“I was tucked in and flat-out with the throttle pinned as the revs climbed toward 15,000 rpm. I shifted into fourth gear before lifting my head and sticking my knee out just enough to create some drag as I turned into Thunderhill’s fast Turn 9 kink without breathing the throttle. It had taken me a couple of sessions and a few setting changes to get to where I could go through the turn wide-open, but once I dialed in the bike’s set-up and my line, I could run through it at 107 mph lap after lap.
“Ripping through corners flat out and picking up the throttle far earlier than sensible brought back memories of ripping around on my two-stroke Honda RS125 as a teenager. Except I was on a 400-class inline four-cylinder with a steel-tube chassis and street tires. The equipment was wildly different, but the technique used to hustle them around the racetrack is pretty close to being the same…”
“Intro: Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR: Screaming Fun!” by Chris Ulrich
Kawasaki is now changing the entry-level sportbike game with the new Ninja ZX-4RR, a 399cc Inline four-cylinder with a high-performance chassis, ride-by-wire throttle, and a premium electronics package, priced at $9,699. It’s a bold strategy, but brings another bike to the market with attainable performance for a regular rider and enough performance to entertain an experienced track-day or racing enthusiast. Racing Editor Chris Ulrich outlines his experience on the machine in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
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TY SCOTT WINS MOTOAMERICA SUPERSPORT FOR VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI
Suzuki GSX-Rs Show Consistent Speed in Pittsburgh
BREA, CA, August 21, 2023 — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer returned to the top step on the podium with a triumphant Sunday to conclude the MotoAmerica weekend at Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Wampum, Pennsylvania.
Race Highlights:
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
Supersport
Tyler Scott was dominant in earning his second victory of the season.
Teagg Hobbs battled his way to an impressive fourth-place result.
Superbike
Richie Escalante twice fought for the podium on his way to his tenth top-five result of the season in Superbike race three.
Brandon Paasch’s recovery progress continues ahead of schedule as he continues to adapt to the Superbike class.
Tyler Scott (70) on the gas as he commands his second 2023 Supersport victory. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Tyler Scott was determined to not only extend his five-race consecutive podium streak, but do so with another victory. Scott once again blasted his way into the mix despite his outside Row 2 starting position and was engaged in an intense dogfight for the lead. Following a thrilling sequence of laps featuring multiple passes and three-wide braking contests, Scott finally opened a bit of breathing space at the front. Once clear, he upped the pace even further with several blistering laps aboard his next-generation Suzuki GSX-R750 and ultimately commanded a margin of victory of nearly three seconds. The win was his second in the season’s most recent three races and Scott’s sixth consecutive podium result. Scott’s weekend results were a strong first and third in Supersport.
“The race today was definitely a lot harder than yesterday,” Scott said. “I knew it was going to be hard to pass, so when I saw the opportunity to lead, I took it. Pushing the pace out front is a lot more stressful on your riding, but I just kept pushing and I saw my pit board go up two-tenths, four-tenths, six-tenths. I couldn’t have done it without the whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team preparing a beautiful bike this weekend. We made some improvements this morning which really paid off.”
Teagg Hobbs (79) shows strong form in battling to claim fourth place. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Teagg Hobbs was in outstanding form as well, despite once again getting pushed back in the opening corner chaos. Hobbs ran as a part of an early six-rider train at the front in the early laps aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 before settling into a duel for fourth. The class rookie went to school on one of the most decorated and experienced riders in the paddock and ultimately worked his way by to secure fourth place at the finish.
Hobbs said, “I was looking forward to this weekend and not just because I really like this track and it’s close to my home; I made a few mistakes in Race 2 at Brainerd, and I wanted to show my team I would come back from those and that’s the type of rider I am. I’m happy. The goal is always top five. We started low, but qualified second and then took a couple of top fives, so I can’t complain. I want to say a huge thanks to the whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team.”
Richie Escalante (54) shows speed as he equals his Superbike career-best fourth place in Race 3. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante rode the roller coaster on Sunday, but ultimately walked away with his head held high after matching his career-best premier-class finish of fourth. The second-year Superbike ace was back to his top-five standard following a disappointing Saturday and Escalante was motivated to take advantage of his Sunday speed on the Suzuki GSX-R1000R. Unfortunately, he crashed on the last lap of the day’s first Superbike contest while gunning for his maiden podium position.
Escalante looked to make amends in the afternoon race, and showed plenty of fight in the effort. Escalante passed his way up to third in the waning stages of the race, but was soon after displaced to fourth and then fifth in the spectacular shootout. Undaunted, Escalante managed to counter with a bold, final-lap overtake to claim fourth ahead of the checkered flag.
“Both races were very tough, and I am happy with how competitive we were,” Escalante said. “It looks like I was sliding around everywhere when you look at it on TV, but I was confident. The team gave me a great bike, and it feels 70 or 80% better than when we started on Friday. In Race 2, I was trying for the podium and knew I needed to take advantage of the opportunities to pass that came up, so I took a risk, and it didn’t pay off. In Race 3, I just gave it all I had every lap. I wanted the podium and was putting up a good fight. Then I was passed for fourth on the last lap, but I thought, ‘Not today,’ and got the position back. My confidence is exceedingly high, and I am looking forward to Austin. It is close to Mexico, and I know there will be a lot of support from the fans.”
Brandon Paasch (96) continues to progress in Superbike competition. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch continued to come to grips with the squad’s GSX-R1000R Superbike, twice running in contention for sixth after finishing ninth on Saturday. In Sunday’s first contest, Paasch achieved that precise result to improve his top-ten streak to seven races. Unfortunately, the run of results ended in the afternoon, when the New Jersey native suffered a DNF after controlling sixth place just two laps from the end.
Paasch said, “It was another good weekend for us. I am learning a lot, and I think we might be a little ahead of schedule as far as how things are going. We made some real headway in Race 2. We stayed with the lead group for a while. As the tire went off, I lost some ground, but we still were able to get sixth place. I had a lot of confidence going into Race 3. I made a move for position and ended up running into the grass, but I was able to run pretty well after that. It looked like another solid result before we had a problem at the end. I had a lot of seat time again and we are closer to the leaders, so I feel confident going into the next round.”
Team Hammer will next travel to the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, for the penultimate round of the 2023 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season on September 8-10.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2023 season marks Team Hammer’s 43rd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 131 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 355 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport). The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Mathew Scholtz Wraps Up The Weekend At Pitt Race With A Runner-Up Result
Mathew Scholtz (11) leads Josh Herrin (2), Richie Escalante (54), PJ Jacobsen (99), and JD Beach (95) at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Wampum, PA – The final day of MotoAmerica Superbikes at Pittsburgh was a very good one for Mathew Scholtz and his Westby Racing team. With a third-place finish on Saturday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (Pitt Race) already under their belts, Mathew and the team notched a fourth-place result earlier in the day on Sunday. Then, in a rare second Superbike race on Sunday, making it a total of three Superbike races for the weekend, Mathew delivered his best result of the event, which was a runner-up finish to cap things off at PittRace.
All told, that’s a total of eight podium appearances and five runner-up results in Mathew’s and the Westby Racing Team’s last six race weekends at PittRace.
Mathew started from the outside of the front row in both of Sunday’s races based on his qualifying result from Saturday morning.
In race two, he slotted in behind Jake Gagne on the opening lap. He was overtaken by PJ Jacobsen and then Josh Herrin, which moved him into fourth where he doggedly held on to the position and withstood a strong challenge from Richie Escalante.
“The start wasn’t the greatest for me,” Mathew said about race two. “I kind of dropped down to fourth slightly, and I was just trying to hang onto Gagne, Jacobsen, and Herrin. I was struggling. I was losing a lot of time from the final corner to the first corner, and from wheelie hill to corner four. So, I was just basically going backwards and forwards. I was on the limit. I couldn’t go any faster.”
Following race two, the team made some critical adjustments to the setup on Mathew’s #11 Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike. He got a much better start in race three and slotted into second place in pretty short fashion. And, even though Herrin once again overtook him about halfway through the race, Mathew was able to get back around him and re-establish himself in second where he focused on chasing down Gagne in the lead. At the checkered flag, Mathew finished just a little more than a second and three-quarters behind Gagne.
About race three, Mathew commented, “We made a pretty decent change on the traction control just to help when I first crack the throttle open so that the bike doesn’t just want to spin as you first start to wind it on. I was definitely pushing the front more while on the gas, but it helped me to roll through the middle of the corner to keep up with the Ducati a little bit better. Early on in the race, I was struggling a little bit because I was on the absolute limit. I kept my confidence, though, and I managed to get past Josh with a couple laps to go and open up a small gap. So, I’m really happy with that. I’m happy with the changes that we made to the bike, and I think it’s going to work well for us at the next two tracks.”
Mathew’s third-, fourth-, and second-place results at PittRace have moved him back up to fifth place in the Championship standings with two rounds and four more races to go in the 2023 season.
The Westby Racing team will be back in action on September 8 through 10 at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, for round eight of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Americas:
APRILIA RS 660 RIDERS LANDERS, RODIO WIN MOTOAMERICA TWINS CUP RACES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL RACE COMPLEX
RODIO RACING – POWERED BY ROBEM ENGINEERING DUO NOW FIRST, THIRD IN CLASS STANDINGS WITH ONE ROUND REMAINING
PITTSBURGH, PA – At the previous MotoAmerica Twins Cup round at Laguna Seca in July, Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders Rocco Landers and Gus Rodio won one race each. This past weekend, the duo repeated those results, with each rider also riding an Aprilia RS 660 to a podium finish and Rodio increasing his lead in the Twins Cup standings from three points to eight.
Landers’ and Rodio’s results were hard earned, as both races featured close, hard racing between them and another frontrunning rider. Landers also weathered a small crash Sunday morning and persevered through an engine issue in Race 2 to secure a second-place finish.
Though Rodio and Landers were the only two Aprilia riders in the top 10 in Friday morning practice, the duo were the second and third fastest riders in the session. Rodio’s best lap time was about one-tenth of a second faster than Landers’. Later Friday, Rodio ended the day on provisional pole. His best time in Qualifying 1 was more than a second faster than his best time from practice – and 0.063 seconds faster than the next-fastest rider. Landers ended that session third-fastest.
Qualifying 2 ended with a Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia on pole position, as Landers laid down a 1:47.736 lap time to secure his fifth Twins Cup pole of the 2023 season. Rodio ended up qualifying third, putting two Aprilia RS 660s on the front row. The third Aprilia rider to qualify in the top 10 was Chase Brown of BrownTown Racing, who claimed 10th place on the starting grid.
Race 1 got off to a good start for Landers and Rodio, as the pair slotted in behind another frontrunner off the line. Rodio moved into first place a few corners later at Turn 7, and Landers advanced to second place a short time later but fell back to third place at the Turn 16 chicane. Though Rodio was leading the field at the end of Lap 1, Landers got past his teammate on Lap 2 and weathered a brief battle for the lead on Lap 4 to eventually claim the victory by 3.444 seconds. Rodio finished the remaining laps of the 11-lap race in third place, though a valiant effort on the last lap saw him narrowly miss out on clinching second place by 0.042 seconds. Brown finished the race in 10th to give Aprilia three riders in the top 10.
Landers had a monkey wrench thrown into his plans for Sunday’s race, as he crashed at Turn 3 during Sunday morning warm-up. The team and Landers decided to change the engine on his Aprilia RS 660 before the race.
Sunday’s Race 2 was reduced from 11 laps to 9 due to an incident in an earlier race, and, much like Race 1, Rodio and Landers were running second and third, respectively, as the field went through the first corner. Rodio moved into the race lead at Turn 3, and Rodio, Landers and one of their championship rivals gradually pulled away from the rest of the field. Rodio fell to second place as the trio approached the chicane on the backstraight on Lap 1, and the remaining laps featured a good scrap between Landers, Rodio and another rider. On the last lap, the other frontrunner made a mistake under braking, which allowed Landers and Rodio to pull away from him. As the duo navigated the remaining corners, Rodio was able to get by Landers to secure the win by 0.104 seconds. Landers’ runner-up result gave the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team its third 1-2 finish of the season. Brown scored another 10th-place result and was again the third Aprilia rider to finish in the top 10.
Of the 41 riders registered to compete in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup at PittRace, 16 of them were aboard Aprilia RS 660s.
The final – and title-deciding – round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season takes place Sept. 22-24 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J.
Gus Rodio (96). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Aprilia Americas.
Gus Rodio (No. 96) / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering
“We struggled a little bit with bike setup this weekend and getting through the second sector – which is the esses and backstraight. We made some progress today, but we took a gamble on the tires. We made a step in the right direction today with the setup, but the tire was a little greasy. I’m happy with the results we had this weekend, and we lengthened the points lead a little going into my home race. I’ll have a lot of friends and family at the next round, and we’ll see what happens there.”
Rocco Landers, after winning Twins Cup Race One at PittRace. Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Aprilia Americas.
Rocco Landers (No. 97) / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering
“This is a good track for me, and the team had the bike working really good. I made a mistake this morning and we took the precaution of changing the engine. Unfortunately, that change resulted in a loss of power. I tried hard in the race, and I don’t know if I could’ve done much more than I did. It was good to get another 1-2 result.”
More, from a press release issued by Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering:
Robem Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders Landers, Rodio victorious this past weekend at Pittsburgh International Race Complex
Rodio increases points lead at penultimate MotoAmerica Twins Cup round of 2023
WAMPUM, Pa. — With the 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season winding down, both Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders took home a victory and podium finish at the class’ penultimate round of the 2023 season. 2020 Twins Cup champion Rocco Landers took top honors in the Saturday Twins Cup race at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, while his teammate Gus Rodio’s victory in Sunday’s race allowed him to retake and increase his lead in the Twins Cup points standings. Both riders also delt with some disappointment at the Aug. 18-20 event, as Rodio came oh-so-close to a runner-up finish on Saturday, while a crash in Sunday’s warm-up session made Landers’ race on Sunday a more challenging task. Despite the setbacks, the team achieved its third 1-2 finish of the season, and both riders are locked in a three-way battle for the championship that will be decided at the season finale in September.
The weekend started well for the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering duo. In Friday morning practice, Rodio and Landers were the second- and third-fastest riders, respectively. Both riders lowered their best lap times from practice by more than a second in the Friday afternoon Qualifying 1 session, and Rodio claimed provisional pole position by a narrow 0.063 second margin. Landers provisionally qualified third.
Qualifying 2 ended up being Landers’ moment to shine. After spending most of the session in third place, Landers put down a blindingly fast lap with a few minutes to go in the session and claimed his fifth pole position of the year. Rodio finished qualifying in third place, putting both of the team’s Aprilia RS 660s on the front row for the round’s two Twins Cup races.
Saturday afternoon’s Race 1 was the scene of a Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering victory — and nearly a 1-2 finish. Rodio and Landers slotted into second and third place, respectively, as the field went through the holeshot. Rodio was the first to make a move to the lead, which he accomplished on the first lap at Turn 7. Landers also moved up a position and few corners later, and it was Rodio who led the field at the end of the first lap. Landers briefly fell to third in the running order early in Lap 2, but was back into second place by the time he exited Turn 4. Landers then made a pass on his teammate Rodio for the lead and – except for briefly dropping to second at the start of Lap 4 – Landers led every lap and clinched the win by more than three seconds. Rodio ran the remainder of the race in third place, though he made a big push in the closing laps for second place but had to settle for third by a mere 0.042 seconds.
Sunday got off to a downer start for one of the team’s riders, as Landers suffered a minor crash during the morning warm-up session. As a precaution, Landers and the team decided to make an engine change before Race 2.
The start of Race 2 mirrored Race 1, as Rodio and Landers were running second and third at the first turn and Rodio quickly made a move to take the lead a couple corners later. The three riders battling for the lead quickly began pulling away from the rest of the field, and Rodio dropped to second place before the end of the first lap. Most of the shortened nine-lap race featured an intense battle between the three riders vying for the lead until the other frontrunner made a mistake on the last lap that allowed Landers and Rodio to pull away from him. Though Landers had the lead heading into the last few corners, Rodio was able to get by him before the finish line to take the win by a mere 0.104 seconds.
Rodio ended the weekend at PittRace with an eight-point lead in the points standings, while Landers is in third place – just 14 points behind Rodio with two races remaining.
The last round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season is scheduled for Sept. 22-24 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J.
Gus Rodio (96). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering.
Gus Rodio / No. 96
“We struggled a little bit with bike setup this weekend and getting through the second sector – which is the esses and backstraight. We made some progress today, but we took a gamble on the tires. We made a step in the right direction today with the setup, but the tire was a little greasy. I’m happy with the results we had this weekend, and we lengthened the points lead a little going into my home race. I’ll have a lot of friends and family at the next round, and we’ll see what happens there.”
