Ryde reigns in race one at Donington Park as Bridewell and Haslam return to the podium
Kyle Ryde claimed his first Bennetts British Superbike Championship race win of the season in the opening race of the weekend at Donington Park in a red-flagged race one as Tommy Bridewell and Leon Haslam completed the podium line-up.
The race was red flagged when Christian Iddon crashed heavily at the Old Hairpin on lap 15. The Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider was fully conscious after the crash and was taken to the medical centre with ankle pain. He had an x-ray at the Medical Centre with no apparent fractures and will be reviewed by the BSB Medical Team tomorrow morning before warm up.
At the start of the race, Ryan Vickers launched off the Omologato Pole Position to take the lead as the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing teammates held the leading two positions, however on lap two, Vickers crashed out of contention at the Melbourne Hairpin.
Ryde then held the advantage ahead of Haslam, Iddon, Danny Kent, Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell with Max Cook completing the leading group over the opening laps. The reigning champion was carving his way through the pack and after an intense battle with former teammate Irwin; he had Iddon in his sights as Kent held sixth.
Bridewell was then dicing with Iddon, moving into a podium position and had Haslam ahead of him as Ryde held onto the lead. The Honda Racing UK rider had his opportunity to make a move when Haslam ran wide at Goddards on lap 13 and he pounced to move into second place.
Iddon’s crash prompted a red flag and the result was declared, giving Ryde the victory by 0.559s from Bridewell with Haslam becoming the seventh podium finisher of the season as three manufacturers featured on the podium.
Kent claimed a strong fourth place, keeping him second in the standings and just nine points adrift of Irwin who maintained his championship lead with a fifth place finish.
Cook meanwhile celebrated his best result of the season with a sixth place as Lee Jackson split the Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki teammates with Jason O’Halloran fighting through from his fifth row start to finish in eighth place.
Charlie Nesbitt was also able to carve his way up the order to finish ninth for the MasterMac Honda team with Josh Brookes completing the top ten as Billy McConnell narrowly missed out in eleventh for the C&L Fairburn Properties/Look Forward Racing Honda team.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Donington Park, Race 1 result:
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing)
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) +0.559s
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) +1.060s
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) +1.312s
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +2.748s
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +3.078s
Lee Jackson (MasterMac Honda) +5.778s
Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +7.522s
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +10.124s
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) + 10.514s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) 85
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 76
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 73
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 68
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 67
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) 63
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) 56
Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) 52
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) 40
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) 35
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha
“I’m over the moon to win my first race of the season, obviously for that to be at Donington Park and my home round makes it even better! The bike wasn’t perfect but we can make it better tonight and hopefully the pace will be a few tenths faster for tomorrow.
“Starting from sixth tomorrow for the shorter race, I don’t know what to expect. The bike was good in Superpole, it’s not really going to be much for tyre life except going as fast as you can for 12 laps, so the trouble is people like Leon and Tommy can all do those lap times for 12 laps so it’s going to be a dogfight. Then we will see what happens in race three!”
Young outlasts Guerin for historic Superbike win at Shannonville
Shannonville, ON – The 2024 Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship season kicked off in exciting fashion on Saturday, as defending champion Ben Young outdueled rivals Sam Guerin and Jordan Szoke for a sensational victory at Shannonville Motorsport Park, presented by the Fallen Rider Support Team sponsored by Pace Law.
Young began the day with a stellar victory in the Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike class, returning to his familiar ranks in the GP Bikes Pro Superbike category with a chance to become the first double-winner in the same season since Jodi Christie in 2014.
Instead, Young’s title defence got off to a brutal start, as Szoke grabbed the holeshot with Guerin promptly moving into second. Things would get even worse for Young before they got better, as Trevor Dion shunted the three-time Canada Cup champion into fourth on lap two while Szoke and Guerin escaped out front.
The lead duo would begin to stretch out their advantage before Guerin moved into the lead on lap three, seizing the front in turn eight as he continued his quest for a maiden pro national victory.
Young’s comeback would then begin on lap four, moving back past Dion and on the hunt for Szoke, who in return had continued to battle with Guerin. That would set up a hectic three-way fight for the lead on lap six, which waged on for two laps before Young moved through his long-time rival Szoke on lap eight.
Defending CSBK champ and polesitter Ben Young (1) faded back to fourth early in Saturday’s Superbike Race One of the weekend, but worked his way back to the front to go on to win over Sam Guerin (2) and Szoke at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.
That would set up the final, decisive battle between Guerin and Young for the middle portion of the race, but Guerin’s impressive defensive effort ultimately caved on lap 13 as Young snatched the lead for the first time and squeezed out a slight advantage, holding firm the rest of the way for the season-opening victory.
The comeback was not one many were expecting after Young’s dominant pace on Friday, but the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider chalked it up to a bit of rider error thanks to his double-duty earlier in the Sport Bike class.
“The BMW was phenomenal as always today, but the first couple laps felt a bit strange until I realized it was just the difference between the two bikes, which is completely a mistake of my own,” Young admitted. “It was really cool to battle with Jordan again – a bit of a flashback to some of our races in 2019 – and Sam made it really hard on us in the end, but to lead both championships even for a day feels pretty awesome.”
The result proved to be a historic one for Young in more ways than one, as he also moved out of a tie with Pascal Picotte and into sole possession of third all-time with his 17th career Superbike victory.
“I knew we were tied coming in, but to pass a legend like that is pretty cool,” Young said, though he remains a far way off Szoke’s record of 78 career wins. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not ever passing Jordan’s record! That one’s safe, but we’ll keep this going as long as we can.”
As for Guerin, it’s yet another runner-up finish for the EFC Group BMW rider as he chases win number one, but a result that will likely turn some heads after making things very difficult on his BMW counterpart.
“It took us a couple laps to get going, but I saw these two were still figuring some things out, so I thought ‘okay, let’s go for it,’” Guerin said. “I held on past the mid-race point which is a huge step, but Ben had the better pace at the end so I decided to keep things on-track and be fine with second today.”
The season opener was also a welcome return for Szoke to the front, after he grabbed the holeshot and paced the Superbike field in the early going. The Canadian Kawasaki Motors rider is still recovering from his serious injuries in 2022, but Saturday’s effort was proof that a return to full fitness could be a problem for the BMW rivals in front of him.
“I was hoping to hang on a little longer, but once Sam got by me and Ben had caught up it was only a matter of time. I’m still getting my strength back, but I feel better and better every day,” said the 14-time champion. “We’re still settling in here, so to bring it home for the team and for Kawasaki is huge.”
As for Dion, it was a tale of two halves in a race where he briefly battled with Young at the front, only to then slip back to a distant fourth at the finish. The Economy Lube Ducati rider is still gaining familiarity with his new machine after the late switch in 2023, but will hope to replicate more of his early-race pace on Sunday and close the gap to the lead trio.
Rounding out the top-five on Sunday was Superbike debutant David MacKay, who made major progress on his Snow City Cycle Honda. The reigning Sport Bike champion flashed his best pace of the weekend and began to reel in Dion in the late stages, something he will hope to carry into race two on Sunday.
Sebastien Tremblay would make a late charge of his own to climb to sixth, a strong result for the Turcotte Performance Suzuki rider as he marked five different manufacturers inside the top-six spots on Saturday.
Full results from the day’s action, including the schedule for Sunday’s racing, can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
Avery Dreher won MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Shortly after the end of Superbike Race One, the skies opened up with a heavy rain shower that forced all activity to be placed on pause.
After the heaviest of the rain passed, the Twins Cup field was given a short session to familiarize themselves with the wet conditions because all track time to that point had been dry.
When the race started, pole-sitter Alessandro Di Mario jetted out into the lead and threatened to run away, but class rookie Avery Dreher passed several riders on the opening lap, including Di Mario, and took the lead.
Dreher then threatened to run away with the race, but Di Mario tracked him down, passed him, and then crashed out.
Dreher rode on to win the seven-lap race — the first of his Twins Cup career — by 2.705 seconds on his TopPro Racing Aprilia RS 660.
Part-time Pro racer Cassidy Heiser missed the wet warm-up session, but that didn’t stop the U.S. Air Force veteran from riding his Chiefs Racing Yamaha YZF-R7 to second place.
Dominic Doyle said he took a conservative approach to race, focused on keeping his Giaccmoto Yamaha on two wheels, and came home third.
Jack Roach got fourth on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha, and Rossi Moor rounded out the top five finishers on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-8R.
American Julian Correa, age 15, took second place in British Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Donington Park, in England. Riding his Microlise Cresswell Racing Honda, Correa finished just 0.081 second behind race winner Amanuel Brinton and his Kovara Projects/RS Racing Honda.
