Stage Set for Spectacular Super Sunday Doubleheader at Springfield
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 31, 2024) – Due to excessive rain overnight, today’s Progressive American Flat Track round at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois, has been rescheduled for tomorrow, September 1, setting the stage for a Springfield Sunday spectacular doubleheader.
Tomorrow’s Springfield Mile I & II presented by Drag Specialties will see two full rounds completed in succession in a single day, each complete with their own qualifying, heats and Main Events and separated by the Fan Walk. Representing two of the final three rounds in an ultra-close 2024 Grand National Championship fight, Sunday is destined to be one of the most impactful days in recent Progressive AFT history.
Tickets purchased for today’s Springfield Mile I will be honored for tomorrow’s Super Sunday event. Ticket holders must present their printed or electronic tickets upon arrival. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the gate.
Gates will open for fans at 9:00 a.m. local time, with the first practice set to get underway at 10:00 a.m. and Opening Ceremonies scheduled for 12:00 p.m. A complete updated schedule will be made available shortly.
For additional assistance with ticketing matters please call Mees Promotions at 217-632-0277.
About Progressive American Flat Track
Progressive American Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. Progressive American Flat Track is televised on FOX Sports and streams live via FloRacing. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track, please visit us on the web, like us on Facebook, follow us on X, and check us out on Instagram.
Featured In the August 2024 issue of Roadracing World:
When the RNF Racing organization imploded at the end of 2023, NASCAR racer Justin Marks jumped in, bought the remnants and started rebuilding the team, the first American organization on the MotoGP grid since Kenny Roberts last ran Team Roberts back in 2007.
Marks immediately needed someone to help dig the organization out of the hole it had fallen into. Fortunately, there was someone on the market with experience winning in MotoGP, and, maybe even more importantly, experience in building a winning organization— Davide Brivio…
“Interview: Trackhouse Racing Team Principal Davide Brivio,” by Michael Gougis
Justin Marks wasn’t willing to settle for making up the numbers with Trackhouse Racing. He’s a NASCAR winner as a driver and team owner, he’s raced, and he wants to win. So he brought on Davide Brivio to start building a team capable of running at the front. “We want to be a great team. We want to be a successful team. And that’s what we will try to do,” Brivio says in the latest issue of Roadracing World.
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats.
Click here for a sample issue of Roadracing World magazine. (Print Edition, one sample issue per household, U.S. address only.)
Marc Marquez won the MotoGP World Championship Tissot Sprint Race Saturday at MotorLand Aragon, in Spain.
Riding his Gresini Racing Ducati Desmosedici on Michelin control tires, the six-time MotoGP World Champion won the 11-lap race by nearly three seconds. It was Marquez’s career-first MotoGP Sprint Race victory.
Jorge Martin was the runner-up on his Prima Pramac Racing Ducati.
Rookie sensation Pedro Acosta finished third on his Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 machine 6.6 seconds behind Marquez.
Two-time and defending World Champion Francesco Bagnaia was ninth, earning him just one point. This resulted in Martin moving past Bagnaia and into the World Championship point lead.
Marc Marquez serves up Saturday masterclass as Martin reclaims title lead
The #93 takes his first Tissot Sprint win ahead of Martin and Acosta as Bagnaia duels Quartararo for eighth on Saturday
The start of the Tissot Sprint race Saturday at MotorLand Aragon with Marc Marquez (93) leading Jorge Martin (89), Pedro Acosta (behind Martin), Alex Marquez (73), and the rest. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Saturday, 31 August 2024
Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) is a Tissot Sprint winner! The #93 started from a pole position secured with the biggest gap in the dry since 2011, took the holeshot and never looked back on Saturday afternoon at the Gran Premio GoPro de Aragon. It’s the first Sprint win for the eight-time World Champion as he escaped Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) by nearly three seconds.
Marc Marquez (93). Photo courtesy Dorna.
For Martin, however, a second-place finish puts him back in the Championship lead by four points as reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) had a tougher Sprint and came home ninth for a single point. Completing the podium behind Martin, rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) converted second on the grid to third in the Sprint.
As the lights went out there was an immediate front row fracas for Bagnaia, with the reigning Champion snapping sideways off the line, getting bogged down and then getting close to Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™). Ahead, there were no such dramas for Marc Marquez as he took the holeshot and then got the hammer down, shadowed by Martin up from Row 2 and Acosta in third.
Bagnaia was holding station in fourth initially, able to stay ahead of Alex Marquez, but the reigning Champion was making no inroads on the top three. Then he was wide at Turn 5 to drop back to sixth ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), before another few scrappy moments saw the South African get past him – and then the fight for sixth lit up.
Binder, Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) had their own throwdown, and Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) sliced past all of them to start making some space in fifth. Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) was next on the scene and it settled into Oliveira in fifth, Binder trying to hold off Bastianini and a flashback battle between Quartararo and Bagnaia.
Up ahead, Marc Marquez laid down the gauntlet ahead of the Grand Prix as his first Sprint win ups the hype even more. The Gresini Racing MotoGP™ rider has led every session of his weekend so far and if he wins on Sunday it will be his first victory since 2021, over 1000 days ago.
Martin pulled out a gap on Acosta by the flag, and the rookie also managed to keep some fresh air ahead of Alex Marquez in fourth. Oliveira kept fifth, with Binder staying in P6 by just over a tenth over Bastianini.
Behind, it went to the wire in the Bagnaia vs Quartararo battle, with the Frenchman sending it a couple of times before managing to complete the pickpocket and sit the #1 up. Bagnaia then came under attack on the last lap from Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), but the #1 was able to answer on the cut back and cross the line for that final Sprint point in P9.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) crashed out early on at Turn 1 and nearly took Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) with him, but the returning Italian stayed upright. Further drama included a crash for Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) – rider ok – and one for Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR), rider also ok but that adding a blip to the Frenchman’s otherwise stunning weekend at Aragon so far.
Join us again on Sunday for the Grand Prix race as Marc Marquez looks for a date with destiny – and everyone else looks to stop him 1043 days later.
