Sport Bike Preview: Tremblay the major favourite at Grand Bend as Young bows out
Hamilton, ON – The second round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will represent a major opportunity for Sebastien Tremblay, as he will head to the Grand Bend Motorplex without having to face his major rival in the Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike class when it kicks off June 7-9, presented by Southwest Marine & Powersport.
Tremblay enters round two as the Sport Bike championship leader following a crucial win in race two at Shannonville, having come out on top of a thrilling battle with Ben Young after the latter was victorious in race one.
However, Tremblay’s win was aided by a costly mechanical issue behind him, as Young encountered rad hose troubles on the penultimate lap which caused his crash out of second place, opening up an early advantage for Tremblay in the title fight.
Now, that slight gap has the potential to be completely blown open, as Young has confirmed he will not have his Scot-Build Suzuki ready for round two, choosing to focus on his Superbike campaign and title defence.
While Tremblay would have had a strong case to be the weekend favourite anyways – having proved in race two that he is more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the three-time Canada Cup champion – his odds will surely be increased by not having to fight Young on Saturday and Sunday.
That will be a slight bit of relief for Tremblay, who hasn’t always had the best luck at Grand Bend despite strong pace. The Turcotte Performance Suzuki rider was infamously taken out of the lead in 2019 and left with a broken collarbone, while his return last year brought another crash in a wet Superbike race.
However, the 2021 champion will also remind everyone that he escaped with a pair of second place finishes at Grand Bend in his return to the Sport Bike class last season, losing out only to home favourite and eventual champion David MacKay.
Tremblay won’t have MacKay to contend with this time, either, but that won’t mean he has a shortage of other contenders to go up against this time around.
Tops amongst them are the second and fourth-placed riders in the championship, Elliot Vieira and John Laing, who each turned in very respectable weekends at the Shannonville opener and will look to build upon it in Grand Bend.
Vieira was especially strong at the Motorplex last season, finishing fifth in race one (his season debut after missing the opener) before charging to third in race two aboard his GP Bikes Ducati.
In fact, that third-place finish for Vieira came just 0.969 seconds behind Tremblay as part of a spirited last-lap battle, one that will remind both riders what Vieira is capable of in round two and at virtually every track moving forward.
As for Laing, the Cochrane, AB native had a far less enjoyable time in his first trip to the circuit, though he still escaped with strong finishes of seventh and ninth. While a repeat of that won’t be good enough to keep his title hopes alive in 2024, Laing did prove at SMP that he is now a better rider than the already stellar version seen in 2023.
That should give the Vass Performance Kawasaki competitor some reinforcement as he enters round two, especially having tested at Grand Bend in recent weeks and running competitive times compared to the local SOAR regional riders.
Those regional specialists will once again prove to be a major X-factor at the venue, as Grand Bend – more than any other circuit – is known for having its SOAR stars produce strong national results at their home track.
Amongst those names to watch will be the trio of Nathan Playford, Zoltan Frast, and Sebastian Hothaza, who have all proven to be very fast at Grand Bend in recent history.
Frast was the one to beat in the regional Pro 600 race last weekend (the equivalent to Pro Sport Bike), escaping with a six-second victory over Hothaza aboard his Clare’s Cycle Kawasaki. Frast took solid finishes of eighth and seventh in round one, but could be on course for a first career national podium at Grand Bend after taking a best finish of fourth in race one a year ago.
As for Hothaza, the KSR Yamaha rider earned a career-best sixth in race one last season, and his regional pace suggests he will likely be in the same range as he eyes a top-five result in round two.
Playford, meanwhile, turned plenty of heads on day one at SMP when he qualified fourth and just marginally off the front row, but the Playford Company Ducati rider could only convert that into a pair of sixth-place finishes – something he will look to better or at least replicate in his return to Grand Bend.
Should any of the “locals” falter in the national spotlight, however, there will be a pair of young rivals ready to pick up the pieces in their first pro trips to the Motorplex.
Sixteen-year-old phenom Philip Degama-Blanchet first put himself on the CSBK radar last season with finishes of fourth and third at Grand Bend, the latter being his first of five amateur podiums, and his fourth-place finish as a pro at SMP proved that there won’t be many growing pains for him against top-flight competition.
The same goes for 19-year-old Mavrick Cyr, who was the double-amateur champion from a year ago and won both races at Grand Bend. The Rizzin Racing Triumph rider is fresh off a heated duel with Degama-Blanchet in round one but was no easy task to beat himself, taking fifth place finishes in both contests.
The absence of Young will represent a massive loss for Suzuki in the inaugural Sport Bike Constructors Championship, having extended a 20-point advantage over Ducati in round one thanks in large part to his and Tremblay’s efforts.
Now, the duo of Vieira and Playford – as well as the potential return of veteran Louie Raffa from injury – could be enough to swing the title fight in Ducati’s favour, though Kawasaki also lurks just another five points back thanks to Laing and Degama-Blanchet.
The full schedule for the Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike class – as well as the six other national classes – can be found on the series’ official website.
Kayla Yaakov to be Guest Instructor with the AHRMA Academy of Roadracing at New Jersey Motorsports Park
(June 3, Knoxville, TN) The Mark Morrow Roadracing School and the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) are excited to announce that Kayla Yaakov will be joining us as a guest coach with the AHRMA Academy of Roadracing (AAR) for the road racing school being offered on Friday, June 21, 2024 at the New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP).
Yaakov is a veteran road racer that came up through the minibike ranks, WERA, and has also competed in several international races. She is currently one of the fastest rookies in the MotoAmerica Supersport series. Yaakov rides for the Rahal Ducati team and NJMP was the location of her first podium in MotoAmerica Supersport competition.
“We are honored and excited to have Kayla join us at NJMP next month and can’t wait to hear some of her secrets about how to get around its technical Thunderbolt course fast,” said Mark Morrow, owner of the Mark Morrow Roadracing School and acting AAR director for this event.
Class size is limited, so sign up early if you want a chance to ride with this up-and-coming superstar! For more information and to register for the AAR at NJMP, go HERE. More information regarding AAR can be found at https://www.ahrma.org/ahrma-academy-roadracing/. Veteran instructor, Mark Morrow, will be acting AAR director for this event.
About AHRMA:
The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to competing on fantastic classic and true vintage along with a wide range of modern motorcycles. With over 3,000 members, AHRMA is the largest vintage racing group in North America and one of the biggest in the world. The association has grown steadily over the years, reflecting the increasing interest in classic bikes.
Update: Scroll down to see information on memorial services.
We are deeply saddened to announce that on Monday, May 27th, 2024, an incident occurred during the 10AM Expert Unlimited Practice at Summit Point Motorsports Park, in Summit Point, West Virginia.
Number 93, Roniel Guzman, age 36, was involved in an incident in Turn 10 where he experienced a loss of brakes. Roniel unfortunately succumbed to his injuries. May he rest in peace and his family find peace in these trying times. We ask that everyone respect the privacy of the family and those close to Rony (El Tipo).
Josh Herrin crushes the field to win Race Two at Road America
Sunnyvale, Calif. — The third round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship marked the best one of the season to date for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team with Josh Herrin taking a resounding victory in race two and teammate Loris Baz having an excellent ride by taking fourth.
The race weekend didn’t start as it finished. The heavens opened for race one, drenching the 4.05-mile layout with torrential rain that made staying on the track difficult as the 220-plus horsepower machines aquaplaned their way around it.
Baz led the Ducati charge in race one, taking his first podium of the season in third, with Herrin in ninth at the flag.
Race two, however, was all Herrin. Under perfect blue skies, the number 2 rocketed off the line into turn one and slammed the hammer down, setting a metronomic pace in the lead as the rest struggled to keep up.
Herrin was so far out in front that he was able to cruise around on the final lap, eventually coming home nine seconds clear of Bobby Fong. Baz just missed out on a second podium of the weekend in fourth.
It marked a turning point for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team, which is now brimming with confidence heading into round four at Brainerd in two weeks.
2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship After Round Three
P1 – Jake Gagne 113
P2 – Cameron Beaubier 95
P3 – Bobby Fong 88
P4 – Cameron Petersen 83
P5 – Sean Dylan Kelly 83
P6 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 79
P7 – Loris Baz (Ducati) 72
Josh Herrin (2). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“It was a super good weekend,” Herrin enthused after race two. “The race in the rain didn’t go how I wanted, but Baz got third, so that was great for him and the team. We knew we’d be up there if the second race was dry. We got off the line well, built up a good lead early, and cruised at the end. The team did a great job setting up the Panigale V4 R—it’s always a fast bike at this track—and we’ve got a lot of good tracks for our bike coming up, but I’m going to savor this victory and get a positive snowball going for the next few rounds.”
Loris Baz. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“Overall, it was a good weekend,” Baz said. “I wanted to do a little better coming here, but my first podium in the rain was great. They were crazy conditions, and the bike worked really well. In the dry we were missing a bit with the set-up, but we made a huge improvement in the warm-up session. In the second race, I was doing my qualifying pace all race long, which helped me get back into the podium fight. I couldn’t get the podium in that one, but I’m really happy for Josh and the team to have two podiums in two races at this track. I’ll do everything to be up there with him at the next round.”
The fourth round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship sees the series head northwest to Brainerd in Minnesota over the July 12-14 weekend.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.:
Gagne Strengthens Championship Lead at Road America
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne expands MotoAmerica Superbike Championship lead with a top-five finish in Race 2
MARIETTA, Ga. – June 3, 2024 – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne made further championship gains at MotoAmerica Superbike Round 3, finishing the weekend with a top-five finish in Race 2. His 2-5 score at Road America has him leaving Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, with an 18-point lead in the title chase. Unfortunately, Cameron Petersen’s race ended early with a technical issue before the halfway mark.
In Sunday’s dry race two, Gagne got a good start from the front row of the grid in third but was shuffled back to sixth. The defending three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion rode his own race and advanced a spot on the final lap to cross the line fifth, further expanding his points lead on a challenging day at the four-mile track.
On the heels of his second win of the season, it was also a tough race two for Petersen. The South African got another good start from the third row of the grid into the top five but was shuffled back in the early laps. He was riding in seventh when unfortunately he had to withdraw from the race with a technical issue on Lap 7. Petersen leaves Road America tied for fourth in the championship and 30 points from his teammate at the top spot.
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing heads to Brainerd, Minnesota, in two weeks’ time for Round 4 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Brainerd International Raceway on June 14-16.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“It was a good weekend overall. We still leave with the championship lead and with a little bit of a bump because of the competitors who didn’t finish well or didn’t finish at all yesterday. So it was kind of a mulligan for them. I think we made a bad tire choice today. We were banking on the temperature coming up and it never did, and then it was too late to change it. So that hurt our pace there, and then we had a technical issue with the #45, but we’ll correct that for Brainerd.”
Jake Gagne (1). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Yamaha.
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #1
“It was a good race yesterday, and the bike was awesome in the wet. We knew this track would be kind of tough. Obviously, we’re still having arm issues and that doesn’t make it easy, but I think we’re a little off on setup. I think we’ve just got to kind of reset and we’ll reset at Brainerd. The team was awesome as always. We’re still in this thing, and on a tough weekend we were able to get some good points and leave with the championship lead.”
Cameron Petersen (45). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Yamaha.
Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“Honestly, it was a tough weekend. We were struggling in the dry. It seems like every time I’ve brought myself back up in the championship, something happens, so it just sucks to finish the weekend off like that, but that’s racing. Taking the positives away from it, it was nice getting the win yesterday. We definitely have some work to do and we’ll come back stronger at the next race.”
About Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars [sold, serviced, and distributed by Yamaha Golf-Car Company], Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.
YMUS has a corporate office in California, three corporate offices in Georgia, as well as facilities in Wisconsin, Alabama, and Florida. YMUS subsidiaries Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America (YMMC), based in Georgia, and Yamaha Jet Boat Manufacturing U.S.A. (YJBM) based in Tennessee, each assemble and manufacture selected Yamaha brand products. YMUS owns Skeeter Boats [Texas] with its division G3 Boats [Missouri]. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company, Inc. (YMSC) with subsidiary Siren Marine [Rhode Island] and divisions Bennett Marine [Florida], Yamaha Marine Rotational Molders [Wisconsin] and Yamaha Precision Propeller Inc. [Indiana].
Yamaha Motor Finance Corporation, USA, dba Yamaha Financial Services, is an affiliate of Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA offering financing solutions to support Yamaha Dealers and loyal Yamaha Customers nationwide.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA:
SUZUKI, TY SCOTT, AND ROCCO LANDERS WIN BIG AT ROAD AMERICA
Suzuki GSX-8Rs and the GSX-R750 Capture Multiple Podiums
Brea, CA, (June 3, 2024) — Suzuki Motor USA (Suzuki) and its premier MotoAmerica teams – Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, and RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki – emerged from a weekend of varied weather conditions at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, with podiums in both the wet and dry, headlined by spectacular last-lap victories courtesy of Tyler Scott aboard the Suzuki GSX-R750 in Supersport and Rocco Landers on the Suzuki GSX-8R in Twins Cup competition.
Race Highlights
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
Supersport
Tyler Scott was strong all weekend long, regardless of conditions, ending things on a high note with a 0.001-second victory.
Teagg Hobbs twice finished inside the top ten.
Joel Ohman took his best finish yet with the team.
Twins Cup
Rossi Moor narrowly missed out on the podium on Saturday, but came through to finish third thanks to last-lap heroics of his own on Sunday.
Superbike
Brandon Paasch earned a top five and a seventh in the premier-class.
Xavi Forés demonstrated podium speed as he continued to demonstrate his world-class skills in substitute duty.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki
Twins Cup
Rocco Landers backed up a third-place podium in the wet with a thrilling last-lap win in Sunday’s dry race rematch aboard the GSX-8R.
Tyler Scott (70) puts the GSX-R750 on the Supersport podium once again at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Tyler Scott (70) was strong aboard the team’s next-generation GSX-R750 all weekend long, regardless of conditions. Scott earned a spot on the Supersport front row and led Saturday’s wet race before ultimately earning a solid fourth-place finish. That merely set the stage for Sunday’s showdown, in which he executed a perfectly timed double draft to claim the victory at the checkered flag by an impossibly tight 0.001-second margin.
Tyler Scott (70) was fast all weekend long, with a Sunday victory in the dry, and barely missing a second podium in the wet race on Saturday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
“It was a great race,” Scott said. “The plan going into the weekend was to stay in the pack and fight for the win in the end. We tried to lead races earlier in the season, and it didn’t quite work out in our favor. I was very comfortable in the race until the last two or three laps where I tried to get in as many passes as I could. Thanks to the whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team for preparing a beautiful GSX-R750 this weekend, as they have all season. I can’t thank the team, Suzuki, and everyone enough.”
Teagg Hobbs (79) returned to form at Road America, with two top-ten results. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Supersport sophomore Teagg Hobbs (79) returned to his more typical form after struggling at Barber Motorsports Park. Hobbs was back in the top ten after qualifying on Row 2 on his GSX-R750, claiming ninth on Saturday, and eighth on Sunday.
Hobbs said, “The first starts before the red flags were great, and I was battling in the top five where I want to be. In the last one, I didn’t get a great start and made a couple of mistakes. There weren’t enough laps to get back into it. We had the pace to do good things, so it was frustrating. My Suzuki was strong all weekend without many changes. I’m trying as hard as I can, and will keep at it.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s third Supersport runner, Joel Ohman (92), earned his best finish yet with the team, picking up ten positions from his starting spot on Saturday ,and following that up with more progress on Sunday.
“We went faster than I thought and had some good battles,” Ohman said. “In the rain, we had more grip than expected, so we were able to go quicker. Things were going well in the dry, but I overheated the front tire and wasn’t able to get the bike stopped like I needed to. Overall, I learned a lot and it was a good weekend.”
Rocco Landers (left) with the win, and Rossi Moor (right) with a strong third, dominated the podium in Sunday’s Twins Cup race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki star Rocco Landers (97) and his Suzuki GSX-8R were in outstanding form again at the high-speed Road America circuit. First, Landers edged fellow Suzuki ace Rossi Moor by 0.157 seconds to claim third in Saturday’s wet contest. Then Landers came back on a sunny Sunday to run the leader down from multiple seconds back and execute a final-lap pass to secure the victory in Race 2. As a result of his double podium weekend, Landers leaves Wisconsin as the Twins Cup series points leader as he continues to demonstrate the GSX-8R’s competitive promise.
Rocco Landers (97) has put the Suzuki GSX-8R on the podium once again, and now leads in the Twins Cup series points. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Landers said, “We made a bit of a tire gamble, and it worked out in our favor. I was pushing so hard, and the whole RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki team and Suzuki have worked so hard developing the GSX-8R. This bike’s handling is incredible. It’s one of my favorite bikes I’ve ever ridden. I’m stoked with the progress we continue to make, and I’m excited about what’s to come. It’s great to come out of here with the points lead, and I can’t wait to get back to it.”
Rossi Moor (92) diced with Landers all weekend and put the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-8R on the box with a strong third place in Sunday’s Twins Cup race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
After Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s rising star Rossi Moor (92) was edged for the podium by Landers in the wet on Saturday, he responded with a last-lap overtake of his own aboard his GSX-8R to finish third in the dry in the Sunday rematch, further building on the GSX-8R’s multiple podiums for the weekend.
“That was a difficult race,” Moor said after Sunday’s battle. “The whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki crew worked extremely hard to get this bike up front. It was good, hard racing, and I’m so happy to be up on the podium after some bad luck in the first two rounds. I want to thank my crew, Suzuki, and everyone else who helped me get up here.”
Brandon Paasch (96) continues to progress in Superbike, with his strongest 2024 results so far at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Superbike pilot Brandon Paasch (96) enjoyed his strongest weekend of the 2024 season, piloting the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R to a fifth-place finish on Saturday; and then holding off teammate Xavi Forés (34) to win their battle for seventh on Sunday.
“Solid weekend for us, dipping back into the top five in the wet conditions on Saturday,” said Paasch. “It was nice to run with the front boys some more and chip away at the gap to the front. Sunday, I rode hard to finish seventh battling with Xavi for the entire race, and finishing as the top Suzuki Superbike. I’m looking forward to Brainerd in two weeks.”
Xavi Forés (34) continues to show strong Superbike class potential on the GSX-R1000R. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Reigning Supersport class champion Forés again showed big-time potential on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R Superbike, battling for a premier-class podium in the wet before a minor miscue cost Forés that opportunity. He rebounded to challenge Paasch for seventh throughout Sunday’s contest, coming up just 0.013 seconds short at the flag.
