Joe Roberts won the FIM Moto2 World Championship race Sunday at the Mugello Circuit, in Italy. Riding his OnlyFans American Racing Team Kalex on Pirelli control tires, the American held off Spaniard Manuel Gonzalez by 0.067 second to take his first win and fourth podium finish of the season.
Gonzalez had to settle for the runner-up spot on his QJMOTOR Gresini Kalex, and Alonso Lopez finished a close third on his MB Conveyors SpeedUp Boscoscuro.
Roberts fights off Gonzalez on the last lap to take first victory since 2022
Joe Roberts (16) held off Manuel Gonzalez (18) to win the Moto2 race at Mugello. Photo courtesy Dorna.
In a blockbuster Moto2™ race at the Gran Premio d’Italia Brembo, Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) took victory in a nail-biting last lap decider, the American repelling the best efforts of Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) to take top honours for the first time since the 2022 Portuguese GP. Completing the podium was MB Conveyors SpeedUp’s Alonso Lopez, who was elbows out in the front fight, as ever.
Off like a rocket at the start, Roberts led early on the opening lap. He had close competition though, with Lopez and a Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) following on eagerly. A flying start also came in from Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) as well, who stormed to seventh after starting 12th.
Lopez would follow Roberts until lap four before he pounced at San Donato, but it wouldn’t be until Turn 3 before he could make the move stick. Unfortunately for the MB Conveyors Speed Up team, it was glory for one and disaster for another in that moment as Lopez’ teammate Fermin Aledguer crashed out after contact from Jeremy Alcoba (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team).
Still in the lead, Lopez now had Gonzalez behind as he had found his way through on Roberts. Slightly further back in the lead pack, disaster stuck for Binder who skittled into the gravel at Arrabbiata 1, an early end to what had been a strong weekend all round.
In a six-rider battle for the lead, everything was building to a grandstand last half of the race. The action kicked off as Roberts and Lopez ran wide at Turn 1 – giving them both more work to do – and allowing Gonzalez and Canet to the lead. But it wouldn’t be long before Roberts would then return the favour and find his way through to the front with just three laps remaining, asking questions of the others at the front.
As a dramatic finish loomed, Roberts entered the final lap in the lead. Gonzalez got a fantastic slipstream and attacked round San Donato, but the American hit back at the next available chance, diving to the inside at Turn 2. Under the highest of pressure, Roberts held strong to take his first victory since the 2022 Portuguese GP by just 0.067s. Gonzalez’ search for a first Moto2™ win goes on, and Lopez picked up third podium of the season.
Claiming fourth was Championship leader Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI), whose advantage in the standings has reduced to seven points. Behind Garcia was teammate Ogura, who Garcia pipped on the last lap, ahead of Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) and home hero Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Izan Guevara (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) claimed eighth as IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia’s Somkiat Chantra and OnlyFans American Racing Team’s Marcos Ramirez rounded out the top 10.
Next up is the TT Circuit Assen in three weeks’ time for what is set to be yet another dramatic Grand Prix, so join us for more at the Cathedral!
More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:
Record Moto2™ and Moto3™ races in Mugello with standard Pirelli tyres
Joe Roberts (16) leads Manuel Gonzalez (18), Aron Canet (44), and the rest early in the Moto2 race at Mugello. Photo courtesy Pirelli.
First win of the year for Roberts in Moto2™ and fifth victory for Alonso in Moto3™; new all-time and race lap records with Pirelli using tyres from the DIABLO Superbike range
The Grand Prix of Italy, raced at the Mugello International Racetrack, had American Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team/Kalex) winning in Moto2™ and Columbian David Alonso (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team CFMOTO/CFMOTO) taking victory in Moto3™.
With this triumph, his first of the season, Roberts is now second behind Sergio Garcia in the Moto2™ standings, whereas Alonso, now with five wins this year, leads the overall Moto3™ standings with a 37-point advantage over David Holgado.
Satisfaction in the Pirelli camp: thanks to the performance of the DIABLO Superbike range tyres, which are available for purchase regularly on the market, new all-time and race lap records were set for both categories in Mugello, significantly improving on the previous record times.
Giorgio Barbier
Motorcycle Racing Director
A nice bounty of records and a great show on the track
“We are closing out this weekend in Mugello with satisfaction after setting new all-time lap records on Saturday and new race lap records today, all using standard tyres and not prototypes, so products that are sold regularly on the market and available for purchase by all riders. Today in Moto2™, an astonishing 10 riders dropped below the previous race lap record, with Canet improving on it by more than 7 tenths, whereas in Moto3™, there were 15 riders who did at least one lap below the previous record and Veijer set the new record on the tenth and penultimate lap, a full 1.5 seconds faster than the previous one and, even more impressive, after a red flag with a jump start, so without being able to use the tyre warmer on the starting grid. This means that the tyres performed extremely well, demonstrating highly consistent performance all the way to the end of the race. I think it was also significant to see two riders with Kalex frames on the podium in Moto2™, because this means that, by working on the setup and gradually gaining experience, bikes with different frames can battle on an even pitch for victory. Now we have three weekends off before two consecutive GP rounds, in Assen and on the Sachsenring.”
Moto2™
With asphalt temperatures in line with those of the past couple days, for the race, the riders confirmed the solutions that had been most used in practice, so almost everyone was on the grid with the soft SC0 rear and the soft SC1 front. The only exceptions were Binder, Baltus, and Agius who preferred the medium SC2 at the front.
The race was held over a distance of 12 laps due to a restart of the Moto3™ race. American Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team/Kalex) won after starting from pole position ahead of Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2/Kalex) and Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyors SpeedUp/Boscoscuro), all with the same tyre options.
Aron Canet (Fantic Racing/Kalex) set the new race lap record on the second lap with a time of 1’50.476, improving on the previous one by more than 7 tenths which had been set in 2021 by Sam Lowes. Besides him, another 10 riders did at least one lap faster than the previous track record time.
Moto3™
With asphalt temperatures higher than 30°C, most of the riders on the grid opted for the medium SC2 front and soft SC1 rear combination. The only three riders to put the soft SC1 solution on the front were Furusato, Whatley, and Buasri, whereas Lunetta, Roulstone, Kelso, Muñoz, Farioli, Esteban, Almansa, and Dettwiler opted for the medium SC2 at the rear.
After a red flag on the fifth lap due to an accident, there were 11 laps left to race at the restart with 7 riders making tyre changes: Lunetta, Furusato, Kelso, Rossi, Muñoz, Fernandez, and Piqueras. Overall, the medium SC2 front was used by 22 out of 26 riders, whereas 18 riders opted for the soft SC1 rear. All the riders on the podium used the SC2 front and the SC1 rear.
After starting from pole position, David Alonso (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team CFMOTO/CFMOTO) won his fifth race of the year and now firmly leads in the overall championship standings. Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP/Husqvarna), second across the finish line, set the race lap record with a time of 1’54.738 on the tenth and penultimate lap, breaking the previous record by 1.5 seconds which had been set by Sasaki in 2023. Overall, 15 riders dropped below the previous track race lap record.
FIM Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup
The fourth round of the talent cup which is part of the Dorna Road to MotoGP™ project was also held on the Tuscan track. All the riders’ KTM machines are equipped with Pirelli DIABLO Superbike tyres in SC2 compound at the front and rear. The seventh and eighth race of the season, held over a distance of 13 laps, were won respectively by Spaniard Máximo Quiles and Argentine Valentin Perrone.
With a time of 1’59.921, Spaniard Alvaro Carpe set the new all-time lap record for the track in this category, breaking the one set by Angel Piqueras in 2023 by 8 tenths, whereas in Race 1, Malaysian Hakim Danish set the new race lap record on the ninth lap with a time of 2’00.198.
David Alonso won the restarted FIM Moto3 World Championship race Sunday at Mugello, in Italy. Riding his Valresa Aspar Team CFMOTO, the young Colombian held off Collin Veijer to win by 0.142 second, extending his lead in the Championship points.
Veijer had to settle for the runner-up spot on his Liqui Moly Intact GP Husqvarna.
Ryusei Yamanaka claimed the final spot on the podium by finishing third on his MT Helmets – MSI KTM 1.253 seconds behind Alonso.
The race was red-flagged for a crash involving Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Xabi Zurutuza and SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Filippo Farioli on lap three. Both were reported as “conscious” by Dorna. The race was restarted from original gird positions and run for 11 laps.
Brilliant debut Rookies win for Perrone in Mugello 2
Valentin Perrone (73), Brian Uriarte (51), and Álvaro Carpe (83) race for the lead at Mugello. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Just 2 seconds covered the top 16 KTMs across the line at the end of Mugello Race 2 as Argentina’s Valentin Perrone took his first Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup victory.
Brian Uriarte and Álvaro Carpe matched their 2nd and 3rd places from yesterday just ahead of Rico Salmela.
Perrone takes incredible victory
“I’m really happy with this first win,” grinned the 16-year-old Argentine who was 2nd in his first Rookies Cup race, the season opener in Jerez and has backed that up with a string of good results. “What can I say about the race, it was really crazy, so many overtakes. Then in the last corner, I don’t know exactly what happened, I think Maximo touched Ruche, I don’t know. I took a little the slipstream then got the victory.”
“The plan for the last lap? No, just push like crazy and see what happens. It worked!”
Uriarte lost again
“Second position again, that’s sort of OK, we still get some points in front of Maximo. But still first loser,” laughed the Spanish 15-year-old after his 4th podium of the season.
“Really I’m happy, I enjoyed the race, the last lap I didn’t do so well, I was almost the last of the group, the snake they made on the straight didn’t allow me to pass so it was quite tough but I still managed to make some passes.”
“The last lap was the most exciting for me and the one I most enjoyed, I got up to the front. I don’t know what happened at the end, it all got a bit crazy, that stopped me a little bit otherwise I think I could have got the win. But still a nice weekend, good results and good for the championship, I have to do just a little bit more and get the win next time.”
Carpe completes very strong weekend
“I am very happy as I enjoyed this race so much,” enthused the 16-year-old Spaniard. “All the battling, all the overtaking, it was great to be running at the front all the way.”
“The race was fast and aggressive, I think I did a good job through the weekend and I got two podiums. Now I am 3rd in the championship, 13 points behind Maximo. I say thanks to my Family, Friends and everyone that supports me.”
Salmela’s Super Sunday
“The start of the race was difficult because I didn’t do yesterday’s race, well I did but only a few corners,” smiled the reserved 16-year-old Finn. “The plan was OK, I tried to be more or less, in P4, P3 for the last lap, I was behind Ruche, it’s not easy to overtake Ruche, he’s good on the brakes.”
“Then through the last corner, at first I wanted to pass on the inside but everyone went to the inside and was slow, I saw a gap and went for it but then almost lost the front mid-corner. Then I went a bit wide but still, I thought I was going to make it to the victory or at least the podium.”
“Then I saw Maximo really close to me, was a surprise, I had to cut the gas a bit and lost. P4 is not bad, I wanted more but…. better than yesterday.”
Màximo Quiles 5th – penalised for incident with Ruche Moodley
“A really difficult race, many people slowing, not wanting to give the slipstream and it was crazy,” stated the 16-year-old Spaniard.
“In the last corner no nobody wanted to push and I pushed, I moved to cut the slipstream and I touched Ruche and I am really sorry for him. It was a really dangerous moment and I’m really sad for him and I want to say sorry.”
Following the race, the FIM Rookies Cup Stewards Panel stated that Quiles was, “found to have caused a crash by swerving into the line of another rider at the exit at Turn 15.”
As a result of this the Panel, “has imposed a Suspension from participation in the Motul TT Assen.”
Hakim Danish in the lead group all the way – P6
“In today’s race I feel better than yesterday,” explained the Malaysian 16-year-old. “I felt more confident in the bike and also with my riding. I was able to run in the front group and be in a good position.”
“It was only in the last lap there was a little bit missing, I lost a couple of positions, then I tried to come back. In the last corner, I tried to grab a good position but finally got P6. I’m looking forward to the next race in Assen.”
