode brilliantly all weekend. The Frenchman took his first-ever MotoAmerica Superbike pole position and his inspired ninth place in race one made him the first slick-shod rider home.
Race two saw Baz in the fight for the podium early in the 16-lap encounter, but he finally had to settle for fourth at the flag and bagged 13 championship points.
2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship After Round Five
P1 – Bobby Fong 158
P2 – Jake Gagne 157
P3 – Cameron Petersen 151
P4 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 149
P5 – Loris Baz (Ducati) 122
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“I’d like to say it was a great weekend, but it certainly was a great day,” Herrin said after winning race two. “Saturday, we lost out due to an incorrect tire selection. It was a gamble, and it didn’t pay off. It happens in racing sometimes.”
“But the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team rebounded big time today—and the bike was awesome. The team has been working hard to nail the right set-up and we got it right for the race today. I’m so happy with how the weekend finished. Next up is Laguna Seca, not just for the MotoAmerica Superbike races but also for the DRE (Ducati Rider Experience) day on Monday. I can’t wait to get there and ride with all the Ducatisti.”
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“I want to keep the positive of the weekend,” said Baz after race two. “First, I want to congratulate Josh. He rode a fantastic race today. On my side of the garage, it was a good weekend. I took my first MotoAmerica pole position, but we got caught out with the tire selection in race one, so that was a shame.
“Today I was really confident going into the race. We had a few issues with the front set-up, and I was trying to over-compensate in some areas. I still have a bit of work to do to make sure I can be as competitive over the race distance as I am in qualifying, but we are making huge steps every weekend. The team is working really well and we’re off to Laguna Seca next, which is a place I absolutely love.”
The fifth round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship sees the series head to one of the premier events in the calendar at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in California over the July 10-12 weekend.
Mathew Scholtz won MotoAmerica Supersport Race Two Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Riding his Strack Racing Yamaha on Dunlop spec tires, the South African came from behind to win the 15-lap race by 8.530 seconds.
Scholtz was coming back from a slow start when he caught and tried to overtake PJ Jacobsen, who had led from the start on his Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL Panigale V2.
Scholtz slipped up the inside of Jacobsen in a decreasing radius left-hander, the two made light contact, and Jacobsen fell down. Scholtz rode on to his fourth straight victory and sixth of the season, while Jacobsen was forced to retire.
Jacobsen’s teammate Kayla Yaakov came out on top of a race-long battle to grab the runner-up spot. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott finished third, 0.214 second behind Yaakov and just 0.295 second ahead of Corey Alexander and his Rahal Ducati Moto w/Code 3 Associates machine.
Wrench Motorcycles Suzuki’s David Anthony edged out N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha’s Blake Davis by 0.073 second to finish fifth.
Updated: Following the race, a protest was filed by PJ Jacobsen’s Rahal Ducati Moto team against Mathew Scholtz. A FIMNA Stewards Panel ruled that both Scholtz and PJ Jacobsen shared some responsibility in the incident, but Scholtz was accessed a three-second penalty which changed nothing but Scholtz’s margin of victory. See the official FIMNA ruling below.
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More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Gillim Miscues, Uribe Wins In Ridge Stock 1000 Battle At Ridge Motorsports Park
High Drama In Supersport As Top Two Riders Come Together
SHELTON, WA (June 30, 2024) – Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim made his second mistake of the season in Sunday’s Stock 1000 at Ridge Motorsports Park and it was again a double whammy as it not only cost him victory and championship points, but it also handed a second victory to his thus-far series rival Jayson Uribe.
OrangeCat Racing’s Uribe was hot on Gillim’s tail when the defending MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion crashed in turn 14 on the fourth lap with the pursuing pack of Uribe, Benjamin Smith and Ashton Yates zooming past. By the time Hayden remounted he was 14th and had some work to do.
With Uribe pulling away to an eventual 9.7-second win over FLO4LAW Racing’s Smith and Jones’ Honda’s Yates, Gillim set about gaining as many points back as possible. At the completion of the 13-lap race, the Kentuckian was up to fourth place.
However, Gillim went straight after the finish line and didn’t make the turn-one chicane and was thus handed a two-second penalty, which gifted fourth to Visit Indiana/Tom Wood Powersports’ Nolan Lampkin and fifth to AMD Motorsport RK Racing’s Richard Kerr, the last two riders Gillim had passed prior to the finish line.
That put Gillim sixth and cut his championship points lead over Uribe to six points after six races.
