Alvaro Bautista won the FIM Superbike World Championship Superpole race Sunday morning at TT Circuit Assen, in The Netherlands. Riding his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R on Pirelli control tires, the two-time and defending World Champion won the 10-lap race by 2.686 seconds, moving him into the lead in the point standings.
Bautista’s rookie teammate Nicolo Bulega was the runner-up, and Alex Lowes finished third, about five seconds behind Bulega, on his factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR.
American Garrett Gerloff finished 11th, 14.886 seconds behind Bautista, on his Bonovo Action BMW M 1000 RR.
Avery Dreher topped the MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup Warm-Up Sunday morning at rainy Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. Riding his TopPro Racing Aprilia RS 660 on Dunlop rain tires, Dreher lapped the 2.55-mile racetrack in 1:50.515 and led the field of 24 riders.
Rossi Moor bounced back from a scary crash and trip to the hospital on Saturday to be second in the warm-up with a 1:51.166 on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-8R.
Jack Roach rounded out the top three with a time of 1:51.624 on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R7.
Logan Cunnison led the wet MotoAmerica Junior Cup Warm-Up session Sunday morning at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Riding his Speed Demon Racing Kawasaki Ninja 400, Cunnison covered the 2.55-mile course in 1:57.665 to lead the field of 23 riders.
Juliana Fernandez was second-best with a 1:58.642 on her Fernandez Racing Kawasaki, and Eli Block rounded out the top three with a 1:58.847 on his BARTCON Racing Kawasaki.
Jett Lawrence Wins Nashville Supercross, Re-Claims Sole Possession of Red Plate
RJ Hampshire Dominates Showdown to Grab Points Lead in Western Regional 250SX Class
Nashville, Tenn., (April 21, 2024) Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence earned his sixth win of the season with a convincing victory inside Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac grabbed the Main Event Holeshot and held onto the lead until the midpoint. He finished in second place in the annual Love Moto Stop Cancer event, benefiting the children of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb, who had tied up the points leading into Nashville, earned third place; the finish puts him back five points with three rounds remaining in the 17-round Monster Energy Supercross season. In the season’s first 250SX East/West Showdown, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire had riders from both regional championships handled and grabbed the win.
Jett Lawrence. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
“I hate losing, so that bit of a losing streak really sucked. But [I’m] really pumped to come out and get it done here, especially with the Slash and Gibson [designed] gear. Those people are awesome to us, so I have to say a big shout out to them; I reckon it helped a lot. [I] felt good out there [and] hit my marks. A big [bummer] for Kenny, I didn’t get to fully see [Roczen’s crash] because of all the smoke, but it looked like it was pretty bad, so I hope he’s okay or has a speedy recovery from that. But… this [win] is leading in the good direction, so hopefully we keep it going.” – Jett Lawrence, when asked about returning to the top step of the podium after four rounds without a win.
“I was feeling it in the beginning, I’ll tell you what. And I was just trying different lines, and I figured we would have to do something special to get out front. Unfortunately, I didn’t maintain the lead there. I tried my heart out, that’s for sure. [I] had so much fun being up front for those few laps there. I’ll try to get better and better. You know, get better in the second half of the race. And so overall, great night for us, thank you so much, Nashville.” – Eli Tomac, when asked about launching some big jumps in the Main Event.
“I got off to a third-place start, and the guys just rode away from me. So gotta give it: when you’re not on, you’re not on, and tonight I definitely struggled. So I’ll take it; to get on the podium is great. Those boys were riding awesome. And last year I ended my season here [with a crash], so you got a little bit of that in the back of your mind. So, it’s good to get out of here healthy, still in the points hunt, and yep, can’t get ‘em every weekend… I want to give it up to the Good Lord, [my sponsors]… all these fans were great today and yeah, we get back to work this week.” – Cooper Webb
In the 250SX East/West Showdown, which pits riders from the Western Regional & Eastern Regional 250SX Class against one another, the west coast riders took the top two spots. RJ Hampshire grabbed the Holeshot and pulled away from the field; he earned enough points to take over the points lead in the west. Team Honda HRC’s Jo Shimoda took a strong second place. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle earned third, and enough points to move him into first place in the Eastern Regional 250SX Class championship.
RJ Hampshire (24). Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
“First off, [I’m] just so dang proud of this team. They stuck behind me during those rough couple rounds. Yeah, honestly… there was that break. It was that long six weeks break. I had a couple big crashes, just stupid [mistakes early in the season]. Man, it just kind of dragged me down… But [I] just executed my start in that Main Event, and that’s what I really needed. I mean, I feel like I always have the speed, it’s just executing that start, and giving myself a chance… [That was] just an awesome race. I had a couple moments there in the beginning, settled in, [then] I clicked off my laps… Just a big weight off my shoulders. I knew I could close the points lead tonight, didn’t expect to get the red plate back, but man, I’m so dang happy for my whole team, all our supporters, just everybody that sticks behind us… This Nashville crowd [is] awesome. I love this state. Pretty cool to come away with a win here tonight.” – RJ Hampshire when told he looked like a different rider and asked what made the difference in Nashville.
“For sure, confidence-wise it’s good. Good for me; me and my team worked really hard for this. Honestly, I was stressing so much during the day today. But it’s nice to get this out. With the podium it’s a good confidence booster, for sure. But I really want to win bad, so I’m just [going to] have to keep trying.” – Jo Shimoda, when asked what a good finish at a 250SX East/West Showdown does for his confidence.
“I couldn’t really see Haiden, and saw actually [that] Cameron was pulled over, or had an issue, early in the race. But [I] just tried to stay focused on my own race. I had a good pace; [the] track was pretty sketchy, so you really had to stay focused. And yeah, I’m pretty happy, it was a nice race, the track was actually – I kind of liked it today. I was riding good all day and yeah, two races to go, we’re getting closer.” – Tom Vialle, when asked if he could track where his Eastern Regional 250SX Class competitors were during the race.
The Nashville round also acted as the annual Love Moto Stop Cancer race, which kicks off a yearly auction that raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The Love Moto Stop Cancer partnership between Supercross and St. Jude is in its eighth year. The Supercross fans and racing community have raised over 1.5 million dollars for the organization that fights childhood cancer and keeps families together during treatment. The teams and racers increase their support at the special round each year with bike graphics and gear designs inspired by and incorporating art from the young patients at St. Jude. The custom items, along with more great prizes, now go up for auction. Please go to SupercrossLIVE.com/St-Jude to bid. Even if you’re not looking into the auction, you can join the racing community’s efforts by donating; just text SUPER to 785-833.
The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship lines the racers up again next Saturday night inside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. Round fifteen of the 17-round Supercross season also pays points toward the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship. The details for the sport’s post-season racing were recently announced with three events taking place in September.
Each Monster Energy AMA Supercross and Super Motocross World Championship round is streamed live on PeacockTV, with select rounds also broadcast or streamed domestically on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. CNBC airs next-day encore presentations of all 31 rounds of 2024 racing. Live audio for each Supercross race can be found at NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM Channel 85. International racing coverage is available on the SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv), live and on-demand, in both English and Spanish.
Tickets are on sale now for the final three 2024 Monster Energy Supercross events. For ticket sales, video recaps, race results, and event details please go to SupercrossLIVE.com.
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.
Current home: Montesol, Alicante, Spain (originally from McDade, Texas).
Current height/weight: 4’10″/80 pounds.
Current school grade level: 7th grade.
Began riding at age: 3 years.
First road race: 2018, Katy Texas, Texas Mini Grand Prix, Jr. Motard, 1st place.
Current racebike: Honda NSF250R.
Current tuner/mechanic: Finetwork MIR Racing Team.
Primary race series: FIM JuniorGP European Talent Cup.
Top sponsors: Roadway Traffic Control, HJC Helmets, Texas Motorcycle Academy, San Marcos Iron Doors, Williams Custom Painting, 212 Decals, Corsa Werks, Harris Hill Flattrackers, Moto Liberty, Paul Stamper, Mark Niemi/Niemi Fine Art, Ben Fondu, Theobick, Stacy Pawelek.
Recent racing accomplishments: 2023 season, placed 2nd in Finetwork MIR Racing Cup Spanish Championship (5 wins, 7 total podiums), placed 4th in RFME ESBK PreMoto3 Spanish Championship (4 podiums); 2022 season, placed 6th in RFME ESBK Moto4 Spanish National Championship (1 win, 2 total podiums, 5 top-five finishes), placed 2nd in CIV Moto4 Spanish Championship (6 podium finishes); 2021 season, finished 9th in Cuna de Campeones Moto5 Championship (1 podium, 4 top-5 finishes in 13 races), won CAV Moto5 National Championship race at Jerez, won multiple CMRA races; 2020 season, won MotoAmerica Mini Cup 110 and 160 National Championships, won 3 Texas Mini Grand Prix Championships, won 2 Mad Dog Flat Track Championships at Colin Edwards’ Texas Tornado Boot Camp; won a CMRA Formula 2 Novice race; 2019 season, won 45 Texas Mini Grsand Prix races, won 11 American Super Mini GP races, won 7 CMRA races, won 8 Mad Dog Flat Track races.
2024 racing goal: Finish in the top 3 with race wins and podiums in European Talent Cup Championship.
