KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Mikayla Moore was quickest in MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. practice Friday morning at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Moore, the 20-year-old defending Champion, topped the 13-rider field with a lap time of 1:50.018 on her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 in spite of very light rain falling at times during the session.
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From a press release issued by FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship (WorldWCR):
WorldWCR action kicks off in Cremona
It was an eventful first day of action for the WorldWCR field in Italy, with rain falling in the afternoon as riders prepare for the 2024 campaign
The first collective track action for the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship took place at the Cremona Circuit in Italy, with Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) taking advantage of dry conditions in the morning to end the day on top. With rain falling in the afternoon, times didn’t improve after the second session which allowed the Spaniard to secure P1 on Day 1 of the test.
With the season starting at Misano in a month, the test will prove valuable for the grid to get accustomed to their Yamaha R7 machines and Pirelli tyres even with wet conditions impacting Day 1.
The best times of the day were set in the morning as rain fell and thunder blared at around 14:00 Local Time (UTC+2), forcing everyone to swap from Pirelli’s slick tyres to the wet tyres. It meant Carrasco, the 2018 WorldSSP300 Champion, was fastest on Day 1 with a 1’45.949s, four tenths clear of 19-year-old Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) in second. Third place belonged to Adela Ourednickova (DafitMotoracing), who set a 1’47.250s to round out the top three.
Despite rain falling in the afternoon, the WorldWCR field took advantage to test the Yamaha R7 in wet conditions. Michel was the first rider to head out in the third session, followed quickly by Ornella Ongaro (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) and Nicole Van Aswegen (Andalaft Racing).
The fastest time came from Chun Mei Liu (WT Racing Team Taiwan) in the fourth session as she posted a 1’54.139s, only 0.138s clear of Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) in second after she set a 1’54.277s. Third place went to Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport), who was a second away from Mei Liu’s time, but also almost 1.5 seconds faster than Astrid Madrigal (ITALIKA Racing FIMLA) in fourth.
WorldWCR testing continues on Friday at the Cremona Circuit.
Stock 1000 Set To Begin Its 2024 Series With 46 Entries Set For Barber Opener
After This Weekend, May 17-19, At Barber Motorsports Park All The MotoAmerica Classes Will Have Started Their Seasons
IRVINE, CA (May 16, 2024) – The MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship may be a late starter in 2024, but you get the feeling that it’s going to be worth the wait with 46 entries champing at the bit to finally get the series started at Barber Motorsports Park this coming weekend, May 17-19.
With all the other classes having started their championship seasons, only Stock 1000 and Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. have yet to run a race in 2024. That will all change this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park with those two classes joining a full docket of Steel Commander Superbike, Supersport, BellissiMoto Twins Cup, and Junior Cup in a jam-packed MotoAmerica weekend on the picturesque track located on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama.
Stock 1000 – Who Can Beat King Gillim?
As the defending MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion, Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim must be the odds-on favorite to repeat that championship. After all, he won six of the 10 races in 2023 to take the title by 25 points over Kaleb De Keyrel, who isn’t taking part in the series this year.
Gillim is on a new bike and in a new team for 2024, but he’s happy with both and rode his new Honda CBR1000RR-R SP to ninth- and sixth-place finishes in the two Steel Commander Superbike races in his first race outings on the bike at Road Atlanta. The Kentuckian is one of six riders in the class who will be chasing Honda contingency money on the CBRs.
So where will Gillim’s competition come from? How about Orange Cat Racing’s Travis Wyman, who was third in last year’s title chase with a lone win and five other podium finishes? Wyman has also switched teams but will stick with the trusted BMW M 1000 RR. Or Motorsport Exoctica’s two-time Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee, another who is BMW mounted.
And can you ever count out BPR Racing’s Bryce Prince, or Ashton Yates on the Jones Honda CBR1000RR-R SP? There’s also Gabriel DaSilva on a GMR (Geoff May Racing)/Jones Honda, Benjamin Smith on a FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, and Ireland’s Richard Kerr on the AMD Motorsport RK Racing Honda.
You get the picture. The list goes on and on with a large group of riders who could challenge Gillim. The opening round should give us some answers.
Supersport – PJ Leads Them In
Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen couldn’t have started his 2024 Supersport Championship campaign at Road Atlanta any better. How about two wins under two dramatically different circumstances? In race one, Jacobsen won in the dry. The following day he won in the rain, proving that so far it doesn’t matter what is thrown at him, the New Yorker can handle it.
And as if the smiles on the Rahal Ducati Moto team couldn’t get any bigger, Corey Alexander arrives at Barber second in the championship after finishing fourth and second in the series opener on his Ducati Panigale V2. The third member of the Rahal squad, Kayla Yaakov, wasn’t so fortunate at Road Atlanta as she finished ninth in race one and crashed out of race two.
Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz is hot off his first MotoAmerica Supersport races and is living proof that you shouldn’t give up. Scholtz’s debut in the class started horribly with technical difficulties sidetracking most of his practice and qualifying sessions and forcing him to start from the fourth row in both races. Although things didn’t fall into place until the race, Scholtz was ready for it, and he somehow fought through to finish third and fourth in the pair of races, and that puts him third in the series standings and just four points behind Alexander coming into Barber.
Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis also got his season off to a solid start with a sixth in the dry race one and a third in race two’s rainstorm, putting him fourth in the standings heading into round two.
N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis gave Jacobsen fits in race one and was in the hunt again in race two before crashing out. The youngster’s 20 points from finishing second in race one puts him fifth in the championship, albeit 30 points behind Jacobsen.
Forty-nine riders have entered the Supersport class for the Barber round.
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – It’s Still Rodio
While the majority of the MotoAmerica classes are just getting going, it already feels like midseason for the BellissiMoto Twins Cup riders as they have two rounds and four races already in the bank. And no one has more points than Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Gus Rodio, who started his season with four straight podiums on his Aprilia RS 660 – two of which were victories in the series opener at Daytona International Speedway.
Rodio arrives in Alabama with a handy 22-point lead, but this is far from over considering that the first of the chasers is RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers – the 2020 Twins Cup Champion and the class leader in victories with 16. Landers and his new Suzuki GSX-8R won for the first time in 2024 in race one at Road Atlanta.
Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle is the lead Yamaha rider at this point in the season as he’s slotted into third in the title chase with his first win of the year coming in race two at Road Atlanta. Doyle and his YZF-R7 are six points behind Landers and 28 behind Rodio.