BPR Racing’s Bryce Prince, OrangeCat Racing’s Travis Wyman, Team Brazil’s Danilo Lewis and Prince’s BPR Racing teammate Deion Campbell rounded out the top 10.
“It’s always a bummer when you see someone else crash, but the biggest thing for me was getting a better start and being able to be there in the beginning,” Uribe said. “Yesterday I gave myself a little bit too much to work towards. I think that it could have been possible, but I was taking a lot of risks just to keep up. Today we kind of came out with a new plan to just be there, be aggressive, be rough. I feel like we were pretty good at doing that at the start. Like you said, when Hayden went down, it was a bummer but for me it was a realization of, ‘Now I need to conserve. Now I need to stop pushing so hard and save the tire, save the bike, save my body.’ That’s really what I tried to do. I caught a false neutral going into 14 one of those laps and it made me pretty nervous. I thought for sure someone was going to come up the inside. Luckily, we were able to get it back into gear. That OrangeCat BMW was running really good. Kind of like what everybody else was saying. All these bikes have strong points and weak points. I feel like the BMW is really good on the brakes. I can really push that thing going into corners. The biggest thing for us is just being able to get power to the ground on the exit. We’re working on it. We’re working every time we get on that bike to try something new and improve. It’s going good.”
Supersport – Scholtz Wins With High Drama
Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz won his sixth Supersport race of the season at Ridge Motorsports Park, but this was the first one that came with a big dose of drama.
Scholtz had finally caught up to the fast-starting PJ Jacobsen on the Rahal Ducati Moto Panigale V2 with two laps to go. The South African then made an inside move on the New Yorker and it didn’t end well. The two came together and Jacobsen went down, ending his run of finishing on the podium in all the nine previous races.
Jacobsen obviously wasn’t happy with the outcome as the championship was turned on its head. Scholtz went from having a three-point lead to what is now a 28-point lead.
Jacobsen got a flier of a start and instantly put his head down. Scholtz, meanwhile, had a slower start and had work to do to get to second. Once he did, he started to run the New Yorker down. With five to go, the two were together. With two to go, the accident happened, and it was called a racing incident by race control.
It takes a lot to overshadow Kayla Yaakov, but her teammate’s crash did just that. Yaakov raced to her best-career Supersport finish of second, just a day after she finished third. Quite a weekend for the 17-year-old Pennsylvanian.
Yaakov had come out best in a battle with Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott that went to the finish line with Yaakov .214 of a second ahead at the finish line. Meanwhile, her teammate Corey Alexander was just as close in fourth place.
Wrench Motorcycles’ David Anthony had his best finish of the year in fifth.
When asked about the racing incident with Jacobsen, Scholtz said “I thought that I made the move pretty clean past him and ran slightly wider than you would usually do. But I feel that he just tipped in and knew that I was there and carried on turning and hit the side of my foot peg. I felt him there, but I carried on turning and I looked back and I saw that he had crashed. Obviously, that’s not something I want, but I feel that I got to the point of making the pass fair and he should have given me room. But I think that if you’re on their side, they’re going to say that I was wrong. I feel that maybe PJ was slightly wrong. So, we’ll just take it as a 50/50. But overall, I feel that I definitely had the pace and just really happy to pull the championship lead a little bit further. Looking forward to the next couple rounds. Laguna Seca is one of my favorite tracks. Myself and PJ had a massive battle there last year on the Superbikes, so I’m sure we’ll do the same thing there.”
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – Lewis!
Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson’s Jake Lewis did what everyone has been waiting for him to do on Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park – he won a round of the Super Hooligan National Championship on his Harley-Davidson Pan America.
Always thought of as the fastest guy in the class to have not yet won, Lewis made good on the promise he’s shown by storming into the lead and pulling away to win by a tick over two seconds. And that’s with a final-lap blunder that put him off track momentarily.
Lewis’s victory helped make up for his first-lap crash in wet conditions in Saturday’s race.
Lewis beat S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara with the defending series champion earning his second podium of the weekend and this one put him atop the championship standings after two rounds and four races.
Third place went to Lewis’s teammate Cory West, who also made up for his crash from the lead in yesterday’s wet race.
O’Hara’s teammate Troy Herfoss ended up fourth after a race-long battle with KWR’s Hayden Schultz.
