KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Mikayla Moore won MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Race One Sunday morning at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Riding her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650, the 20-year-old defending Champion ran away to win the red-flag-shortened three-lap race by 8.8 seconds.
Camille Conrad was the runner-up, and Emma Betters took the checkered flag 0.2 second behind Conrad in third.
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KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Hayden Gillim won MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Race Two Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Riding his Real Steel Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP on Dunlop control tires, the defending Champion won the 14-lap race by 10.576 seconds.
After finishing third in Race One, Bryce Prince improved to second in Race Two on his BPR Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.
Benjamin Smith finished right behind Prince in third on his FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha.
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KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Road Race Series competitors prepared for a busy day of racing with relatively short Warm Up sessions Sunday morning at Barber Motorsports Park. Below are the results from each class’s Warm Up session presented in the order they occurred. This post will be updated as each Warm Up session is completed.
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Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) Championship
Silver Dollar Short Track
Silver Dollar Speedway
Chico, California
May 18, 2024
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Kody Kopp (KTM), 23 laps
2. Chase Saathoff (Hon), -1.648 seconds
3. Trent Lowe (Hon), -3.471
4. Tarren Santero (Hon), -4.065
5. James Ott (Hus), -5.912
6. Tom Drane (Yam), -6.193
7. Evan Renshaw (Hon), -6.409
8. Michael Inderbitzin (Hon), -6.828
9. Travis Petton (KTM), -7.453
10. Justin Anselmi (Yam), -9.084
11. Cole Frederickson (Hon), -9.165
12. Ian Wolfe (Hon), -9.207
13. Hunter Bauer (Yam), -9.311
14. Logan Eisenhard (KTM), -10.669
15. Shayna Texter-Bauman (KTM), -11.452
16. Tyler Raggio (KTM), -12.055
17. Jared Lowe (Hon), -14.691
18. Olin Kissler (KTM), -1 lap
19. T.J Welty (Hon), -9 laps, DNF
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Jared Mees (Ind), 37 laps
2. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -0.436 second
3. Sammy Halbert (Har), -4.908 seconds
4. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -5.343
5. Briar Bauman (KTM), -7.226
6. Jarod VanDerKooi (Ind), -12.384
7. Dan Bromley (Hon), -1 lap
8. Bronson Bauman (KTM), -1 lap, 8.418 seconds
9. Max Whale (Har), -1 lap, 11.430
10. Declan Bender (Ind), -1 lap, 12.093
11. Kolby Carlile (Yam), -1 lap, 12.704
12. Trevor Brunner (KTM), -1 lap, 13.049
13. Brandon Price (Yam), -1 lap, 13.733
14. Cameron Smith (KTM), -2 laps
15. Michael Hill (Yam), -2 laps, 11.319
16. Davis Fisher (Ind), -23 laps, DNF
More, from a press release issued by AFT:
Champions Mees, Kopp Star at Inaugural Silver Dollar Short Track
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 18, 2024) – Nine-time Grand National Champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycle FTR750) reigned supreme in the inaugural Silver Dollar Short Track, Round 6 of the 2024 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.
The big crowd that turned out at in Chico, California, to see the world’s elite motorcycle dirt trackers compete at the historic Silver Dollar Speedway were treated to a virtuoso performance on the part of one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Mission AFT SuperTwins king Mees was fastest in both practice sessions and both qualifying sessions, and then proceeded to win his heat, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, and the night’s Main Event.
If it sounds clear cut, it was anything but.
Mees grabbed the early lead from holeshotter Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) but then came under heavy pressure from Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Dodge Bros. Racing/Castrol Harley-Davidson XR750).
In fact, Halbert actually worked his way into the lead after the two broke free from the pack at the front. They then proceeded to dice it out for several laps, all the while Daniels settled in and upped his pace.
Mees finally broke Halbert’s challenge and set about building up a big lead at the front. Halbert in turn shifted his attention to harrying Daniels over second. But even with that delay, the Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07-mounted ace quickly closed in on Mees’ factory Indian FTR750 after dispatching of Halbert and his venerable Harley-Davidson XR750.
The title rivals would spend the contest’s final three minutes dueling for victory with Mees ultimately holding strong after his young challenger’s last-lap, last-corner bid came up just short.
“It definitely feels good to get that win,” Mees said. “Dallas got the holeshot, but I was able to get by him. And then here comes Sammy on the ole Hog, and he was giving me a run. He actually stretched it out a little bit, but I was able to get back up to him. I felt like I had a good pace and was maybe checking out, but I lost my rhythm in the lappers. I peeked back and there was Dallas. We went back and forth, and I had to get a little aggressive a couple of times. He’s been riding so good. It feels like every week I have to dig deeper and deeper.”
Halbert completed the podium in third, but only after reclaiming the position from Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) on the race’s final lap.
Last week’s winner, Briar Bauman (No. 3 Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790 Duke), completed the top five. He was followed to the stripe in sixth through tenth by Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750), Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Transalp), Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing Mission Foods KTM 790 Duke), Max Whale (No. 18 Latus Motors Racing/Liqui Moly Harley-Davidson XG750R), and Declan Bender (No. 70 GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750).
Despite being bitterly disappointed by Saturday’s result, Daniels continues to lead the points chase with 124 points to Mees’ 118. Robinson is one point further adrift at 117, followed by Bauman’s 99.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F) continued his march toward a third Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER championship by scoring his third Short Track victory of the ‘24 season on Saturday night.
While Kopp would eventually take hold of his customary position out front, the opening stages of the contest saw his primary challengers, Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) and Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R), wage their own battle over first, trading the lead back and forth with intersecting lines.
Saathoff’s strategy proved superior in that early fight, and he then put his head down to break free at the front. Meanwhile, Kopp closed in on Drane’s rear wheel in second.
A bobble on the Australian’s part gave Kopp the small opening he needed. Once through, he not only shook Drane but instantly reeled back in Saathoff after trailing him by as much as 1.5 seconds a small handful of laps earlier.
In fact, the Rick Ware Racing pilot’s momentum barely stalled upon catching Saathoff; he merely rode around the outside and continued to walk away in the lead.
However, with the top three seemingly settled at that point, a lapped rider went down upon Saathoff’s overtake as the leaders negotiated traffic. Drane became collateral damage in the crash, going down in a two-part incident that summoned the red flag.
Kopp and Saathoff lined back up in first and second, respectively, while Drane was forced to the back of the pack after looking as if he might not be fit enough to continue.
There was little drama at the front once the action resumed. Kopp powered away in the same fashion he had prior to the red flag. Saathoff completed his run to second, while Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) claimed the final step on the podium.
“We worked hard for that one,” Kopp said. “We were fast all day, but I was one of the only ones shifting out here today. It was fast, but would it have been consistent in this whole Main when we were running up on the top? Probably not. So we made a game-changing call right before the (Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenge), and I had to go out and learn how to ride the bike again because we weren’t shifting all of a sudden. Thanks to my team. This was a big one for us.”
Californians Tarren Santero (No. 75 Vinson Construction/P&M Motorcycles Honda CRF450R) and James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) rounded out the top five.
As for Drane, he not only gritted his way to the finish, he actually charged all the way up to sixth to keep his championship hopes very much alive.
Kopp now leads with 133 points, followed by Saathoff at 111 and Drane at 108.
Next Up:
Progressive American Flat Track will head back east for the Orange County Half-Mile at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York, on Saturday, June 15. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/orange-county-half-mile-94110 to secure your tickets today.
For those who can’t catch the action from the circuit, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of the on-track action, from the first practice to the victory podium, at https://flosports.link/aft.
FOX Sports coverage of the Silver Dollar Short Track, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, May 25, at 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT).
For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING AND REIGNING CHAMPION JARED MEES WIN INAUGURAL SILVER DOLLAR SHORT TRACK
Mees Edges Out the Competition Aboard Indian FTR750, Captures Second Victory of Season as he Moves into Second Overall through Six Rounds
Minneapolis, MN. – Indian Motorcycle Racing proved victorious at round six of the 2024 American Flat Track series at the inaugural Silver Dollar Short Track, as nine-time champion Jared Mees added his second victory of the 2024 season aboard his Indian FTR750. With 118 points, Mees is just six back from the top of the leaderboard as he chases the all-time career record of 10 Grand National Championships.
Mees demonstrated his exceptional speed and skill, securing victories in both qualifying sessions, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, and the night’s Main event. However, securing the top of the podium was no easy feat, as Mees battled closely with Dallas Daniels and Sammy Halbert throughout the Main’s final three minutes. Ultimately, Mees reigned victorious, inching closer to his goal of breaking the all-time career championship record of 10 titles.
“Competing at a track for the first time can throw a lot of hurdles, but the team had the FTR750 fully dialed in, and Jared proved why he’s got nine championships to his name,” said Gary Gray, Vice President of Racing & Service for Indian Motorcycle. “With two wins this season, just six points back from the top of the leaderboard, we’re excited to stay on the throttle and push for the all-time championship record.”
After six rounds, Mees sits second in the championship chase with 118 points, a mere 6 points off the lead. Currently tied with Scottie Parker with the most career championships, Mees is looking to break the record and earn the title of the greatest all-time flat track racer. Of his nine-career championships, Mees has earned five while a member of the Indian Wrecking Crew piloting the Indian FTR750, including championships in 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The 2024 American Flat Track season continues on June 15 for the Orange County Half-Mile in Middleton, NY.
For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, X and Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE
Indian Motorcycle is America’s First Motorcycle Company. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
More, from a press release issued by MSVR:
Ryde reigns in race one at Donington Park as Bridewell and Haslam return to the podium
Kyle Ryde claimed his first Bennetts British Superbike Championship race win of the season in the opening race of the weekend at Donington Park in a red-flagged race one as Tommy Bridewell and Leon Haslam completed the podium line-up.
The race was red flagged when Christian Iddon crashed heavily at the Old Hairpin on lap 15. The Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider was fully conscious after the crash and was taken to the medical centre with ankle pain. He had an x-ray at the Medical Centre with no apparent fractures and will be reviewed by the BSB Medical Team tomorrow morning before warm up.