Forés said, “It was a tough weekend with some ups and downs, but we showed good progress. I wanted that podium on Saturday so badly. I had some good splits, but I made a small mistake – I braked like one meter too deep – and tucked the front. It was a shame, because we could have fought for the podium. We were also strong in the dry, and are still looking for a little extra to get up front. But we have to enjoy the progress made, and say thanks for this opportunity. Now we move on to Brainerd where I aim to have a better weekend.”
Both Suzuki teams will be back in action in two weeks’ time when the 2024 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship season arrives at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota, on June 14-16.
The 2024 season marks Team Hammer’s 44th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won over 130 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums over 360 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport). The team has also won over 130 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia USA:
DI MARIO PUTS APRILIA RS 660 ON MOTOAMERICA TWINS CUP POLE, TAKES TWO RUNNER-UP FINISHES AT ROAD AMERICA
CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER, GUS RODIO, GIVES APRILIA THREE PODIUM FINISHERS AT MAY 17-19 EVENT, AS HE MAINTAINS LEAD IN CLASS STANDINGS
ELKHART LAKE, WI — 3 JUNE 2024 — If you didn’t know Alessandro Di Mario was a rookie in MotoAmerica’s Twins Cup, it would be easy to be fooled from the results the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering has achieved so far this year. The 2022 Nicky Hayden AMA Road Race Horizon Award winner put in arguably his most stellar performance of the season on May 31 – June 2 at Road America, where he rode an Aprilia RS 660 to pole position and scored second-place finishes in both wet and dry conditions at the historic Wisconsin circuit.
Though two other Aprilia frontrunners for the year’s championship, Di Mario’s Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering teammate Gus Rodio, and TopPro Racing Team’s Avery Dreher, both endured setbacks, while one of the bright spots of the event was the Twins Cup debut of reigning MotoAmerica Build. Train. Race. champion Mikayla Moore, also on a Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering-prepped Aprilia RS 660. Moore was only able to take part in one of the weekend’s two Twins Cup contests, but she finished that race in ninth place after qualifying 10th.
Four Aprilia RS 660 riders finished among the top 10 fastest riders in Friday morning practice. The duo of Di Mario and Rodio were the fourth and fifth-fastest riders in that session. Dreher was seventh and Moore showed speed right out of the gate when she wrapped up the session in 10th. Later Friday, Di Mario showed his true dry weather pace as he reset the Twins Cup lap record at Road America with a best time of 2:24.625. Rodio provisionally qualified third, Dreher sixth and Moore ninth.
Qualifying concluded Saturday morning with Di Mario lowering his record-setting pace by more than a second to claim his second-consecutive Twins Cup pole position. Rodio remained in third place – giving Aprilia two riders on the front row of the starting grid. Dreher qualified seventh and Moore 10th.
Unfortunately for Moore, an injury from a crash early in Qualifying 2 did not allow her to set a lap time during that session or take part in the Saturday afternoon Race 1.
The start of Race 1 took place under very wet conditions after the Twins Cup race was delayed from its original early afternoon start. After riders were given a short extra practice session to test out the wet conditions, Rodio’s day started going from bad to worse. He missed getting out of the pit lane in time for the warm-up lap and ended up not taking part in the race due to a technical problem during that lap.
Gus Rodio (96). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Aprilia USA.
A few riders got by Di Mario when the lights went out for Race 1, but he got a couple of those positions back on the brakes into Turn 1 and slotted into third place as the field exited that corner. Di Mario and Dreher both moved up the running order early in Lap 1, with Di Mario taking over second place with a pass at Turn 5. Dreher had moved up to fifth place after starting seventh but suffered a crash at Turn 7 that knocked him out of contention for a podium finish. Di Mario ran the remaining laps of the shortened
five-lap race in a relatively lonely second place but still secured his fourth podium appearance of the year. Other Aprilia riders who finished in the top 10 included Ghetto Customs’ Chris Parrish in eighth.
Race 2 took place under dry conditions, and Moore had recovered enough from her crash on Saturday to take part in her first Twins Cup race. Di Mario again lost at couple positions at the initial start, but he was not to be denied on the brakes going into Turn 1 and led the field through the holeshot. Rodio maintained third place through Turn 1 and made the move up to second at Turn 5. Unfortunately for Rodio, he crashed on the next lap at Turn 5 and rejoined the race at the back of the field. Rodio’s crash promoted Dreher from sixth to fifth place, and a last-lap crash for another front-running rider allowed Dreher to finish in fourth place. Di Mario’s early race pace was stellar, but the soft rear tire he chose for the race began to lose grip as the eight-lap race went on. He was overtaken on the last lap and had to settle for a close second place. Though he came oh-so-close to a victory, his second runner-up finish on the weekend helped him move up from third to second in the Twins Cup points standings. Other Aprilia riders who finished in the top 10 include Parrish in eighth, Moore in ninth and Team JBR’s Josef Bittner in 10th.
Avery Dreher (99). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Aprilia USA.
With four races remaining in the 2024 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season, Di Mario is just nine points behind the championship leader with Rodio fourth in the standings and Dreher sixth.
Thirty-seven riders were registered to race in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup at the Road America round, and about half of them (17) were registered as Aprilia RS 660 riders.
The MotoAmerica Twins Cup will be back in action in two weeks’ time at the next round, which is scheduled for June 14-16 at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota.
Alessandro Di Mario (27). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Aprilia USA.
Alessandro Di Mario / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering
“On Saturday, the race went pretty well. It was my first podium in the rain, and I was excited to see how things would be under dry conditions on Sunday. We picked the wrong tire today, but I had a lot of fun. I can’t wait for the next round at Brainerd but am also really happy with the two podium finishes this weekend.”
Mikayla Moore (78). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Aprilia USA.
Mikayla Moore / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering
“This weekend was a rollercoaster of emotions and achievements, and I’m super happy with how it all went. I was excited to take on double duty with racing in Twins Cup and Build. Train. Race., and I felt really confident when I was riding the Twins Cup bike. I had a successful test on it last weekend at a club race, and practice and Qualifying 1 went very smoothly. Securing a top-10 spot felt fantastic. I had a pretty gnarly high-side in Qualifying 2 that resulted in a right thigh contusion and didn’t allow me to race on Saturday. I bounced back on Sunday though in Race 2 and was thrilled to finish in ninth. A huge thanks to the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team for this incredible opportunity
and the support they showed me. This weekend was a learning experience, but I’m happy with how it went overall
More, from a press release issued by Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering:
Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Di Mario on pole, on MotoAmerica Twins Cup podium twice this past weekend at Road America
Team welcomes reigning MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Champion Mikayla Moore to its ranks for her Twins Cup debut
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – It was another superb weekend for MotoAmerica Twins Cup rookie Alessandro Di Mario at Road America. The Kentuckian followed up claiming his second straight pole position on Saturday with a pair of runner-up finishes in both wet and dry conditions on Saturday and Sunday. And he moved into a close second place in the points standings with just four races remaining.
The team welcomed a new rider to its fold for the Road America round, as current MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race champion and current championship leader Mikayla Moore got her first taste of Twins Cup competition on one of the team’s Aprilia RS 660s. A Saturday crash kept Moore out of one race, but she scored a top-nine finish in her Twins Cup race debut after clinching a top-10 spot in qualifying.
Though the team’s second full-time rider, Gus Rodio, had his weekend soured by a technical problem and a tip-off, he and Di Mario are both very much still in contention for the 2024 Twins Cup title.
All three Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders showed good pace at the start of the weekend. Di Mario, Rodio and Moore finished Friday morning practice fourth-, fifth- and 10th-fastest, respectively. Things got even better for all three riders in Friday afternoon’s Qualifying 1 session, where Di Mario reset the Twins Cup lap record at Road America and Rodio and Moore wrapped up that session third and ninth in the provisional qualifying order.
In Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2 Di Mario lowered his best lap time by more than a second to claim his second-consecutive pole, while Rodio qualified third – giving the team two riders on the front row. It was an unfortunate session for Moore, who crashed early in the session and wasn’t able to take part in either of the two races she was slated to compete in Saturday afternoon. Her best time from Qualifying 1 was still enough to secure her 10th on the grid for when she did get back to racing on Sunday.
It was a hectic – and delayed – start to Race 1 due to the onset of wet conditions. The race’s start time was moved to later in the afternoon, and – like at Barber – the field was given a wet-weather practice session to assess the soaked track conditions. The race was shortened from eight laps to five, and Rodio missed the start of the warm-up lap, then pulled into the pits at the end of that lap with a technical issue. Unfortunately for Rodio, it was an engine problem that did not allow him to take part in the race.
When racing did finally take place, Di Mario made up for a mediocre jump off the line with a strong performance on the brakes into the first turn and was running in third place early in Lap 1. Di Mario moved up to second place with a pass a few corners later at Turn 5, but wasn’t able to catch up with the race leader and had to settle for a second place result.
Sunday’s Race 2 saw all three Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660s take the start, and Di Mario again made up for a not-so-great launch with a lunge on the brakes into Turn 1. He led the field through the first corner, and Rodio quickly moved into second place behind his teammate at Turn 5. Rodio’s fortunes, however, turned bitter a lap later when he crashed going into Turn 5 and had to return to the pits after getting his Aprilia running again. While Di Mario built a gap at the front of the field, Moore – who was promoted to ninth on the grid due to another rider not taking part in the race – ran as low as 10th and as high as eighth before finishing ninth. Di Mario’s big lead quickly shrank in the closing stages of the race as his softer-compound rear tire began loosing grip. He led every lap of the eight-lap race except the last one, but still scored his fifth podium appearance and first double-podium performance of the season.
Di Mario’s consistency at Road America gave him enough points to move up to second in the class standings – just nine points behind the championship leader. Rodio’s early-season successes have limited the damage from a downer weekend, as he sits fourth in the points standings.
The Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering will be back in action at the next MotoAmerica round, which takes place at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn., on June 14-16.
Alessandro Di Mario (27). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Rodio Racing.
Alessandro Di Mario / No. 27
“On Saturday, the race went pretty well. It was my first podium in the rain, and I was excited to see how things would be under dry conditions on Sunday. We picked the wrong tire today, but I had a lot of fun. I can’t wait for the next round at Brainerd but am also really happy with the two podium finishes this weekend.”
Mikayla Moore (78). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Aprilia USA.
Mikayla Moore / No. 78
“This weekend was a rollercoaster of emotions and achievements, and I’m super happy with how it all went. I was excited to take on double duty with racing in Twins Cup and Build. Train. Race., and I felt really confident when I was riding the Twins Cup bike. I had a successful test on it last weekend at a club race, and practice and Qualifying 1 went very smoothly. Securing a top-10 spot felt fantastic. I had a pretty gnarly high-side in Qualifying 2 that resulted in a right thigh contusion and didn’t allow me to race on Saturday. I bounced back on Sunday though in Race 2 and was thrilled to finish in ninth. A huge thanks to the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team for this incredible opportunity and the support they showed me. This weekend was a learning experience, but I’m happy with how it went overall.”
Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s technical partners for the 2024 season include Spellcaster Productions, Luxestar VIP, Geoscape Solar, MAR Contractors, Blud Lubricants, Spiegler Performance, Woodcraft Technologies, Dymag Performance Wheels, Millennium Technologies, Sprint Filter, Dunlop, SC Project, MVR Endeavor, GRG Designs, REB Graphics, NGK Spark Plugs, EvolveGT, Bitubo Suspension and N2 Racing.
More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:
HARLEY-DAVIDSON FACTORY RACER KYLE WYMAN SETS A NEW KING OF THE BAGGERS TRACK RECORD AND WINS RACE TWO AT ROAD AMERICA
Rispoli Places Fourth on Sunday in an Intense Three Bike Battle for Third Place
MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing rider Kyle Wyman used his masterful race craft and Harley-Davidson horsepower to score a dramatic victory on Sunday in MotoAmerica® Mission King of the Baggers action at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Wyman executed a perfect draft pass to beat Factory Indian rider, Troy Herfoss, across the finish line by 0.039 seconds and claim his fourth victory of the season.
On a double-header weekend, Wyman, aboard his race-prepared 2024 Road Glide® motorcycle, finished second in a rain-soaked race on Saturday and set a new Mission King of the Baggers track record in Friday qualifying. Wyman has finished on the podium in seven of eight races so far this season and sits second in championship points. Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing rider, James Rispoli, bounced back from a scary crash out of second place in the wet on Saturday to finish a close fourth on Sunday, narrowly missing the podium by 0.047 seconds. Wyman and Rispoli both debuted special livery on their race motorcycles in the Raven Metallic and Golden White Pearl colors respectively of the 2024 CVO™ Road Glide® ST .
Kyle Wyman (33) leads Troy Herfoss (17) and Hayden Gillim (1) during Race Two at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Harley-Davidson.
“What a great battle we had out there today,” said Wyman following Sunday’s victory. “The team considered this a must-win race and we got it done. I love a one-on-one race and there were spots on the track where we both had the pace. That came down to sheer willpower and horsepower at the end. My Road Glide was outstanding today and I’ve got to say this is the most fun I’ve had in my racing career and I love this rivalry. It’s really special to get a win at Road America, so close to Harley headquarters in Milwaukee and with Willie G. Davidson and so many Harley employees and fans at the track. Let’s keep it going!”
James Rispoli (43) leads Kyle Wyman (33) during wet Race One at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Harley-Davidson.
“I’m so thankful I was able to walk away unhurt from that crash on Saturday, and keep building on the momentum we have going,” said Rispoli. “I was feeling super inspired today with the Davidsons here. It was an absolute scrap in the race today and I left everything on the track. I’m proud of Kyle and this team for putting H-D on the top step. Can’t wait for the next round at Brainerd.”
Wyman started both races on the pole after posting a track-record lap time of 2:19.135 in dry conditions during the first round of qualifying on Friday. A pouring rain on Saturday made for very challenging conditions. Herfoss led from the start with Rispoli and Wyman chasing in second and third place. Rispoli lost traction under braking approaching turn 1 and slid off the track at high speed as the leaders started the fourth of five laps on the 4.050-mile 14-turn Road America course. Herfoss won by 5.254 seconds as Wyman brought his Factory Road Glide safely across the line in second. Factory Indian rider, Tyler O’Hara, finished third just ahead of a surging Jake Lewis on the Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
Sunny and dry conditions on Sunday allowed tighter racing with the full performance potential of the Mission King of the Baggers bikes on display. RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider, Hayden Gillim, jumped out to an early lead with Wyman, Rispoli, and Herfoss in close pursuit. Wyman passed for the lead on lap 3 with Herfoss getting around Gillim and into second place. Herfoss then passed Wyman entering turn 1 to start lap 4 as the leaders opened a gap on Rispoli and Gillim. On the final lap Wyman passed Herfoss in Canada Corner (turn 12) only to see Herfoss get by in turn 14, the final turn before the long uphill straight to the finish line. Wyman tucked into the draft and pulled past as the pair crossed the line. O’Hara finished third, just ahead of Rispoli and Gillim.
After eight of 18 rounds in the 2024 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Herfoss leads the championship with 180 points. Wyman is second with 171 points, followed by O’Hara with 111 points, Rispoli with 92 points, and Gillim with 85 points.
Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing returns to action June 14-16 at Brainerd International Speedway in Brainerd, Minn. during the MotoAmerica Superbikes at Minnesota event.
The Mission King of the Baggers series features race-prepared American V-Twin touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing Road Glide® motorcycles are powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle® Milwaukee-Eight® 131 Performance Crate Engines. The team bikes also feature upgraded suspension components, including Screamin’ Eagle/Öhlins Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks, plus competition exhaust, race tires and lightweight bodywork.
Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing is sponsored by Mission® Foods, Rockford Fosgate®, Brembo®, Öhlins®, Protolabs®, SYN3® lubricants, and Screamin’ Eagle® Performance Parts and Accessories.
MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Road America Race 1
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
Indian Motorcycle Factory Rider Troy Herfoss Goes 1-2 at Road America, Leads King of The Baggers Championship Standings
Three-Time Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss Continues Remarkable Performance Aboard S&S Indian Challenger, Secures Fourth Victory of Season
Race One winner Troy Herfoss (center), runner-up Kyle Wyman (left), and third-place finisher Tyler O’Hara (right) at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Indian Motorcycle.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. – What started as a wet weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, turned into another successful doubleheader for Indian Motorcycle factory rider and King of the Baggers (KOTB) rookie Troy Herfoss. Making his return to Road America after 17 years, Herfoss continued his remarkable performance aboard his S&S Indian Challenger, winning Race 1 and taking second in Race 2.
Starting the weekend off hot, Herfoss won the Mission Foods Challenge and its $5,000 prize, edging out Harley-Davidson rider James Rispoli by 0.04 seconds. After Qualifying, Herfoss and teammate Tyler O’Hara each earned a spot on the front row for Race 1 and Race 2. Despite consistent rainfall during Race 1, Herfoss quickly took the lead and navigated the wet track to a comfortable win. The following day, Herfoss was met at the front of the pack of Race 2, as he and Harley-Davidson rider Kyle Wyman battled for the win. Ultimately, Herfoss missed the mark by a mere .39 seconds. O’Hara, who is finding his groove on the S&S Indian Challenger, secured back-to-back third-place finishes.
“Congrats to Troy, Tyler and the entire S&S team on another successful race weekend,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing and Service for Indian Motorcycle. “As we hit the halfway point of the season, the team is really hitting its stride. S&S has the Indian Challenger dialed in like never before, and Troy and Tyler are comfortable and confident as we stay on the gas and push to bring the KOTB championship home in 2024.”
To start his KOTB career, Herfoss has never missed a podium, securing four wins and four second-place finishes – earning 180 total points and a nine-point lead at the top of the championship leaderboard. O’Hara, the former 2022 KOTB Champion, has found his stride in the 2024 season, having secured a second-place finish, and back-to-back third place finishes the last three races. O’Hara is firmly planted in third place of the season leaderboard with 111 points.
MotoAmerica’s Mission King of the Baggers season continues at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota June 14-16.
The S&S Indian Challenger race team is sponsored by S&S, Progressive, Mission Foods, Drag Specialties, Parts Unlimited, and Performance Finance.
For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, X and Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle Company is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
INDIAN and INDIAN MOTORCYCLE are registered trademarks of Indian Motorcycle International, LLC. Always wear a helmet, protective clothing and eyewear and insist your passenger does the same. Ride within the limits of the law and your own abilities. Read, understand and follow your owner’s manual. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
ABOUT S&S® CYCLE
S&S® Cycle was born from a passion for racing and has spent over six decades building performance for the powersports market. Their unwavering focus on quality, reliability and top shelf power has made S&S® Cycle the absolute leader in high performance on the street and track.