Rocco Landers (97). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering.
Rocco Landers / No. 97
“This is a good track for me, and the team had the bike working really good. I made a mistake this morning and we took the precaution of changing the engine. Unfortunately, that change resulted in a loss of power. I tried hard in the race, and I don’t know if I could’ve done much more than I did. It was good to get another 1-2 result.”
Robem Engineering’s technical partners for 2023 include Aprilia Racing, Piaggio Group Americas, Bitubo Suspension, Dunlop, Woodcraft Technologies, Dymag, Vesrah, Sprint Filter, DID, Sara Chappell Photos, NGK/NTK, Blud Lubricants, Millennium Technologies, Motovation USA and SC-Project.
Rodio Racing’s technical partners for 2023 include NJ MiniGP, Luxestar VIP, MAR Contractors, Evolve GT, N2 Racing, Dunlop, Spellcaster Productions, Kathedral, The Martinn and MVR Endeavor.
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
BMW Motorrad Motorsport Customer Racing Teams MotoAmerica Superbikes at Pittsburgh Weekend 2023.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – Aug. 21, 2023…Round 7 of 9 of MotoAmerica’s Superbike Race weekends took place at the newly configured 2.78-mile Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Wampum, PA. The Steel Commander Stock 1000 riders did not participate in this round, leaving the Medallia Superbike M 1000 and S 1000 riders to carry the BMW flag over three races. Cameron Beaubier regained his Saturday form and finished on the podium in Race 1. A collision with another rider during race 2 would put Beaubier out of the remaining two weekend races, however. PJ Jacobsen missed the podium in race 1 and race 3 but rode to a 2nd place finish in race number 2.
BMW-mounted MotoAmerica Superbike Cup racer Nolan Lamkin (21). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Medallia Superbike Race 1 (Saturday)
Tytlers Cycle Racing M 1000 RR teammates, Cameron Beaubier and PJ Jacobsen started the 17-lap race from 5th and 6th positions, respectively. By lap 3, Jacobsen and Beaubier had worked themselves into 4th and 5th, giving chase to the group of Yamahas ahead. On Lap 6, the teammates swapped positions when Beaubier passed Jacobsen to take over 4th. Just a lap later, Beaubier took over 3rd, followed soon after by 2nd on lap 8. He would not be able to catch the race leading Yamaha however, and would finish 2nd, putting some previously bad Saturday race luck behind him. PJ Jacobsen, who won his first Superbike race in round 6, finished 5th.
Top 10 BMW finishers in Race 1 were:
2nd Cameron Beaubier No. 6 Tytlers Cycle Racing
5th PJ Jacobsen No. 99 Tytlers Cycle Racing
BMW racers Corey Alexander (23) and Ashton Yates (22) at speed at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Medallia Superbike Race 2 (Sunday)
Tytlers Cycle Racing worked throughout the night to find a few tenths of a second per lap for each team BMW M 1000 RR leading up to race 2. PJ Jacobsen and Cameron Beaubier would start from row 2 for the second race of the weekend, in 5th and 6th respectively. A bad start left Beaubier in 10th position, trying to work his way back to the front. PJ Jacobsen began the race in 5th but soon after, on lap 3, a leading rider went off track, elevating Jacobsen to 4th.
On lap 8, BMW S 1000 RR rider, Ashton Yates appeared to have a hesitation issue coming through the new chicane, causing Cameron Beaubier to ride up on Ashton’s rear tire, causing Cameron to crash and the race to be red flagged.
The restart of race 2 had the riders re-grid in the position they were in when the red flag was waved. PJ Jacobsen had an excellent restart, grabbing 2nd from his 3rd place restart position. Jacobsen would finish the race in 2nd, making it two podium finishes for Tytlers Cycle Racing, in the first two races of the weekend.
Top 10 BMW finishers in Race 2 were:
2nd PJ Jacobsen No 99 Tytlers Cycle Racing
8th Corey Alexander No. 23 Tytlers Cycle Racing
Medallia Superbike Race 3 (Sunday)
PJ Jacobsen would start race 3 from 5th position, in the middle of row 2. His Tytlers Cycle Racing teammate Cameron Beaubier would not start after a hard crash in previous race. Jacobsen was part of a breakaway group of five riders, who were chasing the race leading Yamaha, all the while battling with each other for position. The group would not catch the race leader and Jacobsen would finish in 5th place, putting himself ahead of Beaubier in season points.
Top 10 BMW finishers in Race 3 were:
5th PJ Jacobsen No 99 Tytlers Cycle Racing
10th Nolan Lamkin No. 21 Tom Wood Powersports
Standings After Round 7
In Medallia Superbikes season points, PJ Jacobsen now stands in 3rd place with Cameron Beaubier in 4th, Corey Alexander in 8th and Ashton Yates in 10th.
With no racing this past weekend, the Steel Commander Stock 1000 season points standings remain unchanged with Ezra Beaubier leading, Kaleb De Keyrel in 3rd, Travis Wyman in 4th and Nolan Lamkin in 5th.
BMW Group in America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles as well as the BMW XM. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 350 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers,147 BMW motorcycle retailers, 104 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
More, from a press release issued by Tytlers Cycle Racing:
Podium and double top five for PJ at Pitt Race as Cameron podiums before horror crash, whilst Corey scores solid points
It was a challenging weekend for Tytlers Cycle Racing in the latest round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Championship which took place last weekend at the 2.7-mile undulating Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
Known affectionately as PittRace, round seven of the series saw the return to the track for former multiple champion Cameron Beaubier, who by his own admission was tentative on Friday before putting himself into contention for another front running weekend in qualifying. He took sixth on the grid just behind Brainerd race winner PJ Jacobsen who was consistently inside the top five throughout the event.
PJ would once again be the team’s top scorer across the weekend’s three Superbike races. The New Yorker bagging fifth, second and fifth place finishes to move into third overall in the points standings. He was in the fight for the podium in all three of the seventeen lap encounters.
Cameron Beaubier raced to his eighth podium of the year on Saturday to keep his title hopes alive before an incident during Sunday’s second race floored the #6, bringing a temporary halt to proceedings. A mechanical issue for a rival left Cameron with nowhere to go, the result was a scary looking crash that ruled him out of the rest of the weekend.
It was a slightly tougher time for the team’s third rider Corey Alexander who after qualifying on row four of the grid finished twelfth in Saturday’s opening race. He finished eighth in race two on Sunday before retiring in race three.
The results mean the title fight is over for the team as far as 2023 goes but with both PJ and Cameron in contention for a top three final placing their full focus is on the final two rounds at COTA and in New Jersey where the intention is to put the BMW M 1000 RR on the top of the podium before the season ends.
Corey Alexander (23). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.
Corey Alexander: “It was a challenging start to the weekend in terms of grip for everyone and we tried a bunch of things to try to find some which included some changes for race one that didn’t pay off. It was a very long and difficult race on Saturday, and I was looking forward to a more positive result in both races on Sunday. We managed a P8 and much better pace on Sunday afternoon’s first race but still struggled with grip issues throughout. Unfortunately, we suffered a mechanical before the start of race three. We made some big improvements between the races, and it would’ve been nice to see them through with a better result but onwards we go to COTA.”
Cameron Beaubier (6). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.
Cameron Beaubier: “I am happy with a P2 in race one on Saturday especially after how the weekend started. We struggled in practice and qualifying but made some positive changes going into the race which brought us into contention. On Sunday morning we made a couple of positive changes and were able to go fastest in warm up and I was looking forward to two good races. I got a bad start in race two, the first of two for us on Sunday and was trying to make my way through but was having major grip problems. Unfortunately, Ashton (Yates) had a bike problem right in front of me and I was left with nowhere to go and had a nasty get off. The bad luck has been rolling lately but it is nice to be home and for the healing to start.”
PJ Jacobsen (99). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.
PJ Jacobsen: “The first of the weekend didn’t go as I had hoped. I was fastest on Friday but it then kinda went a bit downhill. I wasn’t happy to come away with fifth but was super motivated to improve for the rest of the weekend. Sunday’s first race was good for me. I was able to get another podium with a P2 after the race was stopped. It sucks what happened to Cam (Beaubier) and I wish him a speedy recovery. We were close to the win, and we made some changes for race three. It was much hotter, and I was in the hunt for the podium again but unfortunately, we had to settle for another fifth. We are now third in points, and we move to COTA with the goal to once again be on the box.”
More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports:
MotoAmerica: Altus Motorsports Results from PittRace
(Pittsburgh, PA) The MotoAmerica round at Pittsburgh International Race Complex or, “PittRace”, was a successful one for the Altus Motorsports team. Alessandro Di Mario was extremely impressive and put the Altus Ninja 400 on the podium in both Junior Cup Races. In Supersport, Jaret Nassaney is feeling comfortable on his GSX-750 for the first time this year and is poised to finish the season strong.
Supersport:
Jaret Nassaney made notable progress during the MotoAmerica round at PittRace. While his 10th-place qualifying position might not immediately suggest improvement, this weekend marked a significant turning point. His setup and feeling on the bike were the best they have been so far this year and will be the foundation to finish the season strong. He started both the Supersport races from 10th and finished Race 1 in 9th and Race 2 in 11th.
Jaret Nassaney (59). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
Jaret Nassaney: “We are definitely moving in the right direction. We had a decent race on Saturday and would have had a better result on Sunday, but we struggled with a quick shifter issue that hurt my pace a bit. Overall, I’m happy with the weekend and looking forward to the next round.”
Junior Cup:
Alessandro Di Mario had a breakout weekend at PittRace. After topping the timing chart for Practice 1, he ended up qualifying 4th and started both Junior Cup races from the head of the second row.
Throughout both races, Di Mario consistently ran with the lead group, actively participating in the intense battles at the front of the pack. His consistency and determination earned him a 3rd-place finish in the first race.
Sunday’s Race 2 saw Di Mario seize the holeshot and lead the race until a red flag temporarily halted proceedings. Upon the restart, he quickly maneuvered into 3rd position and made a decisive move to regain the lead by the third lap. The remainder of the race was marked by his unwavering presence at the front. Alessandro even led the final lap but narrowly missed the victory, as he was overtaken at the finish line, ultimately settling for a well-deserved second place.
Alessandro Di Mario (70). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
Alessandro Di Mario: “We made some setup changes which made me a lot more comfortable on the bike. Sadly the shifter broke on the first motor so I had to use the spare one which was less powerful. I probably wouldn’t have gotten drafted at the line with the first motor but it is what it is. I still had a great weekend but I would like to have a better one at Jersey.”
George Nassaney: “I am very happy with our results In Pittsburgh. Alessandro had his best finishes of the year and rode amazingly. He is going to be on fire at New Jersey. It’s been a very tough season for my son Jaret, but he is now feeling more confident. Hiring Crew Chief Boyd Brunner was the best decision I could have made for our team. We know our riders will finish the season strong. I would personally like to thank Boyd Brunner, Mike Castro, Blair Ramey, William Gerken, LJ Parker, Ed Longacre for all the hard work this past weekend.”
Altus Motorsports team is supported by our great family of sponsors: Altus Motorsports, FLY Racing WPS, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Yamaha Motor Company, Barnett, Buy A Jet From Steve Main, Maxima Racing Oils, Moto-D Racing, Bonamici, Hot Bodies Racing, M4 Exhausts, Vortex EK, Motion Pro, SBS Brakes, BrakeTech USA, Inc., Ohlins, K-Tech, RS Taichi, Arai, Yoshimura, Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers, CarbonSmith, Law Tigers Oklahoma, and Altus Factory Racing
More, from a press release issued by Kreece Elliott Racing:
KO for Kreece Elliott at Pittsburgh but he’s taking the positives and ready to end the season on a high at NJMP in September
The penultimate round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship at Pittsburgh International Race Complex last weekend ended with a zero score on the board for rising star Kreece Elliott who was ruled unfit for the weekend after an on-track incident in Saturday morning’s final qualifying session.
Running well inside the top ten in the early stages of Free Practice on Friday, Kreece was just settling into his stride in Q2 before disaster struck. The #47 was taken out by a wayward rival and after taking a heavy hit was deemed unfit by the MotoAmerica medical team.
Understandably frustrated and annoyed, Kreece is now fully focused on the final two races of the season in New Jersey in September. He remains fifteenth overall in the points classification.
Kreece Elliott: “I felt really good going into the weekend. I had made a ton of notes after a track walk with Liam MacDonald who was with me for the weekend. Friday morning went well. I felt good and knew where could improve. In qualifying one I stayed in the same position but had improved my time by over a second. We noticed some things that we could change for Saturday, and I had improved by a couple of seconds and honestly, I felt amazing. I was in the group and was on a good lap until I was wiped out by someone who just didn’t look. I hit my head and that was that. I really think we could have been in the top ten fight on both days and so to not even be able to race through no fault of my own is annoying. On the other hand, I am taking the positives and looking froward to New Jersey where I want to finish the year on a high. I want to thank Bilmola, Bison and Gaerne for keeping me safe and to Liam, Michael, my mum and dad and everyone who is supporting me. See you in September!”
Between now and the season finale, Kreece will launch his new KE47 merchandise range which will be available globally through his website. Stay tuned for more information.
Five-time MotoAmerica Cameron Beaubier has had a rough last two rounds of MotoAmerica racing.
On July 29 at Brainerd International Raceway, Beaubier highsided his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR during Race One and suffered a concussion that kept him from competing in Race Two.
Then during Race Two on Sunday, August 20 at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), the former Moto2 World Championship rider suffered an even scarier crash.
After running off the track earlier in the race, Beaubier found himself trailing Ashton Yates in a multi-rider fight for eighth place. Armed with some new chassis parts, Yates and his Aftercare Scheibe Racing BMW S 1000 RR were not so easy to get around.
Exiting the chicane on lap seven, the connector to Yates’ electric throttle came loose and his engine went to idle, or “limp mode,” and he suddenly decelerated without warning. Beaubier had no time to react and ran into the back of Yates’ motorcycle.
Beaubier came off his BMW and in the process was struck by the Disrupt Racing Suzuki of Hayden Gillim, who was immediately behind Beaubier at the time.
Beaubier went for a painful tumble down the track, and the race was stopped with a red flag.
Prior to the restart, fans watching on TV saw a conscious Beaubier being loaded into an ambulance with bandages wrapping his head. What fans and most people in the paddock didn’t see was Beaubier’s face covered in blood and the puddle of blood on the track immediately after the incident.
In fact, race officials were seen on TV cleaning something off the track, but instead of mechanical fluids from Beaubier’s motorcycle the fluids were “biological,” according to one official. They were cleaning up Beaubier’s blood.
The good news is that those lacerations were Beaubier’s worst injury, according to his crew chief Dave Weaver. The lacerations were stitched up at the track by MotoAmerica’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carl Price (who just happens to be a plastic surgeon), and Beaubier never went to the hospital. He did not participate in Race Three, however.
Beaubier did not respond to a text message from Roadracingworld.com, but he posted the photo below Sunday evening from the airport in Pittsburgh with the caption: “Tough run. Rider ok. We live to fight another day 💪🏽 Thanks to the medical staff on-site and everyone who reached out. Back to the home team ❤️”
Young wins again in race two, Tremblay takes Sport Bike at CTMP
Bowmanville, ON – The battle for the 2023 Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship continued to heat up on Sunday, as Ben Young won race two in the GP Bikes Pro Superbike feature class at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Similar to race one on Saturday, Young saw championship leader Alex Dumas grab the holeshot off the line, but again needed just a handful of corners to seize the lead from his main rival.
Unlike race one, however, Young failed to break away from the chasing pack, as Sam Guerin moved past Dumas and quickly latched onto the reigning champion with the lead trio separating from an eight-rider group.
Young would eventually squeeze out a slightly more comfortable gap, which would force Dumas to ramp up the pressure on Guerin in second, running nose-to-tail right to the final lap of the race.
While Young crossed the line for his second consecutive win, Dumas attempted a daring pass into the final corner, only for Guerin to respond with a beautiful switchback and win the drag to the line for second.
That proved to be another blessing for Young, who scored the 13th Superbike victory of his career – moving him into sole possession of fourth all-time – and cut his title deficit to just 14 points after trailing by 36 prior to CTMP.
“These guys pushed me right to the end, but our Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW continued to work great again today, and these Bridgestone tires held up really well for all 18 laps,” Young said. “It’s been a trying year, but the highs are always really good and the lows are a bit tough, so we’re trying to put a smile on through it all.”
Young will continue to thank Guerin for his efforts, as the EFC Group BMW rider has been a thorn in the side of Dumas for two of three Superbike races this weekend, playing a massive role in the championship fight while helping lift BMW to the top spot in the Constructors standings.
