Championship point leader Gus Rodio was the fastest rider during MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660, Rodio recorded a time of 1:48.842 around the 2.7-mile, 18-turn course.
Defending Champion Blake Davis was right behind Rodio with a lap at 1:48.905 on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7, and Rodio’s teammate Rocco Landers got the third and final spot on the provisional front row with his 1:48.995.
PJ Jacobsen claimed provisional pole position during MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Qualifying One (Q1) Friday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Jacobsen followed up leading Free Practice One (FP1) in the morning with a 1:43.079 by topping the hotter afternoon session with a 1:43.061 on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Two-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne was second-best in Q1 with a lap of 1:43.228 on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1. Jacobsen’s teammate Cameron Beaubier earned the third and final spot on the provisional front row with a 1:43.339.
Bobby Fong was fourth with a time of 1:43.477 on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante was fifth in the session based on his 1:43.789. Mathew Scholtz ranked sixth by doing a 1:43.873 on his Westby Racing Yamaha.
Just 0.9 second covered the top seven riders in Q1, including Escalante’s teammate Brandon Paasch (P7 – 1:44.047), and the top 12 riders were separated by only 1.6 seconds.
Jacobsen Rolls On With Provisional Pole At Pittsburg International Race Complex
PJ Jacobsen Leads The Way On An Ultra Close Opening Day At Pittsburgh International Race Complex
PJ Jacobsen (99) put his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR on provisional pole position at Pittsburgh International Race Complex on Friday afternoon. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
WAMPUM, PA (August 18, 2023) – Tytlers Cycle Racing’s PJ Jacobsen brought the confidence earned from winning his first MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike race a few weeks ago in Minnesota to Pittsburgh International Race Complex on a blustery Friday with the New Yorker earning provisional pole position on his BMW M 1000 RR.
In what was the closest session of the season in the Medallia Superbike class, just 1.6 seconds covered the top 12 with a tick over one second separating first from ninth.
Jacobsen led both of Friday’s Superbike sessions with his best lap, a 1:43.061, coming in the afternoon’s Q1 session. That lap on his seventh go around, was just .167 of a second better than Medallia Superbike Championship points leader Jake Gagne. Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Gagne missed most of the first session after his Yamaha suffered a mechanical problem that oiled a portion of the track, bringing out the red flag after just one lap of FP1. Gagne’s crew got him back on track and he was able to jump up to third on his eighth of eight laps.
Jacobsen’s Tytlers Cycle Racing teammate Cameron Beaubier had a big moment early in Q1, losing the front, saving it and running off track and onto the grass. Beaubier ended up third in the session and .278 of a second off his teammate’s best.
Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong had his best session of the season on the team’s Yamaha YZF-R1 to post the fourth quickest time and less than half a second off Jacobsen’s provisional pole.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante ended the day fifth fastest and just ahead of Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch, who in turn was .15 of a second ahead of Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates.
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s JD Beach, who is filling in at Pitt Race for the injured Cameron Petersen, ended up ninth and only 1.1 seconds from pole in his first Superbike race in two years.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Josh Herrin completed the top 10 after losing his best lap as a penalty for cutting the chicane on the following lap.
Supersport – Mesa On Top
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa bounced back from what wasn’t a good weekend for him at Brainerd International Raceway to lead the Supersport pack in Q1 on Friday afternoon. Mesa’s best was a 1:46.110, which was .635 of a second clear of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott.
Disrupt Racing’s Jake Lewis led the morning session and was third fastest in Q1 with a lap that was .808 of a second off Mesa’s fast lap.
Supersport Championship leader Xavi Forés was sixth fastest on the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V2, one spot better than the man who is second in the title chase, Squid Hunter Racing’s Josh Hayes.
Junior Cup – Di Mario, Barely
Alessandro Di Mario put his Altus Motorsports Kawasaki Ninja 400 on provisional pole for the weekend’s two Junior Cup races with the Kentuckian barely besting Fairium NGRT – Gray Area Racing’s Rossi Moor and his KTM RC 390 R by just .186 of a second. Bicknese Racing’s Hayden Bicknese was just a tick behind those two to round out the provisional front row.
Championship points leader Avery Dreher ended up fourth fastest and 1.163 seconds behind Di Mario on his Bad Boys Racing Kawasaki.
REV’IT! Twins Cup – Rodio Over Davis Over Landers
A scant .153 of a second covered the top three in REV’IT! Twins Cup Q1 at PittRace with championship points leader Gus Rodio taking the top spot by just .063 of a second on his Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering.
N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s defending class champion Blake Davis ended up the closest to Rodio’s 1:48.842 with his 1:48.905. And that lap was only .090 of a second faster than Rodio’s teammate Rocco Landers, the all-time win leader in the class.
The top three managed to separate themselves from the rest of the pack with Team Iso’s Dominic Doyle fourth but 1.7 seconds behind Rodio.
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – Moore On The Verge
Upper Marlboro, Maryland’s Mikayla Moore took the first step to what will undoubtedly be a Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Championship on Saturday at PittRace with provisional pole on Friday.