At the start of the race, Ryan Vickers launched off the Omologato Pole Position to take the lead as the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing teammates held the leading two positions, however on lap two, Vickers crashed out of contention at the Melbourne Hairpin.
Ryde then held the advantage ahead of Haslam, Iddon, Danny Kent, Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell with Max Cook completing the leading group over the opening laps. The reigning champion was carving his way through the pack and after an intense battle with former teammate Irwin; he had Iddon in his sights as Kent held sixth.
Bridewell was then dicing with Iddon, moving into a podium position and had Haslam ahead of him as Ryde held onto the lead. The Honda Racing UK rider had his opportunity to make a move when Haslam ran wide at Goddards on lap 13 and he pounced to move into second place.
Iddon’s crash prompted a red flag and the result was declared, giving Ryde the victory by 0.559s from Bridewell with Haslam becoming the seventh podium finisher of the season as three manufacturers featured on the podium.
Kent claimed a strong fourth place, keeping him second in the standings and just nine points adrift of Irwin who maintained his championship lead with a fifth place finish.
Cook meanwhile celebrated his best result of the season with a sixth place as Lee Jackson split the Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki teammates with Jason O’Halloran fighting through from his fifth row start to finish in eighth place.
Charlie Nesbitt was also able to carve his way up the order to finish ninth for the MasterMac Honda team with Josh Brookes completing the top ten as Billy McConnell narrowly missed out in eleventh for the C&L Fairburn Properties/Look Forward Racing Honda team.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Donington Park, Race 1 result:
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha
“I’m over the moon to win my first race of the season, obviously for that to be at Donington Park and my home round makes it even better! The bike wasn’t perfect but we can make it better tonight and hopefully the pace will be a few tenths faster for tomorrow.
“Starting from sixth tomorrow for the shorter race, I don’t know what to expect. The bike was good in Superpole, it’s not really going to be much for tyre life except going as fast as you can for 12 laps, so the trouble is people like Leon and Tommy can all do those lap times for 12 laps so it’s going to be a dogfight. Then we will see what happens in race three!”
More, from a press release issued by CSBK:
Young outlasts Guerin for historic Superbike win at Shannonville
Shannonville, ON – The 2024 Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship season kicked off in exciting fashion on Saturday, as defending champion Ben Young outdueled rivals Sam Guerin and Jordan Szoke for a sensational victory at Shannonville Motorsport Park, presented by the Fallen Rider Support Team sponsored by Pace Law.
Young began the day with a stellar victory in the Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike class, returning to his familiar ranks in the GP Bikes Pro Superbike category with a chance to become the first double-winner in the same season since Jodi Christie in 2014.
Instead, Young’s title defence got off to a brutal start, as Szoke grabbed the holeshot with Guerin promptly moving into second. Things would get even worse for Young before they got better, as Trevor Dion shunted the three-time Canada Cup champion into fourth on lap two while Szoke and Guerin escaped out front.
The lead duo would begin to stretch out their advantage before Guerin moved into the lead on lap three, seizing the front in turn eight as he continued his quest for a maiden pro national victory.
Young’s comeback would then begin on lap four, moving back past Dion and on the hunt for Szoke, who in return had continued to battle with Guerin. That would set up a hectic three-way fight for the lead on lap six, which waged on for two laps before Young moved through his long-time rival Szoke on lap eight.
That would set up the final, decisive battle between Guerin and Young for the middle portion of the race, but Guerin’s impressive defensive effort ultimately caved on lap 13 as Young snatched the lead for the first time and squeezed out a slight advantage, holding firm the rest of the way for the season-opening victory.
The comeback was not one many were expecting after Young’s dominant pace on Friday, but the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider chalked it up to a bit of rider error thanks to his double-duty earlier in the Sport Bike class.
“The BMW was phenomenal as always today, but the first couple laps felt a bit strange until I realized it was just the difference between the two bikes, which is completely a mistake of my own,” Young admitted. “It was really cool to battle with Jordan again – a bit of a flashback to some of our races in 2019 – and Sam made it really hard on us in the end, but to lead both championships even for a day feels pretty awesome.”
The result proved to be a historic one for Young in more ways than one, as he also moved out of a tie with Pascal Picotte and into sole possession of third all-time with his 17th career Superbike victory.
“I knew we were tied coming in, but to pass a legend like that is pretty cool,” Young said, though he remains a far way off Szoke’s record of 78 career wins. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not ever passing Jordan’s record! That one’s safe, but we’ll keep this going as long as we can.”
As for Guerin, it’s yet another runner-up finish for the EFC Group BMW rider as he chases win number one, but a result that will likely turn some heads after making things very difficult on his BMW counterpart.
“It took us a couple laps to get going, but I saw these two were still figuring some things out, so I thought ‘okay, let’s go for it,’” Guerin said. “I held on past the mid-race point which is a huge step, but Ben had the better pace at the end so I decided to keep things on-track and be fine with second today.”
The season opener was also a welcome return for Szoke to the front, after he grabbed the holeshot and paced the Superbike field in the early going. The Canadian Kawasaki Motors rider is still recovering from his serious injuries in 2022, but Saturday’s effort was proof that a return to full fitness could be a problem for the BMW rivals in front of him.
“I was hoping to hang on a little longer, but once Sam got by me and Ben had caught up it was only a matter of time. I’m still getting my strength back, but I feel better and better every day,” said the 14-time champion. “We’re still settling in here, so to bring it home for the team and for Kawasaki is huge.”
As for Dion, it was a tale of two halves in a race where he briefly battled with Young at the front, only to then slip back to a distant fourth at the finish. The Economy Lube Ducati rider is still gaining familiarity with his new machine after the late switch in 2023, but will hope to replicate more of his early-race pace on Sunday and close the gap to the lead trio.
Rounding out the top-five on Sunday was Superbike debutant David MacKay, who made major progress on his Snow City Cycle Honda. The reigning Sport Bike champion flashed his best pace of the weekend and began to reel in Dion in the late stages, something he will hope to carry into race two on Sunday.
Sebastien Tremblay would make a late charge of his own to climb to sixth, a strong result for the Turcotte Performance Suzuki rider as he marked five different manufacturers inside the top-six spots on Saturday.
Full results from the day’s action, including the schedule for Sunday’s racing, can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Avery Dreher won MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Shortly after the end of Superbike Race One, the skies opened up with a heavy rain shower that forced all activity to be placed on pause.
After the heaviest of the rain passed, the Twins Cup field was given a short session to familiarize themselves with the wet conditions because all track time to that point had been dry.
When the race started, pole-sitter Alessandro Di Mario jetted out into the lead and threatened to run away, but class rookie Avery Dreher passed several riders on the opening lap, including Di Mario, and took the lead.
Dreher then threatened to run away with the race, but Di Mario tracked him down, passed him, and then crashed out.
Dreher rode on to win the seven-lap race — the first of his Twins Cup career — by 2.705 seconds on his TopPro Racing Aprilia RS 660.
Part-time Pro racer Cassidy Heiser missed the wet warm-up session, but that didn’t stop the U.S. Air Force veteran from riding his Chiefs Racing Yamaha YZF-R7 to second place.
Dominic Doyle said he took a conservative approach to race, focused on keeping his Giaccmoto Yamaha on two wheels, and came home third.
Jack Roach got fourth on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha, and Rossi Moor rounded out the top five finishers on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-8R.
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American Julian Correa, age 15, took second place in British Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Donington Park, in England. Riding his Microlise Cresswell Racing Honda, Correa finished just 0.081 second behind race winner Amanuel Brinton and his Kovara Projects/RS Racing Honda.
Lucas Brown finished third on a SENCAT Talent Team/Mortimer Racing Honda.
American Josh Raymond Jr. finished 14th on his Fibre Tec Honda, and his American teammate Eli Banish got 20th.
BTC R1
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Cameron Petersen won MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Petersen put his Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1 into the lead on lap three and rode flawlessly all the way to the checkered flag, earning the fourth Superbike victory of his career.
Petersen’s teammate Jake Gagne, the three-time and defending Champion, pressured the race leader all the way to the end but had to settle for the runner-up spot, 0.439 second back.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin came out on top of a three-way battle for third to claim his first podium finish of 2024.
Sean Dylan Kelly was third at the start of the final lap, but Herrin was able to get past the Superbike rookie, who held on to finish fourth on his TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz crossed the stripe right behind Kelly in fifth in his first race back since breaking his ankle at Road Atlanta three weeks ago.
Xavi Fores came home sixth in his first race filling in for injured Richie Escalante on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R.
Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s JD Beach slipped backward to seventh at the end of the race.
Real Steel Motorsports Honda’s Hayden Gillim (eighth), Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha’s Bobby Fong (ninth), and Fores’ teammate Brandon Paasch (10th) rounded out the top 10 finishers.
Pole-sitter Cameron Beaubier was leading the race by 1.5 seconds and pulling away on lap three when he crashed his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW. Beaubier walked away from the crash but could not continue on his damaged motorcycle.
The MotoAmerica Superbike class will race twice on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park.
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More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Petersen Withstands The Pressure To Take Superbike Victory At Barber
Cameron Petersen Tops His Teammate Jake Gagne In Steel Commander Superbike Action From Barber Motorsports Park
BIRMINGHAM, AL (May 18, 2024) – Leading 17 laps of a MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike race is tough enough. Leading 17 laps with three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne breathing down your neck is flat out daunting. But Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen was able to focus on what was ahead and not what was behind to win Saturday’s first of three Superbike races at Barber Motorsports Park.
And in doing so, the South African never put a wheel wrong to top his teammate Gagne by .438 of a second after 20 laps. Since 20 minus 17 is three, who led those opening three laps? That would be Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier on his BMW M 1000 RR, but it didn’t last. Just when it was starting to look like the five-time series champion was going to romp away to victory, it all went horribly wrong on the fourth lap when Beaubier crashed out of the lead.