Racing career goal: Win the MotoGP World Championship.
Racing heroes: Colin Edwards, Kevin Schwantz, Ben Spies.
Favorite track: Circuit of The Americas.
Favorite hobby: Classic cars.
If I wasn’t racing I would be…: A cowboy.
…
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.
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
Kent claims first ever Bennetts BSB Omologato Pole Position at Circuito de Navarra
Danny Kent and the McAMS Racing Yamaha Team claimed their first ever Bennetts British Superbike Championship Omologato Pole Position at Circuito de Navarra this afternoon, holding off the charging OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing pairing of Ryan Vickers and Kyle Ryde by just 0.039s.
Josh Brookes was the first rider to attack the one-lap shootout and the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad rider set the initial benchmark. Next to set a time was MasterMac Honda’s Charlie Nesbitt who then hit the top of the times, before Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad’s Rory Skinner claimed the top spot.
Skinner stayed at the top of the times as Max Cook, Lee Jackson, and Peter Hickman completed their laps, with the second FHO Racing BMW Motorrad rider holding second place after his lap.
Fraser Rogers qualified for Omologato Superpole for the first time but the TAG Honda rider suffered a technical problem and was forced to forfeit his lap. That left Oxford Products Racing Ducati’s Christian Iddon to go next and a moment lost him valuable time and he will start tenth on the grid tomorrow for race one.
Next to set a time was Jason O’Halloran and the Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki rider was unable to topple Skinner from the times, he starts alongside Iddon.
Glenn Irwin was next to exit the pitlane and the Hager PBM Ducati rider upped the pace to move to the top of the times, which was where he stayed initially as Leon Haslam crashed his ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad machine on his flying lap to start 14th.
Reigning champion Tommy Bridewell was next, the Honda Racing UK team working against the clock to get him out for his lap after a technical issue in the earlier second Free Practice session. However, he was forced out of contention with another issue, which prompted a short red flag on Omologato Superpole. He will start from 15th on the grid for the opening race of his title defence.
The final three riders then had their chance and Kent was the first to push for a lap on the McAMS Racing Yamaha. He moved straight to the top of the times and despite the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing pairing getting close, the 2015 Moto3 World champion claimed a first Omologato Pole Position.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Omologato Superpole result:
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 1m36.609s
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha) +0.039s
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha) +0.189s
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +0.275s
Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad) +0.564s
Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +0.630s
Lee Jackson (MasterMac Honda) +0.640s
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +0.811s
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +0.839s
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +1.001s
Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +1.016s
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) + 1.104s
Fraser Rogers (TAG Honda)
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad)
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK)
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Danny Kent
McAMS Racing Yamaha
“I’m absolutely over the moon for myself and the McAMS Racing by Mar-Train team. They did a mega job throughout pre-season testing and the work that we did definitely contributed towards our result today.
“If I’m completely honest, I wasn’t expecting to get pole position. My used tyre pace is much better than my one-lap pace, so I’m feeling very confident heading into tomorrow. I feel like we can be competitive and can’t wait to get out on track again to see what we can do.”
American Julian Correa won British Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Circuit de Navarra, in Spain. Riding his Microlise Cresswell Racing Honda, Correa, age 15, won the 14-lap race by a margin of 0.046 second over SENCAT Talent Team/Mortimer Racing’s Lucas Brown. Ryan Frost placed third on a Fibre Tec Honda.
“Consistency is my key for this year, staying in the top three and winning races,” Correa said in a statement sent to RoadracingWorld.com. “I had a great battle with Lucas Brown to the line and used the draft to my advantage. I can’t thank my team in the UK, my team back home, my 40 Fan Club, and family enough. This was possible due to everyone’s hard work, and tomorrow we have two more races.”
American Joshua Raymond, Jr. finished 11th on his Fibre Tec Honda, and Raymond’s American teammate Eli Banish got 15th after starting 27th on the grid.
Troy Herfoss won MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Race One Saturday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. Riding his S&S/Indian Motorcycle Challenger on Dunlop control tires, the multi-time Australian Superbike Champion won the eight-lap race by 0.615 second, .
Kyle Wyman was the runner-up on his Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide. Defending Champion Hayden Gillim was third, 1.912 seconds behind Herfoss, on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.
Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara was just 0.3 second behind Gillim in fourth at the finish.
Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli rounded out the top five finishers.
A Day Of Close Racing And Firsts In MotoAmerica Support Class Battles At Road Atlanta
Four Classes With A Combined Margin Of Victory Of Just .389 Of A Second In Georgia
BRASELTON, GA (April 20, 2024) – Close racing was the order of the day as the MotoAmerica Championship began its 10th season of racing with the four support classes ending the day with a combined margin of victory of just 1.5 seconds (for an average of .389 of a second) at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Saturday.
Winners on the day included a few firsts. For starters there was a first-time winner in the Junior Cup class with Matthew Chapin scoring his debut MotoAmerica win, and the Rahal Ducati Moto team nabbed its first-ever Supersport victory with PJ Jacobsen riding the team’s Ducati Panigale V2 to victory.
Additionally, Troy Herfoss won the Mission King Of The Baggers race in his first visit to Road Atlanta, and Rocco Landers rode a Suzuki GSX-8R to victory in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup race for the new bike’s first Twins Cup win.
Mission King Of The Baggers – Aussie, Aussie, Aussie
S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Troy Herfoss continues to impress with the Australian winning his second Mission King Of The Baggers race of the year at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on a sunny Saturday.
Troy Herfoss (17) beat Kyle Wyman (33) and Hayden Gillim (1) to win the Mission King Of The Baggers on Saturday at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Herfoss, who earlier in the day won the three-lap Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge, sat behind Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman for four of the eight laps before making a pass on the championship points leader and taking the victory, albeit by just .615 of a second.
Third place went to RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim with the Kentuckian earning his first podium finish of the season in the fifth Baggers race of the year.
Herfoss’s win over Wyman cut a 10-point lead in half and the pair are now separated by just five points.
“It is a really enjoyable track. Like I keep saying, it’s a lot to learn, but the Indian Challenger has got a great base setting. I can roll out and I don’t have to think about the bike. I can learn the track. It’s just really important to be patient at the moment. The first session I was a little bit frustrated after the P1 session. I just feel like I sort of peaked in the middle of the session and then I was probably a little bit closer than I thought I would be in the first few laps, and then I got out and got excited. As we all know, these bikes are so big, you can’t over-ride them. So, that was a bit frustrating. I just had to reset there. It probably halted progress for us. It’s funny. I’m sitting here with a Challenge win and a race win and I’m criticizing myself. It’s such a long year. Kyle (Wyman) just seen me for three laps, and the race continues. These guys are both watching me in the races. I crossed the line first in this one and there’s 13 races to go. They know a bit more about me and I know a bit more about them. It will just be like a chess match all year the way it’s going. When I signed up for this there was a lot of DNFs, and consistency would win it. This year it’s like raw speed and consistency is what you need. It’s an elite championship, and all these guys, especially the guys next to me here are putting in a big effort, and so am I.”
Junior Cup – A First For Chapin
Saturday’s racing started off with MotoAmerica’s entry-level riders, who always put on a great show in the Junior Cup Championship. There are a lot of new faces in Junior Cup this year as several riders have moved up to other race classes. However, Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher, who is also racing in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup Championship, is defending his 2023 Junior Cup Championship. And, for a while, it looked like the rider of the number-one Kawasaki was going to win the race. Unfortunately, after extending his lead to a comfortable distance, he made a mistake and crashed out. That left a gaggle of riders to fight for the win, and fight, they did.
Avery Dreher (1) crashed out of the lead in the Junior Cup class, handing victory to Matthew Chapin (95). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BARTCON Racing’s rookie rider Matthew Chapin prevailed with the first win of his young career by .072 of a second over polesitter Ryan Wolfe, who notched his first career podium aboard his Wolfe Racing Kawasaki. Third place went to New York Safety Track Racing’s Yandel Medina for the second podium of his career.
“I was stuck in the back of the pack the whole time,” Chapin said. “People were just dive-bombing me. I couldn’t really get anything done. But I knew if I was patient, I could get the draft because I’m a lot smaller than everybody else. I don’t weigh lot, so I knew I could draft into the line. I passed Ryan up the inside at the end. He came back on the outside, and I think it was in turn 11, I passed him back up the inside for the win. I’m so pumped right now. Words can’t even express it. I’m so pumped.”
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Suzuki’s First With the GSX-8R
The Suzuki GSX-8R has joined the fray in the highly competitive BellissiMoto Twins Cup Championship, and in race one, RevZilla/Motul Vance & Hines Suzuki rider Rocco Landers brought home the bike’s first MotoAmerica win by .769 of a second over Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering Aprilia rider Gus Rodio. Rodio was followed across the finish line by his teammate and third-place finisher Alessandro Di Mario.
