The United States Classic Racing Association (USCRA) kicks off the 2024 road racing season with its first visit to the historic Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP) for the 2024 United States Vintage Grand Prix on May 20th & 21st
Thompson, Connecticut, April 2024 – The United States Classic Racing Association (USCRA), the oldest vintage motorcycle road racing organization in the U.S., is excited to kick off the 2024 road racing season at the famed 1.7-mile Thompson Speedway road course.
Bringing motorcycle racing back to the legendary course after 47 years, this event promises the very best in vintage and modern motorcycle and sidecar racing.
Spectators are welcome and admission for the two-day event is $20. For more information on the event visit www.race-uscra.com.
About the United States Classic Racing Association (USCRA) www.race-uscra.com
The USCRA is the oldest vintage motorcycle road racing organization in the United States and includes over 400 active members. The club promotes four general types of events: Road racing on both proprietary built road race circuits and real roads courses (Gunstock® and the Streets of Laconia®), as well as Observed Trials, Motogiro USA® and Pewter Run® touring events held on open public roads.
Originally opened in 1938, the “Indianapolis of the North”, Thompson Speedway was the first asphalt-paved racing oval track in the United States. In 2013 the track was reconstructed and is now under the American-Canadian Tour and Pro All Star Series (ACT/PASS) banners. Each year, Thompson hosts “The Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing”, highlighted by the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Additionally, the circuit hosts NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, as well as various SCCAsports car races.
Roadracing World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed America had no new, up-and-coming young racers. This edition of the Roadracing World Young Gun Awards marks the 28th consecutive year of showcasing an abundance of new talent.
Roadracing World Young Guns have won:
FIM MotoGP and FIM Superbike races and World Championships;
MotoAmerica and AMA Pro races and Championships, including 13 AMA Pro Superbike Championships;
A KTM RC Cup World Final race;
WERA National Endurance Championships and WERA National Challenge Championships;
ASRA/Formula USA Grand National and CCS National Championships;
AMA Road Racing Grand Championships and Horizon Awards;
USGPRU National Championships;
Many regional and local titles.
The competition has continually become more intense as more – and younger—racers with higher levels of accomplishment are nominated, and the level of achievement required to make the grade keeps getting tougher.
We’ve spent the last several months accepting nominations and evaluating road racers between the ages of 10 and 18 (as of the start of the 2024 season) who have, at a minimum, won Expert-level road races and/or Championships or had outstanding results as an Amateur/Novice. Most of the riders included here have done far more than the minimum.
The young riders recognized here are the most promising young road racers in North America. All have earned the title of Roadracing World Young Gun.
We will feature one Young Gun per day, presenting them in alphabetical order.
First road race: 2016, Road Atlanta, Georgia, WERA, Formula Three, 1st place.
Current racebike: Suzuki GSX-R750.
Current tuners/mechanics: Barry McMahan, Dustin Cyr.
Primary race series: MotoAmerica Supersport.
Top sponsors: Vision Wheel, M4 Performance Exhausts, ECSTAR, Suzuki, Mission Foods, Arai, RST, R&G, Shorai, Hotbodies Racing, Vortex, EK Chains, TechSpec, Cordona, SportbikeTrackGear.com, HEL, 1-833-CJ-KNOWS Accident and Injury Law, Roadracingworld.com, Team Hammer, Alpinestars, Roof Systems, Evolve GT.
Recent racing accomplishments: 2023 season, placed 2nd in MotoAmerica Supersport Championship (4 wins, 11 total podium finishes), won the 100th Loudon Classic earning the largest cash prize ever in U.S. motorcycle road racing history $55,000; 2022 season, finished 3rd in MotoAmerica Supersport Championship (1 win, 9 total podiums); 2021 season, won MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (11 wins and 15 total podiums in 18 races); 2020 season, raced in FIM CEV European Talent Cup (Best race finish was 16th at Valencia), win 2 CCS Atlantic Regional Championships (Thunderbike, Lightweight Superbike), won 26 CCS races; 2019 season, finished 23rd in Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup (best race finish was 11th at Assen), competed in European Talent Cup; 2018 season, selected to join the 2019 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, finished 3rd in ASRA Moto3 and Thunderbike National Championships (6 wins, 8 podium finishes from 8 starts), won 5 CCS Regional Championships (34 race wins), won 3 WERA races; 2017 season, won AMA Moto3 Grand Championship, won WERA Formula Three National Challenge Championship, won 2 WERA Sportsman Regional Class Championships (16 wins, 24 podiums with WERA), won 3 AMA Flat Track Grand National Championships, named AMA Flat Track Youth Rider of the Year; 2016 season, won 3 AMA Flat Track Grand Championships, named AMA Flat Track Youth Rider of the Year.
2024 racing goal: Win MotoAmerica Supersport Championship.
Racing career goals: Race against Marc Marquez, win MotoGP World Championship.
Racing hero: Nicky Hayden.
Favorite track: Mugello.
Favorite hobby: Riding mountain bikes.
If I wasn’t racing I would be…: Competing in bicycle races.
…
Some of the riders who have graduated from Young Guns and gone on to racing success in National or International series include:
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion Jason Aguilar (R.I.P.);
2013 AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Corey Alexander;
AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race winner Tommy Aquino (R.I.P.);
2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and multi-time MotoAmerica Superbike race winner J.D. Beach;
five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion and Moto2 World Championship point scorer Cameron Beaubier;
MotoAmerica Twins Cup race winner Jackson Blackmon;
former Canadian Sport Bike Champion Tomas Casas;
three-time Canadian Sport Bike Champion and 2014 Canadian Superbike Champion Jodi Christie;
former AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 race winner Josh Day;
2011 Daytona 200 winner Jason DiSalvo;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Championship runner-up and current MotoAmerica team owner Dustin Dominguez;
2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, 2019 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion, and 2021 Canadian Superbike Champion Alex Dumas;
four-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race winner and former motorcycle track record holder Carlin Dunne (R.I.P.);
Canadian Superbike race winner Bodhi Edie;
two-time AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, two-time AMA Pro XR1200/Harley-Davidson Champion and four-time Daytona 200 winner Danny Eslick;
2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Bobby Fong;
2010 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Superstock 1000 Champion, and three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne;
two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and World Superbike podium finisher Garrett Gerloff;
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship runner-up Michael Gilbert;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Champion, 2023 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion, and 2023 MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Champion Hayden Gillim;
2002 AMA Superbike Champion and 2006 FIM MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden (R.I.P.);
2007 AMA Pro 600cc Supersport Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up, and 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship runner-up Roger Hayden;
eight-time AMA Pro Superbike race winner and two-time AMA Supersport Champion Tommy Hayden;
2013 AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Champion, 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and three-time Daytona 200 winner Josh Herrin;
MotoAmerica Supersport front-runner Teagg Hobbs;
AMA Pro Superstock race winner Jake Holden;
2011 British Superbike Championship runner-up and former MotoGP and World Superbike regular John Hopkins;
2015 Supersport World Championship runner-up, 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Patrick “P.J.” Jacobsen;
2021 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, Moto2 World Championship point scorer, and MotoAmerica Superbike racer Sean Dylan Kelly;
Canadian Superbike race winner Kevin Lacombe;
two-time MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, 2020 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion, 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up Rocco Landers;
two-time MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee;
2021 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup Champion Jake Lewis;
MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Sam Lochoff;
MotoAmerica Superstock 600 race winner Nick McFadden;
AMA Pro SuperSport race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Stefano Mesa;
Elena Myers, the first and only woman to win AMA Pro Supersport races;
AMA Pro XR1200 race winner, multi-time Loudon Classic winner, and three-time BRL Champion Shane Narbonne;
2012 Canadian Superbike Championship runner-up Andrew Nelson;
2016 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Champion, 2019 British Motostar (Moto3) Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch;
2012 Daytona 200 winner and 2010 AMA Pro Supersport West Champion Joey Pascarella;
AMA Pro and Canadian National race winner and multi-time N2/WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Peris;
two-time AMA Pro SuperSport National Champion, British Supersport podium finisher, 2020 AFT Production Twins Champion, and 2023 MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Championship runner-up James Rispoli;
2015 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport race winner, and Moto2 World Championship race winner Joe Roberts;
2022 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship runner-up and 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship runner-up Gus Rodio;
former Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Champion and former FIM Moto2 European Championship competitor Benny Solis, Jr.;
three-time AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2009 Superbike World Champion, MotoGP race winner, and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Ben Spies;
multi-time AMA Pro race winner and four-time overall WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Ulrich;
MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher and former World Superbike competitor Jayson Uribe;
2017 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Championship runner-up, 2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher Cory Ventura;
Canadian Superbike race winner Alex Welsh;
former AMA Pro Superbike Rookie of the Year, Chinese Superbike Championship race winner, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and MotoAmerica Super Hooligan race winner Cory West;
MotoAmerica Junior Cup and Superbike Cup race winner Ashton Yates;
and two-time AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up Blake Young.
EUROPEAN TOUR ON! RED BULL GASGAS TECH3 HEADS TO ICONIC JEREZ CIRCUIT FOR SPANISH GRAND PRIX
It is time for the 2024 MotoGP™ World Championship to start its European tour, and the first stop of Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 will be nowhere else than at the iconic Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto, which will host the Gran Premio de España, the fourth round of an already thrilling 2024 campaign.
Already making history in the premier class after he became in Austin the youngest ever rider to take back-to-back podiums at 19 years old and 325 days, a big round awaits rookie star Pedro Acosta this week in Jerez as he is set to race for the first time in MotoGP™ on home soil. One thing is sure, there will be many Spanish fans eager to witness the little wonder do his things on track, after three first rounds more than impressive,as the Shark already counts two podiums on Sunday and a front row start. Pierer Mobility will aim high this weekend, knowing that Brad Binder and Jack Miller were on the podium in both sprint and race in 2023. In addition, the test team including Dani Pedrosa and Pol Espargaro have been working hard since the start of the season in Andalusia, and all this put together will give extra confidence to Pedro Acosta as he heads to a circuit where he finished second last season in Moto2™ .
On the other side, Augusto Fernandez will be looking forward to heading back to Europe on layouts he knows much more, starting with Jerez. After a difficult start to his season, the number 37 has tried to change a few things in Austin, changes which he hopes will turn into decent progress in Jerez, a track that he enjoys a lot. Texas was tricky and challenging, but he still managed to bring home points with a fourteenth place on Sunday. In 2023, the Spaniard took the thirteenth place, a result that he will be looking to improve, knowing that the bike performs well in Jerez.
Don’t miss out on another action-packed weekend as MotoGP™ stops for the first time of the season in Spain. Our full Spanish line up will hit the track on Friday with Free Practice at 10:45 local time (GMT+2), followed in the afternoon by the one hour Practice at 15:00. Very quickly, Super Saturday will be just around the corner with the qualifying sessions at 10:50, shortly after Free Practice 2. Pedro Acosta and Augusto Fernandez will then line up on the grid for the fourth Tissot Sprint of 2024 at 15:00. Finally, big points will be at stake again as the premier class lines up on Sunday for the main race of the Gran Premio de España, at 14:00.