Rodio’s teammate Alessandro Di Mario is fourth in the championship, 15 points clear of TopPro Racing’s Avery Dreher and Koch Racing’s Sean Ungvarsky with those two tied for fifth.
Junior Cup – Medina By A Point
Other than the Steel Commander Superbike series, which has Cameron Beaubier and Jake Gagne tied for the lead in the championship, the Junior Cup Championship is the closest one as its series heads to its second round at Barber.
New York Safety Track Racing’s Yandel Medina sits atop the standings but by just a single point over Wolfe Racing’s Ryan Wolfe and by just seven points over BARTCON Racing’s Matthew Chapin.
Medina has the points lead by virtue of his two podiums at Road Atlanta – a third in race one and his first career MotoAmerica victory in race two. Wolfe, meanwhile, was the model of consistency with two second-place finishes in Georgia. Chapin was another first-time winner at Road Atlanta with the Maryland rider winning race one before struggling in the wet race two to finish seventh.
The biggest surprise from the opener was Bad Boys Racing’s defending class champion Avery Dreher. And for all the wrong reasons. Dreher crashed out of what appeared to be victory in race one and then salvaged a fifth in the rain in race two. He is 30 points adrift of Medina heading into round two.
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – Moore To Come
It would take a brave person indeed to bet against Mikayla Moore in the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. series opener at Barber Motorsports Park. After all, she not only won last year’s title, but she also won every single race for a perfect seven-win season.
However, who knows who lurks beneath the Royal Enfield canopy for the series opener as 13 of the Continental GT 650s will line up for two races at Barber with most of those new to the program.
The highest finishing returnee other than Moore is Aubrey Credaroli, the Utah resident racing her Continental GT 650 to sixth in the championship with a best finish of third at Road America.
Pre-Race Barber Support Class Notes…
Yamaha leads the way in the number of entries for the first round of the 2024 Stock 1000 Championship with 14 Yamaha YZF-R1s entered. BMW is second with seven S 1000 RRs and six M 1000 RRs entered while Honda jumps up to six entries for CBR1000RR-R SP racers. Suzuki and Kawasaki, meanwhile, have five entries each for the GSX-R1000 and ZX-10R, respectively.
Last year’s two Stock 1000 races were won by Hayden Gillim. Gillim beat Ezra Beaubier and Kaleb De Keyrel in race one and De Keyrel and Ezra Beaubier in race two. The wins were Gillim’s first of the year after he suffered through a dismal opening round at Road Atlanta. He left Barber trailing Beaubier by 26 points.
The Supersport class last year at Barber was one of two “extended” races that featured pit stops. MotoAmerica has axed that and has gone back to the traditional sprint-race doubleheader. Last year’s extended race was won by Xavi Forés over Stefano Mesa and Anthony Mazziotto.
It was a clean sweep last year for Rocco Landers in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup races with the then-Aprilia RS 660-mounted Landers besting Kayla Yaakov and Dominic Doyle in race one before beating Blake Davis and Yaakov in race two.
In Junior Cup action in 2023 it was Avery Dreher and Levi Badie splitting victories. Dreher topped Max Van and Yandel Medina in race one with Baddie besting Hayden Bicknese and Dreher in race two.
The Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. program didn’t compete at Barber last year as their opening round wasn’t until the Road America round the first weekend in June.
Hayden Gillim (1:24.183) is the Stock 1000 lap record holder at Barber; Tyler Scott (1:26.348) has the lap record for Supersport; Kaleb De Keyrel (1:29.088) has the fastest lap for a Twins Cup bike; and Rocco Landers (1:34.782) is the lap record holder for the Junior Cup class.
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is North America’s premier motorcycle road racing series. Established in 2014, MotoAmerica is home to the AMA Superbike Championship as well as additional classes including Supersport, Stock 1000, Twins Cup, Junior Cup, and King Of The Baggers. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership including three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey; ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland; motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges; and businessman Richard Varner. For more information, please visit www.MotoAmerica.com and follow MotoAmerica on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. To watch all things MotoAmerica, subscribe to MotoAmerica’s live streaming and video on demand service, MotoAmerica Live+
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
RACE PREVIEW:
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., (05.16.2024) – Following a successful race weekend at Road Atlanta, the trio of Rahal Ducati Moto riders and crews have journeyed to Barber Motorsports Park, just outside of Birmingham, Alabama, for rounds three and four of competition.
Prior to the Road Atlanta race, PJ Jacobsen, Corey Alexander, and Kayla Yaakov all tested at the 16-turn course. With the momentum carried from the last two races, the team looks to add to its statistics and collect more hardware over the next three days.
Tomorrow’s schedule will host Practice and Qualifying 1, with Qualifying 2, Time Attack, and Race 1 on Saturday, followed by a warm-up and Race 2 on Sunday.
QUOTE BOARD:
COREY ALEXANDER (No. 23 Roller Die + Forming Ducati Panigale V2): “After ending Road Atlanta on such a high note, I’ve been eager for this weekend at Barber [Motorsports Park]. It hasn’t always been one of my strongest tracks, but luckily we had a good day of testing a few weeks back and with the improvements we made following, I’m excited to see what we can do on the Roller Die Ducati.”
PJ JACOBSEN (No. 15 XPEL Ducati Panigale V2): “We’re looking forward to Barber [Motorsports Park] this weekend. We had a really good test at the track before Road Atlanta, so I think we have a pretty good setup heading into the race weekend. I’m looking forward to it – especially after leaving Atlanta with two wins. I feel great right now, I like Barber a lot, and I know the team has been working hard to get everything accomplished in Atlanta. Hopefully, we can keep going in that same direction and fight for wins every weekend on the XPEL machine. I don’t know what the weather will be like, but I think we’re ready for any condition.”
KAYLA YAAKOV (No. 19 XPEL Ducati Panigale V2): “Barber [Motorsports Park] is always my favorite track to go to on the MotoAmerica calendar. From the fan atmosphere, to the track itself, it’s an amazing place that always hosts great racing. I’m looking forward to the weekend and to keep improving on the XPEL bike and in this class. Let’s go!”
BEN SPIES (Team Principal): “We’re looking forward to racing at Barber. After a really good weekend at Road Atlanta the morale of the team is great. We had a good test at Barber before Atlanta, so hopefully we can come off the truck with some good feelings and pace for all three riders.”