Lucas Brown finished third on a SENCAT Talent Team/Mortimer Racing Honda.
American Josh Raymond Jr. finished 14th on his Fibre Tec Honda, and his American teammate Eli Banish got 20th.
Cameron Petersen won MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Petersen put his Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1 into the lead on lap three and rode flawlessly all the way to the checkered flag, earning the fourth Superbike victory of his career.
Petersen’s teammate Jake Gagne, the three-time and defending Champion, pressured the race leader all the way to the end but had to settle for the runner-up spot, 0.439 second back.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin came out on top of a three-way battle for third to claim his first podium finish of 2024.
Sean Dylan Kelly was third at the start of the final lap, but Herrin was able to get past the Superbike rookie, who held on to finish fourth on his TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz crossed the stripe right behind Kelly in fifth in his first race back since breaking his ankle at Road Atlanta three weeks ago.
Xavi Fores came home sixth in his first race filling in for injured Richie Escalante on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R.
Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s JD Beach slipped backward to seventh at the end of the race.
Real Steel Motorsports Honda’s Hayden Gillim (eighth), Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha’s Bobby Fong (ninth), and Fores’ teammate Brandon Paasch (10th) rounded out the top 10 finishers.
Pole-sitter Cameron Beaubier was leading the race by 1.5 seconds and pulling away on lap three when he crashed his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW. Beaubier walked away from the crash but could not continue on his damaged motorcycle.
The MotoAmerica Superbike class will race twice on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park.
Petersen Withstands The Pressure To Take Superbike Victory At Barber
Cameron Petersen Tops His Teammate Jake Gagne In Steel Commander Superbike Action From Barber Motorsports Park
Cameron Petersen (45) crosses the finish line ahead of his teammate Jake Gagne (1). Gagne now has a 20-point lead in the championship. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BIRMINGHAM, AL (May 18, 2024) – Leading 17 laps of a MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike race is tough enough. Leading 17 laps with three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne breathing down your neck is flat out daunting. But Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen was able to focus on what was ahead and not what was behind to win Saturday’s first of three Superbike races at Barber Motorsports Park.
And in doing so, the South African never put a wheel wrong to top his teammate Gagne by .438 of a second after 20 laps. Since 20 minus 17 is three, who led those opening three laps? That would be Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier on his BMW M 1000 RR, but it didn’t last. Just when it was starting to look like the five-time series champion was going to romp away to victory, it all went horribly wrong on the fourth lap when Beaubier crashed out of the lead.
That left Petersen vs. Gagne with Petersen leading and Gagne giving chase, piling on the pressure to see if Petersen would falter. He didn’t. Instead, he was mostly perfect in earning his fourth MotoAmerica Superbike victory with three of those coming at Barber Motorsports Park.
Gagne ended up second, happy for his teammate while also knowing that he’d extended his championship points lead to 20 points over his title rival Beaubier, 65-45, after the first three races of the season.
Both Petersen and Gagne acknowledged that things would have been different if Beaubier hadn’t crashed.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin came out on top of a three-rider scrap for the final podium spot. After moving past his teammate Loris Baz, Herrin disposed of impressive rookie Sean Dylan Kelly on the final lap to finish third.
TopPro Racing’s Kelly ended up .476-of-a-second behind Herrin and .502-of-a-second ahead of Baz. It was Kelly’s third top-five finish to start his rookie season of Superbike racing.
Spaniard Xavi Forés was sixth in his debut on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, riding in place of the injured Richie Escalante. Forés was well back from Baz and .8 seconds ahead of seventh-placed JD Beach and his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim was eighth with Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch rounding out the top 10 finishers.
With three races in the books, Gagne leads Beaubier in the title chase, 65-45, with Petersen jumping up to third in the standings with 42 points. Kelly is fourth with 37 points, three clear of fifth-placed Herrin.
Sunday will be a busy day for the Steel Commander Superbike men with two races on the schedule.
Quotes
Cameron Petersen – Winner
“It feels good. I think this is three wins at this track. Got one in the dry, but honestly it feels so good. I know a lot of people know what I’ve gone through in the off-season and after the surgery. It’s been a tough off-season. The wrist is starting to feel really good on the bike. It just feels so good to get this monkey off my back. It’s been a questioning game, wondering if I did the right thing with the surgery. But it’s starting to pay off. Like Jake said, we had a really tough Friday. We were all kind of scratching our heads, and the boys did an incredible job. We definitely took a step forward today. We had a good race bike. We kind of got gifted that one a little bit. Cam had some incredible pace in the beginning there. He was starting to check out. For the rest of the race, I just tried to hit my marks. I knew if I do that and I was good on the brakes and didn’t make any mistakes, I kind of knew that I would have a good opportunity at it. So, just put my head down and did everything I could. With about five laps to go, I was just like, nobody is taking this thing from me. We’re too close to the end. I’ve led this whole thing. I just wanted it super bad. Congrats to the guys up here next to me. It’s always fun racing against them. Look forward to two races tomorrow.”
Jake Gagne – Second Place
“It was awesome. Cam (Petersen) rode a great race. He didn’t put a wheel wrong. I was sitting there kind of waiting for a mistake. He was good on the brakes everywhere, so there was not a whole lot I could do unless I really tried to stuff it in there. I was going to see if I could try to make a move somewhere on those last couple laps. Then it started sprinkling, so in the back it was getting dark. I just figured there was nothing I could do unless he made a mistake, and he didn’t. He wanted that one. Congrats to Cam. He earned it. Congrats to the team, to go one-two after our pretty rough day yesterday, actually. So, it was good to see the consistency there. Fun race, riding around with Cam. Obviously, my teammate and one of my great friends. So, congrats to him. But we got some work to do. See if we can improve some things tomorrow. (Cameron) Beaubier was unreal those first couple laps. I didn’t see what happened, but I hope he’s okay. Everybody is going to be going faster tomorrow, so we got to do our job.”
Josh Herrin – Third Place
“We kind of just went back to what we had on Friday and tried something small from that. We’ve been here three times now on this bike. We came here for the race last year, a track day earlier in the year, and then now. I’m just stuck at the time that I’m at. I just can’t do anything better. Having Baz here, it helped because for me, mentally knowing that it wasn’t just me, this is just a difficult track for us. The bike feels great, but I just can’t go any faster on it. It’s weird because I feel like I’m going really good, but then those guys are going quicker. So, I’ve just got to keep plugging away here and keep trying to get better, but just know that there’s better days ahead. We got Road America coming up next. It’s a hard pill to swallow, knowing that this is a three-race round. But the most important thing to me, as much as I love the guy, is to beat Baz. So, it was good motivation. I had a good battle with Sean at the end. It was just a really fun race. Huge thanks to my team for just the nonstop effort, trying to get it better. I don’t know if it’s something that we need to improve on the bike or if it’s just me not being comfortable. Historically, this is a good track for me, so it’s hard to understand. But, if you would have asked me yesterday or this morning, if I’d be happy with third, I’d be stoked. Especially after Atlanta. We had arguably the best race of my career, but it just didn’t look like it on paper. But catching those guys as much as I did and feeling as good as I did on the bike, I got a really good on my head shoulders mentally going into the next couple rounds. I’m happy, and just hoping that tomorrow is better or maybe it rains and then maybe it helps us out. I don’t know.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.:
Petersen Scores Emotional MotoAmerica Superbike Victory at Barber
Cameron Petersen (45) and Jake Gagne (1). Photo courtesy Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen returns to the top, while Jake Gagne claims MotoAmerica Superbike Championship lead with a runner-up finish in Race 1 at Barber Motorsports Park
MARIETTA, Ga. – May 19, 2024 – After a tough off-season making a comeback from injury, Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen celebrated victory yesterday and led a stellar 1-2 finish for the team at Round 2 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Barber Motorsports Park. His teammate Jake Gagne secured second to make championship gains with a 20-point lead after Race 1 of the weekend’s Superbike tripleheader at the 2.38-mile circuit in Leeds, Alabama.
After a tough first day of qualifying, both of the team’s riders had a much better day two, with Petersen improving to fourth in the combined times. From there he got a great start in third behind his teammate and quickly made the pass to the runner-up spot. The South African rode his own race and advanced to the lead after the frontrunner crashed in the opening laps. He continued to hit his marks, kept cool under pressure with Gagne on his heels, and rode his Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing R1 to victory. After an uncertain return with a wrist injury, it was a great comeback and emotional victory for Petersen, which also marked his fourth-career Superbike win and third at Barber Motorsports Park.