Pedro Acosta
Championship: 4th
Points: 54
“The first race at home arrives and it comes at a very good time. We have just made two podiums in a row and I am looking forward to racing in Jerez. I have no pressure, what I have is the desire to go out on the track in front of what are probably the best fans in the world. Our objectives for this weekend remain the same as always, to enjoy ourselves to the fullest and try to continue with this work dynamic. It is true that Jerez is one of my favorite circuits, and in addition, our test team has trained here a lot so I am sure that the bike will do well. We also know as a fact that the RC16 does well in Jerez looking at 2023 results, and it motivates me even more to go out and give it my all since Friday in the first session. We’ll see what happens, I’ll see you all there!”
Augusto Fernandez
Championship: 16th
Points: 7
“Austin was a difficult weekend, because even though we scored points, we wanted much more, so I am looking forward to a new race week in Jerez. We have in mind that our bike works well on this track, and our test team has been working a lot, with positive results, so it is an extra boost for us. We are back racing in Europe, in front of our Spanish fans, which I am really excited about. Jerez is one of my favorite weekends of the calendar, so let’s try to enjoy and get a bit closer to the top guys.”
Nicolas Goyon
Team Manager
“It is now time for us to start the main European part of the MotoGP World Championship, as we are heading to the famous Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto, for the Gran Premio de España. This Andalusian layout is very well known by all riders, as there is always a lot of testing going on at this track. Pierer Mobility will have high expectations, after we saw Brad Binder and Jack Miller take the podium in both sprint and race last year, so we know that the RC16 is working well there. From the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 side, Pedro Acosta has been doing an excellent start of the season, with already two podiums and a front row start, and it is now quite clear that he is already riding at a high level in the premier class. Last season in Moto2, he was on the podium, so it is a layout that he enjoys, and we are excited to see what he can do this week on home soil. Augusto Fernandez has initiated some changes in his working method in Austin, and even if the results did not come right away, I am sure that the sun will start to shine in Spain for him. Expectations are high for the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 squad, and we are excited for a new weekend full of action and excitement.”
Troy Herfoss won MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Race Two Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. Herfoss chose to use Dunlop Sportmax Slicks on his S&S Indian Challenger in spite of the track being damp-but-drying at the start of the race, but that gamble paid off with him running away to win the eight-lap race by nearly 14 seconds.
Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara also chose slicks, but he got off to a slower start and had to settle for the runner-up spot.
Fan favorite Max Flinders crashed at the end of the Superbike race, and almost immediately had to jump onto his Mad Monkey Motorsports Indian, which was fitted with rain tires. Flinders battled with defending Champion Hayden Gillim, who also chose rain tires, throughout the race, but Flinders won the slippery duel to capture third and the final spot on the podium.
Gillim finished fourth on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, and Kyle Wyman rounded out the top five on his Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide.
Jacobsen, Herfoss Perfect At Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
PJ Jacobsen Leads A Rahal One-Two And Troy Herfoss Takes Over King Of The Baggers Championship Lead In Georgia
PJ Jacobsen (15) leads teammate Corey Alexander (23) and Blake Davis (22) in Sunday’s Supersport race at Road Atlanta, Jacobsen won for the second time on the weekend with Alexander finishing second. Davis crashed out of the battle. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BRASELTON, GA (April 21, 2024) – It was a breakthrough weekend for Rahal Ducati Moto. The brand-new Supersport team had some teething pains at Daytona, but it all came together for them at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
First, it was Corey Alexander who earned provisional pole in Friday’s first qualifying. Then, on Saturday, PJ Jacobsen got the team’s first victory of the season aboard his bright-yellow Ducati Panigale V2.
In Sunday’s Supersport race two, the riders faced an additional challenge of a fully rain-soaked racetrack. Jacobsen handled the conditions well, and in fact, the New Yorker led all 15 laps to get the double win. Alexander, who finished just off the podium in fourth on Saturday, was second for a one-two Ducati Rahal Moto finish. Altus Motorsports Suzuki rider Jake Lewis completed the podium in third.
“I feel like it was a very fast race,” Jacobsen said. “Between the three of us, I think our pace was super-fast, to be honest. I kept looking down at my lap timer, and I’m being caught instead of opening a gap, which is not a good sign. Then Corey (Alexander) has Jake (Lewis) doing the same behind him, so that’s not a good sign. So, you just keep pushing and pushing. I feel like our lap times were really fast. I felt like near the limit. I don’t know how they felt. But they were pushing me and kept pushing me. It was a really good race. If we were going out in superbike right now, we’d be out there doing the same thing, all three of us. I got the W again today so it’s really good to have it in the dry and in the wet. It’s kind of a perfect weekend. You don’t really get these. I guess I’m on a high right now. I’m just going to wait for the low weekend, but I’ll just keep on riding this out right now. The team has done a great job, the whole Rahal Ducati team. We have great sponsors, XPEL and Roller Die. It’s been great, and then having Richie come on board and also getting help from Bobby and Simone at Ducati Corse. So, it’s been a huge thing for the whole entire team. I think that we made a huge step with the right people behind us and getting everything organized and in the right direction. So, it’s been a really positive weekend for us over there.”
Mission King Of The Baggers – All Herfoss
If those racing for the Mission King Of The Baggers Championship weren’t already worried about Troy Herfoss prior to the Road Atlanta round, they most definitely are now. Herfoss rode his S&S/Indian Motorcycles Challenger to a runaway victory in Sunday’s race held on drying pavement, beating his teammate Tyler O’Hara by 13.887 seconds.
Troy Herfoss (17) ran away with the Mission King Of The Baggers race on Sunday at Road Atlanta and the win vaulted him into the championship points lead. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
The two factory Indian riders’ choice of using slick tires instead of full rains pretty much sealed the victory for Herfoss. The Australian took off from the start and motored away from the field, with O’Hara taking a bit more time to work his way to the runner-up spot.
Third place, and the first rider using rain tires, was the ever-popular Max Flinders on his Mad Monkey Motorsports Indian Challenger with the New Hampshire resident putting in maximum effort to keep RevZilla/Motul/Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim behind him to score the final podium spot.
After three rounds and six races, Herfoss is now leading the championship by nine points over Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman, who was fifth today.
“I was very confident it would be slicks, but I was unsure of the ruling whether I could start from pit lane,” Herfoss said. “We’ve got two bikes in Australia. I haven’t had a one-bike rule… Or one bike only. I don’t know if it’s a rule or not, but we’ve got one bike. So, that made me a little bit more cautious. But once we established, we had a lot of time to change the tires on the grid, I figured definitely I was going to go slicks but roll out in the wets. Take a nice slow lap, look at the track, get a bit of an idea of the guys going around pit lane. You can usually see what the confidence levels are like. It was slicks all the way. The only problem was two laps to go there was a couple of specks of rain. So, if the skies would have opened one to go, a big gap can come down. It was a weird race for me. I got a really big gap in the first two laps. The first lap especially, three seconds. Then it said five after lap two. I had already slowed down in my mind, and I assumed that everyone was on wets. Dane took the pit board down after the gap went out and just had the lap count. So, I was like, ‘Okay, the gap is going out a long way.’ Then when I hear Tyler’s (O’Hara) on slicks, I’m like, ‘Wow. I was way too cautious. He could have been coming fast.’ That’s what it was like. I’ve never been in that situation where I’ve literally gone off the start and in my mind, it was like, ‘Okay, I’ve won the race. Just don’t mess up.’ You’ve got no idea how nerve-racking that is when you’re in that position. How good is this? Indian one, two, and three. It’s a perfect weekend for me. I never would have dreamed that. A perfect weekend in this championship at all, let alone third weekend in the championship. So, it’s a real credit to the team that they can give me a bike that I can just concentrate on racing on and learning tracks. That’s the reason I’m able to be so competitive. So, I want to say thank you to them.
Junior Cup – Medina’s First
Sunday dawned with rain in the forecast, and the riders in Junior Cup were first up with their feature race, which was shortened by two laps due to the prodigious precipitation. Yandel Medina, who was third in Saturday’s race one, was hoping for a wet race, and that’s exactly what he got. And, he made the best of it, as the New York Safety Track Racing rider notched the first win of his MotoAmerica career. Meanwhile, Ryan Wolfe followed up his runner-up result on Saturday with another second-place finish in Sunday’s race two. BARTCON Racing’s Eli Block, who won both Junior Cup races in the rain at New Jersey Motorsports Park last year, rounded out the podium in third.
Yandel Medina (39) led every lap en route to taking his first MotoAmerica victory in Sunday’s Junior Cup race at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
“You were just holding your breath for the whole race, especially being in the front,” Medina said. “I didn’t get passed the whole race. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, nobody is passing me.’ I would just hear bikes right there in the end of 10A. I’m like, ‘Oh, they’re coming.’ I was thinking about yesterday when everybody just swooped in with the draft. But other than that, it was just keep your head down and go. I didn’t know what was going on. I tried to communicate, but my team didn’t understand what I was trying to say. But it all went well. I’m happy. Finally got first place. Everything went well. I’m happy with the results.”
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Doyle In the Wet
South African Dominic Doyle has paid his dues in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup Championship. Doyle, who raced for a different team last year and finished fourth in the 2023 Twins Cup Championship, got the win in Sunday’s race two aboard his Giaccmoto Racing Yamaha YZF-R7.
Jack Roach (112) leads eventual BellissiMoto Twins Cup race winner Dominic Doyle (25), Rocco Landers (97) and the rest of the pack. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
British rider, by way of Canada, Jack Roach powered his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha to second place, albeit a little over three seconds behind Doyle. Twins Cup Championship leader Gus Rodio completed the podium in third after finishing second on Saturday aboard his Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering Aprilia.
“I got an okay start,” Doyle said. “Jack (Roach) came around me. I just tried to see what kind of pace the other guys had. I felt like I could roll up on them a little bit. So, I made the move in the last turn and kind of just put my head down and tried to ride my own race and click off the same laps I was doing in warmup, like 50, 51. I could kind of stay in that range. I saw my pit board. Got up to about sixth. I came down to three, so I just tried to stay on the same pace. It went back up to four and I had two laps to go. So, I just kind of cruised around and rode my own race. No real problems. Had one little problem in turn one going up the hill. Lost the rear a little bit. But pretty smooth race other than that.”
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing (MSVR):
Vickers overcomes late last lap drama to double up in historic Bennetts BSB opener
The opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Circuito de Navarra was a weekend of momentous firsts as Ryan Vickers claimed a debut double victory to stamp his authority on the first visit to the circuit in Northern Spain.
In the opening race of the day, the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing rider had been embroiled in an early five-way freight train including his teammate Kyle Ryde, Danny Kent on the McAMS Racing Yamaha, Hager PBM Ducati’s Glenn Irwin and Rory Skinner for the Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad team.
Vickers made a brave move on his teammate Ryde at turn one, the fastest corner on the calendar, with three laps to go and then pulled the pin to break away with a margin of 1.364s at the chequered flag to take the first ever Bennetts BSB victory at the Spanish circuit. Ryde held off Kent for second with Irwin and Skinner maintaining their positions inside the top five.