Roadracing World MotoGP Editor and Isle of Man TT winner Mat Oxley and two-time World Championship-winning Crew Chief Peter Bom have started “The Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast,” which will be focused on the FIM MotoGP World Championship.
This podcast is “Le Mans 2024 – Marquez, Plural.”
The original podcast can be found on BuzzSprout.com or listened to via other places you get podcasts.
From the Oxley Bom Podcast:
What is the plural of Marquez? Is it Marquezes? Marquezi? Well, whatever it is, Mat and Peter believe there’s three of them now. Imagine that, three Marc Marquezi! What does that mean? Well, you’ll just have to listen to the episode to find out…
Also this week, some very interesting theories about who’s gonna get a Ducati factory bike next year and lots of thoughts on a spectacular race. So grab a beer (or a fine glass of French wine) and come join us. Cheers!
Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman’s Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!
MotoAmerica: How To Watch MotoAmerica Superbikes at Barber Motorsports Park
It’s All Here: How To Not Miss A Bit Of The Action
Everything you need to know to watch the weekend racing in Alabama
Barber Motorsports Park marks round two of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
Sunnyvale, Calif. — One of the most picturesque racing venues anywhere in the world awaits Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati duo Josh Herrin and Loris Baz as they descend on Barber Motorsports Park for round two of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
Round two marks the first triple-header format of the year with three races on the MotoAmerica Superbike program in Alabama.
Following an intense opening round at Road Atlanta, the two riders know there’s ground to be made up but are equally confident they have the team and machinery to do so in the factory-backed Ducati Panigale V4 R superbike.
Herrin’s opening race speed in the dry at Road Atlanta will give him plenty of reason to be optimistic as the South’s Ducatisti throng to the green grounds of Barber Motorsports Park. The Georgian has an excellent record at Barber with multiple Superbike podium finishes and race wins in Supersport during his championship year with the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati in 2002.
Baz returns to the paddock recuperated from a crash at Road Atlanta involving Richie Escalante, in which he suffered a fractured ankle. The fast Frenchman has racing experience at Barber during his 2021 MotoAmerica campaign with the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team and will aim for a debut 2024 podium in Alabama.
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“I’ve been back in the U.S. since May 11, testing in New Jersey, so it’s been great to get back on the bike,” Baz enthused. “Regarding the ankle, I’m pretty happy with it after only two weeks since the surgery. I feel good on the bike.”
“I’m really looking forward to the Barber round. It’s an amazing place; I love the track layout, the incredible museum, and everything about it. I’m ready to work hard and super motivated for a good showing.”
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“Barber is one of my favorite tracks on the MotoAmerica calendar, so I always look forward to racing here. It feels extra special getting to ride my Panigale V4 R at this track. The fans get a really up close and personal experience of the bikes on track.”
“The results from round one were not what we hoped for, but we had great pace in the dry, so I am eager to get things going this weekend and see how fast we can go. This team has become like family to me, so these long breaks make me really start to miss them!”
The second round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will go green with the first Superbike practice scheduled for 10:35 am CDT on Friday, May 17. Race One will begin on Saturday, May 18, at 3:10 p.m. CDT. Race Two will begin at 12:15 p.m. CDT on Sunday, May 19, with Race Three scheduled for 3:10 p.m. that same
MotoAmerica Live+: MotoAmerica Superbikes at Barber Motorsports Park
It’s All Here: How To Not Miss A Bit Of The Action
Everything you need to know to watch all the racing from Alabama
2024 Progressive AFT Season Finale Set for 18th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 15, 2024) – Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, is excited to confirm that the 2024 Grand National Championship season finale will be waged at Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Missouri, on Saturday, September 14.
The inaugural Lake Ozark Short Track is destined to be a centerpiece attraction of the 18th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest, which will draw more than 125,000 motorcycle enthusiasts to the Lake of the Ozarks to celebrate the area’s beautiful scenery and incredible twisty roads from September 11-15.
This will also mark the first occasion the series will visit Lake Ozark Speedway. The venue, which opened in 2004, is a 1/3-mile semi-banked clay oval with seating for more than 5000 spectators.
Progressive American Flat Track will serve as one of the title partners of Bikefest to maximize awareness of what promises to be one of the most highly anticipated finales in recent memory as living legend and reigning Mission AFT SuperTwins king Jared Mees makes his bid for immortality via an unprecedented tenth Grand National Championship.
Ed Schmidt, Bikefest member said, “We’re thrilled to bring Progressive American Flat Track racing to this year’s Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest. The racing is incredible and should prove to be a hit alongside all the other new attractions we have on tap. With more than 300 bars and restaurants, over 50 live music and entertainment shows, a Harley-Davidson giveaway, and tons of vendor areas, we have every expectation that 2024 will be the largest Bikefest yet.”
Lake Ozark Speedway Owner Kenny Brown said, “We’re extremely excited to host Progressive American Flat Track for the very first time. These are the greatest motorcycle dirt trackers on the planet without question, and we absolutely cannot wait to witness the show they put on.”
Tickets for the 2024 Progressive AFT finale are available for purchase. General Admission tickets are just $40 (kids 12 and under $5 with a paid adult General Admission ticket), while the Pit Pass Upgrade adds access to the pit area for $50.
New for 2024 is the Opening Ceremonies Trackside Fan Experience ($150 all ages). This ticket option provides reserved seating with Pit Pass access, a guided tour of, and photo opportunities at, the infield podium and start/finish line, infield viewing of Opening Ceremonies and the heat races, and a track talk and photo opportunity with a special guest.
Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/lake-ozark-short-track-104135 to reserve your seats today.
For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
About Progressive American Flat Track
Progressive American Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. Progressive American Flat Track is televised on FOX Sports and streams live via FloRacing. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track, please visit us on the web, like us on Facebook, follow us on X, and check us out on Instagram.
Here are complete race results from the 2024 Bridgestone Tires AHRMA Roadracing Series event held May 11-12 at Talladega Gran Prix Raceway, in Munford, Alabama.
RRW 2024 Talladega - Weekend Results
MotoAmerica Heads To Barber With Gagne And Beaubier Tied At The Top
The Steel Commander Superbike Championship Resumes At Barber Motorsports Park With A Tripleheader, May 17-19
IRVINE, CA (May 15, 2024) – With Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne and Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier winning 16 of the 20 Steel Commander Superbike races a season ago, it was apparent that they were the cream of the crop for the 2023 season. Gagne ended the year with 11 wins to emerge as the series champion for a third straight time while Beaubier’s five-win season ended prematurely due to the injuries suffered in a crash at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
So, what did we learn from the 2024 season opener at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta? Well, the cream is still the cream with Gagne and Beaubier splitting wins to start the season after two thrilling races.