Gagne qualified third and got a great start from the front row in second, and was passed by his teammate shortly after. The defending three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion rode a calculated race in third and advanced to the runner-up spot after his title rival crashed on Lap 3. He closed the gap on his teammate a couple of laps before the halfway mark and kept the pressure on. In the final laps, the weather loomed closer and light rain started to fall on parts of the track. Gagne rode on to cross the line second, keeping his podium streak rolling and claiming a 20-point lead in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team looks forward to an action-packed Sunday with Race 2 and 3 of the MotoAmerica Superbike tripleheader today at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“We came from Atlanta with a particular setup that we have been working on all winter, and it didn’t work here. So the guys were struggling on the first day, but we kept working all the way up to the race, and it showed. (Cameron) Beaubier gave us a little something, but that’s racing. If you pressure the guy in front of you, sometimes mistakes happen. We’re happy with the 1-2 finish and looking to do it again tomorrow.”
Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“This one feels good. It’s been a tough off-season coming back from the surgery I had. I didn’t know if I was going to race a motorcycle again and was questioning whether I did the right thing with the surgery, but it’s paid off. It feels good to get this monkey off my back and get the win. I’m stoked for the team to get that 1-2 after a difficult Friday. We were all kind of scratching our heads, but the guys did a great job, and we definitely took a step forward today. We had some incredible race bikes. I just tried to hit my marks and not make any mistakes. With about five laps to go, I wasn’t letting anyone take it from me. I just wanted to win this thing.”
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #1
“It was a good day for the team. Congrats to Cam. It was great to see him win one. He rode a great race, didn’t put a wheel wrong, and it would have been tough to get by him. Yesterday was kind of a rough day for us both. The team did a great job making improvements to the setup, and we both felt a little better today. With (Cameron) Beaubier going down, the smart thing to do was to bring it home on the podium. We’re going to be even more confident tomorrow and look to step it up.”
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 (SMT) 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 and Alabama. YMUS subsidiaries YMMC, based in Georgia, and YJBM based in Tennessee, each assemble and manufacture selected Yamaha brand products. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company, Inc. (YMSC) with subsidiary Siren Marine and divisions Bennett Marine (Florida), Yamaha Marine Rotational Molders (Wisconsin) and Yamaha Precision Propeller Inc. (Indiana), and Skeeter Boats (Texas) with its division G3 Boats (Missouri).
Yamaha Motor Finance Corporation, U.S.A. (Yamaha Financial Services), an affiliate of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., offers financing solutions to support Yamaha Dealers and loyal Yamaha Customers nationwide. Yamaha Financial Services provides retail and commercial financing for the diverse line of Yamaha brand motor products based out of Cypress, CA and Marietta, GA.
Mathew Scholtz won MotoAmerica Supersport Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Riding his Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6, Scholtz came back from a poor start to win the first MotoAmerica Supersport race of his career by 0.269 second.
PJ Jacobsen was leading late in the race until Scholtz passed him with less than two laps to go. The New York native had to settle for the runner-up spot on his Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL Panigale V2.
Maxi Gerardo, the pole-sitter, led most of the race on his TopPro Racing Suzuki GSX-R750 but slipped back to third in the closing laps.
Tyler Scott was racing for a podium position until he ran off the track mid-race. Scott was able to recover and salvage a fourth-place finish on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750.
Blake Davis rounded out the top five finishers on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha.
Action Aplenty In MotoAmerica Support Class Racing At Barber
A Day Of First-Time Winners And Veteran Domination At Barber Motorsports Park
BIRMINGHAM, AL (May 18, 2024) – This is 15-year-old Logan Cunnison’s second year of racing in MotoAmerica, and May 18, 2024, is a date the Arizona-based Junior Cup rider won’t soon forgot. Not only did Cunnison earn his very first MotoAmerica pole position, but he also notched his first career podium and finished on the top step as the winner of Saturday’s Junior Cup race one in a dominant performance.
The rain stayed away on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park. Right up until the point when it didn’t. The rainstorm that was expected in the afternoon finally reared its ugly head prior to the start of the BellissiMoto Twins Cup race, but with a small delay the race started and was completed under cloudy but sunny skies. The Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race., however, was delayed until tomorrow morning with the BTR women set to race twice on Sunday.
Gabriel Da Silva (74) leads Hayden Gillim (1), Benjamin Smith (78), and Bryce Prince (17) battle for Stock 1000 glory. Gillim ended up taking the win. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Stock 1000 – Gillim Gets It Done
The Stock 1000 Championship finally got started with its opening round at Barber Motorsports Park and while many were thinking the race would be a thriller, it wasn’t part of Hayden Gillim’s plan.
Real Steel Motorsports Honda’s Gillim ran away and hid from the 36-rider field to win the opening round in the defense of his 2023 Stock 1000 Championship by some 11 seconds. The win was the 12th of Gillim’s Stock 1000 career, and it moved him into a tie with Andrew Lee and Corey Alexander as the winningest rider in the history of the class.
Gillim’s start wasn’t a good one and he had to fight his way to second place early before moving into the lead for good on the third lap after getting ahead of GMR/Jones Honda’s Gabriel Da Silva. Once in front, Gillim put his head down and left the others in his wake as he rode his Honda CBR1000RR-R SP to victory to give Honda its first win in the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 class.
Da Silva was a rather lonely runner-up, some four seconds ahead of BPR’s Bryce Prince with the Californian taking a weekend off work to try his hand at the Stock 1000 class. Bryce was in a battle with Benjamin Smith early on, but there was contact between the two with Smith coming out the worst of it as he crashed his FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.
Visit Indiana/Tom Wood Powersports’ Nolan Lamkin finished fourth on his BMW M 1000 RR with Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates fifth, giving Honda three CBRs in the top five.
Gillim leads the championship point standings by five over Da Silva and nine over Prince.
“I knew I could do the laps consistent just from all the practice sessions,” Gillim said. “We actually kind of had some miscues and didn’t get to put any new tires on the bike during the sessions. So really most of the sessions I was just doing race stints. So, I knew I could do the lap times. We had some stuff going on with the front end and made a couple clicker changes and it was pretty well fixed. I was super happy with that. I felt from the first lap of the race that I had a little bit extra from what I had in qualifying. It’s been a good weekend. The start wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. After Road Atlanta, I was getting some really good starts, and all my practice starts, testing and everything have been good. Then that light was a little long. If you go and watch the race, you see me about fall over to the right because I was sitting with my rear foot on the rear brake. As the lights hold, I started falling over and I had to end up taking that foot off right as the light went. It threw me a little bit, but it was a good race. These guys were putting up a good fight at the beginning. I had a couple runs on Gabriel (Da Silva) those first two laps. He was doing a good job of kind of blocking the real passing zones and made me work for it. It was a fun race. I was happy to get out front and get into a good pace and get the win. This is a new team. I’ve got the same crew guys from last year, but new bikes, new trailer, new title sponsors. So, it’s great to get the first win on the Honda. See how tomorrow goes. See how the rest of the season goes.”
Mathew Scholtz (11) beat PJ Jacobsen (15) to the finish line to win his first MotoAmerica Supersport race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Supersport – Scholtz Gets His First
Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen was content to sit on the rear of TopPro Racing’s Maxi Gerardo. Lap after lap after lap. But with four to go, the New Yorker took the lead, and it seemed like it would be smooth sailing to victory for the championship points leader.
Enter Mathew Scholtz and his Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.
After a horrible start from the inside of row one. Scholtz was able to make some moves to end the lap in a battle for fifth. On the ninth of 18 laps, Scholtz was free and started to move forward. On the 10th lap, he went past Blake Davis to take over fourth, but he didn’t stop there.
Meanwhile, up front, Jacobsen decided to go to the lead with four laps to go. Little did he know there was more racing in store for him as Scholtz was past Gerardo and into second. And the South African wasn’t content to finish there. On the last lap, Scholtz made his move and held it to the flag, winning his first MotoAmerica Supersport race by .269 of a second over Jacobsen with Gerardo just a tick over a second behind.
Scott rode the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki to fourth, some eight seconds behind Scholtz and just .5 of a second ahead of Davis and his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R6.
Equitea MV Agusta by MP13 Racing’s Roberto Tamburini was sixth, less than a second ahead of Wrench Motorcycles’ David Anthony. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa, Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis and Rahal Ducati Moto’s Corey Alexander rounded out the top 10 finishers.
After three races, Jacobson leads the championship by 16 points over Scholtz and 31 ahead of his teammate Alexander.
