Pedro Acosta led MotoGP World Championship Free Practice 2 Saturday morning at Mobility Resort Motegi, in Japan. Riding his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16 on spec Michelin tires, the Spaniard turned a lap time of 1:44.108 to lead the field of 23 riders.
Ai Ogura was the best of the rest with a 1:44.233 on his Trackhouse Aprilia RS-GP25.
Six-time MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez was third at 1:44.321 on his Lenovo Ducati Desmosedici GP25.
His teammate, Francesco Bagnaia finished the session fourth with a 1:44.338.
Franco Morbidelli got fifth on his Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP24 with a lap time of 1:44.341.
Jake Dixon was quickest during Moto2 World Championship Free Practice 2 Saturday morning at Mobility Resort Motegi, in Japan. Riding his Pirelli-shod ELF Marc VDS Racing Boscoscuro on the 2.98-mile (4.80 km) track, the Brit recorded a 1:48.319 to lead the field of 28 riders.
Manuel Gonzalez was the best of the rest with a 1:48.592 on his Liqui Moly Dynavolt IntactGP Kalex.
Zonta Vd Goorbergh was third-fastest with a 1:48.729 on his RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP Kalex.
American Joe Roberts finished Saturday morning’s practice session 25th with a best time of 1:49.679 on his OnlyFans American Racing Team Kalex.
Joel Kelso led Moto3 World Championship Free Practice 2 Saturday morning, at Mobility Resort Motegi, in Japan. Kelso used his Pirelli-shod LevelUp MTA KTM to lap the 2.98-mile (4.80 km) track in 1:55.177 to lead the field of 26 riders.
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jose Antonio Rueda was second-best with a time of 1:55.188.
David Almansa, piloting his Leopard Racing Honda, claimed the third and final spot on the front with a lap time of 1:55.206.
Bobby Fong led a three-way fight for the MotoAmerica Superbike crown coming into the season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Fong got his title challenge off to the best possible start, taking provisional pole while his key competitors struggled.
Cameron Beaubier (6). Photo by Michael Gougis.
Cameron Beaubier crashed in practice and again in qualifying and was unable to compete for the top spots in provisional qualifying. Rain was forecast for Saturday, although it was not expected until the afternoon, so Beaubier will have one more chance to move up from his provisional 12th starting spot. Beaubier came into the weekend eight points behind Superbike Championship leader Bobby Fong.
Josh Herrin (1). Photo by Michael Gougis.
Defending Superbike Champion Josh Herrin also struggled to put in a series of fast laps on Friday afternoon, stringing together three laps right at the end of provisional qualifying to put him on the front row. Herrin was 22 points behind Fong, and was the last rider with a mathematical chance to win the Championship.
Jake Gagne (32). Photo by Michael Gougis.
The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing YZF-R1s were going well, with Jake Gagne putting in a strong Saturday afternoon and taking second on the provisional Superbike grid. Gagne was not only second-quickest, but he put in more 1:20 laps in provisional qualifying than anyone other than teammate Fong.
Cameron Petersen (45) on the SDI Racing Indian. Photo by Michael Gougis.
Cameron Petersen (45) on his Celtic/Economy Lube+Tire/Warhorse HSBK Ducati. Photo by Michael Gougis.
Cameron Petersen had a good Friday as well. Petersen topped both King of The Baggers sessions, and was third in Supersport provisional qualifying.
Jayson Uribe (36). Photo by Michael Gougis.
With the Stock 1000 Championship concluded, OrangeCat Racing stepped up to the Superbike class with modified Stock 1000 machinery for the season finale in New Jersey. Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee was ninth quickest in provisional qualifying, while teammate Jayson Uribe was sixth, 1.155 seconds off of Fong’s quickest time.
More, from a news release issued by MotoAmerica:
Bobby Fong (50). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Fridays aren’t Saturdays and Fridays aren’t Sundays, but being fastest on Friday isn’t a bad way to go.
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong fired the first shot of championship weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park, with the Californian earning provisional pole on Friday afternoon. Fong was fourth fastest on Friday morning but went 1.3 seconds quicker on Q1 to lead the way into tomorrow’s Q2 and race one with his lap of 1:19.912.
Fong’s combatants in the battle for the 2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship – Cameron Beaubier and Josh Herrin – were 12th and third, respectively, in Q1. Beaubier’s day was the worst of the three as he crashed twice on Friday.