With the pair coming out of Georgia with 45 points apiece and tied for the series points lead, the Steel Commander Superbike Championship is back in action this coming weekend, May 17-19, at a series favorite – Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama – with three Superbike races scheduled (one on Saturday, two on Sunday) and 75 points up for grabs.
The two Road Atlanta races proved that the injuries that ended Beaubier’s season were in his rear-view mirror, along with any trepidation that it would take him some time to get back up to speed and ready to fight. Beaubier didn’t qualify well (for him), and he started both races from the middle of the second row. In the dry race one, it came down to a battle between pole sitter Bobby Fong, Beaubier and Gagne with Beaubier taking his 60th career AMA Superbike win by just .240 of a second over Gagne with Fong a shadow third. In Sunday’s wet race two, Beaubier came out second best to Gagne – by just .119 of a second. He was most definitely on top of his game.
While Beaubier was happy to be back, feeling good and up to speed, it was Gagne who ended up fighting some physical issues at Road Atlanta with arm pump bringing a bit of worry into his season opener. Despite numbness in his throttle/front brake hand, Gagne fought for victory on both days, winning the second race over Beaubier with his teammate Cameron Petersen finishing third.
Gagne went back to where it all started during the break between Road Atlanta and Barber: motocross. In an effort to cure what ails him, Gagne rode his motocross bike on a track for the first time in three or four years in the hopes that the arm pump would loosen itself up. We’ll see the results this coming weekend.
With Beaubier and Gagne tied at the top and 21 points in the clear, there’s a horde of riders within spitting distance of third place in the young championship.
TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly was nothing if not impressive in his Steel Commander Superbike debut with the Floridian fourth and fifth in the two races at Road Atlanta on his BMW M 1000 RR. Kelly was in the lead pack in both the dry and wet races at what is a difficult racetrack, and he left Road Atlanta smiling, confident and with 21 points in his pocket.
Kelly is just two points clear of Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong with the Yamaha YZF-R1-mounted Californian a fighting third in race one before struggling to 10th in the wet second race.
Fong is tied with Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach with Beach finishing seventh in the dry and a fighting fourth in the wet conditions of Sunday’s race two in his debut with the team and the BMW M 1000 RR. Beach was in the fight for victory when he crashed in the esses, remounted, and fought his way through to fourth.
Just three and four points behind Beach come the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati duo of Loris Baz and Josh Herrin.
After finishing seventh in race two, Baz was fortunate to escape mostly uninjured after being struck from behind by Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante after the checkered flag. Prior to crossing the finish line seventh in race two on Sunday, Baz had raced to sixth in Saturday’s race one.
Herrin sits seventh in the title chase after Road Atlanta after fifth- and ninth-place finishes in Georgia. Herrin led race one and was battling with Fong, Gagne and Beaubier when he ran off track in the final corner when Fong made an aggressive pass on the inside. From there, Herrin rode to a disappointed fifth. He is 27 points behind Gagne and Beaubier.
Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen had a miserable race one at Road Atlanta where he crashed, remounted, and managed to salvage a 15th-place finish, but he rebounded with a third-place podium result in race two.
Petersen is tied for eighth with Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim after the Kentuckian raced to ninth and sixth in the two races at Road Atlanta.
Tom Woods Powersports’ Nolan Lamkin emerged from Road Atlanta 10th in the Steel Commander Superbike Championship while also leading the Superbike Cup standings.
The Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team is hoping for better fortune at Barber after a disastrous start to its 2024 season. In addition to losing Richie Escalante to a broken left wrist, broken left ankle and compression fractures of his L1, L2 and L4 vertebrae, Brandon Paasch failed to score a point from the two races after two crashes. With Escalante out of action while his injuries heal, the team is bringing in 2023 Supersport Champion Xavi Forés to ride his GSX-R1000R.
Steel Commander Superbike action gets started at Barber Motorsports Park with the first practice session set for 10:35 a.m. with Q1 set for 2:40 p.m. Saturday’s race will begin at 3:10 p.m. with Sunday’s two races set for 12:15 p.m. and 3:10 p.m.
Pre-Race Barber Notes
Jake Gagne is the Superbike lap record holder at Barber Motorsports Park after lapping at a best of 1:22.035 in Qualifying 2 last year. Gagne also holds the race lap record of 1:22.463, which he set in race two in 2021.
Jake Gagne beat his teammate Cameron Petersen by 1.8 seconds to win race one last year at Barber Motorsports Park. Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz was third with Cameron Beaubier fourth. In race two, it was Gagne again taking victory with Scholtz second and Beaubier third.
Cameron Beaubier’s race-one win at Road Atlanta was the 60th of his AMA Superbike career. The five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion is third on the all-time Superbike win list and is now just one race win behind his former Yamaha factory teammate Josh Hayes. Jake Gagne, meanwhile, is also charging his way up the all-time win list. Gagne’s race-two win at Road Atlanta was the 41st of his Superbike career and he sits fourth on the all-time Superbike win list.
Australian Mat Mladin, who leads the all-time wins list in AMA Superbike racing with 82 victories, is also the Superbike win leader at Barber Motorsports Park. Mladin had nine victories at Barber from 2004 to 2009. Josh Hayes is second on that list with seven Superbike wins at Barber with all seven coming in a row from 2012 to 2015. Of active Superbike racers, Beaubier leads the way with five Superbike wins in Alabama.
This year’s race will mark the 22nd consecutive season of AMA Superbike racing at Barber Motorsports Park. Aaron Yates and Kurtis Roberts won the first two AMA Superbike races held at Barber in 2003.
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is North America’s premier motorcycle road racing series. Established in 2014, MotoAmerica is home to the AMA Superbike Championship as well as additional classes including Supersport, Stock 1000, Twins Cup, Junior Cup, and King Of The Baggers. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership including three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey; ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland; motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges; and businessman Richard Varner. For more information, please visit www.MotoAmerica.com and follow MotoAmerica on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. To watch all things MotoAmerica, subscribe to MotoAmerica’s live streaming and video on demand service, MotoAmerica Live+
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Mikayla Moore was quickest in MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. practice Friday morning at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Moore, the 20-year-old defending Champion, topped the 13-rider field with a lap time of 1:50.018 on her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 in spite of very light rain falling at times during the session.