“Another BMW one-two, it feels like a win,” Guerin said. “I was trying to latch on to Ben before Alex got me a couple times in the first few laps, but thankfully I managed to get him back at the end.”
As for Dumas, the Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly rider confirmed he was still feeling under the weather on Sunday, but looked much stronger on-track despite his last-corner pass coming up just short.
“The pace was good – faster than yesterday – but Sam was also,” Alex said. “I was trying to save some energy for the last lap, but it didn’t stick. We still have the points lead, so hopefully we can keep it positive and get some better results in Shannonville.”
Not far behind the battle for third was another 18-lap duel between Jordan Szoke and Tomas Casas, where Casas led for majority of the first half of the race before Szoke took over in the second half.
Casas attempted to launch a last-lap pass of his own, but the Parts Canada Yamaha rider came up just short as Szoke held onto fourth for the LDS Consultants Kawasaki team, another strong result for the 14-time champion.
Sebastien Tremblay became the sixth different winner in seven races of the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike class, fending off Elliot Vieira for his first victory of the season.
The 2021 champion crashed out of the round three make-up race on Friday and failed to make the start in race one on Saturday, but made up for all of it with a resilient effort to score his first win since switching to Turcotte Performance Suzuki machinery.
“I knew Elliot had a bit more top speed, so I tried really hard to push into turn five every time and build a gap,” Tremblay said. “Our weekend started really badly – we actually had to rebuild the bike on Friday – but this is a much better result.”
Vieira pushed Tremblay from start-to-finish but was unable to launch a proper move, even with an advantage down the Andretti Straightaway aboard his GP Bikes Ducati.
“Tremblay rode the ass of that Suzuki! I had the draft on him, but he was so consistent in the first half of the track,” the race one winner said. “It sucks to not win again, but it’s the best we could do today.”
While Vieira and Tremblay ran their own race up front, the battle for the championship heated up behind them, as David MacKay ran a quietly solid race to complete the podium.
The ODH Snow City Cycle Kawasaki rider stuck with the lead duo for the first few laps before fading back into a lonely third, a smart move for the championship frontrunner as rival Matt Simpson could only manage fifth on the day.
“That was the point of the race today, to just keep the points intact,” MacKay said. “I latched onto them at the front until there was a gap behind, and then I just tried to avoid any mistakes.”
The unfortunate showing for Simpson stretches MacKay’s lead to 16 points with two races to go in round five, a still-manageable gap but one that went in the opposite direction for the Blackstock Motorsports Yamaha rider.
His effort was partially unraveled by a career day for rookie Nathan Playford, who denied a last-lap pass attempt to take fourth aboard his Playford Company Inc. Ducati, marking a pair of V2 Panigale’s inside the top-four.
Casas added to his day with a second consecutive victory in the Bickle Racing Pro Twins class, completing a weekend sweep in his one-off appearance aboard the Acme Motorsports Yamaha machine.
Casas moved comfortably into third in the championship after just two races, winning comfortably again in the split-class race.
Full results from Sunday’s races can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
More, from another press release issued by CSBK:
Young sweeps CTMP tripleheader to set up title showdown
Ben Young (1) scored a perfect weekend at the CTMP tripleheader, winning all three GP Bikes Pro Superbike races over Sam Guerin (2) and Alex Dumas (23). Tomas Casas (18) finished race three in fourth ahead of Jordan Szoke (101). Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Bowmanville, ON – The fight for the 2023 Canada Cup drew almost even on Sunday, as Ben Young conquered Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for a third time to complete the tripleheader sweep in round four of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship.
After cruising to wins in race one on Saturday and race two earlier on Sunday, Young continued to be no match for any of his GP Bikes Pro Superbike competitors as he grabbed the lap one holeshot and never looked back, dominating en route to a seven-second victory.
That in itself would have been enough to make matters interesting in the championship fight, but it was aided for a third consecutive time by Sam Guerin, who continued to make life difficult for points leader Alex Dumas in the penultimate round.
Guerin would lead a thrilling four-rider battle for all 18 laps, repeatedly denying attempts from Dumas to limit the damage in second, who did all he could to survive a separate attack from Tomas Casas and Jordan Szoke.
Ultimately, Dumas would have to settle for yet another third-place finish, watching as Young trimmed his championship deficit from 36 points to now just three entering the final round at Shannonville Motorsport Park next month (another tripleheader).
“What an accomplishing weekend for the whole team, and such a big points haul. I guess it’s going to come down to the wire as always!” Young said. “Our Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW has just been phenomenal all year, and I owe another thanks to Sam for taking some points off Alex, which is good for BMW in the Constructors as well.”
Young also brought home the annual King of Mosport award for the second time in three years, scoring the most total points across the weekend as he becomes the second-winningest rider in CTMP history.
His sensational comeback – one of the largest in CSBK history – has set up a last round showdown at Shannonville in September, the same venue where the season began with a pair of Dumas victories in May.
“We’re really looking forward to Shannonville. We got nothing to lose now after crawling back,” Young added. “Alex is obviously really good there, but Alex is good everywhere so hopefully we can take it to him a couple more times.”
The title shift owes a lot to the breakthrough performances of Guerin, who capped off the best weekend of his career with a trio of runner-up finishes aboard his EFC Group BMW.
While that severely impacted Dumas’ title hopes, it also caused a massive swing in the Constructors standings, where BMW turned their 28-point deficit into a 37-point lead.
“It’s been a dream weekend, hopefully we put on a good show for all the fans here,” Guerin said. “I got to give a huge thanks to BMW for helping make this happen, and I hope we can help bring home the Constructors championship for them.”
Sunday brought a merciful end to what was a disaster weekend for Dumas, watching his comfortable lead evaporate atop the championship as the Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki star now finds himself on the back foot entering SMP.
“Not at all what we were expecting, but we still have the lead,” Dumas said of his three-point advantage. “At least we’re comfortable at Shannonville, so hopefully we can make up for this next month and bring home the championship.”
The similar results continued for Casas and Szoke, who each finished in the top-five in all three races (but in swapped positions for race two), with Casas taking fourth and the 14-time champion fifth in race three.
The strong weekend moves Casas into a comfortable fourth in the championship as he trails Guerin by 33 points aboard his Parts Canada Yamaha, helping his brand extend their advantage over Kawasaki for third in the Constructors as well.
As for Szoke, the LDS Consultants Kawasaki rider completed his best round of the year to more than double his championship output, jumping three spots to fifth in the overall point standings.
His LDS Consultants teammate Trevor Dion would wind up one spot behind in sixth after a mechanical failure in race two, coming out on top of a lights-to-flag duel with Eli Daccache aboard his Milwaukee Yamaha.
RLS Contracting Suzuki teenager John Fraser built up his lead atop the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year battle, finishing eighth once again to take a four-point lead over Acme Motorsports Yamaha rider Paul Macdonell entering round five.
The feature class will now take a four-week breather before returning to Shannonville Motorsports Park for the decisive showdown, September 15-17, where Young and Dumas will go toe-to-toe for the 2023 Canada Cup across three feature class races.
Full results can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
Bad Boys Racing Kawasaki’s Avery Dreher extended his Championship point lead by winning MotoAmerica Junior Cup Race Two Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania.
Dreher drafted past Altus Motorsports Kawasaki’s Alessandro Di Mario on the run from the final corner to the checkered flag, relegating Di Mario to second place by a margin of 0.030 second.
Fairium NGRT – Gray Area Racing KTM’s Rossi Moor was third, just 0.150 second behind Dreher.
Update: After the race, podium ceremony, and press conference were completed, MotoAmerica issued revised results for Junior Cup Race Two. Those results noted that Moor was disqualified for having illegal wheel bearings on his KTM RC 390 R.
As a result of this change, Hayden Bicknese Racing Kawasaki’s Hayden Bicknese was promoted to third, and Dreher clinched the 2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship.
Jake Gagne won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Three Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Gagne led from start to finish on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1 and won the 17-lap race by 1.868 seconds.
With the race win, Gagne clinched his third consecutive MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship.
Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz broke free from the pack late in the race to secure a runner-up finish on his Yamaha YZF-R1.
Josh Herrin had to push his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R hard all the way to the checkered flag to earn third place.
Richie Escalante, riding his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R, fought to get his first Superbike podium finish but had to settle for another fourth place, just 0.6 second behind Herrin and 0.4 second ahead of fifth-place PJ Jacobsen and his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW.
Jacobsen’s teammate Cameron Beaubier did not start Race Three after crashing and suffering facial injuries in Race Two.
Gagne Wins His Third Straight MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Title
Jake Gagne Wraps Up Superbike Championship Number Three With Two Wins On Sunday at PittRace
Jake Gagne (1) leads the second of three MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike races over PJ Jacobsen (99), Josh Herrin (2), Mathew Scholtz (11), Richie Escalante (54) and JD Beach (95). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
WAMPUM, PA (August 20, 2023) – In case anyone had forgotten, Jake Gagne reaffirmed that he’s the best Superbike racer in the country on Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex with his two decisive victories earning him his third successive MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship.
Gagne and his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Superbike were perfect in both of today’s races, holding back all of the challenges the top men threw at him. In the first of the two Superbike races held on a sunny Sunday at Pitt Race, Gagne was challenged to the bitter end and came up just .264 of a second ahead of Tytlers Cycle Racing’s PJ Jacobsen. In the second Superbike race of the day, Gagne had it a bit easier as he topped Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz by 1.868 of a second.
Not even Gagne would have predicted that he would come out of Pitt Race with his third title as most believed the title fight would at least go to round eight at Circuit of The Americas in a few weeks’ time.
But, today was the day with Gagne’s eighth and ninth wins of the season and the 37th and 38th wins of his AMA Superbike career clinching the title with two rounds and four races left on the 2023 schedule.
Superbike Race 2 – Gagne On The Verge
Race two was red-flagged early on when Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier was involved in a scary crash when he ran into the back of Ashton Yates’ Aftercare Scheibe Racing BMW. With the two in a battle and Beaubier looking to make up spots after an off-track excursion, Yates led him through the chicane but on the exit his BMW had a mechanical issue that caused him to slow suddenly. With nowhere to go, Beaubier ran into the back of Yates and crashed heavily. Beaubier was transported to the infield medical center and was treated for facial lacerations.
The battle for victory came down to Gagne (1) vs. Jacobsen (99) with Gagne emerging victorious. Herrin (2), meanwhile, ended up third. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
By this point, Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong was already out of the race with the pole sitter crashing his Yamaha YZF-R1 in the opening laps.
Although he was pushed the entire way by Jacobsen, it was Gagne taking the victory, his eighth of the year, over the New Yorker.
Third in race two on Saturday went to Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Josh Herrin, 1.4 seconds behind Jacobsen and a second ahead of Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz.
JD Beach was impressive in riding the injured Cameron Petersen’s Fresh N Lean Progressive Racing Yamaha to fifth, well clear of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch. Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim was eighth, just a few tenths ahead of Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cory Alexander.
Benjamin Smith Racing’s Benjamin Smith and Steel Commander’s Gabriel Da Silva rounded out the top 10.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante crashed out of fourth place on the last lap.
Race Two Quotes Jake Gagne – Winner
“Yeah. Obviously that red flag, at first, I was bummed and then to go by and see Cam (Beaubier) down again… man, we were all just seeing what we saw on the track. It was gnarly there for a second. So, I hope he’s okay. I knew it would be hot, greasy, gnarly. Restart, eight-lap sprint. I could feel these guys on me. I could hear those bikes every turn. Just tried to hit my marks because I knew if I was a little wide there, a little wide here, they would have got up in there. But it was a fun race because I could hear them the whole time. So having eight laps pushing and trying to be as consistent as possible is a good time. So, hats off to these guys. We’ve got to go throw down this afternoon, so it will be fun.”
PJ Jacobsen – Second Place
“Yeah, people say that and I’m like, ‘I’m upright as much as I can, and I’m still sliding everywhere.’ Every time he was spinning up, I was spinning up as well, just trying to get the same drive grip as him. But both races were honestly going to be good for me, I thought. Even that first one before the restart, I think I was catching (Mathew) Scholtz and Richie (Escalante) when they started coming back to me. So, it was really good. I’m happy. We made some changes, and the bike was working really good.”
Josh Herrin – Third Place
“The bike felt good all weekend. It’s kind of like it was at Barber. I just feel super good on the bike, but we’re not able to drive forward on the track. Everybody is having the problem, but it seems like we’re having it pretty bad. Today I said just take the TC (traction control) out. Not all the way, but just let the thing hang. The warmup lap we ran shag tires on the parade lap, and that thing was like flat track sideways. I was like, ‘Is this thing okay? It’s sideways.’ They’re like, ‘That’s what you asked for.’ The thing obviously worked way better than it did yesterday. It was just a handful. I felt like I was riding a bike with 50 more horsepower today. But it worked, so that’s the important thing. I’m just wore out because it was tough. This third race, I’m not going to lie, it’s going to be hard on everyone but it’s going to be a tough one. It’s getting hotter. I’m really happy with how today went. I just didn’t have it for them at the end. I felt good. I just made one little mistake and then the mental focus kind of lost me for two turns and they were gone. I just couldn’t make it back up. I’ve been struggling really hard in the chicane.”
Superbike Race 3 – Title Time
Gagne got his normal fast start and led every lap of race three. Scholtz kept him honest, finishing 1.8 seconds behind the factory Yamaha.
The win, Gagne’s ninth on the year, gave him an insurmountable 337 points after 16 races – 101 points ahead of Herrin, who finished third. If Herrin would have finished second with Gagne winning, the title fight would have gone to the next round in Austin, Texas. Any chance of that was thwarted when Herrin, who was right on Gagne’s tail, blew the chicane and then waited for at least three riders to go by so that he wouldn’t be penalized.
Josh Herrin (2) tries to hold off Mathew Scholtz (11) and Richie Escalante (54) in the third and final Superbike race of the weekend while PJ Jacobsen (99) and JD Beach (95) give chase. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Herrin fought back, but ultimately lost out to Scholtz with the South African pulling away to beat the Ducati rider by 3.6 seconds. Herrin, meanwhile, had his hands full with Escalante who was trying to land his first Superbike podium. He would come up .6 of a second short at the finish.
Jacobsen was fifth and just another few tenths behind Escalante with Beach sixth again and less than a second behind Jacobsen, who moved to third in the championship by one point over Beaubier with his teammate’s failure to score points on Sunday.
Gillim was seventh for the second time on the day with pole-sitter Bobby Fong eighth. Smith was ninth again with Tom Wood Powersports’ Nolan Lamkin rounding out the top 10.
Jake Gagne wrapped up his third straight MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship on Sunday at Pitt Race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Race 3 Quotes Jake Gagne – Winner
“To do it with a couple wins here at a place this Yamaha loves is awesome. I just didn’t expect it. We didn’t really do any math. The team didn’t talk about it. Nobody talked about it. I just had a feeling if I won and I didn’t exactly know what Josh (Herrin) had to do, but I knew sure as hell Josh was going to put up a fight to bring it down to one more round, and I knew he was right there. Congrats to Matty (Scholtz). Doing Yamaha a favor, doing me a favor today. It’s cool to get it done early. Again, kind of unexpected. I haven’t been the fastest guy all year, but I guess kind of luck has been on my side. We finished almost every race, besides one. It’s going to be a hell of a fight for that championship run with a lot of guys in it next year. I’m looking forward to going to the last couple rounds and just duking it out with these guys with nothing else to worry about.”
Mathew Scholtz – Second Place
“We made a pretty decent change on the traction control just to kind of help when I first crack the gas so that the bike doesn’t just want to spin as you first start to wind it on. I was definitely pushing the front more on the gas, but it definitely helped me to kind of roll through the middle of the corner to kind of keep up with the Ducati a little bit better, once you have it picked up. Overall, the race early on I was struggling. I was on the absolute limit. This race I felt confident and I managed to get past Josh (Herrin) with a couple laps to go and open up a small gap. Kept it pretty similar to (Jake) Gagne out front. So, I’m really happy with that. I’m happy with the changes that we made to the bike. I think it’s going to work well at the next two tracks for us.”