That left Petersen vs. Gagne with Petersen leading and Gagne giving chase, piling on the pressure to see if Petersen would falter. He didn’t. Instead, he was mostly perfect in earning his fourth MotoAmerica Superbike victory with three of those coming at Barber Motorsports Park.
Gagne ended up second, happy for his teammate while also knowing that he’d extended his championship points lead to 20 points over his title rival Beaubier, 65-45, after the first three races of the season.
Both Petersen and Gagne acknowledged that things would have been different if Beaubier hadn’t crashed.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin came out on top of a three-rider scrap for the final podium spot. After moving past his teammate Loris Baz, Herrin disposed of impressive rookie Sean Dylan Kelly on the final lap to finish third.
TopPro Racing’s Kelly ended up .476-of-a-second behind Herrin and .502-of-a-second ahead of Baz. It was Kelly’s third top-five finish to start his rookie season of Superbike racing.
Spaniard Xavi Forés was sixth in his debut on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, riding in place of the injured Richie Escalante. Forés was well back from Baz and .8 seconds ahead of seventh-placed JD Beach and his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim was eighth with Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch rounding out the top 10 finishers.
With three races in the books, Gagne leads Beaubier in the title chase, 65-45, with Petersen jumping up to third in the standings with 42 points. Kelly is fourth with 37 points, three clear of fifth-placed Herrin.
Sunday will be a busy day for the Steel Commander Superbike men with two races on the schedule.
Quotes
Cameron Petersen – Winner
“It feels good. I think this is three wins at this track. Got one in the dry, but honestly it feels so good. I know a lot of people know what I’ve gone through in the off-season and after the surgery. It’s been a tough off-season. The wrist is starting to feel really good on the bike. It just feels so good to get this monkey off my back. It’s been a questioning game, wondering if I did the right thing with the surgery. But it’s starting to pay off. Like Jake said, we had a really tough Friday. We were all kind of scratching our heads, and the boys did an incredible job. We definitely took a step forward today. We had a good race bike. We kind of got gifted that one a little bit. Cam had some incredible pace in the beginning there. He was starting to check out. For the rest of the race, I just tried to hit my marks. I knew if I do that and I was good on the brakes and didn’t make any mistakes, I kind of knew that I would have a good opportunity at it. So, just put my head down and did everything I could. With about five laps to go, I was just like, nobody is taking this thing from me. We’re too close to the end. I’ve led this whole thing. I just wanted it super bad. Congrats to the guys up here next to me. It’s always fun racing against them. Look forward to two races tomorrow.”
Jake Gagne – Second Place
“It was awesome. Cam (Petersen) rode a great race. He didn’t put a wheel wrong. I was sitting there kind of waiting for a mistake. He was good on the brakes everywhere, so there was not a whole lot I could do unless I really tried to stuff it in there. I was going to see if I could try to make a move somewhere on those last couple laps. Then it started sprinkling, so in the back it was getting dark. I just figured there was nothing I could do unless he made a mistake, and he didn’t. He wanted that one. Congrats to Cam. He earned it. Congrats to the team, to go one-two after our pretty rough day yesterday, actually. So, it was good to see the consistency there. Fun race, riding around with Cam. Obviously, my teammate and one of my great friends. So, congrats to him. But we got some work to do. See if we can improve some things tomorrow. (Cameron) Beaubier was unreal those first couple laps. I didn’t see what happened, but I hope he’s okay. Everybody is going to be going faster tomorrow, so we got to do our job.”
Josh Herrin – Third Place
“We kind of just went back to what we had on Friday and tried something small from that. We’ve been here three times now on this bike. We came here for the race last year, a track day earlier in the year, and then now. I’m just stuck at the time that I’m at. I just can’t do anything better. Having Baz here, it helped because for me, mentally knowing that it wasn’t just me, this is just a difficult track for us. The bike feels great, but I just can’t go any faster on it. It’s weird because I feel like I’m going really good, but then those guys are going quicker. So, I’ve just got to keep plugging away here and keep trying to get better, but just know that there’s better days ahead. We got Road America coming up next. It’s a hard pill to swallow, knowing that this is a three-race round. But the most important thing to me, as much as I love the guy, is to beat Baz. So, it was good motivation. I had a good battle with Sean at the end. It was just a really fun race. Huge thanks to my team for just the nonstop effort, trying to get it better. I don’t know if it’s something that we need to improve on the bike or if it’s just me not being comfortable. Historically, this is a good track for me, so it’s hard to understand. But, if you would have asked me yesterday or this morning, if I’d be happy with third, I’d be stoked. Especially after Atlanta. We had arguably the best race of my career, but it just didn’t look like it on paper. But catching those guys as much as I did and feeling as good as I did on the bike, I got a really good on my head shoulders mentally going into the next couple rounds. I’m happy, and just hoping that tomorrow is better or maybe it rains and then maybe it helps us out. I don’t know.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.:
Petersen Scores Emotional MotoAmerica Superbike Victory at Barber
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen returns to the top, while Jake Gagne claims MotoAmerica Superbike Championship lead with a runner-up finish in Race 1 at Barber Motorsports Park
MARIETTA, Ga. – May 19, 2024 – After a tough off-season making a comeback from injury, Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen celebrated victory yesterday and led a stellar 1-2 finish for the team at Round 2 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Barber Motorsports Park. His teammate Jake Gagne secured second to make championship gains with a 20-point lead after Race 1 of the weekend’s Superbike tripleheader at the 2.38-mile circuit in Leeds, Alabama.
After a tough first day of qualifying, both of the team’s riders had a much better day two, with Petersen improving to fourth in the combined times. From there he got a great start in third behind his teammate and quickly made the pass to the runner-up spot. The South African rode his own race and advanced to the lead after the frontrunner crashed in the opening laps. He continued to hit his marks, kept cool under pressure with Gagne on his heels, and rode his Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing R1 to victory. After an uncertain return with a wrist injury, it was a great comeback and emotional victory for Petersen, which also marked his fourth-career Superbike win and third at Barber Motorsports Park.
Gagne qualified third and got a great start from the front row in second, and was passed by his teammate shortly after. The defending three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion rode a calculated race in third and advanced to the runner-up spot after his title rival crashed on Lap 3. He closed the gap on his teammate a couple of laps before the halfway mark and kept the pressure on. In the final laps, the weather loomed closer and light rain started to fall on parts of the track. Gagne rode on to cross the line second, keeping his podium streak rolling and claiming a 20-point lead in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team looks forward to an action-packed Sunday with Race 2 and 3 of the MotoAmerica Superbike tripleheader today at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“We came from Atlanta with a particular setup that we have been working on all winter, and it didn’t work here. So the guys were struggling on the first day, but we kept working all the way up to the race, and it showed. (Cameron) Beaubier gave us a little something, but that’s racing. If you pressure the guy in front of you, sometimes mistakes happen. We’re happy with the 1-2 finish and looking to do it again tomorrow.”
Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“This one feels good. It’s been a tough off-season coming back from the surgery I had. I didn’t know if I was going to race a motorcycle again and was questioning whether I did the right thing with the surgery, but it’s paid off. It feels good to get this monkey off my back and get the win. I’m stoked for the team to get that 1-2 after a difficult Friday. We were all kind of scratching our heads, but the guys did a great job, and we definitely took a step forward today. We had some incredible race bikes. I just tried to hit my marks and not make any mistakes. With about five laps to go, I wasn’t letting anyone take it from me. I just wanted to win this thing.”
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #1
“It was a good day for the team. Congrats to Cam. It was great to see him win one. He rode a great race, didn’t put a wheel wrong, and it would have been tough to get by him. Yesterday was kind of a rough day for us both. The team did a great job making improvements to the setup, and we both felt a little better today. With (Cameron) Beaubier going down, the smart thing to do was to bring it home on the podium. We’re going to be even more confident tomorrow and look to step it up.”
About Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars (sold, serviced, and distributed by Yamaha Golf-Car Company), Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.
YMUS has a corporate office in California, three corporate offices in Georgia, as well as facilities in Wisconsin and Alabama. YMUS subsidiaries YMMC, based in Georgia, and YJBM based in Tennessee, each assemble and manufacture selected Yamaha brand products. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company, Inc. (YMSC) with subsidiary Siren Marine and divisions Bennett Marine (Florida), Yamaha Marine Rotational Molders (Wisconsin) and Yamaha Precision Propeller Inc. (Indiana), and Skeeter Boats (Texas) with its division G3 Boats (Missouri).
Yamaha Motor Finance Corporation, U.S.A. (Yamaha Financial Services), an affiliate of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., offers financing solutions to support Yamaha Dealers and loyal Yamaha Customers nationwide. Yamaha Financial Services provides retail and commercial financing for the diverse line of Yamaha brand motor products based out of Cypress, CA and Marietta, GA.
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Mathew Scholtz won MotoAmerica Supersport Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Riding his Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6, Scholtz came back from a poor start to win the first MotoAmerica Supersport race of his career by 0.269 second.
PJ Jacobsen was leading late in the race until Scholtz passed him with less than two laps to go. The New York native had to settle for the runner-up spot on his Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL Panigale V2.
Maxi Gerardo, the pole-sitter, led most of the race on his TopPro Racing Suzuki GSX-R750 but slipped back to third in the closing laps.
Tyler Scott was racing for a podium position until he ran off the track mid-race. Scott was able to recover and salvage a fourth-place finish on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750.
Blake Davis rounded out the top five finishers on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha.
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More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Action Aplenty In MotoAmerica Support Class Racing At Barber
A Day Of First-Time Winners And Veteran Domination At Barber Motorsports Park
BIRMINGHAM, AL (May 18, 2024) – This is 15-year-old Logan Cunnison’s second year of racing in MotoAmerica, and May 18, 2024, is a date the Arizona-based Junior Cup rider won’t soon forgot. Not only did Cunnison earn his very first MotoAmerica pole position, but he also notched his first career podium and finished on the top step as the winner of Saturday’s Junior Cup race one in a dominant performance.