As she has been at each and every round, Moore was in a class of her own this afternoon with her lap of 2:09.911 leading the way as he has in what has been a perfect season for the 19 year old.
Second fastest today was Crystal Martinez with Sonya Lloyd rounding out the provisional front row.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
2023 MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport Championship Round 7 – Herrin and Forés Optimistic Following a Good First Day at PittRace
Sunnyvale, Calif., August 18, 2023 — The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC dynamic duo of Josh Herrin and Xavi Forés are both optimistic of their chances of race success at round seven of the MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport Championship at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
Herrin and the stunning factory-built Ducati Panigale V4 R completed 16 laps of the picturesque 2.8 mile PittRace venue, and was looking good for a top five finish to the day until he ran off at the chicane and had his previous lap time (which was his fastest of the day) scratched from the timing screen as a result. The number 2 Ducati would eventually finish the day in 10th overall, but Herrin notes there’s still plenty of time left in Q2 to get onto the front row for the two scheduled races.
For Forés, PittRace marked yet another new track to his growing list for 2023 despite it being the home round for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC team. With limited chances to get his bearings, Forés punched out 22 laps over the two Supersport sessions and finished an impressive sixth overall, less than a second behind class pacesetter, Stefano Mesa.
Forés will now turn his attention to Q2 where he feels a front row position is ready and waiting for the taking before race one commences on Saturday afternoon.
Superbike Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – PJ Jacobsen (BMW) 1:43.061
P2 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 1:43.228
P3 – Cameron Beaubier (BMW) 1:43.339
P4 – Bobby Fong (Yamaha) 1:43.477
P5 – Richie Escalante (Suzuki) 1:43.789
P10 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 1:44.691
Supersport Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – Stefano Mesa (Kawasaki) 1:46.110
P2 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 1:46.745
P3 – Jake Lewis (Suzuki) 1:46.918
P4 – Teagg Hobbs (Suzuki) 1:46.987
P5 – Anthony Mazziotto (Yamaha) 1:47.015
P6 – Xavi Forés (Ducati) 1:47.100
Xavi Forés (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – #12)
“It was a positive day,” Forés enthused. “I’ve never been on this track before but the feeling is similar to The Ridge in regards to the bike. We improved some things between FP1 and Q1 and got the bike working in a better way, but in Q1 I got stuck behind some traffic on my fastest lap and lost maybe half a second, but the lap time was still quite good. Hopefully, tomorrow we will get onto the first row in Q2 and be ready for the fight in race one.”
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC– #2)
“Today was a good day, honestly,” Herrin said. “I struggled all day to get the bike working how I wanted and then in the last outing for the day, we did a good time. We were fourth or fifth, and was another half second up on the next lap, but I cut the chicane because I ran wide and the rule is the race control takes the previous lap time away, so the fast lap didn’t count. That’s a bummer, but we have the data, the bike is working well, and we have another qualifying session tomorrow to get it done. The times today don’t show what we had, we should have been top five, but we’ll be ready for tomorrow.”
Saturday sees track action commences at 8:30 am EDT with Herrin hitting the black top for Superbike Qualifying 2 at 9:50 am EDT. Forés will follow shortly afterwards for Supersport Qualifying 2 at 10:35 am EDT. The first Supersport race will commence at 2:10 pm EDT, with race one for Superbike scheduled for 3:10 pm EDT.
MotoE™: Just 0.053s in it! Zannoni beats Casadei & Granado to pole in Austria
Ferrari misses out on the front row and Torres starts on Row 3 as the Red Bull Ring sets some interesting grids for Round 6
Friday, 18 August 2023
The green flag dropped on qualifying for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich with the rain clouds looming over the Red Bull Ring. The track remained mostly dry in Q2, however, allowing the riders to put the hammer down and battle it out for pole position – and set a new lap record in the process.
Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse) will start from his first pole position in the category after doing just that despite the tougher conditions, but the margins were tiny as the Italian went just 0.006s under the previous lap record with a 1:38.567. Joining his compatriot on the front row will be the #40 of Mattia Casadei (HP Pons Los40). The Italian put it all on the line but just fell short of pole by 0.023s, with Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) only another 0.030s back. That means the top three are separated by just 0.053s!
Championship leader Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) fought his way through a damp Q1 session to take P8 and will have his work cut out for him during Saturday’s races as his closest title rival Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) starts from the front of row two in 4th place.
Check out the full session below and get ready for Race 1 at 12:15 (GMT +1), before Race 2 at 16:10. You can tune in to MotoE™ via your MotoGP™ coverage provider! For Italy that’s Sky Italy with Race 1 live and Race 2 live or on delay, in France CANAL+SPORT 360, and in Spain both races are live via DAZN. In the UK, TNT Sports 2 shows Race 1 live, and often Race 2 – depending on programming. Switzerland’s coverage is across SRF/RTS/RSI, and viewers in Brazil can watch on ESPN4. From Down Under with Fox Sports Australia to the northern tip of Europe with VIAPLAY across Scandinavia, look for MotoE™ with the MotoGP™ broadcaster in your territory, with the full list of our partners HERE. MotoGP™ media partners broadcast MotoE™ live or on delay on their linear or digital channels, and everyone can also tune in to watch both races live and OnDemand via VideoPass on motogp.com!
