TY SCOTT WINS MOTOAMERICA SUPERSPORT FOR VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI

Suzuki GSX-Rs Show Consistent Speed in Pittsburgh

BREA, CA, August 21, 2023 — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer returned to the top step on the podium with a triumphant Sunday to conclude the MotoAmerica weekend at Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Wampum, Pennsylvania.

Race Highlights:

• Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
  • Supersport
    • Tyler Scott was dominant in earning his second victory of the season.
    • Teagg Hobbs battled his way to an impressive fourth-place result.
  • Superbike
    • Richie Escalante twice fought for the podium on his way to his tenth top-five result of the season in Superbike race three.
    • Brandon Paasch’s recovery progress continues ahead of schedule as he continues to adapt to the Superbike class.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Tyler Scott was determined to not only extend his five-race consecutive podium streak, but do so with another victory. Scott once again blasted his way into the mix despite his outside Row 2 starting position and was engaged in an intense dogfight for the lead. Following a thrilling sequence of laps featuring multiple passes and three-wide braking contests, Scott finally opened a bit of breathing space at the front. Once clear, he upped the pace even further with several blistering laps aboard his next-generation Suzuki GSX-R750 and ultimately commanded a margin of victory of nearly three seconds. The win was his second in the season’s most recent three races and Scott’s sixth consecutive podium result.  Scott’s weekend results were a strong first and third in Supersport.

“The race today was definitely a lot harder than yesterday,” Scott said. “I knew it was going to be hard to pass, so when I saw the opportunity to lead, I took it. Pushing the pace out front is a lot more stressful on your riding, but I just kept pushing and I saw my pit board go up two-tenths, four-tenths, six-tenths. I couldn’t have done it without the whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team preparing a beautiful bike this weekend. We made some improvements this morning which really paid off.”

Teagg Hobbs was in outstanding form as well, despite once again getting pushed back in the opening corner chaos. Hobbs ran as a part of an early six-rider train at the front in the early laps aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 before settling into a duel for fourth. The class rookie went to school on one of the most decorated and experienced riders in the paddock and ultimately worked his way by to secure fourth place at the finish.

Hobbs said, “I was looking forward to this weekend and not just because I really like this track and it’s close to my home; I made a few mistakes in Race 2 at Brainerd, and I wanted to show my team I would come back from those and that’s the type of rider I am. I’m happy. The goal is always top five. We started low, but qualified second and then took a couple of top fives, so I can’t complain. I want to say a huge thanks to the whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team.”

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante rode the roller coaster on Sunday, but ultimately walked away with his head held high after matching his career-best premier-class finish of fourth. The second-year Superbike ace was back to his top-five standard following a disappointing Saturday and Escalante was motivated to take advantage of his Sunday speed on the Suzuki GSX-R1000R. Unfortunately, he crashed on the last lap of the day’s first Superbike contest while gunning for his maiden podium position.

Escalante looked to make amends in the afternoon race, and showed plenty of fight in the effort. Escalante passed his way up to third in the waning stages of the race, but was soon after displaced to fourth and then fifth in the spectacular shootout. Undaunted, Escalante managed to counter with a bold, final-lap overtake to claim fourth ahead of the checkered flag.

“Both races were very tough, and I am happy with how competitive we were,” Escalante said. “It looks like I was sliding around everywhere when you look at it on TV, but I was confident. The team gave me a great bike, and it feels 70 or 80% better than when we started on Friday. In Race 2, I was trying for the podium and knew I needed to take advantage of the opportunities to pass that came up, so I took a risk, and it didn’t pay off. In Race 3, I just gave it all I had every lap. I wanted the podium and was putting up a good fight. Then I was passed for fourth on the last lap, but I thought, ‘Not today,’ and got the position back. My confidence is exceedingly high, and I am looking forward to Austin. It is close to Mexico, and I know there will be a lot of support from the fans.”

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch continued to come to grips with the squad’s GSX-R1000R Superbike, twice running in contention for sixth after finishing ninth on Saturday. In Sunday’s first contest, Paasch achieved that precise result to improve his top-ten streak to seven races. Unfortunately, the run of results ended in the afternoon, when the New Jersey native suffered a DNF after controlling sixth place just two laps from the end.

