Saturday’s MotoAmerica Mission Mini Cup by Motul race results from the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
There are two PDFs below. The first contains the Race One results for each of the five Mini Cup classes, and the second contains the Race Two results for each of the five Mini Cup classes. Use the scroll and zoom tools in the PDF viewer to better see all of the results.
23_5_RDAMER_MCP_R3_res
Mikayla Moore won Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Race One Saturday at Road America. Making her debut in the class, 19-year-old Moore won the five-lap race by 17.206 seconds on her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650.
Crystal Martinez got the runner-up spot by 1.5 seconds over third-place Sonya Lloyd.
Defending Champion Kayleigh Buyck retired with a mechanical problem.
23_5_RDAMER_BTR_R1_res
Kyle Wyman, riding his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Road Glide, won MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Race One Saturday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Wyman edged out defending Champion Tyler O’Hara and his Progressive Insurance/Mission Foods Indian Challenger by 0.567 second.
Third place went to James Rispoli, who used his Vance & Hines/Mission Harley-Davidson Road Glide to beat O’Hara’s teammate Jeremy McWilliams by 0.418 second.
Rispoli’s teammate Hayden Gillim rounded out the top five finishers.
23_5_RDAMER_KTB_R1_res
Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s Cameron Beaubier won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race One Saturday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Beaubier started second but lost several places when he ran wide in Turn Three on the first lap. The Californian then worked his way forward, turned the fastest lap of the race at 2:09.396 (a new Race Lap Record), and took the lead on lap six.
Beaubier was pulling away at the front on lap nine when Zachary Butler’s Yamaha suffered an engine failure and dumped fluid on the front straightaway, causing the race to be stopped.
With two-thirds race distance completed and a significant cleanup to do, MotoAmerica called the race complete based on the lap-eight running order.
Josh Herrin led from the start until he was passed by Beaubier on lap six. The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider then lost another spot when Beaubier’s teammate PJ Jacobsen stuffed him going into the chicane on lap eight, forcing him to run wide.
Jacobsen was running second just ahead of Herrin when the race was stopped, and they were awarded second and third, respectively.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante was fourth, just four seconds behind Jacobsen and Herrin when the race was stopped.
Cameron Petersen got fifth on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1.
Petersen’s teammate, two-time and defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne, retired after suffering a mechanical problem on lap seven.
With Beaubier’s win and Gagne’s DNF, Beaubier takes over the Championship point lead.
23_5_RDAMER_SBK_R1_res
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
All Change At The Top: Beaubier Wins, Gagne DNFs In Race One At Road America
Cameron Beaubier Wins His 11th Superbike Race In Wisconsin
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 3, 2023) – A near off-track excursion in turn three of Road America on the opening lap of the Medallia Superbike race dropped Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier back in the thick of the pack, but it didn’t’ stop him from working his way to the front and ultimately scoring his second race win of the season.
After completing lap one in sixth, while pole sitter Josh Herrin and his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R streaked away at the front of the field, Beaubier put his head down and started his charge. On lap two, Beaubier was fourth and a lap later he was third. He stayed there for two more laps before passing his teammate PJ Jacobsen and chasing down Herrin. Beaubier took the lead on the sixth lap and two laps later the race was red flagged when a blown engine oiled the racing surface. At that point the race was called complete with Beaubier 2.7 seconds clear of Jacobsen, who forced his way past Herrin and into second the lap prior.
Beaubier not only won his 11th career Superbike race at Road America (and 56th of his Superbike career), but he also took over the lead of the 2023 MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship when Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne suffered a mechanical issue that knocked him out of the race and the points lead.
After five races in 2023, Beaubier leads the title chase by four points, 99-95, heading into tomorrow’s second race as Gagne’s weekend went from bad to horrible on Saturday.
Herrin held on for third place after earning pole position with a new lap record in qualifying on Saturday morning.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante finished fourth for the second race in a row, ending up four seconds adrift of Herrin and four and a half seconds ahead of Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen, the South African bravely racing despite an injured right wrist.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Toni Elias was sixth, well clear of seventh-placed Corey Alexander on the third Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz was eighth after being penalized two positions for passing under a waving yellow flag. Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates and Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim rounded out the top 10 finishers.
With Beaubier atop the standings with 99 points, Gagne is second on 95 with Scholtz and his 71 points third. Herrin is fourth with 65 points with Escalante rounding out the top five with 56 points.
Superbike Race One
Superbike Quotes
Cameron Beaubier – Winner
“I just basically ran out of track on the outside. When you’re braking straight up and down there without any angle, it’s really easy to run wide. I knew once I was wide off the racing line the track is slick because it almost caught me out a couple times this weekend just being off-line and having the rear end come around and the front push. So, I just tried to make sure I got through there on two wheels and then started my race from there.”
That’s your 11th win at this track. Is it a track you’ve always enjoyed?
“Yeah. Something about this track is just special for me. I love coming here. It seems like for the most part we always get pretty lucky on the weather here. Just staying by Elkhart Lake and going to have dinner at night. It’s just an amazing area. This track really suits my style, I feel like. It’s kind of crazy to think that I’ve got eleven wins here, for sure.”
PJ Jacobsen – Second Place
“It got off to a pretty decent start. I think my starts have not been too great this year, so I’ve still got to figure out how to get off the line. Then I was just sitting behind Josh. He kind of got away and pulled a little gap in the beginning, then I caught up to him. Cam ran wide in turn two because of some stuff. The race was going pretty good. I just had a problem with my brakes. They were just very inconsistent. So, we need to take a look at that because I was pretty not thrilled about that in the race with my front brakes. I really couldn’t make any overtaking passes straight up and down. Josh is always good on the brakes and that kind of hurt me in the race with that problem going on. But I had to make a pass in the carousel because he was struggling there after a few laps. So, I went into the chicane and that was my only option. So, I had to do that and then I kind of just stood on the rear brake to completely stop the bike. I ran Josh a little bit wide, and he had to cut the chicane, probably. I apologized to him for that. It’s a bummer that it got red-flagged because it would have been nice to finish the race completely, the twelve laps. But congratulations to my teammate. He did a great job. Hopefully we can come back tomorrow and be stronger and have a better race all of us tomorrow again.”
Josh Herrin – Third Place
“Yeah. I’m happy with how the bike was the first couple laps. Then really like lap three I started getting really big front tucks in the carousel where there was just nothing I could do. I tried changing my line through. I thought maybe I went in tight, maybe I did something wrong, but it just ended up after lap three, lap four once I tried that, I tried everything I could in the carousel, and it didn’t work. Then it started happening on the right-hand corners so I kind of figured the front was chewed. I’m honestly kind of lucky that the race got called early because I was worried about the guys behind me catching me just because it was getting so bad. We haven’t had any problems with the front tire the whole weekend. It’s been perfectly fine. We did 14 laps on the front on Friday morning and did our fastest lap at the end on the last lap. It’s frustrating because we got a lap record this morning. Got off to a great start. I felt really good. Stayed out of trouble. To have something like that be the reason why we are sitting third instead of possibly at least second and closer to the front is disappointing. Super happy with the work that my team has done. We’ve got the bike working really well this weekend. The incident with PJ going into the chicane, I think he just got in there a little bit hot. He said his brakes weren’t working that great. I felt like I didn’t have anywhere to go except to go straight, because I just felt like it would be safer than trying to make that turn where I was on the track. Like I said, disappointed but also at the same time happy to get some solid points. I know Gagne had an engine problem, so we were able to make up at least whatever it is, 16 points on him. So, that’s good. We’ve just got to try to capitalize on having a good bike at this racetrack tomorrow, and hopefully we’re further up in the battle.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Petersen Bounces Back to Top Five Finish in Road America Race 1
Cameron Petersen takes a top-five finish despite a challenging start to the weekend for the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing team
MARIETTA, Ga. – June 3, 2023 – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen overcame challenges to secure a top-five finish in today’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 at Road America. Unfortunately, his teammate Jake Gagne was unable to finish the race.