Jake Dixon (96). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Dixon takes first pole of the season as Garcia starts from P28
Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) will start from pole for the Gran Premio GoPro de Aragon as the British rider improved on his final lap to slam in a 1:51.636 and earn a 0.134s gap to rookie Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team). It was a great session for the Brazilian, however, whose best intermediate class qualifying put him a mere 0.014s ahead of Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) rounding off a competitive front row ahead of Sunday.
– Championship leader Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) and teammate Ai Ogura were were in Q1, with Ogura moving through to ultimately qualify P16 but Garcia suffering a crash at Turn 7 putting him P29. Penalties for others mean he’ll start P28
– Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completed a fantastic quali in fourth place, his best yet in Moto2™. The rookie will start in front of Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), who secured P5 after going through Q1. Albert Arenas (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) was sixth but drops three positions with a grid penalty, promoting Sync SpeedUp’s Alonso Lopez to Row 2
– Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) and Austria winner Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) are next up ahead of Arenas. Fermin Aldeguer (Sync SpeedUp) starts 11th
Tune in for the Moto2™ race on Sunday at 12:15 (UTC +2)!
David Alonso (80). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Alonso hammers home advantage in qualifying
It was an intense Saturday for the Moto3™ field at the Gran Premio GoPro de Aragon, with David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) continuing to impress, topping Practice 2 before storming to a phenomenal pole position. The Colombian set a 1:58.059 to secure an incredible 0.433 advantage over Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo). P3 went the way of BOE Motorsports’ David Muñoz – unable to break into the 1:58 bracket as only Rueda got within a second of the polesitter.
– Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing) lost time in the final sector but secures P4, lining up ahead of Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) and SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Luca Lunetta.
– Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) heads Row 3 ahead of Matteo Bertelle (Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team) and Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), who has fellow title frontrunner Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets-MSI) close behind as they look to limit the damage to Alonso
Tune in for Moto3™ at 11:00 (UTC+2) as Alonso looks to cash in his pace for another incredible 25 points.
Jake Dixon was fastest during Moto2 World Championship qualifying Saturday at MotorLand Aragon, in Spain. Riding his CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team Kalex on spec Pirelli tires, the British racer lapped the 3.1-mile circuit in 1:51.636 to top the field of 32 riders.
Brazil’s Diogo Moreira was the best of the rest with a 1:51.770 on his Italtrans Racing Team Kalex.
Spaniard Aron Canet took the third and final spot on the front row with a time of 1:51.784 on his Fantic Racing Kalex.
American Joe Roberts qualified eighth with a lap of 1:52.044 on his OnlyFans American Racing Team Kalex.
David Alonso was fastest in Moto3 World Championship qualifying Saturday at MotorLand Aragon, in Spain. Riding his Gaviota Aspar Team CFMOTO on Pirelli control tires, the Colombian navigated the repaved 3.1-mile road course in 1:58.059 and topped the field of 27 riders.
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jose Antonio Rueda was second-best with a time of 1:58.492.
David Munoz, piloting his BOE Motorsports KTM, claimed the third and final spot on the front with a lap time of 1:59.064.
Marquez takes electrifying pole to pull clear of Acosta and Bagnaia as Martin crashes in Q2
What’s eight tenths between rivals? The Gresini rider pulls out a stunning margin at MotorLand to make it the biggest gap in a dry qualifying session since 2011
Saturday, 31 August 2024
Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) stormed to pole position on Saturday morning at the Gran Premio GoPro de Aragon, setting a sensational 1:46.766 to pull a stunning 0.840s clear of the pack. It’s the largest pole margin in dry conditions since the 2011 Valencia Grand Prix, where it was 1.014s in favour of Casey Stoner at the front. Gauntlet thrown.
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) will start second after battling through from Q1 and pinching P2 on his final lap in Q2, with the rookie placing just ahead of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). The reigning Champion will start the Aragon GP from third on the grid, just ahead of his main title rival, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing). The #89 was relegated to fourth after a crash on his first run forced him into recovery mode on his second exit.
Q1
2022 MotorLand winner Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) was on for a provisional place in Q2 until right at the end, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) taking over on top ahead of Acosta to relegate the ‘Beast’. It then got one worse for Bastianini as Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) improved on his final dash too, taking third in Q1. Binder and Acosta moved through, but Bez pips the Beast to P13.
Q2
As the fight for pole began, the early drama came from Martin and the early benchmark to beat from Marc Marquez. The #89 slid off at Turn 5 and found himself running back to the box to try and reset as the #93 at the top of the timesheets only continued to up the volume on the Jaws music.
The #93’s time would stand until the closing minutes, proving not only a benchmark but a ballpark no other rider could get near. It was then suddenly beaten, but by… Marc Marquez as he then managed to get down into the 1:46s.
The fight for the front row was not over yet, however, with Martin returning to the track and setting a strong time, just before Bagnaia and Acosta both improved on their final laps. The rookie and the reigning Champion relegated Martin to fourth, but it’s a solid starting position considering the tougher start to the Q2 session for the Championship contender.
THE GRID
Behind the eight-time World Champion, the rookie and the reigning Champion, it’s Martin heading the resistance at the head of Row 2, but he has company too: Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) are fifth and sixth.
Binder didn’t quite capitalise on his place in Q2 as much as Acosta managed to, but the South African heads Row 3 in seventh in a solid position to launch an attack. The Austrian battalion turned the tables somewhat on Aprilia in the differing track conditions following overnight rain, with Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) the lead RS-GP in P8. Teammate Raul Fernandez is ninth, meanwhile the Aprilia Racing duo of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales down in P11 and 12.
Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) continued to shine on Saturday after Friday saw him become the first Honda to get an automatic place in Q2 in 2024. He’ll line up tenth amongst the Aprilia armada.
It’s one thing to qualify on pole, it’s another to win the race. Or the Tissot Sprint. Marquez’ qualifying form looks like he could be on the brink of glory to bring one chapter of his career full circle, but if the sport was a time trial we couldn’t promise the best is still to come, but we’re sure we can.