Rocco Landers (97) won the BellissiMoto Twins Cup race on Saturday, giving the Suzuki GSX-8R its first victory. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
“I knew I was decent in the first sector because the (Suzuki) just brakes and turns like a total dream,” Landers said. “I just tried to sit there and try to get by them and see if I could lead through the first sector and see what happened. Eventually I was able to. I wasn’t really looking back, but based off the fact that I didn’t have anyone come flying by me down the back straight, I figured it somewhat worked out. The bike is fast as heck as soon as you get it into sixth gear, but I knew I had to really work for it. Up until there, we’re working towards making that power happen. It’s sick to get a win in the third race on this thing, second weekend. The team works so hard, my whole crew. We haven’t started a session with the same setup we had the session before since we got on the thing. The progress that we’ve made is amazing. The thing is so much different than it was when we rolled it out of the truck at Daytona. But it’s going to be quite a season with these guys with how good they’re riding. We’ll see where it goes.”
Supersport – Jacobsen Gives Rahal Victory #1
With 44 riders entering to race in Supersport at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and several former Superbike riders joining the class for the 2024 season, we knew the competition level would be at an all-time high. Saturday’s Supersport race one did not disappoint as it was definitely one of the most exciting races of the day.
PJ Jacobsen (15) beat Blake Davis (22) to win the Supersport race on Saturday at Road Atlanta. Tyler Scott (70) crashed out of the lead. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Tyler Scott looked to have the race in hand, but he unfortunately suffered a big crash in the esses, which took him out of the race. At the front of the pack, N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis got his Yamaha in the lead, but Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen overtook Davis and crossed the finish line just .103 of a second ahead of Davis.
Meanwhile, Mathew Scholtz, who had electrical problems with his Strack Racing Yamaha on Thursday and only managed to qualify 11th, knifed his way through the pack and actually led the race for a short time before bringing his bike home in third place for the final spot on the podium.
“First, I really want to just say thanks to the Rahal Ducati Moto Team, XPEL, and Roller Die,” Jacobsen commented. “Basically, Richie Alexander, everybody in the whole team for just turning things around since Daytona. It’s a brand-new team. Graham has done a great job, and so has Ben (Spies). I just really want to thank them for putting this whole program together and getting things even more on track from Daytona. So, it’s been really good to progress. We had some testing and stuff. The team is super organized. It’s a really good environment over there, so I’m really happy to be a part of what whole program.
“But getting into the race now, I was kind of nervous. First race of the year, and stuff like that. Everybody is super close here in pace. But I was trying to manage being in front for a while there, and then Tyler passed me, Blake passed me. Then I was going to sit behind them and see them do some work and see what they had. But, unfortunately, Tyler (Scott) crashed, and I was really nervous because he crashed, and he was kind of tumbling through, and I didn’t want to hit him. So, I had my hands up. I thought a red flag was going to come out, but unfortunately it didn’t. It was because the bike was in the middle of the track. So, it was kind of scary for everybody behind me, because I was the first one to approach that after Blake (Davis). I was just really worried about Tyler and his body kind of being right there. It was kind of sketchy. Hopefully he’s all right and everything. Tyler is a great kid. We’ve been trying the whole race and stuff. Bike was riding great. My teammate, Corey, was riding super, super great. Then (Mathew) Scholtz came past with two laps to go. I was like, ‘Man, this guy! What is he doing?’ I was like, ‘Okay, I got to turn it up again.’ I’m just trying to hang onto Blake here and now I’ve got Scholtz. So, it was good. I kind of knew some spots where Blake was struggling a little bit, and I knew if I didn’t get the draft like someone did on the inside of me on that last lap there that I would have had a go at Blake, and I knew kind of where to get him. So, when he passed me in 10A, I kind of knew that I could have had a really good go in the last corner in 12. I was going for it at that point. I was eyeing it up for a few laps in the middle of the race. It was a really good race, and everybody has been riding super good. I think Supersport is going to be pretty interesting this year. There’s a lot of fast talent in that class.”
Cameron Beaubier won MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race One Saturday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. Riding his Dunlop-shod Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR, Beaubier won the 19-lap race by just 0.240 second.
Three-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne was the runner-up on his Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1 and finished less than 0.1 second ahead of pole-sitter Bobby Fong, who took third on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1.
Sean Dylan Kelly took fourth, just 3.548 seconds behind Beaubier in his first race on his TopPro Racing BMW Superbike.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin crossed the finish line fifth, 0.7 second behind Kelly.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz came home sixth, a fraction of a second ahead of Beaubier’s teammate JD Beach (seventh) and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante (eighth).
Seconds after taking the checkered flag, Escalante ran into the back of Baz, and both riders crashed heavily. Escalante was transported to the hospital, but the condition of Escalante and Baz was not immediately known at post time.
Beaubier Over Gagne And Fong In Road Atlanta Superbike Thriller
The Steel Commander Superbike Series Begins With A Race For The Ages At Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
The battle for the Superbike win came down to Gagne (1) vs. Fong (50) and Beaubier (60). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BRASELTON, GA (April 20, 2024) – In a titanic battle that began with as many as seven riders fighting at the front and ended with three, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier came out on top with a pass on Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne with two laps to go in a thrilling Steel Commander Superbike season-opening race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Saturday.
The win was the 60th Superbike victory of Beaubier’s career and it came with the five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion biding his time and sitting behind Gagne and Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong for the last third of the race. Beaubier planned to make his move with three laps to go, but instead had to wait until the penultimate lap. He made the move and made it stick, beating three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Gagne to the line by .240 of a second in what was his comeback race from the injuries he suffered last year at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
For many, Fong was the surprise of the weekend with the Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1-mounted Fong earning pole position in the morning Q2 session, then running at the front for the duration and ending up third and just .332 of a second from race-winner Beaubier.
TopPro Racing Team’s Sean Dylan Kelly was an impressive fourth in his MotoAmerica Superbike debut. The Floridian was quick from the get-go and didn’t put a foot wrong – even as he battled in the heated pack at the front in the first portion of the race. Kelly was just 3.5 seconds behind Beaubier and .7 of a second ahead of Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin.
Herrin was at the front of the Superbike pack early in the race, battling primarily with Fong for the top spot as the others hooked in behind the lead duo. Fong made a pass on the inside of Herrin early in the race, but it was the second time that he made the same move in the final corner that ended up going horribly wrong for Herrin. With the door open enough for his Yamaha to fit through, Fong made the move in the final corner and the result was Herrin running off the track on the exit.
By the time he rejoined the racetrack, Herrin was well back and forced to do an admirable job of moving forward again with passes on Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach, and Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz.
Herrin ended up fifth with Baz sixth, Beach seventh and Escalante eighth with the top eight separated by under six seconds. Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim and Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders rounded out the top 10.
After crossing the finish line just .6 of a second apart, Baz and Escalante were involved in a big crash together at the end of the front straight after both crossed the finish line.
Two of the series stars had bad days with Brandon Paasch crashing his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki out of the race after just two laps and Attack Performance Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen crashing, remounting, and finishing 15th to at least salvage a championship point. Petersen was running near the front when he was penalized two spots for passing under a waving yellow flag. After doing so, Petersen crashed but was able to remount and finish the race.
Quotes
Cameron Beaubier – Winner
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pretty over motorcycles after Pittsburgh. Sitting at home hurt, but all of us share this passion. Got motorcycles in our blood. A couple months go by and then you start getting hungry. The team posted the date for the first test and then you got something to work towards. Then after that, I was just itching to go racing. We got a couple good tests under our belt. Felt really good at the test. Made some good progress with the bike, with the Tytlers guys. Big hats off to them. They worked their butts off all off-season to elevate our game. Yesterday didn’t necessarily start out great, throwing the bike down the road in the second practice. But today was awesome. We didn’t make it easy, Jake (Gagne) either, on ourselves, starting on the second row of the grid, just with how stacked the field is right now. Like Jake said, it’s pretty awesome to race with all these guys. I was only two or three tenths off, and I was back in fifth in qualifying. That hasn’t been the case so much in the past years in MotoAmerica Superbike. So, it’s pretty cool. Just happy to be back and happy to feel healthy. Jake was setting a good pace up there in front. I think we were all kind of in management mode. The track was pretty greasy. We were sliding around. I feel like it would have been pretty risky to go any faster. I was just trying to bide my time. Bobby (Fong) was making it really difficult because he was so late on the brakes. I kept catching him on the back straightaway and had to roll out a little bit. I would catch him at the worst spot, going into the kink, and then he would brake super deep down into 10. So, I was kind of stuck there. I was just biding my time until the last few laps. I was able to make a couple good passes. Jake and I went back and forth that last lap and was able to bring it home. It’s a good feeling.”
Jake Gagne – Second Place
“Yeah, definitely. It was cool. Going into the race, starting second row, having fast guys in front, fast guys behind, it’s a whole different story than last couple years. I keep saying it, but there’s so much speed in this Superbike class now. It’s pretty cool to be a part of. It was one of those days. All I wanted to do was get a clean start, but you never really know what kind of pace guys are going to have, especially that second half. I was actually kind of surprised. I wasn’t sure. Bob (Fong) passed (Josh) Herrin. He went off and then Bob ran a little wide and then I was in the lead. I wasn’t sure who was behind me, honestly. I knew Bobby was there. I figured Cam (Beaubier) was there. But I think it was pretty slick out there. The Dunlops held up well with the heat of the track. This place gets really greasy. I’m happy. The bike was working really, really good. Kind of like last year, I was just struggling with such bad arm pump half the race. I just felt like a sitting duck. Just shows you how good this Yamaha is working. It was a fun race. I knew somebody was going to try to pass me. Second-to-last lap, Cam came up the inside somewhere. We went back and forth a couple of times. It was a good race and a good way to start the year.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Gagne Scores Runner-Up Finish at MotoAmerica Superbike Opener
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne takes runner-up finish in a hard-fought MotoAmerica Superbike battle at Road Atlanta
MARIETTA, Ga. – April 21, 2024 – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne scored a runner-up finish in challenging conditions at yesterday’s first MotoAmerica Superbike race of the 2024 season at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. His teammate Cameron Petersen unfortunately crashed in the latter half of the race but rejoined in 15th, where he would finish.