“When I was with (Stefano) Mesa, (Blake) Davis, a bunch of the guys, I was running like 27.3, 27.4,” Scholtz said. “I felt like I was pushing to my absolute max because I think that I was definitely flowing through a couple corners a little bit quicker, so I wasn’t able to kind of use those spots to pick up the lap time. So, once I kind of got some clear track, I started dropping time. I could see that I was catching them, but I thought that I was going to fall short. I think one lap they got screwed by the lappers into the second corner, which definitely helped me. Then I got up to third right onto Max’s (Gerardo) tail, and I just went for a crazy pass. I nearly crashed. Unfortunately, I think we touched. Then I managed to pass PJ (Jacobsen) on the second-to-last corner again, and then last lap I just put my absolute hardest lap down. I think I did a 26.8, which was one of the fastest laps for me. Overall, I’m just super happy to be sitting up top here.”
Logan Cunnison (58) won his first career MotoAmerica race when he topped the Junior Cup class on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Junior Cup – Cunnison’s First
Speed Demon Racing’s Logan Cunnison became the third first-time winner in the first three Junior Cup races of the season on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park as he topped championship points leader Yandel Medina by two seconds in the 11-lap race.
Medina came out on top of a five-rider pack contesting third, the New York Safety Track Racing-backed New Yorker beating Karns Performance’s Levi Badie by .251 of a second. Wolfe Racing’s Ryan Wolfe and BARTCON Racing’s Matthew Chapin rounded out the top five.
“Just excited,” 15-year-old Cunnison said after his first win. “It’s unbelievable. It’s just too exciting.”
The 2024 season marks Cunnison’s second go in the MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship.
The BellissiMoto Twins Cup race was held in the rain on Saturday afternoon at Barber. Alessandro Di Mario (27) led until crashing out and Avery Dreher (99) was there to score his first Twins Cup victory. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Dreher Reigns In The Rain
Floridian Avery Dreher is racing in two classes this season. He’s defending his 2023 Junior Cup Championship while also competing in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup Championship aboard a TopPro Racing Aprilia. Despite a thoroughly wet track from a cloudburst over Barber Motorsports, Dreher rode a masterful race in the tricky conditions and got his first victory in MotoAmerica’s two-cylinder, middleweight race class.
Second-place went to Cassidy Heiser, the Chiefs Racing Team Yamaha rider recording his first-ever podium finish in MotoAmerica competition. Completing the podium was Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle, whose third-place result was his third podium in the past three races.
Despite a ninth-place finish, Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Gus Rodio continues to lead the championship by 19 points over the tied duo of RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers, sixth today, and Doyle.
“I think this is for sure going to boost my confidence to try to get up there in the Twins Cup,” Dreher said. “With the unfortunate mechanical in the Junior Cup race earlier, that kind of bummed me out. But as soon as I saw the clouds start to roll in and the rain start to fall, I got a little bit excited because I’m a pretty good rain rider. I knew I just had to be smooth and finish the race on two wheels. It got a little sketchy out there towards the end. I was starting to hydroplane here and there, but I saw Alessandro go down. I knew he was pushing because I couldn’t hang with him. The rear was sliding all over the place, so I just took it easy and just tried to finish the race.”
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK: RACE 1
SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2024 | QUALIFYING 2 & RACE 1
Today’s Race 1 ran under beautiful sunny skies for 18 laps before the checkered flag was waved on Round 3 of competition. It was PJ Jacobsen who led the Rahal Ducati Moto pack, riding his XPEL Ducati to a podium finish with a second-place finish behind Mathew Scholtz who ultimately won the race after three different lead changes.
Tomorrow hosts another chance to earn hardware as the trio takes on Race 2 of the weekend. Round 4 will go green at 2:10 p.m. CT with coverage available at MotoAmericaLivePlus.com.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 4th
FINISHED: 2nd
CHAMPIONSHIP: 1st // 70 Pts. (no change)
NOTES: Credited with leading Laps 15 and 16 of the 18-lap race
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was really positive after I messed up on Friday and the team worked great to get the bike back to racing condition for Qualifying and Time Attack. I was fighting for the win with two laps to go, and [Mathew] Scholtz came past us. I wish that I was able to get past those [lapped] riders a bit quicker, just before he passed for the lead. We just rode the best that we could today, especially coming off of Friday with that really bad crash. I just can’t thank the team enough. The Rahal Ducati Moto team has been working so well, and everybody who’s on the team has been doing a great job.”
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 ROLLER DIE DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 12th
FINISHED: 10th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 3rd // 39 Pts. (-1)
NOTES: Ran as high as the eighth position battling for a top-five finish
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was a little bit of a tough day. We didn’t get the results we wanted in qualifying, and starting 12th definitely made it more difficult for us in the race. I felt like I got a good start with good pace for the first 10 or 12 laps, but we’re still missing something with the setup with the bike. We’re going to go back, do some homework on it, and see if we can make the necessary changes. We’ll continue making adjustments and see what happens tomorrow.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 10th
FINISHED: 11th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 13 // 12 Pts. (no change)
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Race 1 wasn’t my best showing. We made some changes to the bike that I felt like didn’t really work out for the race, but we can go over the data for an idea of where to improve for tomorrow. We’re going to keep growing. My initial launch was great but I ended up almost colliding with another rider so I had to check up, which resulted in some riders passing me. Aside from that, it wasn’t too bad of a day. We’re going to keep improving, get a better start tomorrow, and work our way through the field.”
BEN SPIES
TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a good day. PJ [Jacobsen] getting second place, especially after yesterday – it was a good rebound. Kayla [Yaakov] and Corey [Alexander] both had good races. We suffered a bit with Corey at the end of the race. He wasn’t liking how the front of the bike was feeling, which led to him moving backwards, but early on he looked really promising. We’re going to look at the data, try to make some changes, and keep that same pace he had for the whole race. Kayla rode really well also – we just have to make a couple little changes for her and try to get a better start so she can move up a few places tomorrow. All in all it was a good day, and we’ll continue our efforts tomorrow.”
Logan Cunnison won MotoAmerica Junior Cup Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Riding his Speed Demon Racing Kawasaki Ninja 400, Cunnison took the lead mid-race and was able to break away to win the race — the first of the 15-year-old’s career — by 2.028 seconds.
Yandel Medina, the winner of Junior Cup Race Two at Road Atlanta, was able to move up through the pack during the race and secure second place on his New York Safety Track Racing Kawasaki.
Medina led a tight pack across the finish line that included Karns Performance’s Levi Badie (third), Wolfe Racing’s Ryan Wolfe (fourth), BARTCON Racing’s Matthew Chapin (fifth), and Fernandez Racing’s Jayden Fernandez (sixth) with Medina and Fernandez separated by less than 0.5 second at the finish.
Hayden Gillim won MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Gillim, the defending Champion, didn’t get a good start from pole position and had to come from behind to take the lead, but once he was in first place, Gillim pulled away on his Real Steel Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP to win the 14-lap race by over 11 seconds.
Gabriel Da Silva led early, before being passed by Gillim, but the Floridian was able to hold on to finish second on his GMR/Jones Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
Former MotoAmerica regular Bryce Prince scored third place, about three second behind Da Silva, on his BPR Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.
Mikayla Moore continued her domination of the MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. field by taking pole position during Qualifying Two Saturday morning at Barber Motorsports Park. Riding her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 on Dunlop control tires, the defending class Champion turned a 1:45.622 to top the field of 12 riders.
Emma Betters was the best of the rest with a 1:49.739, and Camille Conrad claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:49.998.
Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia’s Alessandro Di Mario took pole position during MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup qualifying at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Di Mario’s best lap time, 1:28.269, was set during Friday’s Qualifying One session.
Di Mario’s teammate Gus Rodio was second-best with a 1:29.287, and Rocco Landers earned the third and final spot on the front row with a time of 1:29.423 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki GSX-8R.
Row-two qualifiers included Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Rossi Moor (1:30.300), Giaccmoto Yamaha’s Dominic Doyle (1:30.974), and TopPro Racing Aprilia rider Romeo Chiavini (1:32.190).
Ryde reigns in race one at Donington Park as Bridewell and Haslam return to the podium
Kyle Ryde claimed his first Bennetts British Superbike Championship race win of the season in the opening race of the weekend at Donington Park in a red-flagged race one as Tommy Bridewell and Leon Haslam completed the podium line-up.
The race was red flagged when Christian Iddon crashed heavily at the Old Hairpin on lap 15. The Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider was fully conscious after the crash and was taken to the medical centre with ankle pain. He had an x-ray at the Medical Centre with no apparent fractures and will be reviewed by the BSB Medical Team tomorrow morning before warm up.
At the start of the race, Ryan Vickers launched off the Omologato Pole Position to take the lead as the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing teammates held the leading two positions, however on lap two, Vickers crashed out of contention at the Melbourne Hairpin.
Ryde then held the advantage ahead of Haslam, Iddon, Danny Kent, Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell with Max Cook completing the leading group over the opening laps. The reigning champion was carving his way through the pack and after an intense battle with former teammate Irwin; he had Iddon in his sights as Kent held sixth.