More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports:
MotoAmerica: Altus Motorsports Results from Road America
Jake Lewis (85). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
(Elkhart Lake, WI) The MotoAmerica round at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin was a wild mix of weather conditions. Saturday’s races were full wet and then Sunday was dry and sunny. The results for the Altus team were also a wild mix of ups and downs.
Both of the Road America Supersport races were shortened due to red flags. The Saturday race was clipped to 6 laps and Sunday’s to 7.
Jake Lewis qualified 8th fastest and started both races from the middle of the third row. In the wet race on Saturday, he showed his experience and moved quickly up into third place and held that position until the checkered flag. On Sunday, he finished the race in 10th.
While the results may not show it, the Road America round was Jaret Nassaney’s best of the 2024 season. On Saturday in the rain, he fought his way up to 5th. Unfortunately, on the last lap, he was making a move to take 4th when he crashed. In the 2nd Supersport race of the weekend, Jaret finished 13th.
Jaret Nassaney (59). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
Jaret Nassaney: “Yeah pretty disappointed to not get the result to show how well I was riding. Made it up to the battle for 4th in Race 1, but had a crash in turn 7 on the final lap! Unfortunately, that’s how the rain is sometimes. I’m happy with my riding though. Race 2 was hectic with the two red flags and then the race getting pushed back in the schedule. We were just missing a little something to run with that front group, but had a good battle for 11th the whole race. Ended up p13 happy to just leave with some points”
Road America is another new circuit for Torin Collins, but it didn’t take him long to get up to speed. By the completion of the first practice, he was already 10th fastest. In Race 1, he finished 7th place. Impressive for his first time at the track and in the rain. During the Sunday race, Collins’ GSX-R750 suffered an inexplicable engine failure. Because of a red flag and delayed restart, the team was able to swap the motor. Unfortunately, he was not allowed to compete in the race.
Torin Collins (171). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
Torin Collins: “Yeah first time at Road America so I had my hands full. Overall the team worked really hard this weekend and we are making huge steps in the right direction. I feel that we are close to reaching what’s possible. Race 1 was difficult. Still trying to learn the track and the bike while also riding in such sketchy wet conditions was challenging. I was honestly just glad to finish the race in 7th. Race 2 was super upsetting. Getting a decent launch and clinging onto the huge group that was battling for the win. Feeling ready to make my way up the group and then the engine went kapoof. From an outsider’s perspective, it’s hard to understand what’s been going on with all these mechanicals but I just know the team and I have been working so hard to get to where we want. I can smell it. The results are coming”
George Nassaney: “Despite some setbacks, this was the best weekend of our 2024 season. Jake was able to get on the box Saturday, Torin finished 7th at a track in the rain he had never rode at before, and my son Jaret was having a great race battling for 4th and 5th on the last lap, but unfortunately crashed out while trying overtake 4th. Unfortunately Sunday was not as good. I can’t say enough of how blessed we are to have surrounded ourselves with guys that work beyond the normal expectations. This past weekend we had some16-17hr days to absolutely make sure our riders had the best Suzuki GSXR750’s to compete with. After Torin’s engine failure on Sundays race 2, I spoke to race control and was given the green light to swap his engine and get him out for the new race 2 restart. We only had about an hour and half to make it happen. The team pulled together and was able to swap motors and get him out to start the race. Unfortunately when Torin rode out MotoAmerica wanted to be extra cautious and look over the bike again even after tech said it was cleared to race. They then decided not to allow him to race. This was gut wrenching for all of us after all that hard work. At the end of the day, I just want to say we are only becoming stronger and more determined to be the top Supersport team in the paddock. I could not be more proud of this team. We are looking forward to the next few rounds! Big thanks to Hoban Brothers and Darkhorse Motor Company for allowing us to use their shop over the weekend and this week in preparation for the next round at Brainerd.”
More, from a press release issued by Tytlers Cycle Racing:
A rollercoaster of emotions for Tytlers Cycle Racing at Road America
Tytlers Cycle Racing endured an event of mixed emotions at Road America, the latest round of the MotoAmerica championship, last weekend. Title contender Cameron Beaubier suffered an injury that has put him out of action whilst on the other side of the Superbike garage JD Beach raced to his first podium of the season. Stefano Mesa made big steps forward in Supersport, battling for the podium in his third championship event of the year.
The weekend started well for Cam B. The former champion the man to beat after first qualifying. With Pole Position secured, the #6 was running strongly in the opening encounter and despite inclement weather conditions looked good as he fought for a top three finish. A strange crash at turn one mid-way into the race saw Beaubier helped away with the news coming later Saturday evening that he had suffered a broken heel. He took no further part in the weekend and the team will update on his condition in due course.
For JD Beach, the third round of the championship was his strongest to date. Qualifying on the third row the #95 looked comfortable in both the wet (Saturday) and dry (Sunday). Fifth at the flag in the opening encounter he romped to P3 and his first BMW podium of the year on Sunday to move into eighth overall in the championship standings.
Stefano Mesa’s Supersport season also continued to gather momentum at Road America. The #37 converted fifth on the grid into eighth and fifth positions in the two races. Leading on more than one occasion in Sunday’s race which was red flagged twice, Mesa is looking forward to further advancements towards the podium at Brainerd in a fortnight.
JD Beach: “This weekend I feel like we made some good progress with my feeling on the bike. The team has been working hard to get me comfortable and find that sweet spot. Race one was tough with the amount of rain we had. It made it hard to see and although the surface had good grip it would then let go with no warning. I felt good but had a couple of moments and just wanted to bring it home and snagged a P4. It was a bummer to see Cam go down. I hated to see that that for him and the team. In Race two I was feeling strong but struggled with front tyre grip under braking. If I broke too hard, I would lock the front tyre. I was in a battle for third but couldn’t do too much, but I felt ok sitting there. I was able to pick up the pieces when SDK made a mistake on the last lap. I am really happy to get my first podium with the Tytlers team and give them a little pay back for all their hard work. “
Cameron Beaubier: “The weekend at Road America started great with some good pace on Friday and Saturday morning. I felt great on my bike in the dry and then the rain came before Race one. I was struggling a lot with my engine braking in the rain but was able to free it up and get a flow going in the race despite running wide a few times. I ended up having a weird crash into turn one with a few laps to go, breaking my heel bone. I am pretty disappointed and this one stings bad to be honest. Everything has been going well this year up until this point. I will find out some more info on the plan for my heel this week.”
Stefano Mesa: “It was a better weekend for me and the Tytlers’ boys. We keep making progress, achieved some better results but it’s still not where we belong. We have been moving the added weight around and got the bike feeling the best it has all year. We are still struggling a little bit with the lower end power and getting the bike out of the corner to stay with the other bikes. We qualified strong in P5. Race one was very difficult. It was hard to see, and I was hydroplaning everywhere. I was glad to bring the bike back in one piece in a solid P8 for the team. We made some big changes for morning warm up and I really liked the direction we took. Race two was good for us. On the first two starts we were able to run with the front pack and make some good passes battling for podium positions. Unfortunately, we had two red flags and the race got moved until the end of the day. On the third start I also got a good launch and was able to go with the boys for about six laps. I tried making a few moves but couldn’t make them stick. I started to lose grip on the last lap and fell back a bit from the group, bringing it home fifth which is our best finish of the season so far. Thank you to my Tytlers Cycle team for all the hard work, we’ll keep chasing the box.”
Whether the so-called “Ducati decision” of who to sign as Francesco Bagnaia’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) teammate for 2025 had been made behind the scenes already, the answer as to who it’s not has now already been announced… and by Aprilia Racing.
In a lightning-quick sequence of post-test events, the Noale factory teased an announcement for 18:00 local time just 15 minutes before launch and got the sport instantly buzzing. Was it a true teaser? A joke? Or one of the biggest rider announcements of the year?
The latter. Their announcement confirmed Jorge Martin, currently with Prima Pramac Racing, as an Aprilia Racing rider from 2025 on a multi-year contract. Decisions have now not only been made but also announced for some of the biggest moving parts in the spiciest MotoGP™ “silly season” for some time.
MASSIMO RIVOLA: QUOTES
How happy are you to sign Jorge?
“I am obviously super happy, I cannot talk about the details but I can tell you that it was a very fast deal from last night to today. We signed at 17:30 and announced at 18:00 so it was a fast decision and move for us but I am super happy to have him onboard.”
How much of an influence did Aleix have in the signing?
“You know that Aleix and Jorge are like brothers and since Aleix decided to retire which we initially agreed would be decided at Mugello, but with it being his home race in Barcelona he would [like] to announce it before, which was super nice and emotional. After that, I started to look at the rider market in the paddock and many managers naturally knocked on my door but I think we got the best solution.
What are Maverick’s feelings for next year?
“As I said Maverick is a big part of the puzzle and he is a big priority to me but unfortunately everything was so tight and done in a rush that I wrongly didn’t find the time to speak to him, as I said we had from 17:30 to 18:00 to organise everything before the media which was not enough. Let’s see if he is happy to stay with us and then we will find a good condition to keep him happy. If he is not then we will see what the market offers and maybe we will find another good rider, but we are obviously thinking about Maverick and Jorge which would be amazing.
Are you in contact with Bastianini and Bezzecchi?
“Yes, absolutely they are all fantastic riders but let’s see as our priority is Maverick.”
How nice does it feel to take the Championship leader from Ducati?
“It is a very good point and is a nice reward for a company that pushes every year for growth, to increase performance, and to fight the top riders and manufacturers and we are really happy that we signed a rider like him. Maverick a couple of years ago took on this challenge when we were not in this position and now thanks to him we are in this position. We need to be grateful for the job which has been done by the company and also the riders.”
How do you think Jorge will adapt to the bike and the team?
“I think we are recognised as a good team that people feel well and riders feel great. His adaption will be a question mark but I don’t think it will take long with his riding style and level of talent.”
Does Martin signing sway Aleix Espargaro’s decision to stay as a test rider?
“It is a good point but I think Aleix would like to have a different challenge. He is a part of our history and we are grateful for that, so maybe he will find a better challenge for the future and we wish him the best.”
Mugello Test: rain affects play as Binder, Acosta and Marini lead the way
A damp Monday after the Italian GP hampers testing in Tuscany, with KTM and Honda sharing the top five
Following overnight rain and showers throughout the day, running at the MotoGP™ Mugello Test was limited. 16 of the 23 riders set lap times, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder fastest with a 1:47.617 – 0.033s quicker than Pedro Acosta’s (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) best effort. Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) completed the top three as RC16s and RC213Vs locked out the top five.
RED BULL KTM – RED BULL GASGAS TECH3
It’s good that Binder topped the timesheets because that gives us the perfect excuse to kick things off with – arguably – the most notable update we spotted at Mugello. The Pierer Mobility Group bikes had new aero on them, the same as they had in the Jerez Test, with the update essentially sheathing the full side fairing, now making it a completely smooth surface. Head over to the MotoGP™ Tech Group on Facebook for more information on the new aero.
Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was P4 and clocked the second highest lap tally (32) with Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) only getting a wet weather lap time on the board in P13.
REPSOL HONDA – CASTROL/IDEMITSU HONDA LCR
Marini ended the day P3 on the timesheets, with the Italian lapping a table-topping 40 times in the differing conditions. Reports from the ground suggest there was nothing much new to report in terms of new parts on the HRC machines that we didn’t see at the Italian GP, with the weather curtailing every manufacturer’s plans. Ergonomics-wise, Marini was spotted trying a new tank cover as he attempts to get comfier on the RC213V.
Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) said a new engine was going to be tested, but one that is only a slight change to the current one. The Spaniard suggested Honda are seeking to have a new engine ready for July, so keep an eye on that in the coming weeks.
Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) and Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda LCR) racked up 58 laps between them, neither managed any dry running though.
APRILIA – TRACKHOUSE
Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was the top RS-GP rider in P6, with both his and teammate Aleix Espargaro’s bikes looking like they were standard-spec. Not much to report from the Noale camp.
In the Trackhouse Racing garage, Raul Fernandez had one 2024-spec RS-GP but the Spaniard completed just six laps on Monday. On the other side of the garage, Miguel Oliveira also clocked six laps on a quiet day for the American outfit.
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA
With a private test coming up soon in Valencia, both Alex Rins and Fabio Quartararo lapped less than 20 times on Monday, with neither going out when the track was dry.
More work will be done at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo for Yamaha ahead of our trip to Assen at the end of this month.
The only two Ducati riders to roll out of pitlane and set a lap time were Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™). The Italian and Spaniard were P15 and P16 on the timesheets respectively. Still, a couple rolled round, including Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™). Fresh from their 1-2, neither Ducati Lenovo Team rider did.
So that’s it from Mugello. The Cathedral of Speed is where we’ll see the MotoGP™ stars next on track between the 28th and 30th of June – see you there. By then, we might have even more of the 2025 puzzle revealed!
JORGE MARTÍN ALMOGUERA WILL BE AN APRILIA RACING RIDER FROM 2025 WITH A MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT
It could only be Jorge Martín the ideal rider to ensure continuity after the announcement of Aleix Espargaró’s retirement, who has always been Martín’s friend and mentor. Martín has signed a multi-year contract with Aprilia Racing starting in 2025, and the Team and the entire Piaggio Group welcome a rider who best represents the desire to establish himself at the top of MotoGP.
MASSIMO RIVOLA (Aprilia Racing CEO)
“A path of unstoppable growth, Jorge is a building block to reach the goal we are all looking for with great hunger at Aprilia Racing. Thanks to Dr. Michele Colaninno for this opportunity, we spoke last night and without wasting any time we made the decision.”
A five-year contract extension confirms the Austrian GP on the calendar until 2030 inclusive
It’s official: the Austrian Grand Prix will be on the MotoGP™ calendar until 2030. Previously confirmed until 2025, a new agreement ensures the world’s most exciting sport will continue to race at the spectacular Red Bull Ring – Spielberg from 2026-2030 inclusive.
After nearly two decades, the Austrian GP returned to the calendar in 2016 and immediately became a fan and paddock favourite, winning Best Grand Prix for its first event back and then taking the trophy again in 2019. Set in the glorious Styrian hills in Spielberg, the Red Bull Ring provides a stunning backdrop for MotoGP™ – serving up fantastic racing, iconic final corner showdowns, and a full programme of fan activities throughout the Grand Prix.
Mark Mateschitz, owner of the Red Bull Ring: “Anyone who loves motorsport loves MotoGP. It embodies racing in its purest form. When the best riders in the world go head-to-head and there are multiple changes of position in a single lap, nobody can stay in their seats. Once you’ve experienced the enthusiasm of the fans here at the Red Bull Ring, you can’t get enough of it. I am delighted that we have been able to secure this great event for the spectators with a long-term commitment to Austria and to the Steiermark in particular.”
Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP™ rights holder Dorna Sports: “We’re very happy to announce that the Austrian Grand Prix will be on the calendar until 2030. Not only is it one of the world’s most beautiful racetracks, it also delivers an incredible weekend for fans with fantastic facilities, great entertainment events, and spectacular racing. The Red Bull Ring has staged some of our most iconic modern moments since the track returned to the calendar.
“As the home track for KTM and part of Red Bull’s incredible commitment to motorsport, it’s also an important venue for many of our stakeholders and Austrian motorsport as a whole. We’re very happy to announce that we’ll be returning until 2030 and look forward to many more years working together.”
Tyler Scott won MotoAmerica Supersport Race Two Sunday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Riding his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 on spec Dunlop tires, Scott went from third to first in the run from the final corner to the finish line and won in a photo finish.
Tyler Scott (70). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
The official margin of victory was 0.001 second, but MotoAmerica officials said the margin was actually smaller than that.
Strack Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz drafted past PJ Jacobsen from the final corner to the checkered flag but came up short by the smallest margin imaginable and got second place.
Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL rider Jacobsen led out of the final corner but ended getting third place, just 0.010 second behind the winner.
The official finish photo, or scan, shot at 10,000 frames per second. Photo courtesy MotoAmerica.
Maxi Gerardo led a lot of the race on his TopPro Racing Suzuki but could do no better than fourth, just 0.354 second behind Jacobsen.
Stefano Mesa also fought for the lead throughout the race but finished fifth, 1.882 seconds back.
The race was originally started and stopped with red flags twice, and then it was moved to the end of the day and run for seven instead of 11 laps.
How Close Is Close? Scott Wins Supersport At Road America By .001 Of A Second
Ultra-Close Racing At Road America In All The Support Classes
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 2, 2024) – Normally, Supersport is not the final race of the weekend at a MotoAmerica event, but a couple of red flags during its initial timeslot dictated that it be pushed ahead to late Sunday afternoon at Road America. Little did anyone know that it would turn out to be the closest three-rider race finish in the 10-year history of the MotoAmerica series.
Supersport – Scott By A Whisker
Sunday’s weather turned out to be ideal compared with the rain-sodden conditions on Saturday, and MotoAmerica’s Supersport class put on an incredible show. “Supersport Next Generation” is the name of the game, which means that motorcycles with engine displacements ranging from the 599cc Yamaha YZF-R6, to the 749cc Suzuki GSX-R750, to the 955cc Ducati Panigale V2 all race in Supersport with balancing measures taken to level the competition.
So, how level is the competition in Supersport? At the finish line, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott barely nipped Strack Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz in a photo finish, with Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen finishing third and just one one-hundredth of a second behind Scholtz.
It was a breathtaking result, and Scott talked about it afterwards. “Our season definitely didn’t start off good at all,” Scott said. “Daytona was good. We finished second. We had a big crash there. Atlanta, we did all right in the rain. Had a big crash out of the lead, and at Barber, too. So, we’ve had a little bit of bad luck. The level in Supersport this year is just a lot higher than in previous years. You’ve got PJ, Scholtz and the new Gerardo kid. They’re all ex-Superbike riders. So, the level just gets notched up. So, we’re pushing to the edge and just over-pushing for my part. The team has done a great job preparing the bike. The team did a great job this weekend. Overall, the goal is to not try and lead the race and pull away because that hasn’t worked the last two weekends for us. I can race and I know how to race well, so the goal was just to stay with the front pack and start racing at the end for the lead. Coming up the hill, I had a plan to at least draft one of them. When they split, the only opportunity that I had was if PJ didn’t go to the wall. If he would have gone to the wall, I wouldn’t have had the opening. I just had enough of an opening to try and see what I could do in the last couple-hundred feet.”
Mission King Of The Baggers – “Must-Win” For Wyman Accomplished
Speaking of close finishes, the penultimate race of the weekend was also nearly a photo finish. Mission King Of The Baggers, which is MotoAmerica’s uniquely American Harley-Davidson versus Indian Motorcycle rival series, came right down to the finish line, as well.