Josh Herrin – Third Place
“Yeah, we left it. It worked. We didn’t change anything from the first race. We looked at stuff. I talked about maybe going one or two taller in the gearing because it seemed like I was struggling a little bit in the corners that I was using first gear – just trying to get that initial squirt. But second didn’t feel comfortable to me. But we ended up not going with it. We decided to just play it safe and stick with what was working because it would have lengthened the bike a little bit. Whenever I missed the chicane and I fought to catch up to Jake (Gagne), got right there. I actually felt like I did at Brainerd where I was like, ‘Okay, I might get a little bit heated at the end but at least I’m here and I can kind of plan something out a little bit.’ Then I don’t know what I did and ran off in the chicane. Then, unfortunately, you have to give up a second whenever you do that, so I let two guys go by. Then kind of just waited as long as I could before PJ (Jacobsen) got on my butt and then went. Then I think I charged back up to second. Then I switched the engine brake map to a different map and it was just free-wheeling a little bit too much. Started to get some slides on the front on the right side. I put it back to the mode that I was in originally, but I just never got that confidence back and unfortunately just didn’t have the pace. Congrats to these guys. Congrats to Jake on wrapping that championship up this fast. I didn’t think that was even possible to happen that quick. It just came out of nowhere. I saw it on Instagram right before the race started, and it kind of helped me get a little motivated to try to get up there at the beginning of this race. It just seems like there’s a trend all year where if Friday and Saturday are pretty rough for me, then Sunday is there. So, I’m really hoping that these guys give me one more shot next year. It would be the first year that I’ve had the same bike in Superbike in 10 years, for two years in a row. So, I’m really hoping that I get it again because I just love everything about this team and I’m having fun. Looking forward to COTA.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Josh Herrin and Xavi Forés on the Podium at PittRace
Sunnyvale, Calif., August 20 2023 — The seventh round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport Championship, held at the stunning 2.8-mile Pittsburgh International Race Complex, saw Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC stars Josh Herrin and Xavi Forés fighting at the pointy end in both categories.
In the three races for the Superbike category, Herrin came away with sixth place in race one and dug deep in races two and three to finish in third each time out behind Jake Gagne.
Herrin had his hands full with attention from Suzuki’s Richie Escalante in races two and three but resisted the his advances, Herrin’s two podium places cementing second in the championship on 236 points.
Forés nearly took the race one win, finishing a scant 0.180 behind race winner, Kawasaki’s Stefano Mesa, and had to settle for second place in race two behind Suzuki’s Tyler Scott.
Regardless, Forés is in the box seat to clinch the title at Circuit of The Americas in September as he heads into the round with an 86 point advantage and only needs to leave Texas with 50 points in hand.
2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings After Round Seven
P1 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 337
P2 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 236
P3 – PJ Jacobsen (BMW) 204
P3 – Cameron Beaubier (BMW) 203
P5 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 184
2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings After Round Seven
P1 – Xavi Forés (Ducati) 312
P2 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 226
P3 – Stefano Mesa (Kawasaki) 213
P4 – Josh Hayes (Yamaha) 209
P5 – Teagg Hobbs (Suzuki) 142
Josh Herrin (2) in action at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – #2)
“This weekend, I’m happy,” Herrin said. “To get two podium finishes after the start of the weekend, I’m stoked. It’s hard to say you’re happy when you’re getting third places when in my mind I’m on the best bike, but it is what it is. We’re nearly there and just missing that final piece to put it all together. Hopefully, I get to do another year with this team, which I think will help a lot given the experience I have. I’m happy to be back on the podium. I tried my hardest and was sliding around like crazy. It was a positive end to the weekend and now we’re onto COTA, a track we know well and one I know the bike and I will be strong at.”
Xavi Fores (12) leading a Supersport race at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Xavi Forés (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – #12)
“Overall it was a good weekend with two second places,” Forés said. “It was great to be back on the podium after the disaster in Brainerd. I was happy with my performance this weekend. It wasn’t enough to win but we are getting closer to the target of the title. We’ve got a small break between here and COTA, where I will spend time with my young family and recharge the batteries. My goal will be to take the title at COTA and then look to the future, where I hope to ride a Panigale V4 R soon.”
Round eight of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport Championship will take place at Circuit of The Americas in Texas on September 8-10, 2023.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Gagne Crowned 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne clinches third-consecutive premier-class championship with a sweep of the MotoAmerica Superbike tripleheader at PIRC
Jake Gagne. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
MARIETTA, Ga. – August 20, 2023 – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne took home his third-consecutive MotoAmerica Superbike Championship in style, sweeping the weekend at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex. The Colorado rider reigned supreme, winning both superbike races today in Wampum, Pennsylvania, to clinch the title two rounds early. Filling in for the injured Cameron Petersen, JD Beach continued to make progress in the challenging conditions, improving to a top-five finish in Race 2 and a sixth-place finish in Race 3.
Earlier today, Gagne got a great start in Race 2 and quickly claimed the lead. The Colorado rider threw down some fast times early and built a gap up front, but then the red flag came out with 10 laps to go. After the restart, Gagne grabbed the holeshot but was unable to break away from the pack in the eight-lap race. He kept cool under pressure and rode on to secure his eighth victory of the season and second of the weekend to move closer to the crown.
In Race 3, it was another flying start from Gagne with the holeshot. Although he was unable to ride away from the competition early on, he set the pace up front and threw down consistently fast times to build a gap and cross the line with a comfortable victory. Gagne’s superbike sweep at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex secured his third-consecutive premier-class title two rounds early with nine wins and a total of 13 podiums. During those three years, the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Rider has amassed an impressive tally of 38-career superbike wins aboard the Attack Performance Yamaha R1 and looks to add some more at the final rounds.
With more seat time, Beach continued to make progress in his first weekend back to superbike racing and got a better start in Race 2. In seventh, the dirt track/road racer jockeyed for position and kept pushing, making the pass for sixth on Lap 7 before the red flag came out. Moving up a row for the restart, Beach got another good start in sixth. He then closed the gap to the lead group with four laps to go, ultimately advancing to fifth. In the final race of the weekend, Beach was eighth after the start and made the pass for sixth on Lap 4. Once again, the Kentucky rider closed the gap to the lead group and rode a smart race in the greasy conditions to finish sixth.
Next up for the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team is the penultimate round of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on September 8-10.
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“The weekend went perfectly for us. Jake rode smart, won all three races, and against the odds, the championship. The crew did a great job, and our R1s ran great. We are very pleased that we can put counting the points behind us and will now just concentrate on winning.
“JD did a good job as well. He showed good pace and stayed within striking distance of the lead group in today’s races. It was a fun weekend, and we look forward to the last two events at COTA and NJMP.”
Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“It was a little unexpected and a little hard to put into words. Hats off to the whole team, my crew. It’s been a challenging year, but we’ve learned a lot – me as a rider and together as a team. I’ve just got an amazing group of people around me, and I get to ride this amazing R1. It feels so good to get my third title, and it’s going to feel good going into these next few rounds battling with these guys and not having to worry about the championship.
“It’s been different from the last couple of years. We weren’t always the fastest guy out there, but we were pretty consistent. Even if we weren’t able to win the race, we brought it home and got a lot of podiums. It’s amazing when the competition is so stacked. This field is getting gnarlier every year, and it’s going to be another battle next year, but we’ve still got some more races to go.”
JD Beach – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“I’m really happy with how the day went. Every race and every time I got on the bike, I felt better and better. I know I did the one-off race in 2021, but really it’s been four years since I’ve raced a superbike, and I’d honestly say I felt almost as good as I did in 2019. I had a blast being at the tail end of the podium battle in Race 3. I’m not sure what the fortune holds for me for the rest of the season, but I hope to be on the bike again.”
Tyler Scott won MotoAmerica Supersport Race Two Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Scott took control of the race on lap five of 16 and kept pushing the pace on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 until he won the race by 2.813 seconds.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Xavi Fores fought for the lead with Scott early in the race and pushed to the end, but the best the Spaniard could do was the runner-up spot, which gave him an 86-point lead over Scott with four races remaining in the season.
Race One winner Stefano Mesa was also in the fight for first place, but a setup change to his Tytlers Cycle Racing Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R worked against him and relegated him to third place.
Scott’s teammate Teagg Hobbs was a close fourth, and Josh Hayes, the all-time AMA/MotoAmerica race win leader, finished fifth on his Squid Hunter Racing Yamaha.
Twins Cup Title Chase Going To The Wire After PittRace Thriller
Only 14 Points Separate The Top Three In The REV’IT! Twins Cup Championship After Pitt Race Round
Gus Rodio (96) leads Blake Davis (1) and Rocco Landers (hidden behind Davis) in their REV’IT! Twins Cup battle at PittRace on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
WAMPUM, PA (August 20, 2023) – The top three contenders in the REV’IT! Twins Cup Championship are locked in a close battle for the title, and those three contenders were also locked in a close battle for the race win on Sunday at Pitt Race. Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering teammates Gus Rodio and Rocco Landers not only raced hard against each other, but they also raced hard against N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis throughout the nine-lap event.
Davis led seven of the laps, while Landers only led one lap and Rodio led the other. But it was Rodio who led the most important one, which resulted in him crossing the finish line first and notching the win by just .104 of a second over his teammate Landers.
Davis almost finished as runner-up, but he couldn’t quite overtake Landers when the checkered flag flew. Rodio goes into the final round at New Jersey Motorsports Park with an eight-point lead over Davis and a 14-point lead over Landers, which means that the season championship is very much up in the air with just two more races to go.
“I knew me and Blake had power,” Rodio said. “I knew Rocco was taking those wide, sweeping lines. From the looks of it, I didn’t want to get tangled up in that. I just sat back. I was kind of resting the whole race and the pace in the 49s. We qualified a lot faster than that. There were just five passes a lap, so that’s where that time is going to come into play. I knew Blake was going to pass him on the straight. He’s good on the brakes, too, so down in the chicane, I saw him making moves there. I knew he wasn’t going to let Rocco lead a full lap because it would have been not good. So, I just sat back. Knew the passes were coming. Knew the pace was going to stay in the 49s. I just planned for the last lap. Blake made a mistake and then I knew coming to the line I just had to make the pass. I had to stay close enough to make the pass. Everything went according to plan.”
Supersport – Great Scott
Although there is little doubt that Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Xavi Forés will be crowned as the 2023 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott didn’t allow it to happen at Pitt Race on Sunday.
Eventual winner Tyler Scott leads Xavi Fores and Stefano Mesa at the front of the Supersport race at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
In order for Forés to be crowned on Sunday, he had to win with Scott finishing no worse than second. Scott, however, decided to just go ahead and win the race to make sure that the war would go to the next round of the championship at Circuit of The Americas next month.
Scott ended up beating Forés by 2.8 seconds after an early back-and-forth battle. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa, who won Saturday’s Superbike race, was third, 7.8 seconds adrift of Scott and five seconds clear of Scott’s teammate Teagg Hobbs, who got the better of Squid Hunter Racing’s Josh Hayes.
Disrupt Racing’s Jake Lewis ended up sixth, hot on Hayes’s heels.
“Yesterday I got a decent start the first time, starting from the second row on the grid,” Scott said. “Couldn’t get a clear lap in qualifying, so right off the bat it was hard to lead the race and try and set the pace. Overnight we thought about it. This morning we made some changes to be able to push the pace. In the race today, I got a pretty similar start to yesterday, but I saw an opening to pass Xavi (Forés) and I took it. I wanted to see if I could lead the race and start pulling a gap. It was .0 for what felt like an eternity, and then .2, .4, .6, one second, one second, one second, two seconds. I just kept pushing the pace every lap and was able to create that gap.”
Junior Cup – Moor DQ’d. Dreher Crowned
Bad Boy Racing’s Avery Dreher won his sixth race of the season on Sunday at Pitt Race, but he didn’t know that he’d also been crowned as the 2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship. That decision came later when Fairium NGRT – Gray Area Racing’s Rossi Moor was later DQ’d for using an illegal wheel bearing on his KTM RC 390 R ending any chance of Dreher being surpassed in the final round at New Jersey Motorsports Park next month.
Avery Dreher wrapped up the Junior Cup title on Sunday with his victory at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Altus Motorsports’ Alessandro Di Mario was second on the track and second in the final results while Bicknese Racing’s Hayden Bicknese was moved from fourth to third in the final standings after Moor’s DQ. Yandel Racing’s Yandel Medina was fourth with Badie Racing’s Levi Badie rounding out the top five.
Dreher is now 52 points head of Bicknese in the title chase with just 50 points on the table in the final round.
“It worked yesterday, so I just figured I’d go with the same strategy today,” Dreher said. “The team and I worked on a few things this morning with the bike. Got that sorted out. I knew it would be a little hotter today than yesterday. Our race was three hours later, so I knew that would play a factor. Lost the grip on the rear on the last lap. Thought I would lose the draft on the front straightaway but ended up pulling it together. I’m just super happy with the results this weekend. I don’t know how many points I have left to clinch the title, but I’m just going to keep working hard between rounds and hopefully get that jersey.”
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race – Perfect Moore
The Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. program wrapped up its second year with MotoAmerica on Sunday, and Mikayla Moore completed a perfect season. The Maryland-based rider clinched the championship with her win in Saturday’s race one, and her race two victory on Sunday was her seventh win in as many races. Moore won Sunday’s race by nearly 11 seconds over second-place finisher Sonya Lloyd, who in turn was a little over nine seconds ahead of Crystal Martinez in third place. The finishing order of race two was also the finishing order of the season championship with Lloyd finishing second to title winner Moore and Martinez locking up third.
Mikayla Moore (78) ended her perfect season with another victory in the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
“With this being our last race, I wanted to see how fast I could actually take it. Being by myself yesterday, only hitting (a lap of) 2:08, I was experiencing chatter and some other bike issues. So, when Sonya showed me that wheel yesterday, I was like, ‘All right. Come tomorrow, she’s going to be on top of her game.’ So, Megan (from Öhlins) was able to fix some issues with the bike for me in terms of suspension. I ended up making a gearing change, and that definitely helped for this race.”
Mission Mini Cup By Motul – Gouker Again
Three Mission Mini Cup Presented By Motul races were held on Saturday evening at the Pitt Race karting track and they were again mostly dominated by the same riders as on Friday.
Stadler America’s Nathan Gouker continued his hot hand in the Ohvale 160 class with his seventh straight win in the championship to build his points lead to 40 points over Madd Will Racing’s Kruz Maddison, who was fourth, second and fourth in the three races on Saturday. American Racing’s Connor Raymond, meanwhile, was second best to Gouker in two of the three races.
The Ohvale 190 class featured three different winners in the three races on Saturday with American Racing’s Joshua Raymond, Historic GP’s Mahdi Salem and Alpha Omega’s Ryder Davis all coming away with victories. Davis, however, is still the points leader with a 23-point lead over Salem, 156-133.
In Stock class action, Cruise Texter won all three Stock 50 races on his Cory Texter Racing/Roof Systems-backed Honda.
There were three different winners in the three Stock 110 classes – Varnes Racing’s Cole Varnes, Xtreme Autoglass Pros’ Jacob Davis and Ryan Clark Racing’s Ryan Clark, who leads the title chase by 24 points.
Jacobsen Motorcycle Training/Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt kept his perfect 2023 record intact with his 10th, 11th and 12th straight wins in the Stock 125 class.
Mikayla Moore won MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Race Two Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. The victory completed a perfect seven-races-for-seven-wins for 19-year-old Moore.
Sonya Lloyd was the runner-up for a second straight day, and Crystal Martinez used a late-race move to overtake defending Champion Kayleigh Buyck and snag third place.
Moore, Lloyd, and Martinez also finished first, second, and third, respectively, in the final Championship point standings.
Gus Rodio used a last-lap move to overtake his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia teammate Rocco Landers and win MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Race Two Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace).
Defending Champion Blake Davis, riding his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7, exchanged the lead with Landers throughout the race. On the ninth and final lap, Landers was leading Davis, when Davis overshot Turn Seven, allowing Rodio to move up to second.
Rodio then drove past Landers and his ailing Aprilia RS 600 on the run to the checkered flag to secure his third win of the season and takeover the Championship point lead.
Defending Champion Jake Gagne won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. It was Gagne’s eighth win of the season on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1, extending his Championship point lead to where he can possibly clinch the 2023 title in Race Three later Sunday afternoon.
PJ Jacobsen was a very close runner-up, just 0.264 second behind Gagne on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Josh Herrin finished third on his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R.
The race was red flagged seven laps into the original start for a crash involving five-time Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier. Beaubier had run off track early in the race and was running ninth right behind Ashton Yates when Yates’ Aftercare Scheibe Racing BMW lost power momentarily coming out of the chicane. Beaubier ran into the back of Yates’ BMW, and as Beaubier was coming off his bike he was struck by Hayden Gillim and his Disrupt Racing Suzuki.
Beaubier suffered a bloody facial laceration but was seen awake and alert on video feeds after the incident.
The race was then restarted for an eight-lap final segment.
Kawasaki Motors Corp, U.S.A.'s decision to import the ZX-4RR global model paid off, with sales exceeding expectations. They'll bring in more for 2024. The theme is more-usable power. Photos by Kevin Wing.