Leonardo Zanni steps up to 7th
“I am very happy for my best result in the Rookies Cup,” enthused the Italian 15-year-old “It was a hard race, it’s a long straight here and I don’t seem to pass anyone on the straight, I have to do it all on the brakes and round the corners. So I had to work very hard.”
“In the last lap I was determined, I overtook 2 or 3 riders, then another on the run to the line, I am so happy to do this result at my home race.”
Veda Pratama led – but not at the flag P8
“I’m not happy… this is the result, that is what it is,” reported the disappointed 15-year-old Indonesian. “I made mistakes during the race, I can fight but the result was not good for me. I will try to do better in the next round.”
CROWES CLAIM THEIR FIRST TT VICTORY IN 3WHEELING.MEDIA SIDECAR TT RACE 1
Ryan and Callum Crowe claimed their first win at the Isle of Man TT Races with victory in 3wheeling.media Sidecar TT Race 1, the Manx brothers coming home 26.894 seconds ahead of Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley with Alan Founds/Rhys Gibbons taking third.
The Crowes set the fastest lap of the race on their Kelproperties Honda at 119.800mph to be the first Manx Sidecar winners since 2014 and emulate the feat of their five-time winner dad Nick Crowe.
With perfect conditions, the three-lap race got underway at 5.45pm and the Crowes led through Glen Helen on the opening lap, their advantage over Founds/Walmsley (FHO Racing Honda) already 6.3 seconds. Crawford/Hardie (ARC Newton Aycliffe/SJH Bodyworks Kawasaki) slotted into third a further 4.4 seconds adrift with Blackstock/Rosney (Dave Holden Racing Yamaha), Founds/Gibbons (Founds Racing Yamaha) and Reeves/Wilkes (Bonovo Action/Carl Cox Motorsport Honda) rounding out the early top six. Molyneux/Roberts (Kelproperties Kawasaki) were already out though having retired at Ballacraine.
By Ballaugh the Crowes’ lead was up to 9.4 seconds and they’d caught Founds/Walmsley on the road, overtaking them soon after on the run to Quarry Bends. Back at Ballaugh jump Founds/Gibbons had taken over third from Blackstock/Rosney with Crawford/Hardie dropping back two places to fifth, with only four seconds covering third to sixth.
On to Ramsey Hairpin and the lead was up 10.2 seconds, Founds/Walmsley having briefly got back ahead of the Crowes at Parliament Square only to run immediately wide. The battle for third continued to rage though with Blackstock/Rosney now in the final podium position, 2.2 seconds ahead of Founds/Gibbons with Crawford/Hardie a similar distance behind in fifth.
An opening lap of 118.525mph gave the Crowes a 12.2 second advantage over Founds/Walmsley. They, in turn, were almost half a minute clear of Blackstock/Rosney (114.495mph), Founds/Gibbons (114.30mph), Crawford/Hardie (114.257mph) and Reeves/Wilkes (114.190mph), just three seconds covering the quartet. Seventh was being held by newcomers Ellis/Clement (Brookland Sand & Aggregates Yamaha) after an opening lap of 113.006mph.
The Ramsdens were other high-profile retirements having stopped at the Creg-Ny-Baa, whilst bad luck hit eighth-placed Gibson/Christie after a spill at Brandywell fortunately without injury.
Back at the front and the Crowes’ lead had extended to almost 17 seconds at Glen Helen second time around whilst the crews fighting for third were now only separated by 1.6 seconds, Blackstock/Rosney just doing enough to hold onto the position. It was unbelievably close though as Founds/Gibbons had closed to within 0.1 seconds and, indeed, they moved back into third at Ballaugh.
Starting the third and final lap, the Crowes looked comfortable in the lead, a second lap of 119.800mph – a new personal best – stretching the gap to Founds/Walmsley (117.923mph) to more than half a minute.
Founds/Gibbons (115.984mph) were now looking more secure in third having opened a 6.2 second advantage over Blackstock/Rosney (115.169mph) with Gibbons become the fastest sidecar newcomer ever. Crawford/Hardie (115.213mph) and Reeves/Wilkes (115.076mph) also broke the 115mph barrier with seventh placed Ellis/Clement (113.786mph) continuing to excel.
With a trouble-free final lap, the Crowes successfully brought their outfit home for a famous win, more than half a minute clear of Founds/Walmlsey. Then with another 115mph+ lap, Founds/Gibbons claimed the final podium position, passenger Gibbons being the first newcomer to achieve the feat since Walmsley eight years ago.
Blackstock/Rosney held on for fourth, just half a second ahead of Crawford/Hardie, with Reeves/Wilkes, Ellis/Clement, Holden/Claeys, Saunders/Saunders, who set their first ever 110mph+ lap, and Harrison/Moore completing the top ten.
As well as Gibbons becoming the fastest newcomer ever, Ellis claimed the same accolade for a driver whilst Clement became the fastest female passenger around the Mountain Course with her lap of 113.786mph eclipsing the lap of 111.053mph by French compatriot Melanie Farnier set two years ago.
Dominic Doyle won MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup Race One Saturday at rainy Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Doyle got the holeshot on his Dunlop-shod Giaccmoto Yamaha YZF-R7, gained a 4.5-second lead on the first lap, and continued adding to his advantage until he won the five-lap race – his second of the season — by 10.443 seconds.
Pole-sitter Alessandro Di Mario was the runner-up on his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 600 in spite of riding with a days-old broken left thumb.
Rocco Landers was happy to finish third, and take his career-first wet-race podium finish, on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki GSX-8R. Landers also took over the Championship point lead.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Rossi Moor was pressuring Landers on lap four of five when he had a moment in the chicane and lost one second. Moor recovered quickly, caught back up to Landers, but came up 0.157 second short at the finish line and took fourth.
Sean Ungvarsky rounded out the top five finishers on his Koch Racing Yamaha.
Di Mario’s teammate Gus Rodio did not start Race One due to apparent technical problems with his motorcycle.
Cassie Creer won MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Race One Saturday at rainy Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Riding her race-kitted Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 on Dunlop rain tires for the first time, Creer led all four laps and held on to take the first win of her MotoAmerica career.
Emma Betters made up three seconds on Creer on the fourth and final lap but came up 0.225 second short at the checkered flag. Second place, however, was enough for Betters to take over the Championship point lead.
Camille Conrad finished third.
Defending Champion Mikayla Moore did not start Race One. Moore crashed during Twins Cup Qualifying Two Saturday morning and suffered a leg injury that prevented her from racing. During an interview on MotoAmerica Live+ Moore indicated that she may try to race on Sunday.
Troy Herfoss won MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Race One Saturday at rain-soaked Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The reigning Australian Superbike Champion took an early lead on his Dunlop-shod S&S Indian Challenger and pulled away to a convincing victory, his third in a row and fourth of the young season.
Kyle Wyman was the runner-up on his Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide.
Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara came home third, just a fraction of a second ahead of fourth-place Jake Lewis and his Saddlemen Harley-Davidson.
Lewis’ teammate Cory West rounded out the top five finishers.
James Rispoli was running second on lap four of five when his factory Harley-Davidson backed itself sideways going into Turn One on the brakes, causing him to crash at high speed. Rispoli was not injured in his crash.
Defending Champion Hayden Gillim crashed his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson during the wet Challenge dash-for-cash race earlier Saturday. Although he was obviously banged up, Gillim still tried to ride in Race One but his repaired Road Glide suffered a problem on the warm-up and he did not start the race.
Cameron Petersen won wet and wild MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race One at rainy Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Petersen tried to pass his teammate Jake Gagne in the final corner, and the two Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha Racing riders ended up racing to the finish line side-by-side. Petersen had just enough to beat Gagne by 0.004 second, or half a wheel, to take his second win of the season.
Gagne came up painfully short in second place but took over the Championship point lead.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati rider Loris Baz raced with the lead duo until two laps from the end when he took a shot at passing Petersen for second and ran wide at Turn Five. From there, the Frenchman said he focused on finishing on the podium after the rough start to his 2024 season.
JD Beach was a distant fourth on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Brandon Paasch rounded out the top five finishers on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R.
Danilo Lewis finished sixth and won the Superbike Cup category on his Team Brazil BMW.
Benjamin Smith took a lonely seventh-place finish on his FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha.
Bobby Fong brought his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha home in eighth.
Baz’s teammate Josh Herrin ran off the track in Turn Six early in the race but was able to salvage ninth.
Gabriel Da Silva got 10th on his Jarritos Racing/Team GMR Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
The challenging race conditions led to some significantly crashes.
Sean Dylan Kelly crashed his TopPro Racing BMW at high speed while leading into Turn 12 on lap three. His condition was not known at post time.
Paasch’s teammate Xavi Fores was running strong in fourth on lap seven when he crashed in Turn Six. Fores walked away from the scene.
Cameron Beaubier was coming back from an off-track excursion and running two seconds per lap faster than the leaders when he crashed out of fourth place on lap eight of 10. Unfortunately, Beaubier suffered an unknown injury to his right leg that required him to be carried away.
We will report more details as they become available.
Petersen Over Gagne By .004 Of A Second In Steel Commander Superbike At Road America
Teammates Battle To The Finish, Beaubier Crashes Out Of Championship Lead
Cameron Petersen (45) beat his teammate Jake Gagne (1) to the finish line by just 0.004 of a second. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 1, 2024) – Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing teammates Cameron Petersen and Jake Gagne battled to the bitter end of the Steel Commander Superbike race on Saturday, with Petersen winning the battle of Yamaha YZF-R1s by just .004 of a second in horrendous conditions at Road America.
Steel Commander Superbike race one was held in a rainstorm and riders were faced with conditions many of them claimed were the worst they’d ever raced in. While the Road America surface had good grip despite the rain, it was puddles in bad places that caused the most concern with some riders crashing without any lean angle.
When all was said and done, it was Petersen winning his second race of the young season and the fifth of his MotoAmerica Superbike career. Petersen led early, lost the lead to TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly, got it back and then spent the majority of the remaining laps looking at Gagne’s rear wheel. Until the final lap. The pair went into the last turn side by side and came out of it side by side. With both Yamahas spinning their way up the hill, it was Petersen who got his hooked up better and nipped Gagne at the line.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz was with the two Yamahas for most of the race and his one error came with two laps to go when he tried to make a pass on Petersen in turn five. The out-braking move didn’t work with Baz getting in too hot and losing touch with the two Yamahas. Still, it was an impressive third-place finish that left the Frenchman smiling.
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach was a somewhat lonely fourth after inheriting the spot from his teammate Cameron Beaubier. The five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion had led the race early before running off track in turn five. He rejoined and started to charge forward. However, soon after getting past Beach for fourth and starting to make inroads into the lead trio, he crashed his BMW M 1000 RR. The crash left Beaubier limping away before ultimately getting helped to the ambulance. He was transported to undergo X-rays on his heel.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch ended up fifth, less than a second ahead of Team Brazil’s Danilo Lewis. Those two were well clear of FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith. Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong; Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin, who led early before running off track in turn five; and Jarritos Racing/Team GMR’s Gabriel Da Silva rounded out the top 10.
Beaubier wasn’t the only one to crash out in the difficult conditions as Kelly crashed out of the lead early on and Xavi Forés crashed his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki while battling for fourth place.
With his second-place finish combined with Beaubier’s non-finish, Gagne moved to the lead in the championship point standings after six races by seven over Beaubier, 102-95.
Petersen jumped up to second in third in the title chase and he trails his teammate Gagne by 19 points. Kelly drops to fourth with 73 points and is now just five points ahead of Fong and 14 ahead of Baz.
Herrin, Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim, Beach and Paasch round out the top 10 heading into tomorrow’s race two at Road America.