And, with Harley-Davidson’s headquarters located just an hour south of Road America in Milwaukee, plus 91-year-old namesake Willie G. Davidson at the track along with thousands of H-D employees and also fans of The Motor Company, Kyle Wyman, aboard his Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide Special (signed by “Willie G.” just before the start of the race), rose to the challenge and won the drag race to the checkered flag over S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Troy Herfoss. The Australian’s teammate Tyler O’Hara completed the podium in third, while Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli finished fourth.
The margin of victory for Wyman was just .039 of a second over Herfoss, and he was more relieved than ecstatic that he won, since he faced the intense pressure and overcame it.
“A hundred percent a must-win today,” Wyman said. “Usually, you have kind of two shots at it. Yesterday, I was not comfortable, so I didn’t feel like I really had a shot to fight for the win. I knew it was all eggs in one basket on Sunday. Troy (Herfoss) found something this morning. I was struggling a little bit. We made a small change for the race, just to try to get me a predictable bike. I knew it was going to be a scrap. I think we all knew nobody was going to get away, so just try to get me something that was comfortable to ride that I could kind of throw around where I needed to. Got a good start. The Gillim train in the beginning was a little erratic. I know he’s doing what he has to do. He’s a little bit down on horsepower, but I had some close calls with him, for sure. Got me sucked into the back-end of him a couple times. I thought we were going to touch wheels. Once Troy came up, he got through on me, and I just latched on. There were a couple areas where he had a little bit of pace on me, but there were other areas where I could kind of reel him back. Like I said at COTA, I love a one-on-one. When I looked back, I guess these guys got kind of separated. I looked back and saw we had a gap to third. I was like, all right. It’s a mano-e-mano type of thing. I love it. I’m having the most enjoyment of my entire racing career, racing these baggers and especially this year racing Troy. It’s a fantastic challenge. It’s a fantastic rivalry, and one with a whole lot of respect. I’m really enjoying it, as he is. I can’t wait to get back with my guys and celebrate because we got the ‘must-win’ done.
“I’m super thankful to the whole Harley-Davidson team. To have Willie G. out here in his homecoming year. They’re going to celebrate him at homecoming coming up here in July in Milwaukee. It’s a pretty special deal. Pretty amazing feeling.”
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Landers’ Last-Lap Dash
RevZilla/Motul/ Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers couldn’t match the pace of Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario early in Sunday’s race, but he stuck around, bided his time, and took full advantage of the lack of grip on Di Mario’s Aprilia to make a pass on the last lap and notch victory, his second of the season.
Di Mario had a solid weekend at Road America, following up his second-place finish in the rain on Saturday with another runner-up finish on Sunday. His teammate Gus Rodio, meanwhile, had a weekend to forget with two non-finishes, which has given Landers and Di Mario sizeable leads in the championship.
Landers led the title chase going into Sunday’s race after finishing third yesterday, and he added to that lead with a victory on Sunday. Following his 50th career win across all classes, Landers is nine points clear of Di Mario, 135-126, with Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle third on 110 points – one point better than Rodio, who slips down to fourth in the championship.
The battle for third was a good one with Doyle vs. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Rossi Moor for the majority of the race. Doyle, however, had a miscue on the last lap while chasing Moor, allowing the Oregonian to secure third and his first Twins Cup podium.
TopPro Racing’s Avery Dreher came out of it all in fourth with Doyle recovering for fifth.
“In the beginning when his tire was fresh, I just had nothing for him, especially on the short chutes,” Landers said. “That’s where I lose most of my time. The long straights aren’t that big of a deal. It’s just until we get to sixth gear. Once we’re at the top of fifth, sixth gear it’s not so bad. I saw his tire start to go off and he kept dropping me. I was pushing so hard that entire race. I was having a little bit of front-end issues. The right-hand side of my tire might have been overheating. But I kind of was hoping Gus (Rodio) would be my ticket back up to Alessandro (Di Mario), but he ended up going down in five on lap two or three. At that point, I was like, just put my head down and see what I could do. I did not think I was going to be able to catch him, because he came across the line at 1.8 something on the last lap. I just pushed as hard as I possibly could. Honestly, going into the chicane on the last lap, I didn’t even think I was going to be able to. I just waited until he got on the brakes and was like, ‘screw it. if I blow the chicane, I blow the chicane and get second rather than settling for it’ and I just sent it. Somehow it worked. I’m very surprised, to be honest with you. But that was a good race. I almost think it topped yesterday’s rain race, but not quite. I think that was my greatest race ever. This is maybe second. It always changes. I couldn’t have done it without my team. They’ve been busting their butts. We’ve been trying to get this bike as good as possible. The thing is handling absolutely phenomenally, especially on the front end.”
Junior Cup – Chapin Does The Double
Junior Cup normalcy returned under the sunny skies of Elkhart Lake on Sunday with some 10-12 riders in the lead pack for most of the race after Saturday’s horrible weather didn’t make for the best racing.
When all was said and done, however, the lead pack dwindled to nine and it was game on with yesterday’s winner in the rainstorm, Matthew Chapin, doing most of the leading and using his diminutive size and a fast motorcycle to somehow make it to the stripe first nearly every time.
Including the one that mattered most – the last one.
The win was BARTCON Racing-backed Chapin’s third and that, combined with Yandel Medina finishing ninth, gave him the championship points lead.
Second place today, and just .346 of a second behind Chapin, was Barber’s doubleheader winner Logan Cunnison on his Speed Demon Racing-backed Kawasaki Ninja 400 with Fernandez Racing’s Jayden Fernandez taking the final podium spot.
Six riders crossed the line in quick succession with Karns Performance’s Levi Badie fourth, Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher fifth and BPM’s Issac Woodworth sixth.
“My bike has been really, really fast all weekend,” Chapin said. “I’ve been pretty fast, and I was feeling confident. I knew if I stayed out front, I could maybe pull a gap. I knew I could hold the lead. I just put my head down the whole race. I wanted to lead the whole time because I didn’t want to get shuffled back.”
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – She’s Back
The mice got their chance to play in yesterday’s first of two Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. battles as defending series champion Mikayla Moore sat it out with a thigh injury. Today, the cat returned, and she was at the top as always with Moore taking her third win of the year by a whopping 23.937 seconds.
Behind her came a battle for second between Aubrey Credaroli and yesterday’s winner Cassie Creer with Credaroli getting the spot at the line by just .243 of a second. Creer was third, a day after earning her first-career MotoAmerica podium and victory.
Camille Conrad backed up her podium finish yesterday on a soaking wet racetrack with fourth today under bright sunshine. Kira Knebel rounded out the top-five finishers.
Fortunately for Moore, she was able to swap helmets prior to the race after realizing she couldn’t see out of her faceshield.
“I went over to the Arai tent, and I told them I needed my helmet and make sure it’s good, since it was the same helmet that I crashed in,” Moore said. “He said it was all checked out, but at the last minute I went to go put it on and I put the visor down and I could not see no one in front of me. It was super blurry. I had Kendall with K Tech come over and I was like, ‘I need that other helmet ASAP, because I’m blind right now. I can’t see nobody.’”
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
ROAD AMERICA RACE 2
SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 2024 | WARM UP & RACE 2
Today’s activities started with the morning warm up, which solidified the team’s confidence in their machines heading into the race. With PJ Jacobsen topping the charts with a time of 2:17.734 and Kayla Yaakov nearly matching her qualifying times, finishing the session in 12th.
The sunny skies and dry track conditions provided a picture perfect setting for today’s Race 2 at Road America. The race ran just over two laps before the first red flag was waved for an expired engine. With the red conditions, both XPEL bikes made their way back to the hot pit for adjustments. Due to the first red coming out within the first three laps, the riders took the restart from their original starting positions.
During the first lap of the restarted race, an incident occurred near the tail of the field that immediately brought out a second red flag. The field made their way back to pit lane and were soon told the remainder of the race would be postponed until after the Superbike and King of the Baggers races.
Once Race 2 resumed, it was seven laps of determination to get to the end. Yaakov got an amazing restart but was caught in the field which eventually became distanced from the leading five. Jacobsen moved through the top four, making a pass for the lead out of Canada corner, but ultimately finishing third at the finish line in the closest-ever finish in MotoAmerica history (0.001 seconds between first and second and 0.009 seconds between second and third).
The team heads to Brainerd, MN for Rounds 7 & 8 of competition Friday, June 14 – Sunday, June 16. More information on the participation of Corey Alexander and the Roller Die machine at the Brainerd course will be provided as the event nears.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 4th
FINISHED: 3rd
CHAMPIONSHIP: 1st (131 pts., 12 pt. lead)
NOTES: Has collected a podium finish at every race so far this season // Remains the championship leader heading into Rounds 7 & 8 of 18
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Going into the dry race today, I was a bit optimistic. I think walking out of here with a podium is a good result. I tried everything I could to lead the end of the race and end up in first, but we got passed at the finish line. I don’t think I had enough to draft those guys if I was sitting behind them, so I had to lead out of the last corner and try my hardest. I want to thank the entire Rahal Ducati Moto / XPEL team for doing a great job this whole weekend. We are leaving with another podium finish which has me confident going to Brainerd. I like that track – I had my first Superbike win there, so hopefully the adjustments we make to our bike should provide us a good result.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 12th
FINISHED: 12th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 11th (35 pts., -1 position)
NOTES: The rain in Saturday’s race hindered Kayla’s forward progression in learning the Road America track on the Supersport bike // Yaakov was making big gains each session throughout the weekend and could have utilized the dry race yesterday to progress further and translate data to be used for today’s race
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Today was a very tough race. After so many restarts and not many full laps completed, it was very hard to find a flow and balance that worked for me and the bike. In the second restart, I was in a very good position and hanging onto the lead group, but unfortunately the race was red flagged and I wasn’t able to get the same jump on the third restart as I did in the second. I was struggling quite a bit without a draft, and was shuffled back even though I was strong in the infield sections. Really unfortunate, but I’ll put this race behind me and focus on Brainerd.”
BEN SPIES
TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “We always want more, but it wasn’t a bad day for the Rahal Ducati Moto team. PJ got really good points, and in my opinion, he rode a pretty perfect race. We were just down a little bit of top speed, but he put in a pass on the last lap, led out the last corner, and went back to third place. There’s not much he could’ve done different. Kayla also rode a really good race. She’s still adapting to the big bike on the bigger tracks with bigger breaking zones, so there is still a lot to learn but she is showing a lot of growth each week. Overall, it was a good weekend resulting in good points. I want to congratulate Tyler Scott on his win – he’s had a couple pretty hard weekends and a couple pretty hard crashes. We will move forward to Brainerd and try to get back on the top of the box.”
Kyle Wyman won MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Race Two Sunday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Riding his Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide on Dunlop control tires, Wyman used a last-lap pass to take a narrow victory by 0.039 second.
Reigning Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss fought his way to the front on his S&S Indian Challenger, but Wyman passed him on the run to the checkered flag, relegating him to second place.
Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara came out on top of another, equally entertaining battle for third place.
Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli crossed the finish line fourth, 0.047 second behind O’Hara and 0.223 second ahead of RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s defending Champion Hayden Gillim in fifth.
Josh Herrin won MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race Two Sunday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R on Dunlop Sportmax Slick control tires, Herrin led from start to finish and won the 12-lap race by 9.058 seconds.
Bobby Fong was the best of the rest, taking a runner-up finish on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1.
Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW rider JD Beach was right behind Fong for much of the race but could not make a move and came in third, 0.326 second behind Fong. Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz took the checkered flag 0.434 second behind Beach in fourth.
Three-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne was third early in the race but slipped backwards to a lonely fifth-place finish on his Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing YZF-R1.
Sean Dylan Kelly was running second on the final lap when he ran wide entering Canada Corner due to an apparent mechanical issue with his TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR. Kelly continued as best he could and salvaged sixth.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Brandon Paasch and Xavi Fores were separated by 0.013 second at the finish line with Paasch getting seventh and Fores taking eighth.
Benjamin Smith got ninth and the Superbike Cup victory on his FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha, and Danilo Lewis rounded out the top 10 finishers on his Team Brazil BMW.
Race One winner Cameron Petersen was running seventh on lap six when his Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing YZF-R1 suffered a smokey failure, forcing him to retire.
Five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier did not start Race Two. Beaubier crashed during Race One and broke the heel in his right foot. Beaubier’s recovery time was not known at post time.
Herrin Dominates Steel Commander Superbike Race Two At Road America
Josh Herrin Rides His Ducati To A Nine-Second Win In Elkhart Lake
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 2, 2024) – It may not have been a walk in the park, but it was definitely a high-speed stroll through the track known as America’s National Park of Speed for Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin on Sunday at Road America.
Herrin stormed away at the start of the 12-lap race and was never threatened. The chasing pack kept the gap in the two-second range for a few laps, but then the margin just steadily grew exponentially until it got to the 10-second mark. The Ducati Panigale V4 R was in its element on the high-speed track and Herrin was enjoying every minute of it.
At the completion of the 12 laps, Herrin was a tick over nine seconds clear of the chasing pack. It was his first win of what has been a difficult season thus far for the 2013 Superbike Champion. It was also the 11th Superbike win of his career, which ties him for 18th on the all-time Superbike win list with Anthony Gobert.
The chasing pack was hectic and consisted of four – Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach, TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly and Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz.
Kelly did most of the leading in second place, but Fong was on a mission and riding hard to make up for an obvious speed disadvantage with his Yamaha YZF-R1 against the BMW M 1000 RRs of Kelly and Beach. Baz, meanwhile, also had a fast bike but couldn’t go farther forward until the last lap.
It was on the last lap and the run to the final corner and the dash up the hill that the pack lost Kelly, with his BMW faltering as it was stuck in fifth gear. He would finish but it would be in sixth and not the second place he was fighting for. Fong ended up a well-deserved second with Beach third, less than half a second behind the Yamaha on the run to the flag. Then came Baz just a few 10ths behind.
Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne passed Kelly for fifth with the Floridian nursing the bike up the hill to sixth. Gagne’s ride had been mostly lonely.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch was seventh after beating his fill-in teammate Xavi Forés by just .013 of a second. FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith and Team Brazil’s Danilo Lewis rounded out the top 10.
After three rounds and seven races in the Steel Commander Superbike Championship, Gagne leads the injured Cameron Beaubier by 18 points, 113-95, with the five-time Superbike Championship expected to miss at least the next round with the broken heel he suffered in Saturday’s crash at Road America.
Fong jumps to third in the title chase, 25 points behind Gagne and just seven behind Beaubier. Saturday’s race winner Cameron Petersen is fourth in the championship after his Yamaha YZF-R1 suffered a terminal illness that took the South African out of race two after just six laps.
Kelly is tied with Petersen for fourth and fortunate he could nurse the BMW to the finish line. The pair are 30 points behind Gagne and four points ahead of Herrin, who obviously gained tons of ground with his first victory of the year.
Superbike Race Two
Josh Herrin (Ducati)
Bobby Fong (Yamaha)
JD Beach (BMW)
Loris Baz (Ducati)
Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
Sean Dylan Kelly (BMW)
Brandon Paasch (Suzuki)
Xavi Forés (Suzuki)
Benjamin Smith (Yamaha)
Danilo Lewis (BMW)
Quotes
Josh Herrin – Winner
“Obviously, no Superbike win is ever easy,” Herrin said. “The guys gave me a great bike today. I had a great bike yesterday, but I’m just terrible in the rain on it. This one feels extra special, but the laps just kept clicking. I just felt super good. I was in a rhythm. I didn’t think about anybody behind me once, until three laps to go and I saw plus nine. I just couldn’t believe it. It was just a magical moment, for sure. It was one of those ones that you can’t explain, and you don’t really know why it happened. I mean, I know I had a great bike and I felt great, and I’ve been putting in the work, but it never comes that easy. I just want to thank the entire Warhorse HSBK Racing team for all the hard work that they do. I’m happy because the last race in New Jersey last year was really tough, and then we went to Road Atlanta, and I was leading and got ran off the track. Then I had a rain race that I sucked in again. Barber was terrible. Yesterday was terrible. So, it’s been a really hard six, seven, eight months, somewhere around there. I’m happy to be back up here. I told the guys, if we have two years on this bike it will make a huge difference. We were showing that in Atlanta, just with the way that we’re able to start Friday and be there right away. It just helps a lot with your confidence. This weekend told the same story. I’m really grateful for the opportunity and just really happy to be with the same team for three years in a row. I have a lot of fun with these guys. It’s really rare. I’ve been doing this for 19 years and this is the third time that I’ve felt like this in 19 years. One was with Graves. One was with Richard (Stanboli) in ’18, and now this team. It doesn’t happen very often that you get the full package, and right now we have it. I’m super happy. I’m bummed that Cam (Beaubier) wasn’t out there. I’m hoping that he has a speedy recovery because I know he for sure would have been there. I’m sure he’ll be back soon and fast. Brainerd is going to be tough, for sure. I’m ready and excited and just grateful for this.”
Bobby Fong – Second Place
“It was a hard-fought race,” Fong said. “It was me and Dylan (Sean Dylan Kelly) putting in our licks. I had to be smart. They had a little bit of horsepower and I had to get a run on him on each straightaway. I would back up a little bit going into the turns and try to come out with him just to stay as close as I could in the draft. I saw JD (Beach) pass me and I thought maybe (Loris) Baz was going to get in there and make some moves. I had to counter and counter fast just to keep my position. Now we’ve moved up in third in the championship and a little bit closer to (Jake) Gagne. Our goal is to be top Yamaha. It’s a bummer that (Cameron) Beaubier was out. Obviously, he was pretty dominant all weekend. Hopefully, he’s back soon because he was the standard all weekend.”
JD Beach – Third Place
“It’s hard,” Beach said. “I want to be pumped about this, but I feel like we’re still so far off right now. It’s not from a lack of trying from the team or myself. We’re just missing something, and I know once we get it, we’ll be right there. I guess it’s nice that I’m not pumped about a third, but in all honesty, it is great to be up here and to be third. I want to be fighting with Josh (Herrin) and Cameron (Beaubier) and the guys at the front. I’m glad we took a big step forward from Barber. That was a hard weekend. We’ll just keep fighting and we’ll keep working. We’ve still got a lot of races to go. There’s no quitting, so we’ll just keep going.”
Sebastien Tremblay (24) will carry the Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike championship lead into round two at Grand Bend, but won’t have to contend with rival Ben Young (86) this time around. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Sport Bike Preview: Tremblay the major favourite at Grand Bend as Young bows out
Hamilton, ON – The second round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will represent a major opportunity for Sebastien Tremblay, as he will head to the Grand Bend Motorplex without having to face his major rival in the Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike class when it kicks off June 7-9, presented by Southwest Marine & Powersport.