Vickers had his sights firmly set on a repeat performance in race two and he managed to deliver a first double win after overcoming a huge last lap moment at the final corner, crossing the line 0.277s ahead of Kent and Ryde.
At the start of race two, Ryde had launched to the front from Kent and Vickers, but by the fifth lap, the McAMS Racing Yamaha rider had made a decisive move into turn one to take the lead.
Kent was able to hold off his rivals until lap nine when Vickers stormed back ahead and despite Kent and Ryde pushing him hard, the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing rider was determined and maintained his advantage to lead the standings ahead of Oulton Park.
His Yamaha rivals Kent and Ryde completed the podium line-up, the first time that Kent has scored a double podium finish.
Reigning champion Tommy Bridewell scored a seventh place in the opening race as he got his title defence underway with Honda Racing UK, but it was disappointment in race two when he was forced to retire from the podium fight on the ninth lap. The Honda Racing UK rider had carved his way through to third from his row three start, proving his pace on the new Fireblade.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Circuito de Navarra, Race 1 result:
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha)
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha) +1.364s
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) +2.152s
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +6.459s
Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad) +9.792s
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +14.599s
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +14.658s
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) +14.822s
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +14.927s
Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +15.395s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Circuito de Navarra, Race 2 result:
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha)
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) +0.277s
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha) +1.177s
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) +8.468s
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +9.894s
Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +11.848s
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +11.920s
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +13.794s
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +15.631s
Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +15.860s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha) 36
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 30
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha) 30
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 21
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) 20
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) 17
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) 17
Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) 16
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) 14
Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad) 11
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha
“What a day! I’ve gone from having no dry wins to having two in a day! The bike felt so good in race one and we decided to keep it the same for race two, which paid off. When I was behind Danny in the first race I knew that I couldn’t let him pass Kyle first in case he got away, so I wanted to get by as quick as I could, which is what we did and managed to get the win.
“The second race was more of the same. Made a good start and got to the front but on the last lap my pit board said +0, so I kept pushing on the last lap and defended the last corner. I went in tighter but at the same pace and lost the front but thankfully it popped back which was the main thing.
“I had a few glances behind but Danny wasn’t close enough thankfully to steal the win from us. Huge thanks to the OMG GRILLA Yamaha team, as it’s a huge credit to them for giving me that little bit extra this weekend.”
Jake Gagne won MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race Two Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. Gagne led early on his Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1, but was passed mid-race by JD Beach.
Beach led for two laps, but an unlucky encounter with backmarkers for Beach allowed Gagne to retake the lead.
From there, Gagne was able to meet the challenge of the wet-but-drying track conditions and Beach’s Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW teammate Cameron Beaubier and take his first victory of 2024.
Beaubier pushed hard to pass Gagne on the final lap, but Gagne closed all the doors and Beaubier came up 0.119 second short in second place.
Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen finished third, his first podium finish since undergoing season-ending wrist surgery in 2023.
Beach was running a close second behind Gagne when he hit a puddle in the esses and crashed. Beach was able to remount, rejoin the race in fifth place, and then overtake Sean Dylan Kelly to salvage fourth.
Superbike rookie Kelly got a strong start on his TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR but slipped backward through the race and ended up fifth.
Hayden Gillim got sixth on his new Real Steel Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, just ahead of Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz, who raced with painful injuries suffered in a past-race crash on Saturday.
Nolan Lamkin finished eighth on his Visit Indiana/Tom Wood Powersports BMW S 1000 RR. Baz’s teammate Josh Herrin endured problems with his Panigale V4 R to get ninth, and pole-sitter Bobby Fong slipped backwards from the start and ended up 10th on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha.
Gagne Turns The Tables To Win Steel Commander Superbike Race Two At Road Atlanta
Jake Gagne Wins On Sunday To Split Victories With Cameron Beaubier In Georgia
The race came down to Jake Gagne (1) vs. JD Beach (95) vs. Cameron Beaubier (6) and ultimately Gagne vs. Beaubier with Gagne coming out on top. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BRASELTON, GA (April 21, 2024) – Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne turned the tables on the Steel Commander Superbike field on Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with the three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion withstanding the constant pressure applied by the Tytlers Cycle Racing duo of Cameron Beaubier and JD Beach to take his first win of the season.
On Saturday, it was Beaubier winning the first race of the new season at Road Atlanta with Gagne right on his tail. On Sunday, the positions changed with Beaubier unable to find a way past the Yamaha on the final lap. Gagne’s margin of victory over Beaubier was just .119 of a second.
For Gagne the win was the 41st AMA Superbike win of his career, and it came in dicey conditions with the entire field on full rain tires after wet weather lashed down on the track in Braselton for most of the day.
Third place went to an emotional Cameron Petersen with the South African getting on the podium after a difficult off-season rehabbing from surgery on his badly broken right wrist. There were times when Petersen wasn’t certain that his career would continue so the emotion of racing again and finishing on the podium was overwhelming.
Beach ended up fourth after reeling in Gagne and then battling with and leading the defending champion prior to a high-speed crash and slide through the wet grass in Road Atlanta’s iconic esses. Beach was quickly on his feet and running to his bike, which was on the other side of the track. He got the bike restarted and turned in the right direction and was back on the attack, eventually working his way up to fourth place.
Fifth went to Superbike class rookie Sean Dylan Kelly, giving the Floridian fourth- and fifth-place finishes in his debut in MotoAmerica’s premier class on the TopPro Racing BMW.
Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim recovered from an off-track excursion to finish sixth, some 10 seconds behind Kelly and ahead of Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz with the Frenchman still hurting from his Saturday crash.
Visit Indiana/Tom Wood Powersports’ Nolan Lamkin, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin and Wrench Motorcycles Bobby Fong rounded out the top 10.
After the opening two races in the championship, Gagne and Beaubier are tied with 45 points apiece. Kelly is third with 24 points, two ahead of Fong and Beach who are tied on 22 points.
Jake Gagne – Winner
“Like these guys said, this morning’s warmup was crazy. It was almost at the point where there was a lot of standing water. So, I was able to get some good laps, but I think all of us had a little bit of a sketchy feeling. I think we knew going into the race here, it was nicely wet and no big puddles to worry about hydroplaning and all that. So, that was good. Got off to a really good start. I don’t remember when I got in the lead, but I think pretty early on. Then I felt really comfortable right away. I think I had a little gap for a couple laps, or five laps or something. Then I started getting reeled in. I could see pit boards flying. I could see Cam’s (Beaubier) and JD’s (Beach) pit boards, so I knew it was those guys coming at that point. Like Cam said, it was a fine line. I was going back and forth between pushing when I could but also no matter what, the most important thing was to get on the podium even if these guys wanted to push harder than me. I got lucky. Really lucky there when JD was in the lead. He was ready to take off. That’s when I had to push my hardest. Then he got screwed by that lapper. I went up the inside. So, it was a bummer for him because JD was riding really, really good. From then on, I think I was in the lead, and I knew Cam was right there. I didn’t know if it was Cam or JD, actually. Just tried to be smart on the last lap. I was kind of parking it in some of those turns. Going down into 10A I was really tight and kind of ran wide. I knew Cam was going to try to maybe square me up, but I just parked it in that second-to-last turn and kind of squared it up. So, he would have had to go around the outside if anything. But it’s good. Like I said, it was a really mentally tough race because we all wanted to push, but at the same time it was going to be really easy to throw it away. A podium would have been the most important, but we got a win so it’s awesome.
Cameron Beaubier – Second Place
“To be honest, I was pretty timid the first couple laps. I was pretty nervous going into that race just with the conditions. That was only my second time out on the BMW in the wet. I didn’t have the best feeling this morning. JD (Beach) came around me like I was standing still in the first section. He was ripping this morning. Made a couple TC changes just as the track was drying up a little bit. I really felt good. I felt so good there in the middle of the race when I was making my charge back. I was definitely taking some chances. I was kind of going back and forth in my head. I was like, ‘man, I feel good, like I’m catching these guys.’ But I was having a couple moments here and there. It seemed like once I caught up to JD and Jake (Gagne), it seemed like they started going faster. Especially when we got tangled up with those lappers a little bit. Jake got a little bit of a gap, and he was going. It seemed like that was the fastest part of his race. Towards the end, I would have really had to take a big risk to try to get him somewhere on the brakes. He did a super good job in the last section holding his line or blocking his line. He brought it home today. I’m stoked to have a 1-2 finish this weekend and start the season off strong. Looking forward to Barber.”
Cameron Petersen – Third Place
“Not a lot of people really know what I’ve gone through the last nine months. Even a month ago, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to make it through a race. It just feels really good to be back up here. Made the right decision with the surgery. Obviously, the people in my corner just really put the work in and made sure I was here, and in the right way. Tough day yesterday. First race back, after everything I’ve been through to come back and do that. But there was a lot of positives to take away from yesterday. I was kind of able to run the pace, and when I dropped back, I was able to close back into the front guys. It was unfortunate with the yellow flag. I don’t think one of us up here actually saw the yellow flag. It was just in a really shi**y position. So, when I had to drop back the two spots, it put me behind (Loris) Baz. I almost ran into the back of him going into turn two there. Today, great to get a podium. I had such a bad feeling this morning in the wet. The first three, four laps out there, I was dog slow. Then I kind of started to get into my rhythm and feel things out. Got a little bit lucky with some guys going down, but I’ll take it.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Josh Herrin and Loris Baz Secure Title Points in the First Round of the 2024 Steel Commander Motoamerica Superbike Championship
Loris Baz (76) and Josh Herrin (2). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Sunnyvale, Calif., April 21, 2024 — The opening round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Road Atlanta was a rainy encounter for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team with hard racing but successful in earning title points for the team.
Current Daytona 200 Champion Josh Herrin qualified third and led the first seven laps of race one on Saturday until he was on the receiving end of a hard pass and into the gravel trap. However, Herrin worked his way back to fifth place by the finish.
Additionally, impact followed just after the finish in race one. Herrin’s teammate, Loris Baz, who had just finished sixth, was run into by another rider at high speed. The resulting impact destroyed both machines, with Baz suffering an injured ankle.
Race two on Sunday, with a blanket of cloud and heavy rain, gave Baz some physical reprieve as he toughed out the conditions to take seventh on the day to leave Georgia sixth in the points.
Herrin completed his weekend with a ninth-place finish in race two and sits one place behind his teammate at seventh in the championship standing. The series continues to Barber Motorsports Park in a month’s time.
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“Yesterday’s race was going good until we got run off the track,” Herrin said. “The bike was feeling good. After we went off the track, we went half a second per lap faster, every single lap, than anyone on the track for the last 10 laps of the race.”
“Today just wasn’t our day. We know we have what it takes to be successful, but we have some homework to do to capitalize and get the most points we can for the next race.”
“Thank you to all our sponsors and team members for all their hard work over the weekend. We’ll push hard at the next round at Barber.”
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“It was a limitation weekend, especially for today after the crash we had yesterday at the finish line of race one,” Baz said. “I was very sore this morning, so for today, I was just praying for rain. That at least made it possible for me to race.”