Coincidentally, Fong crashed twice on Friday at Circuit of The Americas two weeks ago but rebounded to finish on the podium in both races. He knows what tough days are like and feels for Beaubier.
“Yeah, especially after COTA, having two crashes on a Friday, it always just sets you back,” Fong said. “We’ve done good about crashing and getting back up and going again. We’re definitely not going to get too excited because we know that with the talent of my competitors, we’ve just got to keep plugging away and fine tuning. We did really good today. I’m still a little bit uncomfortable in some places. We need to just fine tune some stuff.”
Fong was also happy for his teammate Jake Gagne, with the three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion ending the day second fastest. “It’s good to see my teammate up here, and to try to finish the season with a Yamaha one-two would be nice. It would be very nice to have a wing man. Honestly, he’s going good here, even on used tires. I’m stoked for him. He was struggling the last few rounds, but it would be good for the both of us.”
Still more, from a news release issued by MotoAmerica:
Cameron Petersen (45).
Motovation Supersport – Scholtz On Pace For Title
If Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz doesn’t wrap up the 2025 Motovation Supersport Championship tomorrow at New Jersey Motorsports Park, it won’t be from a lack of pace.
The South African wasted little time getting up to speed in the first practice session on Friday morning as he shattered the Supersport lap record with his 1:21.651. Although he was a tick slower in the afternoon Q1 session, his 1:21.704 was fast enough to earn him provisional pole position.
Scholtz leads the championship points chase by 21 over Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen. If Scholtz scores four points in Saturday’s race one, he will earn his second successive Supersport title.
Although Scholtz led both sessions, things were tight at the top with Blake Davis second-fastest and just .361 of a second behind his Strack Racing teammate. Celtic/Economy Lube+Tire/Warhorse HSBK Ducati’s Cameron Petersen completed the provisional front row.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott was fifth-fastest with his 1:22.527 and the last rider to be within a second of Scholtz’ best.
Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL’s Kayla Yaakov, Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis, Rahal Ducati Moto w/Roller Die’s Corey Alexander, Bauce BARTCON Racing’s Joseph LiMandri Jr., and BPR Racing Yamaha’s Teagg Hobbs rounded out the top 10 on opening day at NJMP.
SC-Project Twins Cup – Di Mario Over Chapin
Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario and RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin battled over provisional pole in Friday’s Q1 session for the SC-Project Twins Cup races, with the fight ultimately going to Di Mario by just .137 of a second.
While Di Mario has wrapped up both the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul and SC-Project Twins Cup titles and recently signed a deal that will see him race for the Rahal Ducati Moto team in next year’s Motovation Supersport series, we haven’t seen Chapin since the VIRginia International Raceway round in August. On Friday, he reminded us how good he is by ending the day so close to Di Mario, who lapped at a best of 1:25.057.
Di Mario’s teammate Hank Vossberg ended up third-fastest with his 1:25.363, just .306 of a second off his Di Mario’s best.
Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher and Speeddemon Racing’s Logan Cunnison rounded out the top five.
Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul – Vossberg!
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hank Vossberg led Friday’s Q1 session in the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul class, but things are tight at the front with the top six within a second of the Wisconsinite.
With newly crowned Talent Cup Champion Alessandro Di Mario sitting this one out, Vossberg took over as the rider to beat with his 1:29.668.
Jones Honda’s Bodie Paige ended up second, .350 of a second from Vossberg and .068 of a second ahead of fellow Australian Sam Drane and his Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing-backed Krämer APX-350 MA.
Team Roberts’ Kody Kopp continued to move closer to the top with the multi-time flat track champion ending the day fourth. Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt rounded out the top five on opening day at NJMP.
Mission King Of The Baggers – Hello, Mr. Petersen
SDI Racing’s Cameron Petersen was all business on Friday at New Jersey Motorsports Park, with the South African having his best qualifying session of the season to put his Indian Challenger on provisional pole position in Mission King Of The Baggers Q1.
Petersen’s 1:22.901 was .097 of a second faster than RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim with the two ping-ponging the top spot in the waning minutes of the 39-minute session.
Gillim’s teammate Rocco Landers was third-fastest and only .109 of a second off Petersen’s best.