“I’m two for four on Hooligan finishes,” Lewis said. “Last night I was just so pissed off and bummed. Both Cory and I. It just feels really bad. It feels like you let your team down doing that. Especially me on the first lap. I felt good during the little warmup before the rain race and then, first lap, just threw it on my head and didn’t get any points. Now it’s kind of do or die for me. It’s like my only chance is to try to go out there and win every single Hooligan race. I put in some good, consistent laps this morning and we changed a little bit of setup stuff from yesterday qualifying, and it was a better direction, and it made it even a little bit better for the race. I saw Cory struggling in a couple little spots and felt TO come up my inside there at a couple spots. I thought he was going to stuff me, but I think he played it a little bit nice. I knew once I got by Cory just to put it in first, especially that first lap, two or three good, hard sprint laps, which I did. My lap time was quite a bit faster than I qualified. Then I looked over and saw I had a little gap on TO and just kind of maintained that. But then on that last lap, that lapper, it was just my fault. He broke a lot deeper than I thought he would, and I kind of missed my brake marker and ran off the track. Luckily I had a big lead.”
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – Another Record For Moore
Mikayla Moore said after her victory on Saturday that she uses lap times for part of her motivation. Her best lap time was a 2:02.801. On Sunday she went even faster, setting a new lap record with her 2:02.683 on the sixth lap to set the bar is even higher for the next wave of Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. racers. Oh, and she also won. By 44 seconds.
The win was Moore’s fifth of the year.
Second place today went to Lauren Prince, the Nashville, Tennessee, resident earning her first MotoAmerica podium a day after crashing on the sighting lap with a cold front tire. Even today wasn’t easy on Prince as her rear tire warmer got stuck and she was forced to start from the back of the pack.
Aubrey Credaroli rounded out the top three with her first podium finish of the season.
“Yesterday I did a 2:02.8 and if I rounded up the numbers, that’s technically still a 2:03,” Moore commented. “So, I was like, I wanted more. I talked with the K Tech guys and they suggested a lot of things that I was nervous about, because I had already done my warmup lap. So, it was really about trusting myself and the bike that I’ll be able to accomplish my goal. I was super happy I was able to do it on the seventh lap. I just kept watching myself drop time. To be able to do the 2:02.3, super happy. I wanted to go for that 2:01, but hey, I’m happy with the 2:02. I exceeded my expectations, like I always do. Super happy to be here.”
Jayson Uribe won MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Race Two Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Riding his OrangeCat Racing BMW M 1000 RR, Uribe took the lead on lap three of 13 and pulled away to win by 9.744 seconds.
Benjamin Smith was the runner-up on his FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, and Ashton Yates completed the podium finishers in third place on his Jones Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
Defending Champion Hayden Gillim got the holeshot, but crashed out of the lead on lap three. Gillim picked up his Real Steel Motorsports Honda, finished lap three in 14th, and then went on a charge that culminated in him crossing the finish line fourth. However, after the race Gillim was given a two-second penalty for a “track cut” at the chicane which dropped him to sixth.
Visit Indiana/Tom Wood Powersports BMW’s Nolan Lamkin and AMD Motorsport RK Racing Honda’s Richard Kerr took fourth and fifth, respectively.
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Jake Lewis won MotoAmerica RSD Mission Super Hooligan Race Two Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Lewis took the lead from his Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson teammate Cory West in the early going and pulled away to win the eight-lap race by 2.004 seconds on his Dunlop-shod Pan America.
Defending Champion Tyler O’Hara also got past West but he couldn’t gain any ground on Lewis and had to settle for a second-place finish on his S&S Indian FTR 1200. That allowed O’Hara to take over the Championship point lead.
West said he suffered from front-end chatter, but he had enough pace to hang on and get third.
O’Hara’s teammate Troy Herfoss came home fourth, just behind West and only 0.122 second ahead of KWR Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Schultz.
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Mikayla Moore won MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Race Two Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Riding a Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 on Dunlop control tires, Moore broke her own lap lap record with a 2:02.327 on her way to winning the eight-lap race by over 44 seconds.
Lauren Prince missed the sighting lap and had to start the race from pit lane, but she was able to come through the field and finish second.
Aubrey Credarolli used a last-lap pass to earn the third and final spot on the podium.
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More, from a press release issued by Red Bull:
Marco Morelli unpassable in Assen Rookies Race 2
After the red-hot Race 1 on Saturday, the Dutch clouds cooled the Assen track surface for Sunday afternoon and perhaps that helped Marco Morelli inspire a record pace and a superb victory. The Argentine can celebrate his 17th birthday on Wednesday in great style after his second win of the season.