Tune in for the first ever Sprint at MotorLand Aragon and then come back for more on Sunday as the #93 takes aim at Grand Prix glory 1043 days after he last tasted it.
Featured In the August 2024 issue of Roadracing World:
This story starts in a small town of Bellshill in Scotland where Norton engine wizard Joe Potts, engine fitter Pim Fleming, fabricator Alec Crummie, and gifted rider Bob McIntyre (the first rider to average over 100 mph on a lap of the Isle of Man TT course) had their headquarters.
McIntyre’s ideas as to how aging British Singles could be made more competitive centered around weight reduction and improved handling. Potts concentrated on engine preparation and modifications using his Heenen Froude engine dyno.
In 1961 McIntyre and Crummie designed a special lightweight frame to carry a 500cc Matchless G50 (see May 2014 issue of Roadracing World) or 350cc AJS 7R engine and Norton transmission. Although a standard G50 made less power than a 500cc Manx Norton, it was lighter and Potts felt he could squeeze some extra power from it…
“Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1966 McIntyre Matchless G50,” by Mick Ofield
Bob McIntyre’s career was tragically cut short by an accident at Oulton Park circuit in August 1962, from which he died nine days later. But this was not the end of the McIntyre G50. Read the story of a machine that was competitive in premier-class Grand Prix racing for six full seasons! It’s all in the latest issue of Roadracing World.
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats.
Click here for a sample issue of Roadracing World magazine. (Print Edition, one sample issue per household, U.S. address only.)
Editorial Note: To read more about how Forrest Lucas founded and built up Lucas Oil Products, grab an August 2011 issue of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology or view the PDF copies of that article below.
Lucas Oil Founder Forrest Lucas Honored with NHRA Lifetime Achievement Award
Automotive pioneer and long-time NHRA and motorsports icon recognized for decades of contributions to drag racing and the racing community at large
Forrest Lucas receives the top honor at NHRA U.S. Nationals
INDIANAPOLIS – Lucas Oil, the world leader and distributor of high-performance automotive additives and lubricants, is proud to announce that its founder, Forrest Lucas, has been awarded the prestigious NHRA Lifetime Achievement Award. The honor was presented at the Annual Sportsman Appreciation Dinner during the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Forrest Lucas, the innovative pioneer behind Lucas Oil Products, is celebrated worldwide for his exceptional contributions to the automotive industry and motorsports. For more than 20 years, Lucas Oil has been one of NHRA’s most prominent supporters, serving as the title sponsor of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, which features the best and most decorated sportsman competitors in drag racing. Lucas Oil is also the “Official Oil of NHRA” and the event title sponsor of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., and the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. The company’s support to NHRA also includes naming rights for Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, home of the World’s Biggest Drag Race™, the NHRA U.S. Nationals.
“I can’t say enough about Forrest Lucas; he truly embodies the spirit of drag racing, sharing the same resilience and passion that runs deep in our sport,” said NHRA President Glen Cromwell. “His connection to the NHRA is historic. From supporting greats like the Arana family, Frank Manzo, Del Worsham and Antron Brown to numerous racing teams, including his son and wife behind the wheel, Forrest and Lucas Oil’s unwavering support and dedication have elevated drag racing and motorsports to new heights. The Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, which has enjoyed a two-decade-long title sponsorship, is just one of many examples of Lucas’ commitment to the sport.”
Forrest, alongside his wife Charlotte, founded Lucas Oil in 1989 with a mission to develop high-performance oil and fuel treatments aimed at reducing mechanical failures and increasing mileage, particularly within the trucking industry. His innovative solutions quickly gained the respect of American truck drivers, who valued his honest and straightforward approach. Over the years, Lucas Oil has expanded to provide a wide range of engine oils, additives and fuel treatments for a variety of machines, solidifying a reputation for reliability and performance.
Lucas Oil has also built an incredible reputation on the track with its robust line of racing-specific products. Hundreds of race teams and drivers, representing nearly all forms of motorsports, rely on Lucas Oil Racing products to perform flawlessly under the most extreme conditions. The confidence placed in Lucas Oil’s racing formulas underscores Forrest’s passion for motorsports and for the NHRA.
“There are few in the racing community who don’t know Forrest, his family or haven’t seen a Lucas Oil banner at a racetrack,” added Cromwell. “His contributions have touched the lives of countless individuals in this sport and we are honored to present him with the NHRA Lifetime Achievement Award. I wholeheartedly congratulate Forrest on this well-deserved recognition. His leadership, passion for racing, and unwavering support for the motorsports community exemplify the qualities that the Lifetime Achievement Award seeks to honor.”
Beyond his business acumen, Forrest has been a generous philanthropist and sports marketing giant. His strategic sponsorships span amateur and professional sports, from the iconic Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO, to high-profile partnerships like Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts. Lucas Oil’s presence is also prominent in events like Monster Jam and through sponsorships of the Dallas Cowboys.
ABOUT LUCAS OIL
For more than 35 years, Lucas has set the world standard in superior engine oils, additives, appearance and lubricant products – powering lifestyles across the automotive, trucking, marine, outdoor, motorsports, industrial and home product worlds. The hard-charging American brand’s commitment to bring the ultimate in performance solutions impacts every customer and partner equally – from jointly-engineered oil for racing teams like Richard Childress Racing (RCR), Monster Jam®, sports teams like the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts, to additives that deliver unrivaled fuel economy, power and extended engine life to an everyday driver.
Based in Indianapolis, the company’s rapidly expanding global footprint is highlighted by cutting-edge research and development operations, evolving retail channels and high-tech manufacturing. More than 300 premium products make up the largest variety of shelf products of any oil company in the United States with a distribution network across 48 different countries and big-name retailers that include Amazon, Walmart, AutoZone, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Advance Auto Parts, Carquest and more. For more information, visitwww.LucasOil.com and follow #TeamLucasOil on Facebook, Twitter, X, Instagram and TikTok.