The third round of the championship got off to a tough start with limited track time on the newly repaved surface at the 4.05-mile track in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. In addition to those challenges, Petersen came into the weekend not quite 100% with a wrist injury, but he overcame adversity and had a solid qualifying result in fifth. The South African was seventh after the start but kept pushing and advanced to fifth, where he would ultimately finish the shortened red-flagged race.
Although he didn’t have many laps in qualifying, Gagne quickly got up to speed and was able to qualify sixth. The reigning champ got a great start from the second row of the grid, slotted into third, and moved into the runner-up spot. He was shuffled back to third a lap later and then to fourth before having to withdraw from the race on Lap 7 with a technical issue.
The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team looks to return to the top in tomorrow’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 on Sunday, June 4, at Road America.
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“This weekend has been challenging with technical issues and limited time on a track surface that does not seem to suit our bikes. Despite those challenges, Jake is ready to race tomorrow, and Cameron is riding well despite his wrist injury. We will bounce back as usual and continue the championship fight.”
Cameron Petersen – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“I didn’t really know what to expect going into the race after doing pretty much no laps, but I was able to find my feet and the speed towards the end of the race. I’m excited for race two now that we know what we need to work on.”
Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“It was a tough start going into race one without having many laps. This new surface has thrown us a curveball, but we still learned a lot and can make improvements for tomorrow. Luck wasn’t on our side with a technical issue, but I’m up for the challenge!”
About Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, WaveRunner Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars, Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.
YMUS has a corporate office in California, two corporate offices in Georgia, facilities in Wisconsin and Alabama, and factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company (YMSC) with divisions Bennett Marine (Florida), Kracor Systems (Wisconsin) and Siren Marine, Inc. (Rhode Island), Skeeter Boats (Texas), with division G3 Boats (Missouri), and Yamaha Precision Propeller (Indiana).
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, Inc.:
SUZUKI RACERS TEAGG HOBBS AND RICHIE ESCALANTE EARN FOURTH PLACE RESULTS AT ROAD AMERICA
GSX-R750s Continue to Dominate the Supersport Class
BREA, CA – June 4, 2023 – Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer displayed impressive speed and consistency on Saturday, scooping up four top-six finishes as the MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport race action kicked off on the blazing fast Road America circuit.
Race Highlights:
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante remains persistent in his hunt for a maiden MotoAmerica Superbike podium. Despite starting from Row 3, Escalante leaped off the line aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000R Superbike and slashed his way up to fifth at the beginning of the race. Another pass executed while climbing the start/finish line hill at the end of the opening lap saw him earn one more position. Following a quick back-and-forth, Escalante established himself a clear and solid fourth, when the race was ultimately called complete with a red flag after eight of a scheduled 12 laps. The result equaled his best-ever finish in the class – marking the fourth time he’s finished fourth in Superbike and the second time he’s done so in as many attempts.
Escalante said, “After our good weekend at Barber, we are really motivated to keep improving. We have more top speed thanks to technical improvements from the team and a couple of suspension changes to try. Because the track was resurfaced, I came into it without too many expectations. I improved my race pace in practice and qualifying, but the fast lap on a soft tire wasn’t as fast as we would have liked. We had a solid race. I had a couple of moments with the front group, and then I worked on my consistency and pace. I was catching the rider in front of me, then he had a problem. In the end, I finished fourth. The crew is happy, and I am glad to finish with a good result. We have one more practice before Race 2 and will try to make some more improvements. We’re working hard to get that first Superbike podium.”
Escalante was joined in the top six by his world championship-winning teammate, Toni Elias. The Spaniard showed major signs that he’s returning to form with a strong effort at Road America. After running eighth for much of the contest, Elias picked up two positions before the race stoppage, to end his day credited with a promising sixth.
“We made big, big changes and the team did a lot of work. I was 2.5 seconds faster today than yesterday,” said Elias. “I have more confidence and can attack more. I had fun riding the bike despite having a poor start. I was able to catch up to the group in front. I was ready to attack for podium positions but the red flag ended the race early. It was much better. Still not where we want but we will keep working to reduce the gap.”
The premier-class effort was mirrored by Team Hammer in Supersport, this time headlined by the ascending Teagg Hobbs. The class rookie was shuffled down to seventh early, but systematically clawed his way forward on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R600. During his charge, Hobbs temporarily joined teammate Tyler Scott in a three-rider battle for fourth before ultimately running away with the position. Hobbs finished as the first of five Suzuki-mounted riders who together locked down fourth-through-eighth in what was Teagg’s best Supersport result yet.
“Being the top Suzuki rider feels great,” said Hobbs. “I didn’t have a really good start to the race, but I was trying to be consistent and run a fast pace. I was tracking down fourth and was able to get it done. If I can improve in the first few laps tomorrow, we have a good chance of running at the very front.”
Tyler Scott enjoyed a spectacular launch, diving into Turn 1 with the early lead. Displaced to fourth by the end of the lap, the aggressive Scott did what he could cling to the leading trio before finishing himself in a fight for his position. Scott ultimately settled into a clear sixth, where he took the checkered flag.
“We have had some challenges this weekend,” Scott admitted. “The suspension wasn’t where we needed to be, and the bike has been more difficult to ride at the pace we need to be upfront. We know where we need to go and will make some changes for tomorrow. I think we can improve for race two.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki will return to action tomorrow as the 2023 MotoAmerica season resumes with a second day of racing at Road America.
For more racing news, results, and special team content please visit https://suzukicycles.com/racing/road-racing.
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.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2023 season marks Team Hammer’s 43rd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Race bikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 346 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.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider Xavi Fores won MotoAmerica Supersport Race One Saturday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Riding his Panigale V2, Spaniard Fores fended off a race-long challenge from Stefano Mesa and Josh Hayes to earn his fourth win in four races so far in 2023.
Mesa, riding his Tytlers Cycle Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R, passed Hayes on the penultimate lap but didn’t have enough to pass Fores and had to settle for the runner-up spot.
Hayes led at several points of the race on his Squid Hunter Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 but ended up third.
Fores, Mesa, and Hayes all turned their fastest laps of the race on the last lap.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Teagg Hobbs beat Michael Gilbert Racing’s Michael Gilbert in a battle of GSX-R750s over fourth place.
23_5_RDAMER_SSP_R1_res
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
MotoAmerica Winners Keep Winning At Road America
Day One At Road America In Support Class Action
ELHART LAKE, WI (June 3, 2023) – Kyle Wyman, Avery Dreher, Xavi Fores and Ezra Beaubier kept their hot hands as the MotoAmerica Championship visited Road America on Saturday for the first day of two days of racing.
Wyman won his fourth Mission King Of The Baggers race in front of the partisan Harley-Davidson crowd; Dreher seemingly came out of nowhere to win his fourth Junior Cup race of the season; Fores remained undefeated in Supersport; and Ezra Beaubier won his third Steel Commander Stock 1000 race to extend his lead in the championship.
Steel Commander Stock 1000 – Beaubier!