Paasch said, “It was another good weekend for us. I am learning a lot, and I think we might be a little ahead of schedule as far as how things are going. We made some real headway in Race 2. We stayed with the lead group for a while. As the tire went off, I lost some ground, but we still were able to get sixth place. I had a lot of confidence going into Race 3. I made a move for position and ended up running into the grass, but I was able to run pretty well after that. It looked like another solid result before we had a problem at the end. I had a lot of seat time again and we are closer to the leaders, so I feel confident going into the next round.”

Team Hammer will next travel to the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, for the penultimate round of the 2023 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season on September 8-10.

ABOUT TEAM HAMMER

The 2023 season marks Team Hammer’s 43rd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 131 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 355 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport). The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.

ABOUT VISION WHEEL

Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.

ABOUT SUZUKI

Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.

More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:

Mathew Scholtz Wraps Up The Weekend At Pitt Race With A Runner-Up Result

Wampum, PA – The final day of MotoAmerica Superbikes at Pittsburgh was a very good one for Mathew Scholtz and his Westby Racing team. With a third-place finish on Saturday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (Pitt Race) already under their belts, Mathew and the team notched a fourth-place result earlier in the day on Sunday. Then, in a rare second Superbike race on Sunday, making it a total of three Superbike races for the weekend, Mathew delivered his best result of the event, which was a runner-up finish to cap things off at PittRace.

All told, that’s a total of eight podium appearances and five runner-up results in Mathew’s and the Westby Racing Team’s last six race weekends at PittRace.

Mathew started from the outside of the front row in both of Sunday’s races based on his qualifying result from Saturday morning.

In race two, he slotted in behind Jake Gagne on the opening lap. He was overtaken by PJ Jacobsen and then Josh Herrin, which moved him into fourth where he doggedly held on to the position and withstood a strong challenge from Richie Escalante.

“The start wasn’t the greatest for me,” Mathew said about race two. “I kind of dropped down to fourth slightly, and I was just trying to hang onto Gagne, Jacobsen, and Herrin. I was struggling. I was losing a lot of time from the final corner to the first corner, and from wheelie hill to corner four. So, I was just basically going backwards and forwards. I was on the limit. I couldn’t go any faster.”

Following race two, the team made some critical adjustments to the setup on Mathew’s #11 Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike. He got a much better start in race three and slotted into second place in pretty short fashion. And, even though Herrin once again overtook him about halfway through the race, Mathew was able to get back around him and re-establish himself in second where he focused on chasing down Gagne in the lead. At the checkered flag, Mathew finished just a little more than a second and three-quarters behind Gagne.

About race three, Mathew commented, “We made a pretty decent change on the traction control just to help when I first crack the throttle open so that the bike doesn’t just want to spin as you first start to wind it on. I was definitely pushing the front more while on the gas, but it helped me to roll through the middle of the corner to keep up with the Ducati a little bit better. Early on in the race, I was struggling a little bit because I was on the absolute limit. I kept my confidence, though, and I managed to get past Josh with a couple laps to go and open up a small gap. So, I’m really happy with that. I’m happy with the changes that we made to the bike, and I think it’s going to work well for us at the next two tracks.”

Mathew’s third-, fourth-, and second-place results at PittRace have moved him back up to fifth place in the Championship standings with two rounds and four more races to go in the 2023 season.

The Westby Racing team will be back in action on September 8 through 10 at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, for round eight of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.

MotoAmerica Superbike Standings

1. Jake Gagne – Yamaha – 337

2. Josh Herrin – Ducati – 236

3. PJ Jacobsen – BMW – 204

4. Cameron Beaubier – BMW – 203

5. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 184

For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com

Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Americas:

APRILIA RS 660 RIDERS LANDERS, RODIO WIN MOTOAMERICA TWINS CUP RACES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL RACE COMPLEX

RODIO RACING – POWERED BY ROBEM ENGINEERING DUO NOW FIRST, THIRD IN CLASS STANDINGS WITH ONE ROUND REMAINING

PITTSBURGH, PA – At the previous MotoAmerica Twins Cup round at Laguna Seca in July, Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders Rocco Landers and Gus Rodio won one race each. This past weekend, the duo repeated those results, with each rider also riding an Aprilia RS 660 to a podium finish and Rodio increasing his lead in the Twins Cup standings from three points to eight.