S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara was the first of the factory Indians in fourth, narrowly ahead of newly crowned Mission King Of The Baggers Champion Kyle Wyman.
S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Loris Baz and Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing’s Bradley Smith ended the session .891 of a second from Petersen and the last rider on the same second as the provisional pole sitter.
SDI Racing’s Cameron Petersen led the way in MotoAmerica Mission King of The Baggers provisional qualifying on Friday with a best lap of 1:22.901. RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim, teammate Rocco Landers, S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara, and Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman completed the top five.
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hank Vossberg set the fastest time in MotoAmerica Parts Unlimited Talent Cup provisional qualifying at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Friday. Jones Honda’s Bodie Paige, Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane, Team Roberts’ Kody Kopp, and Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt completed the top five.
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong set the fastest time in MotoAmerica Superbike provisional qualifying at 1:19.912 on Friday at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin, Real Steel Honda’s Hayden Gillim and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly completed the top five. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier crashed and qualified 12th.
Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario set the fastest time in MotoAmerica SC-Project Twins Cup at 1:25.057 on Friday. RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin, Robem Engineering’s Hank Vossberg, Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher and Speeddemon Racing’s Logan Cunnison completed the top five.
Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz set the fastest provisional qualifying time in MotoAmerica Motovation Supersport at 1:21.704 at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Friday. Strack Racing’s Blake Davis, Celtic/Economy Lube+Tire/Warhorse HSBK Ducati’s Cameron Petersen, Rahal Ducati Moto w/ XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott completed the top five.
American Kensei Matsudaira will line up as a wildcard entry in the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup this weekend at Mobility Resort Motegi, Japan (September 26–28). The event runs in conjunction with the Japanese MotoGP, placing the rider on one of the biggest stages of the year.
Matsudaira, from California, has been confirmed as a wildcard entry for the Motegi round. For the 14-year-old, the race represents chance to measure himself against Asia’s top junior riders in front of a MotoGP-sized crowd.
Last week, Matsudaira was on the track in South Korea, bringing speed, skill, and determination to an international stage. The FIM MiniGP Northeast Asia Rounds 3-6 were held last weekend in South Korea at Belle Foret Moto Arena. Rounds 3-4 were held on Saturday in the rain, and rounds 5-6 were held on Sunday in dry conditions.
Kensei raced as a wildcard for these rounds in the GP160 category as this is the first year for Korea (Northeast Asia) in the FIM MiniGP championship and they do not yet have a GP190 category. It was his first race in Korea, where his mother was born.
There was another American rider racing in the Korean championship, Lambert Su, who also raced in the MotoAmerica Mini Cup National Finals at Road America this year and finished 2nd in the FIM Mini Cup USA GP110 championship and 4th in the FIM Mini Cup GP160 championship. He won his first race this past weekend and is currently leading the championship with 2 more rounds to go.
More, from Kensei Matsudaira’s wildcard ride in MotoAmerica Talent Cup at COTA:
4-time MotoAmerica Mini Cup champion Kensei Matsudaira made his debut in the main MotoAmerica paddock this past weekend, competing as a wildcard in the Parts Unlimited MotoAmerica Talent Cup by Motul category with the Roadracing World Young Guns team on board a Krämer APX-350 MA race bike.
Kensei came into the weekend without having ever ridden the Krämer APX-350 MA, but immediately showed his pace in the first and only free practice session of the weekend sitting P2 from his first lap and ending the session in P4.
With the race bike being delivered to the team on Thursday of the race weekend, there was no shortage of work to do for the team comprised of MotoAmerica veteran crew chief Stoney Landers, father of Rocco Landers, and Kensei’s father Kuni Matsudaira. With help from Krämer Motorcycles USA, Öhlins USA, and Team Hammer, the team quickly set about preparing the bike to be as competitive as possible, and by Saturday afternoon Kensei had qualified 3rd on the grid for the 2 races.
Race 1 on Saturday unfortunately ended with a DNF after a mechanical problem with the bike forced Kensei into the pits on the first lap.
By Sunday morning the team had addressed the mechanical issues with the bike and Kensei finished the warm-up session in P2 with a lap time of 2:27.2, just 0.5 seconds off the new lap record set during that session.