MotoAmerica’s literbike riders love racing at Road America because the track favors horsepower, and the Steel Commander Stock 1000 class delivers it in spades. In race one, Orange Cat Racing’s Ezra Beaubier exploited the impressive power of his BMW M 1000 RR and won his third race of the year. Second place, and also riding a BMW M 1000 RR, went to Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman. The surprise of the race was Wyman’s younger brother Cody, who was pressed into action as a last-minute fill-in rider for the injured Brandon Paasch on the Altus Motorsports Suzuki. Cody Wyman, who had never before raced in the Steel Commander Stock 1000 class or aboard a Suzuki GSX-R1000R, rounded out the podium in third.
“I knew we would be really strong this weekend,” Ezra Beaubier said. “Obviously, the BMW Alpha Racing package is really, really strong, especially here with all the long straightaways. Yesterday went really well. We found some more with the bike this morning. I wasn’t able to really put a clean lap together. I kind of just got held up with some traffic and didn’t get to show what my full potential was this morning. But I knew going into the race that we were going to be just as strong as anyone. I was ready to bring the fight. I knew those first couple laps it was going to be tough with going with the hard-option rear tire. It was super-slick and super-greasy those first couple laps. I saw Travis almost go down in the second-to-last corner. I kind of felt like that was my chance to try to break away and slowly just tried to inch away and saw I was slowly building a gap. Just kept my head down and kept clicking off my laps and just hitting my marks and did what I could to bring it home in P1.”
Junior Cup – Dreher From Well Back
MotoAmerica’s Junior Cup riders started the day at Road America, and the series’ entry-level riders, who are known to race close together in packs, take advantage of Road America’s four-mile race course and long straightaways to make draft passes at carefully timed moments. The result in race one was a photo finish with the podium decided after carefully studying the still photo captured at the finish line. Bad Boys Racing Kawasaki’s Avery Dreher very solidly won the race, while the second- and third-place finishers ended up being Fairium NGRT- Gray Area Racing Aprilia rider Rossi Moor, the former Mini Cup rider earning his first “big-bike” podium, and Belgian rider Levi Badie, who won race two at Barber Motorsports Park and notched his second-consecutive podium finish aboard his Badie Racing Kawasaki.
“I was kind of anxious coming out of that last lap,” Dreher said. “I went to the race with the plan not leading on the front straightaway, even be third or fourth. Coming out of that last lap, I think I was at the back of the pack, or close to the back of the pack. So, I just had to make my moves. I made a couple moves in the second or third sector, and then I passed another rider on the back straightaway and came out of that front straight only expecting to be on the podium. I said in my head, ‘Man, I better do the best job of my life coming up to this last corner.’ Got on the gas super-early. Everyone was drafting, moving side to side, and then, they moved to the left and I just saw an opening and took it.”
Supersport – Fores, Again
At this still-early point in the season, it’s safe to say that Spaniard Xavi Fores loves racing in MotoAmerica. The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati rider is undefeated so far this season, and he notched his fourth consecutive Supersport victory in race one at Road America.
Incidentally, Fores has begun his first MotoAmerica season with more consecutive race victories than any other first-year rider in the history of the series. Fores and his Ducati Panigale V2 crossed the finish line just under 3/10ths of a second ahead of Tytlers Cycle Racing Kawasaki’s Stefano Mesa. For Mesa, it was his third podium of the year. Also recording his third podium result of the season was Squid Hunter Racing’s Josh Hayes, who was third aboard his Yamaha.
“About the race today, honestly I think it was the race I enjoyed more because, especially at the beginning of the race, I didn’t expect Josh to stay with us because during all the sessions yesterday and today, me and Stefano had something else compared to the others,” Fores said. “But you can’t forget Josh Hayes on the racing. He’s a dog. He has a lot of experience. You always have to count with him. So, when he passed me the first time on turn five, I said, ‘Oh, he’s here.’ He’s even strong on brakes, because I brake there really late, and he passed me. He was turning well. So, I said, okay, it’s going to be good fun today. I think all of us three have some strong points on our bike, so my bike is quite good on brakes and on the top of the power a little bit better than previously. Josh in the middle sector, the Yamaha is always amazing and he’s so fast on the long corners. It’s difficult to stay sometimes with him. When he passed me, he pulled some gap away two or three corners and I said, ‘I have to wake up otherwise he’s going to go.’ Stefano, he’s light. He’s quite aerodynamic. The bike is going fast. He showed a lot of potential this weekend and all the season. So, this means that every time we go out, we improve something, we learn something from each other. This is something that I think the fans are enjoying, as well, because we do some overtakes, clean overtakes always. A lot of respect. In the end, even if one of them wins the race I will be happy as well, because we are enjoying on the bike which is the priority. My bike was working well, as I said before. I need to find something on the forks because the last part of the fork, I feel always the bottom. I don’t feel really comfortable, and I run wide a couple of times. But, overall, I’m feeling good on the bike. Coming here and winning races is not that easy. Hopefully, tomorrow we can try again.”
Mission King Of The Baggers – Wyman In Control
H-D Screamin’ Eagle’s Kyle Wyman won his fourth Mission King Of The Baggers race in a row on Saturday at Road America with the Harley-Davidson factory rider passing Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods-backed Tyler O’Hara on the last lap to score the victory.
At the finish line, Wyman was .567 of a second ahead of O’Hara, who in turn was 1.5 seconds ahead of Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson’s James Rispoli.
“I definitely planned to get him between (turns) seven and eight, but he made a bigger mistake than I had seen on the last few laps,” Wyman said. “So, the door opened quite a bit earlier. He tried to brake me back into eight, but he was going to be super late. Luckily, I was able to slow the thing and square him up and get back past him. I was hoping I could find a little something. I had not been really that comfortable this weekend, and when the race comes you just got to dig a little bit deeper. We found what we needed. I really thought about going sooner, but since we had a gap and it was just us two, I didn’t want to slow each other up and make it a more complicated chess game towards the end. So, it was going to be a lot easier to win that race one on one. We played our cards right.
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – Moore Simply Unstoppable
Nineteen-year-old Mikayla Moore simply dominated Saturday’s opening round of the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. series with a 17.206-second victory over last year’s championship runner-up Crystal Martinez at Road America.
So, in FP1 I ended up doing three minutes and two seconds (lap time),” Moore said. “That was my best, and then in qualifying two I got it down to a 2:56. I had to make some suspension changes, especially in the rear, and it definitely helped a lot.”
Defending series champion Kayleigh Buyck had a mechanical problem that dropped her out of second place early in the race.
Mission Mini Cup By Motul (Friday) – Gouker Dominates
Mission Foods Mini Cup by Motul kicked off the weekend at Road America on Friday with great races across multiple classes.
In Stock 50, Weston Fager and Cruise Texter battled all day with Fager taking both wins and Texter ending up second. Nico Bandel rounded out the podium in both races.
The Stock 110/125 class had a barn burner race one with Ryan Clark and Joel Laub going back and forth multiple times throughout the race. At the finish, Clark narrowly got the win by .105 of a second. Clark was a little more dominant in race two, taking the victory. Jacob Davis was third in both races. Nathan Bettencourt, meanwhile, took the combined-class win.
The Ohvale 160 class has been the most competitive all year and day one at Road America was no different. Nathan Gouker dominated both races by over 13 and 18 seconds. Mahdi Salem put up some good rides to finish second in both races. Kruz Maddison finished third in race one with Reese Frankenfield taking the final podium spot in race two.
Ryder Davis kept his winning streak alive in the Ohvale 190 class by winning both races. Josh Raymond kept him honest in second with third going to
Nathan Bettencourt, who was pulling double duty in addition to the Stock 110/125 class.