A wonderful turn-around from his first lap crash yesterday and a superb demonstration of skill and consistency over 15 laps, 13.695 seconds quicker than Saturday’s race. Álvaro Carpe, the 17-year-old Spaniard chased him across the line (2nd) with 16-year-old Finn Rico Salmela (3rd).
6 KTMs had broken away from the field, towed by Morelli at a pace faster than Qualifying. At the finish, the rest of the field was 15 seconds behind, the same riders who had all finished in the lead pack on Saturday.
That 6 put on a thrilling, on-the-limit-at-every-corner, display. On the final lap, Saturday’s winner Brian Uriarte and 3rd place man Valentin Perrone both almost crashed as they tried to better Morelli.
Morelli’s perfect race
“Super good, I knew that I could do it, I feel that at all the tracks I am fast, I can be fast alone or with a group. So when I had the crash yesterday I was thinking, yes I am sad but tomorrow is another opportunity.”
“The group was much smaller, less overtaking less battles, less crazy people. All the race I pushed, and on the last lap I pushed more, I almost touched the green twice on the final lap and I was thinking, ‘oh, oh, oh.”
“At the last chicane, I braked absolutely as late as possible and I took victory. I think this is better than the win at the start of the year in Jerez. I dedicate it to my Dad and his birthday plus the little boss of my Junior Team Macauley Webb and also for me,” he grinned.
Carpe right there
“The race was so fast with Marco leading. Not too many overtakes, the group was smaller, the race was faster. The bike was more on the limit, tyres, bike, everything.”
“I was studying Marco to see if I could pass him on the last lap but had a small problem in Turn 5 coming out onto the straight and they all passed me. I pushed and coming back to the final corners I got to 3rd. Then Valentine made a save and I overtook for 2nd. I was trying to catch Marco and brake later in the last chicane but he was a bit too far.”.
Salmela on the limit
“It was a really difficult race, Marco was fast, I was struggling a lot, pushing hard and on the limit, more than yesterday, I could follow but I didn’t feel super confident with the front to try and overtake.”
“In the last lap, the plan was to pass a few riders but I had some chatter and ran wide. Then in the final fast left something happened and they gave me the opportunity, I took it.”
Uriarte went for it
“I got back with the group for the final lap,” explained the Spanish 15-year-old Cup points leader. “But in the fast chicane just before the final fast left I hit the rev limiter and couldn’t overtake. Then I went super hard into that last left and I tucked the front a little bit, also I saw Valentine tucking the front and I had to release the gas, everyone passed on the inside. I had calculated to pass Valentine and in the last corner Marco but it didn’t turn out, sometimes you learn and P4 has to be enough.
Perrone went even harder
“Marco made an amazing race, every lap, pushing and pushing like crazy. I have to give him congrats,” smiled the Argentine 16-year-old. “In the last lap, I overtook Carpe and Brian and was P2. In the last fast left, I tried to overtake Marco and win but lost the front. I did a massive save and P5 is not so bad, good points for the championship and we’ll continue like this.”
Ruche Moodley hung on for 6th
“The pace was really fast today,” said the South African 17-year-old. “I think today I made a better race than yesterday because today I think I did everything I could have done. I was battling with Brian, I made a block pass and we lost the group. I couldn’t catch the group after that, the pace was quicker than Qualifying.”
Francesco Bagnaia’s win at the Motul TT Assen wasn’t just his third in a row at the track, but it was his fifth straight win. He has won the last three Grand Prix races and the last two Sprint races. Only a silly mistake in Barcelona where he crashed out of the lead of the Sprint race prevented him from notching up six straight wins. “We are very, very strong right now,” Bagnaia said in the post-race news conference. Announcements in recent days about he dramatic changes in store for Ducati in 2025 – losing two race-winning riders, losing a team, putting Marc Marquez on the factory squad – did little to faze Bagnaia, he said, adding that he’s quite content to not be the subject of conversation and speculation.
Results from the warm-up sessions Sunday morning at the MotoAmerica Superbikes At The Ridge event at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington.
Francesco Bagnaia shot to the front, pulled a half a second on the field in a lap and was never headed en route to the MotoGP win at the Motul TT Assen.
World Championship leader Jorge Martin overcame a grid penalty and was in second by the end of the first lap, but he was never close to Bagnaia, took second and protected his points lead.
Bagnaia’s teammate, Enea Bastianini, came from deep in the field to snatch third, ahead of a fierce battle for fourth between Marc Marquez, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Maverick Vinales.