Cameron Petersen – Winner
“Last thing you want to do is knock your teammate down. Like these guys said, just a crazy race. I led a few of the opening laps and I saw SDK go down in front of me. Kind of when I saw that, he was straight up and down and lost the front. I didn’t really know what pace we could go, so I think I was kind of holding the guys up for the first few laps there. Then once Jake (Gagne) got past me, he definitely dropped the pace a little bit. I just followed him around, to be honest. He was good in kind of all the right places. Then last lap, I’ve been so reserved in the past. I had a good feeling underneath me. The last corner, at least on the front, felt really good. I just got a really good run through the second-to-last corner. I was like, ‘man, if you don’t take a shot, then you don’t deserve this ride.’ So, I just kind of had a go. Like Jake said, it was so funny the drag race to the line. He rolled around me, and I could hear his bike. I could hear the TC kicking on in his bike, and then the TC would kick on my bike. We kind of see-sawed there for a little bit, and we went up over the rise. There was kind of like a dry spot – well, a drier spot in the middle of the track. I was on that line, so I think coming up over the rise his bike just spun up a little bit and that gave me that little bit of an edge. Just so stoked. I think this is the first time I’ve got more than one win in a season, and especially after crashing in qualifying this morning. It’s a nice way to repay the team. Congrats to these two guys. We were all together the whole race. I look forward to battling tomorrow.”
Jake Gagne – Second Place
“Like Loris Baz said, the craziest race I’ve ever been a part of. Just the hydroplaning everywhere. The new surface makes it hard to tell. Everything is so shiny and nice. It’s hard to kind of even really tell where the big puddles are. But the straightaway down into the corner, we were at like 10 percent throttle, just trying to figure out how to get the thing to not spin up. I’m happy we’re here on the podium. Yamaha one-two is awesome. I hope everybody that went down is okay, because that was insane. After those first couple laps, I got passed by a couple of guys. I’m like, I’m just going to try to finish this thing. I think SDK (Sean Dylan Kelly) went down, and Cam (Beaubier) ran wide and went down. Just a freaking wild one. Then I got by Cam (Petersen). I knew him and Loris were right there because I could see it on the big screen. That last lap, tried to be smart and not give Cam any opportunity to stick it up in there, but I just was a little wide entering into the final turn. I saw that Yamaha come up underneath me. I tried to roll around the outside and then it was just a drag race. Seriously, it was the first time in my life, when me and Cam got together before the finish line, I was literally laughing in my helmet. I was like, at least we survived this thing and one of us is going to cross the line first. Either way, good day for the team. I’m pumped for CP and to race with him and to race with Loris again. I’m just glad. Hopefully, everybody got through that thing, and hopefully SDK is all right and Cam B. is all right. I’m shivering right now. I’m cold.”
Loris Baz – Third Place
“I think it’s the worst conditions I’ve ever raced a bike on in all my career. I remember my first win in Superbike there was a lot of water on the track. I was racing injured. But that was just another level. I think we were 20 percent throttle on the back straight, and you have those walls. It’s just the bike spinning. I don’t know how fast we go. I’ve never been scared on the bike, and I was scared going into that back section for the whole 10 laps. I normally have a lot of fun in the rain, but this one was just trying to be really clever and not make any mistakes because it was so easy to have a big, big one. But I felt good on the bike. Those guys, my mechanic and all the crew from Ducati did a good job because the only time I rode the bike on the wet was in Atlanta and I had a broken ankle. So, I didn’t really push there. I had no idea setup-wise. In those seven minutes before the race, I didn’t feel good on the bike. They did some adjustments really quick before the race and I felt better straightaway. So, it was just a race where I was improving and trying to learn all the race, coming back behind Jake (Gagne). Just waiting, but I couldn’t see how many laps were remaining, so it was really tough. Then Jake went in front, and he just made a big step and improved the pace. I tried to overtake Cameron (Petersen), but it wouldn’t stop. It was two laps remaining in that moment. The only time I saw my pit board was L2. I said, ‘just try to be clever,’ because I could not increase my pace at that moment and bring it home. I’m happy. It’s the first podium. We had a tough beginning of the season with injury in Atlanta, injured in Barber again. So, happy to be here. Thankful for Ducati New York and the Warhorse. They did a lot of sacrifice and hard job to have me back here, and I just want to thank them, and all the people involved to have me back here in America. I had a lot of fun in ’21 and I want to have as much fun this year. It’s just the first podium and it will bring the big smile to the team. We have so much fun with Josh (Herrin) and I just hope we can share a podium soon.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp, U.S.A.:
Petersen and Gagne Score Thrilling 1-2 Finish at Road America
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen and Jake Gagne finish 1-2 in drama-filled MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 at Road America
MARIETTA, Ga. – June 2, 2024 – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen returned to the top step of the podium yesterday in a thrilling photo finish to MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 at Road America. His teammate Jake Gagne finished second, reclaiming the championship lead in the tricky, rain-soaked conditions on the four-mile track in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
After a tough beginning to round three of the championship and a crash earlier in the day during the final qualifying session, Petersen came back swinging in the first Superbike race of the weekend. The South African got a great start from the third row of the grid to inside the top five. He quickly made his way to second and then passed his teammate to claim the lead on that opening lap. Petersen rode a calculated race in the challenging conditions, and although he was shuffled to third on Lap 3, he reclaimed the lead on that same lap after the frontrunners crashed. With around three laps to go, he was passed by his teammate, but he stayed on Gagne’s heels and passed him in the final corner. From there, it was a drag race to the finish line, with Petersen coming out on top by .004 of a second to earn his second win this season and fifth career victory in the premier class. Looking at the bigger picture, he advanced to third in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship standings and to within 19 points of his teammate.
Gagne also bounced back from a tough start to the weekend with a much better Saturday at Road America, qualifying third. Sitting third after the start, he advanced to the lead in Turn 5 before ultimately being passed by his teammate on that opening lap. Although he was shuffled to fifth on the following lap, the defending three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion rode his own race and moved back into the runner-up spot with the attrition on Lap 3. He took over the lead in the final laps and set a strong pace up front but was passed by his teammate in the final corner and ultimately crossed the line just shy of the victory. Gagne’s third podium of the season reclaimed the number-one spot in the hotly contested Superbike title chase and gave him a seven-point advantage.
It also marked the Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team’s third double podium so far this season, and they look forward to battling for top honors again in this afternoon’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Race 1 in the wet showed the competitiveness of the Yamaha R1 and our riders and crew in any condition. To finish 1-2 was a testament to what can happen with hard work and perseverance. We look forward to a great dry race tomorrow.”
Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“It was a crazy race and crazy conditions. I had a good battle with Jake. I think I was holding him up a little bit because he dropped the pace straight away, and I think that kind of broke up the field a little bit. Going into the last lap, I got a really good run coming off the second to last corner and thought to myself that I had to make a move. It was pretty funny going to the line. We were just going back and forth, back and forth; I don’t think it gets any closer than that. I’m glad to actually finish the race in those conditions and looking forward to tomorrow in the dry. I think it should be a good battle.”
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #1
“It was crazy conditions. We were hydroplaning down the straightaways and trying to find lines where we were out of the puddles. I was pretty calm in the beginning. I got passed, but I tried to be smart about it and not lose touch with the leaders. (Cameron) Beaubier got into the lead and dropped the hammer right away, and then we saw him go off in Turn 5. The same with Sean Dylan Kelly, we saw him go down into Canada (corner) in just a crazy straight up-and-down crash. Then Cam got into the lead and set a good, solid pace. After a while, I figured I’d try to pass him to see what I could do, and it came down to the last lap. Going into the last turn, I was hoping to keep it a little tighter so that I didn’t give him any room but I was a little wide on the entry, and I saw that Yamaha come up the inside. I was literally laughing in my helmet to the line because, at that point, I knew at least for the team, it was going to be a 1-2 finish, and it was just a matter of who was going to be on the drier track or with less puddles.
“It was a great day for the team after a tough day yesterday, and a photo finish is always cool. I haven’t been part of one of those in a long time. We’ve got some dry racing tomorrow. We’ve got to make a couple of little improvements, but we learned a lot this morning, so I think we can step it up again tomorrow. It will be another battle in the dry because it’s really close here.”
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 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, Alabama, and Florida. YMUS subsidiaries Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America (YMMC), based in Georgia, and Yamaha Jet Boat Manufacturing U.S.A. (YJBM) based in Tennessee, each assemble and manufacture selected Yamaha brand products. YMUS owns Skeeter Boats [Texas] with its division G3 Boats [Missouri]. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company, Inc. (YMSC) with subsidiary Siren Marine [Rhode Island] and divisions Bennett Marine [Florida], Yamaha Marine Rotational Molders [Wisconsin] and Yamaha Precision Propeller Inc. [Indiana].
Yamaha Motor Finance Corporation, USA, dba Yamaha Financial Services, is an affiliate of Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA offering financing solutions to support Yamaha Dealers and loyal Yamaha Customers nationwide.
A superb 13 KTM lead battle blessed Mugello’s beautiful curves and it was points leader Màximo Quiles who flashed across the line just 0.004 seconds ahead of Brian Uriarte. Álvaro Carpe grabbed 3rd, 0.044 off the win.
Less wind and more sun raised the track temperature slightly affecting settings and the teenage aces had to adjust.
Quiles wins photo finish
“The bike didn’t feel the same today as it did in Qualifying,” explained the 16-year-old Spaniard. “I didn’t feel comfortable from the start and when I pushed I felt I was nearly crashing and saving it. I said, ‘Right, it’s going to be a hard race.’
“I couldn’t break the group, I pushed as hard as I could but couldn’t get away. Then going onto the last lap it was very close, I was in front, I was overtaken, when we braked, Perrone hit me, I hit Veda and we almost went down.”
“Then I pushed on, I overtook Brian, it was like a replay of last year’s I got in front, I closed the door in the last corner and managed to hold the lead to the line.”
“I want to thank everyone, I enjoyed that race so much.”
Uriarte hates 2nd
“Second is the first loser, I’d rather be third. I could win today… but I didn’t,” stated the Spanish 15-year-old.
“But still a good race, a hard race, I was a bit tired at the end, couldn’t grip the bar so well, I had a big blister.”
“I was pretty confident through the race, I got a bit of chatter in the last few laps but nothing too bad, I have to talk to Aitor (Lafoz, suspension engineer) and see if we should change anything for tomorrow, the track was hotter than Qualifying but it will be cool again tomorrow morning.”
“I think that I learnt from yesterday, I think I put it all together today but we didn’t show it.”
“I gave it everything, I tried to pass on the last straight but Maximo made something strange, I couldn’t follow the slipstream and I couldn’t quite get past. It was good points, a good result but tomorrow must be better.”
“I was a bit lost yesterday, I saw today that the guys in front had some different lines and I learnt from that and will use it in Race 2.”
Carpe knows he needs more than 3rd
“It was an incredible race, so much fun, a big group with everyone pushing so hard all the way. I stayed towards the front of the group almost all race and I’m happy with the way I have been riding here, fastest in all sessions yesterday and 3rd today.”
“I was looking to win this but a rider hit me in the first corner of the last lap and I had to battle back to the front in the next corners.”
“P3 is a good result for the championship but tomorrow I have to do better.”
“Today was hotter than yesterday, that made the bike move around more but my feeling with the KTM was good, the Pirelli tyres also felt good so I don’t think I will change anything for tomorrow.”
Ruche Moodley in the hunt for the win – P4
“I pushed really hard, I had to as I started P9,” explained the 17-year-old South African. “Yesterday I felt quite confident overtaking so I knew that I could do it. I did well but I am a little bit disappointed to miss out on the podium by so little. I have to think that if I did some things differently, small changes, I could have made it.”
“I will try to make some changes myself and do better tomorrow.”
Veda Pratama bumped off the podium – P5
“I am happy with the race today but I didn’t have such great luck,” commented the 15-year-old Indonesian. “In the first corner on the last lap, someone hit me and I got pushed out but I was lucky because I didn’t crash. I pushed hard in that last lap and finished 5th so I am happy with that.”
“The bike wasn’t quite perfect but it wasn’t a big problem for me and I am learning all the time, learning from the top riders.”
Valentin Perrone running up front – P6
“I’m not really happy with the result,” revealed the 16-year-old Argentine. “I felt not so bad with the bike but the temperature of the track was higher and that gave me some chatter on some corners.”
“It’s good points for the championship but I will talk to Dani (Ribalta, Rider Coach) and see if he has any suggestions for me to improve and do better tomorrow.”
Hakim Danish fought through – P7
“This race was really difficult for me because at the start I lost many positions,” revealed the 16-year-old Malaysian. “I tried to come back but it’s not easy, I tried to fight with the other riders and as I felt more confident in the corners I started to overtake one by one.”