Mission Mini Cup By Motul (Saturday) – More Gouker, More Davis
Stadler America’s Nathan Gouker and Alpha Omega’s Ryder Davis continued their domination of the 160 Ohvale and 190 Ohvale classes in the MotoAmerica Mini Cup series at the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex on Saturday evening.
In Stock class racing, Cruise Texter and Weston Fager split wins in the Stock 50 class while Ryan Clark completely dominated the Stock 110/Stock 125 class.
Ezra Beaubier, the younger brother of Cameron Beaubier, took a convincing victory in MotoAmerica Steel Commander Stock 1000 Race One at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Riding his Orange Cat Racing BMW M 1000 RR, Beaubier took the lead on the first lap, withstood a strong challenge from Travis Wyman, and held on to win by 2.717 seconds. It was Beaubier’s third win and fifth podium in five races so far this season.
Wyman, the pole-sitter, pushed Beaubier to the end but had to settle for the runner-up spot on his Travis Wyman Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Travis Wyman’s younger brother Cody Wyman, who was riding in place of injured Brandon Paasch on the Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000R, came from behind to take third on the final lap.
Beaubier’s teammate Kaleb De Keyrel was running third until he was demoted to fourth by Cody Wyman.
Hayden Gillim got off to a slow start on his Disrupt Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000R but was able to work his way up to fifth, just 0.433 second behind De Keyrel at the finish.
23_5_RDAMER_STK_R1_res
Championship leader Avery Dreher used a multi-bike draft on the final lap to win a thrilling MotoAmerica Junior Cup Race One Saturday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. It was Dreher’s fourth win in five races on his Bad Boys Racing Kawasaki Ninja 400 so far in 2023.
Rossi Moor finished second, earning his first MotoAmerica Junior Cup podium, on his Fairium NGRT – Gray Area Racing KTM RC 390 R.
Levi Badie led a lot of the race on his Levi Badie Racing Kawasaki but got shuffled backward on the run to the finish line and ended up third.
Max Van was originally scored third on his SportbikeTrackGear.com Kawasaki, but after the podium ceremony and a video review of the finish he was reclassified fourth.
Hayden Bicknese got fifth on his Bicknese Racing Kawasaki and was just 0.6 second behind behind the winner at the finish.
23_5_RDAMER_JRC_R1_res (1)
Defending Champion Tyler O’Hara won the MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge dash for cash Saturday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Riding his Progressive Insurance/Mission Foods Indian Challenge, O’Hara won the two-lap sprint by 0.316 second, earning the $5,000 cash prize.
James Rispoli was a close second on his Vance & Hines/Mission Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
Kyle Wyman, the 2021 King Of The Baggers Champion, finished third on his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
Rispoli’s teammate Hayden Gillim was the fourth and final finisher, just 1.241 seconds behind O’Hara.
Bobby Fong, the fastest qualifier, was unable to make the start after crashing in Qualifying Two (Q2) moments before the Challenge.
O’Hara’s teammate Jeremy McWilliams didn’t crash but a problem with a wheel change in between Q2 and the Challenge prevented him from starting the dash for cash.
23_5_RDAMER_KTB_CH_res
Sac Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands Design Indian’s Bobby Fong crashed during MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Qualifying Two (Q2) Saturday morning at Road America, but the recording breaking lap time of 2:20.817 Fong did on Friday held up to get him pole position.
Hayden Gillim topped Q2 with a 2:20.834 on his Vance & Hines/Mission Harley-Davidson Road Glide, but that was only good enough for the second spot on the grid.
Defending Champion Tyler O’Hara claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 2:21.029 on his Progressive Insurance/Mission Foods Indian Challenger.
23_5_RDAMER_KTB_Q2_res (1)
DUNLOP TAKES FIRST WIN OF TT IN MONSTER ENERGY SUPERSPORT TT RACE 1
Michael Dunlop got race week underway at the Isle of Man TT Races with victory in the opening Monster Energy Supersport TT Race, his tenth victory in the class and 22nd in total.
Riding the MD Racing Yamaha, Dunlop grabbed the lead at Ballaugh on lap one and was never headed, eventually winning with a race record time by 12.3seconds with Peter Hickman (K2 Trooper Beer Triumph) getting the better of Dean Harrison (BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha) for second, the gap between the two at the end of four laps just 0.394s.
With superb conditions again all-round the Mountain Course, Harrison led through Glen Helen on lap one, his advantage over Dunlop half a second with Hickman a further second back in third. Davey Todd (Milenco by Padgett’s Motorcycles Honda) was another seven tenths of a second back with Harrison’s team-mate James Hillier two tenths adrift of the Honda rider.
Jamie Coward (KTS Racing powered by Steadplan Yamaha) rounded out the early top six with 3.4s covering the top six riders but Mike Browne was a non-starter having blown an engine in the earlier warm-up lap.
Dunlop nosed ahead on the run to Ballaugh with his advantage over Harrison now 1.5 seconds with a similar distance back to Hickman. Coward had moved up to fourth though having overhauled both Todd and Hillier. Behind them, James Hind and Craig Neve were going well in seventh and eighth.
The lead had stretched to 3.6 seconds at Ramsey and the gap widened as Dunlop went up and over Snaefell Mountain, an opening lap of 128.305mph giving him a 5.4s advantage over Harrison. Hickman remained in third but was now 4.6 seconds adrift of Harrison although he was holding a similar gap over fourth-placed Coward.
Todd and Hillier were locked in battle for fifth with Hind still in seventh but there was change further back with Paul Jordan up to eighth ahead of Rob Hodson and David Johnson.
Lap two and Harrison continued to lead on the road, but he was continually losing ground to Dunlop, the gap at Glen Helen up to 7.3 seconds. Dunlop had also overtaken Coward so had clear track ahead of him and had Harrison firmly in his sights. Third to sixth remained the same but Jordan had now got ahead of Hind for seventh.
Dunlop continued to extend his lead throughout the second lap and as he came into the pits for fuel, an improved lap speed of 129.136mph gave him a healthy 13.4s advantage. Harrison, in turn, was only 8.6s clear of Hickman with Coward still in contention for a podium position as he sat just 6.2 seconds adrift.
Todd and Hillier were still running in fifth and sixth with Jordan in seventh but Hodson and Johnson both moved up a place as Hind was hit with a 30 second penalty for speeding in pit lane, the youngster dropping out of the top ten because of the indiscretion.
After the fuel stop, Harrison cut Dunlop’s lead by two seconds on the third run to Glen Helen with Coward losing time at the pits and falling into the clutches of Todd, the gap between them now down to two seconds.
Back at the front and Dunlop quickly reasserted himself back in the race and going into the fourth and final lap, his lead stood at 17.5s. With a comfortable advantage, all eyes fell on the battle for second with Hickman cutting the gap to Harrison to just 3.9 seconds. Coward, meanwhile, had edged away from Todd once more to the tune of 5.3 seconds with Hillier in a safe sixth.
With a healthy margin, Dunlop was able to ride to his signals on the final lap and duly took the chequered flag for yet another TT victory, but Hickman closed in on Harrison throughout the lap and finally got the better of him on the one-mile dash from Cronk ny Mona to the Grandstand, aided by a 129mph+ lap.
Coward saw off the challenge of Todd to take a fine fourth with Hillier in sixth ahead of Jordan, Johnson, Hodson and Hind who recovered from his penalty to take tenth. Local rider Ryan Cringle was the best newcomer in 22nd after lapping at 120.364mph on his final lap.