Gagne qualified fourth, coming just shy of a spot on the front row in the combined times. When the lights went green, he got a good start and slotted into fourth, and then made the pass for third on Lap 2. The reigning three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion rode a calculated race in that final podium spot and advanced to second just before the start of Lap 8 when the frontrunner ran off track in the final corner. Shortly after, he passed fellow Yamaha rider Bobby Fong to claim the lead and ran a strong pace up front. It was a three-rider fight with the competition hot on his heels. Gagne held them off but unfortunately was dealing with arm pump issues, and in the final laps, he was passed by the competition. The Colorado rider countered to reclaim the lead, and the duo exchanged the lead a few times, but ultimately Gagne would cross the line second.
After being sidelined last Summer to repair a wrist injury, Petersen had a solid return to action at the season opener and qualified sixth. He was sixth after the start of the race and had the lead group in sight. The South African made the pass for fifth on Lap 5 and advanced to fourth after the race leader went off track. Unfortunately, he was assessed a two-position penalty for passing under a waving yellow flag and was shuffled back to sixth. Petersen worked on making his way back into the top five but crashed on Lap 13. Undeterred, he rejoined in 15th and rode on to score inside the points with that position.
The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team looks forward to this afternoon’s Race 2 of the MotoAmerica Superbike season opener at Road Atlanta.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Jake was on track for another race win, but unfortunately he had an arm pump issue and ended up second. Cameron was trying to make his way back into the top five and then crashed trying to avoid another rider. It’s not how we wanted to start the season, but our R1s are running great, and our guys have the pace to run up front. We look forward to getting back on top of the podium, in the wet or dry.”
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #1
“It’s the first race of the season, and everybody’s excited, so you never really know where you are going to be, but the bike was working really well. I got a good start, and I was trying to stay smooth, and I led a lot of the race. I just struggled really badly with arm pump after the halfway point. I’m happy in a way because we got a podium with how I was feeling. The bike was really good. I just didn’t have much fight there in the end.”
Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“It was a little bit disappointing. After waiting all that time, I was hoping for more, but taking away the positives from the day, I ran at the front and had the pace to battle for the podium, and I felt really good. I got hit with the penalty – honestly, I didn’t see the yellow flags – and I had to drop two positions. I was trying to make my way back and then almost ran into the back of (Loris) Baz. It put me into a spot on the track that nobody really wants to be in, and I went down. Tomorrow’s a new day. It’s supposed to be wet. I’m looking forward to it.”
About Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, WaveRunner Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars, Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.
YMUS has a corporate office in California, three corporate offices in Georgia, facilities in Wisconsin and Alabama, and factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company (YMSC) with divisions Bennett Marine (Florida), Kracor Systems (Wisconsin) and Siren Marine, Inc. (Rhode Island), Skeeter Boats (Texas), with division G3 Boats (Missouri), and Yamaha Precision Propeller (Indiana).
Yamaha Motor Finance Corporation, U.S.A. (Yamaha Financial Services), an affiliate of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., offering financing solutions to support Yamaha Dealers and loyal Yamaha customers nationwide. Yamaha Financial Services provides retail and commercial financing for the diverse line of Yamaha brand motor products based out of Cypress, CA and Marietta, GA.
PJ Jacobsen won MotoAmerica Supersport Race One Saturday afternoon at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. It was a multi-rider dogfight from the start to the finish of the 18-lap race, but Jacobsen was able to get his Dunlop-shod Rahal Ducati Moto Panigale V2 across the finish line first thanks to a last-lap, last-corner pass.
Blake Davis led at many points of the race but had to settle for the runner-up spot, just 0.103 second behind Jacobsen, on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R6.
Supersport newcomer Mathew Scholtz came from 11th on the grid to lead late in the race and ended finishing third in his debut race on his new Strack Racing Yamaha.
Pole-sitter Tyler Scott was leading on lap 12 when he crashed his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750. Scott was able to walk away from the crash.
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
ROAD ATLANTA: RACE 1
SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024 | QUALIFYING 2 & RACE 1
The Rahal Ducati Moto team started the Supersport championship season off with PJ Jacobsen riding his XPEL Ducati to victory lane at the checkered flag of Race 1. The race proved to showcase the team’s speed and determination for the upcoming season as all three riders claimed a top 10 spot.
Corey Alexander raced to the front of the pack trading places with his teammate, Jacobsen, battling for position before ultimately finishing fourth. Kayla Yaakov also showed tremendous strength battling the twists and turns of Road Atlanta to claim the ninth-place spot.
Tomorrow hosts another chance to earn hardware as the trio takes on Race 2 of the weekend. The race is expected to run under wet conditions with rain in the forecast throughout the day. The second race of the weekend will go green at 2:10 p.m. ET with coverage available at MotoAmericaLivePlus.com.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: Third
FINISHED: First
CHAMPIONSHIP: First // 25 Points
NOTES: Battled through 18 laps, trading the lead with Tyler Scott, Blake Davis, and Matt Scholtz throughout the race // Clocked the third-fastest lap of the race matching teammate Corey Alexander’s fastest lap // Heads into Race 2 of the weekend in the points lead // Will start tomorrow’s race from third
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “First off, I want to say thanks to the Rahal Ducati Moto team, Graham and Bobby, XPEL, Roller Die, Richie Alexander, and the whole crew for turning things around since Daytona. It’s a brand new team and Graham and Ben have done such a great job moving things in the right direction. Huge thanks to them for putting this program together and getting everything solid on track.
“It’s felt really good to progress and test with an organized team and a great environment. I was nervous going into Race 1 of the MotoAmerica championship season. Everybody was super close in pace, so I was trying to manage leading in P1 for a while. Tyler [Scott] passed me, Blake [Davis] passed me, and I was going to sit behind them and see what they had, but unfortunately, Tyler crashed and I didn’t want to hit him so I threw my hand up thinking a red flag would come out. It was scary for me and everyone behind me because the bike was in the middle of the track. I was really worried about Tyler being there – I hope he’s all right. My teammate Corey [Alexander] was riding great and then [Mathew] Scholtz came to pass with two laps to go and I knew I had to turn it up a little bit. I knew if I didn’t get the draft with someone on the inside of me on the last lap then I would’ve had a go at Blake, and I knew where to get him. When he passed me in Turn 10A, I knew I had a good go in Turn 12, so I went for it. Supersport will be interesting this year because of all the fast talent in the class, but it was a really good race overall and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 ROLLER DIE DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: Fifth
FINISHED: Fourth
CHAMPIONSHIP: Fourth // 13 Pts.
NOTES: Recorded a running position as high as second, battling for a podium finish through the final lap // Will start Race 2 from fifth
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a good race for us. I definitely would’ve liked to get on the podium with PJ – it was my goal to get two Rahal Ducati Moto bikes up there but unfortunately, I was battling my size the whole race which was pretty obvious. I couldn’t capitalize on my strengths when running with the group and had to do a lot of work on the brakes to stay in the podium hunt. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in the front tire those last couple laps so I was happy enough to take home a 4th place in one piece, still exceeding my expectations coming into the weekend. We’ve had a huge turnaround from Daytona and we’re happy to have three of our Ducati’s up in the top 10. It looks like tomorrow might get a little wet and wild so let’s see what the day brings.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 12th
FINISHED: Ninth
CHAMPIONSHIP: Ninth // 7 Pts.
NOTES: Gained three positions throughout the 18-lap race // Ran with strong race pace and was able to stick with the lead group to earn a ninth-place finish to start the season // Confident with the bike and the changes the team can make overnight // Will roll off the grid from the 12th position for tomorrow’s race
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Today was a pretty good day. We made some changes going into the race and they helped out a lot. The overall race pace was good, especially towards the end. We have a couple of things to work on, but I’m pretty confident going into tomorrow. The bike’s feeling better each session which is always the goal and I keep improving positions every time. I’m super excited for tomorrow, rain or dry, and to get back on the XPEL Ducati and continue to improve my position.”
BEN SPIES
TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “I’m extremely happy for the team! PJ [Jacobsen] ran a great race – sent it pretty hard on the last lap, protected the inside, and ultimately got it done. Corey [Alexander] ran a pretty great race too and Kayla [Yaakov] improved during Qualifying 2. This validates all the changes we’ve made since returning from Daytona. We couldn’t be happier for PJ, the team and everybody involved and are very pleased with the confidence that’s building in our organization. It is just one race, but it’s a great start to the season and we’ve got tomorrow to regroup and try and get on the podium again.”