Stefano Mesa earned provisional pole position during MotoAmerica Supersport Qualifying One (Q1) on Friday afternoon at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding his Tytlers Cycles Racing Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, Mesa covered the 2.7-mile course in 1:46.110 to lead the field.
Tyler Scott was second-best with a time of 1:46.745 on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750, and Disrupt Racing Suzuki’s Jake Lewis claimed the third and final spot on the provisional front row with a 1:46.918.
Championship point leader Xavi Fores, who is riding at PittRace for the first time ever, was sixth with a 1:47.100 on his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V2.
Alessandro Di Mario claimed provisional pole position during MotoAmerica Junior Cup Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding his Altus Motorsports Kawasaki Ninja 400, Di Mario, age 14, led the field of 33 with a time of 1:57.217.
Rossi Moor was second-fastest with a time of 1:57.403 on his Fairium NGRT – Gray Area Racing KTM RC 390 R, and Hayden Bicknese earned the third and final spot on the provisional front row with a lap at 1:57.446 on his Bicknese Racing Kawasaki Ninja 400.
Mikayla Moore, age 19, was fastest during MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Free Practice One at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650, Moore lapped the 2.7-mile track in 2:10.993, which was 1.8 seconds faster than the next rider.
PJ Jacobsen was fastest in MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Free Practice One (FP1) Friday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR, the New York native turned a lap time of 1:43.079 around the 2.7-mile course. That was 1.203 seconds faster than the next-quickest rider, Westby Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz (1:44.282).
The session experienced a red-flag stoppage and lengthy clean up after two-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne’s Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha leaked oil onto the track. Gagne did not crash, his crew was able to fix his leak, and he was able to finish the session.
Gagne ended up third in the session with a time of 1:44.291. Brandon Paasch continued to impress on his new Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R with the fourth-fastest lap, a 1:44.454. Bobby Fong rounded out the top five with a time of 1:44.605 on his ever-improving Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1.
Jake Lewis led MotoAmerica Supersport Free Practice One (FP1) Friday morning at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding his Disrupt Racing Suzuki GSX-R750, Lewis covered the 2.78-mile track in 1:47.623 to top the field of 41 entries. The top seven riders were separated by just 0.599 second.
Defending Champion Blake Davis dominated MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Free Practice One (FP1) Friday morning at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7, Davis turned a 1:49.377, which was 0.678 second quicker than anyone else in the 39-entry field.
Marco Bezzecchi was fastest during MotoGP World Championship “Practice” Friday afternoon at the Red Bull Ring, in Austria. Riding his Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati, the Italian turned a lap time of 1:28.533 to lead the field of 23 riders.
Maverick Vinales was the best of the rest with a 1:28.577 on his factory Aprilia, and defending World Champion Francesco Bagnaia was third-quickest with a 1:28.821 on his Lenovo Ducati.
Just 1.088 seconds separated the top 17 riders in the session.
Riders who were outside of the top 10 and will have to go to Qualifying One (Q1) include Mark Marquez, Jack Miller, and Enea Bastianini.
16 riders within a second, Bezzecchi sets new lap record at the Red Bull Ring
Bezzecchi pips Viñales by half a tenth, with Bagnaia third and Binder fourth as action opens on KTM home turf
Friday, 18 August 2023
Taking the bull by the horns on Day 1 at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich was Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s Marco Bezzecchi, as the Italian now boasts the Red Bull Ring all-time lap record. His blistering 1:28.533 only gave him an advantage of 0.044s ahead of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), however, with the two just edging away from World Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) in P3.
The times tumbled early in the Practice session as dark clouds loomed at the Red Bull Ring, with the threat of rain seeing some time attacks come in earlier than we’re accustomed to seeing on a Friday afternoon. Viñales set the pace with a 1:29.075, a lap slammed home on soft rubber, with Bezzecchi and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) then joining him inside the top three early on.
With 24 minutes left, the rain flags started to be waved. It wasn’t enough to disrupt the fast lap times, however, as British GP winner Aleix Espargaro then made it an Aprilia 1-2 at the summit – the Spaniard going 0.281s off teammate Viñales.
Despite the very light rain still proving a factor, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was able to find time and jump up to P6, which in turn shoved Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) down to P11. But personal best sectors were being set – including by the latter. Quartararo responded and went P5 with 14 minutes to go, with FP1 pacesetter Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) also climbing into the top 10.
After sitting outside the top 15, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was then the rider on a charge. Having just gone P13, the eight-time World Champion then briefly sat P2 before Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) made second place his.
The goalposts were then moved by a familiar name. Bagnaia was the first rider to dip into the 1:28s, with the #1’s 1:28.821 two and a half tenths quicker than Viñales’ time. Pecco’s advantage was slashed to 0.042s as Binder set his best time of the day, with Quartararo going to P4 as plenty of hot laps began coming in.