Bridewell was then dicing with Iddon, moving into a podium position and had Haslam ahead of him as Ryde held onto the lead. The Honda Racing UK rider had his opportunity to make a move when Haslam ran wide at Goddards on lap 13 and he pounced to move into second place.
Iddon’s crash prompted a red flag and the result was declared, giving Ryde the victory by 0.559s from Bridewell with Haslam becoming the seventh podium finisher of the season as three manufacturers featured on the podium.
Kent claimed a strong fourth place, keeping him second in the standings and just nine points adrift of Irwin who maintained his championship lead with a fifth place finish.
Cook meanwhile celebrated his best result of the season with a sixth place as Lee Jackson split the Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki teammates with Jason O’Halloran fighting through from his fifth row start to finish in eighth place.
Charlie Nesbitt was also able to carve his way up the order to finish ninth for the MasterMac Honda team with Josh Brookes completing the top ten as Billy McConnell narrowly missed out in eleventh for the C&L Fairburn Properties/Look Forward Racing Honda team.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Donington Park, Race 1 result:
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing)
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) +0.559s
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) +1.060s
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) +1.312s
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +2.748s
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +3.078s
Lee Jackson (MasterMac Honda) +5.778s
Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +7.522s
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +10.124s
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) + 10.514s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) 85
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 76
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 73
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 68
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 67
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) 63
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) 56
Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) 52
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) 40
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) 35
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha
“I’m over the moon to win my first race of the season, obviously for that to be at Donington Park and my home round makes it even better! The bike wasn’t perfect but we can make it better tonight and hopefully the pace will be a few tenths faster for tomorrow.
“Starting from sixth tomorrow for the shorter race, I don’t know what to expect. The bike was good in Superpole, it’s not really going to be much for tyre life except going as fast as you can for 12 laps, so the trouble is people like Leon and Tommy can all do those lap times for 12 laps so it’s going to be a dogfight. Then we will see what happens in race three!”
The first race of the 2024 CSBK season didn't disappoint, with 14-time champion Jordan Szoke (101) getting a great launch from second on the grid to lead the opening laps of Saturday's 20-lap Superbike feature at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Young outlasts Guerin for historic Superbike win at Shannonville
Shannonville, ON – The 2024 Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship season kicked off in exciting fashion on Saturday, as defending champion Ben Young outdueled rivals Sam Guerin and Jordan Szoke for a sensational victory at Shannonville Motorsport Park, presented by the Fallen Rider Support Team sponsored by Pace Law.
Young began the day with a stellar victory in the Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike class, returning to his familiar ranks in the GP Bikes Pro Superbike category with a chance to become the first double-winner in the same season since Jodi Christie in 2014.
Instead, Young’s title defence got off to a brutal start, as Szoke grabbed the holeshot with Guerin promptly moving into second. Things would get even worse for Young before they got better, as Trevor Dion shunted the three-time Canada Cup champion into fourth on lap two while Szoke and Guerin escaped out front.
The lead duo would begin to stretch out their advantage before Guerin moved into the lead on lap three, seizing the front in turn eight as he continued his quest for a maiden pro national victory.
Young’s comeback would then begin on lap four, moving back past Dion and on the hunt for Szoke, who in return had continued to battle with Guerin. That would set up a hectic three-way fight for the lead on lap six, which waged on for two laps before Young moved through his long-time rival Szoke on lap eight.
Defending CSBK champ and polesitter Ben Young (1) faded back to fourth early in Saturday’s Superbike Race One of the weekend, but worked his way back to the front to go on to win over Sam Guerin (2) and Szoke at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.
That would set up the final, decisive battle between Guerin and Young for the middle portion of the race, but Guerin’s impressive defensive effort ultimately caved on lap 13 as Young snatched the lead for the first time and squeezed out a slight advantage, holding firm the rest of the way for the season-opening victory.
The comeback was not one many were expecting after Young’s dominant pace on Friday, but the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider chalked it up to a bit of rider error thanks to his double-duty earlier in the Sport Bike class.
“The BMW was phenomenal as always today, but the first couple laps felt a bit strange until I realized it was just the difference between the two bikes, which is completely a mistake of my own,” Young admitted. “It was really cool to battle with Jordan again – a bit of a flashback to some of our races in 2019 – and Sam made it really hard on us in the end, but to lead both championships even for a day feels pretty awesome.”
The result proved to be a historic one for Young in more ways than one, as he also moved out of a tie with Pascal Picotte and into sole possession of third all-time with his 17th career Superbike victory.
“I knew we were tied coming in, but to pass a legend like that is pretty cool,” Young said, though he remains a far way off Szoke’s record of 78 career wins. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not ever passing Jordan’s record! That one’s safe, but we’ll keep this going as long as we can.”
As for Guerin, it’s yet another runner-up finish for the EFC Group BMW rider as he chases win number one, but a result that will likely turn some heads after making things very difficult on his BMW counterpart.
“It took us a couple laps to get going, but I saw these two were still figuring some things out, so I thought ‘okay, let’s go for it,’” Guerin said. “I held on past the mid-race point which is a huge step, but Ben had the better pace at the end so I decided to keep things on-track and be fine with second today.”
The season opener was also a welcome return for Szoke to the front, after he grabbed the holeshot and paced the Superbike field in the early going. The Canadian Kawasaki Motors rider is still recovering from his serious injuries in 2022, but Saturday’s effort was proof that a return to full fitness could be a problem for the BMW rivals in front of him.
“I was hoping to hang on a little longer, but once Sam got by me and Ben had caught up it was only a matter of time. I’m still getting my strength back, but I feel better and better every day,” said the 14-time champion. “We’re still settling in here, so to bring it home for the team and for Kawasaki is huge.”
As for Dion, it was a tale of two halves in a race where he briefly battled with Young at the front, only to then slip back to a distant fourth at the finish. The Economy Lube Ducati rider is still gaining familiarity with his new machine after the late switch in 2023, but will hope to replicate more of his early-race pace on Sunday and close the gap to the lead trio.
Rounding out the top-five on Sunday was Superbike debutant David MacKay, who made major progress on his Snow City Cycle Honda. The reigning Sport Bike champion flashed his best pace of the weekend and began to reel in Dion in the late stages, something he will hope to carry into race two on Sunday.
Sebastien Tremblay would make a late charge of his own to climb to sixth, a strong result for the Turcotte Performance Suzuki rider as he marked five different manufacturers inside the top-six spots on Saturday.
Full results from the day’s action, including the schedule for Sunday’s racing, can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
Avery Dreher won MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Shortly after the end of Superbike Race One, the skies opened up with a heavy rain shower that forced all activity to be placed on pause.
After the heaviest of the rain passed, the Twins Cup field was given a short session to familiarize themselves with the wet conditions because all track time to that point had been dry.
When the race started, pole-sitter Alessandro Di Mario jetted out into the lead and threatened to run away, but class rookie Avery Dreher passed several riders on the opening lap, including Di Mario, and took the lead.
Dreher then threatened to run away with the race, but Di Mario tracked him down, passed him, and then crashed out.
Dreher rode on to win the seven-lap race — the first of his Twins Cup career — by 2.705 seconds on his TopPro Racing Aprilia RS 660.
Part-time Pro racer Cassidy Heiser missed the wet warm-up session, but that didn’t stop the U.S. Air Force veteran from riding his Chiefs Racing Yamaha YZF-R7 to second place.
Dominic Doyle said he took a conservative approach to race, focused on keeping his Giaccmoto Yamaha on two wheels, and came home third.
Jack Roach got fourth on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha, and Rossi Moor rounded out the top five finishers on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-8R.
American Julian Correa finished second in British Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Donington Park. Photo by Camipix, courtesy Michael Correa.
American Julian Correa, age 15, took second place in British Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Donington Park, in England. Riding his Microlise Cresswell Racing Honda, Correa finished just 0.081 second behind race winner Amanuel Brinton and his Kovara Projects/RS Racing Honda.
Lucas Brown finished third on a SENCAT Talent Team/Mortimer Racing Honda.
American Josh Raymond Jr. finished 14th on his Fibre Tec Honda, and his American teammate Eli Banish got 20th.
Cameron Petersen won MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Petersen put his Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1 into the lead on lap three and rode flawlessly all the way to the checkered flag, earning the fourth Superbike victory of his career.
Petersen’s teammate Jake Gagne, the three-time and defending Champion, pressured the race leader all the way to the end but had to settle for the runner-up spot, 0.439 second back.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin came out on top of a three-way battle for third to claim his first podium finish of 2024.