ABOUT NHRA
NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horse Powered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 110 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Wampum, PA – Team Obsolete has announced that the recently found ex-Bob McIntyre AJS Special has received a total rebuild and will be raced by Dave Roper in the AHRMA event September 6-8 at Pittsburgh Race International Complex.
Bob was invincible on this bike in the early 1960’s.
We look forward to displaying the classic racers of yesteryear for all enthusiasts to see. Compared to today’s bikes, the AJS is quite simple and easy to work on. The AJS’s performance potential is an unknown.
As always, Team Obsolete would like to thank their sponsors: Vanson Leathers, Red Line Synthetic Oil, Heidenau Tires, and Buchanan’s Spoke & Rim
Dumas takes pole, Young clinches Superbike championship in qualifying at Shannonville
Shannonville, ON – The Canada Cup will officially be staying put in 2024, as Ben Young mathematically clinched his fourth career Bridgestone CSBK title on Friday despite rival Alex Dumas taking pole position at Shannonville Motorsport Park.
Young entered the season finale with a 50-point lead and the tie-breaker over Sam Guerin, allowing him to secure the GP Bikes Pro Superbike championship off qualifying points as long as he put himself higher on the grid than Guerin.
He would do just that, but hardly without drama in what was one of the wildest qualifying days in recent memory for the feature class.
While leading Q1, Young stalled on the front straight and was forced to push his Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW into the pits, ending his session as the team scrambled to figure out the issue.
After reportedly discovering a battery problem, the team decided not to risk anything in Q2 as Young hopped aboard his secondary “B bike” for the top-ten BS Battery shootout, which featured a rain setup in the event the weather changed.
That initially allowed Guerin a chance to push the title fight onto Saturday, as he took the early lead in Q2 with a time of 1:44.461 aboard his EFC Group BMW with Dumas chasing in second and Young third.
Dumas would then leapfrog Guerin to jump to the top of the timesheets just prior to the halfway point in Q2, blitzing his way into the 1:43 range just moments before Young squeezed past Guerin and into second.
As if there couldn’t be more drama, Guerin then discovered a brief setup issue when leaving the pit lane with five minutes to go, preventing him from getting a tow off Dumas.
When he finally returned to the track on his own, the Quebec City native could only marginally improve upon his time, settling for third on the grid and seeing his title chances officially come to a close.
Ben Young, shown being interviewed by CSBK TSN pit lane reporter Sarah Said, clinched his fourth Canadian Superbike Championship after his qualifying efforts Friday at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Young would improve his own time for good measure, and while it wasn’t enough to dislodge Dumas for BS Battery Pole Position, it did reward him with an additional three points and thus a third consecutive Canada Cup.
“We always seem to have some sort of problems don’t we,” Young joked, after battling qualifying issues during his 2019 and 2023 title weekends. “It’s been an up and down year, so to get out of it with a fourth championship is awesome. Hopefully we can have some fun this weekend and still put it on the top of the box, but in the meantime we’re definitely going to celebrate a bit tonight!”
The celebrations overshadowed what was a historic day for Dumas and the Economy Lube Ducati team, as he snatched his sixth career BS Battery Pole award but his first since taking over the V4 Panigale earlier this season.
That gives the Italian brand their first Pro Superbike pole position ever in the timed qualifying era, ending a run of five consecutive BMW poles in 2024.
“The bike is amazing, but Scott Miller did a ton of work overnight and we made a huge jump from yesterday to today,” Dumas said. “It feels good to be back on pole. Congrats to Ben on the championship, but hopefully now we can have some good battles this weekend.”
Guerin will complete the front row in third, and while his quest for a first career championship will have to wait, his work isn’t done as the EFC Group BMW rider tries to hang onto second in the standings over Jordan Szoke.
Szoke would qualify fourth for CKM Kawasaki and trails Guerin by 29 points heading into the weekend, though he will have his work cut out for him as he qualified 0.750 seconds behind the current championship runner-up.
Centering the second row will be Shannonville’s regional champion Eli Daccache, who continues to show well for Milwaukee Yamaha as he ran in fourth for the first half of Q2 and ultimately wound up just 0.099 seconds behind Szoke.
Round 6 BS Battery Pole Position Award podium from Shannonville Motorsport Park (from left): Ben Young, Alex Dumas, and Sam Guerin. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Taking sixth on the grid and the final spot on the second row was Sebastien Tremblay, who put in an incredible effort aboard his Sport Bike title-winning Turcotte Performance GSX-R750.
It remains to be seen if Tremblay will do double-duty this weekend after already clinching his championship in CTMP, though he certainly looked competitive enough despite piloting a lesser-powered middleweight-spec machine.
Leading off the third row is Paul Macdonell, who has looked very strong on Friday aboard his PMR/Vass Performance BMW. The Alberta native put himself marginally ahead of David MacKay, who will try to continue reeling off top-five finishes for ODH Snow City Cycle Honda.
Completing the third row in a valiant effort is Trevor Daley, who fought through a wrist injury and his lesser-powered OneSpeed Suzuki GSX-R750 to take ninth.
Daley crashed his GSX-R1000 Superbike earlier in FP1 and was forced to resort to his Sport Bike-spec machine, though he managed to turn in an impressive effort even at less than full health.
Rounding out the top ten in Q2 was Tomas Casas, who couldn’t replicate his stronger pace from Q1 and was forced to settle for the start of row four aboard his Yamaha Motors Canada machine.
Now with the championship tucked away for 2024, Young and company will return to the track for race one on Saturday with the freedom to fight as intensely as they like, as Dumas tries to convert pole into a second win of the campaign for the Ducati squad.
Full results can be found on the series’ official website.
The AFT Springfield Mile I at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, in Springfield, Illinois, has been postponed until Sunday. Photo by Kristen Lassen, courtesy AFT.
Stage Set for Spectacular Super Sunday Doubleheader at Springfield
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 31, 2024) – Due to excessive rain overnight, today’s Progressive American Flat Track round at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois, has been rescheduled for tomorrow, September 1, setting the stage for a Springfield Sunday spectacular doubleheader.