Saturday’s MotoAmerica Mission Mini Cup by Motul race results from the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
There are two PDFs below. The first contains the Race One results for each of the five Mini Cup classes, and the second contains the Race Two results for each of the five Mini Cup classes. Use the scroll and zoom tools in the PDF viewer to better see all of the results.
23_5_RDAMER_MCP_R3_res
Mikayla Moore won Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Race One Saturday at Road America. Making her debut in the class, 19-year-old Moore won the five-lap race by 17.206 seconds on her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650.
Crystal Martinez got the runner-up spot by 1.5 seconds over third-place Sonya Lloyd.
Defending Champion Kayleigh Buyck retired with a mechanical problem.
23_5_RDAMER_BTR_R1_res
Kyle Wyman, riding his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Road Glide, won MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Race One Saturday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Wyman edged out defending Champion Tyler O’Hara and his Progressive Insurance/Mission Foods Indian Challenger by 0.567 second.
Third place went to James Rispoli, who used his Vance & Hines/Mission Harley-Davidson Road Glide to beat O’Hara’s teammate Jeremy McWilliams by 0.418 second.
Rispoli’s teammate Hayden Gillim rounded out the top five finishers.
23_5_RDAMER_KTB_R1_res
Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s Cameron Beaubier won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race One Saturday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Beaubier started second but lost several places when he ran wide in Turn Three on the first lap. The Californian then worked his way forward, turned the fastest lap of the race at 2:09.396 (a new Race Lap Record), and took the lead on lap six.
Beaubier was pulling away at the front on lap nine when Zachary Butler’s Yamaha suffered an engine failure and dumped fluid on the front straightaway, causing the race to be stopped.
With two-thirds race distance completed and a significant cleanup to do, MotoAmerica called the race complete based on the lap-eight running order.
Josh Herrin led from the start until he was passed by Beaubier on lap six. The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider then lost another spot when Beaubier’s teammate PJ Jacobsen stuffed him going into the chicane on lap eight, forcing him to run wide.
Jacobsen was running second just ahead of Herrin when the race was stopped, and they were awarded second and third, respectively.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante was fourth, just four seconds behind Jacobsen and Herrin when the race was stopped.
Cameron Petersen got fifth on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1.
Petersen’s teammate, two-time and defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne, retired after suffering a mechanical problem on lap seven.
With Beaubier’s win and Gagne’s DNF, Beaubier takes over the Championship point lead.
23_5_RDAMER_SBK_R1_res
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
All Change At The Top: Beaubier Wins, Gagne DNFs In Race One At Road America
Cameron Beaubier Wins His 11th Superbike Race In Wisconsin
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 3, 2023) – A near off-track excursion in turn three of Road America on the opening lap of the Medallia Superbike race dropped Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier back in the thick of the pack, but it didn’t’ stop him from working his way to the front and ultimately scoring his second race win of the season.
After completing lap one in sixth, while pole sitter Josh Herrin and his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R streaked away at the front of the field, Beaubier put his head down and started his charge. On lap two, Beaubier was fourth and a lap later he was third. He stayed there for two more laps before passing his teammate PJ Jacobsen and chasing down Herrin. Beaubier took the lead on the sixth lap and two laps later the race was red flagged when a blown engine oiled the racing surface. At that point the race was called complete with Beaubier 2.7 seconds clear of Jacobsen, who forced his way past Herrin and into second the lap prior.
Beaubier not only won his 11th career Superbike race at Road America (and 56th of his Superbike career), but he also took over the lead of the 2023 MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship when Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne suffered a mechanical issue that knocked him out of the race and the points lead.
After five races in 2023, Beaubier leads the title chase by four points, 99-95, heading into tomorrow’s second race as Gagne’s weekend went from bad to horrible on Saturday.
Herrin held on for third place after earning pole position with a new lap record in qualifying on Saturday morning.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante finished fourth for the second race in a row, ending up four seconds adrift of Herrin and four and a half seconds ahead of Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen, the South African bravely racing despite an injured right wrist.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Toni Elias was sixth, well clear of seventh-placed Corey Alexander on the third Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz was eighth after being penalized two positions for passing under a waving yellow flag. Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates and Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim rounded out the top 10 finishers.
With Beaubier atop the standings with 99 points, Gagne is second on 95 with Scholtz and his 71 points third. Herrin is fourth with 65 points with Escalante rounding out the top five with 56 points.
Superbike Race One
Superbike Quotes
Cameron Beaubier – Winner
“I just basically ran out of track on the outside. When you’re braking straight up and down there without any angle, it’s really easy to run wide. I knew once I was wide off the racing line the track is slick because it almost caught me out a couple times this weekend just being off-line and having the rear end come around and the front push. So, I just tried to make sure I got through there on two wheels and then started my race from there.”
That’s your 11th win at this track. Is it a track you’ve always enjoyed?
“Yeah. Something about this track is just special for me. I love coming here. It seems like for the most part we always get pretty lucky on the weather here. Just staying by Elkhart Lake and going to have dinner at night. It’s just an amazing area. This track really suits my style, I feel like. It’s kind of crazy to think that I’ve got eleven wins here, for sure.”
PJ Jacobsen – Second Place
“It got off to a pretty decent start. I think my starts have not been too great this year, so I’ve still got to figure out how to get off the line. Then I was just sitting behind Josh. He kind of got away and pulled a little gap in the beginning, then I caught up to him. Cam ran wide in turn two because of some stuff. The race was going pretty good. I just had a problem with my brakes. They were just very inconsistent. So, we need to take a look at that because I was pretty not thrilled about that in the race with my front brakes. I really couldn’t make any overtaking passes straight up and down. Josh is always good on the brakes and that kind of hurt me in the race with that problem going on. But I had to make a pass in the carousel because he was struggling there after a few laps. So, I went into the chicane and that was my only option. So, I had to do that and then I kind of just stood on the rear brake to completely stop the bike. I ran Josh a little bit wide, and he had to cut the chicane, probably. I apologized to him for that. It’s a bummer that it got red-flagged because it would have been nice to finish the race completely, the twelve laps. But congratulations to my teammate. He did a great job. Hopefully we can come back tomorrow and be stronger and have a better race all of us tomorrow again.”
Josh Herrin – Third Place
“Yeah. I’m happy with how the bike was the first couple laps. Then really like lap three I started getting really big front tucks in the carousel where there was just nothing I could do. I tried changing my line through. I thought maybe I went in tight, maybe I did something wrong, but it just ended up after lap three, lap four once I tried that, I tried everything I could in the carousel, and it didn’t work. Then it started happening on the right-hand corners so I kind of figured the front was chewed. I’m honestly kind of lucky that the race got called early because I was worried about the guys behind me catching me just because it was getting so bad. We haven’t had any problems with the front tire the whole weekend. It’s been perfectly fine. We did 14 laps on the front on Friday morning and did our fastest lap at the end on the last lap. It’s frustrating because we got a lap record this morning. Got off to a great start. I felt really good. Stayed out of trouble. To have something like that be the reason why we are sitting third instead of possibly at least second and closer to the front is disappointing. Super happy with the work that my team has done. We’ve got the bike working really well this weekend. The incident with PJ going into the chicane, I think he just got in there a little bit hot. He said his brakes weren’t working that great. I felt like I didn’t have anywhere to go except to go straight, because I just felt like it would be safer than trying to make that turn where I was on the track. Like I said, disappointed but also at the same time happy to get some solid points. I know Gagne had an engine problem, so we were able to make up at least whatever it is, 16 points on him. So, that’s good. We’ve just got to try to capitalize on having a good bike at this racetrack tomorrow, and hopefully we’re further up in the battle.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Petersen Bounces Back to Top Five Finish in Road America Race 1
Cameron Petersen takes a top-five finish despite a challenging start to the weekend for the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing team
MARIETTA, Ga. – June 3, 2023 – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen overcame challenges to secure a top-five finish in today’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 at Road America. Unfortunately, his teammate Jake Gagne was unable to finish the race.