Sean Dylan Kelly was third at the start of the final lap, but Herrin was able to get past the Superbike rookie, who held on to finish fourth on his TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz crossed the stripe right behind Kelly in fifth in his first race back since breaking his ankle at Road Atlanta three weeks ago.
Xavi Fores came home sixth in his first race filling in for injured Richie Escalante on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R.
Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s JD Beach slipped backward to seventh at the end of the race.
Real Steel Motorsports Honda’s Hayden Gillim (eighth), Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha’s Bobby Fong (ninth), and Fores’ teammate Brandon Paasch (10th) rounded out the top 10 finishers.
Pole-sitter Cameron Beaubier was leading the race by 1.5 seconds and pulling away on lap three when he crashed his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW. Beaubier walked away from the crash but could not continue on his damaged motorcycle.
The MotoAmerica Superbike class will race twice on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park.
Petersen Withstands The Pressure To Take Superbike Victory At Barber
Cameron Petersen Tops His Teammate Jake Gagne In Steel Commander Superbike Action From Barber Motorsports Park
Cameron Petersen (45) crosses the finish line ahead of his teammate Jake Gagne (1). Gagne now has a 20-point lead in the championship. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BIRMINGHAM, AL (May 18, 2024) – Leading 17 laps of a MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike race is tough enough. Leading 17 laps with three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne breathing down your neck is flat out daunting. But Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen was able to focus on what was ahead and not what was behind to win Saturday’s first of three Superbike races at Barber Motorsports Park.
And in doing so, the South African never put a wheel wrong to top his teammate Gagne by .438 of a second after 20 laps. Since 20 minus 17 is three, who led those opening three laps? That would be Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier on his BMW M 1000 RR, but it didn’t last. Just when it was starting to look like the five-time series champion was going to romp away to victory, it all went horribly wrong on the fourth lap when Beaubier crashed out of the lead.
That left Petersen vs. Gagne with Petersen leading and Gagne giving chase, piling on the pressure to see if Petersen would falter. He didn’t. Instead, he was mostly perfect in earning his fourth MotoAmerica Superbike victory with three of those coming at Barber Motorsports Park.
Gagne ended up second, happy for his teammate while also knowing that he’d extended his championship points lead to 20 points over his title rival Beaubier, 65-45, after the first three races of the season.
Both Petersen and Gagne acknowledged that things would have been different if Beaubier hadn’t crashed.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin came out on top of a three-rider scrap for the final podium spot. After moving past his teammate Loris Baz, Herrin disposed of impressive rookie Sean Dylan Kelly on the final lap to finish third.
TopPro Racing’s Kelly ended up .476-of-a-second behind Herrin and .502-of-a-second ahead of Baz. It was Kelly’s third top-five finish to start his rookie season of Superbike racing.
Spaniard Xavi Forés was sixth in his debut on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, riding in place of the injured Richie Escalante. Forés was well back from Baz and .8 seconds ahead of seventh-placed JD Beach and his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim was eighth with Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch rounding out the top 10 finishers.
With three races in the books, Gagne leads Beaubier in the title chase, 65-45, with Petersen jumping up to third in the standings with 42 points. Kelly is fourth with 37 points, three clear of fifth-placed Herrin.
Sunday will be a busy day for the Steel Commander Superbike men with two races on the schedule.
Quotes
Cameron Petersen – Winner
“It feels good. I think this is three wins at this track. Got one in the dry, but honestly it feels so good. I know a lot of people know what I’ve gone through in the off-season and after the surgery. It’s been a tough off-season. The wrist is starting to feel really good on the bike. It just feels so good to get this monkey off my back. It’s been a questioning game, wondering if I did the right thing with the surgery. But it’s starting to pay off. Like Jake said, we had a really tough Friday. We were all kind of scratching our heads, and the boys did an incredible job. We definitely took a step forward today. We had a good race bike. We kind of got gifted that one a little bit. Cam had some incredible pace in the beginning there. He was starting to check out. For the rest of the race, I just tried to hit my marks. I knew if I do that and I was good on the brakes and didn’t make any mistakes, I kind of knew that I would have a good opportunity at it. So, just put my head down and did everything I could. With about five laps to go, I was just like, nobody is taking this thing from me. We’re too close to the end. I’ve led this whole thing. I just wanted it super bad. Congrats to the guys up here next to me. It’s always fun racing against them. Look forward to two races tomorrow.”
Jake Gagne – Second Place
“It was awesome. Cam (Petersen) rode a great race. He didn’t put a wheel wrong. I was sitting there kind of waiting for a mistake. He was good on the brakes everywhere, so there was not a whole lot I could do unless I really tried to stuff it in there. I was going to see if I could try to make a move somewhere on those last couple laps. Then it started sprinkling, so in the back it was getting dark. I just figured there was nothing I could do unless he made a mistake, and he didn’t. He wanted that one. Congrats to Cam. He earned it. Congrats to the team, to go one-two after our pretty rough day yesterday, actually. So, it was good to see the consistency there. Fun race, riding around with Cam. Obviously, my teammate and one of my great friends. So, congrats to him. But we got some work to do. See if we can improve some things tomorrow. (Cameron) Beaubier was unreal those first couple laps. I didn’t see what happened, but I hope he’s okay. Everybody is going to be going faster tomorrow, so we got to do our job.”
Josh Herrin – Third Place
“We kind of just went back to what we had on Friday and tried something small from that. We’ve been here three times now on this bike. We came here for the race last year, a track day earlier in the year, and then now. I’m just stuck at the time that I’m at. I just can’t do anything better. Having Baz here, it helped because for me, mentally knowing that it wasn’t just me, this is just a difficult track for us. The bike feels great, but I just can’t go any faster on it. It’s weird because I feel like I’m going really good, but then those guys are going quicker. So, I’ve just got to keep plugging away here and keep trying to get better, but just know that there’s better days ahead. We got Road America coming up next. It’s a hard pill to swallow, knowing that this is a three-race round. But the most important thing to me, as much as I love the guy, is to beat Baz. So, it was good motivation. I had a good battle with Sean at the end. It was just a really fun race. Huge thanks to my team for just the nonstop effort, trying to get it better. I don’t know if it’s something that we need to improve on the bike or if it’s just me not being comfortable. Historically, this is a good track for me, so it’s hard to understand. But, if you would have asked me yesterday or this morning, if I’d be happy with third, I’d be stoked. Especially after Atlanta. We had arguably the best race of my career, but it just didn’t look like it on paper. But catching those guys as much as I did and feeling as good as I did on the bike, I got a really good on my head shoulders mentally going into the next couple rounds. I’m happy, and just hoping that tomorrow is better or maybe it rains and then maybe it helps us out. I don’t know.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.:
Petersen Scores Emotional MotoAmerica Superbike Victory at Barber
Cameron Petersen (45) and Jake Gagne (1). Photo courtesy Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen returns to the top, while Jake Gagne claims MotoAmerica Superbike Championship lead with a runner-up finish in Race 1 at Barber Motorsports Park
MARIETTA, Ga. – May 19, 2024 – After a tough off-season making a comeback from injury, Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen celebrated victory yesterday and led a stellar 1-2 finish for the team at Round 2 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Barber Motorsports Park. His teammate Jake Gagne secured second to make championship gains with a 20-point lead after Race 1 of the weekend’s Superbike tripleheader at the 2.38-mile circuit in Leeds, Alabama.
After a tough first day of qualifying, both of the team’s riders had a much better day two, with Petersen improving to fourth in the combined times. From there he got a great start in third behind his teammate and quickly made the pass to the runner-up spot. The South African rode his own race and advanced to the lead after the frontrunner crashed in the opening laps. He continued to hit his marks, kept cool under pressure with Gagne on his heels, and rode his Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing R1 to victory. After an uncertain return with a wrist injury, it was a great comeback and emotional victory for Petersen, which also marked his fourth-career Superbike win and third at Barber Motorsports Park.
Gagne qualified third and got a great start from the front row in second, and was passed by his teammate shortly after. The defending three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion rode a calculated race in third and advanced to the runner-up spot after his title rival crashed on Lap 3. He closed the gap on his teammate a couple of laps before the halfway mark and kept the pressure on. In the final laps, the weather loomed closer and light rain started to fall on parts of the track. Gagne rode on to cross the line second, keeping his podium streak rolling and claiming a 20-point lead in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team looks forward to an action-packed Sunday with Race 2 and 3 of the MotoAmerica Superbike tripleheader today at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“We came from Atlanta with a particular setup that we have been working on all winter, and it didn’t work here. So the guys were struggling on the first day, but we kept working all the way up to the race, and it showed. (Cameron) Beaubier gave us a little something, but that’s racing. If you pressure the guy in front of you, sometimes mistakes happen. We’re happy with the 1-2 finish and looking to do it again tomorrow.”
Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“This one feels good. It’s been a tough off-season coming back from the surgery I had. I didn’t know if I was going to race a motorcycle again and was questioning whether I did the right thing with the surgery, but it’s paid off. It feels good to get this monkey off my back and get the win. I’m stoked for the team to get that 1-2 after a difficult Friday. We were all kind of scratching our heads, but the guys did a great job, and we definitely took a step forward today. We had some incredible race bikes. I just tried to hit my marks and not make any mistakes. With about five laps to go, I wasn’t letting anyone take it from me. I just wanted to win this thing.”
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #1
“It was a good day for the team. Congrats to Cam. It was great to see him win one. He rode a great race, didn’t put a wheel wrong, and it would have been tough to get by him. Yesterday was kind of a rough day for us both. The team did a great job making improvements to the setup, and we both felt a little better today. With (Cameron) Beaubier going down, the smart thing to do was to bring it home on the podium. We’re going to be even more confident tomorrow and look to step it up.”
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 (SMT) 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 and Alabama. YMUS subsidiaries YMMC, based in Georgia, and YJBM based in Tennessee, each assemble and manufacture selected Yamaha brand products. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company, Inc. (YMSC) with subsidiary Siren Marine and divisions Bennett Marine (Florida), Yamaha Marine Rotational Molders (Wisconsin) and Yamaha Precision Propeller Inc. (Indiana), and Skeeter Boats (Texas) with its division G3 Boats (Missouri).
Yamaha Motor Finance Corporation, U.S.A. (Yamaha Financial Services), an affiliate of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., offers financing solutions to support Yamaha Dealers and loyal Yamaha Customers nationwide. Yamaha Financial Services provides retail and commercial financing for the diverse line of Yamaha brand motor products based out of Cypress, CA and Marietta, GA.
Mathew Scholtz won MotoAmerica Supersport Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Riding his Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6, Scholtz came back from a poor start to win the first MotoAmerica Supersport race of his career by 0.269 second.
PJ Jacobsen was leading late in the race until Scholtz passed him with less than two laps to go. The New York native had to settle for the runner-up spot on his Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL Panigale V2.
Maxi Gerardo, the pole-sitter, led most of the race on his TopPro Racing Suzuki GSX-R750 but slipped back to third in the closing laps.
Tyler Scott was racing for a podium position until he ran off the track mid-race. Scott was able to recover and salvage a fourth-place finish on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750.
Blake Davis rounded out the top five finishers on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha.
Action Aplenty In MotoAmerica Support Class Racing At Barber
A Day Of First-Time Winners And Veteran Domination At Barber Motorsports Park
BIRMINGHAM, AL (May 18, 2024) – This is 15-year-old Logan Cunnison’s second year of racing in MotoAmerica, and May 18, 2024, is a date the Arizona-based Junior Cup rider won’t soon forgot. Not only did Cunnison earn his very first MotoAmerica pole position, but he also notched his first career podium and finished on the top step as the winner of Saturday’s Junior Cup race one in a dominant performance.
The rain stayed away on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park. Right up until the point when it didn’t. The rainstorm that was expected in the afternoon finally reared its ugly head prior to the start of the BellissiMoto Twins Cup race, but with a small delay the race started and was completed under cloudy but sunny skies. The Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race., however, was delayed until tomorrow morning with the BTR women set to race twice on Sunday.
Gabriel Da Silva (74) leads Hayden Gillim (1), Benjamin Smith (78), and Bryce Prince (17) battle for Stock 1000 glory. Gillim ended up taking the win. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Stock 1000 – Gillim Gets It Done
The Stock 1000 Championship finally got started with its opening round at Barber Motorsports Park and while many were thinking the race would be a thriller, it wasn’t part of Hayden Gillim’s plan.
Real Steel Motorsports Honda’s Gillim ran away and hid from the 36-rider field to win the opening round in the defense of his 2023 Stock 1000 Championship by some 11 seconds. The win was the 12th of Gillim’s Stock 1000 career, and it moved him into a tie with Andrew Lee and Corey Alexander as the winningest rider in the history of the class.
Gillim’s start wasn’t a good one and he had to fight his way to second place early before moving into the lead for good on the third lap after getting ahead of GMR/Jones Honda’s Gabriel Da Silva. Once in front, Gillim put his head down and left the others in his wake as he rode his Honda CBR1000RR-R SP to victory to give Honda its first win in the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 class.
Da Silva was a rather lonely runner-up, some four seconds ahead of BPR’s Bryce Prince with the Californian taking a weekend off work to try his hand at the Stock 1000 class. Bryce was in a battle with Benjamin Smith early on, but there was contact between the two with Smith coming out the worst of it as he crashed his FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.
Visit Indiana/Tom Wood Powersports’ Nolan Lamkin finished fourth on his BMW M 1000 RR with Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates fifth, giving Honda three CBRs in the top five.
Gillim leads the championship point standings by five over Da Silva and nine over Prince.
“I knew I could do the laps consistent just from all the practice sessions,” Gillim said. “We actually kind of had some miscues and didn’t get to put any new tires on the bike during the sessions. So really most of the sessions I was just doing race stints. So, I knew I could do the lap times. We had some stuff going on with the front end and made a couple clicker changes and it was pretty well fixed. I was super happy with that. I felt from the first lap of the race that I had a little bit extra from what I had in qualifying. It’s been a good weekend. The start wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. After Road Atlanta, I was getting some really good starts, and all my practice starts, testing and everything have been good. Then that light was a little long. If you go and watch the race, you see me about fall over to the right because I was sitting with my rear foot on the rear brake. As the lights hold, I started falling over and I had to end up taking that foot off right as the light went. It threw me a little bit, but it was a good race. These guys were putting up a good fight at the beginning. I had a couple runs on Gabriel (Da Silva) those first two laps. He was doing a good job of kind of blocking the real passing zones and made me work for it. It was a fun race. I was happy to get out front and get into a good pace and get the win. This is a new team. I’ve got the same crew guys from last year, but new bikes, new trailer, new title sponsors. So, it’s great to get the first win on the Honda. See how tomorrow goes. See how the rest of the season goes.”
Mathew Scholtz (11) beat PJ Jacobsen (15) to the finish line to win his first MotoAmerica Supersport race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Supersport – Scholtz Gets His First
Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen was content to sit on the rear of TopPro Racing’s Maxi Gerardo. Lap after lap after lap. But with four to go, the New Yorker took the lead, and it seemed like it would be smooth sailing to victory for the championship points leader.
Enter Mathew Scholtz and his Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.
After a horrible start from the inside of row one. Scholtz was able to make some moves to end the lap in a battle for fifth. On the ninth of 18 laps, Scholtz was free and started to move forward. On the 10th lap, he went past Blake Davis to take over fourth, but he didn’t stop there.
Meanwhile, up front, Jacobsen decided to go to the lead with four laps to go. Little did he know there was more racing in store for him as Scholtz was past Gerardo and into second. And the South African wasn’t content to finish there. On the last lap, Scholtz made his move and held it to the flag, winning his first MotoAmerica Supersport race by .269 of a second over Jacobsen with Gerardo just a tick over a second behind.
Scott rode the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki to fourth, some eight seconds behind Scholtz and just .5 of a second ahead of Davis and his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R6.
Equitea MV Agusta by MP13 Racing’s Roberto Tamburini was sixth, less than a second ahead of Wrench Motorcycles’ David Anthony. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa, Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis and Rahal Ducati Moto’s Corey Alexander rounded out the top 10 finishers.
After three races, Jacobson leads the championship by 16 points over Scholtz and 31 ahead of his teammate Alexander.
“When I was with (Stefano) Mesa, (Blake) Davis, a bunch of the guys, I was running like 27.3, 27.4,” Scholtz said. “I felt like I was pushing to my absolute max because I think that I was definitely flowing through a couple corners a little bit quicker, so I wasn’t able to kind of use those spots to pick up the lap time. So, once I kind of got some clear track, I started dropping time. I could see that I was catching them, but I thought that I was going to fall short. I think one lap they got screwed by the lappers into the second corner, which definitely helped me. Then I got up to third right onto Max’s (Gerardo) tail, and I just went for a crazy pass. I nearly crashed. Unfortunately, I think we touched. Then I managed to pass PJ (Jacobsen) on the second-to-last corner again, and then last lap I just put my absolute hardest lap down. I think I did a 26.8, which was one of the fastest laps for me. Overall, I’m just super happy to be sitting up top here.”
Logan Cunnison (58) won his first career MotoAmerica race when he topped the Junior Cup class on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Junior Cup – Cunnison’s First
Speed Demon Racing’s Logan Cunnison became the third first-time winner in the first three Junior Cup races of the season on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park as he topped championship points leader Yandel Medina by two seconds in the 11-lap race.