Kensei Matsudaira (right) was scored as third in Race 2. Photo credit: Karen E. Ott Photography
In race 2, Kensei got a great launch from the front row of the grid and slotted himself into 2nd by the first corner. Mid-way through the first lap, Kensei made a pass for the lead and held onto the position until the middle of the second lap when he had a big moment, losing the front. Despite still struggling with the bike due to lack of track time during the weekend, Kensei still managed to clock the second fastest lap-time of the weekend with a 2:26.8, just 0.2-second off the new lap record set during the race. During the rest of the 7-lap race, Kensei and another rider made a large gap to the group behind and would swap positions until the final lap, where Kensei beat the other rider to the line by 0.2-second. However, due to a track limits penalty of 2 seconds, Kensei was demoted to 3rd place in the final classification.
Kensei Matsudaira Makes MotoAmerica Debut at Circuit of the Americas with a Podium. Photo credit: Karen E. Ott Photography
Kensei Matsudaira:
“I finally made my MotoAmerica debut this past weekend! I’ve never ridden a Kramer before and we had a lot of work to do with the bike, but I felt pretty good from the first session and qualified 3rd for the races. I knew I had a shot for the win and at least a podium, so I was very disappointed when I had to retire on the first lap of race 1 with a mechanical. In race 2 I was able to take the lead on the first lap and finished the race in P2 but due to a track limits penalty I ended up P3. Honestly I wanted a little more but in the end I’m happy to leave the weekend with a podium finish in my first race weekend with MotoAmerica, I had a great time and it was awesome being in the paddock with so many friends I grew up racing with.”
“A huge thank you to Roadracing World and MotoAmerica for putting this wildcard opportunity together for me, and to Chris Ulrich for all the support and help in the paddock. I can’t thank Stoney Landers enough, without him the weekend would have gone completely differently. He was working on the bike until midnight every day and working with everyone to get a bike under me that I could fight with. Thank you to Joe and Felix with Krämer USA, Barry with Öhlins USA, everyone at Dunlop for all their help this weekend. It was great to have Robert from HJC Helmets and the whole Bison Track family for trackside support, and special thanks to Cameron Jones, Kevin Martin from Monkey Moto, and California Superbike School for their help as well.”
“I’m back on the road again for the rest of the year but I would love to come back and race with MotoAmerica again if the opportunity arises!”
Stoney Landers, Crew Chief:
“Hats off to all of the people that contributed to this last minute project of Kensei racing in the Talent Cup class at COTA, especially Wayne Rainey and Chuck Aksland! My job was to work with Kuni and get the bike ready for Kensei to race. We all saw the bike for the first time on Thursday. I couldn’t have done my part without help from Joe and Felix with Kramer, Michael and Barry with Ohlins, the entire Dunlop crew and of course John and Chris Ulrich and guys from their team who helped us out. Kensei was a dream to work with, so focused, calm, and able to communicate with great detail both what he was getting from the bike and in turn what he needed from the bike. I was so impressed with him. At times it felt as if I was working with a kid in his twenties, but Kensei is only 14. When the shifter broke in race 1 he was understandably annoyed, but stayed calm. All we could do is fix the shifter and anything else we could imagine would be an issue with the bike. We replaced several parts and were confident we had a solid bike for Sunday. Kensei repaid our work with a podium finish. I was pretty bummed the weekend was over as I knew that with one more session, we could have the setup even better and he could be fighting for the win. The best of luck to Kensei and his hard working Dad, Kuni, in their remaining 2025 races in Japan, Korea and Spain.”
Kensei now travels to Japan to race as a wildcard in the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup alongside MotoGP at Motegi, Japan which will be held September 26-28.
Kensei Matsudaira is supported by: Evike.com, Iconic Motorbikes, HJC Helmets, Dave Designs, Bullit Electric Cycles, Bison Track, TJ Corse, Alpinestars, Almassera El Teular, Ohvale USA, Apex Motorsports Park, Project SLUSH, Moto Tecnica, California Superbike School, Slacker by Motool, Bickle Racing, MadLabs Minimoto, 73 Moto Parts, D.I.D Chain, Yoshimura R&D, American Racing, NLAB Studio & Wraps, Karen E. Ott Photography, VNM Sport, Vortex Racing, Renthal, Hans King, Live 100 Moto, KiwiMoto72
Pedro Acosta (37) at Motegi. Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM Racing.