Featured In The August 2023 Issue:
“I was tucked in and flat-out with the throttle pinned as the revs climbed toward 15,000 rpm. I shifted into fourth gear before lifting my head and sticking my knee out just enough to create some drag as I turned into Thunderhill’s fast Turn 9 kink without breathing the throttle. It had taken me a couple of sessions and a few setting changes to get to where I could go through the turn wide-open, but once I dialed in the bike’s set-up and my line, I could run through it at 107 mph lap after lap.
“Ripping through corners flat out and picking up the throttle far earlier than sensible brought back memories of ripping around on my two-stroke Honda RS125 as a teenager. Except I was on a 400-class inline four-cylinder with a steel-tube chassis and street tires. The equipment was wildly different, but the technique used to hustle them around the racetrack is pretty close to being the same…”
“Intro: Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR: Screaming Fun!” by Chris Ulrich
Kawasaki is now changing the entry-level sportbike game with the new Ninja ZX-4RR, a 399cc Inline four-cylinder with a high-performance chassis, ride-by-wire throttle, and a premium electronics package, priced at $9,699. It’s a bold strategy, but brings another bike to the market with attainable performance for a regular rider and enough performance to entertain an experienced track-day or racing enthusiast. Racing Editor Chris Ulrich outlines his experience on the machine in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
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Tyler Scott (second from left) stands atop the podium with mechanic Dustin Cyr (second from right) after winning Supersport Race Two over runner-up Xavi Fores (far left) and third-place finisher Stefano Mesa (far right). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
TY SCOTT WINS MOTOAMERICA SUPERSPORT FOR VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI
Suzuki GSX-Rs Show Consistent Speed in Pittsburgh
BREA, CA, August 21, 2023 — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer returned to the top step on the podium with a triumphant Sunday to conclude the MotoAmerica weekend at Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Wampum, Pennsylvania.
Race Highlights:
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
Supersport
Tyler Scott was dominant in earning his second victory of the season.
Teagg Hobbs battled his way to an impressive fourth-place result.
Superbike
Richie Escalante twice fought for the podium on his way to his tenth top-five result of the season in Superbike race three.
Brandon Paasch’s recovery progress continues ahead of schedule as he continues to adapt to the Superbike class.
Tyler Scott (70) on the gas as he commands his second 2023 Supersport victory. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Tyler Scott was determined to not only extend his five-race consecutive podium streak, but do so with another victory. Scott once again blasted his way into the mix despite his outside Row 2 starting position and was engaged in an intense dogfight for the lead. Following a thrilling sequence of laps featuring multiple passes and three-wide braking contests, Scott finally opened a bit of breathing space at the front. Once clear, he upped the pace even further with several blistering laps aboard his next-generation Suzuki GSX-R750 and ultimately commanded a margin of victory of nearly three seconds. The win was his second in the season’s most recent three races and Scott’s sixth consecutive podium result. Scott’s weekend results were a strong first and third in Supersport.
“The race today was definitely a lot harder than yesterday,” Scott said. “I knew it was going to be hard to pass, so when I saw the opportunity to lead, I took it. Pushing the pace out front is a lot more stressful on your riding, but I just kept pushing and I saw my pit board go up two-tenths, four-tenths, six-tenths. I couldn’t have done it without the whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team preparing a beautiful bike this weekend. We made some improvements this morning which really paid off.”
Teagg Hobbs (79) shows strong form in battling to claim fourth place. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Teagg Hobbs was in outstanding form as well, despite once again getting pushed back in the opening corner chaos. Hobbs ran as a part of an early six-rider train at the front in the early laps aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 before settling into a duel for fourth. The class rookie went to school on one of the most decorated and experienced riders in the paddock and ultimately worked his way by to secure fourth place at the finish.
Hobbs said, “I was looking forward to this weekend and not just because I really like this track and it’s close to my home; I made a few mistakes in Race 2 at Brainerd, and I wanted to show my team I would come back from those and that’s the type of rider I am. I’m happy. The goal is always top five. We started low, but qualified second and then took a couple of top fives, so I can’t complain. I want to say a huge thanks to the whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team.”
Richie Escalante (54) shows speed as he equals his Superbike career-best fourth place in Race 3. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante rode the roller coaster on Sunday, but ultimately walked away with his head held high after matching his career-best premier-class finish of fourth. The second-year Superbike ace was back to his top-five standard following a disappointing Saturday and Escalante was motivated to take advantage of his Sunday speed on the Suzuki GSX-R1000R. Unfortunately, he crashed on the last lap of the day’s first Superbike contest while gunning for his maiden podium position.
Escalante looked to make amends in the afternoon race, and showed plenty of fight in the effort. Escalante passed his way up to third in the waning stages of the race, but was soon after displaced to fourth and then fifth in the spectacular shootout. Undaunted, Escalante managed to counter with a bold, final-lap overtake to claim fourth ahead of the checkered flag.
“Both races were very tough, and I am happy with how competitive we were,” Escalante said. “It looks like I was sliding around everywhere when you look at it on TV, but I was confident. The team gave me a great bike, and it feels 70 or 80% better than when we started on Friday. In Race 2, I was trying for the podium and knew I needed to take advantage of the opportunities to pass that came up, so I took a risk, and it didn’t pay off. In Race 3, I just gave it all I had every lap. I wanted the podium and was putting up a good fight. Then I was passed for fourth on the last lap, but I thought, ‘Not today,’ and got the position back. My confidence is exceedingly high, and I am looking forward to Austin. It is close to Mexico, and I know there will be a lot of support from the fans.”
Brandon Paasch (96) continues to progress in Superbike competition. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch continued to come to grips with the squad’s GSX-R1000R Superbike, twice running in contention for sixth after finishing ninth on Saturday. In Sunday’s first contest, Paasch achieved that precise result to improve his top-ten streak to seven races. Unfortunately, the run of results ended in the afternoon, when the New Jersey native suffered a DNF after controlling sixth place just two laps from the end.
Paasch said, “It was another good weekend for us. I am learning a lot, and I think we might be a little ahead of schedule as far as how things are going. We made some real headway in Race 2. We stayed with the lead group for a while. As the tire went off, I lost some ground, but we still were able to get sixth place. I had a lot of confidence going into Race 3. I made a move for position and ended up running into the grass, but I was able to run pretty well after that. It looked like another solid result before we had a problem at the end. I had a lot of seat time again and we are closer to the leaders, so I feel confident going into the next round.”
Team Hammer will next travel to the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, for the penultimate round of the 2023 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season on September 8-10.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2023 season marks Team Hammer’s 43rd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 131 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 355 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport). The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Mathew Scholtz Wraps Up The Weekend At Pitt Race With A Runner-Up Result
Mathew Scholtz (11) leads Josh Herrin (2), Richie Escalante (54), PJ Jacobsen (99), and JD Beach (95) at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Wampum, PA – The final day of MotoAmerica Superbikes at Pittsburgh was a very good one for Mathew Scholtz and his Westby Racing team. With a third-place finish on Saturday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (Pitt Race) already under their belts, Mathew and the team notched a fourth-place result earlier in the day on Sunday. Then, in a rare second Superbike race on Sunday, making it a total of three Superbike races for the weekend, Mathew delivered his best result of the event, which was a runner-up finish to cap things off at PittRace.
All told, that’s a total of eight podium appearances and five runner-up results in Mathew’s and the Westby Racing Team’s last six race weekends at PittRace.
Mathew started from the outside of the front row in both of Sunday’s races based on his qualifying result from Saturday morning.
In race two, he slotted in behind Jake Gagne on the opening lap. He was overtaken by PJ Jacobsen and then Josh Herrin, which moved him into fourth where he doggedly held on to the position and withstood a strong challenge from Richie Escalante.
“The start wasn’t the greatest for me,” Mathew said about race two. “I kind of dropped down to fourth slightly, and I was just trying to hang onto Gagne, Jacobsen, and Herrin. I was struggling. I was losing a lot of time from the final corner to the first corner, and from wheelie hill to corner four. So, I was just basically going backwards and forwards. I was on the limit. I couldn’t go any faster.”
Following race two, the team made some critical adjustments to the setup on Mathew’s #11 Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike. He got a much better start in race three and slotted into second place in pretty short fashion. And, even though Herrin once again overtook him about halfway through the race, Mathew was able to get back around him and re-establish himself in second where he focused on chasing down Gagne in the lead. At the checkered flag, Mathew finished just a little more than a second and three-quarters behind Gagne.
About race three, Mathew commented, “We made a pretty decent change on the traction control just to help when I first crack the throttle open so that the bike doesn’t just want to spin as you first start to wind it on. I was definitely pushing the front more while on the gas, but it helped me to roll through the middle of the corner to keep up with the Ducati a little bit better. Early on in the race, I was struggling a little bit because I was on the absolute limit. I kept my confidence, though, and I managed to get past Josh with a couple laps to go and open up a small gap. So, I’m really happy with that. I’m happy with the changes that we made to the bike, and I think it’s going to work well for us at the next two tracks.”
Mathew’s third-, fourth-, and second-place results at PittRace have moved him back up to fifth place in the Championship standings with two rounds and four more races to go in the 2023 season.
The Westby Racing team will be back in action on September 8 through 10 at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, for round eight of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Americas:
APRILIA RS 660 RIDERS LANDERS, RODIO WIN MOTOAMERICA TWINS CUP RACES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL RACE COMPLEX
RODIO RACING – POWERED BY ROBEM ENGINEERING DUO NOW FIRST, THIRD IN CLASS STANDINGS WITH ONE ROUND REMAINING
PITTSBURGH, PA – At the previous MotoAmerica Twins Cup round at Laguna Seca in July, Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders Rocco Landers and Gus Rodio won one race each. This past weekend, the duo repeated those results, with each rider also riding an Aprilia RS 660 to a podium finish and Rodio increasing his lead in the Twins Cup standings from three points to eight.
Landers’ and Rodio’s results were hard earned, as both races featured close, hard racing between them and another frontrunning rider. Landers also weathered a small crash Sunday morning and persevered through an engine issue in Race 2 to secure a second-place finish.
Though Rodio and Landers were the only two Aprilia riders in the top 10 in Friday morning practice, the duo were the second and third fastest riders in the session. Rodio’s best lap time was about one-tenth of a second faster than Landers’. Later Friday, Rodio ended the day on provisional pole. His best time in Qualifying 1 was more than a second faster than his best time from practice – and 0.063 seconds faster than the next-fastest rider. Landers ended that session third-fastest.
Qualifying 2 ended with a Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia on pole position, as Landers laid down a 1:47.736 lap time to secure his fifth Twins Cup pole of the 2023 season. Rodio ended up qualifying third, putting two Aprilia RS 660s on the front row. The third Aprilia rider to qualify in the top 10 was Chase Brown of BrownTown Racing, who claimed 10th place on the starting grid.
Race 1 got off to a good start for Landers and Rodio, as the pair slotted in behind another frontrunner off the line. Rodio moved into first place a few corners later at Turn 7, and Landers advanced to second place a short time later but fell back to third place at the Turn 16 chicane. Though Rodio was leading the field at the end of Lap 1, Landers got past his teammate on Lap 2 and weathered a brief battle for the lead on Lap 4 to eventually claim the victory by 3.444 seconds. Rodio finished the remaining laps of the 11-lap race in third place, though a valiant effort on the last lap saw him narrowly miss out on clinching second place by 0.042 seconds. Brown finished the race in 10th to give Aprilia three riders in the top 10.
Landers had a monkey wrench thrown into his plans for Sunday’s race, as he crashed at Turn 3 during Sunday morning warm-up. The team and Landers decided to change the engine on his Aprilia RS 660 before the race.
Sunday’s Race 2 was reduced from 11 laps to 9 due to an incident in an earlier race, and, much like Race 1, Rodio and Landers were running second and third, respectively, as the field went through the first corner. Rodio moved into the race lead at Turn 3, and Rodio, Landers and one of their championship rivals gradually pulled away from the rest of the field. Rodio fell to second place as the trio approached the chicane on the backstraight on Lap 1, and the remaining laps featured a good scrap between Landers, Rodio and another rider. On the last lap, the other frontrunner made a mistake under braking, which allowed Landers and Rodio to pull away from him. As the duo navigated the remaining corners, Rodio was able to get by Landers to secure the win by 0.104 seconds. Landers’ runner-up result gave the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team its third 1-2 finish of the season. Brown scored another 10th-place result and was again the third Aprilia rider to finish in the top 10.
Of the 41 riders registered to compete in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup at PittRace, 16 of them were aboard Aprilia RS 660s.
The final – and title-deciding – round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season takes place Sept. 22-24 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J.
Gus Rodio (96). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Aprilia Americas.
Gus Rodio (No. 96) / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering
“We struggled a little bit with bike setup this weekend and getting through the second sector – which is the esses and backstraight. We made some progress today, but we took a gamble on the tires. We made a step in the right direction today with the setup, but the tire was a little greasy. I’m happy with the results we had this weekend, and we lengthened the points lead a little going into my home race. I’ll have a lot of friends and family at the next round, and we’ll see what happens there.”
Rocco Landers, after winning Twins Cup Race One at PittRace. Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Aprilia Americas.
Rocco Landers (No. 97) / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering
“This is a good track for me, and the team had the bike working really good. I made a mistake this morning and we took the precaution of changing the engine. Unfortunately, that change resulted in a loss of power. I tried hard in the race, and I don’t know if I could’ve done much more than I did. It was good to get another 1-2 result.”
More, from a press release issued by Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering:
Robem Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders Landers, Rodio victorious this past weekend at Pittsburgh International Race Complex
Rodio increases points lead at penultimate MotoAmerica Twins Cup round of 2023
WAMPUM, Pa. — With the 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season winding down, both Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders took home a victory and podium finish at the class’ penultimate round of the 2023 season. 2020 Twins Cup champion Rocco Landers took top honors in the Saturday Twins Cup race at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, while his teammate Gus Rodio’s victory in Sunday’s race allowed him to retake and increase his lead in the Twins Cup points standings. Both riders also delt with some disappointment at the Aug. 18-20 event, as Rodio came oh-so-close to a runner-up finish on Saturday, while a crash in Sunday’s warm-up session made Landers’ race on Sunday a more challenging task. Despite the setbacks, the team achieved its third 1-2 finish of the season, and both riders are locked in a three-way battle for the championship that will be decided at the season finale in September.
The weekend started well for the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering duo. In Friday morning practice, Rodio and Landers were the second- and third-fastest riders, respectively. Both riders lowered their best lap times from practice by more than a second in the Friday afternoon Qualifying 1 session, and Rodio claimed provisional pole position by a narrow 0.063 second margin. Landers provisionally qualified third.
Qualifying 2 ended up being Landers’ moment to shine. After spending most of the session in third place, Landers put down a blindingly fast lap with a few minutes to go in the session and claimed his fifth pole position of the year. Rodio finished qualifying in third place, putting both of the team’s Aprilia RS 660s on the front row for the round’s two Twins Cup races.
Saturday afternoon’s Race 1 was the scene of a Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering victory — and nearly a 1-2 finish. Rodio and Landers slotted into second and third place, respectively, as the field went through the holeshot. Rodio was the first to make a move to the lead, which he accomplished on the first lap at Turn 7. Landers also moved up a position and few corners later, and it was Rodio who led the field at the end of the first lap. Landers briefly fell to third in the running order early in Lap 2, but was back into second place by the time he exited Turn 4. Landers then made a pass on his teammate Rodio for the lead and – except for briefly dropping to second at the start of Lap 4 – Landers led every lap and clinched the win by more than three seconds. Rodio ran the remainder of the race in third place, though he made a big push in the closing laps for second place but had to settle for third by a mere 0.042 seconds.
Sunday got off to a downer start for one of the team’s riders, as Landers suffered a minor crash during the morning warm-up session. As a precaution, Landers and the team decided to make an engine change before Race 2.
The start of Race 2 mirrored Race 1, as Rodio and Landers were running second and third at the first turn and Rodio quickly made a move to take the lead a couple corners later. The three riders battling for the lead quickly began pulling away from the rest of the field, and Rodio dropped to second place before the end of the first lap. Most of the shortened nine-lap race featured an intense battle between the three riders vying for the lead until the other frontrunner made a mistake on the last lap that allowed Landers and Rodio to pull away from him. Though Landers had the lead heading into the last few corners, Rodio was able to get by him before the finish line to take the win by a mere 0.104 seconds.
Rodio ended the weekend at PittRace with an eight-point lead in the points standings, while Landers is in third place – just 14 points behind Rodio with two races remaining.
The last round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season is scheduled for Sept. 22-24 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J.
Gus Rodio (96). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering.
Gus Rodio / No. 96
“We struggled a little bit with bike setup this weekend and getting through the second sector – which is the esses and backstraight. We made some progress today, but we took a gamble on the tires. We made a step in the right direction today with the setup, but the tire was a little greasy. I’m happy with the results we had this weekend, and we lengthened the points lead a little going into my home race. I’ll have a lot of friends and family at the next round, and we’ll see what happens there.”