“I arrived in the front group and I tried to stay there, I wanted to fight for the podium. In the last lap, I made a small mistake in the first sector and I finished P7. I will try to push more for a better result tomorrow.”
Carter Thompson takes big step – P9
“I felt really good,” stated the 16-year-old Australian. “In the first few laps, I didn’t get as far up as I wanted to off the start. But I kept chipping away every lap, by the end I got up with the front group.”
“It’s unfortunate that in the last lap, I got hit and had to go in the gravel trap but overall it was a positive race, a big improvement over last year and the last couple of races so I am really happy with the progress.”
Broadcast
This weekend’s Rookies Cup races can be seen live on www.redbull.tv and on TV stations around the world.
Race 2 is on Sunday at 08:45, the show starts 10 minutes before the race.
PJ Jacobsen won MotoAmerica Supersport Race One Saturday at rainy Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Riding his Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL Panigale V2 on Dunlop rain tires, Jacobsen chased down Mathew Scholtz and passed him on the final lap to win by 0.040 second. It was Jacobsen’s third win of the season, extending his Championship point lead.
Scholtz led from the beginning of the six-lap restart on his Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6, but the South African had to settle for the runner-up spot in Race One.
Jake Lewis came home third on his Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R750.
Tyler Scott took fourth on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750.
Jacobsen’s teammate Kayla Yaakov rounded out the top five finishers.
Pole-sitter Maxi Gerardo did not start the race due to a technical problem with his TopPro Racing Suzuki GSX-R750.
The race was shortened from 11 to nine laps due to the rain, but on lap two of the original start, the race had to be stopped to clear crashed bikes from the middle of the racetrack. The final restart of the race went for six laps.
Wet Races All Around In Support Class Action At Road America
Rain Rolls Through Elkhart Lake Causing Havoc at Road America
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 1, 2024) – One of the things that the MotoAmerica series prides itself on is that we race, rain or shine. Saturday’s weather forecast for Road America foretold that the rain would start around 11 a.m. and continue through about 6 p.m. So, basically, all six feature races would be run in fully wet conditions. That’s completely do-able at all the tracks we go to, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy. Each of the five support-class races at Road America were dramatic and affected their respective championships. Here’s a rundown of who won, who reached the podium, and what happened along the way to the checkered flags.
Junior Cup – Chapin In The Wet
Junior Cup race one started off Saturday’s racing at Road America, and a steady rain fell throughout most of the afternoon. MotoAmerica’s entry-level riders handled the conditions pretty well, but surprisingly, defending class champion Avery Dreher crashed out of third place towards the end of the final lap, and he also knocked Isaac Woodworth out of second place in the process. Woodworth was able to rejoin the race and finish fifth, while Dreher was out of the race.
(From left) Eli Block, Mathew Chapin and Ella Dreher celebrate their Junior Cup finishes. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BARTCON Racing’s Matthew Chapin avoided the melee, and he took the checkered flag with his teammate Eli Block finishing second. Ironically, the rider who benefitted the most from Dreher’s incident was his sister Ella Dreher. The 14-year-old Bad Boys Racing rider notched the first podium result of her career.
“I’ve had a little bit of rain practice since Atlanta, so my confidence going into the race was definitely up,” Chapin said. “Also, my qualifying position being P3, I could see straight to turn one. I’ve never had that before. My best qualifying before this was seventh, I think. So, I think that was all a big part of it.”
Commenting on Avery Dreher’s crash, Chapin said, “I was on the inside of the corner, and then Avery was trying to out-brake me on the left side. He tucked the front really early, and then his body hit Isaac’s back tire and took him out. So, it was pretty close, but I didn’t really think I was going to get involved in it.”
Supersport – Jacobsen Over Scholtz
Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen sat behind Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz for most of the six-lap Supersport race at Road America on Saturday. But he struck at the end and drafted past the South African at the finish line to win by .040 of a second.
PJ Jacobsen (15) beat Mathew Scholtz (11) to the finish line by 0.040 of a second in Supersport action at Road America on Saturday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
The win was Jacobsen’s third of the young season and it gave him a 16-point lead over Scholtz in the championship.
Scholtz was an ever so close second with the lead duo well clear of Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis, who backed off late in the race after realizing the risk wasn’t going to get him the reward he wanted.
Vision Wheel M4 Suzuki’s Tyler Scott was fourth with Jacobsen’s Rahal Ducati Moto’s Kayla Yaakov rounded out the top five.
“You don’t really have an option at that point,” Jacobsen said. “I know we’re only on the third round, but if the guy that’s closing on you in the championship is right there in front of you and there’s a possibility to get him, then I’m going to get him. I’m not going to just give up and settle for a second. I was going for it, but it didn’t really feel like I was on the limit of crashing or anything like that. I felt pretty comfortable. I was slowly inching away at him there towards the end. He had a very strong pace in the beginning. I felt like I kind of missed that seven minutes as well because our (rain) light was out, so I missed the little seven minutes that we had in the beginning. actually, I asked Jake how the track was, and he told me in some spots. So, that was helpful. It was a really good race. Before the restart, it was pretty crazy too because there was a big group of like seven guys. But Mathew (Scholtz) was riding great.”
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – Creer Gets Her First
Coming into Road America, defending Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Champion Mikayla Moore was on a nine-race winning streak extending back to the beginning of last year. Unfortunately, Moore crashed during final qualifying for her debut in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup Championship, and she was unable to start Saturday’s BTR race one.
Cassie Creer (center) is joined by Emma Betters (left) and Camille Conrad (right) in celebrating her first Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. victory. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Taking advantage of the situation, while also avoiding the treacherous track conditions, Cassie Creer got her first win, while Emma Betters extended her podium streak to three races with her runner-up result. Camille Conrad joined Betters in keeping her own podium streak going as she crossed the finish line third.
When asked about her racing experience in the rain, Creer said, “I’ve never ridden on rain tires before. No rain experience. It was terrifying.” Despite her complete lack of experience in racing in the rain, Creer led all four laps of the rain-soaked race.
Mission King Of The Baggers – Herfoss Untouchable
S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycles’ Troy Herfoss was in another dimension in Saturday’s first of two Mission King Of The Baggers races. The Australian was so dominant that he basically coasted across the finish line, with a margin of victory of 5.2 seconds after botching the final lap. Prior to the last lap, he led by some 10 seconds. It was easy. At least it looked that way.
Troy Herfoss (17) was in a class by himself in winning the Mission King Of The Baggers race in a rainstorm at Road America on Saturday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Herfoss beat his championship rival Kyle Wyman with the Harley-Davidson Factory Team rider inheriting second when his teammate James Rispoli had a scary crash at the end of the front straight.
Third place went to Herfoss’s teammate Tyler O’Hara with the Californian holding off Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson’s Jake Lewis by just .355 of a second.
“Because James (Rispoli) was so fast in warmup, and then in the challenge race he was also really strong,” Herfoss said. “I saw on the screen he was second on the first lap at the end of turn two. I checked the screen. So, I was like, ‘okay, he’s going to come past at some stage, just stay safe until he does and then we’ll try and engage in battle.’ I come down the straight and there was so much water around and you’re going at 170 mph or something. I just kept seeing seven. I thought it was .7. Okay, he’s not on me. Just keep doing what you’re doing. He’s not one me. I haven’t heard the bike. On the last lap I poked my head up and I saw whatever it was, 10 seconds. Then I completely sh*% myself. I just froze up. I missed a gear on the way into turn one. Stayed in fourth gear. It’s just so nerve-racking out there. First and foremost, I’m just happy that James (Rispoli) and Hayden (Gillim), especially, are okay. That crash (Gillim’s)… when I came down after the challenge race and seen it, a 300-kilo bike next to a concrete wall and a stretcher rolling out and I couldn’t find a person, it just doesn’t feel good. We take a lot of risk to do this job. We’re lucky we got a lot of good people around us caring for us at the track. We’re as safe as we can be racing motorbikes, but in conditions like that, it’s really nice to get the win but it’s really nice to be safe. I’m glad everyone is okay.”
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Doyle Wins, Landers Takes Over At The Top
Saturday’s BellissiMoto Twins Cup race one at Road America was a pivotal one for the season championship. Previous points leader Gus Rodio suffered a mechanical issue with his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia, and he was unable to finish the race. That created a golden opportunity for the other riders trailing Rodio in the standings.
Dominic Doyle (25) dropped the hammer at the start of the BellissiMoto Twins Cup race and never looked back, taking victory over Alessandro Di Mario (27) and Rocco Landers (97). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Giaccmoto Racing Yamaha’s Dominic Doyle rode a flawless race at the front and took the checkered flag over second-place finisher, Rodio’s teammate Alessandro Di Mario. Earlier in the day, Di Mario set a new track record with his pole-sitting performance in the morning’s final qualifying session.
Finishing third was RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki rider Rocco Landers, who was able to move up from second to first in the standings with his result.
“At Atlanta, when I got a pretty good start and kind of got to the lead at the start, just having a clear track in front of me benefitted me quite a bit,” Doyle said. “It did again today. I just tried to nail the start and click off the laps. Just waiting for the race to end. The last round (at Barber Motorsports Park) hurt us a little bit, but I think these 25 points and hopefully a good result tomorrow will help us a lot.”
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
ROAD AMERICA RACE 1
SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2024 | QUALIFYING 2 & RACE 1
PJ Jacobsen and Rahal Ducati Moto claimed victory at the team’s first outing at Road America. The abbreviated race ran under wet conditions and both riders showed tremendous talent moving through the field.
The nine-lap race was red flagged after Lap 3 and both Jacobsen and Yaakov used this time to their advantage to reset the gap with a better understand of the 14-turn track under racing conditions.
The forecast predicts dryer conditions for tomorrow’s warm up and Round 6 of competition. Jacobsen looks to sweep the weekend and Yaakov seeks another top-five finish in the 2:10 pm CT start of Race 2. Coverage is available on MotoAmericaLivePlus.com.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 4th
FINISHED: 1st
CHAMPIONSHIP: 1st (115 pts)
NOTES: Missed the rain warm up due to rain light malfunction, so relied on competitors to inform him of track conditions // Rode comfortably in second for most of the race, inching closer and closer to the leader each lap // Passed championship runner-up Mathew Scholtz just before the finish line to collect his third victory and fifth podium of the season
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was a bit difficult at the start of the race with our rain light not working. It caused us to miss the seven minutes of rain warm up track time, but I felt very confident in my skills in the rain. I can’t thank the whole Rahal Ducati Moto team enough. Thank you to XPEL, Roller Die + Forming, Ducati, and everyone who supports us. It. was great to get a win and extend the championship. I look forward to a dry race tomorrow and to see what we can do against the other riders.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 12th
FINISHED: 5th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 10th (31 pts) +3
NOTES: Recorded her best finish of the season // Jumped three championship positions
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Today was super positive. We made huge steps in Qualifying 2, but our main goal was to get better each session and we were able to do that. Going into the race, I felt pretty confident. If the weather was dry I knew I’d have decent pace. I wasn’t expecting the rain this weekend, but that’s part of racing. The first start of the race was pretty rough for me honestly, just not feeling very confident with the bike. During the red flag, the team made amazing changes to the bike – which made me feel much more confident going back out. It was a sold Top 5 finish, and the best result of the year for me so far. These are really valuable points for the championship. We have a lot more confidence for the rest of the season knowing we can make changes and still be towards the front of the pack in the race.”
BEN SPIES
TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Really happy with PJ [Jacobsen] and Kayla [Yaakov] today.. They both rode great with the tricky track conditions – the standing water and a bit of hydroplane – and at the speed they’re going on the straightaways. PJ had a great attack at the end of the the race and rode into the race really well, being smart, and didn’t make any mistakes. Kayla had an awesome race and this result is great for her confidence. It couldn’t have gone much better for the team in both race results and points standings. Really proud of the team’s efforts today.”
The Mugello Circuit in Italy. Photo courtesy Michelin.