Pedro Acosta led MotoGP World Championship Free Practice 2 Saturday morning at Mobility Resort Motegi, in Japan. Riding his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16 on spec Michelin tires, the Spaniard turned a lap time of 1:44.108 to lead the field of 23 riders.
Ai Ogura was the best of the rest with a 1:44.233 on his Trackhouse Aprilia RS-GP25.
Six-time MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez was third at 1:44.321 on his Lenovo Ducati Desmosedici GP25.
His teammate, Francesco Bagnaia finished the session fourth with a 1:44.338.
Franco Morbidelli got fifth on his Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP24 with a lap time of 1:44.341.
Jake Dixon was quickest during Moto2 World Championship Free Practice 2 Saturday morning at Mobility Resort Motegi, in Japan. Riding his Pirelli-shod ELF Marc VDS Racing Boscoscuro on the 2.98-mile (4.80 km) track, the Brit recorded a 1:48.319 to lead the field of 28 riders.
Manuel Gonzalez was the best of the rest with a 1:48.592 on his Liqui Moly Dynavolt IntactGP Kalex.
Zonta Vd Goorbergh was third-fastest with a 1:48.729 on his RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP Kalex.
American Joe Roberts finished Saturday morning’s practice session 25th with a best time of 1:49.679 on his OnlyFans American Racing Team Kalex.
Joel Kelso (66) at Motegi. Photo courtesy LevelUP MTA Racing.
Joel Kelso led Moto3 World Championship Free Practice 2 Saturday morning, at Mobility Resort Motegi, in Japan. Kelso used his Pirelli-shod LevelUp MTA KTM to lap the 2.98-mile (4.80 km) track in 1:55.177 to lead the field of 26 riders.
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jose Antonio Rueda was second-best with a time of 1:55.188.
David Almansa, piloting his Leopard Racing Honda, claimed the third and final spot on the front with a lap time of 1:55.206.
Bobby Fong led a three-way fight for the MotoAmerica Superbike crown coming into the season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Fong got his title challenge off to the best possible start, taking provisional pole while his key competitors struggled.
Cameron Beaubier (6). Photo by Michael Gougis.
Cameron Beaubier crashed in practice and again in qualifying and was unable to compete for the top spots in provisional qualifying. Rain was forecast for Saturday, although it was not expected until the afternoon, so Beaubier will have one more chance to move up from his provisional 12th starting spot. Beaubier came into the weekend eight points behind Superbike Championship leader Bobby Fong.
Josh Herrin (1). Photo by Michael Gougis.
Defending Superbike Champion Josh Herrin also struggled to put in a series of fast laps on Friday afternoon, stringing together three laps right at the end of provisional qualifying to put him on the front row. Herrin was 22 points behind Fong, and was the last rider with a mathematical chance to win the Championship.
Jake Gagne (32). Photo by Michael Gougis.
The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing YZF-R1s were going well, with Jake Gagne putting in a strong Saturday afternoon and taking second on the provisional Superbike grid. Gagne was not only second-quickest, but he put in more 1:20 laps in provisional qualifying than anyone other than teammate Fong.
Cameron Petersen (45) on the SDI Racing Indian. Photo by Michael Gougis.
Cameron Petersen (45) on his Celtic/Economy Lube+Tire/Warhorse HSBK Ducati. Photo by Michael Gougis.
Cameron Petersen had a good Friday as well. Petersen topped both King of The Baggers sessions, and was third in Supersport provisional qualifying.
Jayson Uribe (36). Photo by Michael Gougis.
With the Stock 1000 Championship concluded, OrangeCat Racing stepped up to the Superbike class with modified Stock 1000 machinery for the season finale in New Jersey. Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee was ninth quickest in provisional qualifying, while teammate Jayson Uribe was sixth, 1.155 seconds off of Fong’s quickest time.
More, from a news release issued by MotoAmerica:
Bobby Fong (50). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Fridays aren’t Saturdays and Fridays aren’t Sundays, but being fastest on Friday isn’t a bad way to go.
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong fired the first shot of championship weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park, with the Californian earning provisional pole on Friday afternoon. Fong was fourth fastest on Friday morning but went 1.3 seconds quicker on Q1 to lead the way into tomorrow’s Q2 and race one with his lap of 1:19.912.
Fong’s combatants in the battle for the 2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship – Cameron Beaubier and Josh Herrin – were 12th and third, respectively, in Q1. Beaubier’s day was the worst of the three as he crashed twice on Friday.