Tomorrow’s Springfield Mile I & II presented by Drag Specialties will see two full rounds completed in succession in a single day, each complete with their own qualifying, heats and Main Events and separated by the Fan Walk. Representing two of the final three rounds in an ultra-close 2024 Grand National Championship fight, Sunday is destined to be one of the most impactful days in recent Progressive AFT history.
Tickets purchased for today’s Springfield Mile I will be honored for tomorrow’s Super Sunday event. Ticket holders must present their printed or electronic tickets upon arrival. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the gate.
Gates will open for fans at 9:00 a.m. local time, with the first practice set to get underway at 10:00 a.m. and Opening Ceremonies scheduled for 12:00 p.m. A complete updated schedule will be made available shortly.
For additional assistance with ticketing matters please call Mees Promotions at 217-632-0277.
About Progressive American Flat Track
Progressive American Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. Progressive American Flat Track is televised on FOX Sports and streams live via FloRacing. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track, please visit us on the web, like us on Facebook, follow us on X, and check us out on Instagram.
Trackhouse Racing’s Miguel Oliveira leads the first lap of a MotoGP race at the Sachsenring, in Germany, riding a 2024 Aprilia RS-GP. Photo by Gigi Soldano/DPPI Media.
Featured In the August 2024 issue of Roadracing World:
When the RNF Racing organization imploded at the end of 2023, NASCAR racer Justin Marks jumped in, bought the remnants and started rebuilding the team, the first American organization on the MotoGP grid since Kenny Roberts last ran Team Roberts back in 2007.
Marks immediately needed someone to help dig the organization out of the hole it had fallen into. Fortunately, there was someone on the market with experience winning in MotoGP, and, maybe even more importantly, experience in building a winning organization— Davide Brivio…
“Interview: Trackhouse Racing Team Principal Davide Brivio,” by Michael Gougis
Justin Marks wasn’t willing to settle for making up the numbers with Trackhouse Racing. He’s a NASCAR winner as a driver and team owner, he’s raced, and he wants to win. So he brought on Davide Brivio to start building a team capable of running at the front. “We want to be a great team. We want to be a successful team. And that’s what we will try to do,” Brivio says in the latest issue of Roadracing World.
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats.
Click here for a sample issue of Roadracing World magazine. (Print Edition, one sample issue per household, U.S. address only.)
Marc Marquez won the MotoGP World Championship Tissot Sprint Race Saturday at MotorLand Aragon, in Spain.
Riding his Gresini Racing Ducati Desmosedici on Michelin control tires, the six-time MotoGP World Champion won the 11-lap race by nearly three seconds. It was Marquez’s career-first MotoGP Sprint Race victory.
Jorge Martin was the runner-up on his Prima Pramac Racing Ducati.
Rookie sensation Pedro Acosta finished third on his Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 machine 6.6 seconds behind Marquez.
Two-time and defending World Champion Francesco Bagnaia was ninth, earning him just one point. This resulted in Martin moving past Bagnaia and into the World Championship point lead.
Marc Marquez serves up Saturday masterclass as Martin reclaims title lead
The #93 takes his first Tissot Sprint win ahead of Martin and Acosta as Bagnaia duels Quartararo for eighth on Saturday
The start of the Tissot Sprint race Saturday at MotorLand Aragon with Marc Marquez (93) leading Jorge Martin (89), Pedro Acosta (behind Martin), Alex Marquez (73), and the rest. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Saturday, 31 August 2024
Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) is a Tissot Sprint winner! The #93 started from a pole position secured with the biggest gap in the dry since 2011, took the holeshot and never looked back on Saturday afternoon at the Gran Premio GoPro de Aragon. It’s the first Sprint win for the eight-time World Champion as he escaped Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) by nearly three seconds.
Marc Marquez (93). Photo courtesy Dorna.
For Martin, however, a second-place finish puts him back in the Championship lead by four points as reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) had a tougher Sprint and came home ninth for a single point. Completing the podium behind Martin, rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) converted second on the grid to third in the Sprint.
As the lights went out there was an immediate front row fracas for Bagnaia, with the reigning Champion snapping sideways off the line, getting bogged down and then getting close to Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™). Ahead, there were no such dramas for Marc Marquez as he took the holeshot and then got the hammer down, shadowed by Martin up from Row 2 and Acosta in third.
Bagnaia was holding station in fourth initially, able to stay ahead of Alex Marquez, but the reigning Champion was making no inroads on the top three. Then he was wide at Turn 5 to drop back to sixth ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), before another few scrappy moments saw the South African get past him – and then the fight for sixth lit up.
Binder, Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) had their own throwdown, and Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) sliced past all of them to start making some space in fifth. Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) was next on the scene and it settled into Oliveira in fifth, Binder trying to hold off Bastianini and a flashback battle between Quartararo and Bagnaia.
Up ahead, Marc Marquez laid down the gauntlet ahead of the Grand Prix as his first Sprint win ups the hype even more. The Gresini Racing MotoGP™ rider has led every session of his weekend so far and if he wins on Sunday it will be his first victory since 2021, over 1000 days ago.
Martin pulled out a gap on Acosta by the flag, and the rookie also managed to keep some fresh air ahead of Alex Marquez in fourth. Oliveira kept fifth, with Binder staying in P6 by just over a tenth over Bastianini.
Behind, it went to the wire in the Bagnaia vs Quartararo battle, with the Frenchman sending it a couple of times before managing to complete the pickpocket and sit the #1 up. Bagnaia then came under attack on the last lap from Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), but the #1 was able to answer on the cut back and cross the line for that final Sprint point in P9.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) crashed out early on at Turn 1 and nearly took Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) with him, but the returning Italian stayed upright. Further drama included a crash for Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) – rider ok – and one for Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR), rider also ok but that adding a blip to the Frenchman’s otherwise stunning weekend at Aragon so far.
Join us again on Sunday for the Grand Prix race as Marc Marquez looks for a date with destiny – and everyone else looks to stop him 1043 days later.