“I couldn’t do the warm-up in the morning because of the crash, but I started the race as calm as possible. I needed to figure out how to ride with my injured foot, and I started to increase the pace because of the full wet conditions. As I went faster, I had a moment where I had some pain in my ankle, so I decided to bring it home and be safe. That meant seventh for us today. As I say, it was damage limitation, and now I will try to recover as much as possible before round two in a month.”
Round two of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will be held at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, from May 17 to 19.
Lucas Brown won British Talent Cup Race Three Sunday at Circuit de Navarra, in Spain. Riding his SENCAT Talent Team/Mortimer Racing Honda, Brown won the 14-lap race by 0.008 second over Kovara Projects/RS Racing’s Amanuel Brinton. Mason Foster finished third on his BRP Honda.
Americans Eli Banish, Julian Correa, and Joshua Raymond, Jr. did not have as much success in Race Three. Raymond finished 19th on his Fibre Tec Honda, Raymond’s teammate Banish got 20th, and Correa suffered a mechanical DNF on his Microlise Cresswell Racing Honda.
“Leading the race with 6 laps to go I lost all power on the bike,” Correa posted on social media. “It just shut off. So a DNF in that race. The team did some research and it appears the stator went bad. These are those uncontrollable situations that just happen during race weekends. Better in the first race weekend of the season vs the last.
“We leave Navarra in P2 in the championship just 13pts back from the leader. We are all feeling really good heading into Round 2 in a handful of weeks. Thank you again to my team in the UK & US (and) to my #40fanclub and all of you my fans and supporters.”
Editorial Note: American Kristian Daniel, Jr. riding his AGR Team Honda, qualified ninth for the European Talent Cup races at the opening round of the FIM JuniorGP World Championship at Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli. Unfortunately, Daniel was “crashed out,” according to a social media post by his father, Kristian Daniel, and DNF both races.
Rios proves experience isn’t everything in FIM JuniorGP™ opening round
Dramatic first podiums and emotional returns to the top step of the rostrum abound in the FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship opener
The curtains finally lifted on the 2024 FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship in the Motor Valley and Emilia-Romagna round at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, and the Championship opener delivered on everything it promised in the previous day’s qualifying, with stars old and new shining throughout.
Stealing the spotlight early on, precocious talent Jesus Rios (MRE Talent) sealed his status as a contender for the FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship title with not one but two wins in Misano, delivering the double gold on his debut. The first Moto2™ European Championship race of the 2024 campaign saw Alberto Surra (Team Ciatti – Boscoscuro) claim first place with an accomplished ride. Meanwhile, in the first of the day’s two European Talent Cup races Giulio Pugliese (Aspar Junior Team) took victory in dramatic fashion. In the second, Marco Morelli (MLav racing) sealed an emotional first win in the class since 2020. The final winner of the day came in the Stock™ European Championship, with the familiar face of Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Yamaha GV Racing) returning to the top of the rostrum.
Race 1 of JuniorGP™ delivered drama right from the start, with Maximo Quiles (Team Estrella Galicia 0,0) stalling on the grid. With one of the preseason favourites falling out of contention, Alessandro Morosi (Aspar Junior Team) and Marcos Uriarte (Aspar Junior Team) took advantage. Claiming P2 and P3 respectively, the duo ensured ecstatic scenes in the Aspar box. It was a race in which the lead was contested throughout. With just four laps to go Ruche Moodley (Finetwork Team) collected Rico Salmela (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) while the latter was at the head of the pack, leaving both to lament a missed opportunity.
The second JuniorGP™ race of the day offered as much excitement as the first. While Rios made it two wins from two at the first time of asking, he was joined on the Race 2 podium by Adrian Cruces (Finetwork Team) and Cormac Buchanan (AGR Team). Unfortunately for both Moodley and Salmela, the duo came together once again in Race 2. This time around it was Salmela who highsided, his bike taking out Moodley who was completing a long lap penalty.
Following Surra in Moto2™ ECh were Roberto Garcia (Fantic Cardoso Racing) in P2 and Alberto Ferrandez (Finetwork Team) in P3. It was a hotly contested race with reigning MotoE™ World Champion Mattia Casadei (Team Ciatti – Boscoscuro) falling just short of joining his Team Ciatti teammate on the podium, finishing in fourth.
In Race 1 of the ETC Marco Morelli found himself edged back into second place by Giulio Pugliese by a margin of just 0.009 seconds. The duo vyed for first throughout the closing stages of the encounter, while David Gonzalez (AC Racing Team) had a sudden loss of pace towards the end of the race and had to settle for third.
Gonzalez joined Morelli once again on the podium in Race 2 of the ETC, this time able to pressure the leader right until the dying moments, eventually taking second. The two-time podium finishers were joined by Leonardo Zanni (Mir Racing Finetwork Team), who was made to work for the third step on the rostrum by Valentin Perrone (Frando Racing VHC Team) and an inspired Kerman Tinez (Mir Racing Finetwork Team) who finished P5 and P6 respectively.
Just behind Stock™ ECh race winner Lorenzo Dalla Porta came newcomer to the class Andy Verdoia (Team Honda Laglisse) and completing the podium in the final race of the day was Dino Iozzo (IUM Motorsports). Iozzo will rue the circumstances that saw him concede the race lead, with Adrian Rodriguez (SF Racing)’s crash resulting in a red flag and a restart, after which Dalla Porta seized the initiative.
Round 1 of the FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship sated appetites for the time being, but with so much talent on display, all eyes will be on the Circuito do Estoril in Portugal for Round 2 on May 5th!
You can also find all the results, videos, photos and information regarding the championship on the official website: www.fimjuniorgp.com
PJ Jacobsen won MotoAmerica Supersport Race Two Sunday at rainy Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. Jacobsen took the lead on the opening lap, withstood pressure throughout the wet 15-lap race, and held on to take his second win of the weekend and of the season on his Rahal Ducati Moto Panigale V2.
Jacobsen’s teammate Corey Alexander had some bad luck with lapped traffic in the closing laps and had to settle for the runner-up position on his Roller Die + Forming Ducati.
Jake Lewis made up a lot of ground during the race and brought his Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R750 home in third.
Mathew Scholtz put in another come-from-behind performance, taking his Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 from 11th on the grid to fourth at the finish.
Alfonso Linares rounded out the top five finishers on his Zinc AL 32 Racing Ducati Panigale V2.
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
ROAD ATLANTA: RACE 2
SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2024 | RACE 2
The Rahal Ducati Moto team departs the Road Atlanta circuit with confidence after a dominating doubleheader at the 12-turn track. Today’s Race 2 ran under wet conditions and it was PJ Jacobsen who led the way for the Rahal Ducati Moto team, sweeping the opening weekend on his XPEL machine in a stellar performance. Finishing just behind Jacobsen in second was the Roller Die + Forming rider, Corey Alexander, providing the team a 1-2 finish in its second-ever race.
Kayla Yaakov showed incredible speed and quickly rode through the field to gain six positions to P6 and clock the quickest lap of the race at that time before ultimately high-siding, ending her weekend early. Despite the incident, the young rider proved she is a staple within the Rahal Ducati Moto team.
With the redeeming results coming out of the weekend and Jacobsen and Alexander sitting first and second in the championship standings, respectively, the entire RDM team looks forward to continuing its growth and improvements to become the most competitive team in the paddock.
Today’s race concludes race activity at Road Atlanta. The Rahal Ducati Moto Panigales will head back to Indianapolis to prepare for the next Supersport race. Rounds 3 and 4 of MotoAmerica competition will take place at the famed Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, May 17 – 19.
Keep up with all things Rahal Ducati Moto by visiting RahalDucatiMoto.com and following our social media @rahalducatimoto.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: Third
FINISHED: First
CHAMPIONSHIP: First // 50 Points
NOTES: Clocked the second fastest lap of the race // Led each all 15 laps on his way to a monumental weekend sweep // Leads the championship standings by 17 points
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “I feel like it was a very fast race between the three of us on the podium, our pace was super fast. I got the W again today so it was a perfect weekend with both dry and wet conditions. I’m on a high right now, and I know there could be lows in the season, but the entire Rahal Ducati Moto team has done a great job. We have great sponsors supporting us with XPEL and Roller Die + Forming. Having Richie come on board and getting help from Bobby, Simone, and the Ducati Corse team has been a huge uplift for the entire team. We made a huge step this weekend with the right people behind us. It’s been a positive weekend for us all and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 ROLLER DIE DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: Fifth
FINISHED: Second
CHAMPIONSHIP: Second // 33 Pts.
NOTES: Recorded the fourth fastest lap of the race // Ran in second for all but four laps of the 15-lap event
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “When I heard rain this morning when I woke up I knew today could be a really good day for us. PJ, Kayla, and I are all really strong in the rain so I tried my hardest just to stay with PJ for the whole race and play my cards right at the end. Unfortunately, lapped traffic made it impossible to go for the win, but going 1-2 feels just as good for the Rahal Ducati Moto team and shows just how serious everyone involved is about being successful. I’m so happy with the turnaround from Daytona and thankful for everyone that’s made it possible. I’m even more excited for the rest of the season now.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 12th
FINISHED: DNF
CHAMPIONSHIP: 13th // 7 Pts.
NOTES: Climbed six positions before high-siding on Lap 6 // Finished second on the time charts for the morning warm-up session ahead of Race 2
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Today wasn’t ideal. During the race I felt pretty strong, I was putting in a pretty good pace and was able to catch up to fifth place – I knew if I got by him, I would be able to get up to podium contention. I came out of Turn 5, lost the rear, and high-sided myself. We learned a lot at this event and are going into Barber with confidence, especially after our test there last weekend I’d like to put this weekend behind me and focus on pushing through and learning from my teammates and competitors in the Supersport class.”
GRAHAM RAHAL
TEAM OWNER
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a fantastic weekend for our team. I really wish I could have been there to celebrate our first-ever win and the team’s dominating success this weekend. The results speak for themselves, we’re in this series to win, and we are determined to do that. This weekend is a testament to the hard work the team has put in to build confidence for our riders and crew and provide PJ, Corey, and Kayla with the equipment they need to get straight to work. I’m really looking forward to following along this season, capturing more wins, and eventually seeing these bikes on track in person later in the season. I’ve got to thank Richie and Ben for their determination on building this program to where it is. I’m super proud of the whole team.”
Dominic Doyle won MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup Race Two Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. Riding his Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing YZF-R7 on Dunlop rain tires, Doyle took the lead on the opening lap of the wet race and was never headed again. Doyle won the 10-lap race by 3.215 seconds.
Jack Roach got the holeshot on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R7 but was passed by Doyle in the final corner of the first lap. Roach was able to latch onto Doyle, but he was never able to get close enough to challenge for the lead and had to settle for the runner-up spot.
Gus Rodio, winner of the opening two Twins Cup races of the season at Daytona, passed class newcomer Avery Dreher on the final lap to score third on his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660.
Dreher held on to get fourth on his TopPro Racing Aprilia RS 660, and his teammate Romeo Chiavini rounded out the top five finishers.
USCRA racers Matt Camillieri (83) and Vin Borbone (860) in action. Photo by Scott Hussey/www.scotthussey.com, courtesy USCRA.