Martin led Bagnaia 200-190 in the World Championship points chase, with Marc Marquez third with 149.
Update: Following the race, Marc Marquez received a 16-second time penalty for improper tire pressure, dropping him from fourth to 10th. The revised race results are below and the original race results are below that. At post time, Dorna had not yet issued revised World Championship point standings.
Session for NED MotoGP RAC
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Hat-trick hero: Bagnaia retains Assen crown ahead of Martin, penalty for Marquez
It’s now 10 points in it at the top of the table and a little further back to #MM93 after a tyre pressure penalty sees the eight-time World Champion classified tenth
Sunday, 30 June 2024
Francesco Bagnaia’s Motul TT Assen couldn’t have been better. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider did the double from pole, with a Sunday masterclass cutting the Championship deficit to just 10 points as Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) was forced to follow him home and focus on limiting the damage. Bagnaia is the first rider to win three successive MotoGP™️ Grand Prix races in a single season since he did it in 2022 with four in a row from Assen to Misano, it’s his third win in a row at the TT Circuit Assen, and he equals Casey Stoner’s 23 wins with Ducati to tie the MotoGP™ Legend as the two most successful riders with the Borgo Panigale factory. All that said, Martin will now look to use his right of reply in Germany.
Meanwhile, Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) charged up from a tougher qualifying to complete the podium, denying Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing). Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was also denied after crossing the line in fourth, with a tyre pressure penalty dropping him to P10.
As the lights went out, Bagnaia nailed the start to take the holeshot, with Viñales just holding onto second to deny Martin. Still, the #89 launched it to near perfection from his P5 after that three-place penalty, and soon enough he did get it done to take over in second. Marc Marquez, meanwhile, was on the march and soon put his own moves on Viñales to slot into third.
That duo stayed glued together as the battle behind was hotting up. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) had shot up past front-row starter Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), but soon it was Di Giannantonio on the move, and he made it past Acosta at Turn 1, caught the Marquez-Viñales duo and then pounced on the Aprilia at the final chicane. Next up: #MM93.
By 19 to go, the yellow flash of the VR46 machine went past, but with Marquez also seeming to gesture at the Italian and make it a little easier for him too. Expecting to have been in a group fight and set up for it? Wanting a reference to follow? Either way, the two Ducatis stayed close together, with Viñales on their tail and Acosta on his. Lap by lap, however, Bastianini was cutting the deficit to the podium battle.
He made it past the rookie by nine to go, and a lap later the group shuffled again. Diggia was wide, Marc Marquez didn’t seem to want to take advantage, and Viñales shot past both. Bastianini was then right on that trio once again, and by seven to go was past Diggia. A lap later he did a near carbon copy on Marquez to take over in fourth, with a bit of a closer racing kiss for the #93, who headed wide but recovered it in time to keep Di Giannantonio at bay. At the time, anyway, before the two started duelling, Acosta got involved once more, and it looked like Viñales and Bastianini had disappeared up the road. But not so.
At the final chicane, the ‘Beast’ struck for the podium and got past Viñales with four full laps remaining, and from there the group couldn’t quite stay with him. By the penultimate lap it then looked like a Viñales-Marquez duel for the podium, but there was still drama to come.
On the final lap, Acosta slid out at Turn 7, and then Viñales headed just wide enough to allow Marquez through, leaving it an Aprilia-VR46 drag to the line for fifth instead. But when all is judged and confirmed, Viñales was forced to drop one position due to exceeding track limits at the chicane, promoting Diggia to fifth, and then the tyre pressure penalty for Marquez saw the #93 drop to P10.
When the dust settles, Bagnaia’s masterclass puts the cherry on top of a weekend that saw him top every session bar Warm Up, but Martin took a valuable second. Bastianini takes back-to-back podiums to recover from a P10 qualifying, and it’s Diggia classified fourth ahead of Viñales, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) taking P6 after a quiet but valuable ride. Alex Marquez takes P7 ahead of a solid result for Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) in eighth, with Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) next up ahead of the #93 completing the top ten. Check out the full results below.
Unfortunately, one piece of tougher news on the grid was for Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), who suffered a big crash at Turn 1 and was declared unfit for a right wrist fracture.
Now, the paddock heads for Germany. It’s ten points in it, a venue we’ve seen Martin deny Bagnaia before… and some of the most successful turf Marc Marquez has ever raced. Will the number 93 be able to find that form at one of his true signature tracks, or do his rivals have a statement of their own up their sleeves? Join us next weekend to find out!