Alvaro Bautista won the FIM Superbike World Championship Superpole race Sunday morning at TT Circuit Assen, in The Netherlands. Riding his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R on Pirelli control tires, the two-time and defending World Champion won the 10-lap race by 2.686 seconds, moving him into the lead in the point standings.
Bautista’s rookie teammate Nicolo Bulega was the runner-up, and Alex Lowes finished third, about five seconds behind Bulega, on his factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR.
American Garrett Gerloff finished 11th, 14.886 seconds behind Bautista, on his Bonovo Action BMW M 1000 RR.
Avery Dreher topped the MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup Warm-Up Sunday morning at rainy Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. Riding his TopPro Racing Aprilia RS 660 on Dunlop rain tires, Dreher lapped the 2.55-mile racetrack in 1:50.515 and led the field of 24 riders.
Rossi Moor bounced back from a scary crash and trip to the hospital on Saturday to be second in the warm-up with a 1:51.166 on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-8R.
Jack Roach rounded out the top three with a time of 1:51.624 on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R7.
Logan Cunnison led the wet MotoAmerica Junior Cup Warm-Up session Sunday morning at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Riding his Speed Demon Racing Kawasaki Ninja 400, Cunnison covered the 2.55-mile course in 1:57.665 to lead the field of 23 riders.
Juliana Fernandez was second-best with a 1:58.642 on her Fernandez Racing Kawasaki, and Eli Block rounded out the top three with a 1:58.847 on his BARTCON Racing Kawasaki.
Nissan Stadium delivered great racing, dramatic setbacks, and a points lead change in all three of the championships. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
Jett Lawrence Wins Nashville Supercross, Re-Claims Sole Possession of Red Plate
RJ Hampshire Dominates Showdown to Grab Points Lead in Western Regional 250SX Class
Nashville, Tenn., (April 21, 2024) Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence earned his sixth win of the season with a convincing victory inside Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac grabbed the Main Event Holeshot and held onto the lead until the midpoint. He finished in second place in the annual Love Moto Stop Cancer event, benefiting the children of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb, who had tied up the points leading into Nashville, earned third place; the finish puts him back five points with three rounds remaining in the 17-round Monster Energy Supercross season. In the season’s first 250SX East/West Showdown, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire had riders from both regional championships handled and grabbed the win.
Jett Lawrence. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
“I hate losing, so that bit of a losing streak really sucked. But [I’m] really pumped to come out and get it done here, especially with the Slash and Gibson [designed] gear. Those people are awesome to us, so I have to say a big shout out to them; I reckon it helped a lot. [I] felt good out there [and] hit my marks. A big [bummer] for Kenny, I didn’t get to fully see [Roczen’s crash] because of all the smoke, but it looked like it was pretty bad, so I hope he’s okay or has a speedy recovery from that. But… this [win] is leading in the good direction, so hopefully we keep it going.” – Jett Lawrence, when asked about returning to the top step of the podium after four rounds without a win.
“I was feeling it in the beginning, I’ll tell you what. And I was just trying different lines, and I figured we would have to do something special to get out front. Unfortunately, I didn’t maintain the lead there. I tried my heart out, that’s for sure. [I] had so much fun being up front for those few laps there. I’ll try to get better and better. You know, get better in the second half of the race. And so overall, great night for us, thank you so much, Nashville.” – Eli Tomac, when asked about launching some big jumps in the Main Event.
“I got off to a third-place start, and the guys just rode away from me. So gotta give it: when you’re not on, you’re not on, and tonight I definitely struggled. So I’ll take it; to get on the podium is great. Those boys were riding awesome. And last year I ended my season here [with a crash], so you got a little bit of that in the back of your mind. So, it’s good to get out of here healthy, still in the points hunt, and yep, can’t get ‘em every weekend… I want to give it up to the Good Lord, [my sponsors]… all these fans were great today and yeah, we get back to work this week.” – Cooper Webb
In the 250SX East/West Showdown, which pits riders from the Western Regional & Eastern Regional 250SX Class against one another, the west coast riders took the top two spots. RJ Hampshire grabbed the Holeshot and pulled away from the field; he earned enough points to take over the points lead in the west. Team Honda HRC’s Jo Shimoda took a strong second place. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle earned third, and enough points to move him into first place in the Eastern Regional 250SX Class championship.
RJ Hampshire (24). Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
“First off, [I’m] just so dang proud of this team. They stuck behind me during those rough couple rounds. Yeah, honestly… there was that break. It was that long six weeks break. I had a couple big crashes, just stupid [mistakes early in the season]. Man, it just kind of dragged me down… But [I] just executed my start in that Main Event, and that’s what I really needed. I mean, I feel like I always have the speed, it’s just executing that start, and giving myself a chance… [That was] just an awesome race. I had a couple moments there in the beginning, settled in, [then] I clicked off my laps… Just a big weight off my shoulders. I knew I could close the points lead tonight, didn’t expect to get the red plate back, but man, I’m so dang happy for my whole team, all our supporters, just everybody that sticks behind us… This Nashville crowd [is] awesome. I love this state. Pretty cool to come away with a win here tonight.” – RJ Hampshire when told he looked like a different rider and asked what made the difference in Nashville.
“For sure, confidence-wise it’s good. Good for me; me and my team worked really hard for this. Honestly, I was stressing so much during the day today. But it’s nice to get this out. With the podium it’s a good confidence booster, for sure. But I really want to win bad, so I’m just [going to] have to keep trying.” – Jo Shimoda, when asked what a good finish at a 250SX East/West Showdown does for his confidence.
“I couldn’t really see Haiden, and saw actually [that] Cameron was pulled over, or had an issue, early in the race. But [I] just tried to stay focused on my own race. I had a good pace; [the] track was pretty sketchy, so you really had to stay focused. And yeah, I’m pretty happy, it was a nice race, the track was actually – I kind of liked it today. I was riding good all day and yeah, two races to go, we’re getting closer.” – Tom Vialle, when asked if he could track where his Eastern Regional 250SX Class competitors were during the race.
The Nashville round also acted as the annual Love Moto Stop Cancer race, which kicks off a yearly auction that raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The Love Moto Stop Cancer partnership between Supercross and St. Jude is in its eighth year. The Supercross fans and racing community have raised over 1.5 million dollars for the organization that fights childhood cancer and keeps families together during treatment. The teams and racers increase their support at the special round each year with bike graphics and gear designs inspired by and incorporating art from the young patients at St. Jude. The custom items, along with more great prizes, now go up for auction. Please go to SupercrossLIVE.com/St-Jude to bid. Even if you’re not looking into the auction, you can join the racing community’s efforts by donating; just text SUPER to 785-833.
The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship lines the racers up again next Saturday night inside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. Round fifteen of the 17-round Supercross season also pays points toward the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship. The details for the sport’s post-season racing were recently announced with three events taking place in September.
Each Monster Energy AMA Supercross and Super Motocross World Championship round is streamed live on PeacockTV, with select rounds also broadcast or streamed domestically on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. CNBC airs next-day encore presentations of all 31 rounds of 2024 racing. Live audio for each Supercross race can be found at NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM Channel 85. International racing coverage is available on the SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv), live and on-demand, in both English and Spanish.
Tickets are on sale now for the final three 2024 Monster Energy Supercross events. For ticket sales, video recaps, race results, and event details please go to SupercrossLIVE.com.
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.
Current home: Montesol, Alicante, Spain (originally from McDade, Texas).
Current height/weight: 4’10″/80 pounds.
Current school grade level: 7th grade.
Began riding at age: 3 years.
First road race: 2018, Katy Texas, Texas Mini Grand Prix, Jr. Motard, 1st place.
Current racebike: Honda NSF250R.
Current tuner/mechanic: Finetwork MIR Racing Team.
Primary race series: FIM JuniorGP European Talent Cup.
Top sponsors: Roadway Traffic Control, HJC Helmets, Texas Motorcycle Academy, San Marcos Iron Doors, Williams Custom Painting, 212 Decals, Corsa Werks, Harris Hill Flattrackers, Moto Liberty, Paul Stamper, Mark Niemi/Niemi Fine Art, Ben Fondu, Theobick, Stacy Pawelek.
Recent racing accomplishments: 2023 season, placed 2nd in Finetwork MIR Racing Cup Spanish Championship (5 wins, 7 total podiums), placed 4th in RFME ESBK PreMoto3 Spanish Championship (4 podiums); 2022 season, placed 6th in RFME ESBK Moto4 Spanish National Championship (1 win, 2 total podiums, 5 top-five finishes), placed 2nd in CIV Moto4 Spanish Championship (6 podium finishes); 2021 season, finished 9th in Cuna de Campeones Moto5 Championship (1 podium, 4 top-5 finishes in 13 races), won CAV Moto5 National Championship race at Jerez, won multiple CMRA races; 2020 season, won MotoAmerica Mini Cup 110 and 160 National Championships, won 3 Texas Mini Grand Prix Championships, won 2 Mad Dog Flat Track Championships at Colin Edwards’ Texas Tornado Boot Camp; won a CMRA Formula 2 Novice race; 2019 season, won 45 Texas Mini Grsand Prix races, won 11 American Super Mini GP races, won 7 CMRA races, won 8 Mad Dog Flat Track races.
2024 racing goal: Finish in the top 3 with race wins and podiums in European Talent Cup Championship.