None more so than Bezzecchi. The Italian’s new lap record was now the time to beat as the fight for the top 10 really it up with three minutes to go. Viñales improved to go back to P2, splitting Bezzecchi and Bagnaia, before the Aprilia star went quicker to go just 0.044s off Bezzecchi’s effort.
Bezzecchi then also encountered a late issue with his GP22 to cut his session short, pulling over right in front of… the boss. Valentino Rossi gave the number 72 a ride back to the paddock, but check out Bezzecchi’s review of the taxi service below as it didn’t quite go to plan on the scooter either. Still, a new lap record as he looks to bounce back this weekend is a job well done on the more serious side of the coin for Bezzecchi on Friday!
Meanwhile, there was a frisson of drama after an incident between Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) and Marc Marquez was assessed by the Stewards after the number 44 held up the number 93 at Turn 4 in the closing stages of Practice. Pol Espargaro was handed a three-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race, and MM93 heads for Q1.
The automatic Q2 qualifiers
Behind the leading trio of Bezzecchi, Viñales and Bagnaia, Binder sails into the pole position shootout in P4 ahead of Zarco and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).
A late attack from Aleix Espargaro made sure the Silverstone winner claimed P7, with Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) ending Practice in P8. They’re joined in Q2 by both Quartararo and Oliveira.
SHOWTIME
With some huge names in Q1, the stage is set for Qualifying and then the Tissot Sprint at the Red Bull Ring. Make sure you tune in!
MotoGP™ FP2: 10:10
MotoGP™ Q1: 10:50
MotoGP™ Q2: 11:15
Tissot Sprint: 15:00
Advantage Acosta as Moto2™ gets underway in Austria
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) topped the timesheets on Day 1 of the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich to put himself a whisker away from lap-record pace with a 1:34.050. Just 0.110s back from the Spaniard was Somkiat Chantra (IDEMISTU Honda Team Asia), who topped Practice 1 to put himself P2 overall ahead of his teammate Ai Ogura.
The session was red-flagged after five minutes following a crash for Manuel Gonzalez (Corres Prepago Yamaha VR46 Team), who was taken to the medical centre and declared fit, but the air fence needed to be redeployed. Once back underway, the times began to tumble once again.
Jake Dixon (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team) was looking strong in Practice 2 as he finished the session inside the top three, with his lap time bagging him 4th place on the combined practice times. Title contender Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) was another who made significant improvements in Practice 2 as he finished behind the Brit and rounded out the top five. Arbolino’s teammate Sam Lowes wasn’t so fortunate as he hit the deck in the afternoon meaning he was unable to improve and only managed 14th., but rider ok.
Moto2™ will be back in action on Saturday for Practice 3 at 9:25 and qualifying at 13:45 local (GMT +2).
Moto3™: Alonso’s charge continues in Austria
It’s advantage David Alonso (GASGAS Aspar Team) as Moto3™ action at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich got underway at the Red Bull Ring. Fresh from his debut victory, the 2023 rookie put down a 1:41.223 to take the top spot by a sensational 0.629s. It was a rookie one-two on the combined practice times as Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) was the best of the rest, with the Dutchman beating Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to 2nd place by just 0.027s.
Whilst the Colombian was in a league of his own, the rest of the grid were locked in usual Moto3™ fashion. The Championship leader Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) enjoyed a positive Friday after topping the first practice session. The Spaniard just missed out on the top three by 0.020s to finish the day in 4th place ahead of Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team) who rounded out the top five.
After crashing out of the British Grand Prix, Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) needs a solid finish in Austria to keep his title tilt alive. Whilst the Spaniard wasn’t dominating sessions as we’ve seen at the past GPs, he sits in 6th place and has shown decent pace ahead of the weekend’s racing action.
Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) finished in P3 during Practice 1 but slipped down to P7 on combined times to sit ahead of Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP). Rookie Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) enjoyed a positive day in P9 ahead of Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) who rounded out the top 10 despite a crash.
Moto3™ action continues on Saturday, tune in for Practice 3 at 08:40 and qualifying at 12:50 local time (GMT +2).
Championship point leader Gus Rodio was the fastest rider during MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660, Rodio recorded a time of 1:48.842 around the 2.7-mile, 18-turn course.
Defending Champion Blake Davis was right behind Rodio with a lap at 1:48.905 on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7, and Rodio’s teammate Rocco Landers got the third and final spot on the provisional front row with his 1:48.995.
PJ Jacobsen claimed provisional pole position during MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Qualifying One (Q1) Friday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Jacobsen followed up leading Free Practice One (FP1) in the morning with a 1:43.079 by topping the hotter afternoon session with a 1:43.061 on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Two-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne was second-best in Q1 with a lap of 1:43.228 on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1. Jacobsen’s teammate Cameron Beaubier earned the third and final spot on the provisional front row with a 1:43.339.
Bobby Fong was fourth with a time of 1:43.477 on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante was fifth in the session based on his 1:43.789. Mathew Scholtz ranked sixth by doing a 1:43.873 on his Westby Racing Yamaha.