The rain stayed away on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park. Right up until the point when it didn’t. The rainstorm that was expected in the afternoon finally reared its ugly head prior to the start of the BellissiMoto Twins Cup race, but with a small delay the race started and was completed under cloudy but sunny skies. The Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race., however, was delayed until tomorrow morning with the BTR women set to race twice on Sunday.
Stock 1000 – Gillim Gets It Done
The Stock 1000 Championship finally got started with its opening round at Barber Motorsports Park and while many were thinking the race would be a thriller, it wasn’t part of Hayden Gillim’s plan.
Real Steel Motorsports Honda’s Gillim ran away and hid from the 36-rider field to win the opening round in the defense of his 2023 Stock 1000 Championship by some 11 seconds. The win was the 12th of Gillim’s Stock 1000 career, and it moved him into a tie with Andrew Lee and Corey Alexander as the winningest rider in the history of the class.
Gillim’s start wasn’t a good one and he had to fight his way to second place early before moving into the lead for good on the third lap after getting ahead of GMR/Jones Honda’s Gabriel Da Silva. Once in front, Gillim put his head down and left the others in his wake as he rode his Honda CBR1000RR-R SP to victory to give Honda its first win in the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 class.
Da Silva was a rather lonely runner-up, some four seconds ahead of BPR’s Bryce Prince with the Californian taking a weekend off work to try his hand at the Stock 1000 class. Bryce was in a battle with Benjamin Smith early on, but there was contact between the two with Smith coming out the worst of it as he crashed his FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.
Visit Indiana/Tom Wood Powersports’ Nolan Lamkin finished fourth on his BMW M 1000 RR with Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates fifth, giving Honda three CBRs in the top five.
Gillim leads the championship point standings by five over Da Silva and nine over Prince.
“I knew I could do the laps consistent just from all the practice sessions,” Gillim said. “We actually kind of had some miscues and didn’t get to put any new tires on the bike during the sessions. So really most of the sessions I was just doing race stints. So, I knew I could do the lap times. We had some stuff going on with the front end and made a couple clicker changes and it was pretty well fixed. I was super happy with that. I felt from the first lap of the race that I had a little bit extra from what I had in qualifying. It’s been a good weekend. The start wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. After Road Atlanta, I was getting some really good starts, and all my practice starts, testing and everything have been good. Then that light was a little long. If you go and watch the race, you see me about fall over to the right because I was sitting with my rear foot on the rear brake. As the lights hold, I started falling over and I had to end up taking that foot off right as the light went. It threw me a little bit, but it was a good race. These guys were putting up a good fight at the beginning. I had a couple runs on Gabriel (Da Silva) those first two laps. He was doing a good job of kind of blocking the real passing zones and made me work for it. It was a fun race. I was happy to get out front and get into a good pace and get the win. This is a new team. I’ve got the same crew guys from last year, but new bikes, new trailer, new title sponsors. So, it’s great to get the first win on the Honda. See how tomorrow goes. See how the rest of the season goes.”
Supersport – Scholtz Gets His First
Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen was content to sit on the rear of TopPro Racing’s Maxi Gerardo. Lap after lap after lap. But with four to go, the New Yorker took the lead, and it seemed like it would be smooth sailing to victory for the championship points leader.
Enter Mathew Scholtz and his Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.
After a horrible start from the inside of row one. Scholtz was able to make some moves to end the lap in a battle for fifth. On the ninth of 18 laps, Scholtz was free and started to move forward. On the 10th lap, he went past Blake Davis to take over fourth, but he didn’t stop there.
Meanwhile, up front, Jacobsen decided to go to the lead with four laps to go. Little did he know there was more racing in store for him as Scholtz was past Gerardo and into second. And the South African wasn’t content to finish there. On the last lap, Scholtz made his move and held it to the flag, winning his first MotoAmerica Supersport race by .269 of a second over Jacobsen with Gerardo just a tick over a second behind.
Scott rode the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki to fourth, some eight seconds behind Scholtz and just .5 of a second ahead of Davis and his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R6.
Equitea MV Agusta by MP13 Racing’s Roberto Tamburini was sixth, less than a second ahead of Wrench Motorcycles’ David Anthony. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa, Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis and Rahal Ducati Moto’s Corey Alexander rounded out the top 10 finishers.
After three races, Jacobson leads the championship by 16 points over Scholtz and 31 ahead of his teammate Alexander.
“When I was with (Stefano) Mesa, (Blake) Davis, a bunch of the guys, I was running like 27.3, 27.4,” Scholtz said. “I felt like I was pushing to my absolute max because I think that I was definitely flowing through a couple corners a little bit quicker, so I wasn’t able to kind of use those spots to pick up the lap time. So, once I kind of got some clear track, I started dropping time. I could see that I was catching them, but I thought that I was going to fall short. I think one lap they got screwed by the lappers into the second corner, which definitely helped me. Then I got up to third right onto Max’s (Gerardo) tail, and I just went for a crazy pass. I nearly crashed. Unfortunately, I think we touched. Then I managed to pass PJ (Jacobsen) on the second-to-last corner again, and then last lap I just put my absolute hardest lap down. I think I did a 26.8, which was one of the fastest laps for me. Overall, I’m just super happy to be sitting up top here.”
Junior Cup – Cunnison’s First
Speed Demon Racing’s Logan Cunnison became the third first-time winner in the first three Junior Cup races of the season on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park as he topped championship points leader Yandel Medina by two seconds in the 11-lap race.
Medina came out on top of a five-rider pack contesting third, the New York Safety Track Racing-backed New Yorker beating Karns Performance’s Levi Badie by .251 of a second. Wolfe Racing’s Ryan Wolfe and BARTCON Racing’s Matthew Chapin rounded out the top five.
“Just excited,” 15-year-old Cunnison said after his first win. “It’s unbelievable. It’s just too exciting.”
The 2024 season marks Cunnison’s second go in the MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship.
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Dreher Reigns In The Rain
Floridian Avery Dreher is racing in two classes this season. He’s defending his 2023 Junior Cup Championship while also competing in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup Championship aboard a TopPro Racing Aprilia. Despite a thoroughly wet track from a cloudburst over Barber Motorsports, Dreher rode a masterful race in the tricky conditions and got his first victory in MotoAmerica’s two-cylinder, middleweight race class.
Second-place went to Cassidy Heiser, the Chiefs Racing Team Yamaha rider recording his first-ever podium finish in MotoAmerica competition. Completing the podium was Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle, whose third-place result was his third podium in the past three races.
Despite a ninth-place finish, Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Gus Rodio continues to lead the championship by 19 points over the tied duo of RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers, sixth today, and Doyle.
“I think this is for sure going to boost my confidence to try to get up there in the Twins Cup,” Dreher said. “With the unfortunate mechanical in the Junior Cup race earlier, that kind of bummed me out. But as soon as I saw the clouds start to roll in and the rain start to fall, I got a little bit excited because I’m a pretty good rain rider. I knew I just had to be smooth and finish the race on two wheels. It got a little sketchy out there towards the end. I was starting to hydroplane here and there, but I saw Alessandro go down. I knew he was pushing because I couldn’t hang with him. The rear was sliding all over the place, so I just took it easy and just tried to finish the race.”
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK: RACE 1
SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2024 | QUALIFYING 2 & RACE 1
Today’s Race 1 ran under beautiful sunny skies for 18 laps before the checkered flag was waved on Round 3 of competition. It was PJ Jacobsen who led the Rahal Ducati Moto pack, riding his XPEL Ducati to a podium finish with a second-place finish behind Mathew Scholtz who ultimately won the race after three different lead changes.
Tomorrow hosts another chance to earn hardware as the trio takes on Race 2 of the weekend. Round 4 will go green at 2:10 p.m. CT with coverage available at MotoAmericaLivePlus.com.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 4th
FINISHED: 2nd
CHAMPIONSHIP: 1st // 70 Pts. (no change)
NOTES: Credited with leading Laps 15 and 16 of the 18-lap race
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was really positive after I messed up on Friday and the team worked great to get the bike back to racing condition for Qualifying and Time Attack. I was fighting for the win with two laps to go, and [Mathew] Scholtz came past us. I wish that I was able to get past those [lapped] riders a bit quicker, just before he passed for the lead. We just rode the best that we could today, especially coming off of Friday with that really bad crash. I just can’t thank the team enough. The Rahal Ducati Moto team has been working so well, and everybody who’s on the team has been doing a great job.”
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 ROLLER DIE DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 12th
FINISHED: 10th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 3rd // 39 Pts. (-1)
NOTES: Ran as high as the eighth position battling for a top-five finish
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was a little bit of a tough day. We didn’t get the results we wanted in qualifying, and starting 12th definitely made it more difficult for us in the race. I felt like I got a good start with good pace for the first 10 or 12 laps, but we’re still missing something with the setup with the bike. We’re going to go back, do some homework on it, and see if we can make the necessary changes. We’ll continue making adjustments and see what happens tomorrow.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 10th
FINISHED: 11th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 13 // 12 Pts. (no change)
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Race 1 wasn’t my best showing. We made some changes to the bike that I felt like didn’t really work out for the race, but we can go over the data for an idea of where to improve for tomorrow. We’re going to keep growing. My initial launch was great but I ended up almost colliding with another rider so I had to check up, which resulted in some riders passing me. Aside from that, it wasn’t too bad of a day. We’re going to keep improving, get a better start tomorrow, and work our way through the field.”
BEN SPIES
TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a good day. PJ [Jacobsen] getting second place, especially after yesterday – it was a good rebound. Kayla [Yaakov] and Corey [Alexander] both had good races. We suffered a bit with Corey at the end of the race. He wasn’t liking how the front of the bike was feeling, which led to him moving backwards, but early on he looked really promising. We’re going to look at the data, try to make some changes, and keep that same pace he had for the whole race. Kayla rode really well also – we just have to make a couple little changes for her and try to get a better start so she can move up a few places tomorrow. All in all it was a good day, and we’ll continue our efforts tomorrow.”