The United States Classic Racing Association (USCRA) kicks off the 2024 road racing season with its first visit to the historic Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP) for the 2024 United States Vintage Grand Prix on May 20th & 21st
Thompson, Connecticut, April 2024 – The United States Classic Racing Association (USCRA), the oldest vintage motorcycle road racing organization in the U.S., is excited to kick off the 2024 road racing season at the famed 1.7-mile Thompson Speedway road course.
Bringing motorcycle racing back to the legendary course after 47 years, this event promises the very best in vintage and modern motorcycle and sidecar racing.
Spectators are welcome and admission for the two-day event is $20. For more information on the event visit www.race-uscra.com.
About the United States Classic Racing Association (USCRA) www.race-uscra.com
The USCRA is the oldest vintage motorcycle road racing organization in the United States and includes over 400 active members. The club promotes four general types of events: Road racing on both proprietary built road race circuits and real roads courses (Gunstock® and the Streets of Laconia®), as well as Observed Trials, Motogiro USA® and Pewter Run® touring events held on open public roads.
Originally opened in 1938, the “Indianapolis of the North”, Thompson Speedway was the first asphalt-paved racing oval track in the United States. In 2013 the track was reconstructed and is now under the American-Canadian Tour and Pro All Star Series (ACT/PASS) banners. Each year, Thompson hosts “The Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing”, highlighted by the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Additionally, the circuit hosts NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, as well as various SCCAsports car races.
Roadracing World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed America had no new, up-and-coming young racers. This edition of the Roadracing World Young Gun Awards marks the 28th consecutive year of showcasing an abundance of new talent.
Roadracing World Young Guns have won:
FIM MotoGP and FIM Superbike races and World Championships;
MotoAmerica and AMA Pro races and Championships, including 13 AMA Pro Superbike Championships;
A KTM RC Cup World Final race;
WERA National Endurance Championships and WERA National Challenge Championships;
ASRA/Formula USA Grand National and CCS National Championships;
AMA Road Racing Grand Championships and Horizon Awards;
USGPRU National Championships;
Many regional and local titles.
The competition has continually become more intense as more – and younger—racers with higher levels of accomplishment are nominated, and the level of achievement required to make the grade keeps getting tougher.
We’ve spent the last several months accepting nominations and evaluating road racers between the ages of 10 and 18 (as of the start of the 2024 season) who have, at a minimum, won Expert-level road races and/or Championships or had outstanding results as an Amateur/Novice. Most of the riders included here have done far more than the minimum.
The young riders recognized here are the most promising young road racers in North America. All have earned the title of Roadracing World Young Gun.
We will feature one Young Gun per day, presenting them in alphabetical order.
First road race: 2016, Road Atlanta, Georgia, WERA, Formula Three, 1st place.
Current racebike: Suzuki GSX-R750.
Current tuners/mechanics: Barry McMahan, Dustin Cyr.
Primary race series: MotoAmerica Supersport.
Top sponsors: Vision Wheel, M4 Performance Exhausts, ECSTAR, Suzuki, Mission Foods, Arai, RST, R&G, Shorai, Hotbodies Racing, Vortex, EK Chains, TechSpec, Cordona, SportbikeTrackGear.com, HEL, 1-833-CJ-KNOWS Accident and Injury Law, Roadracingworld.com, Team Hammer, Alpinestars, Roof Systems, Evolve GT.
Recent racing accomplishments: 2023 season, placed 2nd in MotoAmerica Supersport Championship (4 wins, 11 total podium finishes), won the 100th Loudon Classic earning the largest cash prize ever in U.S. motorcycle road racing history $55,000; 2022 season, finished 3rd in MotoAmerica Supersport Championship (1 win, 9 total podiums); 2021 season, won MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (11 wins and 15 total podiums in 18 races); 2020 season, raced in FIM CEV European Talent Cup (Best race finish was 16th at Valencia), win 2 CCS Atlantic Regional Championships (Thunderbike, Lightweight Superbike), won 26 CCS races; 2019 season, finished 23rd in Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup (best race finish was 11th at Assen), competed in European Talent Cup; 2018 season, selected to join the 2019 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, finished 3rd in ASRA Moto3 and Thunderbike National Championships (6 wins, 8 podium finishes from 8 starts), won 5 CCS Regional Championships (34 race wins), won 3 WERA races; 2017 season, won AMA Moto3 Grand Championship, won WERA Formula Three National Challenge Championship, won 2 WERA Sportsman Regional Class Championships (16 wins, 24 podiums with WERA), won 3 AMA Flat Track Grand National Championships, named AMA Flat Track Youth Rider of the Year; 2016 season, won 3 AMA Flat Track Grand Championships, named AMA Flat Track Youth Rider of the Year.
2024 racing goal: Win MotoAmerica Supersport Championship.
Racing career goals: Race against Marc Marquez, win MotoGP World Championship.
Racing hero: Nicky Hayden.
Favorite track: Mugello.
Favorite hobby: Riding mountain bikes.
If I wasn’t racing I would be…: Competing in bicycle races.
…
Some of the riders who have graduated from Young Guns and gone on to racing success in National or International series include:
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion Jason Aguilar (R.I.P.);
2013 AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Corey Alexander;
AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race winner Tommy Aquino (R.I.P.);
2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and multi-time MotoAmerica Superbike race winner J.D. Beach;
five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion and Moto2 World Championship point scorer Cameron Beaubier;
MotoAmerica Twins Cup race winner Jackson Blackmon;
former Canadian Sport Bike Champion Tomas Casas;
three-time Canadian Sport Bike Champion and 2014 Canadian Superbike Champion Jodi Christie;
former AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 race winner Josh Day;
2011 Daytona 200 winner Jason DiSalvo;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Championship runner-up and current MotoAmerica team owner Dustin Dominguez;
2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, 2019 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion, and 2021 Canadian Superbike Champion Alex Dumas;
four-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race winner and former motorcycle track record holder Carlin Dunne (R.I.P.);
Canadian Superbike race winner Bodhi Edie;
two-time AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, two-time AMA Pro XR1200/Harley-Davidson Champion and four-time Daytona 200 winner Danny Eslick;
2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Bobby Fong;
2010 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Superstock 1000 Champion, and three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne;
two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and World Superbike podium finisher Garrett Gerloff;
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship runner-up Michael Gilbert;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Champion, 2023 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion, and 2023 MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Champion Hayden Gillim;
2002 AMA Superbike Champion and 2006 FIM MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden (R.I.P.);
2007 AMA Pro 600cc Supersport Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up, and 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship runner-up Roger Hayden;
eight-time AMA Pro Superbike race winner and two-time AMA Supersport Champion Tommy Hayden;
2013 AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Champion, 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and three-time Daytona 200 winner Josh Herrin;
MotoAmerica Supersport front-runner Teagg Hobbs;
AMA Pro Superstock race winner Jake Holden;
2011 British Superbike Championship runner-up and former MotoGP and World Superbike regular John Hopkins;
2015 Supersport World Championship runner-up, 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Patrick “P.J.” Jacobsen;
2021 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, Moto2 World Championship point scorer, and MotoAmerica Superbike racer Sean Dylan Kelly;
Canadian Superbike race winner Kevin Lacombe;
two-time MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, 2020 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion, 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up Rocco Landers;
two-time MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee;
2021 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup Champion Jake Lewis;
MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Sam Lochoff;
MotoAmerica Superstock 600 race winner Nick McFadden;
AMA Pro SuperSport race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Stefano Mesa;
Elena Myers, the first and only woman to win AMA Pro Supersport races;
AMA Pro XR1200 race winner, multi-time Loudon Classic winner, and three-time BRL Champion Shane Narbonne;
2012 Canadian Superbike Championship runner-up Andrew Nelson;
2016 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Champion, 2019 British Motostar (Moto3) Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch;
2012 Daytona 200 winner and 2010 AMA Pro Supersport West Champion Joey Pascarella;
AMA Pro and Canadian National race winner and multi-time N2/WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Peris;
two-time AMA Pro SuperSport National Champion, British Supersport podium finisher, 2020 AFT Production Twins Champion, and 2023 MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Championship runner-up James Rispoli;
2015 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport race winner, and Moto2 World Championship race winner Joe Roberts;
2022 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship runner-up and 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship runner-up Gus Rodio;
former Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Champion and former FIM Moto2 European Championship competitor Benny Solis, Jr.;
three-time AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2009 Superbike World Champion, MotoGP race winner, and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Ben Spies;
multi-time AMA Pro race winner and four-time overall WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Ulrich;
MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher and former World Superbike competitor Jayson Uribe;
2017 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Championship runner-up, 2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher Cory Ventura;
Canadian Superbike race winner Alex Welsh;
former AMA Pro Superbike Rookie of the Year, Chinese Superbike Championship race winner, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and MotoAmerica Super Hooligan race winner Cory West;
MotoAmerica Junior Cup and Superbike Cup race winner Ashton Yates;
and two-time AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up Blake Young.
Pedro Acosta (31). Photo courtesy Red Bull Tech3 GASGAS.
EUROPEAN TOUR ON! RED BULL GASGAS TECH3 HEADS TO ICONIC JEREZ CIRCUIT FOR SPANISH GRAND PRIX
It is time for the 2024 MotoGP™ World Championship to start its European tour, and the first stop of Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 will be nowhere else than at the iconic Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto, which will host the Gran Premio de España, the fourth round of an already thrilling 2024 campaign.
Already making history in the premier class after he became in Austin the youngest ever rider to take back-to-back podiums at 19 years old and 325 days, a big round awaits rookie star Pedro Acosta this week in Jerez as he is set to race for the first time in MotoGP™ on home soil. One thing is sure, there will be many Spanish fans eager to witness the little wonder do his things on track, after three first rounds more than impressive,as the Shark already counts two podiums on Sunday and a front row start. Pierer Mobility will aim high this weekend, knowing that Brad Binder and Jack Miller were on the podium in both sprint and race in 2023. In addition, the test team including Dani Pedrosa and Pol Espargaro have been working hard since the start of the season in Andalusia, and all this put together will give extra confidence to Pedro Acosta as he heads to a circuit where he finished second last season in Moto2™ .
On the other side, Augusto Fernandez will be looking forward to heading back to Europe on layouts he knows much more, starting with Jerez. After a difficult start to his season, the number 37 has tried to change a few things in Austin, changes which he hopes will turn into decent progress in Jerez, a track that he enjoys a lot. Texas was tricky and challenging, but he still managed to bring home points with a fourteenth place on Sunday. In 2023, the Spaniard took the thirteenth place, a result that he will be looking to improve, knowing that the bike performs well in Jerez.
Don’t miss out on another action-packed weekend as MotoGP™ stops for the first time of the season in Spain. Our full Spanish line up will hit the track on Friday with Free Practice at 10:45 local time (GMT+2), followed in the afternoon by the one hour Practice at 15:00. Very quickly, Super Saturday will be just around the corner with the qualifying sessions at 10:50, shortly after Free Practice 2. Pedro Acosta and Augusto Fernandez will then line up on the grid for the fourth Tissot Sprint of 2024 at 15:00. Finally, big points will be at stake again as the premier class lines up on Sunday for the main race of the Gran Premio de España, at 14:00.