Just 0.9 second covered the top seven riders in Q1, including Escalante’s teammate Brandon Paasch (P7 – 1:44.047), and the top 12 riders were separated by only 1.6 seconds.
Jacobsen Rolls On With Provisional Pole At Pittsburg International Race Complex
PJ Jacobsen Leads The Way On An Ultra Close Opening Day At Pittsburgh International Race Complex
PJ Jacobsen (99) put his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR on provisional pole position at Pittsburgh International Race Complex on Friday afternoon. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
WAMPUM, PA (August 18, 2023) – Tytlers Cycle Racing’s PJ Jacobsen brought the confidence earned from winning his first MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike race a few weeks ago in Minnesota to Pittsburgh International Race Complex on a blustery Friday with the New Yorker earning provisional pole position on his BMW M 1000 RR.
In what was the closest session of the season in the Medallia Superbike class, just 1.6 seconds covered the top 12 with a tick over one second separating first from ninth.
Jacobsen led both of Friday’s Superbike sessions with his best lap, a 1:43.061, coming in the afternoon’s Q1 session. That lap on his seventh go around, was just .167 of a second better than Medallia Superbike Championship points leader Jake Gagne. Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Gagne missed most of the first session after his Yamaha suffered a mechanical problem that oiled a portion of the track, bringing out the red flag after just one lap of FP1. Gagne’s crew got him back on track and he was able to jump up to third on his eighth of eight laps.
Jacobsen’s Tytlers Cycle Racing teammate Cameron Beaubier had a big moment early in Q1, losing the front, saving it and running off track and onto the grass. Beaubier ended up third in the session and .278 of a second off his teammate’s best.
Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong had his best session of the season on the team’s Yamaha YZF-R1 to post the fourth quickest time and less than half a second off Jacobsen’s provisional pole.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante ended the day fifth fastest and just ahead of Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch, who in turn was .15 of a second ahead of Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates.
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s JD Beach, who is filling in at Pitt Race for the injured Cameron Petersen, ended up ninth and only 1.1 seconds from pole in his first Superbike race in two years.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Josh Herrin completed the top 10 after losing his best lap as a penalty for cutting the chicane on the following lap.
Supersport – Mesa On Top
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa bounced back from what wasn’t a good weekend for him at Brainerd International Raceway to lead the Supersport pack in Q1 on Friday afternoon. Mesa’s best was a 1:46.110, which was .635 of a second clear of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott.
Disrupt Racing’s Jake Lewis led the morning session and was third fastest in Q1 with a lap that was .808 of a second off Mesa’s fast lap.
Supersport Championship leader Xavi Forés was sixth fastest on the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V2, one spot better than the man who is second in the title chase, Squid Hunter Racing’s Josh Hayes.
Junior Cup – Di Mario, Barely
Alessandro Di Mario put his Altus Motorsports Kawasaki Ninja 400 on provisional pole for the weekend’s two Junior Cup races with the Kentuckian barely besting Fairium NGRT – Gray Area Racing’s Rossi Moor and his KTM RC 390 R by just .186 of a second. Bicknese Racing’s Hayden Bicknese was just a tick behind those two to round out the provisional front row.
Championship points leader Avery Dreher ended up fourth fastest and 1.163 seconds behind Di Mario on his Bad Boys Racing Kawasaki.
REV’IT! Twins Cup – Rodio Over Davis Over Landers
A scant .153 of a second covered the top three in REV’IT! Twins Cup Q1 at PittRace with championship points leader Gus Rodio taking the top spot by just .063 of a second on his Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering.
N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s defending class champion Blake Davis ended up the closest to Rodio’s 1:48.842 with his 1:48.905. And that lap was only .090 of a second faster than Rodio’s teammate Rocco Landers, the all-time win leader in the class.
The top three managed to separate themselves from the rest of the pack with Team Iso’s Dominic Doyle fourth but 1.7 seconds behind Rodio.
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – Moore On The Verge
Upper Marlboro, Maryland’s Mikayla Moore took the first step to what will undoubtedly be a Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Championship on Saturday at PittRace with provisional pole on Friday.
As she has been at each and every round, Moore was in a class of her own this afternoon with her lap of 2:09.911 leading the way as he has in what has been a perfect season for the 19 year old.
Second fastest today was Crystal Martinez with Sonya Lloyd rounding out the provisional front row.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
2023 MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport Championship Round 7 – Herrin and Forés Optimistic Following a Good First Day at PittRace
Sunnyvale, Calif., August 18, 2023 — The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC dynamic duo of Josh Herrin and Xavi Forés are both optimistic of their chances of race success at round seven of the MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport Championship at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
Herrin and the stunning factory-built Ducati Panigale V4 R completed 16 laps of the picturesque 2.8 mile PittRace venue, and was looking good for a top five finish to the day until he ran off at the chicane and had his previous lap time (which was his fastest of the day) scratched from the timing screen as a result. The number 2 Ducati would eventually finish the day in 10th overall, but Herrin notes there’s still plenty of time left in Q2 to get onto the front row for the two scheduled races.