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Mikayla Moore won MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Race One Sunday morning at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Riding her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650, the 20-year-old defending Champion ran away to win the red-flag-shortened three-lap race by 8.8 seconds.
Camille Conrad was the runner-up, and Emma Betters took the checkered flag 0.2 second behind Conrad in third.
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KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Hayden Gillim won MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Race Two Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Riding his Real Steel Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP on Dunlop control tires, the defending Champion won the 14-lap race by 10.576 seconds.
After finishing third in Race One, Bryce Prince improved to second in Race Two on his BPR Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.
Benjamin Smith finished right behind Prince in third on his FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha.
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KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Road Race Series competitors prepared for a busy day of racing with relatively short Warm Up sessions Sunday morning at Barber Motorsports Park. Below are the results from each class’s Warm Up session presented in the order they occurred. This post will be updated as each Warm Up session is completed.
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Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) Championship
Silver Dollar Short Track
Silver Dollar Speedway
Chico, California
May 18, 2024
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Kody Kopp (KTM), 23 laps
2. Chase Saathoff (Hon), -1.648 seconds
3. Trent Lowe (Hon), -3.471
4. Tarren Santero (Hon), -4.065
5. James Ott (Hus), -5.912
6. Tom Drane (Yam), -6.193
7. Evan Renshaw (Hon), -6.409
8. Michael Inderbitzin (Hon), -6.828
9. Travis Petton (KTM), -7.453
10. Justin Anselmi (Yam), -9.084
11. Cole Frederickson (Hon), -9.165
12. Ian Wolfe (Hon), -9.207
13. Hunter Bauer (Yam), -9.311
14. Logan Eisenhard (KTM), -10.669
15. Shayna Texter-Bauman (KTM), -11.452
16. Tyler Raggio (KTM), -12.055
17. Jared Lowe (Hon), -14.691
18. Olin Kissler (KTM), -1 lap
19. T.J Welty (Hon), -9 laps, DNF
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Jared Mees (Ind), 37 laps
2. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -0.436 second
3. Sammy Halbert (Har), -4.908 seconds
4. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -5.343
5. Briar Bauman (KTM), -7.226
6. Jarod VanDerKooi (Ind), -12.384
7. Dan Bromley (Hon), -1 lap
8. Bronson Bauman (KTM), -1 lap, 8.418 seconds
9. Max Whale (Har), -1 lap, 11.430
10. Declan Bender (Ind), -1 lap, 12.093
11. Kolby Carlile (Yam), -1 lap, 12.704
12. Trevor Brunner (KTM), -1 lap, 13.049
13. Brandon Price (Yam), -1 lap, 13.733
14. Cameron Smith (KTM), -2 laps
15. Michael Hill (Yam), -2 laps, 11.319
16. Davis Fisher (Ind), -23 laps, DNF
More, from a press release issued by AFT:
Champions Mees, Kopp Star at Inaugural Silver Dollar Short Track
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 18, 2024) – Nine-time Grand National Champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycle FTR750) reigned supreme in the inaugural Silver Dollar Short Track, Round 6 of the 2024 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.
The big crowd that turned out at in Chico, California, to see the world’s elite motorcycle dirt trackers compete at the historic Silver Dollar Speedway were treated to a virtuoso performance on the part of one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Mission AFT SuperTwins king Mees was fastest in both practice sessions and both qualifying sessions, and then proceeded to win his heat, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, and the night’s Main Event.
If it sounds clear cut, it was anything but.
Mees grabbed the early lead from holeshotter Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) but then came under heavy pressure from Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Dodge Bros. Racing/Castrol Harley-Davidson XR750).
In fact, Halbert actually worked his way into the lead after the two broke free from the pack at the front. They then proceeded to dice it out for several laps, all the while Daniels settled in and upped his pace.
Mees finally broke Halbert’s challenge and set about building up a big lead at the front. Halbert in turn shifted his attention to harrying Daniels over second. But even with that delay, the Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07-mounted ace quickly closed in on Mees’ factory Indian FTR750 after dispatching of Halbert and his venerable Harley-Davidson XR750.
The title rivals would spend the contest’s final three minutes dueling for victory with Mees ultimately holding strong after his young challenger’s last-lap, last-corner bid came up just short.
“It definitely feels good to get that win,” Mees said. “Dallas got the holeshot, but I was able to get by him. And then here comes Sammy on the ole Hog, and he was giving me a run. He actually stretched it out a little bit, but I was able to get back up to him. I felt like I had a good pace and was maybe checking out, but I lost my rhythm in the lappers. I peeked back and there was Dallas. We went back and forth, and I had to get a little aggressive a couple of times. He’s been riding so good. It feels like every week I have to dig deeper and deeper.”
Halbert completed the podium in third, but only after reclaiming the position from Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) on the race’s final lap.
Last week’s winner, Briar Bauman (No. 3 Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790 Duke), completed the top five. He was followed to the stripe in sixth through tenth by Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750), Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Transalp), Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing Mission Foods KTM 790 Duke), Max Whale (No. 18 Latus Motors Racing/Liqui Moly Harley-Davidson XG750R), and Declan Bender (No. 70 GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750).
Despite being bitterly disappointed by Saturday’s result, Daniels continues to lead the points chase with 124 points to Mees’ 118. Robinson is one point further adrift at 117, followed by Bauman’s 99.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F) continued his march toward a third Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER championship by scoring his third Short Track victory of the ‘24 season on Saturday night.
While Kopp would eventually take hold of his customary position out front, the opening stages of the contest saw his primary challengers, Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) and Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R), wage their own battle over first, trading the lead back and forth with intersecting lines.
Saathoff’s strategy proved superior in that early fight, and he then put his head down to break free at the front. Meanwhile, Kopp closed in on Drane’s rear wheel in second.
A bobble on the Australian’s part gave Kopp the small opening he needed. Once through, he not only shook Drane but instantly reeled back in Saathoff after trailing him by as much as 1.5 seconds a small handful of laps earlier.
In fact, the Rick Ware Racing pilot’s momentum barely stalled upon catching Saathoff; he merely rode around the outside and continued to walk away in the lead.
However, with the top three seemingly settled at that point, a lapped rider went down upon Saathoff’s overtake as the leaders negotiated traffic. Drane became collateral damage in the crash, going down in a two-part incident that summoned the red flag.
Kopp and Saathoff lined back up in first and second, respectively, while Drane was forced to the back of the pack after looking as if he might not be fit enough to continue.
There was little drama at the front once the action resumed. Kopp powered away in the same fashion he had prior to the red flag. Saathoff completed his run to second, while Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) claimed the final step on the podium.
“We worked hard for that one,” Kopp said. “We were fast all day, but I was one of the only ones shifting out here today. It was fast, but would it have been consistent in this whole Main when we were running up on the top? Probably not. So we made a game-changing call right before the (Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenge), and I had to go out and learn how to ride the bike again because we weren’t shifting all of a sudden. Thanks to my team. This was a big one for us.”
Californians Tarren Santero (No. 75 Vinson Construction/P&M Motorcycles Honda CRF450R) and James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) rounded out the top five.
As for Drane, he not only gritted his way to the finish, he actually charged all the way up to sixth to keep his championship hopes very much alive.
Kopp now leads with 133 points, followed by Saathoff at 111 and Drane at 108.
Next Up:
Progressive American Flat Track will head back east for the Orange County Half-Mile at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York, on Saturday, June 15. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/orange-county-half-mile-94110 to secure your tickets today.
For those who can’t catch the action from the circuit, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of the on-track action, from the first practice to the victory podium, at https://flosports.link/aft.
FOX Sports coverage of the Silver Dollar Short Track, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, May 25, at 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT).
For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING AND REIGNING CHAMPION JARED MEES WIN INAUGURAL SILVER DOLLAR SHORT TRACK
Mees Edges Out the Competition Aboard Indian FTR750, Captures Second Victory of Season as he Moves into Second Overall through Six Rounds
Minneapolis, MN. – Indian Motorcycle Racing proved victorious at round six of the 2024 American Flat Track series at the inaugural Silver Dollar Short Track, as nine-time champion Jared Mees added his second victory of the 2024 season aboard his Indian FTR750. With 118 points, Mees is just six back from the top of the leaderboard as he chases the all-time career record of 10 Grand National Championships.
Mees demonstrated his exceptional speed and skill, securing victories in both qualifying sessions, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, and the night’s Main event. However, securing the top of the podium was no easy feat, as Mees battled closely with Dallas Daniels and Sammy Halbert throughout the Main’s final three minutes. Ultimately, Mees reigned victorious, inching closer to his goal of breaking the all-time career championship record of 10 titles.
“Competing at a track for the first time can throw a lot of hurdles, but the team had the FTR750 fully dialed in, and Jared proved why he’s got nine championships to his name,” said Gary Gray, Vice President of Racing & Service for Indian Motorcycle. “With two wins this season, just six points back from the top of the leaderboard, we’re excited to stay on the throttle and push for the all-time championship record.”
After six rounds, Mees sits second in the championship chase with 118 points, a mere 6 points off the lead. Currently tied with Scottie Parker with the most career championships, Mees is looking to break the record and earn the title of the greatest all-time flat track racer. Of his nine-career championships, Mees has earned five while a member of the Indian Wrecking Crew piloting the Indian FTR750, including championships in 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The 2024 American Flat Track season continues on June 15 for the Orange County Half-Mile in Middleton, NY.
For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, X and Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE
Indian Motorcycle is America’s First Motorcycle Company. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
More, from a press release issued by MSVR:
Ryde reigns in race one at Donington Park as Bridewell and Haslam return to the podium
Kyle Ryde claimed his first Bennetts British Superbike Championship race win of the season in the opening race of the weekend at Donington Park in a red-flagged race one as Tommy Bridewell and Leon Haslam completed the podium line-up.
The race was red flagged when Christian Iddon crashed heavily at the Old Hairpin on lap 15. The Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider was fully conscious after the crash and was taken to the medical centre with ankle pain. He had an x-ray at the Medical Centre with no apparent fractures and will be reviewed by the BSB Medical Team tomorrow morning before warm up.