Jake Dixon (96). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Dixon takes first pole of the season as Garcia starts from P28
Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) will start from pole for the Gran Premio GoPro de Aragon as the British rider improved on his final lap to slam in a 1:51.636 and earn a 0.134s gap to rookie Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team). It was a great session for the Brazilian, however, whose best intermediate class qualifying put him a mere 0.014s ahead of Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) rounding off a competitive front row ahead of Sunday.
– Championship leader Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) and teammate Ai Ogura were were in Q1, with Ogura moving through to ultimately qualify P16 but Garcia suffering a crash at Turn 7 putting him P29. Penalties for others mean he’ll start P28
– Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completed a fantastic quali in fourth place, his best yet in Moto2™. The rookie will start in front of Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), who secured P5 after going through Q1. Albert Arenas (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) was sixth but drops three positions with a grid penalty, promoting Sync SpeedUp’s Alonso Lopez to Row 2
– Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) and Austria winner Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) are next up ahead of Arenas. Fermin Aldeguer (Sync SpeedUp) starts 11th
Tune in for the Moto2™ race on Sunday at 12:15 (UTC +2)!
David Alonso (80). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Alonso hammers home advantage in qualifying
It was an intense Saturday for the Moto3™ field at the Gran Premio GoPro de Aragon, with David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) continuing to impress, topping Practice 2 before storming to a phenomenal pole position. The Colombian set a 1:58.059 to secure an incredible 0.433 advantage over Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo). P3 went the way of BOE Motorsports’ David Muñoz – unable to break into the 1:58 bracket as only Rueda got within a second of the polesitter.
– Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing) lost time in the final sector but secures P4, lining up ahead of Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) and SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Luca Lunetta.
– Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) heads Row 3 ahead of Matteo Bertelle (Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team) and Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), who has fellow title frontrunner Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets-MSI) close behind as they look to limit the damage to Alonso
Tune in for Moto3™ at 11:00 (UTC+2) as Alonso looks to cash in his pace for another incredible 25 points.
Jake Dixon was fastest during Moto2 World Championship qualifying Saturday at MotorLand Aragon, in Spain. Riding his CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team Kalex on spec Pirelli tires, the British racer lapped the 3.1-mile circuit in 1:51.636 to top the field of 32 riders.
Brazil’s Diogo Moreira was the best of the rest with a 1:51.770 on his Italtrans Racing Team Kalex.
Spaniard Aron Canet took the third and final spot on the front row with a time of 1:51.784 on his Fantic Racing Kalex.
American Joe Roberts qualified eighth with a lap of 1:52.044 on his OnlyFans American Racing Team Kalex.
David Alonso was fastest in Moto3 World Championship qualifying Saturday at MotorLand Aragon, in Spain. Riding his Gaviota Aspar Team CFMOTO on Pirelli control tires, the Colombian navigated the repaved 3.1-mile road course in 1:58.059 and topped the field of 27 riders.
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jose Antonio Rueda was second-best with a time of 1:58.492.
David Munoz, piloting his BOE Motorsports KTM, claimed the third and final spot on the front with a lap time of 1:59.064.
Marquez takes electrifying pole to pull clear of Acosta and Bagnaia as Martin crashes in Q2
What’s eight tenths between rivals? The Gresini rider pulls out a stunning margin at MotorLand to make it the biggest gap in a dry qualifying session since 2011
Saturday, 31 August 2024
Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) stormed to pole position on Saturday morning at the Gran Premio GoPro de Aragon, setting a sensational 1:46.766 to pull a stunning 0.840s clear of the pack. It’s the largest pole margin in dry conditions since the 2011 Valencia Grand Prix, where it was 1.014s in favour of Casey Stoner at the front. Gauntlet thrown.
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) will start second after battling through from Q1 and pinching P2 on his final lap in Q2, with the rookie placing just ahead of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). The reigning Champion will start the Aragon GP from third on the grid, just ahead of his main title rival, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing). The #89 was relegated to fourth after a crash on his first run forced him into recovery mode on his second exit.
Q1
2022 MotorLand winner Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) was on for a provisional place in Q2 until right at the end, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) taking over on top ahead of Acosta to relegate the ‘Beast’. It then got one worse for Bastianini as Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) improved on his final dash too, taking third in Q1. Binder and Acosta moved through, but Bez pips the Beast to P13.
Q2
As the fight for pole began, the early drama came from Martin and the early benchmark to beat from Marc Marquez. The #89 slid off at Turn 5 and found himself running back to the box to try and reset as the #93 at the top of the timesheets only continued to up the volume on the Jaws music.
The #93’s time would stand until the closing minutes, proving not only a benchmark but a ballpark no other rider could get near. It was then suddenly beaten, but by… Marc Marquez as he then managed to get down into the 1:46s.
The fight for the front row was not over yet, however, with Martin returning to the track and setting a strong time, just before Bagnaia and Acosta both improved on their final laps. The rookie and the reigning Champion relegated Martin to fourth, but it’s a solid starting position considering the tougher start to the Q2 session for the Championship contender.
THE GRID
Behind the eight-time World Champion, the rookie and the reigning Champion, it’s Martin heading the resistance at the head of Row 2, but he has company too: Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) are fifth and sixth.
Binder didn’t quite capitalise on his place in Q2 as much as Acosta managed to, but the South African heads Row 3 in seventh in a solid position to launch an attack. The Austrian battalion turned the tables somewhat on Aprilia in the differing track conditions following overnight rain, with Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) the lead RS-GP in P8. Teammate Raul Fernandez is ninth, meanwhile the Aprilia Racing duo of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales down in P11 and 12.
Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) continued to shine on Saturday after Friday saw him become the first Honda to get an automatic place in Q2 in 2024. He’ll line up tenth amongst the Aprilia armada.
It’s one thing to qualify on pole, it’s another to win the race. Or the Tissot Sprint. Marquez’ qualifying form looks like he could be on the brink of glory to bring one chapter of his career full circle, but if the sport was a time trial we couldn’t promise the best is still to come, but we’re sure we can.