Rocco Landers (97). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering.
Rocco Landers / No. 97
“This is a good track for me, and the team had the bike working really good. I made a mistake this morning and we took the precaution of changing the engine. Unfortunately, that change resulted in a loss of power. I tried hard in the race, and I don’t know if I could’ve done much more than I did. It was good to get another 1-2 result.”
Robem Engineering’s technical partners for 2023 include Aprilia Racing, Piaggio Group Americas, Bitubo Suspension, Dunlop, Woodcraft Technologies, Dymag, Vesrah, Sprint Filter, DID, Sara Chappell Photos, NGK/NTK, Blud Lubricants, Millennium Technologies, Motovation USA and SC-Project.
Rodio Racing’s technical partners for 2023 include NJ MiniGP, Luxestar VIP, MAR Contractors, Evolve GT, N2 Racing, Dunlop, Spellcaster Productions, Kathedral, The Martinn and MVR Endeavor.
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
BMW Motorrad Motorsport Customer Racing Teams MotoAmerica Superbikes at Pittsburgh Weekend 2023.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – Aug. 21, 2023…Round 7 of 9 of MotoAmerica’s Superbike Race weekends took place at the newly configured 2.78-mile Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Wampum, PA. The Steel Commander Stock 1000 riders did not participate in this round, leaving the Medallia Superbike M 1000 and S 1000 riders to carry the BMW flag over three races. Cameron Beaubier regained his Saturday form and finished on the podium in Race 1. A collision with another rider during race 2 would put Beaubier out of the remaining two weekend races, however. PJ Jacobsen missed the podium in race 1 and race 3 but rode to a 2nd place finish in race number 2.
BMW-mounted MotoAmerica Superbike Cup racer Nolan Lamkin (21). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Medallia Superbike Race 1 (Saturday)
Tytlers Cycle Racing M 1000 RR teammates, Cameron Beaubier and PJ Jacobsen started the 17-lap race from 5th and 6th positions, respectively. By lap 3, Jacobsen and Beaubier had worked themselves into 4th and 5th, giving chase to the group of Yamahas ahead. On Lap 6, the teammates swapped positions when Beaubier passed Jacobsen to take over 4th. Just a lap later, Beaubier took over 3rd, followed soon after by 2nd on lap 8. He would not be able to catch the race leading Yamaha however, and would finish 2nd, putting some previously bad Saturday race luck behind him. PJ Jacobsen, who won his first Superbike race in round 6, finished 5th.
Top 10 BMW finishers in Race 1 were:
2nd Cameron Beaubier No. 6 Tytlers Cycle Racing
5th PJ Jacobsen No. 99 Tytlers Cycle Racing
BMW racers Corey Alexander (23) and Ashton Yates (22) at speed at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Medallia Superbike Race 2 (Sunday)
Tytlers Cycle Racing worked throughout the night to find a few tenths of a second per lap for each team BMW M 1000 RR leading up to race 2. PJ Jacobsen and Cameron Beaubier would start from row 2 for the second race of the weekend, in 5th and 6th respectively. A bad start left Beaubier in 10th position, trying to work his way back to the front. PJ Jacobsen began the race in 5th but soon after, on lap 3, a leading rider went off track, elevating Jacobsen to 4th.
On lap 8, BMW S 1000 RR rider, Ashton Yates appeared to have a hesitation issue coming through the new chicane, causing Cameron Beaubier to ride up on Ashton’s rear tire, causing Cameron to crash and the race to be red flagged.
The restart of race 2 had the riders re-grid in the position they were in when the red flag was waved. PJ Jacobsen had an excellent restart, grabbing 2nd from his 3rd place restart position. Jacobsen would finish the race in 2nd, making it two podium finishes for Tytlers Cycle Racing, in the first two races of the weekend.
Top 10 BMW finishers in Race 2 were:
2nd PJ Jacobsen No 99 Tytlers Cycle Racing
8th Corey Alexander No. 23 Tytlers Cycle Racing
Medallia Superbike Race 3 (Sunday)
PJ Jacobsen would start race 3 from 5th position, in the middle of row 2. His Tytlers Cycle Racing teammate Cameron Beaubier would not start after a hard crash in previous race. Jacobsen was part of a breakaway group of five riders, who were chasing the race leading Yamaha, all the while battling with each other for position. The group would not catch the race leader and Jacobsen would finish in 5th place, putting himself ahead of Beaubier in season points.
Top 10 BMW finishers in Race 3 were:
5th PJ Jacobsen No 99 Tytlers Cycle Racing
10th Nolan Lamkin No. 21 Tom Wood Powersports
Standings After Round 7
In Medallia Superbikes season points, PJ Jacobsen now stands in 3rd place with Cameron Beaubier in 4th, Corey Alexander in 8th and Ashton Yates in 10th.
With no racing this past weekend, the Steel Commander Stock 1000 season points standings remain unchanged with Ezra Beaubier leading, Kaleb De Keyrel in 3rd, Travis Wyman in 4th and Nolan Lamkin in 5th.
BMW Group in America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles as well as the BMW XM. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 350 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers,147 BMW motorcycle retailers, 104 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
More, from a press release issued by Tytlers Cycle Racing:
Podium and double top five for PJ at Pitt Race as Cameron podiums before horror crash, whilst Corey scores solid points
It was a challenging weekend for Tytlers Cycle Racing in the latest round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Championship which took place last weekend at the 2.7-mile undulating Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
Known affectionately as PittRace, round seven of the series saw the return to the track for former multiple champion Cameron Beaubier, who by his own admission was tentative on Friday before putting himself into contention for another front running weekend in qualifying. He took sixth on the grid just behind Brainerd race winner PJ Jacobsen who was consistently inside the top five throughout the event.
PJ would once again be the team’s top scorer across the weekend’s three Superbike races. The New Yorker bagging fifth, second and fifth place finishes to move into third overall in the points standings. He was in the fight for the podium in all three of the seventeen lap encounters.
Cameron Beaubier raced to his eighth podium of the year on Saturday to keep his title hopes alive before an incident during Sunday’s second race floored the #6, bringing a temporary halt to proceedings. A mechanical issue for a rival left Cameron with nowhere to go, the result was a scary looking crash that ruled him out of the rest of the weekend.
It was a slightly tougher time for the team’s third rider Corey Alexander who after qualifying on row four of the grid finished twelfth in Saturday’s opening race. He finished eighth in race two on Sunday before retiring in race three.
The results mean the title fight is over for the team as far as 2023 goes but with both PJ and Cameron in contention for a top three final placing their full focus is on the final two rounds at COTA and in New Jersey where the intention is to put the BMW M 1000 RR on the top of the podium before the season ends.
Corey Alexander (23). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.
Corey Alexander: “It was a challenging start to the weekend in terms of grip for everyone and we tried a bunch of things to try to find some which included some changes for race one that didn’t pay off. It was a very long and difficult race on Saturday, and I was looking forward to a more positive result in both races on Sunday. We managed a P8 and much better pace on Sunday afternoon’s first race but still struggled with grip issues throughout. Unfortunately, we suffered a mechanical before the start of race three. We made some big improvements between the races, and it would’ve been nice to see them through with a better result but onwards we go to COTA.”
Cameron Beaubier (6). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.
Cameron Beaubier: “I am happy with a P2 in race one on Saturday especially after how the weekend started. We struggled in practice and qualifying but made some positive changes going into the race which brought us into contention. On Sunday morning we made a couple of positive changes and were able to go fastest in warm up and I was looking forward to two good races. I got a bad start in race two, the first of two for us on Sunday and was trying to make my way through but was having major grip problems. Unfortunately, Ashton (Yates) had a bike problem right in front of me and I was left with nowhere to go and had a nasty get off. The bad luck has been rolling lately but it is nice to be home and for the healing to start.”
PJ Jacobsen (99). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.
PJ Jacobsen: “The first of the weekend didn’t go as I had hoped. I was fastest on Friday but it then kinda went a bit downhill. I wasn’t happy to come away with fifth but was super motivated to improve for the rest of the weekend. Sunday’s first race was good for me. I was able to get another podium with a P2 after the race was stopped. It sucks what happened to Cam (Beaubier) and I wish him a speedy recovery. We were close to the win, and we made some changes for race three. It was much hotter, and I was in the hunt for the podium again but unfortunately, we had to settle for another fifth. We are now third in points, and we move to COTA with the goal to once again be on the box.”
More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports:
MotoAmerica: Altus Motorsports Results from PittRace
(Pittsburgh, PA) The MotoAmerica round at Pittsburgh International Race Complex or, “PittRace”, was a successful one for the Altus Motorsports team. Alessandro Di Mario was extremely impressive and put the Altus Ninja 400 on the podium in both Junior Cup Races. In Supersport, Jaret Nassaney is feeling comfortable on his GSX-750 for the first time this year and is poised to finish the season strong.
Supersport:
Jaret Nassaney made notable progress during the MotoAmerica round at PittRace. While his 10th-place qualifying position might not immediately suggest improvement, this weekend marked a significant turning point. His setup and feeling on the bike were the best they have been so far this year and will be the foundation to finish the season strong. He started both the Supersport races from 10th and finished Race 1 in 9th and Race 2 in 11th.
Jaret Nassaney (59). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
Jaret Nassaney: “We are definitely moving in the right direction. We had a decent race on Saturday and would have had a better result on Sunday, but we struggled with a quick shifter issue that hurt my pace a bit. Overall, I’m happy with the weekend and looking forward to the next round.”
Junior Cup:
Alessandro Di Mario had a breakout weekend at PittRace. After topping the timing chart for Practice 1, he ended up qualifying 4th and started both Junior Cup races from the head of the second row.
Throughout both races, Di Mario consistently ran with the lead group, actively participating in the intense battles at the front of the pack. His consistency and determination earned him a 3rd-place finish in the first race.
Sunday’s Race 2 saw Di Mario seize the holeshot and lead the race until a red flag temporarily halted proceedings. Upon the restart, he quickly maneuvered into 3rd position and made a decisive move to regain the lead by the third lap. The remainder of the race was marked by his unwavering presence at the front. Alessandro even led the final lap but narrowly missed the victory, as he was overtaken at the finish line, ultimately settling for a well-deserved second place.
Alessandro Di Mario (70). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
Alessandro Di Mario: “We made some setup changes which made me a lot more comfortable on the bike. Sadly the shifter broke on the first motor so I had to use the spare one which was less powerful. I probably wouldn’t have gotten drafted at the line with the first motor but it is what it is. I still had a great weekend but I would like to have a better one at Jersey.”
George Nassaney: “I am very happy with our results In Pittsburgh. Alessandro had his best finishes of the year and rode amazingly. He is going to be on fire at New Jersey. It’s been a very tough season for my son Jaret, but he is now feeling more confident. Hiring Crew Chief Boyd Brunner was the best decision I could have made for our team. We know our riders will finish the season strong. I would personally like to thank Boyd Brunner, Mike Castro, Blair Ramey, William Gerken, LJ Parker, Ed Longacre for all the hard work this past weekend.”
Altus Motorsports team is supported by our great family of sponsors: Altus Motorsports, FLY Racing WPS, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Yamaha Motor Company, Barnett, Buy A Jet From Steve Main, Maxima Racing Oils, Moto-D Racing, Bonamici, Hot Bodies Racing, M4 Exhausts, Vortex EK, Motion Pro, SBS Brakes, BrakeTech USA, Inc., Ohlins, K-Tech, RS Taichi, Arai, Yoshimura, Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers, CarbonSmith, Law Tigers Oklahoma, and Altus Factory Racing
More, from a press release issued by Kreece Elliott Racing:
KO for Kreece Elliott at Pittsburgh but he’s taking the positives and ready to end the season on a high at NJMP in September
The penultimate round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship at Pittsburgh International Race Complex last weekend ended with a zero score on the board for rising star Kreece Elliott who was ruled unfit for the weekend after an on-track incident in Saturday morning’s final qualifying session.
Running well inside the top ten in the early stages of Free Practice on Friday, Kreece was just settling into his stride in Q2 before disaster struck. The #47 was taken out by a wayward rival and after taking a heavy hit was deemed unfit by the MotoAmerica medical team.
Understandably frustrated and annoyed, Kreece is now fully focused on the final two races of the season in New Jersey in September. He remains fifteenth overall in the points classification.
Kreece Elliott: “I felt really good going into the weekend. I had made a ton of notes after a track walk with Liam MacDonald who was with me for the weekend. Friday morning went well. I felt good and knew where could improve. In qualifying one I stayed in the same position but had improved my time by over a second. We noticed some things that we could change for Saturday, and I had improved by a couple of seconds and honestly, I felt amazing. I was in the group and was on a good lap until I was wiped out by someone who just didn’t look. I hit my head and that was that. I really think we could have been in the top ten fight on both days and so to not even be able to race through no fault of my own is annoying. On the other hand, I am taking the positives and looking froward to New Jersey where I want to finish the year on a high. I want to thank Bilmola, Bison and Gaerne for keeping me safe and to Liam, Michael, my mum and dad and everyone who is supporting me. See you in September!”
Between now and the season finale, Kreece will launch his new KE47 merchandise range which will be available globally through his website. Stay tuned for more information.
Cameron Beaubier (6), before it all went wrong at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Five-time MotoAmerica Cameron Beaubier has had a rough last two rounds of MotoAmerica racing.
On July 29 at Brainerd International Raceway, Beaubier highsided his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR during Race One and suffered a concussion that kept him from competing in Race Two.
Then during Race Two on Sunday, August 20 at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), the former Moto2 World Championship rider suffered an even scarier crash.
After running off the track earlier in the race, Beaubier found himself trailing Ashton Yates in a multi-rider fight for eighth place. Armed with some new chassis parts, Yates and his Aftercare Scheibe Racing BMW S 1000 RR were not so easy to get around.
Exiting the chicane on lap seven, the connector to Yates’ electric throttle came loose and his engine went to idle, or “limp mode,” and he suddenly decelerated without warning. Beaubier had no time to react and ran into the back of Yates’ motorcycle.
Beaubier came off his BMW and in the process was struck by the Disrupt Racing Suzuki of Hayden Gillim, who was immediately behind Beaubier at the time.
Beaubier went for a painful tumble down the track, and the race was stopped with a red flag.
Prior to the restart, fans watching on TV saw a conscious Beaubier being loaded into an ambulance with bandages wrapping his head. What fans and most people in the paddock didn’t see was Beaubier’s face covered in blood and the puddle of blood on the track immediately after the incident.
In fact, race officials were seen on TV cleaning something off the track, but instead of mechanical fluids from Beaubier’s motorcycle the fluids were “biological,” according to one official. They were cleaning up Beaubier’s blood.
The good news is that those lacerations were Beaubier’s worst injury, according to his crew chief Dave Weaver. The lacerations were stitched up at the track by MotoAmerica’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carl Price (who just happens to be a plastic surgeon), and Beaubier never went to the hospital. He did not participate in Race Three, however.
Beaubier did not respond to a text message from Roadracingworld.com, but he posted the photo below Sunday evening from the airport in Pittsburgh with the caption: “Tough run. Rider ok. We live to fight another day 💪🏽 Thanks to the medical staff on-site and everyone who reached out. Back to the home team ❤️”
This was the closest the top three would be during the second of three scheduled Superbike races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). Ben Young (1) pulled away early to finish just over five seconds ahead of Sam Guerin (2) and championship leader Alex Dumas (23). Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Young wins again in race two, Tremblay takes Sport Bike at CTMP
Bowmanville, ON – The battle for the 2023 Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship continued to heat up on Sunday, as Ben Young won race two in the GP Bikes Pro Superbike feature class at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Similar to race one on Saturday, Young saw championship leader Alex Dumas grab the holeshot off the line, but again needed just a handful of corners to seize the lead from his main rival.
Unlike race one, however, Young failed to break away from the chasing pack, as Sam Guerin moved past Dumas and quickly latched onto the reigning champion with the lead trio separating from an eight-rider group.
Young would eventually squeeze out a slightly more comfortable gap, which would force Dumas to ramp up the pressure on Guerin in second, running nose-to-tail right to the final lap of the race.
While Young crossed the line for his second consecutive win, Dumas attempted a daring pass into the final corner, only for Guerin to respond with a beautiful switchback and win the drag to the line for second.
That proved to be another blessing for Young, who scored the 13th Superbike victory of his career – moving him into sole possession of fourth all-time – and cut his title deficit to just 14 points after trailing by 36 prior to CTMP.
“These guys pushed me right to the end, but our Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW continued to work great again today, and these Bridgestone tires held up really well for all 18 laps,” Young said. “It’s been a trying year, but the highs are always really good and the lows are a bit tough, so we’re trying to put a smile on through it all.”