The third round of the championship got off to a tough start with limited track time on the newly repaved surface at the 4.05-mile track in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. In addition to those challenges, Petersen came into the weekend not quite 100% with a wrist injury, but he overcame adversity and had a solid qualifying result in fifth. The South African was seventh after the start but kept pushing and advanced to fifth, where he would ultimately finish the shortened red-flagged race.
Although he didn’t have many laps in qualifying, Gagne quickly got up to speed and was able to qualify sixth. The reigning champ got a great start from the second row of the grid, slotted into third, and moved into the runner-up spot. He was shuffled back to third a lap later and then to fourth before having to withdraw from the race on Lap 7 with a technical issue.
The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team looks to return to the top in tomorrow’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 on Sunday, June 4, at Road America.
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“This weekend has been challenging with technical issues and limited time on a track surface that does not seem to suit our bikes. Despite those challenges, Jake is ready to race tomorrow, and Cameron is riding well despite his wrist injury. We will bounce back as usual and continue the championship fight.”
Cameron Petersen – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“I didn’t really know what to expect going into the race after doing pretty much no laps, but I was able to find my feet and the speed towards the end of the race. I’m excited for race two now that we know what we need to work on.”
Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“It was a tough start going into race one without having many laps. This new surface has thrown us a curveball, but we still learned a lot and can make improvements for tomorrow. Luck wasn’t on our side with a technical issue, but I’m up for the challenge!”
About Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, WaveRunner Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars, Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.
YMUS has a corporate office in California, two corporate offices in Georgia, facilities in Wisconsin and Alabama, and factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company (YMSC) with divisions Bennett Marine (Florida), Kracor Systems (Wisconsin) and Siren Marine, Inc. (Rhode Island), Skeeter Boats (Texas), with division G3 Boats (Missouri), and Yamaha Precision Propeller (Indiana).
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, Inc.:
SUZUKI RACERS TEAGG HOBBS AND RICHIE ESCALANTE EARN FOURTH PLACE RESULTS AT ROAD AMERICA
GSX-R750s Continue to Dominate the Supersport Class
BREA, CA – June 4, 2023 – Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer displayed impressive speed and consistency on Saturday, scooping up four top-six finishes as the MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport race action kicked off on the blazing fast Road America circuit.
Race Highlights:
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante remains persistent in his hunt for a maiden MotoAmerica Superbike podium. Despite starting from Row 3, Escalante leaped off the line aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000R Superbike and slashed his way up to fifth at the beginning of the race. Another pass executed while climbing the start/finish line hill at the end of the opening lap saw him earn one more position. Following a quick back-and-forth, Escalante established himself a clear and solid fourth, when the race was ultimately called complete with a red flag after eight of a scheduled 12 laps. The result equaled his best-ever finish in the class – marking the fourth time he’s finished fourth in Superbike and the second time he’s done so in as many attempts.
Escalante said, “After our good weekend at Barber, we are really motivated to keep improving. We have more top speed thanks to technical improvements from the team and a couple of suspension changes to try. Because the track was resurfaced, I came into it without too many expectations. I improved my race pace in practice and qualifying, but the fast lap on a soft tire wasn’t as fast as we would have liked. We had a solid race. I had a couple of moments with the front group, and then I worked on my consistency and pace. I was catching the rider in front of me, then he had a problem. In the end, I finished fourth. The crew is happy, and I am glad to finish with a good result. We have one more practice before Race 2 and will try to make some more improvements. We’re working hard to get that first Superbike podium.”
Escalante was joined in the top six by his world championship-winning teammate, Toni Elias. The Spaniard showed major signs that he’s returning to form with a strong effort at Road America. After running eighth for much of the contest, Elias picked up two positions before the race stoppage, to end his day credited with a promising sixth.
“We made big, big changes and the team did a lot of work. I was 2.5 seconds faster today than yesterday,” said Elias. “I have more confidence and can attack more. I had fun riding the bike despite having a poor start. I was able to catch up to the group in front. I was ready to attack for podium positions but the red flag ended the race early. It was much better. Still not where we want but we will keep working to reduce the gap.”
The premier-class effort was mirrored by Team Hammer in Supersport, this time headlined by the ascending Teagg Hobbs. The class rookie was shuffled down to seventh early, but systematically clawed his way forward on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R600. During his charge, Hobbs temporarily joined teammate Tyler Scott in a three-rider battle for fourth before ultimately running away with the position. Hobbs finished as the first of five Suzuki-mounted riders who together locked down fourth-through-eighth in what was Teagg’s best Supersport result yet.
“Being the top Suzuki rider feels great,” said Hobbs. “I didn’t have a really good start to the race, but I was trying to be consistent and run a fast pace. I was tracking down fourth and was able to get it done. If I can improve in the first few laps tomorrow, we have a good chance of running at the very front.”
Tyler Scott enjoyed a spectacular launch, diving into Turn 1 with the early lead. Displaced to fourth by the end of the lap, the aggressive Scott did what he could cling to the leading trio before finishing himself in a fight for his position. Scott ultimately settled into a clear sixth, where he took the checkered flag.
“We have had some challenges this weekend,” Scott admitted. “The suspension wasn’t where we needed to be, and the bike has been more difficult to ride at the pace we need to be upfront. We know where we need to go and will make some changes for tomorrow. I think we can improve for race two.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki will return to action tomorrow as the 2023 MotoAmerica season resumes with a second day of racing at Road America.
For more racing news, results, and special team content please visit https://suzukicycles.com/racing/road-racing.
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.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2023 season marks Team Hammer’s 43rd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Race bikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 346 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.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider Xavi Fores won MotoAmerica Supersport Race One Saturday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Riding his Panigale V2, Spaniard Fores fended off a race-long challenge from Stefano Mesa and Josh Hayes to earn his fourth win in four races so far in 2023.
Mesa, riding his Tytlers Cycle Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R, passed Hayes on the penultimate lap but didn’t have enough to pass Fores and had to settle for the runner-up spot.
Hayes led at several points of the race on his Squid Hunter Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 but ended up third.
Fores, Mesa, and Hayes all turned their fastest laps of the race on the last lap.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Teagg Hobbs beat Michael Gilbert Racing’s Michael Gilbert in a battle of GSX-R750s over fourth place.
23_5_RDAMER_SSP_R1_res
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
MotoAmerica Winners Keep Winning At Road America
Day One At Road America In Support Class Action
ELHART LAKE, WI (June 3, 2023) – Kyle Wyman, Avery Dreher, Xavi Fores and Ezra Beaubier kept their hot hands as the MotoAmerica Championship visited Road America on Saturday for the first day of two days of racing.
Wyman won his fourth Mission King Of The Baggers race in front of the partisan Harley-Davidson crowd; Dreher seemingly came out of nowhere to win his fourth Junior Cup race of the season; Fores remained undefeated in Supersport; and Ezra Beaubier won his third Steel Commander Stock 1000 race to extend his lead in the championship.
Steel Commander Stock 1000 – Beaubier!