At the start of the race, Ryan Vickers launched off the Omologato Pole Position to take the lead as the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing teammates held the leading two positions, however on lap two, Vickers crashed out of contention at the Melbourne Hairpin.
Ryde then held the advantage ahead of Haslam, Iddon, Danny Kent, Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell with Max Cook completing the leading group over the opening laps. The reigning champion was carving his way through the pack and after an intense battle with former teammate Irwin; he had Iddon in his sights as Kent held sixth.
Bridewell was then dicing with Iddon, moving into a podium position and had Haslam ahead of him as Ryde held onto the lead. The Honda Racing UK rider had his opportunity to make a move when Haslam ran wide at Goddards on lap 13 and he pounced to move into second place.
Iddon’s crash prompted a red flag and the result was declared, giving Ryde the victory by 0.559s from Bridewell with Haslam becoming the seventh podium finisher of the season as three manufacturers featured on the podium.
Kent claimed a strong fourth place, keeping him second in the standings and just nine points adrift of Irwin who maintained his championship lead with a fifth place finish.
Cook meanwhile celebrated his best result of the season with a sixth place as Lee Jackson split the Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki teammates with Jason O’Halloran fighting through from his fifth row start to finish in eighth place.
Charlie Nesbitt was also able to carve his way up the order to finish ninth for the MasterMac Honda team with Josh Brookes completing the top ten as Billy McConnell narrowly missed out in eleventh for the C&L Fairburn Properties/Look Forward Racing Honda team.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Donington Park, Race 1 result:
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha
“I’m over the moon to win my first race of the season, obviously for that to be at Donington Park and my home round makes it even better! The bike wasn’t perfect but we can make it better tonight and hopefully the pace will be a few tenths faster for tomorrow.
“Starting from sixth tomorrow for the shorter race, I don’t know what to expect. The bike was good in Superpole, it’s not really going to be much for tyre life except going as fast as you can for 12 laps, so the trouble is people like Leon and Tommy can all do those lap times for 12 laps so it’s going to be a dogfight. Then we will see what happens in race three!”
More, from a press release issued by CSBK:
Young outlasts Guerin for historic Superbike win at Shannonville
Shannonville, ON – The 2024 Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship season kicked off in exciting fashion on Saturday, as defending champion Ben Young outdueled rivals Sam Guerin and Jordan Szoke for a sensational victory at Shannonville Motorsport Park, presented by the Fallen Rider Support Team sponsored by Pace Law.
Young began the day with a stellar victory in the Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike class, returning to his familiar ranks in the GP Bikes Pro Superbike category with a chance to become the first double-winner in the same season since Jodi Christie in 2014.
Instead, Young’s title defence got off to a brutal start, as Szoke grabbed the holeshot with Guerin promptly moving into second. Things would get even worse for Young before they got better, as Trevor Dion shunted the three-time Canada Cup champion into fourth on lap two while Szoke and Guerin escaped out front.
The lead duo would begin to stretch out their advantage before Guerin moved into the lead on lap three, seizing the front in turn eight as he continued his quest for a maiden pro national victory.
Young’s comeback would then begin on lap four, moving back past Dion and on the hunt for Szoke, who in return had continued to battle with Guerin. That would set up a hectic three-way fight for the lead on lap six, which waged on for two laps before Young moved through his long-time rival Szoke on lap eight.
That would set up the final, decisive battle between Guerin and Young for the middle portion of the race, but Guerin’s impressive defensive effort ultimately caved on lap 13 as Young snatched the lead for the first time and squeezed out a slight advantage, holding firm the rest of the way for the season-opening victory.
The comeback was not one many were expecting after Young’s dominant pace on Friday, but the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider chalked it up to a bit of rider error thanks to his double-duty earlier in the Sport Bike class.
“The BMW was phenomenal as always today, but the first couple laps felt a bit strange until I realized it was just the difference between the two bikes, which is completely a mistake of my own,” Young admitted. “It was really cool to battle with Jordan again – a bit of a flashback to some of our races in 2019 – and Sam made it really hard on us in the end, but to lead both championships even for a day feels pretty awesome.”
The result proved to be a historic one for Young in more ways than one, as he also moved out of a tie with Pascal Picotte and into sole possession of third all-time with his 17th career Superbike victory.
“I knew we were tied coming in, but to pass a legend like that is pretty cool,” Young said, though he remains a far way off Szoke’s record of 78 career wins. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not ever passing Jordan’s record! That one’s safe, but we’ll keep this going as long as we can.”
As for Guerin, it’s yet another runner-up finish for the EFC Group BMW rider as he chases win number one, but a result that will likely turn some heads after making things very difficult on his BMW counterpart.
“It took us a couple laps to get going, but I saw these two were still figuring some things out, so I thought ‘okay, let’s go for it,’” Guerin said. “I held on past the mid-race point which is a huge step, but Ben had the better pace at the end so I decided to keep things on-track and be fine with second today.”
The season opener was also a welcome return for Szoke to the front, after he grabbed the holeshot and paced the Superbike field in the early going. The Canadian Kawasaki Motors rider is still recovering from his serious injuries in 2022, but Saturday’s effort was proof that a return to full fitness could be a problem for the BMW rivals in front of him.
“I was hoping to hang on a little longer, but once Sam got by me and Ben had caught up it was only a matter of time. I’m still getting my strength back, but I feel better and better every day,” said the 14-time champion. “We’re still settling in here, so to bring it home for the team and for Kawasaki is huge.”
As for Dion, it was a tale of two halves in a race where he briefly battled with Young at the front, only to then slip back to a distant fourth at the finish. The Economy Lube Ducati rider is still gaining familiarity with his new machine after the late switch in 2023, but will hope to replicate more of his early-race pace on Sunday and close the gap to the lead trio.
Rounding out the top-five on Sunday was Superbike debutant David MacKay, who made major progress on his Snow City Cycle Honda. The reigning Sport Bike champion flashed his best pace of the weekend and began to reel in Dion in the late stages, something he will hope to carry into race two on Sunday.
Sebastien Tremblay would make a late charge of his own to climb to sixth, a strong result for the Turcotte Performance Suzuki rider as he marked five different manufacturers inside the top-six spots on Saturday.
Full results from the day’s action, including the schedule for Sunday’s racing, can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Avery Dreher won MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Shortly after the end of Superbike Race One, the skies opened up with a heavy rain shower that forced all activity to be placed on pause.
After the heaviest of the rain passed, the Twins Cup field was given a short session to familiarize themselves with the wet conditions because all track time to that point had been dry.
When the race started, pole-sitter Alessandro Di Mario jetted out into the lead and threatened to run away, but class rookie Avery Dreher passed several riders on the opening lap, including Di Mario, and took the lead.
Dreher then threatened to run away with the race, but Di Mario tracked him down, passed him, and then crashed out.
Dreher rode on to win the seven-lap race — the first of his Twins Cup career — by 2.705 seconds on his TopPro Racing Aprilia RS 660.
Part-time Pro racer Cassidy Heiser missed the wet warm-up session, but that didn’t stop the U.S. Air Force veteran from riding his Chiefs Racing Yamaha YZF-R7 to second place.
Dominic Doyle said he took a conservative approach to race, focused on keeping his Giaccmoto Yamaha on two wheels, and came home third.
Jack Roach got fourth on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha, and Rossi Moor rounded out the top five finishers on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-8R.
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American Julian Correa, age 15, took second place in British Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Donington Park, in England. Riding his Microlise Cresswell Racing Honda, Correa finished just 0.081 second behind race winner Amanuel Brinton and his Kovara Projects/RS Racing Honda.
Lucas Brown finished third on a SENCAT Talent Team/Mortimer Racing Honda.
American Josh Raymond Jr. finished 14th on his Fibre Tec Honda, and his American teammate Eli Banish got 20th.
BTC R1
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Cameron Petersen won MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Petersen put his Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1 into the lead on lap three and rode flawlessly all the way to the checkered flag, earning the fourth Superbike victory of his career.
Petersen’s teammate Jake Gagne, the three-time and defending Champion, pressured the race leader all the way to the end but had to settle for the runner-up spot, 0.439 second back.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin came out on top of a three-way battle for third to claim his first podium finish of 2024.
Sean Dylan Kelly was third at the start of the final lap, but Herrin was able to get past the Superbike rookie, who held on to finish fourth on his TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz crossed the stripe right behind Kelly in fifth in his first race back since breaking his ankle at Road Atlanta three weeks ago.
Xavi Fores came home sixth in his first race filling in for injured Richie Escalante on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R.
Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s JD Beach slipped backward to seventh at the end of the race.
Real Steel Motorsports Honda’s Hayden Gillim (eighth), Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha’s Bobby Fong (ninth), and Fores’ teammate Brandon Paasch (10th) rounded out the top 10 finishers.
Pole-sitter Cameron Beaubier was leading the race by 1.5 seconds and pulling away on lap three when he crashed his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW. Beaubier walked away from the crash but could not continue on his damaged motorcycle.
The MotoAmerica Superbike class will race twice on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park.
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More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Petersen Withstands The Pressure To Take Superbike Victory At Barber
Cameron Petersen Tops His Teammate Jake Gagne In Steel Commander Superbike Action From Barber Motorsports Park
BIRMINGHAM, AL (May 18, 2024) – Leading 17 laps of a MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike race is tough enough. Leading 17 laps with three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne breathing down your neck is flat out daunting. But Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen was able to focus on what was ahead and not what was behind to win Saturday’s first of three Superbike races at Barber Motorsports Park.
And in doing so, the South African never put a wheel wrong to top his teammate Gagne by .438 of a second after 20 laps. Since 20 minus 17 is three, who led those opening three laps? That would be Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier on his BMW M 1000 RR, but it didn’t last. Just when it was starting to look like the five-time series champion was going to romp away to victory, it all went horribly wrong on the fourth lap when Beaubier crashed out of the lead.