Tune in for the first ever Sprint at MotorLand Aragon and then come back for more on Sunday as the #93 takes aim at Grand Prix glory 1043 days after he last tasted it.
Featured In the August 2024 issue of Roadracing World:
This story starts in a small town of Bellshill in Scotland where Norton engine wizard Joe Potts, engine fitter Pim Fleming, fabricator Alec Crummie, and gifted rider Bob McIntyre (the first rider to average over 100 mph on a lap of the Isle of Man TT course) had their headquarters.
McIntyre’s ideas as to how aging British Singles could be made more competitive centered around weight reduction and improved handling. Potts concentrated on engine preparation and modifications using his Heenen Froude engine dyno.
In 1961 McIntyre and Crummie designed a special lightweight frame to carry a 500cc Matchless G50 (see May 2014 issue of Roadracing World) or 350cc AJS 7R engine and Norton transmission. Although a standard G50 made less power than a 500cc Manx Norton, it was lighter and Potts felt he could squeeze some extra power from it…
“Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1966 McIntyre Matchless G50,” by Mick Ofield
Bob McIntyre’s career was tragically cut short by an accident at Oulton Park circuit in August 1962, from which he died nine days later. But this was not the end of the McIntyre G50. Read the story of a machine that was competitive in premier-class Grand Prix racing for six full seasons! It’s all in the latest issue of Roadracing World.
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats.
Click here for a sample issue of Roadracing World magazine. (Print Edition, one sample issue per household, U.S. address only.)
Lucas Oil Products Founder Forrest Lucas (right) with his son, Lucas Oil Products CEO Morgan Lucas (left). Photo courtesy Lucas Oil Products.
Editorial Note: To read more about how Forrest Lucas founded and built up Lucas Oil Products, grab an August 2011 issue of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology or view the PDF copies of that article below.
Lucas Oil Founder Forrest Lucas Honored with NHRA Lifetime Achievement Award
Automotive pioneer and long-time NHRA and motorsports icon recognized for decades of contributions to drag racing and the racing community at large
Forrest Lucas receives the top honor at NHRA U.S. Nationals
INDIANAPOLIS – Lucas Oil, the world leader and distributor of high-performance automotive additives and lubricants, is proud to announce that its founder, Forrest Lucas, has been awarded the prestigious NHRA Lifetime Achievement Award. The honor was presented at the Annual Sportsman Appreciation Dinner during the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Forrest Lucas, the innovative pioneer behind Lucas Oil Products, is celebrated worldwide for his exceptional contributions to the automotive industry and motorsports. For more than 20 years, Lucas Oil has been one of NHRA’s most prominent supporters, serving as the title sponsor of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, which features the best and most decorated sportsman competitors in drag racing. Lucas Oil is also the “Official Oil of NHRA” and the event title sponsor of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., and the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. The company’s support to NHRA also includes naming rights for Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, home of the World’s Biggest Drag Race™, the NHRA U.S. Nationals.
“I can’t say enough about Forrest Lucas; he truly embodies the spirit of drag racing, sharing the same resilience and passion that runs deep in our sport,” said NHRA President Glen Cromwell. “His connection to the NHRA is historic. From supporting greats like the Arana family, Frank Manzo, Del Worsham and Antron Brown to numerous racing teams, including his son and wife behind the wheel, Forrest and Lucas Oil’s unwavering support and dedication have elevated drag racing and motorsports to new heights. The Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, which has enjoyed a two-decade-long title sponsorship, is just one of many examples of Lucas’ commitment to the sport.”
Forrest, alongside his wife Charlotte, founded Lucas Oil in 1989 with a mission to develop high-performance oil and fuel treatments aimed at reducing mechanical failures and increasing mileage, particularly within the trucking industry. His innovative solutions quickly gained the respect of American truck drivers, who valued his honest and straightforward approach. Over the years, Lucas Oil has expanded to provide a wide range of engine oils, additives and fuel treatments for a variety of machines, solidifying a reputation for reliability and performance.
Lucas Oil has also built an incredible reputation on the track with its robust line of racing-specific products. Hundreds of race teams and drivers, representing nearly all forms of motorsports, rely on Lucas Oil Racing products to perform flawlessly under the most extreme conditions. The confidence placed in Lucas Oil’s racing formulas underscores Forrest’s passion for motorsports and for the NHRA.
“There are few in the racing community who don’t know Forrest, his family or haven’t seen a Lucas Oil banner at a racetrack,” added Cromwell. “His contributions have touched the lives of countless individuals in this sport and we are honored to present him with the NHRA Lifetime Achievement Award. I wholeheartedly congratulate Forrest on this well-deserved recognition. His leadership, passion for racing, and unwavering support for the motorsports community exemplify the qualities that the Lifetime Achievement Award seeks to honor.”
Beyond his business acumen, Forrest has been a generous philanthropist and sports marketing giant. His strategic sponsorships span amateur and professional sports, from the iconic Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO, to high-profile partnerships like Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts. Lucas Oil’s presence is also prominent in events like Monster Jam and through sponsorships of the Dallas Cowboys.
ABOUT LUCAS OIL
For more than 35 years, Lucas has set the world standard in superior engine oils, additives, appearance and lubricant products – powering lifestyles across the automotive, trucking, marine, outdoor, motorsports, industrial and home product worlds. The hard-charging American brand’s commitment to bring the ultimate in performance solutions impacts every customer and partner equally – from jointly-engineered oil for racing teams like Richard Childress Racing (RCR), Monster Jam®, sports teams like the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts, to additives that deliver unrivaled fuel economy, power and extended engine life to an everyday driver.
Based in Indianapolis, the company’s rapidly expanding global footprint is highlighted by cutting-edge research and development operations, evolving retail channels and high-tech manufacturing. More than 300 premium products make up the largest variety of shelf products of any oil company in the United States with a distribution network across 48 different countries and big-name retailers that include Amazon, Walmart, AutoZone, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Advance Auto Parts, Carquest and more. For more information, visitwww.LucasOil.com and follow #TeamLucasOil on Facebook, Twitter, X, Instagram and TikTok.