Joe Roberts won the FIM Moto2 World Championship race Sunday at the Mugello Circuit, in Italy. Riding his OnlyFans American Racing Team Kalex on Pirelli control tires, the American held off Spaniard Manuel Gonzalez by 0.067 second to take his first win and fourth podium finish of the season.
Gonzalez had to settle for the runner-up spot on his QJMOTOR Gresini Kalex, and Alonso Lopez finished a close third on his MB Conveyors SpeedUp Boscoscuro.
Roberts fights off Gonzalez on the last lap to take first victory since 2022
Joe Roberts (16) held off Manuel Gonzalez (18) to win the Moto2 race at Mugello. Photo courtesy Dorna.
In a blockbuster Moto2™ race at the Gran Premio d’Italia Brembo, Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) took victory in a nail-biting last lap decider, the American repelling the best efforts of Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) to take top honours for the first time since the 2022 Portuguese GP. Completing the podium was MB Conveyors SpeedUp’s Alonso Lopez, who was elbows out in the front fight, as ever.
Off like a rocket at the start, Roberts led early on the opening lap. He had close competition though, with Lopez and a Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) following on eagerly. A flying start also came in from Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) as well, who stormed to seventh after starting 12th.
Lopez would follow Roberts until lap four before he pounced at San Donato, but it wouldn’t be until Turn 3 before he could make the move stick. Unfortunately for the MB Conveyors Speed Up team, it was glory for one and disaster for another in that moment as Lopez’ teammate Fermin Aledguer crashed out after contact from Jeremy Alcoba (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team).
Still in the lead, Lopez now had Gonzalez behind as he had found his way through on Roberts. Slightly further back in the lead pack, disaster stuck for Binder who skittled into the gravel at Arrabbiata 1, an early end to what had been a strong weekend all round.
In a six-rider battle for the lead, everything was building to a grandstand last half of the race. The action kicked off as Roberts and Lopez ran wide at Turn 1 – giving them both more work to do – and allowing Gonzalez and Canet to the lead. But it wouldn’t be long before Roberts would then return the favour and find his way through to the front with just three laps remaining, asking questions of the others at the front.
As a dramatic finish loomed, Roberts entered the final lap in the lead. Gonzalez got a fantastic slipstream and attacked round San Donato, but the American hit back at the next available chance, diving to the inside at Turn 2. Under the highest of pressure, Roberts held strong to take his first victory since the 2022 Portuguese GP by just 0.067s. Gonzalez’ search for a first Moto2™ win goes on, and Lopez picked up third podium of the season.
Claiming fourth was Championship leader Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI), whose advantage in the standings has reduced to seven points. Behind Garcia was teammate Ogura, who Garcia pipped on the last lap, ahead of Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) and home hero Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Izan Guevara (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) claimed eighth as IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia’s Somkiat Chantra and OnlyFans American Racing Team’s Marcos Ramirez rounded out the top 10.
Next up is the TT Circuit Assen in three weeks’ time for what is set to be yet another dramatic Grand Prix, so join us for more at the Cathedral!
More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:
Record Moto2™ and Moto3™ races in Mugello with standard Pirelli tyres
Joe Roberts (16) leads Manuel Gonzalez (18), Aron Canet (44), and the rest early in the Moto2 race at Mugello. Photo courtesy Pirelli.
First win of the year for Roberts in Moto2™ and fifth victory for Alonso in Moto3™; new all-time and race lap records with Pirelli using tyres from the DIABLO Superbike range
The Grand Prix of Italy, raced at the Mugello International Racetrack, had American Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team/Kalex) winning in Moto2™ and Columbian David Alonso (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team CFMOTO/CFMOTO) taking victory in Moto3™.
With this triumph, his first of the season, Roberts is now second behind Sergio Garcia in the Moto2™ standings, whereas Alonso, now with five wins this year, leads the overall Moto3™ standings with a 37-point advantage over David Holgado.
Satisfaction in the Pirelli camp: thanks to the performance of the DIABLO Superbike range tyres, which are available for purchase regularly on the market, new all-time and race lap records were set for both categories in Mugello, significantly improving on the previous record times.
Giorgio Barbier
Motorcycle Racing Director
A nice bounty of records and a great show on the track
“We are closing out this weekend in Mugello with satisfaction after setting new all-time lap records on Saturday and new race lap records today, all using standard tyres and not prototypes, so products that are sold regularly on the market and available for purchase by all riders. Today in Moto2™, an astonishing 10 riders dropped below the previous race lap record, with Canet improving on it by more than 7 tenths, whereas in Moto3™, there were 15 riders who did at least one lap below the previous record and Veijer set the new record on the tenth and penultimate lap, a full 1.5 seconds faster than the previous one and, even more impressive, after a red flag with a jump start, so without being able to use the tyre warmer on the starting grid. This means that the tyres performed extremely well, demonstrating highly consistent performance all the way to the end of the race. I think it was also significant to see two riders with Kalex frames on the podium in Moto2™, because this means that, by working on the setup and gradually gaining experience, bikes with different frames can battle on an even pitch for victory. Now we have three weekends off before two consecutive GP rounds, in Assen and on the Sachsenring.”
Moto2™
With asphalt temperatures in line with those of the past couple days, for the race, the riders confirmed the solutions that had been most used in practice, so almost everyone was on the grid with the soft SC0 rear and the soft SC1 front. The only exceptions were Binder, Baltus, and Agius who preferred the medium SC2 at the front.
The race was held over a distance of 12 laps due to a restart of the Moto3™ race. American Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team/Kalex) won after starting from pole position ahead of Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2/Kalex) and Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyors SpeedUp/Boscoscuro), all with the same tyre options.
Aron Canet (Fantic Racing/Kalex) set the new race lap record on the second lap with a time of 1’50.476, improving on the previous one by more than 7 tenths which had been set in 2021 by Sam Lowes. Besides him, another 10 riders did at least one lap faster than the previous track record time.
Moto3™
With asphalt temperatures higher than 30°C, most of the riders on the grid opted for the medium SC2 front and soft SC1 rear combination. The only three riders to put the soft SC1 solution on the front were Furusato, Whatley, and Buasri, whereas Lunetta, Roulstone, Kelso, Muñoz, Farioli, Esteban, Almansa, and Dettwiler opted for the medium SC2 at the rear.
After a red flag on the fifth lap due to an accident, there were 11 laps left to race at the restart with 7 riders making tyre changes: Lunetta, Furusato, Kelso, Rossi, Muñoz, Fernandez, and Piqueras. Overall, the medium SC2 front was used by 22 out of 26 riders, whereas 18 riders opted for the soft SC1 rear. All the riders on the podium used the SC2 front and the SC1 rear.
After starting from pole position, David Alonso (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team CFMOTO/CFMOTO) won his fifth race of the year and now firmly leads in the overall championship standings. Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP/Husqvarna), second across the finish line, set the race lap record with a time of 1’54.738 on the tenth and penultimate lap, breaking the previous record by 1.5 seconds which had been set by Sasaki in 2023. Overall, 15 riders dropped below the previous track race lap record.
FIM Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup
The fourth round of the talent cup which is part of the Dorna Road to MotoGP™ project was also held on the Tuscan track. All the riders’ KTM machines are equipped with Pirelli DIABLO Superbike tyres in SC2 compound at the front and rear. The seventh and eighth race of the season, held over a distance of 13 laps, were won respectively by Spaniard Máximo Quiles and Argentine Valentin Perrone.
With a time of 1’59.921, Spaniard Alvaro Carpe set the new all-time lap record for the track in this category, breaking the one set by Angel Piqueras in 2023 by 8 tenths, whereas in Race 1, Malaysian Hakim Danish set the new race lap record on the ninth lap with a time of 2’00.198.
The Mugello Circuit in Italy. Photo courtesy Michelin.
David Alonso won the restarted FIM Moto3 World Championship race Sunday at Mugello, in Italy. Riding his Valresa Aspar Team CFMOTO, the young Colombian held off Collin Veijer to win by 0.142 second, extending his lead in the Championship points.
Veijer had to settle for the runner-up spot on his Liqui Moly Intact GP Husqvarna.
Ryusei Yamanaka claimed the final spot on the podium by finishing third on his MT Helmets – MSI KTM 1.253 seconds behind Alonso.
The race was red-flagged for a crash involving Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Xabi Zurutuza and SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Filippo Farioli on lap three. Both were reported as “conscious” by Dorna. The race was restarted from original gird positions and run for 11 laps.
Brilliant debut Rookies win for Perrone in Mugello 2
Valentin Perrone (73), Brian Uriarte (51), and Álvaro Carpe (83) race for the lead at Mugello. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Just 2 seconds covered the top 16 KTMs across the line at the end of Mugello Race 2 as Argentina’s Valentin Perrone took his first Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup victory.
Brian Uriarte and Álvaro Carpe matched their 2nd and 3rd places from yesterday just ahead of Rico Salmela.
Perrone takes incredible victory
“I’m really happy with this first win,” grinned the 16-year-old Argentine who was 2nd in his first Rookies Cup race, the season opener in Jerez and has backed that up with a string of good results. “What can I say about the race, it was really crazy, so many overtakes. Then in the last corner, I don’t know exactly what happened, I think Maximo touched Ruche, I don’t know. I took a little the slipstream then got the victory.”
“The plan for the last lap? No, just push like crazy and see what happens. It worked!”
Uriarte lost again
“Second position again, that’s sort of OK, we still get some points in front of Maximo. But still first loser,” laughed the Spanish 15-year-old after his 4th podium of the season.
“Really I’m happy, I enjoyed the race, the last lap I didn’t do so well, I was almost the last of the group, the snake they made on the straight didn’t allow me to pass so it was quite tough but I still managed to make some passes.”
“The last lap was the most exciting for me and the one I most enjoyed, I got up to the front. I don’t know what happened at the end, it all got a bit crazy, that stopped me a little bit otherwise I think I could have got the win. But still a nice weekend, good results and good for the championship, I have to do just a little bit more and get the win next time.”
Carpe completes very strong weekend
“I am very happy as I enjoyed this race so much,” enthused the 16-year-old Spaniard. “All the battling, all the overtaking, it was great to be running at the front all the way.”
“The race was fast and aggressive, I think I did a good job through the weekend and I got two podiums. Now I am 3rd in the championship, 13 points behind Maximo. I say thanks to my Family, Friends and everyone that supports me.”
Salmela’s Super Sunday
“The start of the race was difficult because I didn’t do yesterday’s race, well I did but only a few corners,” smiled the reserved 16-year-old Finn. “The plan was OK, I tried to be more or less, in P4, P3 for the last lap, I was behind Ruche, it’s not easy to overtake Ruche, he’s good on the brakes.”
“Then through the last corner, at first I wanted to pass on the inside but everyone went to the inside and was slow, I saw a gap and went for it but then almost lost the front mid-corner. Then I went a bit wide but still, I thought I was going to make it to the victory or at least the podium.”
“Then I saw Maximo really close to me, was a surprise, I had to cut the gas a bit and lost. P4 is not bad, I wanted more but…. better than yesterday.”
Màximo Quiles 5th – penalised for incident with Ruche Moodley
“A really difficult race, many people slowing, not wanting to give the slipstream and it was crazy,” stated the 16-year-old Spaniard.
“In the last corner no nobody wanted to push and I pushed, I moved to cut the slipstream and I touched Ruche and I am really sorry for him. It was a really dangerous moment and I’m really sad for him and I want to say sorry.”
Following the race, the FIM Rookies Cup Stewards Panel stated that Quiles was, “found to have caused a crash by swerving into the line of another rider at the exit at Turn 15.”
As a result of this the Panel, “has imposed a Suspension from participation in the Motul TT Assen.”
Hakim Danish in the lead group all the way – P6
“In today’s race I feel better than yesterday,” explained the Malaysian 16-year-old. “I felt more confident in the bike and also with my riding. I was able to run in the front group and be in a good position.”
“It was only in the last lap there was a little bit missing, I lost a couple of positions, then I tried to come back. In the last corner, I tried to grab a good position but finally got P6. I’m looking forward to the next race in Assen.”
Leonardo Zanni steps up to 7th
“I am very happy for my best result in the Rookies Cup,” enthused the Italian 15-year-old “It was a hard race, it’s a long straight here and I don’t seem to pass anyone on the straight, I have to do it all on the brakes and round the corners. So I had to work very hard.”