For Forés, PittRace marked yet another new track to his growing list for 2023 despite it being the home round for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC team. With limited chances to get his bearings, Forés punched out 22 laps over the two Supersport sessions and finished an impressive sixth overall, less than a second behind class pacesetter, Stefano Mesa.
Forés will now turn his attention to Q2 where he feels a front row position is ready and waiting for the taking before race one commences on Saturday afternoon.
Superbike Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – PJ Jacobsen (BMW) 1:43.061
P2 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 1:43.228
P3 – Cameron Beaubier (BMW) 1:43.339
P4 – Bobby Fong (Yamaha) 1:43.477
P5 – Richie Escalante (Suzuki) 1:43.789
P10 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 1:44.691
Supersport Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – Stefano Mesa (Kawasaki) 1:46.110
P2 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 1:46.745
P3 – Jake Lewis (Suzuki) 1:46.918
P4 – Teagg Hobbs (Suzuki) 1:46.987
P5 – Anthony Mazziotto (Yamaha) 1:47.015
P6 – Xavi Forés (Ducati) 1:47.100
Xavi Forés (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – #12)
“It was a positive day,” Forés enthused. “I’ve never been on this track before but the feeling is similar to The Ridge in regards to the bike. We improved some things between FP1 and Q1 and got the bike working in a better way, but in Q1 I got stuck behind some traffic on my fastest lap and lost maybe half a second, but the lap time was still quite good. Hopefully, tomorrow we will get onto the first row in Q2 and be ready for the fight in race one.”
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC– #2)
“Today was a good day, honestly,” Herrin said. “I struggled all day to get the bike working how I wanted and then in the last outing for the day, we did a good time. We were fourth or fifth, and was another half second up on the next lap, but I cut the chicane because I ran wide and the rule is the race control takes the previous lap time away, so the fast lap didn’t count. That’s a bummer, but we have the data, the bike is working well, and we have another qualifying session tomorrow to get it done. The times today don’t show what we had, we should have been top five, but we’ll be ready for tomorrow.”
Saturday sees track action commences at 8:30 am EDT with Herrin hitting the black top for Superbike Qualifying 2 at 9:50 am EDT. Forés will follow shortly afterwards for Supersport Qualifying 2 at 10:35 am EDT. The first Supersport race will commence at 2:10 pm EDT, with race one for Superbike scheduled for 3:10 pm EDT.
MotoE™: Just 0.053s in it! Zannoni beats Casadei & Granado to pole in Austria
Ferrari misses out on the front row and Torres starts on Row 3 as the Red Bull Ring sets some interesting grids for Round 6
Friday, 18 August 2023
The green flag dropped on qualifying for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich with the rain clouds looming over the Red Bull Ring. The track remained mostly dry in Q2, however, allowing the riders to put the hammer down and battle it out for pole position – and set a new lap record in the process.
Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse) will start from his first pole position in the category after doing just that despite the tougher conditions, but the margins were tiny as the Italian went just 0.006s under the previous lap record with a 1:38.567. Joining his compatriot on the front row will be the #40 of Mattia Casadei (HP Pons Los40). The Italian put it all on the line but just fell short of pole by 0.023s, with Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) only another 0.030s back. That means the top three are separated by just 0.053s!
Championship leader Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) fought his way through a damp Q1 session to take P8 and will have his work cut out for him during Saturday’s races as his closest title rival Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) starts from the front of row two in 4th place.
Check out the full session below and get ready for Race 1 at 12:15 (GMT +1), before Race 2 at 16:10. You can tune in to MotoE™ via your MotoGP™ coverage provider! For Italy that’s Sky Italy with Race 1 live and Race 2 live or on delay, in France CANAL+SPORT 360, and in Spain both races are live via DAZN. In the UK, TNT Sports 2 shows Race 1 live, and often Race 2 – depending on programming. Switzerland’s coverage is across SRF/RTS/RSI, and viewers in Brazil can watch on ESPN4. From Down Under with Fox Sports Australia to the northern tip of Europe with VIAPLAY across Scandinavia, look for MotoE™ with the MotoGP™ broadcaster in your territory, with the full list of our partners HERE. MotoGP™ media partners broadcast MotoE™ live or on delay on their linear or digital channels, and everyone can also tune in to watch both races live and OnDemand via VideoPass on motogp.com!
Stefano Mesa earned provisional pole position during MotoAmerica Supersport Qualifying One (Q1) on Friday afternoon at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding his Tytlers Cycles Racing Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, Mesa covered the 2.7-mile course in 1:46.110 to lead the field.
Tyler Scott was second-best with a time of 1:46.745 on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750, and Disrupt Racing Suzuki’s Jake Lewis claimed the third and final spot on the provisional front row with a 1:46.918.
Championship point leader Xavi Fores, who is riding at PittRace for the first time ever, was sixth with a 1:47.100 on his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V2.