That left Petersen vs. Gagne with Petersen leading and Gagne giving chase, piling on the pressure to see if Petersen would falter. He didn’t. Instead, he was mostly perfect in earning his fourth MotoAmerica Superbike victory with three of those coming at Barber Motorsports Park.
Gagne ended up second, happy for his teammate while also knowing that he’d extended his championship points lead to 20 points over his title rival Beaubier, 65-45, after the first three races of the season.
Both Petersen and Gagne acknowledged that things would have been different if Beaubier hadn’t crashed.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin came out on top of a three-rider scrap for the final podium spot. After moving past his teammate Loris Baz, Herrin disposed of impressive rookie Sean Dylan Kelly on the final lap to finish third.
TopPro Racing’s Kelly ended up .476-of-a-second behind Herrin and .502-of-a-second ahead of Baz. It was Kelly’s third top-five finish to start his rookie season of Superbike racing.
Spaniard Xavi Forés was sixth in his debut on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, riding in place of the injured Richie Escalante. Forés was well back from Baz and .8 seconds ahead of seventh-placed JD Beach and his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim was eighth with Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch rounding out the top 10 finishers.
With three races in the books, Gagne leads Beaubier in the title chase, 65-45, with Petersen jumping up to third in the standings with 42 points. Kelly is fourth with 37 points, three clear of fifth-placed Herrin.
Sunday will be a busy day for the Steel Commander Superbike men with two races on the schedule.
Quotes
Cameron Petersen – Winner
“It feels good. I think this is three wins at this track. Got one in the dry, but honestly it feels so good. I know a lot of people know what I’ve gone through in the off-season and after the surgery. It’s been a tough off-season. The wrist is starting to feel really good on the bike. It just feels so good to get this monkey off my back. It’s been a questioning game, wondering if I did the right thing with the surgery. But it’s starting to pay off. Like Jake said, we had a really tough Friday. We were all kind of scratching our heads, and the boys did an incredible job. We definitely took a step forward today. We had a good race bike. We kind of got gifted that one a little bit. Cam had some incredible pace in the beginning there. He was starting to check out. For the rest of the race, I just tried to hit my marks. I knew if I do that and I was good on the brakes and didn’t make any mistakes, I kind of knew that I would have a good opportunity at it. So, just put my head down and did everything I could. With about five laps to go, I was just like, nobody is taking this thing from me. We’re too close to the end. I’ve led this whole thing. I just wanted it super bad. Congrats to the guys up here next to me. It’s always fun racing against them. Look forward to two races tomorrow.”
Jake Gagne – Second Place
“It was awesome. Cam (Petersen) rode a great race. He didn’t put a wheel wrong. I was sitting there kind of waiting for a mistake. He was good on the brakes everywhere, so there was not a whole lot I could do unless I really tried to stuff it in there. I was going to see if I could try to make a move somewhere on those last couple laps. Then it started sprinkling, so in the back it was getting dark. I just figured there was nothing I could do unless he made a mistake, and he didn’t. He wanted that one. Congrats to Cam. He earned it. Congrats to the team, to go one-two after our pretty rough day yesterday, actually. So, it was good to see the consistency there. Fun race, riding around with Cam. Obviously, my teammate and one of my great friends. So, congrats to him. But we got some work to do. See if we can improve some things tomorrow. (Cameron) Beaubier was unreal those first couple laps. I didn’t see what happened, but I hope he’s okay. Everybody is going to be going faster tomorrow, so we got to do our job.”
Josh Herrin – Third Place
“We kind of just went back to what we had on Friday and tried something small from that. We’ve been here three times now on this bike. We came here for the race last year, a track day earlier in the year, and then now. I’m just stuck at the time that I’m at. I just can’t do anything better. Having Baz here, it helped because for me, mentally knowing that it wasn’t just me, this is just a difficult track for us. The bike feels great, but I just can’t go any faster on it. It’s weird because I feel like I’m going really good, but then those guys are going quicker. So, I’ve just got to keep plugging away here and keep trying to get better, but just know that there’s better days ahead. We got Road America coming up next. It’s a hard pill to swallow, knowing that this is a three-race round. But the most important thing to me, as much as I love the guy, is to beat Baz. So, it was good motivation. I had a good battle with Sean at the end. It was just a really fun race. Huge thanks to my team for just the nonstop effort, trying to get it better. I don’t know if it’s something that we need to improve on the bike or if it’s just me not being comfortable. Historically, this is a good track for me, so it’s hard to understand. But, if you would have asked me yesterday or this morning, if I’d be happy with third, I’d be stoked. Especially after Atlanta. We had arguably the best race of my career, but it just didn’t look like it on paper. But catching those guys as much as I did and feeling as good as I did on the bike, I got a really good on my head shoulders mentally going into the next couple rounds. I’m happy, and just hoping that tomorrow is better or maybe it rains and then maybe it helps us out. I don’t know.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.:
Petersen Scores Emotional MotoAmerica Superbike Victory at Barber
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen returns to the top, while Jake Gagne claims MotoAmerica Superbike Championship lead with a runner-up finish in Race 1 at Barber Motorsports Park
MARIETTA, Ga. – May 19, 2024 – After a tough off-season making a comeback from injury, Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen celebrated victory yesterday and led a stellar 1-2 finish for the team at Round 2 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Barber Motorsports Park. His teammate Jake Gagne secured second to make championship gains with a 20-point lead after Race 1 of the weekend’s Superbike tripleheader at the 2.38-mile circuit in Leeds, Alabama.
After a tough first day of qualifying, both of the team’s riders had a much better day two, with Petersen improving to fourth in the combined times. From there he got a great start in third behind his teammate and quickly made the pass to the runner-up spot. The South African rode his own race and advanced to the lead after the frontrunner crashed in the opening laps. He continued to hit his marks, kept cool under pressure with Gagne on his heels, and rode his Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing R1 to victory. After an uncertain return with a wrist injury, it was a great comeback and emotional victory for Petersen, which also marked his fourth-career Superbike win and third at Barber Motorsports Park.
Gagne qualified third and got a great start from the front row in second, and was passed by his teammate shortly after. The defending three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion rode a calculated race in third and advanced to the runner-up spot after his title rival crashed on Lap 3. He closed the gap on his teammate a couple of laps before the halfway mark and kept the pressure on. In the final laps, the weather loomed closer and light rain started to fall on parts of the track. Gagne rode on to cross the line second, keeping his podium streak rolling and claiming a 20-point lead in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team looks forward to an action-packed Sunday with Race 2 and 3 of the MotoAmerica Superbike tripleheader today at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“We came from Atlanta with a particular setup that we have been working on all winter, and it didn’t work here. So the guys were struggling on the first day, but we kept working all the way up to the race, and it showed. (Cameron) Beaubier gave us a little something, but that’s racing. If you pressure the guy in front of you, sometimes mistakes happen. We’re happy with the 1-2 finish and looking to do it again tomorrow.”
Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“This one feels good. It’s been a tough off-season coming back from the surgery I had. I didn’t know if I was going to race a motorcycle again and was questioning whether I did the right thing with the surgery, but it’s paid off. It feels good to get this monkey off my back and get the win. I’m stoked for the team to get that 1-2 after a difficult Friday. We were all kind of scratching our heads, but the guys did a great job, and we definitely took a step forward today. We had some incredible race bikes. I just tried to hit my marks and not make any mistakes. With about five laps to go, I wasn’t letting anyone take it from me. I just wanted to win this thing.”
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #1
“It was a good day for the team. Congrats to Cam. It was great to see him win one. He rode a great race, didn’t put a wheel wrong, and it would have been tough to get by him. Yesterday was kind of a rough day for us both. The team did a great job making improvements to the setup, and we both felt a little better today. With (Cameron) Beaubier going down, the smart thing to do was to bring it home on the podium. We’re going to be even more confident tomorrow and look to step it up.”
About Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars (sold, serviced, and distributed by Yamaha Golf-Car Company), Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.
YMUS has a corporate office in California, three corporate offices in Georgia, as well as facilities in Wisconsin and Alabama. YMUS subsidiaries YMMC, based in Georgia, and YJBM based in Tennessee, each assemble and manufacture selected Yamaha brand products. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company, Inc. (YMSC) with subsidiary Siren Marine and divisions Bennett Marine (Florida), Yamaha Marine Rotational Molders (Wisconsin) and Yamaha Precision Propeller Inc. (Indiana), and Skeeter Boats (Texas) with its division G3 Boats (Missouri).
Yamaha Motor Finance Corporation, U.S.A. (Yamaha Financial Services), an affiliate of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., offers financing solutions to support Yamaha Dealers and loyal Yamaha Customers nationwide. Yamaha Financial Services provides retail and commercial financing for the diverse line of Yamaha brand motor products based out of Cypress, CA and Marietta, GA.
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Mathew Scholtz won MotoAmerica Supersport Race One Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Riding his Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6, Scholtz came back from a poor start to win the first MotoAmerica Supersport race of his career by 0.269 second.
PJ Jacobsen was leading late in the race until Scholtz passed him with less than two laps to go. The New York native had to settle for the runner-up spot on his Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL Panigale V2.
Maxi Gerardo, the pole-sitter, led most of the race on his TopPro Racing Suzuki GSX-R750 but slipped back to third in the closing laps.
Tyler Scott was racing for a podium position until he ran off the track mid-race. Scott was able to recover and salvage a fourth-place finish on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750.
Blake Davis rounded out the top five finishers on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha.
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More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Action Aplenty In MotoAmerica Support Class Racing At Barber
A Day Of First-Time Winners And Veteran Domination At Barber Motorsports Park
BIRMINGHAM, AL (May 18, 2024) – This is 15-year-old Logan Cunnison’s second year of racing in MotoAmerica, and May 18, 2024, is a date the Arizona-based Junior Cup rider won’t soon forgot. Not only did Cunnison earn his very first MotoAmerica pole position, but he also notched his first career podium and finished on the top step as the winner of Saturday’s Junior Cup race one in a dominant performance.