Racing career goal: Win the MotoGP World Championship.
Racing heroes: Colin Edwards, Kevin Schwantz, Ben Spies.
Favorite track: Circuit of The Americas.
Favorite hobby: Classic cars.
If I wasn’t racing I would be…: A cowboy.
…
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.
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
Kent claims first ever Bennetts BSB Omologato Pole Position at Circuito de Navarra
Danny Kent and the McAMS Racing Yamaha Team claimed their first ever Bennetts British Superbike Championship Omologato Pole Position at Circuito de Navarra this afternoon, holding off the charging OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing pairing of Ryan Vickers and Kyle Ryde by just 0.039s.
Josh Brookes was the first rider to attack the one-lap shootout and the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad rider set the initial benchmark. Next to set a time was MasterMac Honda’s Charlie Nesbitt who then hit the top of the times, before Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad’s Rory Skinner claimed the top spot.
Skinner stayed at the top of the times as Max Cook, Lee Jackson, and Peter Hickman completed their laps, with the second FHO Racing BMW Motorrad rider holding second place after his lap.
Fraser Rogers qualified for Omologato Superpole for the first time but the TAG Honda rider suffered a technical problem and was forced to forfeit his lap. That left Oxford Products Racing Ducati’s Christian Iddon to go next and a moment lost him valuable time and he will start tenth on the grid tomorrow for race one.
Next to set a time was Jason O’Halloran and the Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki rider was unable to topple Skinner from the times, he starts alongside Iddon.
Glenn Irwin was next to exit the pitlane and the Hager PBM Ducati rider upped the pace to move to the top of the times, which was where he stayed initially as Leon Haslam crashed his ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad machine on his flying lap to start 14th.
Reigning champion Tommy Bridewell was next, the Honda Racing UK team working against the clock to get him out for his lap after a technical issue in the earlier second Free Practice session. However, he was forced out of contention with another issue, which prompted a short red flag on Omologato Superpole. He will start from 15th on the grid for the opening race of his title defence.
The final three riders then had their chance and Kent was the first to push for a lap on the McAMS Racing Yamaha. He moved straight to the top of the times and despite the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing pairing getting close, the 2015 Moto3 World champion claimed a first Omologato Pole Position.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Omologato Superpole result:
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 1m36.609s
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha) +0.039s
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha) +0.189s
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +0.275s
Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad) +0.564s
Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +0.630s
Lee Jackson (MasterMac Honda) +0.640s
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +0.811s
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +0.839s
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +1.001s
Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +1.016s
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) + 1.104s
Fraser Rogers (TAG Honda)
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad)
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK)
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Danny Kent
McAMS Racing Yamaha
“I’m absolutely over the moon for myself and the McAMS Racing by Mar-Train team. They did a mega job throughout pre-season testing and the work that we did definitely contributed towards our result today.
“If I’m completely honest, I wasn’t expecting to get pole position. My used tyre pace is much better than my one-lap pace, so I’m feeling very confident heading into tomorrow. I feel like we can be competitive and can’t wait to get out on track again to see what we can do.”
American Julian Correa at Circuit de Navarra. Photo by Michael Hallam.
American Julian Correa won British Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Circuit de Navarra, in Spain. Riding his Microlise Cresswell Racing Honda, Correa, age 15, won the 14-lap race by a margin of 0.046 second over SENCAT Talent Team/Mortimer Racing’s Lucas Brown. Ryan Frost placed third on a Fibre Tec Honda.
“Consistency is my key for this year, staying in the top three and winning races,” Correa said in a statement sent to RoadracingWorld.com. “I had a great battle with Lucas Brown to the line and used the draft to my advantage. I can’t thank my team in the UK, my team back home, my 40 Fan Club, and family enough. This was possible due to everyone’s hard work, and tomorrow we have two more races.”
American Joshua Raymond, Jr. finished 11th on his Fibre Tec Honda, and Raymond’s American teammate Eli Banish got 15th after starting 27th on the grid.
Troy Herfoss won MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Race One Saturday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. Riding his S&S/Indian Motorcycle Challenger on Dunlop control tires, the multi-time Australian Superbike Champion won the eight-lap race by 0.615 second, .
Kyle Wyman was the runner-up on his Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide. Defending Champion Hayden Gillim was third, 1.912 seconds behind Herfoss, on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.
Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara was just 0.3 second behind Gillim in fourth at the finish.
Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli rounded out the top five finishers.
A Day Of Close Racing And Firsts In MotoAmerica Support Class Battles At Road Atlanta
Four Classes With A Combined Margin Of Victory Of Just .389 Of A Second In Georgia
BRASELTON, GA (April 20, 2024) – Close racing was the order of the day as the MotoAmerica Championship began its 10th season of racing with the four support classes ending the day with a combined margin of victory of just 1.5 seconds (for an average of .389 of a second) at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Saturday.
Winners on the day included a few firsts. For starters there was a first-time winner in the Junior Cup class with Matthew Chapin scoring his debut MotoAmerica win, and the Rahal Ducati Moto team nabbed its first-ever Supersport victory with PJ Jacobsen riding the team’s Ducati Panigale V2 to victory.
Additionally, Troy Herfoss won the Mission King Of The Baggers race in his first visit to Road Atlanta, and Rocco Landers rode a Suzuki GSX-8R to victory in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup race for the new bike’s first Twins Cup win.
Mission King Of The Baggers – Aussie, Aussie, Aussie
S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Troy Herfoss continues to impress with the Australian winning his second Mission King Of The Baggers race of the year at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on a sunny Saturday.
Troy Herfoss (17) beat Kyle Wyman (33) and Hayden Gillim (1) to win the Mission King Of The Baggers on Saturday at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Herfoss, who earlier in the day won the three-lap Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge, sat behind Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman for four of the eight laps before making a pass on the championship points leader and taking the victory, albeit by just .615 of a second.
Third place went to RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim with the Kentuckian earning his first podium finish of the season in the fifth Baggers race of the year.
Herfoss’s win over Wyman cut a 10-point lead in half and the pair are now separated by just five points.
“It is a really enjoyable track. Like I keep saying, it’s a lot to learn, but the Indian Challenger has got a great base setting. I can roll out and I don’t have to think about the bike. I can learn the track. It’s just really important to be patient at the moment. The first session I was a little bit frustrated after the P1 session. I just feel like I sort of peaked in the middle of the session and then I was probably a little bit closer than I thought I would be in the first few laps, and then I got out and got excited. As we all know, these bikes are so big, you can’t over-ride them. So, that was a bit frustrating. I just had to reset there. It probably halted progress for us. It’s funny. I’m sitting here with a Challenge win and a race win and I’m criticizing myself. It’s such a long year. Kyle (Wyman) just seen me for three laps, and the race continues. These guys are both watching me in the races. I crossed the line first in this one and there’s 13 races to go. They know a bit more about me and I know a bit more about them. It will just be like a chess match all year the way it’s going. When I signed up for this there was a lot of DNFs, and consistency would win it. This year it’s like raw speed and consistency is what you need. It’s an elite championship, and all these guys, especially the guys next to me here are putting in a big effort, and so am I.”
Junior Cup – A First For Chapin
Saturday’s racing started off with MotoAmerica’s entry-level riders, who always put on a great show in the Junior Cup Championship. There are a lot of new faces in Junior Cup this year as several riders have moved up to other race classes. However, Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher, who is also racing in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup Championship, is defending his 2023 Junior Cup Championship. And, for a while, it looked like the rider of the number-one Kawasaki was going to win the race. Unfortunately, after extending his lead to a comfortable distance, he made a mistake and crashed out. That left a gaggle of riders to fight for the win, and fight, they did.
Avery Dreher (1) crashed out of the lead in the Junior Cup class, handing victory to Matthew Chapin (95). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BARTCON Racing’s rookie rider Matthew Chapin prevailed with the first win of his young career by .072 of a second over polesitter Ryan Wolfe, who notched his first career podium aboard his Wolfe Racing Kawasaki. Third place went to New York Safety Track Racing’s Yandel Medina for the second podium of his career.
“I was stuck in the back of the pack the whole time,” Chapin said. “People were just dive-bombing me. I couldn’t really get anything done. But I knew if I was patient, I could get the draft because I’m a lot smaller than everybody else. I don’t weigh lot, so I knew I could draft into the line. I passed Ryan up the inside at the end. He came back on the outside, and I think it was in turn 11, I passed him back up the inside for the win. I’m so pumped right now. Words can’t even express it. I’m so pumped.”
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Suzuki’s First With the GSX-8R
The Suzuki GSX-8R has joined the fray in the highly competitive BellissiMoto Twins Cup Championship, and in race one, RevZilla/Motul Vance & Hines Suzuki rider Rocco Landers brought home the bike’s first MotoAmerica win by .769 of a second over Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering Aprilia rider Gus Rodio. Rodio was followed across the finish line by his teammate and third-place finisher Alessandro Di Mario.