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From a press release issued by FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship (WorldWCR):
WorldWCR action kicks off in Cremona
It was an eventful first day of action for the WorldWCR field in Italy, with rain falling in the afternoon as riders prepare for the 2024 campaign
The first collective track action for the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship took place at the Cremona Circuit in Italy, with Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) taking advantage of dry conditions in the morning to end the day on top. With rain falling in the afternoon, times didn’t improve after the second session which allowed the Spaniard to secure P1 on Day 1 of the test.
With the season starting at Misano in a month, the test will prove valuable for the grid to get accustomed to their Yamaha R7 machines and Pirelli tyres even with wet conditions impacting Day 1.
The best times of the day were set in the morning as rain fell and thunder blared at around 14:00 Local Time (UTC+2), forcing everyone to swap from Pirelli’s slick tyres to the wet tyres. It meant Carrasco, the 2018 WorldSSP300 Champion, was fastest on Day 1 with a 1’45.949s, four tenths clear of 19-year-old Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) in second. Third place belonged to Adela Ourednickova (DafitMotoracing), who set a 1’47.250s to round out the top three.
Despite rain falling in the afternoon, the WorldWCR field took advantage to test the Yamaha R7 in wet conditions. Michel was the first rider to head out in the third session, followed quickly by Ornella Ongaro (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) and Nicole Van Aswegen (Andalaft Racing).
The fastest time came from Chun Mei Liu (WT Racing Team Taiwan) in the fourth session as she posted a 1’54.139s, only 0.138s clear of Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) in second after she set a 1’54.277s. Third place went to Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport), who was a second away from Mei Liu’s time, but also almost 1.5 seconds faster than Astrid Madrigal (ITALIKA Racing FIMLA) in fourth.
WorldWCR testing continues on Friday at the Cremona Circuit.
Stock 1000 Set To Begin Its 2024 Series With 46 Entries Set For Barber Opener
After This Weekend, May 17-19, At Barber Motorsports Park All The MotoAmerica Classes Will Have Started Their Seasons
IRVINE, CA (May 16, 2024) – The MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship may be a late starter in 2024, but you get the feeling that it’s going to be worth the wait with 46 entries champing at the bit to finally get the series started at Barber Motorsports Park this coming weekend, May 17-19.
With all the other classes having started their championship seasons, only Stock 1000 and Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. have yet to run a race in 2024. That will all change this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park with those two classes joining a full docket of Steel Commander Superbike, Supersport, BellissiMoto Twins Cup, and Junior Cup in a jam-packed MotoAmerica weekend on the picturesque track located on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama.
Stock 1000 – Who Can Beat King Gillim?
As the defending MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion, Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim must be the odds-on favorite to repeat that championship. After all, he won six of the 10 races in 2023 to take the title by 25 points over Kaleb De Keyrel, who isn’t taking part in the series this year.
Gillim is on a new bike and in a new team for 2024, but he’s happy with both and rode his new Honda CBR1000RR-R SP to ninth- and sixth-place finishes in the two Steel Commander Superbike races in his first race outings on the bike at Road Atlanta. The Kentuckian is one of six riders in the class who will be chasing Honda contingency money on the CBRs.
So where will Gillim’s competition come from? How about Orange Cat Racing’s Travis Wyman, who was third in last year’s title chase with a lone win and five other podium finishes? Wyman has also switched teams but will stick with the trusted BMW M 1000 RR. Or Motorsport Exoctica’s two-time Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee, another who is BMW mounted.
And can you ever count out BPR Racing’s Bryce Prince, or Ashton Yates on the Jones Honda CBR1000RR-R SP? There’s also Gabriel DaSilva on a GMR (Geoff May Racing)/Jones Honda, Benjamin Smith on a FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, and Ireland’s Richard Kerr on the AMD Motorsport RK Racing Honda.
You get the picture. The list goes on and on with a large group of riders who could challenge Gillim. The opening round should give us some answers.
Supersport – PJ Leads Them In
Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen couldn’t have started his 2024 Supersport Championship campaign at Road Atlanta any better. How about two wins under two dramatically different circumstances? In race one, Jacobsen won in the dry. The following day he won in the rain, proving that so far it doesn’t matter what is thrown at him, the New Yorker can handle it.
And as if the smiles on the Rahal Ducati Moto team couldn’t get any bigger, Corey Alexander arrives at Barber second in the championship after finishing fourth and second in the series opener on his Ducati Panigale V2. The third member of the Rahal squad, Kayla Yaakov, wasn’t so fortunate at Road Atlanta as she finished ninth in race one and crashed out of race two.
Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz is hot off his first MotoAmerica Supersport races and is living proof that you shouldn’t give up. Scholtz’s debut in the class started horribly with technical difficulties sidetracking most of his practice and qualifying sessions and forcing him to start from the fourth row in both races. Although things didn’t fall into place until the race, Scholtz was ready for it, and he somehow fought through to finish third and fourth in the pair of races, and that puts him third in the series standings and just four points behind Alexander coming into Barber.
Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis also got his season off to a solid start with a sixth in the dry race one and a third in race two’s rainstorm, putting him fourth in the standings heading into round two.
N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis gave Jacobsen fits in race one and was in the hunt again in race two before crashing out. The youngster’s 20 points from finishing second in race one puts him fifth in the championship, albeit 30 points behind Jacobsen.
Forty-nine riders have entered the Supersport class for the Barber round.
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – It’s Still Rodio
While the majority of the MotoAmerica classes are just getting going, it already feels like midseason for the BellissiMoto Twins Cup riders as they have two rounds and four races already in the bank. And no one has more points than Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Gus Rodio, who started his season with four straight podiums on his Aprilia RS 660 – two of which were victories in the series opener at Daytona International Speedway.
Rodio arrives in Alabama with a handy 22-point lead, but this is far from over considering that the first of the chasers is RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers – the 2020 Twins Cup Champion and the class leader in victories with 16. Landers and his new Suzuki GSX-8R won for the first time in 2024 in race one at Road Atlanta.
Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle is the lead Yamaha rider at this point in the season as he’s slotted into third in the title chase with his first win of the year coming in race two at Road Atlanta. Doyle and his YZF-R7 are six points behind Landers and 28 behind Rodio.