MotoAmerica’s literbike riders love racing at Road America because the track favors horsepower, and the Steel Commander Stock 1000 class delivers it in spades. In race one, Orange Cat Racing’s Ezra Beaubier exploited the impressive power of his BMW M 1000 RR and won his third race of the year. Second place, and also riding a BMW M 1000 RR, went to Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman. The surprise of the race was Wyman’s younger brother Cody, who was pressed into action as a last-minute fill-in rider for the injured Brandon Paasch on the Altus Motorsports Suzuki. Cody Wyman, who had never before raced in the Steel Commander Stock 1000 class or aboard a Suzuki GSX-R1000R, rounded out the podium in third.
“I knew we would be really strong this weekend,” Ezra Beaubier said. “Obviously, the BMW Alpha Racing package is really, really strong, especially here with all the long straightaways. Yesterday went really well. We found some more with the bike this morning. I wasn’t able to really put a clean lap together. I kind of just got held up with some traffic and didn’t get to show what my full potential was this morning. But I knew going into the race that we were going to be just as strong as anyone. I was ready to bring the fight. I knew those first couple laps it was going to be tough with going with the hard-option rear tire. It was super-slick and super-greasy those first couple laps. I saw Travis almost go down in the second-to-last corner. I kind of felt like that was my chance to try to break away and slowly just tried to inch away and saw I was slowly building a gap. Just kept my head down and kept clicking off my laps and just hitting my marks and did what I could to bring it home in P1.”
Junior Cup – Dreher From Well Back
MotoAmerica’s Junior Cup riders started the day at Road America, and the series’ entry-level riders, who are known to race close together in packs, take advantage of Road America’s four-mile race course and long straightaways to make draft passes at carefully timed moments. The result in race one was a photo finish with the podium decided after carefully studying the still photo captured at the finish line. Bad Boys Racing Kawasaki’s Avery Dreher very solidly won the race, while the second- and third-place finishers ended up being Fairium NGRT- Gray Area Racing Aprilia rider Rossi Moor, the former Mini Cup rider earning his first “big-bike” podium, and Belgian rider Levi Badie, who won race two at Barber Motorsports Park and notched his second-consecutive podium finish aboard his Badie Racing Kawasaki.
“I was kind of anxious coming out of that last lap,” Dreher said. “I went to the race with the plan not leading on the front straightaway, even be third or fourth. Coming out of that last lap, I think I was at the back of the pack, or close to the back of the pack. So, I just had to make my moves. I made a couple moves in the second or third sector, and then I passed another rider on the back straightaway and came out of that front straight only expecting to be on the podium. I said in my head, ‘Man, I better do the best job of my life coming up to this last corner.’ Got on the gas super-early. Everyone was drafting, moving side to side, and then, they moved to the left and I just saw an opening and took it.”
Supersport – Fores, Again
At this still-early point in the season, it’s safe to say that Spaniard Xavi Fores loves racing in MotoAmerica. The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati rider is undefeated so far this season, and he notched his fourth consecutive Supersport victory in race one at Road America.
Incidentally, Fores has begun his first MotoAmerica season with more consecutive race victories than any other first-year rider in the history of the series. Fores and his Ducati Panigale V2 crossed the finish line just under 3/10ths of a second ahead of Tytlers Cycle Racing Kawasaki’s Stefano Mesa. For Mesa, it was his third podium of the year. Also recording his third podium result of the season was Squid Hunter Racing’s Josh Hayes, who was third aboard his Yamaha.
“About the race today, honestly I think it was the race I enjoyed more because, especially at the beginning of the race, I didn’t expect Josh to stay with us because during all the sessions yesterday and today, me and Stefano had something else compared to the others,” Fores said. “But you can’t forget Josh Hayes on the racing. He’s a dog. He has a lot of experience. You always have to count with him. So, when he passed me the first time on turn five, I said, ‘Oh, he’s here.’ He’s even strong on brakes, because I brake there really late, and he passed me. He was turning well. So, I said, okay, it’s going to be good fun today. I think all of us three have some strong points on our bike, so my bike is quite good on brakes and on the top of the power a little bit better than previously. Josh in the middle sector, the Yamaha is always amazing and he’s so fast on the long corners. It’s difficult to stay sometimes with him. When he passed me, he pulled some gap away two or three corners and I said, ‘I have to wake up otherwise he’s going to go.’ Stefano, he’s light. He’s quite aerodynamic. The bike is going fast. He showed a lot of potential this weekend and all the season. So, this means that every time we go out, we improve something, we learn something from each other. This is something that I think the fans are enjoying, as well, because we do some overtakes, clean overtakes always. A lot of respect. In the end, even if one of them wins the race I will be happy as well, because we are enjoying on the bike which is the priority. My bike was working well, as I said before. I need to find something on the forks because the last part of the fork, I feel always the bottom. I don’t feel really comfortable, and I run wide a couple of times. But, overall, I’m feeling good on the bike. Coming here and winning races is not that easy. Hopefully, tomorrow we can try again.”
Mission King Of The Baggers – Wyman In Control
H-D Screamin’ Eagle’s Kyle Wyman won his fourth Mission King Of The Baggers race in a row on Saturday at Road America with the Harley-Davidson factory rider passing Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods-backed Tyler O’Hara on the last lap to score the victory.
At the finish line, Wyman was .567 of a second ahead of O’Hara, who in turn was 1.5 seconds ahead of Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson’s James Rispoli.
“I definitely planned to get him between (turns) seven and eight, but he made a bigger mistake than I had seen on the last few laps,” Wyman said. “So, the door opened quite a bit earlier. He tried to brake me back into eight, but he was going to be super late. Luckily, I was able to slow the thing and square him up and get back past him. I was hoping I could find a little something. I had not been really that comfortable this weekend, and when the race comes you just got to dig a little bit deeper. We found what we needed. I really thought about going sooner, but since we had a gap and it was just us two, I didn’t want to slow each other up and make it a more complicated chess game towards the end. So, it was going to be a lot easier to win that race one on one. We played our cards right.
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – Moore Simply Unstoppable
Nineteen-year-old Mikayla Moore simply dominated Saturday’s opening round of the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. series with a 17.206-second victory over last year’s championship runner-up Crystal Martinez at Road America.
So, in FP1 I ended up doing three minutes and two seconds (lap time),” Moore said. “That was my best, and then in qualifying two I got it down to a 2:56. I had to make some suspension changes, especially in the rear, and it definitely helped a lot.”
Defending series champion Kayleigh Buyck had a mechanical problem that dropped her out of second place early in the race.
Mission Mini Cup By Motul (Friday) – Gouker Dominates
Mission Foods Mini Cup by Motul kicked off the weekend at Road America on Friday with great races across multiple classes.
In Stock 50, Weston Fager and Cruise Texter battled all day with Fager taking both wins and Texter ending up second. Nico Bandel rounded out the podium in both races.
The Stock 110/125 class had a barn burner race one with Ryan Clark and Joel Laub going back and forth multiple times throughout the race. At the finish, Clark narrowly got the win by .105 of a second. Clark was a little more dominant in race two, taking the victory. Jacob Davis was third in both races. Nathan Bettencourt, meanwhile, took the combined-class win.
The Ohvale 160 class has been the most competitive all year and day one at Road America was no different. Nathan Gouker dominated both races by over 13 and 18 seconds. Mahdi Salem put up some good rides to finish second in both races. Kruz Maddison finished third in race one with Reese Frankenfield taking the final podium spot in race two.
Ryder Davis kept his winning streak alive in the Ohvale 190 class by winning both races. Josh Raymond kept him honest in second with third going to
Nathan Bettencourt, who was pulling double duty in addition to the Stock 110/125 class.