Rocco Landers (97) won the BellissiMoto Twins Cup race on Saturday, giving the Suzuki GSX-8R its first victory. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
“I knew I was decent in the first sector because the (Suzuki) just brakes and turns like a total dream,” Landers said. “I just tried to sit there and try to get by them and see if I could lead through the first sector and see what happened. Eventually I was able to. I wasn’t really looking back, but based off the fact that I didn’t have anyone come flying by me down the back straight, I figured it somewhat worked out. The bike is fast as heck as soon as you get it into sixth gear, but I knew I had to really work for it. Up until there, we’re working towards making that power happen. It’s sick to get a win in the third race on this thing, second weekend. The team works so hard, my whole crew. We haven’t started a session with the same setup we had the session before since we got on the thing. The progress that we’ve made is amazing. The thing is so much different than it was when we rolled it out of the truck at Daytona. But it’s going to be quite a season with these guys with how good they’re riding. We’ll see where it goes.”
Supersport – Jacobsen Gives Rahal Victory #1
With 44 riders entering to race in Supersport at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and several former Superbike riders joining the class for the 2024 season, we knew the competition level would be at an all-time high. Saturday’s Supersport race one did not disappoint as it was definitely one of the most exciting races of the day.
PJ Jacobsen (15) beat Blake Davis (22) to win the Supersport race on Saturday at Road Atlanta. Tyler Scott (70) crashed out of the lead. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Tyler Scott looked to have the race in hand, but he unfortunately suffered a big crash in the esses, which took him out of the race. At the front of the pack, N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis got his Yamaha in the lead, but Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen overtook Davis and crossed the finish line just .103 of a second ahead of Davis.
Meanwhile, Mathew Scholtz, who had electrical problems with his Strack Racing Yamaha on Thursday and only managed to qualify 11th, knifed his way through the pack and actually led the race for a short time before bringing his bike home in third place for the final spot on the podium.
“First, I really want to just say thanks to the Rahal Ducati Moto Team, XPEL, and Roller Die,” Jacobsen commented. “Basically, Richie Alexander, everybody in the whole team for just turning things around since Daytona. It’s a brand-new team. Graham has done a great job, and so has Ben (Spies). I just really want to thank them for putting this whole program together and getting things even more on track from Daytona. So, it’s been really good to progress. We had some testing and stuff. The team is super organized. It’s a really good environment over there, so I’m really happy to be a part of what whole program.
“But getting into the race now, I was kind of nervous. First race of the year, and stuff like that. Everybody is super close here in pace. But I was trying to manage being in front for a while there, and then Tyler passed me, Blake passed me. Then I was going to sit behind them and see them do some work and see what they had. But, unfortunately, Tyler (Scott) crashed, and I was really nervous because he crashed, and he was kind of tumbling through, and I didn’t want to hit him. So, I had my hands up. I thought a red flag was going to come out, but unfortunately it didn’t. It was because the bike was in the middle of the track. So, it was kind of scary for everybody behind me, because I was the first one to approach that after Blake (Davis). I was just really worried about Tyler and his body kind of being right there. It was kind of sketchy. Hopefully he’s all right and everything. Tyler is a great kid. We’ve been trying the whole race and stuff. Bike was riding great. My teammate, Corey, was riding super, super great. Then (Mathew) Scholtz came past with two laps to go. I was like, ‘Man, this guy! What is he doing?’ I was like, ‘Okay, I got to turn it up again.’ I’m just trying to hang onto Blake here and now I’ve got Scholtz. So, it was good. I kind of knew some spots where Blake was struggling a little bit, and I knew if I didn’t get the draft like someone did on the inside of me on that last lap there that I would have had a go at Blake, and I knew kind of where to get him. So, when he passed me in 10A, I kind of knew that I could have had a really good go in the last corner in 12. I was going for it at that point. I was eyeing it up for a few laps in the middle of the race. It was a really good race, and everybody has been riding super good. I think Supersport is going to be pretty interesting this year. There’s a lot of fast talent in that class.”
Cameron Beaubier won MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race One Saturday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. Riding his Dunlop-shod Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR, Beaubier won the 19-lap race by just 0.240 second.
Three-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne was the runner-up on his Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1 and finished less than 0.1 second ahead of pole-sitter Bobby Fong, who took third on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1.
Sean Dylan Kelly took fourth, just 3.548 seconds behind Beaubier in his first race on his TopPro Racing BMW Superbike.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin crossed the finish line fifth, 0.7 second behind Kelly.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz came home sixth, a fraction of a second ahead of Beaubier’s teammate JD Beach (seventh) and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante (eighth).
Seconds after taking the checkered flag, Escalante ran into the back of Baz, and both riders crashed heavily. Escalante was transported to the hospital, but the condition of Escalante and Baz was not immediately known at post time.
Beaubier Over Gagne And Fong In Road Atlanta Superbike Thriller
The Steel Commander Superbike Series Begins With A Race For The Ages At Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
The battle for the Superbike win came down to Gagne (1) vs. Fong (50) and Beaubier (60). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BRASELTON, GA (April 20, 2024) – In a titanic battle that began with as many as seven riders fighting at the front and ended with three, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier came out on top with a pass on Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne with two laps to go in a thrilling Steel Commander Superbike season-opening race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Saturday.
The win was the 60th Superbike victory of Beaubier’s career and it came with the five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion biding his time and sitting behind Gagne and Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong for the last third of the race. Beaubier planned to make his move with three laps to go, but instead had to wait until the penultimate lap. He made the move and made it stick, beating three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Gagne to the line by .240 of a second in what was his comeback race from the injuries he suffered last year at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
For many, Fong was the surprise of the weekend with the Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1-mounted Fong earning pole position in the morning Q2 session, then running at the front for the duration and ending up third and just .332 of a second from race-winner Beaubier.
TopPro Racing Team’s Sean Dylan Kelly was an impressive fourth in his MotoAmerica Superbike debut. The Floridian was quick from the get-go and didn’t put a foot wrong – even as he battled in the heated pack at the front in the first portion of the race. Kelly was just 3.5 seconds behind Beaubier and .7 of a second ahead of Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin.
Herrin was at the front of the Superbike pack early in the race, battling primarily with Fong for the top spot as the others hooked in behind the lead duo. Fong made a pass on the inside of Herrin early in the race, but it was the second time that he made the same move in the final corner that ended up going horribly wrong for Herrin. With the door open enough for his Yamaha to fit through, Fong made the move in the final corner and the result was Herrin running off the track on the exit.
By the time he rejoined the racetrack, Herrin was well back and forced to do an admirable job of moving forward again with passes on Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach, and Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz.
Herrin ended up fifth with Baz sixth, Beach seventh and Escalante eighth with the top eight separated by under six seconds. Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim and Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders rounded out the top 10.
After crossing the finish line just .6 of a second apart, Baz and Escalante were involved in a big crash together at the end of the front straight after both crossed the finish line.
Two of the series stars had bad days with Brandon Paasch crashing his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki out of the race after just two laps and Attack Performance Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen crashing, remounting, and finishing 15th to at least salvage a championship point. Petersen was running near the front when he was penalized two spots for passing under a waving yellow flag. After doing so, Petersen crashed but was able to remount and finish the race.
Quotes
Cameron Beaubier – Winner
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pretty over motorcycles after Pittsburgh. Sitting at home hurt, but all of us share this passion. Got motorcycles in our blood. A couple months go by and then you start getting hungry. The team posted the date for the first test and then you got something to work towards. Then after that, I was just itching to go racing. We got a couple good tests under our belt. Felt really good at the test. Made some good progress with the bike, with the Tytlers guys. Big hats off to them. They worked their butts off all off-season to elevate our game. Yesterday didn’t necessarily start out great, throwing the bike down the road in the second practice. But today was awesome. We didn’t make it easy, Jake (Gagne) either, on ourselves, starting on the second row of the grid, just with how stacked the field is right now. Like Jake said, it’s pretty awesome to race with all these guys. I was only two or three tenths off, and I was back in fifth in qualifying. That hasn’t been the case so much in the past years in MotoAmerica Superbike. So, it’s pretty cool. Just happy to be back and happy to feel healthy. Jake was setting a good pace up there in front. I think we were all kind of in management mode. The track was pretty greasy. We were sliding around. I feel like it would have been pretty risky to go any faster. I was just trying to bide my time. Bobby (Fong) was making it really difficult because he was so late on the brakes. I kept catching him on the back straightaway and had to roll out a little bit. I would catch him at the worst spot, going into the kink, and then he would brake super deep down into 10. So, I was kind of stuck there. I was just biding my time until the last few laps. I was able to make a couple good passes. Jake and I went back and forth that last lap and was able to bring it home. It’s a good feeling.”
Jake Gagne – Second Place
“Yeah, definitely. It was cool. Going into the race, starting second row, having fast guys in front, fast guys behind, it’s a whole different story than last couple years. I keep saying it, but there’s so much speed in this Superbike class now. It’s pretty cool to be a part of. It was one of those days. All I wanted to do was get a clean start, but you never really know what kind of pace guys are going to have, especially that second half. I was actually kind of surprised. I wasn’t sure. Bob (Fong) passed (Josh) Herrin. He went off and then Bob ran a little wide and then I was in the lead. I wasn’t sure who was behind me, honestly. I knew Bobby was there. I figured Cam (Beaubier) was there. But I think it was pretty slick out there. The Dunlops held up well with the heat of the track. This place gets really greasy. I’m happy. The bike was working really, really good. Kind of like last year, I was just struggling with such bad arm pump half the race. I just felt like a sitting duck. Just shows you how good this Yamaha is working. It was a fun race. I knew somebody was going to try to pass me. Second-to-last lap, Cam came up the inside somewhere. We went back and forth a couple of times. It was a good race and a good way to start the year.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Gagne Scores Runner-Up Finish at MotoAmerica Superbike Opener
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne takes runner-up finish in a hard-fought MotoAmerica Superbike battle at Road Atlanta
MARIETTA, Ga. – April 21, 2024 – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne scored a runner-up finish in challenging conditions at yesterday’s first MotoAmerica Superbike race of the 2024 season at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. His teammate Cameron Petersen unfortunately crashed in the latter half of the race but rejoined in 15th, where he would finish.