Tremblay enters round two as the Sport Bike championship leader following a crucial win in race two at Shannonville, having come out on top of a thrilling battle with Ben Young after the latter was victorious in race one.
However, Tremblay’s win was aided by a costly mechanical issue behind him, as Young encountered rad hose troubles on the penultimate lap which caused his crash out of second place, opening up an early advantage for Tremblay in the title fight.
Now, that slight gap has the potential to be completely blown open, as Young has confirmed he will not have his Scot-Build Suzuki ready for round two, choosing to focus on his Superbike campaign and title defence.
While Tremblay would have had a strong case to be the weekend favourite anyways – having proved in race two that he is more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the three-time Canada Cup champion – his odds will surely be increased by not having to fight Young on Saturday and Sunday.
That will be a slight bit of relief for Tremblay, who hasn’t always had the best luck at Grand Bend despite strong pace. The Turcotte Performance Suzuki rider was infamously taken out of the lead in 2019 and left with a broken collarbone, while his return last year brought another crash in a wet Superbike race.
However, the 2021 champion will also remind everyone that he escaped with a pair of second place finishes at Grand Bend in his return to the Sport Bike class last season, losing out only to home favourite and eventual champion David MacKay.
Tremblay won’t have MacKay to contend with this time, either, but that won’t mean he has a shortage of other contenders to go up against this time around.
Tops amongst them are the second and fourth-placed riders in the championship, Elliot Vieira and John Laing, who each turned in very respectable weekends at the Shannonville opener and will look to build upon it in Grand Bend.
Vieira was especially strong at the Motorplex last season, finishing fifth in race one (his season debut after missing the opener) before charging to third in race two aboard his GP Bikes Ducati.
In fact, that third-place finish for Vieira came just 0.969 seconds behind Tremblay as part of a spirited last-lap battle, one that will remind both riders what Vieira is capable of in round two and at virtually every track moving forward.
As for Laing, the Cochrane, AB native had a far less enjoyable time in his first trip to the circuit, though he still escaped with strong finishes of seventh and ninth. While a repeat of that won’t be good enough to keep his title hopes alive in 2024, Laing did prove at SMP that he is now a better rider than the already stellar version seen in 2023.
That should give the Vass Performance Kawasaki competitor some reinforcement as he enters round two, especially having tested at Grand Bend in recent weeks and running competitive times compared to the local SOAR regional riders.
Those regional specialists will once again prove to be a major X-factor at the venue, as Grand Bend – more than any other circuit – is known for having its SOAR stars produce strong national results at their home track.
Amongst those names to watch will be the trio of Nathan Playford, Zoltan Frast, and Sebastian Hothaza, who have all proven to be very fast at Grand Bend in recent history.
Frast was the one to beat in the regional Pro 600 race last weekend (the equivalent to Pro Sport Bike), escaping with a six-second victory over Hothaza aboard his Clare’s Cycle Kawasaki. Frast took solid finishes of eighth and seventh in round one, but could be on course for a first career national podium at Grand Bend after taking a best finish of fourth in race one a year ago.
As for Hothaza, the KSR Yamaha rider earned a career-best sixth in race one last season, and his regional pace suggests he will likely be in the same range as he eyes a top-five result in round two.
Playford, meanwhile, turned plenty of heads on day one at SMP when he qualified fourth and just marginally off the front row, but the Playford Company Ducati rider could only convert that into a pair of sixth-place finishes – something he will look to better or at least replicate in his return to Grand Bend.
Should any of the “locals” falter in the national spotlight, however, there will be a pair of young rivals ready to pick up the pieces in their first pro trips to the Motorplex.
Sixteen-year-old phenom Philip Degama-Blanchet first put himself on the CSBK radar last season with finishes of fourth and third at Grand Bend, the latter being his first of five amateur podiums, and his fourth-place finish as a pro at SMP proved that there won’t be many growing pains for him against top-flight competition.
The same goes for 19-year-old Mavrick Cyr, who was the double-amateur champion from a year ago and won both races at Grand Bend. The Rizzin Racing Triumph rider is fresh off a heated duel with Degama-Blanchet in round one but was no easy task to beat himself, taking fifth place finishes in both contests.
The absence of Young will represent a massive loss for Suzuki in the inaugural Sport Bike Constructors Championship, having extended a 20-point advantage over Ducati in round one thanks in large part to his and Tremblay’s efforts.
Now, the duo of Vieira and Playford – as well as the potential return of veteran Louie Raffa from injury – could be enough to swing the title fight in Ducati’s favour, though Kawasaki also lurks just another five points back thanks to Laing and Degama-Blanchet.
The full schedule for the Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike class – as well as the six other national classes – can be found on the series’ official website.
Kayla Yaakov to be Guest Instructor with the AHRMA Academy of Roadracing at New Jersey Motorsports Park
(June 3, Knoxville, TN) The Mark Morrow Roadracing School and the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) are excited to announce that Kayla Yaakov will be joining us as a guest coach with the AHRMA Academy of Roadracing (AAR) for the road racing school being offered on Friday, June 21, 2024 at the New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP).
Yaakov is a veteran road racer that came up through the minibike ranks, WERA, and has also competed in several international races. She is currently one of the fastest rookies in the MotoAmerica Supersport series. Yaakov rides for the Rahal Ducati team and NJMP was the location of her first podium in MotoAmerica Supersport competition.
“We are honored and excited to have Kayla join us at NJMP next month and can’t wait to hear some of her secrets about how to get around its technical Thunderbolt course fast,” said Mark Morrow, owner of the Mark Morrow Roadracing School and acting AAR director for this event.
Class size is limited, so sign up early if you want a chance to ride with this up-and-coming superstar! For more information and to register for the AAR at NJMP, go HERE. More information regarding AAR can be found at https://www.ahrma.org/ahrma-academy-roadracing/. Veteran instructor, Mark Morrow, will be acting AAR director for this event.
About AHRMA:
The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to competing on fantastic classic and true vintage along with a wide range of modern motorcycles. With over 3,000 members, AHRMA is the largest vintage racing group in North America and one of the biggest in the world. The association has grown steadily over the years, reflecting the increasing interest in classic bikes.
Update: Scroll down to see information on memorial services.
We are deeply saddened to announce that on Monday, May 27th, 2024, an incident occurred during the 10AM Expert Unlimited Practice at Summit Point Motorsports Park, in Summit Point, West Virginia.
Number 93, Roniel Guzman, age 36, was involved in an incident in Turn 10 where he experienced a loss of brakes. Roniel unfortunately succumbed to his injuries. May he rest in peace and his family find peace in these trying times. We ask that everyone respect the privacy of the family and those close to Rony (El Tipo).
The start of MotoAmerica Superbike Race Two with Josh Herrin (2) leading Jake Gagne (1), Sean Dylan Kelly (40), Cameron Petersen (45), JD Beach (95), and the rest of the field into Turn One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Josh Herrin crushes the field to win Race Two at Road America
Sunnyvale, Calif. — The third round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship marked the best one of the season to date for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team with Josh Herrin taking a resounding victory in race two and teammate Loris Baz having an excellent ride by taking fourth.
The race weekend didn’t start as it finished. The heavens opened for race one, drenching the 4.05-mile layout with torrential rain that made staying on the track difficult as the 220-plus horsepower machines aquaplaned their way around it.
Baz led the Ducati charge in race one, taking his first podium of the season in third, with Herrin in ninth at the flag.
Race two, however, was all Herrin. Under perfect blue skies, the number 2 rocketed off the line into turn one and slammed the hammer down, setting a metronomic pace in the lead as the rest struggled to keep up.
Herrin was so far out in front that he was able to cruise around on the final lap, eventually coming home nine seconds clear of Bobby Fong. Baz just missed out on a second podium of the weekend in fourth.
It marked a turning point for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team, which is now brimming with confidence heading into round four at Brainerd in two weeks.
2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship After Round Three
P1 – Jake Gagne 113
P2 – Cameron Beaubier 95
P3 – Bobby Fong 88
P4 – Cameron Petersen 83
P5 – Sean Dylan Kelly 83
P6 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 79
P7 – Loris Baz (Ducati) 72
Josh Herrin (2). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“It was a super good weekend,” Herrin enthused after race two. “The race in the rain didn’t go how I wanted, but Baz got third, so that was great for him and the team. We knew we’d be up there if the second race was dry. We got off the line well, built up a good lead early, and cruised at the end. The team did a great job setting up the Panigale V4 R—it’s always a fast bike at this track—and we’ve got a lot of good tracks for our bike coming up, but I’m going to savor this victory and get a positive snowball going for the next few rounds.”
Loris Baz. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“Overall, it was a good weekend,” Baz said. “I wanted to do a little better coming here, but my first podium in the rain was great. They were crazy conditions, and the bike worked really well. In the dry we were missing a bit with the set-up, but we made a huge improvement in the warm-up session. In the second race, I was doing my qualifying pace all race long, which helped me get back into the podium fight. I couldn’t get the podium in that one, but I’m really happy for Josh and the team to have two podiums in two races at this track. I’ll do everything to be up there with him at the next round.”
The fourth round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship sees the series head northwest to Brainerd in Minnesota over the July 12-14 weekend.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.:
Gagne Strengthens Championship Lead at Road America
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne expands MotoAmerica Superbike Championship lead with a top-five finish in Race 2
MARIETTA, Ga. – June 3, 2024 – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne made further championship gains at MotoAmerica Superbike Round 3, finishing the weekend with a top-five finish in Race 2. His 2-5 score at Road America has him leaving Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, with an 18-point lead in the title chase. Unfortunately, Cameron Petersen’s race ended early with a technical issue before the halfway mark.
In Sunday’s dry race two, Gagne got a good start from the front row of the grid in third but was shuffled back to sixth. The defending three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion rode his own race and advanced a spot on the final lap to cross the line fifth, further expanding his points lead on a challenging day at the four-mile track.
On the heels of his second win of the season, it was also a tough race two for Petersen. The South African got another good start from the third row of the grid into the top five but was shuffled back in the early laps. He was riding in seventh when unfortunately he had to withdraw from the race with a technical issue on Lap 7. Petersen leaves Road America tied for fourth in the championship and 30 points from his teammate at the top spot.
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing heads to Brainerd, Minnesota, in two weeks’ time for Round 4 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Brainerd International Raceway on June 14-16.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“It was a good weekend overall. We still leave with the championship lead and with a little bit of a bump because of the competitors who didn’t finish well or didn’t finish at all yesterday. So it was kind of a mulligan for them. I think we made a bad tire choice today. We were banking on the temperature coming up and it never did, and then it was too late to change it. So that hurt our pace there, and then we had a technical issue with the #45, but we’ll correct that for Brainerd.”
Jake Gagne (1). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Yamaha.
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #1
“It was a good race yesterday, and the bike was awesome in the wet. We knew this track would be kind of tough. Obviously, we’re still having arm issues and that doesn’t make it easy, but I think we’re a little off on setup. I think we’ve just got to kind of reset and we’ll reset at Brainerd. The team was awesome as always. We’re still in this thing, and on a tough weekend we were able to get some good points and leave with the championship lead.”
Cameron Petersen (45). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Yamaha.
Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“Honestly, it was a tough weekend. We were struggling in the dry. It seems like every time I’ve brought myself back up in the championship, something happens, so it just sucks to finish the weekend off like that, but that’s racing. Taking the positives away from it, it was nice getting the win yesterday. We definitely have some work to do and we’ll come back stronger at the next race.”
About Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars [sold, serviced, and distributed by Yamaha Golf-Car Company], Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.
YMUS has a corporate office in California, three corporate offices in Georgia, as well as facilities in Wisconsin, Alabama, and Florida. YMUS subsidiaries Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America (YMMC), based in Georgia, and Yamaha Jet Boat Manufacturing U.S.A. (YJBM) based in Tennessee, each assemble and manufacture selected Yamaha brand products. YMUS owns Skeeter Boats [Texas] with its division G3 Boats [Missouri]. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company, Inc. (YMSC) with subsidiary Siren Marine [Rhode Island] and divisions Bennett Marine [Florida], Yamaha Marine Rotational Molders [Wisconsin] and Yamaha Precision Propeller Inc. [Indiana].
Yamaha Motor Finance Corporation, USA, dba Yamaha Financial Services, is an affiliate of Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA offering financing solutions to support Yamaha Dealers and loyal Yamaha Customers nationwide.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA:
SUZUKI, TY SCOTT, AND ROCCO LANDERS WIN BIG AT ROAD AMERICA
Suzuki GSX-8Rs and the GSX-R750 Capture Multiple Podiums
Brea, CA, (June 3, 2024) — Suzuki Motor USA (Suzuki) and its premier MotoAmerica teams – Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, and RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki – emerged from a weekend of varied weather conditions at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, with podiums in both the wet and dry, headlined by spectacular last-lap victories courtesy of Tyler Scott aboard the Suzuki GSX-R750 in Supersport and Rocco Landers on the Suzuki GSX-8R in Twins Cup competition.
Race Highlights
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
Supersport
Tyler Scott was strong all weekend long, regardless of conditions, ending things on a high note with a 0.001-second victory.
Teagg Hobbs twice finished inside the top ten.
Joel Ohman took his best finish yet with the team.
Twins Cup
Rossi Moor narrowly missed out on the podium on Saturday, but came through to finish third thanks to last-lap heroics of his own on Sunday.
Superbike
Brandon Paasch earned a top five and a seventh in the premier-class.
Xavi Forés demonstrated podium speed as he continued to demonstrate his world-class skills in substitute duty.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki
Twins Cup
Rocco Landers backed up a third-place podium in the wet with a thrilling last-lap win in Sunday’s dry race rematch aboard the GSX-8R.
Tyler Scott (70) puts the GSX-R750 on the Supersport podium once again at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Tyler Scott (70) was strong aboard the team’s next-generation GSX-R750 all weekend long, regardless of conditions. Scott earned a spot on the Supersport front row and led Saturday’s wet race before ultimately earning a solid fourth-place finish. That merely set the stage for Sunday’s showdown, in which he executed a perfectly timed double draft to claim the victory at the checkered flag by an impossibly tight 0.001-second margin.
Tyler Scott (70) was fast all weekend long, with a Sunday victory in the dry, and barely missing a second podium in the wet race on Saturday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
“It was a great race,” Scott said. “The plan going into the weekend was to stay in the pack and fight for the win in the end. We tried to lead races earlier in the season, and it didn’t quite work out in our favor. I was very comfortable in the race until the last two or three laps where I tried to get in as many passes as I could. Thanks to the whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team for preparing a beautiful GSX-R750 this weekend, as they have all season. I can’t thank the team, Suzuki, and everyone enough.”
Teagg Hobbs (79) returned to form at Road America, with two top-ten results. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Supersport sophomore Teagg Hobbs (79) returned to his more typical form after struggling at Barber Motorsports Park. Hobbs was back in the top ten after qualifying on Row 2 on his GSX-R750, claiming ninth on Saturday, and eighth on Sunday.
Hobbs said, “The first starts before the red flags were great, and I was battling in the top five where I want to be. In the last one, I didn’t get a great start and made a couple of mistakes. There weren’t enough laps to get back into it. We had the pace to do good things, so it was frustrating. My Suzuki was strong all weekend without many changes. I’m trying as hard as I can, and will keep at it.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s third Supersport runner, Joel Ohman (92), earned his best finish yet with the team, picking up ten positions from his starting spot on Saturday ,and following that up with more progress on Sunday.
“We went faster than I thought and had some good battles,” Ohman said. “In the rain, we had more grip than expected, so we were able to go quicker. Things were going well in the dry, but I overheated the front tire and wasn’t able to get the bike stopped like I needed to. Overall, I learned a lot and it was a good weekend.”
Rocco Landers (left) with the win, and Rossi Moor (right) with a strong third, dominated the podium in Sunday’s Twins Cup race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki star Rocco Landers (97) and his Suzuki GSX-8R were in outstanding form again at the high-speed Road America circuit. First, Landers edged fellow Suzuki ace Rossi Moor by 0.157 seconds to claim third in Saturday’s wet contest. Then Landers came back on a sunny Sunday to run the leader down from multiple seconds back and execute a final-lap pass to secure the victory in Race 2. As a result of his double podium weekend, Landers leaves Wisconsin as the Twins Cup series points leader as he continues to demonstrate the GSX-8R’s competitive promise.
Rocco Landers (97) has put the Suzuki GSX-8R on the podium once again, and now leads in the Twins Cup series points. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Landers said, “We made a bit of a tire gamble, and it worked out in our favor. I was pushing so hard, and the whole RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki team and Suzuki have worked so hard developing the GSX-8R. This bike’s handling is incredible. It’s one of my favorite bikes I’ve ever ridden. I’m stoked with the progress we continue to make, and I’m excited about what’s to come. It’s great to come out of here with the points lead, and I can’t wait to get back to it.”
Rossi Moor (92) diced with Landers all weekend and put the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-8R on the box with a strong third place in Sunday’s Twins Cup race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
After Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s rising star Rossi Moor (92) was edged for the podium by Landers in the wet on Saturday, he responded with a last-lap overtake of his own aboard his GSX-8R to finish third in the dry in the Sunday rematch, further building on the GSX-8R’s multiple podiums for the weekend.
“That was a difficult race,” Moor said after Sunday’s battle. “The whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki crew worked extremely hard to get this bike up front. It was good, hard racing, and I’m so happy to be up on the podium after some bad luck in the first two rounds. I want to thank my crew, Suzuki, and everyone else who helped me get up here.”
Brandon Paasch (96) continues to progress in Superbike, with his strongest 2024 results so far at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Superbike pilot Brandon Paasch (96) enjoyed his strongest weekend of the 2024 season, piloting the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R to a fifth-place finish on Saturday; and then holding off teammate Xavi Forés (34) to win their battle for seventh on Sunday.
“Solid weekend for us, dipping back into the top five in the wet conditions on Saturday,” said Paasch. “It was nice to run with the front boys some more and chip away at the gap to the front. Sunday, I rode hard to finish seventh battling with Xavi for the entire race, and finishing as the top Suzuki Superbike. I’m looking forward to Brainerd in two weeks.”
Xavi Forés (34) continues to show strong Superbike class potential on the GSX-R1000R. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Reigning Supersport class champion Forés again showed big-time potential on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R Superbike, battling for a premier-class podium in the wet before a minor miscue cost Forés that opportunity. He rebounded to challenge Paasch for seventh throughout Sunday’s contest, coming up just 0.013 seconds short at the flag.