Young will continue to thank Guerin for his efforts, as the EFC Group BMW rider has been a thorn in the side of Dumas for two of three Superbike races this weekend, playing a massive role in the championship fight while helping lift BMW to the top spot in the Constructors standings.
“Another BMW one-two, it feels like a win,” Guerin said. “I was trying to latch on to Ben before Alex got me a couple times in the first few laps, but thankfully I managed to get him back at the end.”
As for Dumas, the Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly rider confirmed he was still feeling under the weather on Sunday, but looked much stronger on-track despite his last-corner pass coming up just short.
“The pace was good – faster than yesterday – but Sam was also,” Alex said. “I was trying to save some energy for the last lap, but it didn’t stick. We still have the points lead, so hopefully we can keep it positive and get some better results in Shannonville.”
Not far behind the battle for third was another 18-lap duel between Jordan Szoke and Tomas Casas, where Casas led for majority of the first half of the race before Szoke took over in the second half.
Casas attempted to launch a last-lap pass of his own, but the Parts Canada Yamaha rider came up just short as Szoke held onto fourth for the LDS Consultants Kawasaki team, another strong result for the 14-time champion.
Sebastien Tremblay became the sixth different winner in seven races of the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike class, fending off Elliot Vieira for his first victory of the season.
The 2021 champion crashed out of the round three make-up race on Friday and failed to make the start in race one on Saturday, but made up for all of it with a resilient effort to score his first win since switching to Turcotte Performance Suzuki machinery.
“I knew Elliot had a bit more top speed, so I tried really hard to push into turn five every time and build a gap,” Tremblay said. “Our weekend started really badly – we actually had to rebuild the bike on Friday – but this is a much better result.”
Vieira pushed Tremblay from start-to-finish but was unable to launch a proper move, even with an advantage down the Andretti Straightaway aboard his GP Bikes Ducati.
“Tremblay rode the ass of that Suzuki! I had the draft on him, but he was so consistent in the first half of the track,” the race one winner said. “It sucks to not win again, but it’s the best we could do today.”
While Vieira and Tremblay ran their own race up front, the battle for the championship heated up behind them, as David MacKay ran a quietly solid race to complete the podium.
The ODH Snow City Cycle Kawasaki rider stuck with the lead duo for the first few laps before fading back into a lonely third, a smart move for the championship frontrunner as rival Matt Simpson could only manage fifth on the day.
“That was the point of the race today, to just keep the points intact,” MacKay said. “I latched onto them at the front until there was a gap behind, and then I just tried to avoid any mistakes.”
The unfortunate showing for Simpson stretches MacKay’s lead to 16 points with two races to go in round five, a still-manageable gap but one that went in the opposite direction for the Blackstock Motorsports Yamaha rider.
His effort was partially unraveled by a career day for rookie Nathan Playford, who denied a last-lap pass attempt to take fourth aboard his Playford Company Inc. Ducati, marking a pair of V2 Panigale’s inside the top-four.
Casas added to his day with a second consecutive victory in the Bickle Racing Pro Twins class, completing a weekend sweep in his one-off appearance aboard the Acme Motorsports Yamaha machine.
Casas moved comfortably into third in the championship after just two races, winning comfortably again in the split-class race.
Full results from Sunday’s races can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
More, from another press release issued by CSBK:
Young sweeps CTMP tripleheader to set up title showdown
Ben Young (1) scored a perfect weekend at the CTMP tripleheader, winning all three GP Bikes Pro Superbike races over Sam Guerin (2) and Alex Dumas (23). Tomas Casas (18) finished race three in fourth ahead of Jordan Szoke (101). Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Bowmanville, ON – The fight for the 2023 Canada Cup drew almost even on Sunday, as Ben Young conquered Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for a third time to complete the tripleheader sweep in round four of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship.
After cruising to wins in race one on Saturday and race two earlier on Sunday, Young continued to be no match for any of his GP Bikes Pro Superbike competitors as he grabbed the lap one holeshot and never looked back, dominating en route to a seven-second victory.
That in itself would have been enough to make matters interesting in the championship fight, but it was aided for a third consecutive time by Sam Guerin, who continued to make life difficult for points leader Alex Dumas in the penultimate round.
Guerin would lead a thrilling four-rider battle for all 18 laps, repeatedly denying attempts from Dumas to limit the damage in second, who did all he could to survive a separate attack from Tomas Casas and Jordan Szoke.
Ultimately, Dumas would have to settle for yet another third-place finish, watching as Young trimmed his championship deficit from 36 points to now just three entering the final round at Shannonville Motorsport Park next month (another tripleheader).
“What an accomplishing weekend for the whole team, and such a big points haul. I guess it’s going to come down to the wire as always!” Young said. “Our Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW has just been phenomenal all year, and I owe another thanks to Sam for taking some points off Alex, which is good for BMW in the Constructors as well.”
Young also brought home the annual King of Mosport award for the second time in three years, scoring the most total points across the weekend as he becomes the second-winningest rider in CTMP history.
His sensational comeback – one of the largest in CSBK history – has set up a last round showdown at Shannonville in September, the same venue where the season began with a pair of Dumas victories in May.
“We’re really looking forward to Shannonville. We got nothing to lose now after crawling back,” Young added. “Alex is obviously really good there, but Alex is good everywhere so hopefully we can take it to him a couple more times.”
The title shift owes a lot to the breakthrough performances of Guerin, who capped off the best weekend of his career with a trio of runner-up finishes aboard his EFC Group BMW.
While that severely impacted Dumas’ title hopes, it also caused a massive swing in the Constructors standings, where BMW turned their 28-point deficit into a 37-point lead.
“It’s been a dream weekend, hopefully we put on a good show for all the fans here,” Guerin said. “I got to give a huge thanks to BMW for helping make this happen, and I hope we can help bring home the Constructors championship for them.”
Sunday brought a merciful end to what was a disaster weekend for Dumas, watching his comfortable lead evaporate atop the championship as the Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki star now finds himself on the back foot entering SMP.
“Not at all what we were expecting, but we still have the lead,” Dumas said of his three-point advantage. “At least we’re comfortable at Shannonville, so hopefully we can make up for this next month and bring home the championship.”
The similar results continued for Casas and Szoke, who each finished in the top-five in all three races (but in swapped positions for race two), with Casas taking fourth and the 14-time champion fifth in race three.
The strong weekend moves Casas into a comfortable fourth in the championship as he trails Guerin by 33 points aboard his Parts Canada Yamaha, helping his brand extend their advantage over Kawasaki for third in the Constructors as well.
As for Szoke, the LDS Consultants Kawasaki rider completed his best round of the year to more than double his championship output, jumping three spots to fifth in the overall point standings.
His LDS Consultants teammate Trevor Dion would wind up one spot behind in sixth after a mechanical failure in race two, coming out on top of a lights-to-flag duel with Eli Daccache aboard his Milwaukee Yamaha.
RLS Contracting Suzuki teenager John Fraser built up his lead atop the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year battle, finishing eighth once again to take a four-point lead over Acme Motorsports Yamaha rider Paul Macdonell entering round five.
The feature class will now take a four-week breather before returning to Shannonville Motorsports Park for the decisive showdown, September 15-17, where Young and Dumas will go toe-to-toe for the 2023 Canada Cup across three feature class races.
Full results can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
Bad Boys Racing Kawasaki’s Avery Dreher extended his Championship point lead by winning MotoAmerica Junior Cup Race Two Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania.
Dreher drafted past Altus Motorsports Kawasaki’s Alessandro Di Mario on the run from the final corner to the checkered flag, relegating Di Mario to second place by a margin of 0.030 second.
Fairium NGRT – Gray Area Racing KTM’s Rossi Moor was third, just 0.150 second behind Dreher.
Update: After the race, podium ceremony, and press conference were completed, MotoAmerica issued revised results for Junior Cup Race Two. Those results noted that Moor was disqualified for having illegal wheel bearings on his KTM RC 390 R.
As a result of this change, Hayden Bicknese Racing Kawasaki’s Hayden Bicknese was promoted to third, and Dreher clinched the 2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship.
Jake Gagne won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Three Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Gagne led from start to finish on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1 and won the 17-lap race by 1.868 seconds.
With the race win, Gagne clinched his third consecutive MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship.
Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz broke free from the pack late in the race to secure a runner-up finish on his Yamaha YZF-R1.
Josh Herrin had to push his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R hard all the way to the checkered flag to earn third place.
Richie Escalante, riding his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R, fought to get his first Superbike podium finish but had to settle for another fourth place, just 0.6 second behind Herrin and 0.4 second ahead of fifth-place PJ Jacobsen and his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW.
Jacobsen’s teammate Cameron Beaubier did not start Race Three after crashing and suffering facial injuries in Race Two.
Gagne Wins His Third Straight MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Title
Jake Gagne Wraps Up Superbike Championship Number Three With Two Wins On Sunday at PittRace
Jake Gagne (1) leads the second of three MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike races over PJ Jacobsen (99), Josh Herrin (2), Mathew Scholtz (11), Richie Escalante (54) and JD Beach (95). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
WAMPUM, PA (August 20, 2023) – In case anyone had forgotten, Jake Gagne reaffirmed that he’s the best Superbike racer in the country on Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex with his two decisive victories earning him his third successive MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship.
Gagne and his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Superbike were perfect in both of today’s races, holding back all of the challenges the top men threw at him. In the first of the two Superbike races held on a sunny Sunday at Pitt Race, Gagne was challenged to the bitter end and came up just .264 of a second ahead of Tytlers Cycle Racing’s PJ Jacobsen. In the second Superbike race of the day, Gagne had it a bit easier as he topped Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz by 1.868 of a second.
Not even Gagne would have predicted that he would come out of Pitt Race with his third title as most believed the title fight would at least go to round eight at Circuit of The Americas in a few weeks’ time.
But, today was the day with Gagne’s eighth and ninth wins of the season and the 37th and 38th wins of his AMA Superbike career clinching the title with two rounds and four races left on the 2023 schedule.
Superbike Race 2 – Gagne On The Verge
Race two was red-flagged early on when Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier was involved in a scary crash when he ran into the back of Ashton Yates’ Aftercare Scheibe Racing BMW. With the two in a battle and Beaubier looking to make up spots after an off-track excursion, Yates led him through the chicane but on the exit his BMW had a mechanical issue that caused him to slow suddenly. With nowhere to go, Beaubier ran into the back of Yates and crashed heavily. Beaubier was transported to the infield medical center and was treated for facial lacerations.
The battle for victory came down to Gagne (1) vs. Jacobsen (99) with Gagne emerging victorious. Herrin (2), meanwhile, ended up third. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
By this point, Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong was already out of the race with the pole sitter crashing his Yamaha YZF-R1 in the opening laps.
Although he was pushed the entire way by Jacobsen, it was Gagne taking the victory, his eighth of the year, over the New Yorker.
Third in race two on Saturday went to Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Josh Herrin, 1.4 seconds behind Jacobsen and a second ahead of Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz.
JD Beach was impressive in riding the injured Cameron Petersen’s Fresh N Lean Progressive Racing Yamaha to fifth, well clear of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch. Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim was eighth, just a few tenths ahead of Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cory Alexander.
Benjamin Smith Racing’s Benjamin Smith and Steel Commander’s Gabriel Da Silva rounded out the top 10.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante crashed out of fourth place on the last lap.
Race Two Quotes Jake Gagne – Winner
“Yeah. Obviously that red flag, at first, I was bummed and then to go by and see Cam (Beaubier) down again… man, we were all just seeing what we saw on the track. It was gnarly there for a second. So, I hope he’s okay. I knew it would be hot, greasy, gnarly. Restart, eight-lap sprint. I could feel these guys on me. I could hear those bikes every turn. Just tried to hit my marks because I knew if I was a little wide there, a little wide here, they would have got up in there. But it was a fun race because I could hear them the whole time. So having eight laps pushing and trying to be as consistent as possible is a good time. So, hats off to these guys. We’ve got to go throw down this afternoon, so it will be fun.”
PJ Jacobsen – Second Place
“Yeah, people say that and I’m like, ‘I’m upright as much as I can, and I’m still sliding everywhere.’ Every time he was spinning up, I was spinning up as well, just trying to get the same drive grip as him. But both races were honestly going to be good for me, I thought. Even that first one before the restart, I think I was catching (Mathew) Scholtz and Richie (Escalante) when they started coming back to me. So, it was really good. I’m happy. We made some changes, and the bike was working really good.”
Josh Herrin – Third Place
“The bike felt good all weekend. It’s kind of like it was at Barber. I just feel super good on the bike, but we’re not able to drive forward on the track. Everybody is having the problem, but it seems like we’re having it pretty bad. Today I said just take the TC (traction control) out. Not all the way, but just let the thing hang. The warmup lap we ran shag tires on the parade lap, and that thing was like flat track sideways. I was like, ‘Is this thing okay? It’s sideways.’ They’re like, ‘That’s what you asked for.’ The thing obviously worked way better than it did yesterday. It was just a handful. I felt like I was riding a bike with 50 more horsepower today. But it worked, so that’s the important thing. I’m just wore out because it was tough. This third race, I’m not going to lie, it’s going to be hard on everyone but it’s going to be a tough one. It’s getting hotter. I’m really happy with how today went. I just didn’t have it for them at the end. I felt good. I just made one little mistake and then the mental focus kind of lost me for two turns and they were gone. I just couldn’t make it back up. I’ve been struggling really hard in the chicane.”
Superbike Race 3 – Title Time
Gagne got his normal fast start and led every lap of race three. Scholtz kept him honest, finishing 1.8 seconds behind the factory Yamaha.
The win, Gagne’s ninth on the year, gave him an insurmountable 337 points after 16 races – 101 points ahead of Herrin, who finished third. If Herrin would have finished second with Gagne winning, the title fight would have gone to the next round in Austin, Texas. Any chance of that was thwarted when Herrin, who was right on Gagne’s tail, blew the chicane and then waited for at least three riders to go by so that he wouldn’t be penalized.
Josh Herrin (2) tries to hold off Mathew Scholtz (11) and Richie Escalante (54) in the third and final Superbike race of the weekend while PJ Jacobsen (99) and JD Beach (95) give chase. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Herrin fought back, but ultimately lost out to Scholtz with the South African pulling away to beat the Ducati rider by 3.6 seconds. Herrin, meanwhile, had his hands full with Escalante who was trying to land his first Superbike podium. He would come up .6 of a second short at the finish.
Jacobsen was fifth and just another few tenths behind Escalante with Beach sixth again and less than a second behind Jacobsen, who moved to third in the championship by one point over Beaubier with his teammate’s failure to score points on Sunday.
Gillim was seventh for the second time on the day with pole-sitter Bobby Fong eighth. Smith was ninth again with Tom Wood Powersports’ Nolan Lamkin rounding out the top 10.
Jake Gagne wrapped up his third straight MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship on Sunday at Pitt Race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Race 3 Quotes Jake Gagne – Winner
“To do it with a couple wins here at a place this Yamaha loves is awesome. I just didn’t expect it. We didn’t really do any math. The team didn’t talk about it. Nobody talked about it. I just had a feeling if I won and I didn’t exactly know what Josh (Herrin) had to do, but I knew sure as hell Josh was going to put up a fight to bring it down to one more round, and I knew he was right there. Congrats to Matty (Scholtz). Doing Yamaha a favor, doing me a favor today. It’s cool to get it done early. Again, kind of unexpected. I haven’t been the fastest guy all year, but I guess kind of luck has been on my side. We finished almost every race, besides one. It’s going to be a hell of a fight for that championship run with a lot of guys in it next year. I’m looking forward to going to the last couple rounds and just duking it out with these guys with nothing else to worry about.”
Mathew Scholtz – Second Place
“We made a pretty decent change on the traction control just to kind of help when I first crack the gas so that the bike doesn’t just want to spin as you first start to wind it on. I was definitely pushing the front more on the gas, but it definitely helped me to kind of roll through the middle of the corner to kind of keep up with the Ducati a little bit better, once you have it picked up. Overall, the race early on I was struggling. I was on the absolute limit. This race I felt confident and I managed to get past Josh (Herrin) with a couple laps to go and open up a small gap. Kept it pretty similar to (Jake) Gagne out front. So, I’m really happy with that. I’m happy with the changes that we made to the bike. I think it’s going to work well at the next two tracks for us.”