“In the last lap I was determined, I overtook 2 or 3 riders, then another on the run to the line, I am so happy to do this result at my home race.”
Veda Pratama led – but not at the flag P8
“I’m not happy… this is the result, that is what it is,” reported the disappointed 15-year-old Indonesian. “I made mistakes during the race, I can fight but the result was not good for me. I will try to do better in the next round.”
Brothers Ryan and Callum Crowe (3) won Sidecar TT Race One. Photo by Barry Clay.
CROWES CLAIM THEIR FIRST TT VICTORY IN 3WHEELING.MEDIA SIDECAR TT RACE 1
Ryan and Callum Crowe claimed their first win at the Isle of Man TT Races with victory in 3wheeling.media Sidecar TT Race 1, the Manx brothers coming home 26.894 seconds ahead of Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley with Alan Founds/Rhys Gibbons taking third.
The Crowes set the fastest lap of the race on their Kelproperties Honda at 119.800mph to be the first Manx Sidecar winners since 2014 and emulate the feat of their five-time winner dad Nick Crowe.
With perfect conditions, the three-lap race got underway at 5.45pm and the Crowes led through Glen Helen on the opening lap, their advantage over Founds/Walmsley (FHO Racing Honda) already 6.3 seconds. Crawford/Hardie (ARC Newton Aycliffe/SJH Bodyworks Kawasaki) slotted into third a further 4.4 seconds adrift with Blackstock/Rosney (Dave Holden Racing Yamaha), Founds/Gibbons (Founds Racing Yamaha) and Reeves/Wilkes (Bonovo Action/Carl Cox Motorsport Honda) rounding out the early top six. Molyneux/Roberts (Kelproperties Kawasaki) were already out though having retired at Ballacraine.
By Ballaugh the Crowes’ lead was up to 9.4 seconds and they’d caught Founds/Walmsley on the road, overtaking them soon after on the run to Quarry Bends. Back at Ballaugh jump Founds/Gibbons had taken over third from Blackstock/Rosney with Crawford/Hardie dropping back two places to fifth, with only four seconds covering third to sixth.
On to Ramsey Hairpin and the lead was up 10.2 seconds, Founds/Walmsley having briefly got back ahead of the Crowes at Parliament Square only to run immediately wide. The battle for third continued to rage though with Blackstock/Rosney now in the final podium position, 2.2 seconds ahead of Founds/Gibbons with Crawford/Hardie a similar distance behind in fifth.
An opening lap of 118.525mph gave the Crowes a 12.2 second advantage over Founds/Walmsley. They, in turn, were almost half a minute clear of Blackstock/Rosney (114.495mph), Founds/Gibbons (114.30mph), Crawford/Hardie (114.257mph) and Reeves/Wilkes (114.190mph), just three seconds covering the quartet. Seventh was being held by newcomers Ellis/Clement (Brookland Sand & Aggregates Yamaha) after an opening lap of 113.006mph.
The Ramsdens were other high-profile retirements having stopped at the Creg-Ny-Baa, whilst bad luck hit eighth-placed Gibson/Christie after a spill at Brandywell fortunately without injury.
Back at the front and the Crowes’ lead had extended to almost 17 seconds at Glen Helen second time around whilst the crews fighting for third were now only separated by 1.6 seconds, Blackstock/Rosney just doing enough to hold onto the position. It was unbelievably close though as Founds/Gibbons had closed to within 0.1 seconds and, indeed, they moved back into third at Ballaugh.
Starting the third and final lap, the Crowes looked comfortable in the lead, a second lap of 119.800mph – a new personal best – stretching the gap to Founds/Walmsley (117.923mph) to more than half a minute.
Founds/Gibbons (115.984mph) were now looking more secure in third having opened a 6.2 second advantage over Blackstock/Rosney (115.169mph) with Gibbons become the fastest sidecar newcomer ever. Crawford/Hardie (115.213mph) and Reeves/Wilkes (115.076mph) also broke the 115mph barrier with seventh placed Ellis/Clement (113.786mph) continuing to excel.
With a trouble-free final lap, the Crowes successfully brought their outfit home for a famous win, more than half a minute clear of Founds/Walmlsey. Then with another 115mph+ lap, Founds/Gibbons claimed the final podium position, passenger Gibbons being the first newcomer to achieve the feat since Walmsley eight years ago.
Blackstock/Rosney held on for fourth, just half a second ahead of Crawford/Hardie, with Reeves/Wilkes, Ellis/Clement, Holden/Claeys, Saunders/Saunders, who set their first ever 110mph+ lap, and Harrison/Moore completing the top ten.
As well as Gibbons becoming the fastest newcomer ever, Ellis claimed the same accolade for a driver whilst Clement became the fastest female passenger around the Mountain Course with her lap of 113.786mph eclipsing the lap of 111.053mph by French compatriot Melanie Farnier set two years ago.
Dominic Doyle won MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup Race One Saturday at rainy Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Doyle got the holeshot on his Dunlop-shod Giaccmoto Yamaha YZF-R7, gained a 4.5-second lead on the first lap, and continued adding to his advantage until he won the five-lap race – his second of the season — by 10.443 seconds.
Pole-sitter Alessandro Di Mario was the runner-up on his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 600 in spite of riding with a days-old broken left thumb.
Rocco Landers was happy to finish third, and take his career-first wet-race podium finish, on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki GSX-8R. Landers also took over the Championship point lead.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Rossi Moor was pressuring Landers on lap four of five when he had a moment in the chicane and lost one second. Moor recovered quickly, caught back up to Landers, but came up 0.157 second short at the finish line and took fourth.
Sean Ungvarsky rounded out the top five finishers on his Koch Racing Yamaha.
Di Mario’s teammate Gus Rodio did not start Race One due to apparent technical problems with his motorcycle.
Cassie Creer won MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Race One Saturday at rainy Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Riding her race-kitted Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 on Dunlop rain tires for the first time, Creer led all four laps and held on to take the first win of her MotoAmerica career.
Emma Betters made up three seconds on Creer on the fourth and final lap but came up 0.225 second short at the checkered flag. Second place, however, was enough for Betters to take over the Championship point lead.
Camille Conrad finished third.
Defending Champion Mikayla Moore did not start Race One. Moore crashed during Twins Cup Qualifying Two Saturday morning and suffered a leg injury that prevented her from racing. During an interview on MotoAmerica Live+ Moore indicated that she may try to race on Sunday.
Troy Herfoss won MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Race One Saturday at rain-soaked Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The reigning Australian Superbike Champion took an early lead on his Dunlop-shod S&S Indian Challenger and pulled away to a convincing victory, his third in a row and fourth of the young season.
Kyle Wyman was the runner-up on his Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide.
Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara came home third, just a fraction of a second ahead of fourth-place Jake Lewis and his Saddlemen Harley-Davidson.
Lewis’ teammate Cory West rounded out the top five finishers.
James Rispoli was running second on lap four of five when his factory Harley-Davidson backed itself sideways going into Turn One on the brakes, causing him to crash at high speed. Rispoli was not injured in his crash.
Defending Champion Hayden Gillim crashed his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson during the wet Challenge dash-for-cash race earlier Saturday. Although he was obviously banged up, Gillim still tried to ride in Race One but his repaired Road Glide suffered a problem on the warm-up and he did not start the race.
Cameron Petersen won wet and wild MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race One at rainy Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Petersen tried to pass his teammate Jake Gagne in the final corner, and the two Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha Racing riders ended up racing to the finish line side-by-side. Petersen had just enough to beat Gagne by 0.004 second, or half a wheel, to take his second win of the season.
Gagne came up painfully short in second place but took over the Championship point lead.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati rider Loris Baz raced with the lead duo until two laps from the end when he took a shot at passing Petersen for second and ran wide at Turn Five. From there, the Frenchman said he focused on finishing on the podium after the rough start to his 2024 season.
JD Beach was a distant fourth on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Brandon Paasch rounded out the top five finishers on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R.
Danilo Lewis finished sixth and won the Superbike Cup category on his Team Brazil BMW.
Benjamin Smith took a lonely seventh-place finish on his FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha.
Bobby Fong brought his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha home in eighth.
Baz’s teammate Josh Herrin ran off the track in Turn Six early in the race but was able to salvage ninth.
Gabriel Da Silva got 10th on his Jarritos Racing/Team GMR Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
The challenging race conditions led to some significantly crashes.
Sean Dylan Kelly crashed his TopPro Racing BMW at high speed while leading into Turn 12 on lap three. His condition was not known at post time.
Paasch’s teammate Xavi Fores was running strong in fourth on lap seven when he crashed in Turn Six. Fores walked away from the scene.
Cameron Beaubier was coming back from an off-track excursion and running two seconds per lap faster than the leaders when he crashed out of fourth place on lap eight of 10. Unfortunately, Beaubier suffered an unknown injury to his right leg that required him to be carried away.
We will report more details as they become available.
Petersen Over Gagne By .004 Of A Second In Steel Commander Superbike At Road America
Teammates Battle To The Finish, Beaubier Crashes Out Of Championship Lead
Cameron Petersen (45) beat his teammate Jake Gagne (1) to the finish line by just 0.004 of a second. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 1, 2024) – Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing teammates Cameron Petersen and Jake Gagne battled to the bitter end of the Steel Commander Superbike race on Saturday, with Petersen winning the battle of Yamaha YZF-R1s by just .004 of a second in horrendous conditions at Road America.
Steel Commander Superbike race one was held in a rainstorm and riders were faced with conditions many of them claimed were the worst they’d ever raced in. While the Road America surface had good grip despite the rain, it was puddles in bad places that caused the most concern with some riders crashing without any lean angle.
When all was said and done, it was Petersen winning his second race of the young season and the fifth of his MotoAmerica Superbike career. Petersen led early, lost the lead to TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly, got it back and then spent the majority of the remaining laps looking at Gagne’s rear wheel. Until the final lap. The pair went into the last turn side by side and came out of it side by side. With both Yamahas spinning their way up the hill, it was Petersen who got his hooked up better and nipped Gagne at the line.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz was with the two Yamahas for most of the race and his one error came with two laps to go when he tried to make a pass on Petersen in turn five. The out-braking move didn’t work with Baz getting in too hot and losing touch with the two Yamahas. Still, it was an impressive third-place finish that left the Frenchman smiling.
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach was a somewhat lonely fourth after inheriting the spot from his teammate Cameron Beaubier. The five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion had led the race early before running off track in turn five. He rejoined and started to charge forward. However, soon after getting past Beach for fourth and starting to make inroads into the lead trio, he crashed his BMW M 1000 RR. The crash left Beaubier limping away before ultimately getting helped to the ambulance. He was transported to undergo X-rays on his heel.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch ended up fifth, less than a second ahead of Team Brazil’s Danilo Lewis. Those two were well clear of FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith. Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong; Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin, who led early before running off track in turn five; and Jarritos Racing/Team GMR’s Gabriel Da Silva rounded out the top 10.
Beaubier wasn’t the only one to crash out in the difficult conditions as Kelly crashed out of the lead early on and Xavi Forés crashed his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki while battling for fourth place.
With his second-place finish combined with Beaubier’s non-finish, Gagne moved to the lead in the championship point standings after six races by seven over Beaubier, 102-95.
Petersen jumped up to second in third in the title chase and he trails his teammate Gagne by 19 points. Kelly drops to fourth with 73 points and is now just five points ahead of Fong and 14 ahead of Baz.
Herrin, Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim, Beach and Paasch round out the top 10 heading into tomorrow’s race two at Road America.