ABOUT NHRA
NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horse Powered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 110 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Team Obsolete's ex-Bob McIntyre AJS Special. Photo courtesy Team Obsolete.
Wampum, PA – Team Obsolete has announced that the recently found ex-Bob McIntyre AJS Special has received a total rebuild and will be raced by Dave Roper in the AHRMA event September 6-8 at Pittsburgh Race International Complex.
Bob was invincible on this bike in the early 1960’s.
We look forward to displaying the classic racers of yesteryear for all enthusiasts to see. Compared to today’s bikes, the AJS is quite simple and easy to work on. The AJS’s performance potential is an unknown.
As always, Team Obsolete would like to thank their sponsors: Vanson Leathers, Red Line Synthetic Oil, Heidenau Tires, and Buchanan’s Spoke & Rim
Pole position for the final round of the 2024 CSBK season went to Alex Dumas (23) after the Ducati rider topped BS Battery Pole Position qualifying Friday at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Dumas takes pole, Young clinches Superbike championship in qualifying at Shannonville
Shannonville, ON – The Canada Cup will officially be staying put in 2024, as Ben Young mathematically clinched his fourth career Bridgestone CSBK title on Friday despite rival Alex Dumas taking pole position at Shannonville Motorsport Park.
Young entered the season finale with a 50-point lead and the tie-breaker over Sam Guerin, allowing him to secure the GP Bikes Pro Superbike championship off qualifying points as long as he put himself higher on the grid than Guerin.
He would do just that, but hardly without drama in what was one of the wildest qualifying days in recent memory for the feature class.
While leading Q1, Young stalled on the front straight and was forced to push his Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW into the pits, ending his session as the team scrambled to figure out the issue.
After reportedly discovering a battery problem, the team decided not to risk anything in Q2 as Young hopped aboard his secondary “B bike” for the top-ten BS Battery shootout, which featured a rain setup in the event the weather changed.
That initially allowed Guerin a chance to push the title fight onto Saturday, as he took the early lead in Q2 with a time of 1:44.461 aboard his EFC Group BMW with Dumas chasing in second and Young third.
Dumas would then leapfrog Guerin to jump to the top of the timesheets just prior to the halfway point in Q2, blitzing his way into the 1:43 range just moments before Young squeezed past Guerin and into second.
As if there couldn’t be more drama, Guerin then discovered a brief setup issue when leaving the pit lane with five minutes to go, preventing him from getting a tow off Dumas.
When he finally returned to the track on his own, the Quebec City native could only marginally improve upon his time, settling for third on the grid and seeing his title chances officially come to a close.
Ben Young, shown being interviewed by CSBK TSN pit lane reporter Sarah Said, clinched his fourth Canadian Superbike Championship after his qualifying efforts Friday at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Young would improve his own time for good measure, and while it wasn’t enough to dislodge Dumas for BS Battery Pole Position, it did reward him with an additional three points and thus a third consecutive Canada Cup.
“We always seem to have some sort of problems don’t we,” Young joked, after battling qualifying issues during his 2019 and 2023 title weekends. “It’s been an up and down year, so to get out of it with a fourth championship is awesome. Hopefully we can have some fun this weekend and still put it on the top of the box, but in the meantime we’re definitely going to celebrate a bit tonight!”
The celebrations overshadowed what was a historic day for Dumas and the Economy Lube Ducati team, as he snatched his sixth career BS Battery Pole award but his first since taking over the V4 Panigale earlier this season.
That gives the Italian brand their first Pro Superbike pole position ever in the timed qualifying era, ending a run of five consecutive BMW poles in 2024.
“The bike is amazing, but Scott Miller did a ton of work overnight and we made a huge jump from yesterday to today,” Dumas said. “It feels good to be back on pole. Congrats to Ben on the championship, but hopefully now we can have some good battles this weekend.”
Guerin will complete the front row in third, and while his quest for a first career championship will have to wait, his work isn’t done as the EFC Group BMW rider tries to hang onto second in the standings over Jordan Szoke.
Szoke would qualify fourth for CKM Kawasaki and trails Guerin by 29 points heading into the weekend, though he will have his work cut out for him as he qualified 0.750 seconds behind the current championship runner-up.
Centering the second row will be Shannonville’s regional champion Eli Daccache, who continues to show well for Milwaukee Yamaha as he ran in fourth for the first half of Q2 and ultimately wound up just 0.099 seconds behind Szoke.
Round 6 BS Battery Pole Position Award podium from Shannonville Motorsport Park (from left): Ben Young, Alex Dumas, and Sam Guerin. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Taking sixth on the grid and the final spot on the second row was Sebastien Tremblay, who put in an incredible effort aboard his Sport Bike title-winning Turcotte Performance GSX-R750.
It remains to be seen if Tremblay will do double-duty this weekend after already clinching his championship in CTMP, though he certainly looked competitive enough despite piloting a lesser-powered middleweight-spec machine.
Leading off the third row is Paul Macdonell, who has looked very strong on Friday aboard his PMR/Vass Performance BMW. The Alberta native put himself marginally ahead of David MacKay, who will try to continue reeling off top-five finishes for ODH Snow City Cycle Honda.
Completing the third row in a valiant effort is Trevor Daley, who fought through a wrist injury and his lesser-powered OneSpeed Suzuki GSX-R750 to take ninth.
Daley crashed his GSX-R1000 Superbike earlier in FP1 and was forced to resort to his Sport Bike-spec machine, though he managed to turn in an impressive effort even at less than full health.
Rounding out the top ten in Q2 was Tomas Casas, who couldn’t replicate his stronger pace from Q1 and was forced to settle for the start of row four aboard his Yamaha Motors Canada machine.
Now with the championship tucked away for 2024, Young and company will return to the track for race one on Saturday with the freedom to fight as intensely as they like, as Dumas tries to convert pole into a second win of the campaign for the Ducati squad.
Full results can be found on the series’ official website.
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Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