Forés said, “It was a tough weekend with some ups and downs, but we showed good progress. I wanted that podium on Saturday so badly. I had some good splits, but I made a small mistake – I braked like one meter too deep – and tucked the front. It was a shame, because we could have fought for the podium. We were also strong in the dry, and are still looking for a little extra to get up front. But we have to enjoy the progress made, and say thanks for this opportunity. Now we move on to Brainerd where I aim to have a better weekend.”
Both Suzuki teams will be back in action in two weeks’ time when the 2024 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship season arrives at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota, on June 14-16.
The 2024 season marks Team Hammer’s 44th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won over 130 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums over 360 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport). The team has also won over 130 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia USA:
DI MARIO PUTS APRILIA RS 660 ON MOTOAMERICA TWINS CUP POLE, TAKES TWO RUNNER-UP FINISHES AT ROAD AMERICA
CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER, GUS RODIO, GIVES APRILIA THREE PODIUM FINISHERS AT MAY 17-19 EVENT, AS HE MAINTAINS LEAD IN CLASS STANDINGS
ELKHART LAKE, WI — 3 JUNE 2024 — If you didn’t know Alessandro Di Mario was a rookie in MotoAmerica’s Twins Cup, it would be easy to be fooled from the results the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering has achieved so far this year. The 2022 Nicky Hayden AMA Road Race Horizon Award winner put in arguably his most stellar performance of the season on May 31 – June 2 at Road America, where he rode an Aprilia RS 660 to pole position and scored second-place finishes in both wet and dry conditions at the historic Wisconsin circuit.
Though two other Aprilia frontrunners for the year’s championship, Di Mario’s Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering teammate Gus Rodio, and TopPro Racing Team’s Avery Dreher, both endured setbacks, while one of the bright spots of the event was the Twins Cup debut of reigning MotoAmerica Build. Train. Race. champion Mikayla Moore, also on a Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering-prepped Aprilia RS 660. Moore was only able to take part in one of the weekend’s two Twins Cup contests, but she finished that race in ninth place after qualifying 10th.
Four Aprilia RS 660 riders finished among the top 10 fastest riders in Friday morning practice. The duo of Di Mario and Rodio were the fourth and fifth-fastest riders in that session. Dreher was seventh and Moore showed speed right out of the gate when she wrapped up the session in 10th. Later Friday, Di Mario showed his true dry weather pace as he reset the Twins Cup lap record at Road America with a best time of 2:24.625. Rodio provisionally qualified third, Dreher sixth and Moore ninth.
Qualifying concluded Saturday morning with Di Mario lowering his record-setting pace by more than a second to claim his second-consecutive Twins Cup pole position. Rodio remained in third place – giving Aprilia two riders on the front row of the starting grid. Dreher qualified seventh and Moore 10th.
Unfortunately for Moore, an injury from a crash early in Qualifying 2 did not allow her to set a lap time during that session or take part in the Saturday afternoon Race 1.
The start of Race 1 took place under very wet conditions after the Twins Cup race was delayed from its original early afternoon start. After riders were given a short extra practice session to test out the wet conditions, Rodio’s day started going from bad to worse. He missed getting out of the pit lane in time for the warm-up lap and ended up not taking part in the race due to a technical problem during that lap.
Gus Rodio (96). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Aprilia USA.
A few riders got by Di Mario when the lights went out for Race 1, but he got a couple of those positions back on the brakes into Turn 1 and slotted into third place as the field exited that corner. Di Mario and Dreher both moved up the running order early in Lap 1, with Di Mario taking over second place with a pass at Turn 5. Dreher had moved up to fifth place after starting seventh but suffered a crash at Turn 7 that knocked him out of contention for a podium finish. Di Mario ran the remaining laps of the shortened
five-lap race in a relatively lonely second place but still secured his fourth podium appearance of the year. Other Aprilia riders who finished in the top 10 included Ghetto Customs’ Chris Parrish in eighth.
Race 2 took place under dry conditions, and Moore had recovered enough from her crash on Saturday to take part in her first Twins Cup race. Di Mario again lost at couple positions at the initial start, but he was not to be denied on the brakes going into Turn 1 and led the field through the holeshot. Rodio maintained third place through Turn 1 and made the move up to second at Turn 5. Unfortunately for Rodio, he crashed on the next lap at Turn 5 and rejoined the race at the back of the field. Rodio’s crash promoted Dreher from sixth to fifth place, and a last-lap crash for another front-running rider allowed Dreher to finish in fourth place. Di Mario’s early race pace was stellar, but the soft rear tire he chose for the race began to lose grip as the eight-lap race went on. He was overtaken on the last lap and had to settle for a close second place. Though he came oh-so-close to a victory, his second runner-up finish on the weekend helped him move up from third to second in the Twins Cup points standings. Other Aprilia riders who finished in the top 10 include Parrish in eighth, Moore in ninth and Team JBR’s Josef Bittner in 10th.
Avery Dreher (99). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Aprilia USA.
With four races remaining in the 2024 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season, Di Mario is just nine points behind the championship leader with Rodio fourth in the standings and Dreher sixth.
Thirty-seven riders were registered to race in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup at the Road America round, and about half of them (17) were registered as Aprilia RS 660 riders.
The MotoAmerica Twins Cup will be back in action in two weeks’ time at the next round, which is scheduled for June 14-16 at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota.
Alessandro Di Mario (27). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Aprilia USA.
Alessandro Di Mario / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering
“On Saturday, the race went pretty well. It was my first podium in the rain, and I was excited to see how things would be under dry conditions on Sunday. We picked the wrong tire today, but I had a lot of fun. I can’t wait for the next round at Brainerd but am also really happy with the two podium finishes this weekend.”
Mikayla Moore (78). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Aprilia USA.
Mikayla Moore / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering
“This weekend was a rollercoaster of emotions and achievements, and I’m super happy with how it all went. I was excited to take on double duty with racing in Twins Cup and Build. Train. Race., and I felt really confident when I was riding the Twins Cup bike. I had a successful test on it last weekend at a club race, and practice and Qualifying 1 went very smoothly. Securing a top-10 spot felt fantastic. I had a pretty gnarly high-side in Qualifying 2 that resulted in a right thigh contusion and didn’t allow me to race on Saturday. I bounced back on Sunday though in Race 2 and was thrilled to finish in ninth. A huge thanks to the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team for this incredible opportunity
and the support they showed me. This weekend was a learning experience, but I’m happy with how it went overall
More, from a press release issued by Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering:
Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Di Mario on pole, on MotoAmerica Twins Cup podium twice this past weekend at Road America
Team welcomes reigning MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Champion Mikayla Moore to its ranks for her Twins Cup debut
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – It was another superb weekend for MotoAmerica Twins Cup rookie Alessandro Di Mario at Road America. The Kentuckian followed up claiming his second straight pole position on Saturday with a pair of runner-up finishes in both wet and dry conditions on Saturday and Sunday. And he moved into a close second place in the points standings with just four races remaining.
The team welcomed a new rider to its fold for the Road America round, as current MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race champion and current championship leader Mikayla Moore got her first taste of Twins Cup competition on one of the team’s Aprilia RS 660s. A Saturday crash kept Moore out of one race, but she scored a top-nine finish in her Twins Cup race debut after clinching a top-10 spot in qualifying.
Though the team’s second full-time rider, Gus Rodio, had his weekend soured by a technical problem and a tip-off, he and Di Mario are both very much still in contention for the 2024 Twins Cup title.
All three Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders showed good pace at the start of the weekend. Di Mario, Rodio and Moore finished Friday morning practice fourth-, fifth- and 10th-fastest, respectively. Things got even better for all three riders in Friday afternoon’s Qualifying 1 session, where Di Mario reset the Twins Cup lap record at Road America and Rodio and Moore wrapped up that session third and ninth in the provisional qualifying order.
In Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2 Di Mario lowered his best lap time by more than a second to claim his second-consecutive pole, while Rodio qualified third – giving the team two riders on the front row. It was an unfortunate session for Moore, who crashed early in the session and wasn’t able to take part in either of the two races she was slated to compete in Saturday afternoon. Her best time from Qualifying 1 was still enough to secure her 10th on the grid for when she did get back to racing on Sunday.
It was a hectic – and delayed – start to Race 1 due to the onset of wet conditions. The race’s start time was moved to later in the afternoon, and – like at Barber – the field was given a wet-weather practice session to assess the soaked track conditions. The race was shortened from eight laps to five, and Rodio missed the start of the warm-up lap, then pulled into the pits at the end of that lap with a technical issue. Unfortunately for Rodio, it was an engine problem that did not allow him to take part in the race.
When racing did finally take place, Di Mario made up for a mediocre jump off the line with a strong performance on the brakes into the first turn and was running in third place early in Lap 1. Di Mario moved up to second place with a pass a few corners later at Turn 5, but wasn’t able to catch up with the race leader and had to settle for a second place result.
Sunday’s Race 2 saw all three Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660s take the start, and Di Mario again made up for a not-so-great launch with a lunge on the brakes into Turn 1. He led the field through the first corner, and Rodio quickly moved into second place behind his teammate at Turn 5. Rodio’s fortunes, however, turned bitter a lap later when he crashed going into Turn 5 and had to return to the pits after getting his Aprilia running again. While Di Mario built a gap at the front of the field, Moore – who was promoted to ninth on the grid due to another rider not taking part in the race – ran as low as 10th and as high as eighth before finishing ninth. Di Mario’s big lead quickly shrank in the closing stages of the race as his softer-compound rear tire began loosing grip. He led every lap of the eight-lap race except the last one, but still scored his fifth podium appearance and first double-podium performance of the season.
Di Mario’s consistency at Road America gave him enough points to move up to second in the class standings – just nine points behind the championship leader. Rodio’s early-season successes have limited the damage from a downer weekend, as he sits fourth in the points standings.
The Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering will be back in action at the next MotoAmerica round, which takes place at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn., on June 14-16.
Alessandro Di Mario (27). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Rodio Racing.
Alessandro Di Mario / No. 27
“On Saturday, the race went pretty well. It was my first podium in the rain, and I was excited to see how things would be under dry conditions on Sunday. We picked the wrong tire today, but I had a lot of fun. I can’t wait for the next round at Brainerd but am also really happy with the two podium finishes this weekend.”
Mikayla Moore (78). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Aprilia USA.
Mikayla Moore / No. 78
“This weekend was a rollercoaster of emotions and achievements, and I’m super happy with how it all went. I was excited to take on double duty with racing in Twins Cup and Build. Train. Race., and I felt really confident when I was riding the Twins Cup bike. I had a successful test on it last weekend at a club race, and practice and Qualifying 1 went very smoothly. Securing a top-10 spot felt fantastic. I had a pretty gnarly high-side in Qualifying 2 that resulted in a right thigh contusion and didn’t allow me to race on Saturday. I bounced back on Sunday though in Race 2 and was thrilled to finish in ninth. A huge thanks to the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team for this incredible opportunity and the support they showed me. This weekend was a learning experience, but I’m happy with how it went overall.”
Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s technical partners for the 2024 season include Spellcaster Productions, Luxestar VIP, Geoscape Solar, MAR Contractors, Blud Lubricants, Spiegler Performance, Woodcraft Technologies, Dymag Performance Wheels, Millennium Technologies, Sprint Filter, Dunlop, SC Project, MVR Endeavor, GRG Designs, REB Graphics, NGK Spark Plugs, EvolveGT, Bitubo Suspension and N2 Racing.
More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:
HARLEY-DAVIDSON FACTORY RACER KYLE WYMAN SETS A NEW KING OF THE BAGGERS TRACK RECORD AND WINS RACE TWO AT ROAD AMERICA
Rispoli Places Fourth on Sunday in an Intense Three Bike Battle for Third Place
MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing rider Kyle Wyman used his masterful race craft and Harley-Davidson horsepower to score a dramatic victory on Sunday in MotoAmerica® Mission King of the Baggers action at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Wyman executed a perfect draft pass to beat Factory Indian rider, Troy Herfoss, across the finish line by 0.039 seconds and claim his fourth victory of the season.
On a double-header weekend, Wyman, aboard his race-prepared 2024 Road Glide® motorcycle, finished second in a rain-soaked race on Saturday and set a new Mission King of the Baggers track record in Friday qualifying. Wyman has finished on the podium in seven of eight races so far this season and sits second in championship points. Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing rider, James Rispoli, bounced back from a scary crash out of second place in the wet on Saturday to finish a close fourth on Sunday, narrowly missing the podium by 0.047 seconds. Wyman and Rispoli both debuted special livery on their race motorcycles in the Raven Metallic and Golden White Pearl colors respectively of the 2024 CVO™ Road Glide® ST .
Kyle Wyman (33) leads Troy Herfoss (17) and Hayden Gillim (1) during Race Two at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Harley-Davidson.
“What a great battle we had out there today,” said Wyman following Sunday’s victory. “The team considered this a must-win race and we got it done. I love a one-on-one race and there were spots on the track where we both had the pace. That came down to sheer willpower and horsepower at the end. My Road Glide was outstanding today and I’ve got to say this is the most fun I’ve had in my racing career and I love this rivalry. It’s really special to get a win at Road America, so close to Harley headquarters in Milwaukee and with Willie G. Davidson and so many Harley employees and fans at the track. Let’s keep it going!”
James Rispoli (43) leads Kyle Wyman (33) during wet Race One at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Harley-Davidson.
“I’m so thankful I was able to walk away unhurt from that crash on Saturday, and keep building on the momentum we have going,” said Rispoli. “I was feeling super inspired today with the Davidsons here. It was an absolute scrap in the race today and I left everything on the track. I’m proud of Kyle and this team for putting H-D on the top step. Can’t wait for the next round at Brainerd.”
Wyman started both races on the pole after posting a track-record lap time of 2:19.135 in dry conditions during the first round of qualifying on Friday. A pouring rain on Saturday made for very challenging conditions. Herfoss led from the start with Rispoli and Wyman chasing in second and third place. Rispoli lost traction under braking approaching turn 1 and slid off the track at high speed as the leaders started the fourth of five laps on the 4.050-mile 14-turn Road America course. Herfoss won by 5.254 seconds as Wyman brought his Factory Road Glide safely across the line in second. Factory Indian rider, Tyler O’Hara, finished third just ahead of a surging Jake Lewis on the Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
Sunny and dry conditions on Sunday allowed tighter racing with the full performance potential of the Mission King of the Baggers bikes on display. RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider, Hayden Gillim, jumped out to an early lead with Wyman, Rispoli, and Herfoss in close pursuit. Wyman passed for the lead on lap 3 with Herfoss getting around Gillim and into second place. Herfoss then passed Wyman entering turn 1 to start lap 4 as the leaders opened a gap on Rispoli and Gillim. On the final lap Wyman passed Herfoss in Canada Corner (turn 12) only to see Herfoss get by in turn 14, the final turn before the long uphill straight to the finish line. Wyman tucked into the draft and pulled past as the pair crossed the line. O’Hara finished third, just ahead of Rispoli and Gillim.
After eight of 18 rounds in the 2024 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Herfoss leads the championship with 180 points. Wyman is second with 171 points, followed by O’Hara with 111 points, Rispoli with 92 points, and Gillim with 85 points.
Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing returns to action June 14-16 at Brainerd International Speedway in Brainerd, Minn. during the MotoAmerica Superbikes at Minnesota event.
The Mission King of the Baggers series features race-prepared American V-Twin touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing Road Glide® motorcycles are powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle® Milwaukee-Eight® 131 Performance Crate Engines. The team bikes also feature upgraded suspension components, including Screamin’ Eagle/Öhlins Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks, plus competition exhaust, race tires and lightweight bodywork.
Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing is sponsored by Mission® Foods, Rockford Fosgate®, Brembo®, Öhlins®, Protolabs®, SYN3® lubricants, and Screamin’ Eagle® Performance Parts and Accessories.
MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Road America Race 1
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
Indian Motorcycle Factory Rider Troy Herfoss Goes 1-2 at Road America, Leads King of The Baggers Championship Standings
Three-Time Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss Continues Remarkable Performance Aboard S&S Indian Challenger, Secures Fourth Victory of Season
Race One winner Troy Herfoss (center), runner-up Kyle Wyman (left), and third-place finisher Tyler O’Hara (right) at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Indian Motorcycle.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. – What started as a wet weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, turned into another successful doubleheader for Indian Motorcycle factory rider and King of the Baggers (KOTB) rookie Troy Herfoss. Making his return to Road America after 17 years, Herfoss continued his remarkable performance aboard his S&S Indian Challenger, winning Race 1 and taking second in Race 2.
Starting the weekend off hot, Herfoss won the Mission Foods Challenge and its $5,000 prize, edging out Harley-Davidson rider James Rispoli by 0.04 seconds. After Qualifying, Herfoss and teammate Tyler O’Hara each earned a spot on the front row for Race 1 and Race 2. Despite consistent rainfall during Race 1, Herfoss quickly took the lead and navigated the wet track to a comfortable win. The following day, Herfoss was met at the front of the pack of Race 2, as he and Harley-Davidson rider Kyle Wyman battled for the win. Ultimately, Herfoss missed the mark by a mere .39 seconds. O’Hara, who is finding his groove on the S&S Indian Challenger, secured back-to-back third-place finishes.
“Congrats to Troy, Tyler and the entire S&S team on another successful race weekend,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing and Service for Indian Motorcycle. “As we hit the halfway point of the season, the team is really hitting its stride. S&S has the Indian Challenger dialed in like never before, and Troy and Tyler are comfortable and confident as we stay on the gas and push to bring the KOTB championship home in 2024.”
To start his KOTB career, Herfoss has never missed a podium, securing four wins and four second-place finishes – earning 180 total points and a nine-point lead at the top of the championship leaderboard. O’Hara, the former 2022 KOTB Champion, has found his stride in the 2024 season, having secured a second-place finish, and back-to-back third place finishes the last three races. O’Hara is firmly planted in third place of the season leaderboard with 111 points.
MotoAmerica’s Mission King of the Baggers season continues at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota June 14-16.
The S&S Indian Challenger race team is sponsored by S&S, Progressive, Mission Foods, Drag Specialties, Parts Unlimited, and Performance Finance.
For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, X and Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle Company is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
INDIAN and INDIAN MOTORCYCLE are registered trademarks of Indian Motorcycle International, LLC. Always wear a helmet, protective clothing and eyewear and insist your passenger does the same. Ride within the limits of the law and your own abilities. Read, understand and follow your owner’s manual. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
ABOUT S&S® CYCLE
S&S® Cycle was born from a passion for racing and has spent over six decades building performance for the powersports market. Their unwavering focus on quality, reliability and top shelf power has made S&S® Cycle the absolute leader in high performance on the street and track.