Gagne qualified fourth, coming just shy of a spot on the front row in the combined times. When the lights went green, he got a good start and slotted into fourth, and then made the pass for third on Lap 2. The reigning three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion rode a calculated race in that final podium spot and advanced to second just before the start of Lap 8 when the frontrunner ran off track in the final corner. Shortly after, he passed fellow Yamaha rider Bobby Fong to claim the lead and ran a strong pace up front. It was a three-rider fight with the competition hot on his heels. Gagne held them off but unfortunately was dealing with arm pump issues, and in the final laps, he was passed by the competition. The Colorado rider countered to reclaim the lead, and the duo exchanged the lead a few times, but ultimately Gagne would cross the line second.
After being sidelined last Summer to repair a wrist injury, Petersen had a solid return to action at the season opener and qualified sixth. He was sixth after the start of the race and had the lead group in sight. The South African made the pass for fifth on Lap 5 and advanced to fourth after the race leader went off track. Unfortunately, he was assessed a two-position penalty for passing under a waving yellow flag and was shuffled back to sixth. Petersen worked on making his way back into the top five but crashed on Lap 13. Undeterred, he rejoined in 15th and rode on to score inside the points with that position.
The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team looks forward to this afternoon’s Race 2 of the MotoAmerica Superbike season opener at Road Atlanta.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Jake was on track for another race win, but unfortunately he had an arm pump issue and ended up second. Cameron was trying to make his way back into the top five and then crashed trying to avoid another rider. It’s not how we wanted to start the season, but our R1s are running great, and our guys have the pace to run up front. We look forward to getting back on top of the podium, in the wet or dry.”
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #1
“It’s the first race of the season, and everybody’s excited, so you never really know where you are going to be, but the bike was working really well. I got a good start, and I was trying to stay smooth, and I led a lot of the race. I just struggled really badly with arm pump after the halfway point. I’m happy in a way because we got a podium with how I was feeling. The bike was really good. I just didn’t have much fight there in the end.”
Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“It was a little bit disappointing. After waiting all that time, I was hoping for more, but taking away the positives from the day, I ran at the front and had the pace to battle for the podium, and I felt really good. I got hit with the penalty – honestly, I didn’t see the yellow flags – and I had to drop two positions. I was trying to make my way back and then almost ran into the back of (Loris) Baz. It put me into a spot on the track that nobody really wants to be in, and I went down. Tomorrow’s a new day. It’s supposed to be wet. I’m looking forward to it.”
About Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, WaveRunner Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars, Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.
YMUS has a corporate office in California, three corporate offices in Georgia, facilities in Wisconsin and Alabama, and factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company (YMSC) with divisions Bennett Marine (Florida), Kracor Systems (Wisconsin) and Siren Marine, Inc. (Rhode Island), Skeeter Boats (Texas), with division G3 Boats (Missouri), and Yamaha Precision Propeller (Indiana).
Yamaha Motor Finance Corporation, U.S.A. (Yamaha Financial Services), an affiliate of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., offering financing solutions to support Yamaha Dealers and loyal Yamaha customers nationwide. Yamaha Financial Services provides retail and commercial financing for the diverse line of Yamaha brand motor products based out of Cypress, CA and Marietta, GA.
PJ Jacobsen won MotoAmerica Supersport Race One Saturday afternoon at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. It was a multi-rider dogfight from the start to the finish of the 18-lap race, but Jacobsen was able to get his Dunlop-shod Rahal Ducati Moto Panigale V2 across the finish line first thanks to a last-lap, last-corner pass.
Blake Davis led at many points of the race but had to settle for the runner-up spot, just 0.103 second behind Jacobsen, on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R6.
Supersport newcomer Mathew Scholtz came from 11th on the grid to lead late in the race and ended finishing third in his debut race on his new Strack Racing Yamaha.
Pole-sitter Tyler Scott was leading on lap 12 when he crashed his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750. Scott was able to walk away from the crash.
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
ROAD ATLANTA: RACE 1
SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024 | QUALIFYING 2 & RACE 1
The Rahal Ducati Moto team started the Supersport championship season off with PJ Jacobsen riding his XPEL Ducati to victory lane at the checkered flag of Race 1. The race proved to showcase the team’s speed and determination for the upcoming season as all three riders claimed a top 10 spot.
Corey Alexander raced to the front of the pack trading places with his teammate, Jacobsen, battling for position before ultimately finishing fourth. Kayla Yaakov also showed tremendous strength battling the twists and turns of Road Atlanta to claim the ninth-place spot.
Tomorrow hosts another chance to earn hardware as the trio takes on Race 2 of the weekend. The race is expected to run under wet conditions with rain in the forecast throughout the day. The second race of the weekend will go green at 2:10 p.m. ET with coverage available at MotoAmericaLivePlus.com.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: Third
FINISHED: First
CHAMPIONSHIP: First // 25 Points
NOTES: Battled through 18 laps, trading the lead with Tyler Scott, Blake Davis, and Matt Scholtz throughout the race // Clocked the third-fastest lap of the race matching teammate Corey Alexander’s fastest lap // Heads into Race 2 of the weekend in the points lead // Will start tomorrow’s race from third
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “First off, I want to say thanks to the Rahal Ducati Moto team, Graham and Bobby, XPEL, Roller Die, Richie Alexander, and the whole crew for turning things around since Daytona. It’s a brand new team and Graham and Ben have done such a great job moving things in the right direction. Huge thanks to them for putting this program together and getting everything solid on track.
“It’s felt really good to progress and test with an organized team and a great environment. I was nervous going into Race 1 of the MotoAmerica championship season. Everybody was super close in pace, so I was trying to manage leading in P1 for a while. Tyler [Scott] passed me, Blake [Davis] passed me, and I was going to sit behind them and see what they had, but unfortunately, Tyler crashed and I didn’t want to hit him so I threw my hand up thinking a red flag would come out. It was scary for me and everyone behind me because the bike was in the middle of the track. I was really worried about Tyler being there – I hope he’s all right. My teammate Corey [Alexander] was riding great and then [Mathew] Scholtz came to pass with two laps to go and I knew I had to turn it up a little bit. I knew if I didn’t get the draft with someone on the inside of me on the last lap then I would’ve had a go at Blake, and I knew where to get him. When he passed me in Turn 10A, I knew I had a good go in Turn 12, so I went for it. Supersport will be interesting this year because of all the fast talent in the class, but it was a really good race overall and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 ROLLER DIE DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: Fifth
FINISHED: Fourth
CHAMPIONSHIP: Fourth // 13 Pts.
NOTES: Recorded a running position as high as second, battling for a podium finish through the final lap // Will start Race 2 from fifth
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a good race for us. I definitely would’ve liked to get on the podium with PJ – it was my goal to get two Rahal Ducati Moto bikes up there but unfortunately, I was battling my size the whole race which was pretty obvious. I couldn’t capitalize on my strengths when running with the group and had to do a lot of work on the brakes to stay in the podium hunt. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in the front tire those last couple laps so I was happy enough to take home a 4th place in one piece, still exceeding my expectations coming into the weekend. We’ve had a huge turnaround from Daytona and we’re happy to have three of our Ducati’s up in the top 10. It looks like tomorrow might get a little wet and wild so let’s see what the day brings.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 12th
FINISHED: Ninth
CHAMPIONSHIP: Ninth // 7 Pts.
NOTES: Gained three positions throughout the 18-lap race // Ran with strong race pace and was able to stick with the lead group to earn a ninth-place finish to start the season // Confident with the bike and the changes the team can make overnight // Will roll off the grid from the 12th position for tomorrow’s race
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Today was a pretty good day. We made some changes going into the race and they helped out a lot. The overall race pace was good, especially towards the end. We have a couple of things to work on, but I’m pretty confident going into tomorrow. The bike’s feeling better each session which is always the goal and I keep improving positions every time. I’m super excited for tomorrow, rain or dry, and to get back on the XPEL Ducati and continue to improve my position.”
BEN SPIES
TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “I’m extremely happy for the team! PJ [Jacobsen] ran a great race – sent it pretty hard on the last lap, protected the inside, and ultimately got it done. Corey [Alexander] ran a pretty great race too and Kayla [Yaakov] improved during Qualifying 2. This validates all the changes we’ve made since returning from Daytona. We couldn’t be happier for PJ, the team and everybody involved and are very pleased with the confidence that’s building in our organization. It is just one race, but it’s a great start to the season and we’ve got tomorrow to regroup and try and get on the podium again.”
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