The rain stayed away on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park. Right up until the point when it didn’t. The rainstorm that was expected in the afternoon finally reared its ugly head prior to the start of the BellissiMoto Twins Cup race, but with a small delay the race started and was completed under cloudy but sunny skies. The Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race., however, was delayed until tomorrow morning with the BTR women set to race twice on Sunday.
Stock 1000 – Gillim Gets It Done
The Stock 1000 Championship finally got started with its opening round at Barber Motorsports Park and while many were thinking the race would be a thriller, it wasn’t part of Hayden Gillim’s plan.
Real Steel Motorsports Honda’s Gillim ran away and hid from the 36-rider field to win the opening round in the defense of his 2023 Stock 1000 Championship by some 11 seconds. The win was the 12th of Gillim’s Stock 1000 career, and it moved him into a tie with Andrew Lee and Corey Alexander as the winningest rider in the history of the class.
Gillim’s start wasn’t a good one and he had to fight his way to second place early before moving into the lead for good on the third lap after getting ahead of GMR/Jones Honda’s Gabriel Da Silva. Once in front, Gillim put his head down and left the others in his wake as he rode his Honda CBR1000RR-R SP to victory to give Honda its first win in the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 class.
Da Silva was a rather lonely runner-up, some four seconds ahead of BPR’s Bryce Prince with the Californian taking a weekend off work to try his hand at the Stock 1000 class. Bryce was in a battle with Benjamin Smith early on, but there was contact between the two with Smith coming out the worst of it as he crashed his FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.
Visit Indiana/Tom Wood Powersports’ Nolan Lamkin finished fourth on his BMW M 1000 RR with Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates fifth, giving Honda three CBRs in the top five.
Gillim leads the championship point standings by five over Da Silva and nine over Prince.
“I knew I could do the laps consistent just from all the practice sessions,” Gillim said. “We actually kind of had some miscues and didn’t get to put any new tires on the bike during the sessions. So really most of the sessions I was just doing race stints. So, I knew I could do the lap times. We had some stuff going on with the front end and made a couple clicker changes and it was pretty well fixed. I was super happy with that. I felt from the first lap of the race that I had a little bit extra from what I had in qualifying. It’s been a good weekend. The start wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. After Road Atlanta, I was getting some really good starts, and all my practice starts, testing and everything have been good. Then that light was a little long. If you go and watch the race, you see me about fall over to the right because I was sitting with my rear foot on the rear brake. As the lights hold, I started falling over and I had to end up taking that foot off right as the light went. It threw me a little bit, but it was a good race. These guys were putting up a good fight at the beginning. I had a couple runs on Gabriel (Da Silva) those first two laps. He was doing a good job of kind of blocking the real passing zones and made me work for it. It was a fun race. I was happy to get out front and get into a good pace and get the win. This is a new team. I’ve got the same crew guys from last year, but new bikes, new trailer, new title sponsors. So, it’s great to get the first win on the Honda. See how tomorrow goes. See how the rest of the season goes.”
Supersport – Scholtz Gets His First
Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen was content to sit on the rear of TopPro Racing’s Maxi Gerardo. Lap after lap after lap. But with four to go, the New Yorker took the lead, and it seemed like it would be smooth sailing to victory for the championship points leader.
Enter Mathew Scholtz and his Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.
After a horrible start from the inside of row one. Scholtz was able to make some moves to end the lap in a battle for fifth. On the ninth of 18 laps, Scholtz was free and started to move forward. On the 10th lap, he went past Blake Davis to take over fourth, but he didn’t stop there.
Meanwhile, up front, Jacobsen decided to go to the lead with four laps to go. Little did he know there was more racing in store for him as Scholtz was past Gerardo and into second. And the South African wasn’t content to finish there. On the last lap, Scholtz made his move and held it to the flag, winning his first MotoAmerica Supersport race by .269 of a second over Jacobsen with Gerardo just a tick over a second behind.
Scott rode the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki to fourth, some eight seconds behind Scholtz and just .5 of a second ahead of Davis and his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R6.
Equitea MV Agusta by MP13 Racing’s Roberto Tamburini was sixth, less than a second ahead of Wrench Motorcycles’ David Anthony. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa, Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis and Rahal Ducati Moto’s Corey Alexander rounded out the top 10 finishers.
After three races, Jacobson leads the championship by 16 points over Scholtz and 31 ahead of his teammate Alexander.
“When I was with (Stefano) Mesa, (Blake) Davis, a bunch of the guys, I was running like 27.3, 27.4,” Scholtz said. “I felt like I was pushing to my absolute max because I think that I was definitely flowing through a couple corners a little bit quicker, so I wasn’t able to kind of use those spots to pick up the lap time. So, once I kind of got some clear track, I started dropping time. I could see that I was catching them, but I thought that I was going to fall short. I think one lap they got screwed by the lappers into the second corner, which definitely helped me. Then I got up to third right onto Max’s (Gerardo) tail, and I just went for a crazy pass. I nearly crashed. Unfortunately, I think we touched. Then I managed to pass PJ (Jacobsen) on the second-to-last corner again, and then last lap I just put my absolute hardest lap down. I think I did a 26.8, which was one of the fastest laps for me. Overall, I’m just super happy to be sitting up top here.”
Junior Cup – Cunnison’s First
Speed Demon Racing’s Logan Cunnison became the third first-time winner in the first three Junior Cup races of the season on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park as he topped championship points leader Yandel Medina by two seconds in the 11-lap race.
Medina came out on top of a five-rider pack contesting third, the New York Safety Track Racing-backed New Yorker beating Karns Performance’s Levi Badie by .251 of a second. Wolfe Racing’s Ryan Wolfe and BARTCON Racing’s Matthew Chapin rounded out the top five.
“Just excited,” 15-year-old Cunnison said after his first win. “It’s unbelievable. It’s just too exciting.”
The 2024 season marks Cunnison’s second go in the MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship.
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Dreher Reigns In The Rain
Floridian Avery Dreher is racing in two classes this season. He’s defending his 2023 Junior Cup Championship while also competing in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup Championship aboard a TopPro Racing Aprilia. Despite a thoroughly wet track from a cloudburst over Barber Motorsports, Dreher rode a masterful race in the tricky conditions and got his first victory in MotoAmerica’s two-cylinder, middleweight race class.
Second-place went to Cassidy Heiser, the Chiefs Racing Team Yamaha rider recording his first-ever podium finish in MotoAmerica competition. Completing the podium was Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle, whose third-place result was his third podium in the past three races.
Despite a ninth-place finish, Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Gus Rodio continues to lead the championship by 19 points over the tied duo of RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers, sixth today, and Doyle.
“I think this is for sure going to boost my confidence to try to get up there in the Twins Cup,” Dreher said. “With the unfortunate mechanical in the Junior Cup race earlier, that kind of bummed me out. But as soon as I saw the clouds start to roll in and the rain start to fall, I got a little bit excited because I’m a pretty good rain rider. I knew I just had to be smooth and finish the race on two wheels. It got a little sketchy out there towards the end. I was starting to hydroplane here and there, but I saw Alessandro go down. I knew he was pushing because I couldn’t hang with him. The rear was sliding all over the place, so I just took it easy and just tried to finish the race.”
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK: RACE 1
SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2024 | QUALIFYING 2 & RACE 1
Today’s Race 1 ran under beautiful sunny skies for 18 laps before the checkered flag was waved on Round 3 of competition. It was PJ Jacobsen who led the Rahal Ducati Moto pack, riding his XPEL Ducati to a podium finish with a second-place finish behind Mathew Scholtz who ultimately won the race after three different lead changes.
Tomorrow hosts another chance to earn hardware as the trio takes on Race 2 of the weekend. Round 4 will go green at 2:10 p.m. CT with coverage available at MotoAmericaLivePlus.com.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 4th
FINISHED: 2nd
CHAMPIONSHIP: 1st // 70 Pts. (no change)
NOTES: Credited with leading Laps 15 and 16 of the 18-lap race
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was really positive after I messed up on Friday and the team worked great to get the bike back to racing condition for Qualifying and Time Attack. I was fighting for the win with two laps to go, and [Mathew] Scholtz came past us. I wish that I was able to get past those [lapped] riders a bit quicker, just before he passed for the lead. We just rode the best that we could today, especially coming off of Friday with that really bad crash. I just can’t thank the team enough. The Rahal Ducati Moto team has been working so well, and everybody who’s on the team has been doing a great job.”
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 ROLLER DIE DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 12th
FINISHED: 10th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 3rd // 39 Pts. (-1)
NOTES: Ran as high as the eighth position battling for a top-five finish
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was a little bit of a tough day. We didn’t get the results we wanted in qualifying, and starting 12th definitely made it more difficult for us in the race. I felt like I got a good start with good pace for the first 10 or 12 laps, but we’re still missing something with the setup with the bike. We’re going to go back, do some homework on it, and see if we can make the necessary changes. We’ll continue making adjustments and see what happens tomorrow.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 10th
FINISHED: 11th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 13 // 12 Pts. (no change)
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Race 1 wasn’t my best showing. We made some changes to the bike that I felt like didn’t really work out for the race, but we can go over the data for an idea of where to improve for tomorrow. We’re going to keep growing. My initial launch was great but I ended up almost colliding with another rider so I had to check up, which resulted in some riders passing me. Aside from that, it wasn’t too bad of a day. We’re going to keep improving, get a better start tomorrow, and work our way through the field.”
BEN SPIES
TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a good day. PJ [Jacobsen] getting second place, especially after yesterday – it was a good rebound. Kayla [Yaakov] and Corey [Alexander] both had good races. We suffered a bit with Corey at the end of the race. He wasn’t liking how the front of the bike was feeling, which led to him moving backwards, but early on he looked really promising. We’re going to look at the data, try to make some changes, and keep that same pace he had for the whole race. Kayla rode really well also – we just have to make a couple little changes for her and try to get a better start so she can move up a few places tomorrow. All in all it was a good day, and we’ll continue our efforts tomorrow.”