Rodio’s teammate Alessandro Di Mario is fourth in the championship, 15 points clear of TopPro Racing’s Avery Dreher and Koch Racing’s Sean Ungvarsky with those two tied for fifth.
Junior Cup – Medina By A Point
Other than the Steel Commander Superbike series, which has Cameron Beaubier and Jake Gagne tied for the lead in the championship, the Junior Cup Championship is the closest one as its series heads to its second round at Barber.
New York Safety Track Racing’s Yandel Medina sits atop the standings but by just a single point over Wolfe Racing’s Ryan Wolfe and by just seven points over BARTCON Racing’s Matthew Chapin.
Medina has the points lead by virtue of his two podiums at Road Atlanta – a third in race one and his first career MotoAmerica victory in race two. Wolfe, meanwhile, was the model of consistency with two second-place finishes in Georgia. Chapin was another first-time winner at Road Atlanta with the Maryland rider winning race one before struggling in the wet race two to finish seventh.
The biggest surprise from the opener was Bad Boys Racing’s defending class champion Avery Dreher. And for all the wrong reasons. Dreher crashed out of what appeared to be victory in race one and then salvaged a fifth in the rain in race two. He is 30 points adrift of Medina heading into round two.
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – Moore To Come
It would take a brave person indeed to bet against Mikayla Moore in the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. series opener at Barber Motorsports Park. After all, she not only won last year’s title, but she also won every single race for a perfect seven-win season.
However, who knows who lurks beneath the Royal Enfield canopy for the series opener as 13 of the Continental GT 650s will line up for two races at Barber with most of those new to the program.
The highest finishing returnee other than Moore is Aubrey Credaroli, the Utah resident racing her Continental GT 650 to sixth in the championship with a best finish of third at Road America.
Pre-Race Barber Support Class Notes…
Yamaha leads the way in the number of entries for the first round of the 2024 Stock 1000 Championship with 14 Yamaha YZF-R1s entered. BMW is second with seven S 1000 RRs and six M 1000 RRs entered while Honda jumps up to six entries for CBR1000RR-R SP racers. Suzuki and Kawasaki, meanwhile, have five entries each for the GSX-R1000 and ZX-10R, respectively.
Last year’s two Stock 1000 races were won by Hayden Gillim. Gillim beat Ezra Beaubier and Kaleb De Keyrel in race one and De Keyrel and Ezra Beaubier in race two. The wins were Gillim’s first of the year after he suffered through a dismal opening round at Road Atlanta. He left Barber trailing Beaubier by 26 points.
The Supersport class last year at Barber was one of two “extended” races that featured pit stops. MotoAmerica has axed that and has gone back to the traditional sprint-race doubleheader. Last year’s extended race was won by Xavi Forés over Stefano Mesa and Anthony Mazziotto.
It was a clean sweep last year for Rocco Landers in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup races with the then-Aprilia RS 660-mounted Landers besting Kayla Yaakov and Dominic Doyle in race one before beating Blake Davis and Yaakov in race two.
In Junior Cup action in 2023 it was Avery Dreher and Levi Badie splitting victories. Dreher topped Max Van and Yandel Medina in race one with Baddie besting Hayden Bicknese and Dreher in race two.
The Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. program didn’t compete at Barber last year as their opening round wasn’t until the Road America round the first weekend in June.
Hayden Gillim (1:24.183) is the Stock 1000 lap record holder at Barber; Tyler Scott (1:26.348) has the lap record for Supersport; Kaleb De Keyrel (1:29.088) has the fastest lap for a Twins Cup bike; and Rocco Landers (1:34.782) is the lap record holder for the Junior Cup class.
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is North America’s premier motorcycle road racing series. Established in 2014, MotoAmerica is home to the AMA Superbike Championship as well as additional classes including Supersport, Stock 1000, Twins Cup, Junior Cup, and King Of The Baggers. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership including three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey; ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland; motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges; and businessman Richard Varner. For more information, please visit www.MotoAmerica.com and follow MotoAmerica on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. To watch all things MotoAmerica, subscribe to MotoAmerica’s live streaming and video on demand service, MotoAmerica Live+
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
RACE PREVIEW:
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., (05.16.2024) – Following a successful race weekend at Road Atlanta, the trio of Rahal Ducati Moto riders and crews have journeyed to Barber Motorsports Park, just outside of Birmingham, Alabama, for rounds three and four of competition.
Prior to the Road Atlanta race, PJ Jacobsen, Corey Alexander, and Kayla Yaakov all tested at the 16-turn course. With the momentum carried from the last two races, the team looks to add to its statistics and collect more hardware over the next three days.
Tomorrow’s schedule will host Practice and Qualifying 1, with Qualifying 2, Time Attack, and Race 1 on Saturday, followed by a warm-up and Race 2 on Sunday.
QUOTE BOARD:
COREY ALEXANDER (No. 23 Roller Die + Forming Ducati Panigale V2): “After ending Road Atlanta on such a high note, I’ve been eager for this weekend at Barber [Motorsports Park]. It hasn’t always been one of my strongest tracks, but luckily we had a good day of testing a few weeks back and with the improvements we made following, I’m excited to see what we can do on the Roller Die Ducati.”
PJ JACOBSEN (No. 15 XPEL Ducati Panigale V2): “We’re looking forward to Barber [Motorsports Park] this weekend. We had a really good test at the track before Road Atlanta, so I think we have a pretty good setup heading into the race weekend. I’m looking forward to it – especially after leaving Atlanta with two wins. I feel great right now, I like Barber a lot, and I know the team has been working hard to get everything accomplished in Atlanta. Hopefully, we can keep going in that same direction and fight for wins every weekend on the XPEL machine. I don’t know what the weather will be like, but I think we’re ready for any condition.”
KAYLA YAAKOV (No. 19 XPEL Ducati Panigale V2): “Barber [Motorsports Park] is always my favorite track to go to on the MotoAmerica calendar. From the fan atmosphere, to the track itself, it’s an amazing place that always hosts great racing. I’m looking forward to the weekend and to keep improving on the XPEL bike and in this class. Let’s go!”
BEN SPIES (Team Principal): “We’re looking forward to racing at Barber. After a really good weekend at Road Atlanta the morale of the team is great. We had a good test at Barber before Atlanta, so hopefully we can come off the truck with some good feelings and pace for all three riders.”