Alessandro Di Mario claimed provisional pole position during MotoAmerica Junior Cup Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding his Altus Motorsports Kawasaki Ninja 400, Di Mario, age 14, led the field of 33 with a time of 1:57.217.
Rossi Moor was second-fastest with a time of 1:57.403 on his Fairium NGRT – Gray Area Racing KTM RC 390 R, and Hayden Bicknese earned the third and final spot on the provisional front row with a lap at 1:57.446 on his Bicknese Racing Kawasaki Ninja 400.
Mikayla Moore, age 19, was fastest during MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Free Practice One at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650, Moore lapped the 2.7-mile track in 2:10.993, which was 1.8 seconds faster than the next rider.
PJ Jacobsen was fastest in MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Free Practice One (FP1) Friday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR, the New York native turned a lap time of 1:43.079 around the 2.7-mile course. That was 1.203 seconds faster than the next-quickest rider, Westby Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz (1:44.282).
The session experienced a red-flag stoppage and lengthy clean up after two-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne’s Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha leaked oil onto the track. Gagne did not crash, his crew was able to fix his leak, and he was able to finish the session.
Gagne ended up third in the session with a time of 1:44.291. Brandon Paasch continued to impress on his new Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R with the fourth-fastest lap, a 1:44.454. Bobby Fong rounded out the top five with a time of 1:44.605 on his ever-improving Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1.
Jake Lewis led MotoAmerica Supersport Free Practice One (FP1) Friday morning at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding his Disrupt Racing Suzuki GSX-R750, Lewis covered the 2.78-mile track in 1:47.623 to top the field of 41 entries. The top seven riders were separated by just 0.599 second.
Defending Champion Blake Davis dominated MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Free Practice One (FP1) Friday morning at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7, Davis turned a 1:49.377, which was 0.678 second quicker than anyone else in the 39-entry field.
Marco Bezzecchi (72). Photo courtesy Mooney VR46 Racing Team.
Marco Bezzecchi was fastest during MotoGP World Championship “Practice” Friday afternoon at the Red Bull Ring, in Austria. Riding his Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati, the Italian turned a lap time of 1:28.533 to lead the field of 23 riders.
Maverick Vinales was the best of the rest with a 1:28.577 on his factory Aprilia, and defending World Champion Francesco Bagnaia was third-quickest with a 1:28.821 on his Lenovo Ducati.
Just 1.088 seconds separated the top 17 riders in the session.
Riders who were outside of the top 10 and will have to go to Qualifying One (Q1) include Mark Marquez, Jack Miller, and Enea Bastianini.
16 riders within a second, Bezzecchi sets new lap record at the Red Bull Ring
Bezzecchi pips Viñales by half a tenth, with Bagnaia third and Binder fourth as action opens on KTM home turf
Friday, 18 August 2023
Taking the bull by the horns on Day 1 at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich was Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s Marco Bezzecchi, as the Italian now boasts the Red Bull Ring all-time lap record. His blistering 1:28.533 only gave him an advantage of 0.044s ahead of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), however, with the two just edging away from World Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) in P3.
The times tumbled early in the Practice session as dark clouds loomed at the Red Bull Ring, with the threat of rain seeing some time attacks come in earlier than we’re accustomed to seeing on a Friday afternoon. Viñales set the pace with a 1:29.075, a lap slammed home on soft rubber, with Bezzecchi and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) then joining him inside the top three early on.
With 24 minutes left, the rain flags started to be waved. It wasn’t enough to disrupt the fast lap times, however, as British GP winner Aleix Espargaro then made it an Aprilia 1-2 at the summit – the Spaniard going 0.281s off teammate Viñales.
Despite the very light rain still proving a factor, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was able to find time and jump up to P6, which in turn shoved Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) down to P11. But personal best sectors were being set – including by the latter. Quartararo responded and went P5 with 14 minutes to go, with FP1 pacesetter Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) also climbing into the top 10.
After sitting outside the top 15, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was then the rider on a charge. Having just gone P13, the eight-time World Champion then briefly sat P2 before Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) made second place his.
The goalposts were then moved by a familiar name. Bagnaia was the first rider to dip into the 1:28s, with the #1’s 1:28.821 two and a half tenths quicker than Viñales’ time. Pecco’s advantage was slashed to 0.042s as Binder set his best time of the day, with Quartararo going to P4 as plenty of hot laps began coming in.
None more so than Bezzecchi. The Italian’s new lap record was now the time to beat as the fight for the top 10 really it up with three minutes to go. Viñales improved to go back to P2, splitting Bezzecchi and Bagnaia, before the Aprilia star went quicker to go just 0.044s off Bezzecchi’s effort.
Bezzecchi then also encountered a late issue with his GP22 to cut his session short, pulling over right in front of… the boss. Valentino Rossi gave the number 72 a ride back to the paddock, but check out Bezzecchi’s review of the taxi service below as it didn’t quite go to plan on the scooter either. Still, a new lap record as he looks to bounce back this weekend is a job well done on the more serious side of the coin for Bezzecchi on Friday!