Pedro Acosta
Championship: 4th
Points: 54
“The first race at home arrives and it comes at a very good time. We have just made two podiums in a row and I am looking forward to racing in Jerez. I have no pressure, what I have is the desire to go out on the track in front of what are probably the best fans in the world. Our objectives for this weekend remain the same as always, to enjoy ourselves to the fullest and try to continue with this work dynamic. It is true that Jerez is one of my favorite circuits, and in addition, our test team has trained here a lot so I am sure that the bike will do well. We also know as a fact that the RC16 does well in Jerez looking at 2023 results, and it motivates me even more to go out and give it my all since Friday in the first session. We’ll see what happens, I’ll see you all there!”
Augusto Fernandez
Championship: 16th
Points: 7
“Austin was a difficult weekend, because even though we scored points, we wanted much more, so I am looking forward to a new race week in Jerez. We have in mind that our bike works well on this track, and our test team has been working a lot, with positive results, so it is an extra boost for us. We are back racing in Europe, in front of our Spanish fans, which I am really excited about. Jerez is one of my favorite weekends of the calendar, so let’s try to enjoy and get a bit closer to the top guys.”
Nicolas Goyon
Team Manager
“It is now time for us to start the main European part of the MotoGP World Championship, as we are heading to the famous Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto, for the Gran Premio de España. This Andalusian layout is very well known by all riders, as there is always a lot of testing going on at this track. Pierer Mobility will have high expectations, after we saw Brad Binder and Jack Miller take the podium in both sprint and race last year, so we know that the RC16 is working well there. From the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 side, Pedro Acosta has been doing an excellent start of the season, with already two podiums and a front row start, and it is now quite clear that he is already riding at a high level in the premier class. Last season in Moto2, he was on the podium, so it is a layout that he enjoys, and we are excited to see what he can do this week on home soil. Augusto Fernandez has initiated some changes in his working method in Austin, and even if the results did not come right away, I am sure that the sun will start to shine in Spain for him. Expectations are high for the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 squad, and we are excited for a new weekend full of action and excitement.”
Troy Herfoss won MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Race Two Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. Herfoss chose to use Dunlop Sportmax Slicks on his S&S Indian Challenger in spite of the track being damp-but-drying at the start of the race, but that gamble paid off with him running away to win the eight-lap race by nearly 14 seconds.
Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara also chose slicks, but he got off to a slower start and had to settle for the runner-up spot.
Fan favorite Max Flinders crashed at the end of the Superbike race, and almost immediately had to jump onto his Mad Monkey Motorsports Indian, which was fitted with rain tires. Flinders battled with defending Champion Hayden Gillim, who also chose rain tires, throughout the race, but Flinders won the slippery duel to capture third and the final spot on the podium.
Gillim finished fourth on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, and Kyle Wyman rounded out the top five on his Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide.
Jacobsen, Herfoss Perfect At Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
PJ Jacobsen Leads A Rahal One-Two And Troy Herfoss Takes Over King Of The Baggers Championship Lead In Georgia
PJ Jacobsen (15) leads teammate Corey Alexander (23) and Blake Davis (22) in Sunday’s Supersport race at Road Atlanta, Jacobsen won for the second time on the weekend with Alexander finishing second. Davis crashed out of the battle. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BRASELTON, GA (April 21, 2024) – It was a breakthrough weekend for Rahal Ducati Moto. The brand-new Supersport team had some teething pains at Daytona, but it all came together for them at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
First, it was Corey Alexander who earned provisional pole in Friday’s first qualifying. Then, on Saturday, PJ Jacobsen got the team’s first victory of the season aboard his bright-yellow Ducati Panigale V2.
In Sunday’s Supersport race two, the riders faced an additional challenge of a fully rain-soaked racetrack. Jacobsen handled the conditions well, and in fact, the New Yorker led all 15 laps to get the double win. Alexander, who finished just off the podium in fourth on Saturday, was second for a one-two Ducati Rahal Moto finish. Altus Motorsports Suzuki rider Jake Lewis completed the podium in third.
“I feel like it was a very fast race,” Jacobsen said. “Between the three of us, I think our pace was super-fast, to be honest. I kept looking down at my lap timer, and I’m being caught instead of opening a gap, which is not a good sign. Then Corey (Alexander) has Jake (Lewis) doing the same behind him, so that’s not a good sign. So, you just keep pushing and pushing. I feel like our lap times were really fast. I felt like near the limit. I don’t know how they felt. But they were pushing me and kept pushing me. It was a really good race. If we were going out in superbike right now, we’d be out there doing the same thing, all three of us. I got the W again today so it’s really good to have it in the dry and in the wet. It’s kind of a perfect weekend. You don’t really get these. I guess I’m on a high right now. I’m just going to wait for the low weekend, but I’ll just keep on riding this out right now. The team has done a great job, the whole Rahal Ducati team. We have great sponsors, XPEL and Roller Die. It’s been great, and then having Richie come on board and also getting help from Bobby and Simone at Ducati Corse. So, it’s been a huge thing for the whole entire team. I think that we made a huge step with the right people behind us and getting everything organized and in the right direction. So, it’s been a really positive weekend for us over there.”
Mission King Of The Baggers – All Herfoss
If those racing for the Mission King Of The Baggers Championship weren’t already worried about Troy Herfoss prior to the Road Atlanta round, they most definitely are now. Herfoss rode his S&S/Indian Motorcycles Challenger to a runaway victory in Sunday’s race held on drying pavement, beating his teammate Tyler O’Hara by 13.887 seconds.
Troy Herfoss (17) ran away with the Mission King Of The Baggers race on Sunday at Road Atlanta and the win vaulted him into the championship points lead. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
The two factory Indian riders’ choice of using slick tires instead of full rains pretty much sealed the victory for Herfoss. The Australian took off from the start and motored away from the field, with O’Hara taking a bit more time to work his way to the runner-up spot.
Third place, and the first rider using rain tires, was the ever-popular Max Flinders on his Mad Monkey Motorsports Indian Challenger with the New Hampshire resident putting in maximum effort to keep RevZilla/Motul/Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim behind him to score the final podium spot.
After three rounds and six races, Herfoss is now leading the championship by nine points over Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman, who was fifth today.
“I was very confident it would be slicks, but I was unsure of the ruling whether I could start from pit lane,” Herfoss said. “We’ve got two bikes in Australia. I haven’t had a one-bike rule… Or one bike only. I don’t know if it’s a rule or not, but we’ve got one bike. So, that made me a little bit more cautious. But once we established, we had a lot of time to change the tires on the grid, I figured definitely I was going to go slicks but roll out in the wets. Take a nice slow lap, look at the track, get a bit of an idea of the guys going around pit lane. You can usually see what the confidence levels are like. It was slicks all the way. The only problem was two laps to go there was a couple of specks of rain. So, if the skies would have opened one to go, a big gap can come down. It was a weird race for me. I got a really big gap in the first two laps. The first lap especially, three seconds. Then it said five after lap two. I had already slowed down in my mind, and I assumed that everyone was on wets. Dane took the pit board down after the gap went out and just had the lap count. So, I was like, ‘Okay, the gap is going out a long way.’ Then when I hear Tyler’s (O’Hara) on slicks, I’m like, ‘Wow. I was way too cautious. He could have been coming fast.’ That’s what it was like. I’ve never been in that situation where I’ve literally gone off the start and in my mind, it was like, ‘Okay, I’ve won the race. Just don’t mess up.’ You’ve got no idea how nerve-racking that is when you’re in that position. How good is this? Indian one, two, and three. It’s a perfect weekend for me. I never would have dreamed that. A perfect weekend in this championship at all, let alone third weekend in the championship. So, it’s a real credit to the team that they can give me a bike that I can just concentrate on racing on and learning tracks. That’s the reason I’m able to be so competitive. So, I want to say thank you to them.
Junior Cup – Medina’s First
Sunday dawned with rain in the forecast, and the riders in Junior Cup were first up with their feature race, which was shortened by two laps due to the prodigious precipitation. Yandel Medina, who was third in Saturday’s race one, was hoping for a wet race, and that’s exactly what he got. And, he made the best of it, as the New York Safety Track Racing rider notched the first win of his MotoAmerica career. Meanwhile, Ryan Wolfe followed up his runner-up result on Saturday with another second-place finish in Sunday’s race two. BARTCON Racing’s Eli Block, who won both Junior Cup races in the rain at New Jersey Motorsports Park last year, rounded out the podium in third.
Yandel Medina (39) led every lap en route to taking his first MotoAmerica victory in Sunday’s Junior Cup race at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
“You were just holding your breath for the whole race, especially being in the front,” Medina said. “I didn’t get passed the whole race. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, nobody is passing me.’ I would just hear bikes right there in the end of 10A. I’m like, ‘Oh, they’re coming.’ I was thinking about yesterday when everybody just swooped in with the draft. But other than that, it was just keep your head down and go. I didn’t know what was going on. I tried to communicate, but my team didn’t understand what I was trying to say. But it all went well. I’m happy. Finally got first place. Everything went well. I’m happy with the results.”
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Doyle In the Wet
South African Dominic Doyle has paid his dues in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup Championship. Doyle, who raced for a different team last year and finished fourth in the 2023 Twins Cup Championship, got the win in Sunday’s race two aboard his Giaccmoto Racing Yamaha YZF-R7.
Jack Roach (112) leads eventual BellissiMoto Twins Cup race winner Dominic Doyle (25), Rocco Landers (97) and the rest of the pack. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
British rider, by way of Canada, Jack Roach powered his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha to second place, albeit a little over three seconds behind Doyle. Twins Cup Championship leader Gus Rodio completed the podium in third after finishing second on Saturday aboard his Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering Aprilia.
“I got an okay start,” Doyle said. “Jack (Roach) came around me. I just tried to see what kind of pace the other guys had. I felt like I could roll up on them a little bit. So, I made the move in the last turn and kind of just put my head down and tried to ride my own race and click off the same laps I was doing in warmup, like 50, 51. I could kind of stay in that range. I saw my pit board. Got up to about sixth. I came down to three, so I just tried to stay on the same pace. It went back up to four and I had two laps to go. So, I just kind of cruised around and rode my own race. No real problems. Had one little problem in turn one going up the hill. Lost the rear a little bit. But pretty smooth race other than that.”
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing (MSVR):
Vickers overcomes late last lap drama to double up in historic Bennetts BSB opener
The opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Circuito de Navarra was a weekend of momentous firsts as Ryan Vickers claimed a debut double victory to stamp his authority on the first visit to the circuit in Northern Spain.
In the opening race of the day, the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing rider had been embroiled in an early five-way freight train including his teammate Kyle Ryde, Danny Kent on the McAMS Racing Yamaha, Hager PBM Ducati’s Glenn Irwin and Rory Skinner for the Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad team.
Vickers made a brave move on his teammate Ryde at turn one, the fastest corner on the calendar, with three laps to go and then pulled the pin to break away with a margin of 1.364s at the chequered flag to take the first ever Bennetts BSB victory at the Spanish circuit. Ryde held off Kent for second with Irwin and Skinner maintaining their positions inside the top five.