Josh Herrin – Third Place
“Yeah, we left it. It worked. We didn’t change anything from the first race. We looked at stuff. I talked about maybe going one or two taller in the gearing because it seemed like I was struggling a little bit in the corners that I was using first gear – just trying to get that initial squirt. But second didn’t feel comfortable to me. But we ended up not going with it. We decided to just play it safe and stick with what was working because it would have lengthened the bike a little bit. Whenever I missed the chicane and I fought to catch up to Jake (Gagne), got right there. I actually felt like I did at Brainerd where I was like, ‘Okay, I might get a little bit heated at the end but at least I’m here and I can kind of plan something out a little bit.’ Then I don’t know what I did and ran off in the chicane. Then, unfortunately, you have to give up a second whenever you do that, so I let two guys go by. Then kind of just waited as long as I could before PJ (Jacobsen) got on my butt and then went. Then I think I charged back up to second. Then I switched the engine brake map to a different map and it was just free-wheeling a little bit too much. Started to get some slides on the front on the right side. I put it back to the mode that I was in originally, but I just never got that confidence back and unfortunately just didn’t have the pace. Congrats to these guys. Congrats to Jake on wrapping that championship up this fast. I didn’t think that was even possible to happen that quick. It just came out of nowhere. I saw it on Instagram right before the race started, and it kind of helped me get a little motivated to try to get up there at the beginning of this race. It just seems like there’s a trend all year where if Friday and Saturday are pretty rough for me, then Sunday is there. So, I’m really hoping that these guys give me one more shot next year. It would be the first year that I’ve had the same bike in Superbike in 10 years, for two years in a row. So, I’m really hoping that I get it again because I just love everything about this team and I’m having fun. Looking forward to COTA.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Josh Herrin and Xavi Forés on the Podium at PittRace
Sunnyvale, Calif., August 20 2023 — The seventh round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport Championship, held at the stunning 2.8-mile Pittsburgh International Race Complex, saw Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC stars Josh Herrin and Xavi Forés fighting at the pointy end in both categories.
In the three races for the Superbike category, Herrin came away with sixth place in race one and dug deep in races two and three to finish in third each time out behind Jake Gagne.
Herrin had his hands full with attention from Suzuki’s Richie Escalante in races two and three but resisted the his advances, Herrin’s two podium places cementing second in the championship on 236 points.
Forés nearly took the race one win, finishing a scant 0.180 behind race winner, Kawasaki’s Stefano Mesa, and had to settle for second place in race two behind Suzuki’s Tyler Scott.
Regardless, Forés is in the box seat to clinch the title at Circuit of The Americas in September as he heads into the round with an 86 point advantage and only needs to leave Texas with 50 points in hand.
2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings After Round Seven
P1 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 337
P2 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 236
P3 – PJ Jacobsen (BMW) 204
P3 – Cameron Beaubier (BMW) 203
P5 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 184
2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings After Round Seven
P1 – Xavi Forés (Ducati) 312
P2 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 226
P3 – Stefano Mesa (Kawasaki) 213
P4 – Josh Hayes (Yamaha) 209
P5 – Teagg Hobbs (Suzuki) 142
Josh Herrin (2) in action at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – #2)
“This weekend, I’m happy,” Herrin said. “To get two podium finishes after the start of the weekend, I’m stoked. It’s hard to say you’re happy when you’re getting third places when in my mind I’m on the best bike, but it is what it is. We’re nearly there and just missing that final piece to put it all together. Hopefully, I get to do another year with this team, which I think will help a lot given the experience I have. I’m happy to be back on the podium. I tried my hardest and was sliding around like crazy. It was a positive end to the weekend and now we’re onto COTA, a track we know well and one I know the bike and I will be strong at.”
Xavi Fores (12) leading a Supersport race at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Xavi Forés (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – #12)
“Overall it was a good weekend with two second places,” Forés said. “It was great to be back on the podium after the disaster in Brainerd. I was happy with my performance this weekend. It wasn’t enough to win but we are getting closer to the target of the title. We’ve got a small break between here and COTA, where I will spend time with my young family and recharge the batteries. My goal will be to take the title at COTA and then look to the future, where I hope to ride a Panigale V4 R soon.”
Round eight of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport Championship will take place at Circuit of The Americas in Texas on September 8-10, 2023.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Gagne Crowned 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne clinches third-consecutive premier-class championship with a sweep of the MotoAmerica Superbike tripleheader at PIRC
Jake Gagne. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
MARIETTA, Ga. – August 20, 2023 – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne took home his third-consecutive MotoAmerica Superbike Championship in style, sweeping the weekend at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex. The Colorado rider reigned supreme, winning both superbike races today in Wampum, Pennsylvania, to clinch the title two rounds early. Filling in for the injured Cameron Petersen, JD Beach continued to make progress in the challenging conditions, improving to a top-five finish in Race 2 and a sixth-place finish in Race 3.
Earlier today, Gagne got a great start in Race 2 and quickly claimed the lead. The Colorado rider threw down some fast times early and built a gap up front, but then the red flag came out with 10 laps to go. After the restart, Gagne grabbed the holeshot but was unable to break away from the pack in the eight-lap race. He kept cool under pressure and rode on to secure his eighth victory of the season and second of the weekend to move closer to the crown.
In Race 3, it was another flying start from Gagne with the holeshot. Although he was unable to ride away from the competition early on, he set the pace up front and threw down consistently fast times to build a gap and cross the line with a comfortable victory. Gagne’s superbike sweep at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex secured his third-consecutive premier-class title two rounds early with nine wins and a total of 13 podiums. During those three years, the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Rider has amassed an impressive tally of 38-career superbike wins aboard the Attack Performance Yamaha R1 and looks to add some more at the final rounds.
With more seat time, Beach continued to make progress in his first weekend back to superbike racing and got a better start in Race 2. In seventh, the dirt track/road racer jockeyed for position and kept pushing, making the pass for sixth on Lap 7 before the red flag came out. Moving up a row for the restart, Beach got another good start in sixth. He then closed the gap to the lead group with four laps to go, ultimately advancing to fifth. In the final race of the weekend, Beach was eighth after the start and made the pass for sixth on Lap 4. Once again, the Kentucky rider closed the gap to the lead group and rode a smart race in the greasy conditions to finish sixth.
Next up for the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team is the penultimate round of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on September 8-10.
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“The weekend went perfectly for us. Jake rode smart, won all three races, and against the odds, the championship. The crew did a great job, and our R1s ran great. We are very pleased that we can put counting the points behind us and will now just concentrate on winning.
“JD did a good job as well. He showed good pace and stayed within striking distance of the lead group in today’s races. It was a fun weekend, and we look forward to the last two events at COTA and NJMP.”
Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“It was a little unexpected and a little hard to put into words. Hats off to the whole team, my crew. It’s been a challenging year, but we’ve learned a lot – me as a rider and together as a team. I’ve just got an amazing group of people around me, and I get to ride this amazing R1. It feels so good to get my third title, and it’s going to feel good going into these next few rounds battling with these guys and not having to worry about the championship.
“It’s been different from the last couple of years. We weren’t always the fastest guy out there, but we were pretty consistent. Even if we weren’t able to win the race, we brought it home and got a lot of podiums. It’s amazing when the competition is so stacked. This field is getting gnarlier every year, and it’s going to be another battle next year, but we’ve still got some more races to go.”
JD Beach – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“I’m really happy with how the day went. Every race and every time I got on the bike, I felt better and better. I know I did the one-off race in 2021, but really it’s been four years since I’ve raced a superbike, and I’d honestly say I felt almost as good as I did in 2019. I had a blast being at the tail end of the podium battle in Race 3. I’m not sure what the fortune holds for me for the rest of the season, but I hope to be on the bike again.”
Tyler Scott won MotoAmerica Supersport Race Two Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Scott took control of the race on lap five of 16 and kept pushing the pace on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 until he won the race by 2.813 seconds.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Xavi Fores fought for the lead with Scott early in the race and pushed to the end, but the best the Spaniard could do was the runner-up spot, which gave him an 86-point lead over Scott with four races remaining in the season.
Race One winner Stefano Mesa was also in the fight for first place, but a setup change to his Tytlers Cycle Racing Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R worked against him and relegated him to third place.
Scott’s teammate Teagg Hobbs was a close fourth, and Josh Hayes, the all-time AMA/MotoAmerica race win leader, finished fifth on his Squid Hunter Racing Yamaha.
Twins Cup Title Chase Going To The Wire After PittRace Thriller
Only 14 Points Separate The Top Three In The REV’IT! Twins Cup Championship After Pitt Race Round
Gus Rodio (96) leads Blake Davis (1) and Rocco Landers (hidden behind Davis) in their REV’IT! Twins Cup battle at PittRace on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
WAMPUM, PA (August 20, 2023) – The top three contenders in the REV’IT! Twins Cup Championship are locked in a close battle for the title, and those three contenders were also locked in a close battle for the race win on Sunday at Pitt Race. Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering teammates Gus Rodio and Rocco Landers not only raced hard against each other, but they also raced hard against N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis throughout the nine-lap event.
Davis led seven of the laps, while Landers only led one lap and Rodio led the other. But it was Rodio who led the most important one, which resulted in him crossing the finish line first and notching the win by just .104 of a second over his teammate Landers.
Davis almost finished as runner-up, but he couldn’t quite overtake Landers when the checkered flag flew. Rodio goes into the final round at New Jersey Motorsports Park with an eight-point lead over Davis and a 14-point lead over Landers, which means that the season championship is very much up in the air with just two more races to go.
“I knew me and Blake had power,” Rodio said. “I knew Rocco was taking those wide, sweeping lines. From the looks of it, I didn’t want to get tangled up in that. I just sat back. I was kind of resting the whole race and the pace in the 49s. We qualified a lot faster than that. There were just five passes a lap, so that’s where that time is going to come into play. I knew Blake was going to pass him on the straight. He’s good on the brakes, too, so down in the chicane, I saw him making moves there. I knew he wasn’t going to let Rocco lead a full lap because it would have been not good. So, I just sat back. Knew the passes were coming. Knew the pace was going to stay in the 49s. I just planned for the last lap. Blake made a mistake and then I knew coming to the line I just had to make the pass. I had to stay close enough to make the pass. Everything went according to plan.”
Supersport – Great Scott
Although there is little doubt that Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Xavi Forés will be crowned as the 2023 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott didn’t allow it to happen at Pitt Race on Sunday.
Eventual winner Tyler Scott leads Xavi Fores and Stefano Mesa at the front of the Supersport race at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
In order for Forés to be crowned on Sunday, he had to win with Scott finishing no worse than second. Scott, however, decided to just go ahead and win the race to make sure that the war would go to the next round of the championship at Circuit of The Americas next month.
Scott ended up beating Forés by 2.8 seconds after an early back-and-forth battle. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa, who won Saturday’s Superbike race, was third, 7.8 seconds adrift of Scott and five seconds clear of Scott’s teammate Teagg Hobbs, who got the better of Squid Hunter Racing’s Josh Hayes.
Disrupt Racing’s Jake Lewis ended up sixth, hot on Hayes’s heels.
“Yesterday I got a decent start the first time, starting from the second row on the grid,” Scott said. “Couldn’t get a clear lap in qualifying, so right off the bat it was hard to lead the race and try and set the pace. Overnight we thought about it. This morning we made some changes to be able to push the pace. In the race today, I got a pretty similar start to yesterday, but I saw an opening to pass Xavi (Forés) and I took it. I wanted to see if I could lead the race and start pulling a gap. It was .0 for what felt like an eternity, and then .2, .4, .6, one second, one second, one second, two seconds. I just kept pushing the pace every lap and was able to create that gap.”
Junior Cup – Moor DQ’d. Dreher Crowned
Bad Boy Racing’s Avery Dreher won his sixth race of the season on Sunday at Pitt Race, but he didn’t know that he’d also been crowned as the 2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship. That decision came later when Fairium NGRT – Gray Area Racing’s Rossi Moor was later DQ’d for using an illegal wheel bearing on his KTM RC 390 R ending any chance of Dreher being surpassed in the final round at New Jersey Motorsports Park next month.
Avery Dreher wrapped up the Junior Cup title on Sunday with his victory at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Altus Motorsports’ Alessandro Di Mario was second on the track and second in the final results while Bicknese Racing’s Hayden Bicknese was moved from fourth to third in the final standings after Moor’s DQ. Yandel Racing’s Yandel Medina was fourth with Badie Racing’s Levi Badie rounding out the top five.
Dreher is now 52 points head of Bicknese in the title chase with just 50 points on the table in the final round.
“It worked yesterday, so I just figured I’d go with the same strategy today,” Dreher said. “The team and I worked on a few things this morning with the bike. Got that sorted out. I knew it would be a little hotter today than yesterday. Our race was three hours later, so I knew that would play a factor. Lost the grip on the rear on the last lap. Thought I would lose the draft on the front straightaway but ended up pulling it together. I’m just super happy with the results this weekend. I don’t know how many points I have left to clinch the title, but I’m just going to keep working hard between rounds and hopefully get that jersey.”
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race – Perfect Moore
The Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. program wrapped up its second year with MotoAmerica on Sunday, and Mikayla Moore completed a perfect season. The Maryland-based rider clinched the championship with her win in Saturday’s race one, and her race two victory on Sunday was her seventh win in as many races. Moore won Sunday’s race by nearly 11 seconds over second-place finisher Sonya Lloyd, who in turn was a little over nine seconds ahead of Crystal Martinez in third place. The finishing order of race two was also the finishing order of the season championship with Lloyd finishing second to title winner Moore and Martinez locking up third.
Mikayla Moore (78) ended her perfect season with another victory in the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
“With this being our last race, I wanted to see how fast I could actually take it. Being by myself yesterday, only hitting (a lap of) 2:08, I was experiencing chatter and some other bike issues. So, when Sonya showed me that wheel yesterday, I was like, ‘All right. Come tomorrow, she’s going to be on top of her game.’ So, Megan (from Öhlins) was able to fix some issues with the bike for me in terms of suspension. I ended up making a gearing change, and that definitely helped for this race.”
Mission Mini Cup By Motul – Gouker Again
Three Mission Mini Cup Presented By Motul races were held on Saturday evening at the Pitt Race karting track and they were again mostly dominated by the same riders as on Friday.
Stadler America’s Nathan Gouker continued his hot hand in the Ohvale 160 class with his seventh straight win in the championship to build his points lead to 40 points over Madd Will Racing’s Kruz Maddison, who was fourth, second and fourth in the three races on Saturday. American Racing’s Connor Raymond, meanwhile, was second best to Gouker in two of the three races.
The Ohvale 190 class featured three different winners in the three races on Saturday with American Racing’s Joshua Raymond, Historic GP’s Mahdi Salem and Alpha Omega’s Ryder Davis all coming away with victories. Davis, however, is still the points leader with a 23-point lead over Salem, 156-133.
In Stock class action, Cruise Texter won all three Stock 50 races on his Cory Texter Racing/Roof Systems-backed Honda.
There were three different winners in the three Stock 110 classes – Varnes Racing’s Cole Varnes, Xtreme Autoglass Pros’ Jacob Davis and Ryan Clark Racing’s Ryan Clark, who leads the title chase by 24 points.
Jacobsen Motorcycle Training/Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt kept his perfect 2023 record intact with his 10th, 11th and 12th straight wins in the Stock 125 class.
Mikayla Moore won MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Race Two Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. The victory completed a perfect seven-races-for-seven-wins for 19-year-old Moore.
Sonya Lloyd was the runner-up for a second straight day, and Crystal Martinez used a late-race move to overtake defending Champion Kayleigh Buyck and snag third place.
Moore, Lloyd, and Martinez also finished first, second, and third, respectively, in the final Championship point standings.
Gus Rodio used a last-lap move to overtake his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia teammate Rocco Landers and win MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Race Two Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace).
Defending Champion Blake Davis, riding his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7, exchanged the lead with Landers throughout the race. On the ninth and final lap, Landers was leading Davis, when Davis overshot Turn Seven, allowing Rodio to move up to second.
Rodio then drove past Landers and his ailing Aprilia RS 600 on the run to the checkered flag to secure his third win of the season and takeover the Championship point lead.
Defending Champion Jake Gagne won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. It was Gagne’s eighth win of the season on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1, extending his Championship point lead to where he can possibly clinch the 2023 title in Race Three later Sunday afternoon.
PJ Jacobsen was a very close runner-up, just 0.264 second behind Gagne on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Josh Herrin finished third on his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R.
The race was red flagged seven laps into the original start for a crash involving five-time Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier. Beaubier had run off track early in the race and was running ninth right behind Ashton Yates when Yates’ Aftercare Scheibe Racing BMW lost power momentarily coming out of the chicane. Beaubier ran into the back of Yates’ BMW, and as Beaubier was coming off his bike he was struck by Hayden Gillim and his Disrupt Racing Suzuki.
Beaubier suffered a bloody facial laceration but was seen awake and alert on video feeds after the incident.
The race was then restarted for an eight-lap final segment.
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