Meanwhile, there was a frisson of drama after an incident between Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) and Marc Marquez was assessed by the Stewards after the number 44 held up the number 93 at Turn 4 in the closing stages of Practice. Pol Espargaro was handed a three-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race, and MM93 heads for Q1.
The automatic Q2 qualifiers
Behind the leading trio of Bezzecchi, Viñales and Bagnaia, Binder sails into the pole position shootout in P4 ahead of Zarco and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).
A late attack from Aleix Espargaro made sure the Silverstone winner claimed P7, with Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) ending Practice in P8. They’re joined in Q2 by both Quartararo and Oliveira.
SHOWTIME
With some huge names in Q1, the stage is set for Qualifying and then the Tissot Sprint at the Red Bull Ring. Make sure you tune in!
MotoGP™ FP2: 10:10
MotoGP™ Q1: 10:50
MotoGP™ Q2: 11:15
Tissot Sprint: 15:00
Advantage Acosta as Moto2™ gets underway in Austria
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) topped the timesheets on Day 1 of the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich to put himself a whisker away from lap-record pace with a 1:34.050. Just 0.110s back from the Spaniard was Somkiat Chantra (IDEMISTU Honda Team Asia), who topped Practice 1 to put himself P2 overall ahead of his teammate Ai Ogura.
The session was red-flagged after five minutes following a crash for Manuel Gonzalez (Corres Prepago Yamaha VR46 Team), who was taken to the medical centre and declared fit, but the air fence needed to be redeployed. Once back underway, the times began to tumble once again.
Jake Dixon (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team) was looking strong in Practice 2 as he finished the session inside the top three, with his lap time bagging him 4th place on the combined practice times. Title contender Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) was another who made significant improvements in Practice 2 as he finished behind the Brit and rounded out the top five. Arbolino’s teammate Sam Lowes wasn’t so fortunate as he hit the deck in the afternoon meaning he was unable to improve and only managed 14th., but rider ok.
Moto2™ will be back in action on Saturday for Practice 3 at 9:25 and qualifying at 13:45 local (GMT +2).
Moto3™: Alonso’s charge continues in Austria
It’s advantage David Alonso (GASGAS Aspar Team) as Moto3™ action at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich got underway at the Red Bull Ring. Fresh from his debut victory, the 2023 rookie put down a 1:41.223 to take the top spot by a sensational 0.629s. It was a rookie one-two on the combined practice times as Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) was the best of the rest, with the Dutchman beating Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to 2nd place by just 0.027s.
Whilst the Colombian was in a league of his own, the rest of the grid were locked in usual Moto3™ fashion. The Championship leader Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) enjoyed a positive Friday after topping the first practice session. The Spaniard just missed out on the top three by 0.020s to finish the day in 4th place ahead of Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team) who rounded out the top five.
After crashing out of the British Grand Prix, Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) needs a solid finish in Austria to keep his title tilt alive. Whilst the Spaniard wasn’t dominating sessions as we’ve seen at the past GPs, he sits in 6th place and has shown decent pace ahead of the weekend’s racing action.
Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) finished in P3 during Practice 1 but slipped down to P7 on combined times to sit ahead of Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP). Rookie Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) enjoyed a positive day in P9 ahead of Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) who rounded out the top 10 despite a crash.
Moto3™ action continues on Saturday, tune in for Practice 3 at 08:40 and qualifying at 12:50 local time (GMT +2).
A “press release” is promotional text issued by a rider, team, company or organization to inform
the public about an event, product, or service from the issuer’s own point of view, and if deemed
to have news value, may be placed on roadracingworld.com as a service to our readers.
A press release is not an article written by Roadracingworld.com staffers. When a post is labeled with the words “press release”, it means that Roadracingworld.com is not responsible for its content and that Roadracingworld.com makes no guarantee that it is accurate. Not all press releases are posted and Roadracingworld.com may reject press releases if the content is too heavy on commercial promotion with little or no news value or if the press release contains obvious errors.
Accessibility
Accessibility modes
Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Online Dictionary
Readable Experience
Content Scaling
Default
Text Magnifier
Readable Font
Dyslexia Friendly
Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Font Sizing
Default
Line Height
Default
Letter Spacing
Default
Left Aligned
Center Aligned
Right Aligned
Visually Pleasing Experience
Dark Contrast
Light Contrast
Monochrome
High Contrast
High Saturation
Low Saturation
Adjust Text Colors
Adjust Title Colors
Adjust Background Colors
Easy Orientation
Mute Sounds
Hide Images
Hide Emoji
Reading Guide
Stop Animations
Reading Mask
Highlight Hover
Highlight Focus
Big Dark Cursor
Big Light Cursor
Cognitive Reading
Virtual Keyboard
Navigation Keys
Voice Navigation
Accessibility Statement
www.roadracingworld.com
April 8, 2026
Compliance status
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience,
regardless of circumstance and ability.
To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level.
These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible
to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific
disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML,
adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with
screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive
a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements,
alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website.
In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels;
descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups),
and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag
for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology.
To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on
as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