More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports:
MotoAmerica: Altus Motorsports Results from Road America
Jake Lewis (85). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
(Elkhart Lake, WI) The MotoAmerica round at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin was a wild mix of weather conditions. Saturday’s races were full wet and then Sunday was dry and sunny. The results for the Altus team were also a wild mix of ups and downs.
Both of the Road America Supersport races were shortened due to red flags. The Saturday race was clipped to 6 laps and Sunday’s to 7.
Jake Lewis qualified 8th fastest and started both races from the middle of the third row. In the wet race on Saturday, he showed his experience and moved quickly up into third place and held that position until the checkered flag. On Sunday, he finished the race in 10th.
While the results may not show it, the Road America round was Jaret Nassaney’s best of the 2024 season. On Saturday in the rain, he fought his way up to 5th. Unfortunately, on the last lap, he was making a move to take 4th when he crashed. In the 2nd Supersport race of the weekend, Jaret finished 13th.
Jaret Nassaney (59). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
Jaret Nassaney: “Yeah pretty disappointed to not get the result to show how well I was riding. Made it up to the battle for 4th in Race 1, but had a crash in turn 7 on the final lap! Unfortunately, that’s how the rain is sometimes. I’m happy with my riding though. Race 2 was hectic with the two red flags and then the race getting pushed back in the schedule. We were just missing a little something to run with that front group, but had a good battle for 11th the whole race. Ended up p13 happy to just leave with some points”
Road America is another new circuit for Torin Collins, but it didn’t take him long to get up to speed. By the completion of the first practice, he was already 10th fastest. In Race 1, he finished 7th place. Impressive for his first time at the track and in the rain. During the Sunday race, Collins’ GSX-R750 suffered an inexplicable engine failure. Because of a red flag and delayed restart, the team was able to swap the motor. Unfortunately, he was not allowed to compete in the race.
Torin Collins (171). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
Torin Collins: “Yeah first time at Road America so I had my hands full. Overall the team worked really hard this weekend and we are making huge steps in the right direction. I feel that we are close to reaching what’s possible. Race 1 was difficult. Still trying to learn the track and the bike while also riding in such sketchy wet conditions was challenging. I was honestly just glad to finish the race in 7th. Race 2 was super upsetting. Getting a decent launch and clinging onto the huge group that was battling for the win. Feeling ready to make my way up the group and then the engine went kapoof. From an outsider’s perspective, it’s hard to understand what’s been going on with all these mechanicals but I just know the team and I have been working so hard to get to where we want. I can smell it. The results are coming”
George Nassaney: “Despite some setbacks, this was the best weekend of our 2024 season. Jake was able to get on the box Saturday, Torin finished 7th at a track in the rain he had never rode at before, and my son Jaret was having a great race battling for 4th and 5th on the last lap, but unfortunately crashed out while trying overtake 4th. Unfortunately Sunday was not as good. I can’t say enough of how blessed we are to have surrounded ourselves with guys that work beyond the normal expectations. This past weekend we had some16-17hr days to absolutely make sure our riders had the best Suzuki GSXR750’s to compete with. After Torin’s engine failure on Sundays race 2, I spoke to race control and was given the green light to swap his engine and get him out for the new race 2 restart. We only had about an hour and half to make it happen. The team pulled together and was able to swap motors and get him out to start the race. Unfortunately when Torin rode out MotoAmerica wanted to be extra cautious and look over the bike again even after tech said it was cleared to race. They then decided not to allow him to race. This was gut wrenching for all of us after all that hard work. At the end of the day, I just want to say we are only becoming stronger and more determined to be the top Supersport team in the paddock. I could not be more proud of this team. We are looking forward to the next few rounds! Big thanks to Hoban Brothers and Darkhorse Motor Company for allowing us to use their shop over the weekend and this week in preparation for the next round at Brainerd.”
More, from a press release issued by Tytlers Cycle Racing:
A rollercoaster of emotions for Tytlers Cycle Racing at Road America
Tytlers Cycle Racing endured an event of mixed emotions at Road America, the latest round of the MotoAmerica championship, last weekend. Title contender Cameron Beaubier suffered an injury that has put him out of action whilst on the other side of the Superbike garage JD Beach raced to his first podium of the season. Stefano Mesa made big steps forward in Supersport, battling for the podium in his third championship event of the year.
The weekend started well for Cam B. The former champion the man to beat after first qualifying. With Pole Position secured, the #6 was running strongly in the opening encounter and despite inclement weather conditions looked good as he fought for a top three finish. A strange crash at turn one mid-way into the race saw Beaubier helped away with the news coming later Saturday evening that he had suffered a broken heel. He took no further part in the weekend and the team will update on his condition in due course.
For JD Beach, the third round of the championship was his strongest to date. Qualifying on the third row the #95 looked comfortable in both the wet (Saturday) and dry (Sunday). Fifth at the flag in the opening encounter he romped to P3 and his first BMW podium of the year on Sunday to move into eighth overall in the championship standings.
Stefano Mesa’s Supersport season also continued to gather momentum at Road America. The #37 converted fifth on the grid into eighth and fifth positions in the two races. Leading on more than one occasion in Sunday’s race which was red flagged twice, Mesa is looking forward to further advancements towards the podium at Brainerd in a fortnight.
JD Beach: “This weekend I feel like we made some good progress with my feeling on the bike. The team has been working hard to get me comfortable and find that sweet spot. Race one was tough with the amount of rain we had. It made it hard to see and although the surface had good grip it would then let go with no warning. I felt good but had a couple of moments and just wanted to bring it home and snagged a P4. It was a bummer to see Cam go down. I hated to see that that for him and the team. In Race two I was feeling strong but struggled with front tyre grip under braking. If I broke too hard, I would lock the front tyre. I was in a battle for third but couldn’t do too much, but I felt ok sitting there. I was able to pick up the pieces when SDK made a mistake on the last lap. I am really happy to get my first podium with the Tytlers team and give them a little pay back for all their hard work. “
Cameron Beaubier: “The weekend at Road America started great with some good pace on Friday and Saturday morning. I felt great on my bike in the dry and then the rain came before Race one. I was struggling a lot with my engine braking in the rain but was able to free it up and get a flow going in the race despite running wide a few times. I ended up having a weird crash into turn one with a few laps to go, breaking my heel bone. I am pretty disappointed and this one stings bad to be honest. Everything has been going well this year up until this point. I will find out some more info on the plan for my heel this week.”
Stefano Mesa: “It was a better weekend for me and the Tytlers’ boys. We keep making progress, achieved some better results but it’s still not where we belong. We have been moving the added weight around and got the bike feeling the best it has all year. We are still struggling a little bit with the lower end power and getting the bike out of the corner to stay with the other bikes. We qualified strong in P5. Race one was very difficult. It was hard to see, and I was hydroplaning everywhere. I was glad to bring the bike back in one piece in a solid P8 for the team. We made some big changes for morning warm up and I really liked the direction we took. Race two was good for us. On the first two starts we were able to run with the front pack and make some good passes battling for podium positions. Unfortunately, we had two red flags and the race got moved until the end of the day. On the third start I also got a good launch and was able to go with the boys for about six laps. I tried making a few moves but couldn’t make them stick. I started to lose grip on the last lap and fell back a bit from the group, bringing it home fifth which is our best finish of the season so far. Thank you to my Tytlers Cycle team for all the hard work, we’ll keep chasing the box.”
Whether the so-called “Ducati decision” of who to sign as Francesco Bagnaia’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) teammate for 2025 had been made behind the scenes already, the answer as to who it’s not has now already been announced… and by Aprilia Racing.
In a lightning-quick sequence of post-test events, the Noale factory teased an announcement for 18:00 local time just 15 minutes before launch and got the sport instantly buzzing. Was it a true teaser? A joke? Or one of the biggest rider announcements of the year?
The latter. Their announcement confirmed Jorge Martin, currently with Prima Pramac Racing, as an Aprilia Racing rider from 2025 on a multi-year contract. Decisions have now not only been made but also announced for some of the biggest moving parts in the spiciest MotoGP™ “silly season” for some time.
MASSIMO RIVOLA: QUOTES
How happy are you to sign Jorge?
“I am obviously super happy, I cannot talk about the details but I can tell you that it was a very fast deal from last night to today. We signed at 17:30 and announced at 18:00 so it was a fast decision and move for us but I am super happy to have him onboard.”
How much of an influence did Aleix have in the signing?
“You know that Aleix and Jorge are like brothers and since Aleix decided to retire which we initially agreed would be decided at Mugello, but with it being his home race in Barcelona he would [like] to announce it before, which was super nice and emotional. After that, I started to look at the rider market in the paddock and many managers naturally knocked on my door but I think we got the best solution.
What are Maverick’s feelings for next year?
“As I said Maverick is a big part of the puzzle and he is a big priority to me but unfortunately everything was so tight and done in a rush that I wrongly didn’t find the time to speak to him, as I said we had from 17:30 to 18:00 to organise everything before the media which was not enough. Let’s see if he is happy to stay with us and then we will find a good condition to keep him happy. If he is not then we will see what the market offers and maybe we will find another good rider, but we are obviously thinking about Maverick and Jorge which would be amazing.
Are you in contact with Bastianini and Bezzecchi?
“Yes, absolutely they are all fantastic riders but let’s see as our priority is Maverick.”
How nice does it feel to take the Championship leader from Ducati?
“It is a very good point and is a nice reward for a company that pushes every year for growth, to increase performance, and to fight the top riders and manufacturers and we are really happy that we signed a rider like him. Maverick a couple of years ago took on this challenge when we were not in this position and now thanks to him we are in this position. We need to be grateful for the job which has been done by the company and also the riders.”
How do you think Jorge will adapt to the bike and the team?
“I think we are recognised as a good team that people feel well and riders feel great. His adaption will be a question mark but I don’t think it will take long with his riding style and level of talent.”
Does Martin signing sway Aleix Espargaro’s decision to stay as a test rider?
“It is a good point but I think Aleix would like to have a different challenge. He is a part of our history and we are grateful for that, so maybe he will find a better challenge for the future and we wish him the best.”
Mugello Test: rain affects play as Binder, Acosta and Marini lead the way
A damp Monday after the Italian GP hampers testing in Tuscany, with KTM and Honda sharing the top five
Following overnight rain and showers throughout the day, running at the MotoGP™ Mugello Test was limited. 16 of the 23 riders set lap times, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder fastest with a 1:47.617 – 0.033s quicker than Pedro Acosta’s (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) best effort. Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) completed the top three as RC16s and RC213Vs locked out the top five.
RED BULL KTM – RED BULL GASGAS TECH3
It’s good that Binder topped the timesheets because that gives us the perfect excuse to kick things off with – arguably – the most notable update we spotted at Mugello. The Pierer Mobility Group bikes had new aero on them, the same as they had in the Jerez Test, with the update essentially sheathing the full side fairing, now making it a completely smooth surface. Head over to the MotoGP™ Tech Group on Facebook for more information on the new aero.
Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was P4 and clocked the second highest lap tally (32) with Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) only getting a wet weather lap time on the board in P13.
REPSOL HONDA – CASTROL/IDEMITSU HONDA LCR
Marini ended the day P3 on the timesheets, with the Italian lapping a table-topping 40 times in the differing conditions. Reports from the ground suggest there was nothing much new to report in terms of new parts on the HRC machines that we didn’t see at the Italian GP, with the weather curtailing every manufacturer’s plans. Ergonomics-wise, Marini was spotted trying a new tank cover as he attempts to get comfier on the RC213V.
Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) said a new engine was going to be tested, but one that is only a slight change to the current one. The Spaniard suggested Honda are seeking to have a new engine ready for July, so keep an eye on that in the coming weeks.
Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) and Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda LCR) racked up 58 laps between them, neither managed any dry running though.
APRILIA – TRACKHOUSE
Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was the top RS-GP rider in P6, with both his and teammate Aleix Espargaro’s bikes looking like they were standard-spec. Not much to report from the Noale camp.
In the Trackhouse Racing garage, Raul Fernandez had one 2024-spec RS-GP but the Spaniard completed just six laps on Monday. On the other side of the garage, Miguel Oliveira also clocked six laps on a quiet day for the American outfit.
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA
With a private test coming up soon in Valencia, both Alex Rins and Fabio Quartararo lapped less than 20 times on Monday, with neither going out when the track was dry.
More work will be done at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo for Yamaha ahead of our trip to Assen at the end of this month.
The only two Ducati riders to roll out of pitlane and set a lap time were Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™). The Italian and Spaniard were P15 and P16 on the timesheets respectively. Still, a couple rolled round, including Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™). Fresh from their 1-2, neither Ducati Lenovo Team rider did.
So that’s it from Mugello. The Cathedral of Speed is where we’ll see the MotoGP™ stars next on track between the 28th and 30th of June – see you there. By then, we might have even more of the 2025 puzzle revealed!
Jorge Martin (right) and Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola (left). Photo courtesy Aprilia.
JORGE MARTÍN ALMOGUERA WILL BE AN APRILIA RACING RIDER FROM 2025 WITH A MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT
It could only be Jorge Martín the ideal rider to ensure continuity after the announcement of Aleix Espargaró’s retirement, who has always been Martín’s friend and mentor. Martín has signed a multi-year contract with Aprilia Racing starting in 2025, and the Team and the entire Piaggio Group welcome a rider who best represents the desire to establish himself at the top of MotoGP.
MASSIMO RIVOLA (Aprilia Racing CEO)
“A path of unstoppable growth, Jorge is a building block to reach the goal we are all looking for with great hunger at Aprilia Racing. Thanks to Dr. Michele Colaninno for this opportunity, we spoke last night and without wasting any time we made the decision.”
The Red Bull Ring, in Austria. Photo courtesy Michelin.
MotoGP™ to race at the Red Bull Ring until 2030
A five-year contract extension confirms the Austrian GP on the calendar until 2030 inclusive
It’s official: the Austrian Grand Prix will be on the MotoGP™ calendar until 2030. Previously confirmed until 2025, a new agreement ensures the world’s most exciting sport will continue to race at the spectacular Red Bull Ring – Spielberg from 2026-2030 inclusive.
After nearly two decades, the Austrian GP returned to the calendar in 2016 and immediately became a fan and paddock favourite, winning Best Grand Prix for its first event back and then taking the trophy again in 2019. Set in the glorious Styrian hills in Spielberg, the Red Bull Ring provides a stunning backdrop for MotoGP™ – serving up fantastic racing, iconic final corner showdowns, and a full programme of fan activities throughout the Grand Prix.
Mark Mateschitz, owner of the Red Bull Ring: “Anyone who loves motorsport loves MotoGP. It embodies racing in its purest form. When the best riders in the world go head-to-head and there are multiple changes of position in a single lap, nobody can stay in their seats. Once you’ve experienced the enthusiasm of the fans here at the Red Bull Ring, you can’t get enough of it. I am delighted that we have been able to secure this great event for the spectators with a long-term commitment to Austria and to the Steiermark in particular.”
Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP™ rights holder Dorna Sports: “We’re very happy to announce that the Austrian Grand Prix will be on the calendar until 2030. Not only is it one of the world’s most beautiful racetracks, it also delivers an incredible weekend for fans with fantastic facilities, great entertainment events, and spectacular racing. The Red Bull Ring has staged some of our most iconic modern moments since the track returned to the calendar.
“As the home track for KTM and part of Red Bull’s incredible commitment to motorsport, it’s also an important venue for many of our stakeholders and Austrian motorsport as a whole. We’re very happy to announce that we’ll be returning until 2030 and look forward to many more years working together.”
Tyler Scott won MotoAmerica Supersport Race Two Sunday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Riding his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 on spec Dunlop tires, Scott went from third to first in the run from the final corner to the finish line and won in a photo finish.
Tyler Scott (70). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
The official margin of victory was 0.001 second, but MotoAmerica officials said the margin was actually smaller than that.
Strack Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz drafted past PJ Jacobsen from the final corner to the checkered flag but came up short by the smallest margin imaginable and got second place.
Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL rider Jacobsen led out of the final corner but ended getting third place, just 0.010 second behind the winner.
The official finish photo, or scan, shot at 10,000 frames per second. Photo courtesy MotoAmerica.
Maxi Gerardo led a lot of the race on his TopPro Racing Suzuki but could do no better than fourth, just 0.354 second behind Jacobsen.
Stefano Mesa also fought for the lead throughout the race but finished fifth, 1.882 seconds back.
The race was originally started and stopped with red flags twice, and then it was moved to the end of the day and run for seven instead of 11 laps.
How Close Is Close? Scott Wins Supersport At Road America By .001 Of A Second
Ultra-Close Racing At Road America In All The Support Classes
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 2, 2024) – Normally, Supersport is not the final race of the weekend at a MotoAmerica event, but a couple of red flags during its initial timeslot dictated that it be pushed ahead to late Sunday afternoon at Road America. Little did anyone know that it would turn out to be the closest three-rider race finish in the 10-year history of the MotoAmerica series.
Supersport – Scott By A Whisker
Sunday’s weather turned out to be ideal compared with the rain-sodden conditions on Saturday, and MotoAmerica’s Supersport class put on an incredible show. “Supersport Next Generation” is the name of the game, which means that motorcycles with engine displacements ranging from the 599cc Yamaha YZF-R6, to the 749cc Suzuki GSX-R750, to the 955cc Ducati Panigale V2 all race in Supersport with balancing measures taken to level the competition.
So, how level is the competition in Supersport? At the finish line, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott barely nipped Strack Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz in a photo finish, with Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen finishing third and just one one-hundredth of a second behind Scholtz.
It was a breathtaking result, and Scott talked about it afterwards. “Our season definitely didn’t start off good at all,” Scott said. “Daytona was good. We finished second. We had a big crash there. Atlanta, we did all right in the rain. Had a big crash out of the lead, and at Barber, too. So, we’ve had a little bit of bad luck. The level in Supersport this year is just a lot higher than in previous years. You’ve got PJ, Scholtz and the new Gerardo kid. They’re all ex-Superbike riders. So, the level just gets notched up. So, we’re pushing to the edge and just over-pushing for my part. The team has done a great job preparing the bike. The team did a great job this weekend. Overall, the goal is to not try and lead the race and pull away because that hasn’t worked the last two weekends for us. I can race and I know how to race well, so the goal was just to stay with the front pack and start racing at the end for the lead. Coming up the hill, I had a plan to at least draft one of them. When they split, the only opportunity that I had was if PJ didn’t go to the wall. If he would have gone to the wall, I wouldn’t have had the opening. I just had enough of an opening to try and see what I could do in the last couple-hundred feet.”