Coincidentally, Fong crashed twice on Friday at Circuit of The Americas two weeks ago but rebounded to finish on the podium in both races. He knows what tough days are like and feels for Beaubier.
“Yeah, especially after COTA, having two crashes on a Friday, it always just sets you back,” Fong said. “We’ve done good about crashing and getting back up and going again. We’re definitely not going to get too excited because we know that with the talent of my competitors, we’ve just got to keep plugging away and fine tuning. We did really good today. I’m still a little bit uncomfortable in some places. We need to just fine tune some stuff.”
Fong was also happy for his teammate Jake Gagne, with the three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion ending the day second fastest. “It’s good to see my teammate up here, and to try to finish the season with a Yamaha one-two would be nice. It would be very nice to have a wing man. Honestly, he’s going good here, even on used tires. I’m stoked for him. He was struggling the last few rounds, but it would be good for the both of us.”
Still more, from a news release issued by MotoAmerica:
Cameron Petersen (45).
Motovation Supersport – Scholtz On Pace For Title
If Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz doesn’t wrap up the 2025 Motovation Supersport Championship tomorrow at New Jersey Motorsports Park, it won’t be from a lack of pace.
The South African wasted little time getting up to speed in the first practice session on Friday morning as he shattered the Supersport lap record with his 1:21.651. Although he was a tick slower in the afternoon Q1 session, his 1:21.704 was fast enough to earn him provisional pole position.
Scholtz leads the championship points chase by 21 over Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen. If Scholtz scores four points in Saturday’s race one, he will earn his second successive Supersport title.
Although Scholtz led both sessions, things were tight at the top with Blake Davis second-fastest and just .361 of a second behind his Strack Racing teammate. Celtic/Economy Lube+Tire/Warhorse HSBK Ducati’s Cameron Petersen completed the provisional front row.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott was fifth-fastest with his 1:22.527 and the last rider to be within a second of Scholtz’ best.
Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL’s Kayla Yaakov, Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis, Rahal Ducati Moto w/Roller Die’s Corey Alexander, Bauce BARTCON Racing’s Joseph LiMandri Jr., and BPR Racing Yamaha’s Teagg Hobbs rounded out the top 10 on opening day at NJMP.
SC-Project Twins Cup – Di Mario Over Chapin
Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario and RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin battled over provisional pole in Friday’s Q1 session for the SC-Project Twins Cup races, with the fight ultimately going to Di Mario by just .137 of a second.
While Di Mario has wrapped up both the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul and SC-Project Twins Cup titles and recently signed a deal that will see him race for the Rahal Ducati Moto team in next year’s Motovation Supersport series, we haven’t seen Chapin since the VIRginia International Raceway round in August. On Friday, he reminded us how good he is by ending the day so close to Di Mario, who lapped at a best of 1:25.057.
Di Mario’s teammate Hank Vossberg ended up third-fastest with his 1:25.363, just .306 of a second off his Di Mario’s best.
Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher and Speeddemon Racing’s Logan Cunnison rounded out the top five.
Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul – Vossberg!
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hank Vossberg led Friday’s Q1 session in the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul class, but things are tight at the front with the top six within a second of the Wisconsinite.
With newly crowned Talent Cup Champion Alessandro Di Mario sitting this one out, Vossberg took over as the rider to beat with his 1:29.668.
Jones Honda’s Bodie Paige ended up second, .350 of a second from Vossberg and .068 of a second ahead of fellow Australian Sam Drane and his Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing-backed Krämer APX-350 MA.
Team Roberts’ Kody Kopp continued to move closer to the top with the multi-time flat track champion ending the day fourth. Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt rounded out the top five on opening day at NJMP.
Mission King Of The Baggers – Hello, Mr. Petersen
SDI Racing’s Cameron Petersen was all business on Friday at New Jersey Motorsports Park, with the South African having his best qualifying session of the season to put his Indian Challenger on provisional pole position in Mission King Of The Baggers Q1.
Petersen’s 1:22.901 was .097 of a second faster than RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim with the two ping-ponging the top spot in the waning minutes of the 39-minute session.
Gillim’s teammate Rocco Landers was third-fastest and only .109 of a second off Petersen’s best.