Vickers had his sights firmly set on a repeat performance in race two and he managed to deliver a first double win after overcoming a huge last lap moment at the final corner, crossing the line 0.277s ahead of Kent and Ryde.
At the start of race two, Ryde had launched to the front from Kent and Vickers, but by the fifth lap, the McAMS Racing Yamaha rider had made a decisive move into turn one to take the lead.
Kent was able to hold off his rivals until lap nine when Vickers stormed back ahead and despite Kent and Ryde pushing him hard, the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing rider was determined and maintained his advantage to lead the standings ahead of Oulton Park.
His Yamaha rivals Kent and Ryde completed the podium line-up, the first time that Kent has scored a double podium finish.
Reigning champion Tommy Bridewell scored a seventh place in the opening race as he got his title defence underway with Honda Racing UK, but it was disappointment in race two when he was forced to retire from the podium fight on the ninth lap. The Honda Racing UK rider had carved his way through to third from his row three start, proving his pace on the new Fireblade.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Circuito de Navarra, Race 1 result:
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha)
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha) +1.364s
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) +2.152s
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +6.459s
Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad) +9.792s
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +14.599s
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +14.658s
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) +14.822s
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +14.927s
Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +15.395s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Circuito de Navarra, Race 2 result:
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha)
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) +0.277s
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha) +1.177s
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) +8.468s
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +9.894s
Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +11.848s
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +11.920s
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +13.794s
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +15.631s
Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +15.860s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha) 36
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 30
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha) 30
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 21
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) 20
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) 17
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) 17
Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) 16
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) 14
Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad) 11
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha
“What a day! I’ve gone from having no dry wins to having two in a day! The bike felt so good in race one and we decided to keep it the same for race two, which paid off. When I was behind Danny in the first race I knew that I couldn’t let him pass Kyle first in case he got away, so I wanted to get by as quick as I could, which is what we did and managed to get the win.
“The second race was more of the same. Made a good start and got to the front but on the last lap my pit board said +0, so I kept pushing on the last lap and defended the last corner. I went in tighter but at the same pace and lost the front but thankfully it popped back which was the main thing.
“I had a few glances behind but Danny wasn’t close enough thankfully to steal the win from us. Huge thanks to the OMG GRILLA Yamaha team, as it’s a huge credit to them for giving me that little bit extra this weekend.”
Jake Gagne won MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race Two Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. Gagne led early on his Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1, but was passed mid-race by JD Beach.
Beach led for two laps, but an unlucky encounter with backmarkers for Beach allowed Gagne to retake the lead.
From there, Gagne was able to meet the challenge of the wet-but-drying track conditions and Beach’s Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW teammate Cameron Beaubier and take his first victory of 2024.
Beaubier pushed hard to pass Gagne on the final lap, but Gagne closed all the doors and Beaubier came up 0.119 second short in second place.
Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen finished third, his first podium finish since undergoing season-ending wrist surgery in 2023.
Beach was running a close second behind Gagne when he hit a puddle in the esses and crashed. Beach was able to remount, rejoin the race in fifth place, and then overtake Sean Dylan Kelly to salvage fourth.
Superbike rookie Kelly got a strong start on his TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR but slipped backward through the race and ended up fifth.
Hayden Gillim got sixth on his new Real Steel Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, just ahead of Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz, who raced with painful injuries suffered in a past-race crash on Saturday.
Nolan Lamkin finished eighth on his Visit Indiana/Tom Wood Powersports BMW S 1000 RR. Baz’s teammate Josh Herrin endured problems with his Panigale V4 R to get ninth, and pole-sitter Bobby Fong slipped backwards from the start and ended up 10th on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha.
Gagne Turns The Tables To Win Steel Commander Superbike Race Two At Road Atlanta
Jake Gagne Wins On Sunday To Split Victories With Cameron Beaubier In Georgia
The race came down to Jake Gagne (1) vs. JD Beach (95) vs. Cameron Beaubier (6) and ultimately Gagne vs. Beaubier with Gagne coming out on top. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BRASELTON, GA (April 21, 2024) – Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne turned the tables on the Steel Commander Superbike field on Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with the three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion withstanding the constant pressure applied by the Tytlers Cycle Racing duo of Cameron Beaubier and JD Beach to take his first win of the season.
On Saturday, it was Beaubier winning the first race of the new season at Road Atlanta with Gagne right on his tail. On Sunday, the positions changed with Beaubier unable to find a way past the Yamaha on the final lap. Gagne’s margin of victory over Beaubier was just .119 of a second.
For Gagne the win was the 41st AMA Superbike win of his career, and it came in dicey conditions with the entire field on full rain tires after wet weather lashed down on the track in Braselton for most of the day.
Third place went to an emotional Cameron Petersen with the South African getting on the podium after a difficult off-season rehabbing from surgery on his badly broken right wrist. There were times when Petersen wasn’t certain that his career would continue so the emotion of racing again and finishing on the podium was overwhelming.
Beach ended up fourth after reeling in Gagne and then battling with and leading the defending champion prior to a high-speed crash and slide through the wet grass in Road Atlanta’s iconic esses. Beach was quickly on his feet and running to his bike, which was on the other side of the track. He got the bike restarted and turned in the right direction and was back on the attack, eventually working his way up to fourth place.
Fifth went to Superbike class rookie Sean Dylan Kelly, giving the Floridian fourth- and fifth-place finishes in his debut in MotoAmerica’s premier class on the TopPro Racing BMW.
Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim recovered from an off-track excursion to finish sixth, some 10 seconds behind Kelly and ahead of Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz with the Frenchman still hurting from his Saturday crash.
Visit Indiana/Tom Wood Powersports’ Nolan Lamkin, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin and Wrench Motorcycles Bobby Fong rounded out the top 10.
After the opening two races in the championship, Gagne and Beaubier are tied with 45 points apiece. Kelly is third with 24 points, two ahead of Fong and Beach who are tied on 22 points.
Jake Gagne – Winner
“Like these guys said, this morning’s warmup was crazy. It was almost at the point where there was a lot of standing water. So, I was able to get some good laps, but I think all of us had a little bit of a sketchy feeling. I think we knew going into the race here, it was nicely wet and no big puddles to worry about hydroplaning and all that. So, that was good. Got off to a really good start. I don’t remember when I got in the lead, but I think pretty early on. Then I felt really comfortable right away. I think I had a little gap for a couple laps, or five laps or something. Then I started getting reeled in. I could see pit boards flying. I could see Cam’s (Beaubier) and JD’s (Beach) pit boards, so I knew it was those guys coming at that point. Like Cam said, it was a fine line. I was going back and forth between pushing when I could but also no matter what, the most important thing was to get on the podium even if these guys wanted to push harder than me. I got lucky. Really lucky there when JD was in the lead. He was ready to take off. That’s when I had to push my hardest. Then he got screwed by that lapper. I went up the inside. So, it was a bummer for him because JD was riding really, really good. From then on, I think I was in the lead, and I knew Cam was right there. I didn’t know if it was Cam or JD, actually. Just tried to be smart on the last lap. I was kind of parking it in some of those turns. Going down into 10A I was really tight and kind of ran wide. I knew Cam was going to try to maybe square me up, but I just parked it in that second-to-last turn and kind of squared it up. So, he would have had to go around the outside if anything. But it’s good. Like I said, it was a really mentally tough race because we all wanted to push, but at the same time it was going to be really easy to throw it away. A podium would have been the most important, but we got a win so it’s awesome.
Cameron Beaubier – Second Place
“To be honest, I was pretty timid the first couple laps. I was pretty nervous going into that race just with the conditions. That was only my second time out on the BMW in the wet. I didn’t have the best feeling this morning. JD (Beach) came around me like I was standing still in the first section. He was ripping this morning. Made a couple TC changes just as the track was drying up a little bit. I really felt good. I felt so good there in the middle of the race when I was making my charge back. I was definitely taking some chances. I was kind of going back and forth in my head. I was like, ‘man, I feel good, like I’m catching these guys.’ But I was having a couple moments here and there. It seemed like once I caught up to JD and Jake (Gagne), it seemed like they started going faster. Especially when we got tangled up with those lappers a little bit. Jake got a little bit of a gap, and he was going. It seemed like that was the fastest part of his race. Towards the end, I would have really had to take a big risk to try to get him somewhere on the brakes. He did a super good job in the last section holding his line or blocking his line. He brought it home today. I’m stoked to have a 1-2 finish this weekend and start the season off strong. Looking forward to Barber.”
Cameron Petersen – Third Place
“Not a lot of people really know what I’ve gone through the last nine months. Even a month ago, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to make it through a race. It just feels really good to be back up here. Made the right decision with the surgery. Obviously, the people in my corner just really put the work in and made sure I was here, and in the right way. Tough day yesterday. First race back, after everything I’ve been through to come back and do that. But there was a lot of positives to take away from yesterday. I was kind of able to run the pace, and when I dropped back, I was able to close back into the front guys. It was unfortunate with the yellow flag. I don’t think one of us up here actually saw the yellow flag. It was just in a really shi**y position. So, when I had to drop back the two spots, it put me behind (Loris) Baz. I almost ran into the back of him going into turn two there. Today, great to get a podium. I had such a bad feeling this morning in the wet. The first three, four laps out there, I was dog slow. Then I kind of started to get into my rhythm and feel things out. Got a little bit lucky with some guys going down, but I’ll take it.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Josh Herrin and Loris Baz Secure Title Points in the First Round of the 2024 Steel Commander Motoamerica Superbike Championship
Loris Baz (76) and Josh Herrin (2). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Sunnyvale, Calif., April 21, 2024 — The opening round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Road Atlanta was a rainy encounter for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team with hard racing but successful in earning title points for the team.
Current Daytona 200 Champion Josh Herrin qualified third and led the first seven laps of race one on Saturday until he was on the receiving end of a hard pass and into the gravel trap. However, Herrin worked his way back to fifth place by the finish.
Additionally, impact followed just after the finish in race one. Herrin’s teammate, Loris Baz, who had just finished sixth, was run into by another rider at high speed. The resulting impact destroyed both machines, with Baz suffering an injured ankle.
Race two on Sunday, with a blanket of cloud and heavy rain, gave Baz some physical reprieve as he toughed out the conditions to take seventh on the day to leave Georgia sixth in the points.
Herrin completed his weekend with a ninth-place finish in race two and sits one place behind his teammate at seventh in the championship standing. The series continues to Barber Motorsports Park in a month’s time.
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“Yesterday’s race was going good until we got run off the track,” Herrin said. “The bike was feeling good. After we went off the track, we went half a second per lap faster, every single lap, than anyone on the track for the last 10 laps of the race.”
“Today just wasn’t our day. We know we have what it takes to be successful, but we have some homework to do to capitalize and get the most points we can for the next race.”
“Thank you to all our sponsors and team members for all their hard work over the weekend. We’ll push hard at the next round at Barber.”
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“It was a limitation weekend, especially for today after the crash we had yesterday at the finish line of race one,” Baz said. “I was very sore this morning, so for today, I was just praying for rain. That at least made it possible for me to race.”