Mission King Of The Baggers – “Must-Win” For Wyman Accomplished
Speaking of close finishes, the penultimate race of the weekend was also nearly a photo finish. Mission King Of The Baggers, which is MotoAmerica’s uniquely American Harley-Davidson versus Indian Motorcycle rival series, came right down to the finish line, as well.
And, with Harley-Davidson’s headquarters located just an hour south of Road America in Milwaukee, plus 91-year-old namesake Willie G. Davidson at the track along with thousands of H-D employees and also fans of The Motor Company, Kyle Wyman, aboard his Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide Special (signed by “Willie G.” just before the start of the race), rose to the challenge and won the drag race to the checkered flag over S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Troy Herfoss. The Australian’s teammate Tyler O’Hara completed the podium in third, while Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli finished fourth.
The margin of victory for Wyman was just .039 of a second over Herfoss, and he was more relieved than ecstatic that he won, since he faced the intense pressure and overcame it.
“A hundred percent a must-win today,” Wyman said. “Usually, you have kind of two shots at it. Yesterday, I was not comfortable, so I didn’t feel like I really had a shot to fight for the win. I knew it was all eggs in one basket on Sunday. Troy (Herfoss) found something this morning. I was struggling a little bit. We made a small change for the race, just to try to get me a predictable bike. I knew it was going to be a scrap. I think we all knew nobody was going to get away, so just try to get me something that was comfortable to ride that I could kind of throw around where I needed to. Got a good start. The Gillim train in the beginning was a little erratic. I know he’s doing what he has to do. He’s a little bit down on horsepower, but I had some close calls with him, for sure. Got me sucked into the back-end of him a couple times. I thought we were going to touch wheels. Once Troy came up, he got through on me, and I just latched on. There were a couple areas where he had a little bit of pace on me, but there were other areas where I could kind of reel him back. Like I said at COTA, I love a one-on-one. When I looked back, I guess these guys got kind of separated. I looked back and saw we had a gap to third. I was like, all right. It’s a mano-e-mano type of thing. I love it. I’m having the most enjoyment of my entire racing career, racing these baggers and especially this year racing Troy. It’s a fantastic challenge. It’s a fantastic rivalry, and one with a whole lot of respect. I’m really enjoying it, as he is. I can’t wait to get back with my guys and celebrate because we got the ‘must-win’ done.
“I’m super thankful to the whole Harley-Davidson team. To have Willie G. out here in his homecoming year. They’re going to celebrate him at homecoming coming up here in July in Milwaukee. It’s a pretty special deal. Pretty amazing feeling.”
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Landers’ Last-Lap Dash
RevZilla/Motul/ Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers couldn’t match the pace of Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario early in Sunday’s race, but he stuck around, bided his time, and took full advantage of the lack of grip on Di Mario’s Aprilia to make a pass on the last lap and notch victory, his second of the season.
Di Mario had a solid weekend at Road America, following up his second-place finish in the rain on Saturday with another runner-up finish on Sunday. His teammate Gus Rodio, meanwhile, had a weekend to forget with two non-finishes, which has given Landers and Di Mario sizeable leads in the championship.
Landers led the title chase going into Sunday’s race after finishing third yesterday, and he added to that lead with a victory on Sunday. Following his 50th career win across all classes, Landers is nine points clear of Di Mario, 135-126, with Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle third on 110 points – one point better than Rodio, who slips down to fourth in the championship.
The battle for third was a good one with Doyle vs. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Rossi Moor for the majority of the race. Doyle, however, had a miscue on the last lap while chasing Moor, allowing the Oregonian to secure third and his first Twins Cup podium.
TopPro Racing’s Avery Dreher came out of it all in fourth with Doyle recovering for fifth.
“In the beginning when his tire was fresh, I just had nothing for him, especially on the short chutes,” Landers said. “That’s where I lose most of my time. The long straights aren’t that big of a deal. It’s just until we get to sixth gear. Once we’re at the top of fifth, sixth gear it’s not so bad. I saw his tire start to go off and he kept dropping me. I was pushing so hard that entire race. I was having a little bit of front-end issues. The right-hand side of my tire might have been overheating. But I kind of was hoping Gus (Rodio) would be my ticket back up to Alessandro (Di Mario), but he ended up going down in five on lap two or three. At that point, I was like, just put my head down and see what I could do. I did not think I was going to be able to catch him, because he came across the line at 1.8 something on the last lap. I just pushed as hard as I possibly could. Honestly, going into the chicane on the last lap, I didn’t even think I was going to be able to. I just waited until he got on the brakes and was like, ‘screw it. if I blow the chicane, I blow the chicane and get second rather than settling for it’ and I just sent it. Somehow it worked. I’m very surprised, to be honest with you. But that was a good race. I almost think it topped yesterday’s rain race, but not quite. I think that was my greatest race ever. This is maybe second. It always changes. I couldn’t have done it without my team. They’ve been busting their butts. We’ve been trying to get this bike as good as possible. The thing is handling absolutely phenomenally, especially on the front end.”
Junior Cup – Chapin Does The Double
Junior Cup normalcy returned under the sunny skies of Elkhart Lake on Sunday with some 10-12 riders in the lead pack for most of the race after Saturday’s horrible weather didn’t make for the best racing.
When all was said and done, however, the lead pack dwindled to nine and it was game on with yesterday’s winner in the rainstorm, Matthew Chapin, doing most of the leading and using his diminutive size and a fast motorcycle to somehow make it to the stripe first nearly every time.
Including the one that mattered most – the last one.
The win was BARTCON Racing-backed Chapin’s third and that, combined with Yandel Medina finishing ninth, gave him the championship points lead.
Second place today, and just .346 of a second behind Chapin, was Barber’s doubleheader winner Logan Cunnison on his Speed Demon Racing-backed Kawasaki Ninja 400 with Fernandez Racing’s Jayden Fernandez taking the final podium spot.
Six riders crossed the line in quick succession with Karns Performance’s Levi Badie fourth, Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher fifth and BPM’s Issac Woodworth sixth.
“My bike has been really, really fast all weekend,” Chapin said. “I’ve been pretty fast, and I was feeling confident. I knew if I stayed out front, I could maybe pull a gap. I knew I could hold the lead. I just put my head down the whole race. I wanted to lead the whole time because I didn’t want to get shuffled back.”
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – She’s Back
The mice got their chance to play in yesterday’s first of two Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. battles as defending series champion Mikayla Moore sat it out with a thigh injury. Today, the cat returned, and she was at the top as always with Moore taking her third win of the year by a whopping 23.937 seconds.
Behind her came a battle for second between Aubrey Credaroli and yesterday’s winner Cassie Creer with Credaroli getting the spot at the line by just .243 of a second. Creer was third, a day after earning her first-career MotoAmerica podium and victory.
Camille Conrad backed up her podium finish yesterday on a soaking wet racetrack with fourth today under bright sunshine. Kira Knebel rounded out the top-five finishers.
Fortunately for Moore, she was able to swap helmets prior to the race after realizing she couldn’t see out of her faceshield.
“I went over to the Arai tent, and I told them I needed my helmet and make sure it’s good, since it was the same helmet that I crashed in,” Moore said. “He said it was all checked out, but at the last minute I went to go put it on and I put the visor down and I could not see no one in front of me. It was super blurry. I had Kendall with K Tech come over and I was like, ‘I need that other helmet ASAP, because I’m blind right now. I can’t see nobody.’”
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
ROAD AMERICA RACE 2
SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 2024 | WARM UP & RACE 2
Today’s activities started with the morning warm up, which solidified the team’s confidence in their machines heading into the race. With PJ Jacobsen topping the charts with a time of 2:17.734 and Kayla Yaakov nearly matching her qualifying times, finishing the session in 12th.
The sunny skies and dry track conditions provided a picture perfect setting for today’s Race 2 at Road America. The race ran just over two laps before the first red flag was waved for an expired engine. With the red conditions, both XPEL bikes made their way back to the hot pit for adjustments. Due to the first red coming out within the first three laps, the riders took the restart from their original starting positions.
During the first lap of the restarted race, an incident occurred near the tail of the field that immediately brought out a second red flag. The field made their way back to pit lane and were soon told the remainder of the race would be postponed until after the Superbike and King of the Baggers races.
Once Race 2 resumed, it was seven laps of determination to get to the end. Yaakov got an amazing restart but was caught in the field which eventually became distanced from the leading five. Jacobsen moved through the top four, making a pass for the lead out of Canada corner, but ultimately finishing third at the finish line in the closest-ever finish in MotoAmerica history (0.001 seconds between first and second and 0.009 seconds between second and third).
The team heads to Brainerd, MN for Rounds 7 & 8 of competition Friday, June 14 – Sunday, June 16. More information on the participation of Corey Alexander and the Roller Die machine at the Brainerd course will be provided as the event nears.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 4th
FINISHED: 3rd
CHAMPIONSHIP: 1st (131 pts., 12 pt. lead)
NOTES: Has collected a podium finish at every race so far this season // Remains the championship leader heading into Rounds 7 & 8 of 18
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Going into the dry race today, I was a bit optimistic. I think walking out of here with a podium is a good result. I tried everything I could to lead the end of the race and end up in first, but we got passed at the finish line. I don’t think I had enough to draft those guys if I was sitting behind them, so I had to lead out of the last corner and try my hardest. I want to thank the entire Rahal Ducati Moto / XPEL team for doing a great job this whole weekend. We are leaving with another podium finish which has me confident going to Brainerd. I like that track – I had my first Superbike win there, so hopefully the adjustments we make to our bike should provide us a good result.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 12th
FINISHED: 12th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 11th (35 pts., -1 position)
NOTES: The rain in Saturday’s race hindered Kayla’s forward progression in learning the Road America track on the Supersport bike // Yaakov was making big gains each session throughout the weekend and could have utilized the dry race yesterday to progress further and translate data to be used for today’s race
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Today was a very tough race. After so many restarts and not many full laps completed, it was very hard to find a flow and balance that worked for me and the bike. In the second restart, I was in a very good position and hanging onto the lead group, but unfortunately the race was red flagged and I wasn’t able to get the same jump on the third restart as I did in the second. I was struggling quite a bit without a draft, and was shuffled back even though I was strong in the infield sections. Really unfortunate, but I’ll put this race behind me and focus on Brainerd.”
BEN SPIES
TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “We always want more, but it wasn’t a bad day for the Rahal Ducati Moto team. PJ got really good points, and in my opinion, he rode a pretty perfect race. We were just down a little bit of top speed, but he put in a pass on the last lap, led out the last corner, and went back to third place. There’s not much he could’ve done different. Kayla also rode a really good race. She’s still adapting to the big bike on the bigger tracks with bigger breaking zones, so there is still a lot to learn but she is showing a lot of growth each week. Overall, it was a good weekend resulting in good points. I want to congratulate Tyler Scott on his win – he’s had a couple pretty hard weekends and a couple pretty hard crashes. We will move forward to Brainerd and try to get back on the top of the box.”
Kyle Wyman won MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Race Two Sunday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Riding his Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide on Dunlop control tires, Wyman used a last-lap pass to take a narrow victory by 0.039 second.
Reigning Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss fought his way to the front on his S&S Indian Challenger, but Wyman passed him on the run to the checkered flag, relegating him to second place.
Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara came out on top of another, equally entertaining battle for third place.
Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli crossed the finish line fourth, 0.047 second behind O’Hara and 0.223 second ahead of RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s defending Champion Hayden Gillim in fifth.
Josh Herrin won MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race Two Sunday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R on Dunlop Sportmax Slick control tires, Herrin led from start to finish and won the 12-lap race by 9.058 seconds.
Bobby Fong was the best of the rest, taking a runner-up finish on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1.
Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW rider JD Beach was right behind Fong for much of the race but could not make a move and came in third, 0.326 second behind Fong. Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz took the checkered flag 0.434 second behind Beach in fourth.
Three-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne was third early in the race but slipped backwards to a lonely fifth-place finish on his Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing YZF-R1.
Sean Dylan Kelly was running second on the final lap when he ran wide entering Canada Corner due to an apparent mechanical issue with his TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR. Kelly continued as best he could and salvaged sixth.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Brandon Paasch and Xavi Fores were separated by 0.013 second at the finish line with Paasch getting seventh and Fores taking eighth.
Benjamin Smith got ninth and the Superbike Cup victory on his FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha, and Danilo Lewis rounded out the top 10 finishers on his Team Brazil BMW.
Race One winner Cameron Petersen was running seventh on lap six when his Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing YZF-R1 suffered a smokey failure, forcing him to retire.
Five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier did not start Race Two. Beaubier crashed during Race One and broke the heel in his right foot. Beaubier’s recovery time was not known at post time.
Herrin Dominates Steel Commander Superbike Race Two At Road America
Josh Herrin Rides His Ducati To A Nine-Second Win In Elkhart Lake
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 2, 2024) – It may not have been a walk in the park, but it was definitely a high-speed stroll through the track known as America’s National Park of Speed for Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin on Sunday at Road America.
Herrin stormed away at the start of the 12-lap race and was never threatened. The chasing pack kept the gap in the two-second range for a few laps, but then the margin just steadily grew exponentially until it got to the 10-second mark. The Ducati Panigale V4 R was in its element on the high-speed track and Herrin was enjoying every minute of it.
At the completion of the 12 laps, Herrin was a tick over nine seconds clear of the chasing pack. It was his first win of what has been a difficult season thus far for the 2013 Superbike Champion. It was also the 11th Superbike win of his career, which ties him for 18th on the all-time Superbike win list with Anthony Gobert.
The chasing pack was hectic and consisted of four – Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach, TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly and Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz.
Kelly did most of the leading in second place, but Fong was on a mission and riding hard to make up for an obvious speed disadvantage with his Yamaha YZF-R1 against the BMW M 1000 RRs of Kelly and Beach. Baz, meanwhile, also had a fast bike but couldn’t go farther forward until the last lap.
It was on the last lap and the run to the final corner and the dash up the hill that the pack lost Kelly, with his BMW faltering as it was stuck in fifth gear. He would finish but it would be in sixth and not the second place he was fighting for. Fong ended up a well-deserved second with Beach third, less than half a second behind the Yamaha on the run to the flag. Then came Baz just a few 10ths behind.
Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne passed Kelly for fifth with the Floridian nursing the bike up the hill to sixth. Gagne’s ride had been mostly lonely.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch was seventh after beating his fill-in teammate Xavi Forés by just .013 of a second. FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith and Team Brazil’s Danilo Lewis rounded out the top 10.
After three rounds and seven races in the Steel Commander Superbike Championship, Gagne leads the injured Cameron Beaubier by 18 points, 113-95, with the five-time Superbike Championship expected to miss at least the next round with the broken heel he suffered in Saturday’s crash at Road America.
Fong jumps to third in the title chase, 25 points behind Gagne and just seven behind Beaubier. Saturday’s race winner Cameron Petersen is fourth in the championship after his Yamaha YZF-R1 suffered a terminal illness that took the South African out of race two after just six laps.
Kelly is tied with Petersen for fourth and fortunate he could nurse the BMW to the finish line. The pair are 30 points behind Gagne and four points ahead of Herrin, who obviously gained tons of ground with his first victory of the year.
Superbike Race Two
Josh Herrin (Ducati)
Bobby Fong (Yamaha)
JD Beach (BMW)
Loris Baz (Ducati)
Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
Sean Dylan Kelly (BMW)
Brandon Paasch (Suzuki)
Xavi Forés (Suzuki)
Benjamin Smith (Yamaha)
Danilo Lewis (BMW)
Quotes
Josh Herrin – Winner
“Obviously, no Superbike win is ever easy,” Herrin said. “The guys gave me a great bike today. I had a great bike yesterday, but I’m just terrible in the rain on it. This one feels extra special, but the laps just kept clicking. I just felt super good. I was in a rhythm. I didn’t think about anybody behind me once, until three laps to go and I saw plus nine. I just couldn’t believe it. It was just a magical moment, for sure. It was one of those ones that you can’t explain, and you don’t really know why it happened. I mean, I know I had a great bike and I felt great, and I’ve been putting in the work, but it never comes that easy. I just want to thank the entire Warhorse HSBK Racing team for all the hard work that they do. I’m happy because the last race in New Jersey last year was really tough, and then we went to Road Atlanta, and I was leading and got ran off the track. Then I had a rain race that I sucked in again. Barber was terrible. Yesterday was terrible. So, it’s been a really hard six, seven, eight months, somewhere around there. I’m happy to be back up here. I told the guys, if we have two years on this bike it will make a huge difference. We were showing that in Atlanta, just with the way that we’re able to start Friday and be there right away. It just helps a lot with your confidence. This weekend told the same story. I’m really grateful for the opportunity and just really happy to be with the same team for three years in a row. I have a lot of fun with these guys. It’s really rare. I’ve been doing this for 19 years and this is the third time that I’ve felt like this in 19 years. One was with Graves. One was with Richard (Stanboli) in ’18, and now this team. It doesn’t happen very often that you get the full package, and right now we have it. I’m super happy. I’m bummed that Cam (Beaubier) wasn’t out there. I’m hoping that he has a speedy recovery because I know he for sure would have been there. I’m sure he’ll be back soon and fast. Brainerd is going to be tough, for sure. I’m ready and excited and just grateful for this.”
Bobby Fong – Second Place
“It was a hard-fought race,” Fong said. “It was me and Dylan (Sean Dylan Kelly) putting in our licks. I had to be smart. They had a little bit of horsepower and I had to get a run on him on each straightaway. I would back up a little bit going into the turns and try to come out with him just to stay as close as I could in the draft. I saw JD (Beach) pass me and I thought maybe (Loris) Baz was going to get in there and make some moves. I had to counter and counter fast just to keep my position. Now we’ve moved up in third in the championship and a little bit closer to (Jake) Gagne. Our goal is to be top Yamaha. It’s a bummer that (Cameron) Beaubier was out. Obviously, he was pretty dominant all weekend. Hopefully, he’s back soon because he was the standard all weekend.”
JD Beach – Third Place
“It’s hard,” Beach said. “I want to be pumped about this, but I feel like we’re still so far off right now. It’s not from a lack of trying from the team or myself. We’re just missing something, and I know once we get it, we’ll be right there. I guess it’s nice that I’m not pumped about a third, but in all honesty, it is great to be up here and to be third. I want to be fighting with Josh (Herrin) and Cameron (Beaubier) and the guys at the front. I’m glad we took a big step forward from Barber. That was a hard weekend. We’ll just keep fighting and we’ll keep working. We’ve still got a lot of races to go. There’s no quitting, so we’ll just keep going.”
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Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with
screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive
a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements,
alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website.
In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels;
descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups),
and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag
for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology.
To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on
as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