S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara was the first of the factory Indians in fourth, narrowly ahead of newly crowned Mission King Of The Baggers Champion Kyle Wyman.
S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Loris Baz and Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing’s Bradley Smith ended the session .891 of a second from Petersen and the last rider on the same second as the provisional pole sitter.
SDI Racing’s Cameron Petersen led the way in MotoAmerica Mission King of The Baggers provisional qualifying on Friday with a best lap of 1:22.901. RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim, teammate Rocco Landers, S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara, and Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman completed the top five.
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hank Vossberg set the fastest time in MotoAmerica Parts Unlimited Talent Cup provisional qualifying at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Friday. Jones Honda’s Bodie Paige, Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane, Team Roberts’ Kody Kopp, and Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt completed the top five.
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong set the fastest time in MotoAmerica Superbike provisional qualifying at 1:19.912 on Friday at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin, Real Steel Honda’s Hayden Gillim and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly completed the top five. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier crashed and qualified 12th.
Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario set the fastest time in MotoAmerica SC-Project Twins Cup at 1:25.057 on Friday. RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin, Robem Engineering’s Hank Vossberg, Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher and Speeddemon Racing’s Logan Cunnison completed the top five.
Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz set the fastest provisional qualifying time in MotoAmerica Motovation Supersport at 1:21.704 at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Friday. Strack Racing’s Blake Davis, Celtic/Economy Lube+Tire/Warhorse HSBK Ducati’s Cameron Petersen, Rahal Ducati Moto w/ XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott completed the top five.
Kensei Matsudaira (74) in action at Belle Foret Moto Arena in South Korea on a MiniMoto racebike.
(Corrected Post)
American Kensei Matsudaira will line up as a wildcard entry in the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup this weekend at Mobility Resort Motegi, Japan (September 26–28). The event runs in conjunction with the Japanese MotoGP, placing the rider on one of the biggest stages of the year.
Matsudaira, from California, has been confirmed as a wildcard entry for the Motegi round. For the 14-year-old, the race represents chance to measure himself against Asia’s top junior riders in front of a MotoGP-sized crowd.
Last week, Matsudaira was on the track in South Korea, bringing speed, skill, and determination to an international stage. The FIM MiniGP Northeast Asia Rounds 3-6 were held last weekend in South Korea at Belle Foret Moto Arena. Rounds 3-4 were held on Saturday in the rain, and rounds 5-6 were held on Sunday in dry conditions.
Kensei raced as a wildcard for these rounds in the GP160 category as this is the first year for Korea (Northeast Asia) in the FIM MiniGP championship and they do not yet have a GP190 category. It was his first race in Korea, where his mother was born.
There was another American rider racing in the Korean championship, Lambert Su, who also raced in the MotoAmerica Mini Cup National Finals at Road America this year and finished 2nd in the FIM Mini Cup USA GP110 championship and 4th in the FIM Mini Cup GP160 championship. He won his first race this past weekend and is currently leading the championship with 2 more rounds to go.
More, from Kensei Matsudaira’s wildcard ride in MotoAmerica Talent Cup at COTA:
4-time MotoAmerica Mini Cup champion Kensei Matsudaira made his debut in the main MotoAmerica paddock this past weekend, competing as a wildcard in the Parts Unlimited MotoAmerica Talent Cup by Motul category with the Roadracing World Young Guns team on board a Krämer APX-350 MA race bike.
Kensei came into the weekend without having ever ridden the Krämer APX-350 MA, but immediately showed his pace in the first and only free practice session of the weekend sitting P2 from his first lap and ending the session in P4.
With the race bike being delivered to the team on Thursday of the race weekend, there was no shortage of work to do for the team comprised of MotoAmerica veteran crew chief Stoney Landers, father of Rocco Landers, and Kensei’s father Kuni Matsudaira. With help from Krämer Motorcycles USA, Öhlins USA, and Team Hammer, the team quickly set about preparing the bike to be as competitive as possible, and by Saturday afternoon Kensei had qualified 3rd on the grid for the 2 races.
Race 1 on Saturday unfortunately ended with a DNF after a mechanical problem with the bike forced Kensei into the pits on the first lap.
By Sunday morning the team had addressed the mechanical issues with the bike and Kensei finished the warm-up session in P2 with a lap time of 2:27.2, just 0.5 seconds off the new lap record set during that session.