Roadracing World MotoGP Editor and Isle of Man TT winner Mat Oxley and two-time World Championship-winning Crew Chief Peter Bom have started “The Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast,” which will be focused on the FIM MotoGP World Championship.
This podcast is “Le Mans 2024 – Marquez, Plural.”
The original podcast can be found on BuzzSprout.com or listened to via other places you get podcasts.
From the Oxley Bom Podcast:
What is the plural of Marquez? Is it Marquezes? Marquezi? Well, whatever it is, Mat and Peter believe there’s three of them now. Imagine that, three Marc Marquezi! What does that mean? Well, you’ll just have to listen to the episode to find out…
Also this week, some very interesting theories about who’s gonna get a Ducati factory bike next year and lots of thoughts on a spectacular race. So grab a beer (or a fine glass of French wine) and come join us. Cheers!
Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman’s Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!
MotoAmerica: How To Watch MotoAmerica Superbikes at Barber Motorsports Park
It’s All Here: How To Not Miss A Bit Of The Action
Everything you need to know to watch the weekend racing in Alabama
Barber Motorsports Park marks round two of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
Sunnyvale, Calif. — One of the most picturesque racing venues anywhere in the world awaits Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati duo Josh Herrin and Loris Baz as they descend on Barber Motorsports Park for round two of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
Round two marks the first triple-header format of the year with three races on the MotoAmerica Superbike program in Alabama.
Following an intense opening round at Road Atlanta, the two riders know there’s ground to be made up but are equally confident they have the team and machinery to do so in the factory-backed Ducati Panigale V4 R superbike.
Herrin’s opening race speed in the dry at Road Atlanta will give him plenty of reason to be optimistic as the South’s Ducatisti throng to the green grounds of Barber Motorsports Park. The Georgian has an excellent record at Barber with multiple Superbike podium finishes and race wins in Supersport during his championship year with the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati in 2002.
Baz returns to the paddock recuperated from a crash at Road Atlanta involving Richie Escalante, in which he suffered a fractured ankle. The fast Frenchman has racing experience at Barber during his 2021 MotoAmerica campaign with the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team and will aim for a debut 2024 podium in Alabama.
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“I’ve been back in the U.S. since May 11, testing in New Jersey, so it’s been great to get back on the bike,” Baz enthused. “Regarding the ankle, I’m pretty happy with it after only two weeks since the surgery. I feel good on the bike.”
“I’m really looking forward to the Barber round. It’s an amazing place; I love the track layout, the incredible museum, and everything about it. I’m ready to work hard and super motivated for a good showing.”
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“Barber is one of my favorite tracks on the MotoAmerica calendar, so I always look forward to racing here. It feels extra special getting to ride my Panigale V4 R at this track. The fans get a really up close and personal experience of the bikes on track.”
“The results from round one were not what we hoped for, but we had great pace in the dry, so I am eager to get things going this weekend and see how fast we can go. This team has become like family to me, so these long breaks make me really start to miss them!”
The second round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will go green with the first Superbike practice scheduled for 10:35 am CDT on Friday, May 17. Race One will begin on Saturday, May 18, at 3:10 p.m. CDT. Race Two will begin at 12:15 p.m. CDT on Sunday, May 19, with Race Three scheduled for 3:10 p.m. that same
MotoAmerica Live+: MotoAmerica Superbikes at Barber Motorsports Park
It’s All Here: How To Not Miss A Bit Of The Action
Everything you need to know to watch all the racing from Alabama
2024 Progressive AFT Season Finale Set for 18th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 15, 2024) – Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, is excited to confirm that the 2024 Grand National Championship season finale will be waged at Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Missouri, on Saturday, September 14.
The inaugural Lake Ozark Short Track is destined to be a centerpiece attraction of the 18th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest, which will draw more than 125,000 motorcycle enthusiasts to the Lake of the Ozarks to celebrate the area’s beautiful scenery and incredible twisty roads from September 11-15.
This will also mark the first occasion the series will visit Lake Ozark Speedway. The venue, which opened in 2004, is a 1/3-mile semi-banked clay oval with seating for more than 5000 spectators.
Progressive American Flat Track will serve as one of the title partners of Bikefest to maximize awareness of what promises to be one of the most highly anticipated finales in recent memory as living legend and reigning Mission AFT SuperTwins king Jared Mees makes his bid for immortality via an unprecedented tenth Grand National Championship.
Ed Schmidt, Bikefest member said, “We’re thrilled to bring Progressive American Flat Track racing to this year’s Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest. The racing is incredible and should prove to be a hit alongside all the other new attractions we have on tap. With more than 300 bars and restaurants, over 50 live music and entertainment shows, a Harley-Davidson giveaway, and tons of vendor areas, we have every expectation that 2024 will be the largest Bikefest yet.”
Lake Ozark Speedway Owner Kenny Brown said, “We’re extremely excited to host Progressive American Flat Track for the very first time. These are the greatest motorcycle dirt trackers on the planet without question, and we absolutely cannot wait to witness the show they put on.”
Tickets for the 2024 Progressive AFT finale are available for purchase. General Admission tickets are just $40 (kids 12 and under $5 with a paid adult General Admission ticket), while the Pit Pass Upgrade adds access to the pit area for $50.
New for 2024 is the Opening Ceremonies Trackside Fan Experience ($150 all ages). This ticket option provides reserved seating with Pit Pass access, a guided tour of, and photo opportunities at, the infield podium and start/finish line, infield viewing of Opening Ceremonies and the heat races, and a track talk and photo opportunity with a special guest.
Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/lake-ozark-short-track-104135 to reserve your seats today.
For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
About Progressive American Flat Track
Progressive American Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. Progressive American Flat Track is televised on FOX Sports and streams live via FloRacing. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track, please visit us on the web, like us on Facebook, follow us on X, and check us out on Instagram.
Here are complete race results from the 2024 Bridgestone Tires AHRMA Roadracing Series event held May 11-12 at Talladega Gran Prix Raceway, in Munford, Alabama.
RRW 2024 Talladega - Weekend Results
MotoAmerica Heads To Barber With Gagne And Beaubier Tied At The Top
The Steel Commander Superbike Championship Resumes At Barber Motorsports Park With A Tripleheader, May 17-19
IRVINE, CA (May 15, 2024) – With Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne and Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier winning 16 of the 20 Steel Commander Superbike races a season ago, it was apparent that they were the cream of the crop for the 2023 season. Gagne ended the year with 11 wins to emerge as the series champion for a third straight time while Beaubier’s five-win season ended prematurely due to the injuries suffered in a crash at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
So, what did we learn from the 2024 season opener at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta? Well, the cream is still the cream with Gagne and Beaubier splitting wins to start the season after two thrilling races.