Cameron Petersen – Winner
“Last thing you want to do is knock your teammate down. Like these guys said, just a crazy race. I led a few of the opening laps and I saw SDK go down in front of me. Kind of when I saw that, he was straight up and down and lost the front. I didn’t really know what pace we could go, so I think I was kind of holding the guys up for the first few laps there. Then once Jake (Gagne) got past me, he definitely dropped the pace a little bit. I just followed him around, to be honest. He was good in kind of all the right places. Then last lap, I’ve been so reserved in the past. I had a good feeling underneath me. The last corner, at least on the front, felt really good. I just got a really good run through the second-to-last corner. I was like, ‘man, if you don’t take a shot, then you don’t deserve this ride.’ So, I just kind of had a go. Like Jake said, it was so funny the drag race to the line. He rolled around me, and I could hear his bike. I could hear the TC kicking on in his bike, and then the TC would kick on my bike. We kind of see-sawed there for a little bit, and we went up over the rise. There was kind of like a dry spot – well, a drier spot in the middle of the track. I was on that line, so I think coming up over the rise his bike just spun up a little bit and that gave me that little bit of an edge. Just so stoked. I think this is the first time I’ve got more than one win in a season, and especially after crashing in qualifying this morning. It’s a nice way to repay the team. Congrats to these two guys. We were all together the whole race. I look forward to battling tomorrow.”
Jake Gagne – Second Place
“Like Loris Baz said, the craziest race I’ve ever been a part of. Just the hydroplaning everywhere. The new surface makes it hard to tell. Everything is so shiny and nice. It’s hard to kind of even really tell where the big puddles are. But the straightaway down into the corner, we were at like 10 percent throttle, just trying to figure out how to get the thing to not spin up. I’m happy we’re here on the podium. Yamaha one-two is awesome. I hope everybody that went down is okay, because that was insane. After those first couple laps, I got passed by a couple of guys. I’m like, I’m just going to try to finish this thing. I think SDK (Sean Dylan Kelly) went down, and Cam (Beaubier) ran wide and went down. Just a freaking wild one. Then I got by Cam (Petersen). I knew him and Loris were right there because I could see it on the big screen. That last lap, tried to be smart and not give Cam any opportunity to stick it up in there, but I just was a little wide entering into the final turn. I saw that Yamaha come up underneath me. I tried to roll around the outside and then it was just a drag race. Seriously, it was the first time in my life, when me and Cam got together before the finish line, I was literally laughing in my helmet. I was like, at least we survived this thing and one of us is going to cross the line first. Either way, good day for the team. I’m pumped for CP and to race with him and to race with Loris again. I’m just glad. Hopefully, everybody got through that thing, and hopefully SDK is all right and Cam B. is all right. I’m shivering right now. I’m cold.”
Loris Baz – Third Place
“I think it’s the worst conditions I’ve ever raced a bike on in all my career. I remember my first win in Superbike there was a lot of water on the track. I was racing injured. But that was just another level. I think we were 20 percent throttle on the back straight, and you have those walls. It’s just the bike spinning. I don’t know how fast we go. I’ve never been scared on the bike, and I was scared going into that back section for the whole 10 laps. I normally have a lot of fun in the rain, but this one was just trying to be really clever and not make any mistakes because it was so easy to have a big, big one. But I felt good on the bike. Those guys, my mechanic and all the crew from Ducati did a good job because the only time I rode the bike on the wet was in Atlanta and I had a broken ankle. So, I didn’t really push there. I had no idea setup-wise. In those seven minutes before the race, I didn’t feel good on the bike. They did some adjustments really quick before the race and I felt better straightaway. So, it was just a race where I was improving and trying to learn all the race, coming back behind Jake (Gagne). Just waiting, but I couldn’t see how many laps were remaining, so it was really tough. Then Jake went in front, and he just made a big step and improved the pace. I tried to overtake Cameron (Petersen), but it wouldn’t stop. It was two laps remaining in that moment. The only time I saw my pit board was L2. I said, ‘just try to be clever,’ because I could not increase my pace at that moment and bring it home. I’m happy. It’s the first podium. We had a tough beginning of the season with injury in Atlanta, injured in Barber again. So, happy to be here. Thankful for Ducati New York and the Warhorse. They did a lot of sacrifice and hard job to have me back here, and I just want to thank them, and all the people involved to have me back here in America. I had a lot of fun in ’21 and I want to have as much fun this year. It’s just the first podium and it will bring the big smile to the team. We have so much fun with Josh (Herrin) and I just hope we can share a podium soon.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp, U.S.A.:
Petersen and Gagne Score Thrilling 1-2 Finish at Road America
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen and Jake Gagne finish 1-2 in drama-filled MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 at Road America
MARIETTA, Ga. – June 2, 2024 – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen returned to the top step of the podium yesterday in a thrilling photo finish to MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 at Road America. His teammate Jake Gagne finished second, reclaiming the championship lead in the tricky, rain-soaked conditions on the four-mile track in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
After a tough beginning to round three of the championship and a crash earlier in the day during the final qualifying session, Petersen came back swinging in the first Superbike race of the weekend. The South African got a great start from the third row of the grid to inside the top five. He quickly made his way to second and then passed his teammate to claim the lead on that opening lap. Petersen rode a calculated race in the challenging conditions, and although he was shuffled to third on Lap 3, he reclaimed the lead on that same lap after the frontrunners crashed. With around three laps to go, he was passed by his teammate, but he stayed on Gagne’s heels and passed him in the final corner. From there, it was a drag race to the finish line, with Petersen coming out on top by .004 of a second to earn his second win this season and fifth career victory in the premier class. Looking at the bigger picture, he advanced to third in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship standings and to within 19 points of his teammate.
Gagne also bounced back from a tough start to the weekend with a much better Saturday at Road America, qualifying third. Sitting third after the start, he advanced to the lead in Turn 5 before ultimately being passed by his teammate on that opening lap. Although he was shuffled to fifth on the following lap, the defending three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion rode his own race and moved back into the runner-up spot with the attrition on Lap 3. He took over the lead in the final laps and set a strong pace up front but was passed by his teammate in the final corner and ultimately crossed the line just shy of the victory. Gagne’s third podium of the season reclaimed the number-one spot in the hotly contested Superbike title chase and gave him a seven-point advantage.
It also marked the Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team’s third double podium so far this season, and they look forward to battling for top honors again in this afternoon’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Race 1 in the wet showed the competitiveness of the Yamaha R1 and our riders and crew in any condition. To finish 1-2 was a testament to what can happen with hard work and perseverance. We look forward to a great dry race tomorrow.”
Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“It was a crazy race and crazy conditions. I had a good battle with Jake. I think I was holding him up a little bit because he dropped the pace straight away, and I think that kind of broke up the field a little bit. Going into the last lap, I got a really good run coming off the second to last corner and thought to myself that I had to make a move. It was pretty funny going to the line. We were just going back and forth, back and forth; I don’t think it gets any closer than that. I’m glad to actually finish the race in those conditions and looking forward to tomorrow in the dry. I think it should be a good battle.”
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #1
“It was crazy conditions. We were hydroplaning down the straightaways and trying to find lines where we were out of the puddles. I was pretty calm in the beginning. I got passed, but I tried to be smart about it and not lose touch with the leaders. (Cameron) Beaubier got into the lead and dropped the hammer right away, and then we saw him go off in Turn 5. The same with Sean Dylan Kelly, we saw him go down into Canada (corner) in just a crazy straight up-and-down crash. Then Cam got into the lead and set a good, solid pace. After a while, I figured I’d try to pass him to see what I could do, and it came down to the last lap. Going into the last turn, I was hoping to keep it a little tighter so that I didn’t give him any room but I was a little wide on the entry, and I saw that Yamaha come up the inside. I was literally laughing in my helmet to the line because, at that point, I knew at least for the team, it was going to be a 1-2 finish, and it was just a matter of who was going to be on the drier track or with less puddles.
“It was a great day for the team after a tough day yesterday, and a photo finish is always cool. I haven’t been part of one of those in a long time. We’ve got some dry racing tomorrow. We’ve got to make a couple of little improvements, but we learned a lot this morning, so I think we can step it up again tomorrow. It will be another battle in the dry because it’s really close here.”
About Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
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YMUS has a corporate office in California, three corporate offices in Georgia, as well as facilities in Wisconsin, Alabama, and Florida. YMUS subsidiaries Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America (YMMC), based in Georgia, and Yamaha Jet Boat Manufacturing U.S.A. (YJBM) based in Tennessee, each assemble and manufacture selected Yamaha brand products. YMUS owns Skeeter Boats [Texas] with its division G3 Boats [Missouri]. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company, Inc. (YMSC) with subsidiary Siren Marine [Rhode Island] and divisions Bennett Marine [Florida], Yamaha Marine Rotational Molders [Wisconsin] and Yamaha Precision Propeller Inc. [Indiana].
Yamaha Motor Finance Corporation, USA, dba Yamaha Financial Services, is an affiliate of Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA offering financing solutions to support Yamaha Dealers and loyal Yamaha Customers nationwide.
A superb 13 KTM lead battle blessed Mugello’s beautiful curves and it was points leader Màximo Quiles who flashed across the line just 0.004 seconds ahead of Brian Uriarte. Álvaro Carpe grabbed 3rd, 0.044 off the win.
Less wind and more sun raised the track temperature slightly affecting settings and the teenage aces had to adjust.
Quiles wins photo finish
“The bike didn’t feel the same today as it did in Qualifying,” explained the 16-year-old Spaniard. “I didn’t feel comfortable from the start and when I pushed I felt I was nearly crashing and saving it. I said, ‘Right, it’s going to be a hard race.’
“I couldn’t break the group, I pushed as hard as I could but couldn’t get away. Then going onto the last lap it was very close, I was in front, I was overtaken, when we braked, Perrone hit me, I hit Veda and we almost went down.”
“Then I pushed on, I overtook Brian, it was like a replay of last year’s I got in front, I closed the door in the last corner and managed to hold the lead to the line.”
“I want to thank everyone, I enjoyed that race so much.”
Uriarte hates 2nd
“Second is the first loser, I’d rather be third. I could win today… but I didn’t,” stated the Spanish 15-year-old.
“But still a good race, a hard race, I was a bit tired at the end, couldn’t grip the bar so well, I had a big blister.”
“I was pretty confident through the race, I got a bit of chatter in the last few laps but nothing too bad, I have to talk to Aitor (Lafoz, suspension engineer) and see if we should change anything for tomorrow, the track was hotter than Qualifying but it will be cool again tomorrow morning.”
“I think that I learnt from yesterday, I think I put it all together today but we didn’t show it.”
“I gave it everything, I tried to pass on the last straight but Maximo made something strange, I couldn’t follow the slipstream and I couldn’t quite get past. It was good points, a good result but tomorrow must be better.”
“I was a bit lost yesterday, I saw today that the guys in front had some different lines and I learnt from that and will use it in Race 2.”
Carpe knows he needs more than 3rd
“It was an incredible race, so much fun, a big group with everyone pushing so hard all the way. I stayed towards the front of the group almost all race and I’m happy with the way I have been riding here, fastest in all sessions yesterday and 3rd today.”
“I was looking to win this but a rider hit me in the first corner of the last lap and I had to battle back to the front in the next corners.”
“P3 is a good result for the championship but tomorrow I have to do better.”
“Today was hotter than yesterday, that made the bike move around more but my feeling with the KTM was good, the Pirelli tyres also felt good so I don’t think I will change anything for tomorrow.”
Ruche Moodley in the hunt for the win – P4
“I pushed really hard, I had to as I started P9,” explained the 17-year-old South African. “Yesterday I felt quite confident overtaking so I knew that I could do it. I did well but I am a little bit disappointed to miss out on the podium by so little. I have to think that if I did some things differently, small changes, I could have made it.”
“I will try to make some changes myself and do better tomorrow.”
Veda Pratama bumped off the podium – P5
“I am happy with the race today but I didn’t have such great luck,” commented the 15-year-old Indonesian. “In the first corner on the last lap, someone hit me and I got pushed out but I was lucky because I didn’t crash. I pushed hard in that last lap and finished 5th so I am happy with that.”
“The bike wasn’t quite perfect but it wasn’t a big problem for me and I am learning all the time, learning from the top riders.”
Valentin Perrone running up front – P6
“I’m not really happy with the result,” revealed the 16-year-old Argentine. “I felt not so bad with the bike but the temperature of the track was higher and that gave me some chatter on some corners.”
“It’s good points for the championship but I will talk to Dani (Ribalta, Rider Coach) and see if he has any suggestions for me to improve and do better tomorrow.”