Kensei Matsudaira (right) was scored as third in Race 2. Photo credit: Karen E. Ott Photography
In race 2, Kensei got a great launch from the front row of the grid and slotted himself into 2nd by the first corner. Mid-way through the first lap, Kensei made a pass for the lead and held onto the position until the middle of the second lap when he had a big moment, losing the front. Despite still struggling with the bike due to lack of track time during the weekend, Kensei still managed to clock the second fastest lap-time of the weekend with a 2:26.8, just 0.2-second off the new lap record set during the race. During the rest of the 7-lap race, Kensei and another rider made a large gap to the group behind and would swap positions until the final lap, where Kensei beat the other rider to the line by 0.2-second. However, due to a track limits penalty of 2 seconds, Kensei was demoted to 3rd place in the final classification.
Kensei Matsudaira Makes MotoAmerica Debut at Circuit of the Americas with a Podium. Photo credit: Karen E. Ott Photography
Kensei Matsudaira:
“I finally made my MotoAmerica debut this past weekend! I’ve never ridden a Kramer before and we had a lot of work to do with the bike, but I felt pretty good from the first session and qualified 3rd for the races. I knew I had a shot for the win and at least a podium, so I was very disappointed when I had to retire on the first lap of race 1 with a mechanical. In race 2 I was able to take the lead on the first lap and finished the race in P2 but due to a track limits penalty I ended up P3. Honestly I wanted a little more but in the end I’m happy to leave the weekend with a podium finish in my first race weekend with MotoAmerica, I had a great time and it was awesome being in the paddock with so many friends I grew up racing with.”
“A huge thank you to Roadracing World and MotoAmerica for putting this wildcard opportunity together for me, and to Chris Ulrich for all the support and help in the paddock. I can’t thank Stoney Landers enough, without him the weekend would have gone completely differently. He was working on the bike until midnight every day and working with everyone to get a bike under me that I could fight with. Thank you to Joe and Felix with Krämer USA, Barry with Öhlins USA, everyone at Dunlop for all their help this weekend. It was great to have Robert from HJC Helmets and the whole Bison Track family for trackside support, and special thanks to Cameron Jones, Kevin Martin from Monkey Moto, and California Superbike School for their help as well.”
“I’m back on the road again for the rest of the year but I would love to come back and race with MotoAmerica again if the opportunity arises!”
Stoney Landers, Crew Chief:
“Hats off to all of the people that contributed to this last minute project of Kensei racing in the Talent Cup class at COTA, especially Wayne Rainey and Chuck Aksland! My job was to work with Kuni and get the bike ready for Kensei to race. We all saw the bike for the first time on Thursday. I couldn’t have done my part without help from Joe and Felix with Kramer, Michael and Barry with Ohlins, the entire Dunlop crew and of course John and Chris Ulrich and guys from their team who helped us out. Kensei was a dream to work with, so focused, calm, and able to communicate with great detail both what he was getting from the bike and in turn what he needed from the bike. I was so impressed with him. At times it felt as if I was working with a kid in his twenties, but Kensei is only 14. When the shifter broke in race 1 he was understandably annoyed, but stayed calm. All we could do is fix the shifter and anything else we could imagine would be an issue with the bike. We replaced several parts and were confident we had a solid bike for Sunday. Kensei repaid our work with a podium finish. I was pretty bummed the weekend was over as I knew that with one more session, we could have the setup even better and he could be fighting for the win. The best of luck to Kensei and his hard working Dad, Kuni, in their remaining 2025 races in Japan, Korea and Spain.”
Kensei now travels to Japan to race as a wildcard in the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup alongside MotoGP at Motegi, Japan which will be held September 26-28.
Kensei Matsudaira is supported by: Evike.com, Iconic Motorbikes, HJC Helmets, Dave Designs, Bullit Electric Cycles, Bison Track, TJ Corse, Alpinestars, Almassera El Teular, Ohvale USA, Apex Motorsports Park, Project SLUSH, Moto Tecnica, California Superbike School, Slacker by Motool, Bickle Racing, MadLabs Minimoto, 73 Moto Parts, D.I.D Chain, Yoshimura R&D, American Racing, NLAB Studio & Wraps, Karen E. Ott Photography, VNM Sport, Vortex Racing, Renthal, Hans King, Live 100 Moto, KiwiMoto72
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