Mission Mini Cup By Motul (Saturday) – More Gouker, More Davis
Stadler America’s Nathan Gouker and Alpha Omega’s Ryder Davis continued their domination of the 160 Ohvale and 190 Ohvale classes in the MotoAmerica Mini Cup series at the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex on Saturday evening.
In Stock class racing, Cruise Texter and Weston Fager split wins in the Stock 50 class while Ryan Clark completely dominated the Stock 110/Stock 125 class.
Ezra Beaubier, the younger brother of Cameron Beaubier, took a convincing victory in MotoAmerica Steel Commander Stock 1000 Race One at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Riding his Orange Cat Racing BMW M 1000 RR, Beaubier took the lead on the first lap, withstood a strong challenge from Travis Wyman, and held on to win by 2.717 seconds. It was Beaubier’s third win and fifth podium in five races so far this season.
Wyman, the pole-sitter, pushed Beaubier to the end but had to settle for the runner-up spot on his Travis Wyman Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Travis Wyman’s younger brother Cody Wyman, who was riding in place of injured Brandon Paasch on the Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000R, came from behind to take third on the final lap.
Beaubier’s teammate Kaleb De Keyrel was running third until he was demoted to fourth by Cody Wyman.
Hayden Gillim got off to a slow start on his Disrupt Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000R but was able to work his way up to fifth, just 0.433 second behind De Keyrel at the finish.
23_5_RDAMER_STK_R1_res
Championship leader Avery Dreher used a multi-bike draft on the final lap to win a thrilling MotoAmerica Junior Cup Race One Saturday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. It was Dreher’s fourth win in five races on his Bad Boys Racing Kawasaki Ninja 400 so far in 2023.
Rossi Moor finished second, earning his first MotoAmerica Junior Cup podium, on his Fairium NGRT – Gray Area Racing KTM RC 390 R.
Levi Badie led a lot of the race on his Levi Badie Racing Kawasaki but got shuffled backward on the run to the finish line and ended up third.
Max Van was originally scored third on his SportbikeTrackGear.com Kawasaki, but after the podium ceremony and a video review of the finish he was reclassified fourth.
Hayden Bicknese got fifth on his Bicknese Racing Kawasaki and was just 0.6 second behind behind the winner at the finish.
23_5_RDAMER_JRC_R1_res (1)
Defending Champion Tyler O’Hara won the MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge dash for cash Saturday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Riding his Progressive Insurance/Mission Foods Indian Challenge, O’Hara won the two-lap sprint by 0.316 second, earning the $5,000 cash prize.
James Rispoli was a close second on his Vance & Hines/Mission Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
Kyle Wyman, the 2021 King Of The Baggers Champion, finished third on his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
Rispoli’s teammate Hayden Gillim was the fourth and final finisher, just 1.241 seconds behind O’Hara.
Bobby Fong, the fastest qualifier, was unable to make the start after crashing in Qualifying Two (Q2) moments before the Challenge.
O’Hara’s teammate Jeremy McWilliams didn’t crash but a problem with a wheel change in between Q2 and the Challenge prevented him from starting the dash for cash.
23_5_RDAMER_KTB_CH_res
Sac Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands Design Indian’s Bobby Fong crashed during MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Qualifying Two (Q2) Saturday morning at Road America, but the recording breaking lap time of 2:20.817 Fong did on Friday held up to get him pole position.
Hayden Gillim topped Q2 with a 2:20.834 on his Vance & Hines/Mission Harley-Davidson Road Glide, but that was only good enough for the second spot on the grid.
Defending Champion Tyler O’Hara claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 2:21.029 on his Progressive Insurance/Mission Foods Indian Challenger.
23_5_RDAMER_KTB_Q2_res (1)
DUNLOP TAKES FIRST WIN OF TT IN MONSTER ENERGY SUPERSPORT TT RACE 1
Michael Dunlop got race week underway at the Isle of Man TT Races with victory in the opening Monster Energy Supersport TT Race, his tenth victory in the class and 22nd in total.
Riding the MD Racing Yamaha, Dunlop grabbed the lead at Ballaugh on lap one and was never headed, eventually winning with a race record time by 12.3seconds with Peter Hickman (K2 Trooper Beer Triumph) getting the better of Dean Harrison (BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha) for second, the gap between the two at the end of four laps just 0.394s.
With superb conditions again all-round the Mountain Course, Harrison led through Glen Helen on lap one, his advantage over Dunlop half a second with Hickman a further second back in third. Davey Todd (Milenco by Padgett’s Motorcycles Honda) was another seven tenths of a second back with Harrison’s team-mate James Hillier two tenths adrift of the Honda rider.
Jamie Coward (KTS Racing powered by Steadplan Yamaha) rounded out the early top six with 3.4s covering the top six riders but Mike Browne was a non-starter having blown an engine in the earlier warm-up lap.
Dunlop nosed ahead on the run to Ballaugh with his advantage over Harrison now 1.5 seconds with a similar distance back to Hickman. Coward had moved up to fourth though having overhauled both Todd and Hillier. Behind them, James Hind and Craig Neve were going well in seventh and eighth.
The lead had stretched to 3.6 seconds at Ramsey and the gap widened as Dunlop went up and over Snaefell Mountain, an opening lap of 128.305mph giving him a 5.4s advantage over Harrison. Hickman remained in third but was now 4.6 seconds adrift of Harrison although he was holding a similar gap over fourth-placed Coward.
Todd and Hillier were locked in battle for fifth with Hind still in seventh but there was change further back with Paul Jordan up to eighth ahead of Rob Hodson and David Johnson.
Lap two and Harrison continued to lead on the road, but he was continually losing ground to Dunlop, the gap at Glen Helen up to 7.3 seconds. Dunlop had also overtaken Coward so had clear track ahead of him and had Harrison firmly in his sights. Third to sixth remained the same but Jordan had now got ahead of Hind for seventh.
Dunlop continued to extend his lead throughout the second lap and as he came into the pits for fuel, an improved lap speed of 129.136mph gave him a healthy 13.4s advantage. Harrison, in turn, was only 8.6s clear of Hickman with Coward still in contention for a podium position as he sat just 6.2 seconds adrift.
Todd and Hillier were still running in fifth and sixth with Jordan in seventh but Hodson and Johnson both moved up a place as Hind was hit with a 30 second penalty for speeding in pit lane, the youngster dropping out of the top ten because of the indiscretion.
After the fuel stop, Harrison cut Dunlop’s lead by two seconds on the third run to Glen Helen with Coward losing time at the pits and falling into the clutches of Todd, the gap between them now down to two seconds.
Back at the front and Dunlop quickly reasserted himself back in the race and going into the fourth and final lap, his lead stood at 17.5s. With a comfortable advantage, all eyes fell on the battle for second with Hickman cutting the gap to Harrison to just 3.9 seconds. Coward, meanwhile, had edged away from Todd once more to the tune of 5.3 seconds with Hillier in a safe sixth.
With a healthy margin, Dunlop was able to ride to his signals on the final lap and duly took the chequered flag for yet another TT victory, but Hickman closed in on Harrison throughout the lap and finally got the better of him on the one-mile dash from Cronk ny Mona to the Grandstand, aided by a 129mph+ lap.
Coward saw off the challenge of Todd to take a fine fourth with Hillier in sixth ahead of Jordan, Johnson, Hodson and Hind who recovered from his penalty to take tenth. Local rider Ryan Cringle was the best newcomer in 22nd after lapping at 120.364mph on his final lap.