Hakim Danish fought through – P7
“This race was really difficult for me because at the start I lost many positions,” revealed the 16-year-old Malaysian. “I tried to come back but it’s not easy, I tried to fight with the other riders and as I felt more confident in the corners I started to overtake one by one.”
“I arrived in the front group and I tried to stay there, I wanted to fight for the podium. In the last lap, I made a small mistake in the first sector and I finished P7. I will try to push more for a better result tomorrow.”
Carter Thompson takes big step – P9
“I felt really good,” stated the 16-year-old Australian. “In the first few laps, I didn’t get as far up as I wanted to off the start. But I kept chipping away every lap, by the end I got up with the front group.”
“It’s unfortunate that in the last lap, I got hit and had to go in the gravel trap but overall it was a positive race, a big improvement over last year and the last couple of races so I am really happy with the progress.”
Broadcast
This weekend’s Rookies Cup races can be seen live on www.redbull.tv and on TV stations around the world.
Race 2 is on Sunday at 08:45, the show starts 10 minutes before the race.
PJ Jacobsen won MotoAmerica Supersport Race One Saturday at rainy Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Riding his Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL Panigale V2 on Dunlop rain tires, Jacobsen chased down Mathew Scholtz and passed him on the final lap to win by 0.040 second. It was Jacobsen’s third win of the season, extending his Championship point lead.
Scholtz led from the beginning of the six-lap restart on his Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6, but the South African had to settle for the runner-up spot in Race One.
Jake Lewis came home third on his Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R750.
Tyler Scott took fourth on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750.
Jacobsen’s teammate Kayla Yaakov rounded out the top five finishers.
Pole-sitter Maxi Gerardo did not start the race due to a technical problem with his TopPro Racing Suzuki GSX-R750.
The race was shortened from 11 to nine laps due to the rain, but on lap two of the original start, the race had to be stopped to clear crashed bikes from the middle of the racetrack. The final restart of the race went for six laps.
Wet Races All Around In Support Class Action At Road America
Rain Rolls Through Elkhart Lake Causing Havoc at Road America
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 1, 2024) – One of the things that the MotoAmerica series prides itself on is that we race, rain or shine. Saturday’s weather forecast for Road America foretold that the rain would start around 11 a.m. and continue through about 6 p.m. So, basically, all six feature races would be run in fully wet conditions. That’s completely do-able at all the tracks we go to, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy. Each of the five support-class races at Road America were dramatic and affected their respective championships. Here’s a rundown of who won, who reached the podium, and what happened along the way to the checkered flags.
Junior Cup – Chapin In The Wet
Junior Cup race one started off Saturday’s racing at Road America, and a steady rain fell throughout most of the afternoon. MotoAmerica’s entry-level riders handled the conditions pretty well, but surprisingly, defending class champion Avery Dreher crashed out of third place towards the end of the final lap, and he also knocked Isaac Woodworth out of second place in the process. Woodworth was able to rejoin the race and finish fifth, while Dreher was out of the race.
(From left) Eli Block, Mathew Chapin and Ella Dreher celebrate their Junior Cup finishes. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
BARTCON Racing’s Matthew Chapin avoided the melee, and he took the checkered flag with his teammate Eli Block finishing second. Ironically, the rider who benefitted the most from Dreher’s incident was his sister Ella Dreher. The 14-year-old Bad Boys Racing rider notched the first podium result of her career.
“I’ve had a little bit of rain practice since Atlanta, so my confidence going into the race was definitely up,” Chapin said. “Also, my qualifying position being P3, I could see straight to turn one. I’ve never had that before. My best qualifying before this was seventh, I think. So, I think that was all a big part of it.”
Commenting on Avery Dreher’s crash, Chapin said, “I was on the inside of the corner, and then Avery was trying to out-brake me on the left side. He tucked the front really early, and then his body hit Isaac’s back tire and took him out. So, it was pretty close, but I didn’t really think I was going to get involved in it.”
Supersport – Jacobsen Over Scholtz
Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen sat behind Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz for most of the six-lap Supersport race at Road America on Saturday. But he struck at the end and drafted past the South African at the finish line to win by .040 of a second.
PJ Jacobsen (15) beat Mathew Scholtz (11) to the finish line by 0.040 of a second in Supersport action at Road America on Saturday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
The win was Jacobsen’s third of the young season and it gave him a 16-point lead over Scholtz in the championship.
Scholtz was an ever so close second with the lead duo well clear of Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis, who backed off late in the race after realizing the risk wasn’t going to get him the reward he wanted.
Vision Wheel M4 Suzuki’s Tyler Scott was fourth with Jacobsen’s Rahal Ducati Moto’s Kayla Yaakov rounded out the top five.
“You don’t really have an option at that point,” Jacobsen said. “I know we’re only on the third round, but if the guy that’s closing on you in the championship is right there in front of you and there’s a possibility to get him, then I’m going to get him. I’m not going to just give up and settle for a second. I was going for it, but it didn’t really feel like I was on the limit of crashing or anything like that. I felt pretty comfortable. I was slowly inching away at him there towards the end. He had a very strong pace in the beginning. I felt like I kind of missed that seven minutes as well because our (rain) light was out, so I missed the little seven minutes that we had in the beginning. actually, I asked Jake how the track was, and he told me in some spots. So, that was helpful. It was a really good race. Before the restart, it was pretty crazy too because there was a big group of like seven guys. But Mathew (Scholtz) was riding great.”
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – Creer Gets Her First
Coming into Road America, defending Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Champion Mikayla Moore was on a nine-race winning streak extending back to the beginning of last year. Unfortunately, Moore crashed during final qualifying for her debut in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup Championship, and she was unable to start Saturday’s BTR race one.
Cassie Creer (center) is joined by Emma Betters (left) and Camille Conrad (right) in celebrating her first Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. victory. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Taking advantage of the situation, while also avoiding the treacherous track conditions, Cassie Creer got her first win, while Emma Betters extended her podium streak to three races with her runner-up result. Camille Conrad joined Betters in keeping her own podium streak going as she crossed the finish line third.
When asked about her racing experience in the rain, Creer said, “I’ve never ridden on rain tires before. No rain experience. It was terrifying.” Despite her complete lack of experience in racing in the rain, Creer led all four laps of the rain-soaked race.
Mission King Of The Baggers – Herfoss Untouchable
S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycles’ Troy Herfoss was in another dimension in Saturday’s first of two Mission King Of The Baggers races. The Australian was so dominant that he basically coasted across the finish line, with a margin of victory of 5.2 seconds after botching the final lap. Prior to the last lap, he led by some 10 seconds. It was easy. At least it looked that way.
Troy Herfoss (17) was in a class by himself in winning the Mission King Of The Baggers race in a rainstorm at Road America on Saturday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Herfoss beat his championship rival Kyle Wyman with the Harley-Davidson Factory Team rider inheriting second when his teammate James Rispoli had a scary crash at the end of the front straight.
Third place went to Herfoss’s teammate Tyler O’Hara with the Californian holding off Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson’s Jake Lewis by just .355 of a second.
“Because James (Rispoli) was so fast in warmup, and then in the challenge race he was also really strong,” Herfoss said. “I saw on the screen he was second on the first lap at the end of turn two. I checked the screen. So, I was like, ‘okay, he’s going to come past at some stage, just stay safe until he does and then we’ll try and engage in battle.’ I come down the straight and there was so much water around and you’re going at 170 mph or something. I just kept seeing seven. I thought it was .7. Okay, he’s not on me. Just keep doing what you’re doing. He’s not one me. I haven’t heard the bike. On the last lap I poked my head up and I saw whatever it was, 10 seconds. Then I completely sh*% myself. I just froze up. I missed a gear on the way into turn one. Stayed in fourth gear. It’s just so nerve-racking out there. First and foremost, I’m just happy that James (Rispoli) and Hayden (Gillim), especially, are okay. That crash (Gillim’s)… when I came down after the challenge race and seen it, a 300-kilo bike next to a concrete wall and a stretcher rolling out and I couldn’t find a person, it just doesn’t feel good. We take a lot of risk to do this job. We’re lucky we got a lot of good people around us caring for us at the track. We’re as safe as we can be racing motorbikes, but in conditions like that, it’s really nice to get the win but it’s really nice to be safe. I’m glad everyone is okay.”
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Doyle Wins, Landers Takes Over At The Top
Saturday’s BellissiMoto Twins Cup race one at Road America was a pivotal one for the season championship. Previous points leader Gus Rodio suffered a mechanical issue with his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia, and he was unable to finish the race. That created a golden opportunity for the other riders trailing Rodio in the standings.
Dominic Doyle (25) dropped the hammer at the start of the BellissiMoto Twins Cup race and never looked back, taking victory over Alessandro Di Mario (27) and Rocco Landers (97). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Giaccmoto Racing Yamaha’s Dominic Doyle rode a flawless race at the front and took the checkered flag over second-place finisher, Rodio’s teammate Alessandro Di Mario. Earlier in the day, Di Mario set a new track record with his pole-sitting performance in the morning’s final qualifying session.
Finishing third was RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki rider Rocco Landers, who was able to move up from second to first in the standings with his result.
“At Atlanta, when I got a pretty good start and kind of got to the lead at the start, just having a clear track in front of me benefitted me quite a bit,” Doyle said. “It did again today. I just tried to nail the start and click off the laps. Just waiting for the race to end. The last round (at Barber Motorsports Park) hurt us a little bit, but I think these 25 points and hopefully a good result tomorrow will help us a lot.”
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
ROAD AMERICA RACE 1
SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2024 | QUALIFYING 2 & RACE 1
PJ Jacobsen and Rahal Ducati Moto claimed victory at the team’s first outing at Road America. The abbreviated race ran under wet conditions and both riders showed tremendous talent moving through the field.
The nine-lap race was red flagged after Lap 3 and both Jacobsen and Yaakov used this time to their advantage to reset the gap with a better understand of the 14-turn track under racing conditions.
The forecast predicts dryer conditions for tomorrow’s warm up and Round 6 of competition. Jacobsen looks to sweep the weekend and Yaakov seeks another top-five finish in the 2:10 pm CT start of Race 2. Coverage is available on MotoAmericaLivePlus.com.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 4th
FINISHED: 1st
CHAMPIONSHIP: 1st (115 pts)
NOTES: Missed the rain warm up due to rain light malfunction, so relied on competitors to inform him of track conditions // Rode comfortably in second for most of the race, inching closer and closer to the leader each lap // Passed championship runner-up Mathew Scholtz just before the finish line to collect his third victory and fifth podium of the season
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was a bit difficult at the start of the race with our rain light not working. It caused us to miss the seven minutes of rain warm up track time, but I felt very confident in my skills in the rain. I can’t thank the whole Rahal Ducati Moto team enough. Thank you to XPEL, Roller Die + Forming, Ducati, and everyone who supports us. It. was great to get a win and extend the championship. I look forward to a dry race tomorrow and to see what we can do against the other riders.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 12th
FINISHED: 5th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 10th (31 pts) +3
NOTES: Recorded her best finish of the season // Jumped three championship positions
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Today was super positive. We made huge steps in Qualifying 2, but our main goal was to get better each session and we were able to do that. Going into the race, I felt pretty confident. If the weather was dry I knew I’d have decent pace. I wasn’t expecting the rain this weekend, but that’s part of racing. The first start of the race was pretty rough for me honestly, just not feeling very confident with the bike. During the red flag, the team made amazing changes to the bike – which made me feel much more confident going back out. It was a sold Top 5 finish, and the best result of the year for me so far. These are really valuable points for the championship. We have a lot more confidence for the rest of the season knowing we can make changes and still be towards the front of the pack in the race.”
BEN SPIES
TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Really happy with PJ [Jacobsen] and Kayla [Yaakov] today.. They both rode great with the tricky track conditions – the standing water and a bit of hydroplane – and at the speed they’re going on the straightaways. PJ had a great attack at the end of the the race and rode into the race really well, being smart, and didn’t make any mistakes. Kayla had an awesome race and this result is great for her confidence. It couldn’t have gone much better for the team in both race results and points standings. Really proud of the team’s efforts today.”
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Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