“I couldn’t do the warm-up in the morning because of the crash, but I started the race as calm as possible. I needed to figure out how to ride with my injured foot, and I started to increase the pace because of the full wet conditions. As I went faster, I had a moment where I had some pain in my ankle, so I decided to bring it home and be safe. That meant seventh for us today. As I say, it was damage limitation, and now I will try to recover as much as possible before round two in a month.”
Round two of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will be held at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, from May 17 to 19.
Julian Correa (40) leading Amanuel Brinton (43) at Navarra. Photo by Bonnie Lane Photo, courtesy Michael Correa.
Lucas Brown won British Talent Cup Race Three Sunday at Circuit de Navarra, in Spain. Riding his SENCAT Talent Team/Mortimer Racing Honda, Brown won the 14-lap race by 0.008 second over Kovara Projects/RS Racing’s Amanuel Brinton. Mason Foster finished third on his BRP Honda.
Americans Eli Banish, Julian Correa, and Joshua Raymond, Jr. did not have as much success in Race Three. Raymond finished 19th on his Fibre Tec Honda, Raymond’s teammate Banish got 20th, and Correa suffered a mechanical DNF on his Microlise Cresswell Racing Honda.
“Leading the race with 6 laps to go I lost all power on the bike,” Correa posted on social media. “It just shut off. So a DNF in that race. The team did some research and it appears the stator went bad. These are those uncontrollable situations that just happen during race weekends. Better in the first race weekend of the season vs the last.
“We leave Navarra in P2 in the championship just 13pts back from the leader. We are all feeling really good heading into Round 2 in a handful of weeks. Thank you again to my team in the UK & US (and) to my #40fanclub and all of you my fans and supporters.”
Jesus Rios (54) won both FIM JuniorGP World Championship races at Misano. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Editorial Note: American Kristian Daniel, Jr. riding his AGR Team Honda, qualified ninth for the European Talent Cup races at the opening round of the FIM JuniorGP World Championship at Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli. Unfortunately, Daniel was “crashed out,” according to a social media post by his father, Kristian Daniel, and DNF both races.
Rios proves experience isn’t everything in FIM JuniorGP™ opening round
Dramatic first podiums and emotional returns to the top step of the rostrum abound in the FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship opener
The curtains finally lifted on the 2024 FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship in the Motor Valley and Emilia-Romagna round at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, and the Championship opener delivered on everything it promised in the previous day’s qualifying, with stars old and new shining throughout.
Stealing the spotlight early on, precocious talent Jesus Rios (MRE Talent) sealed his status as a contender for the FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship title with not one but two wins in Misano, delivering the double gold on his debut. The first Moto2™ European Championship race of the 2024 campaign saw Alberto Surra (Team Ciatti – Boscoscuro) claim first place with an accomplished ride. Meanwhile, in the first of the day’s two European Talent Cup races Giulio Pugliese (Aspar Junior Team) took victory in dramatic fashion. In the second, Marco Morelli (MLav racing) sealed an emotional first win in the class since 2020. The final winner of the day came in the Stock™ European Championship, with the familiar face of Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Yamaha GV Racing) returning to the top of the rostrum.
Race 1 of JuniorGP™ delivered drama right from the start, with Maximo Quiles (Team Estrella Galicia 0,0) stalling on the grid. With one of the preseason favourites falling out of contention, Alessandro Morosi (Aspar Junior Team) and Marcos Uriarte (Aspar Junior Team) took advantage. Claiming P2 and P3 respectively, the duo ensured ecstatic scenes in the Aspar box. It was a race in which the lead was contested throughout. With just four laps to go Ruche Moodley (Finetwork Team) collected Rico Salmela (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) while the latter was at the head of the pack, leaving both to lament a missed opportunity.
The second JuniorGP™ race of the day offered as much excitement as the first. While Rios made it two wins from two at the first time of asking, he was joined on the Race 2 podium by Adrian Cruces (Finetwork Team) and Cormac Buchanan (AGR Team). Unfortunately for both Moodley and Salmela, the duo came together once again in Race 2. This time around it was Salmela who highsided, his bike taking out Moodley who was completing a long lap penalty.
Following Surra in Moto2™ ECh were Roberto Garcia (Fantic Cardoso Racing) in P2 and Alberto Ferrandez (Finetwork Team) in P3. It was a hotly contested race with reigning MotoE™ World Champion Mattia Casadei (Team Ciatti – Boscoscuro) falling just short of joining his Team Ciatti teammate on the podium, finishing in fourth.
In Race 1 of the ETC Marco Morelli found himself edged back into second place by Giulio Pugliese by a margin of just 0.009 seconds. The duo vyed for first throughout the closing stages of the encounter, while David Gonzalez (AC Racing Team) had a sudden loss of pace towards the end of the race and had to settle for third.
Gonzalez joined Morelli once again on the podium in Race 2 of the ETC, this time able to pressure the leader right until the dying moments, eventually taking second. The two-time podium finishers were joined by Leonardo Zanni (Mir Racing Finetwork Team), who was made to work for the third step on the rostrum by Valentin Perrone (Frando Racing VHC Team) and an inspired Kerman Tinez (Mir Racing Finetwork Team) who finished P5 and P6 respectively.
Just behind Stock™ ECh race winner Lorenzo Dalla Porta came newcomer to the class Andy Verdoia (Team Honda Laglisse) and completing the podium in the final race of the day was Dino Iozzo (IUM Motorsports). Iozzo will rue the circumstances that saw him concede the race lead, with Adrian Rodriguez (SF Racing)’s crash resulting in a red flag and a restart, after which Dalla Porta seized the initiative.
Round 1 of the FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship sated appetites for the time being, but with so much talent on display, all eyes will be on the Circuito do Estoril in Portugal for Round 2 on May 5th!
You can also find all the results, videos, photos and information regarding the championship on the official website: www.fimjuniorgp.com
PJ Jacobsen won MotoAmerica Supersport Race Two Sunday at rainy Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. Jacobsen took the lead on the opening lap, withstood pressure throughout the wet 15-lap race, and held on to take his second win of the weekend and of the season on his Rahal Ducati Moto Panigale V2.
Jacobsen’s teammate Corey Alexander had some bad luck with lapped traffic in the closing laps and had to settle for the runner-up position on his Roller Die + Forming Ducati.
Jake Lewis made up a lot of ground during the race and brought his Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R750 home in third.
Mathew Scholtz put in another come-from-behind performance, taking his Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 from 11th on the grid to fourth at the finish.
Alfonso Linares rounded out the top five finishers on his Zinc AL 32 Racing Ducati Panigale V2.
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
ROAD ATLANTA: RACE 2
SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2024 | RACE 2
The Rahal Ducati Moto team departs the Road Atlanta circuit with confidence after a dominating doubleheader at the 12-turn track. Today’s Race 2 ran under wet conditions and it was PJ Jacobsen who led the way for the Rahal Ducati Moto team, sweeping the opening weekend on his XPEL machine in a stellar performance. Finishing just behind Jacobsen in second was the Roller Die + Forming rider, Corey Alexander, providing the team a 1-2 finish in its second-ever race.
Kayla Yaakov showed incredible speed and quickly rode through the field to gain six positions to P6 and clock the quickest lap of the race at that time before ultimately high-siding, ending her weekend early. Despite the incident, the young rider proved she is a staple within the Rahal Ducati Moto team.
With the redeeming results coming out of the weekend and Jacobsen and Alexander sitting first and second in the championship standings, respectively, the entire RDM team looks forward to continuing its growth and improvements to become the most competitive team in the paddock.
Today’s race concludes race activity at Road Atlanta. The Rahal Ducati Moto Panigales will head back to Indianapolis to prepare for the next Supersport race. Rounds 3 and 4 of MotoAmerica competition will take place at the famed Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, May 17 – 19.
Keep up with all things Rahal Ducati Moto by visiting RahalDucatiMoto.com and following our social media @rahalducatimoto.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: Third
FINISHED: First
CHAMPIONSHIP: First // 50 Points
NOTES: Clocked the second fastest lap of the race // Led each all 15 laps on his way to a monumental weekend sweep // Leads the championship standings by 17 points
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “I feel like it was a very fast race between the three of us on the podium, our pace was super fast. I got the W again today so it was a perfect weekend with both dry and wet conditions. I’m on a high right now, and I know there could be lows in the season, but the entire Rahal Ducati Moto team has done a great job. We have great sponsors supporting us with XPEL and Roller Die + Forming. Having Richie come on board and getting help from Bobby, Simone, and the Ducati Corse team has been a huge uplift for the entire team. We made a huge step this weekend with the right people behind us. It’s been a positive weekend for us all and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 ROLLER DIE DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: Fifth
FINISHED: Second
CHAMPIONSHIP: Second // 33 Pts.
NOTES: Recorded the fourth fastest lap of the race // Ran in second for all but four laps of the 15-lap event
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “When I heard rain this morning when I woke up I knew today could be a really good day for us. PJ, Kayla, and I are all really strong in the rain so I tried my hardest just to stay with PJ for the whole race and play my cards right at the end. Unfortunately, lapped traffic made it impossible to go for the win, but going 1-2 feels just as good for the Rahal Ducati Moto team and shows just how serious everyone involved is about being successful. I’m so happy with the turnaround from Daytona and thankful for everyone that’s made it possible. I’m even more excited for the rest of the season now.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 12th
FINISHED: DNF
CHAMPIONSHIP: 13th // 7 Pts.
NOTES: Climbed six positions before high-siding on Lap 6 // Finished second on the time charts for the morning warm-up session ahead of Race 2
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Today wasn’t ideal. During the race I felt pretty strong, I was putting in a pretty good pace and was able to catch up to fifth place – I knew if I got by him, I would be able to get up to podium contention. I came out of Turn 5, lost the rear, and high-sided myself. We learned a lot at this event and are going into Barber with confidence, especially after our test there last weekend I’d like to put this weekend behind me and focus on pushing through and learning from my teammates and competitors in the Supersport class.”
GRAHAM RAHAL
TEAM OWNER
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a fantastic weekend for our team. I really wish I could have been there to celebrate our first-ever win and the team’s dominating success this weekend. The results speak for themselves, we’re in this series to win, and we are determined to do that. This weekend is a testament to the hard work the team has put in to build confidence for our riders and crew and provide PJ, Corey, and Kayla with the equipment they need to get straight to work. I’m really looking forward to following along this season, capturing more wins, and eventually seeing these bikes on track in person later in the season. I’ve got to thank Richie and Ben for their determination on building this program to where it is. I’m super proud of the whole team.”
Dominic Doyle won MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup Race Two Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. Riding his Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing YZF-R7 on Dunlop rain tires, Doyle took the lead on the opening lap of the wet race and was never headed again. Doyle won the 10-lap race by 3.215 seconds.
Jack Roach got the holeshot on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R7 but was passed by Doyle in the final corner of the first lap. Roach was able to latch onto Doyle, but he was never able to get close enough to challenge for the lead and had to settle for the runner-up spot.
Gus Rodio, winner of the opening two Twins Cup races of the season at Daytona, passed class newcomer Avery Dreher on the final lap to score third on his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660.
Dreher held on to get fourth on his TopPro Racing Aprilia RS 660, and his teammate Romeo Chiavini rounded out the top five finishers.
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