With the pair coming out of Georgia with 45 points apiece and tied for the series points lead, the Steel Commander Superbike Championship is back in action this coming weekend, May 17-19, at a series favorite – Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama – with three Superbike races scheduled (one on Saturday, two on Sunday) and 75 points up for grabs.
The two Road Atlanta races proved that the injuries that ended Beaubier’s season were in his rear-view mirror, along with any trepidation that it would take him some time to get back up to speed and ready to fight. Beaubier didn’t qualify well (for him), and he started both races from the middle of the second row. In the dry race one, it came down to a battle between pole sitter Bobby Fong, Beaubier and Gagne with Beaubier taking his 60th career AMA Superbike win by just .240 of a second over Gagne with Fong a shadow third. In Sunday’s wet race two, Beaubier came out second best to Gagne – by just .119 of a second. He was most definitely on top of his game.
While Beaubier was happy to be back, feeling good and up to speed, it was Gagne who ended up fighting some physical issues at Road Atlanta with arm pump bringing a bit of worry into his season opener. Despite numbness in his throttle/front brake hand, Gagne fought for victory on both days, winning the second race over Beaubier with his teammate Cameron Petersen finishing third.
Gagne went back to where it all started during the break between Road Atlanta and Barber: motocross. In an effort to cure what ails him, Gagne rode his motocross bike on a track for the first time in three or four years in the hopes that the arm pump would loosen itself up. We’ll see the results this coming weekend.
With Beaubier and Gagne tied at the top and 21 points in the clear, there’s a horde of riders within spitting distance of third place in the young championship.
TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly was nothing if not impressive in his Steel Commander Superbike debut with the Floridian fourth and fifth in the two races at Road Atlanta on his BMW M 1000 RR. Kelly was in the lead pack in both the dry and wet races at what is a difficult racetrack, and he left Road Atlanta smiling, confident and with 21 points in his pocket.
Kelly is just two points clear of Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong with the Yamaha YZF-R1-mounted Californian a fighting third in race one before struggling to 10th in the wet second race.
Fong is tied with Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach with Beach finishing seventh in the dry and a fighting fourth in the wet conditions of Sunday’s race two in his debut with the team and the BMW M 1000 RR. Beach was in the fight for victory when he crashed in the esses, remounted, and fought his way through to fourth.
Just three and four points behind Beach come the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati duo of Loris Baz and Josh Herrin.
After finishing seventh in race two, Baz was fortunate to escape mostly uninjured after being struck from behind by Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante after the checkered flag. Prior to crossing the finish line seventh in race two on Sunday, Baz had raced to sixth in Saturday’s race one.
Herrin sits seventh in the title chase after Road Atlanta after fifth- and ninth-place finishes in Georgia. Herrin led race one and was battling with Fong, Gagne and Beaubier when he ran off track in the final corner when Fong made an aggressive pass on the inside. From there, Herrin rode to a disappointed fifth. He is 27 points behind Gagne and Beaubier.
Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen had a miserable race one at Road Atlanta where he crashed, remounted, and managed to salvage a 15th-place finish, but he rebounded with a third-place podium result in race two.
Petersen is tied for eighth with Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim after the Kentuckian raced to ninth and sixth in the two races at Road Atlanta.
Tom Woods Powersports’ Nolan Lamkin emerged from Road Atlanta 10th in the Steel Commander Superbike Championship while also leading the Superbike Cup standings.
The Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team is hoping for better fortune at Barber after a disastrous start to its 2024 season. In addition to losing Richie Escalante to a broken left wrist, broken left ankle and compression fractures of his L1, L2 and L4 vertebrae, Brandon Paasch failed to score a point from the two races after two crashes. With Escalante out of action while his injuries heal, the team is bringing in 2023 Supersport Champion Xavi Forés to ride his GSX-R1000R.
Steel Commander Superbike action gets started at Barber Motorsports Park with the first practice session set for 10:35 a.m. with Q1 set for 2:40 p.m. Saturday’s race will begin at 3:10 p.m. with Sunday’s two races set for 12:15 p.m. and 3:10 p.m.
Pre-Race Barber Notes
Jake Gagne is the Superbike lap record holder at Barber Motorsports Park after lapping at a best of 1:22.035 in Qualifying 2 last year. Gagne also holds the race lap record of 1:22.463, which he set in race two in 2021.
Jake Gagne beat his teammate Cameron Petersen by 1.8 seconds to win race one last year at Barber Motorsports Park. Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz was third with Cameron Beaubier fourth. In race two, it was Gagne again taking victory with Scholtz second and Beaubier third.
Cameron Beaubier’s race-one win at Road Atlanta was the 60th of his AMA Superbike career. The five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion is third on the all-time Superbike win list and is now just one race win behind his former Yamaha factory teammate Josh Hayes. Jake Gagne, meanwhile, is also charging his way up the all-time win list. Gagne’s race-two win at Road Atlanta was the 41st of his Superbike career and he sits fourth on the all-time Superbike win list.
Australian Mat Mladin, who leads the all-time wins list in AMA Superbike racing with 82 victories, is also the Superbike win leader at Barber Motorsports Park. Mladin had nine victories at Barber from 2004 to 2009. Josh Hayes is second on that list with seven Superbike wins at Barber with all seven coming in a row from 2012 to 2015. Of active Superbike racers, Beaubier leads the way with five Superbike wins in Alabama.
This year’s race will mark the 22nd consecutive season of AMA Superbike racing at Barber Motorsports Park. Aaron Yates and Kurtis Roberts won the first two AMA Superbike races held at Barber in 2003.
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is North America’s premier motorcycle road racing series. Established in 2014, MotoAmerica is home to the AMA Superbike Championship as well as additional classes including Supersport, Stock 1000, Twins Cup, Junior Cup, and King Of The Baggers. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership including three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey; ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland; motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges; and businessman Richard Varner. For more information, please visit www.MotoAmerica.com and follow MotoAmerica on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. To watch all things MotoAmerica, subscribe to MotoAmerica’s live streaming and video on demand service, MotoAmerica Live+