Medina came out on top of a five-rider pack contesting third, the New York Safety Track Racing-backed New Yorker beating Karns Performance’s Levi Badie by .251 of a second. Wolfe Racing’s Ryan Wolfe and BARTCON Racing’s Matthew Chapin rounded out the top five.
“Just excited,” 15-year-old Cunnison said after his first win. “It’s unbelievable. It’s just too exciting.”
The 2024 season marks Cunnison’s second go in the MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship.
The BellissiMoto Twins Cup race was held in the rain on Saturday afternoon at Barber. Alessandro Di Mario (27) led until crashing out and Avery Dreher (99) was there to score his first Twins Cup victory. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Dreher Reigns In The Rain
Floridian Avery Dreher is racing in two classes this season. He’s defending his 2023 Junior Cup Championship while also competing in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup Championship aboard a TopPro Racing Aprilia. Despite a thoroughly wet track from a cloudburst over Barber Motorsports, Dreher rode a masterful race in the tricky conditions and got his first victory in MotoAmerica’s two-cylinder, middleweight race class.
Second-place went to Cassidy Heiser, the Chiefs Racing Team Yamaha rider recording his first-ever podium finish in MotoAmerica competition. Completing the podium was Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle, whose third-place result was his third podium in the past three races.
Despite a ninth-place finish, Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Gus Rodio continues to lead the championship by 19 points over the tied duo of RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers, sixth today, and Doyle.
“I think this is for sure going to boost my confidence to try to get up there in the Twins Cup,” Dreher said. “With the unfortunate mechanical in the Junior Cup race earlier, that kind of bummed me out. But as soon as I saw the clouds start to roll in and the rain start to fall, I got a little bit excited because I’m a pretty good rain rider. I knew I just had to be smooth and finish the race on two wheels. It got a little sketchy out there towards the end. I was starting to hydroplane here and there, but I saw Alessandro go down. I knew he was pushing because I couldn’t hang with him. The rear was sliding all over the place, so I just took it easy and just tried to finish the race.”
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK: RACE 1
SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2024 | QUALIFYING 2 & RACE 1
Today’s Race 1 ran under beautiful sunny skies for 18 laps before the checkered flag was waved on Round 3 of competition. It was PJ Jacobsen who led the Rahal Ducati Moto pack, riding his XPEL Ducati to a podium finish with a second-place finish behind Mathew Scholtz who ultimately won the race after three different lead changes.
Tomorrow hosts another chance to earn hardware as the trio takes on Race 2 of the weekend. Round 4 will go green at 2:10 p.m. CT with coverage available at MotoAmericaLivePlus.com.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 4th
FINISHED: 2nd
CHAMPIONSHIP: 1st // 70 Pts. (no change)
NOTES: Credited with leading Laps 15 and 16 of the 18-lap race
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was really positive after I messed up on Friday and the team worked great to get the bike back to racing condition for Qualifying and Time Attack. I was fighting for the win with two laps to go, and [Mathew] Scholtz came past us. I wish that I was able to get past those [lapped] riders a bit quicker, just before he passed for the lead. We just rode the best that we could today, especially coming off of Friday with that really bad crash. I just can’t thank the team enough. The Rahal Ducati Moto team has been working so well, and everybody who’s on the team has been doing a great job.”
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 ROLLER DIE DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 12th
FINISHED: 10th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 3rd // 39 Pts. (-1)
NOTES: Ran as high as the eighth position battling for a top-five finish
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was a little bit of a tough day. We didn’t get the results we wanted in qualifying, and starting 12th definitely made it more difficult for us in the race. I felt like I got a good start with good pace for the first 10 or 12 laps, but we’re still missing something with the setup with the bike. We’re going to go back, do some homework on it, and see if we can make the necessary changes. We’ll continue making adjustments and see what happens tomorrow.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 10th
FINISHED: 11th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 13 // 12 Pts. (no change)
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Race 1 wasn’t my best showing. We made some changes to the bike that I felt like didn’t really work out for the race, but we can go over the data for an idea of where to improve for tomorrow. We’re going to keep growing. My initial launch was great but I ended up almost colliding with another rider so I had to check up, which resulted in some riders passing me. Aside from that, it wasn’t too bad of a day. We’re going to keep improving, get a better start tomorrow, and work our way through the field.”
BEN SPIES
TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a good day. PJ [Jacobsen] getting second place, especially after yesterday – it was a good rebound. Kayla [Yaakov] and Corey [Alexander] both had good races. We suffered a bit with Corey at the end of the race. He wasn’t liking how the front of the bike was feeling, which led to him moving backwards, but early on he looked really promising. We’re going to look at the data, try to make some changes, and keep that same pace he had for the whole race. Kayla rode really well also – we just have to make a couple little changes for her and try to get a better start so she can move up a few places tomorrow. All in all it was a good day, and we’ll continue our efforts tomorrow.”
Logan Cunnison won MotoAmerica Junior Cup Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Riding his Speed Demon Racing Kawasaki Ninja 400, Cunnison took the lead mid-race and was able to break away to win the race — the first of the 15-year-old’s career — by 2.028 seconds.
Yandel Medina, the winner of Junior Cup Race Two at Road Atlanta, was able to move up through the pack during the race and secure second place on his New York Safety Track Racing Kawasaki.
Medina led a tight pack across the finish line that included Karns Performance’s Levi Badie (third), Wolfe Racing’s Ryan Wolfe (fourth), BARTCON Racing’s Matthew Chapin (fifth), and Fernandez Racing’s Jayden Fernandez (sixth) with Medina and Fernandez separated by less than 0.5 second at the finish.
Hayden Gillim won MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Gillim, the defending Champion, didn’t get a good start from pole position and had to come from behind to take the lead, but once he was in first place, Gillim pulled away on his Real Steel Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP to win the 14-lap race by over 11 seconds.
Gabriel Da Silva led early, before being passed by Gillim, but the Floridian was able to hold on to finish second on his GMR/Jones Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
Former MotoAmerica regular Bryce Prince scored third place, about three second behind Da Silva, on his BPR Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.
Mikayla Moore continued her domination of the MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. field by taking pole position during Qualifying Two Saturday morning at Barber Motorsports Park. Riding her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 on Dunlop control tires, the defending class Champion turned a 1:45.622 to top the field of 12 riders.
Emma Betters was the best of the rest with a 1:49.739, and Camille Conrad claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:49.998.
Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia’s Alessandro Di Mario took pole position during MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup qualifying at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Di Mario’s best lap time, 1:28.269, was set during Friday’s Qualifying One session.
Di Mario’s teammate Gus Rodio was second-best with a 1:29.287, and Rocco Landers earned the third and final spot on the front row with a time of 1:29.423 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki GSX-8R.
Row-two qualifiers included Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Rossi Moor (1:30.300), Giaccmoto Yamaha’s Dominic Doyle (1:30.974), and TopPro Racing Aprilia rider Romeo Chiavini (1:32.190).
A “press release” is promotional text issued by a rider, team, company or organization to inform
the public about an event, product, or service from the issuer’s own point of view, and if deemed
to have news value, may be placed on roadracingworld.com as a service to our readers.
A press release is not an article written by Roadracingworld.com staffers. When a post is labeled with the words “press release”, it means that Roadracingworld.com is not responsible for its content and that Roadracingworld.com makes no guarantee that it is accurate. Not all press releases are posted and Roadracingworld.com may reject press releases if the content is too heavy on commercial promotion with little or no news value or if the press release contains obvious errors.
Accessibility
Accessibility modes
Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode 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
Improves website's visuals
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
Helps to focus on specific content
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
Reduces distractions and improve focus
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
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
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.
Online Dictionary
Readable Experience
Content Scaling
Default
Text Magnifier
Readable Font
Dyslexia Friendly
Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Font Sizing
Default
Line Height
Default
Letter Spacing
Default
Left Aligned
Center Aligned
Right Aligned
Visually Pleasing Experience
Dark Contrast
Light Contrast
Monochrome
High Contrast
High Saturation
Low Saturation
Adjust Text Colors
Adjust Title Colors
Adjust Background Colors
Easy Orientation
Mute Sounds
Hide Images
Hide Emoji
Reading Guide
Stop Animations
Reading Mask
Highlight Hover
Highlight Focus
Big Dark Cursor
Big Light Cursor
Cognitive Reading
Virtual Keyboard
Navigation Keys
Voice Navigation
Accessibility Statement
www.roadracingworld.com
August 8, 2025
Compliance status
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience,
regardless of circumstance and ability.
To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level.
These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible
to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific
disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML,
adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
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