Landers’ and Rodio’s results were hard earned, as both races featured close, hard racing between them and another frontrunning rider. Landers also weathered a small crash Sunday morning and persevered through an engine issue in Race 2 to secure a second-place finish.

Though Rodio and Landers were the only two Aprilia riders in the top 10 in Friday morning practice, the duo were the second and third fastest riders in the session. Rodio’s best lap time was about one-tenth of a second faster than Landers’. Later Friday, Rodio ended the day on provisional pole. His best time in Qualifying 1 was more than a second faster than his best time from practice – and 0.063 seconds faster than the next-fastest rider. Landers ended that session third-fastest.

Qualifying 2 ended with a Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia on pole position, as Landers laid down a 1:47.736 lap time to secure his fifth Twins Cup pole of the 2023 season. Rodio ended up qualifying third, putting two Aprilia RS 660s on the front row. The third Aprilia rider to qualify in the top 10 was Chase Brown of BrownTown Racing, who claimed 10th place on the starting grid.

Race 1 got off to a good start for Landers and Rodio, as the pair slotted in behind another frontrunner off the line. Rodio moved into first place a few corners later at Turn 7, and Landers advanced to second place a short time later but fell back to third place at the Turn 16 chicane. Though Rodio was leading the field at the end of Lap 1, Landers got past his teammate on Lap 2 and weathered a brief battle for the lead on Lap 4 to eventually claim the victory by 3.444 seconds. Rodio finished the remaining laps of the 11-lap race in third place, though a valiant effort on the last lap saw him narrowly miss out on clinching second place by 0.042 seconds. Brown finished the race in 10th to give Aprilia three riders in the top 10.

Landers had a monkey wrench thrown into his plans for Sunday’s race, as he crashed at Turn 3 during Sunday morning warm-up. The team and Landers decided to change the engine on his Aprilia RS 660 before the race.

Sunday’s Race 2 was reduced from 11 laps to 9 due to an incident in an earlier race, and, much like Race 1, Rodio and Landers were running second and third, respectively, as the field went through the first corner. Rodio moved into the race lead at Turn 3, and Rodio, Landers and one of their championship rivals gradually pulled away from the rest of the field. Rodio fell to second place as the trio approached the chicane on the backstraight on Lap 1, and the remaining laps featured a good scrap between Landers, Rodio and another rider. On the last lap, the other frontrunner made a mistake under braking, which allowed Landers and Rodio to pull away from him. As the duo navigated the remaining corners, Rodio was able to get by Landers to secure the win by 0.104 seconds. Landers’ runner-up result gave the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team its third 1-2 finish of the season. Brown scored another 10th-place result and was again the third Aprilia rider to finish in the top 10.

Of the 41 riders registered to compete in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup at PittRace, 16 of them were aboard Aprilia RS 660s.

The final – and title-deciding – round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season takes place Sept. 22-24 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J.

Gus Rodio (No. 96) / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering

“We struggled a little bit with bike setup this weekend and getting through the second sector – which is the esses and backstraight. We made some progress today, but we took a gamble on the tires. We made a step in the right direction today with the setup, but the tire was a little greasy. I’m happy with the results we had this weekend, and we lengthened the points lead a little going into my home race. I’ll have a lot of friends and family at the next round, and we’ll see what happens there.”

Rocco Landers (No. 97) / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering

“This is a good track for me, and the team had the bike working really good. I made a mistake this morning and we took the precaution of changing the engine. Unfortunately, that change resulted in a loss of power. I tried hard in the race, and I don’t know if I could’ve done much more than I did. It was good to get another 1-2 result.”

More, from a press release issued by Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering:

Robem Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders Landers, Rodio victorious this past weekend at Pittsburgh International Race Complex

Rodio increases points lead at penultimate MotoAmerica Twins Cup round of 2023

WAMPUM, Pa. — With the 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season winding down, both Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders took home a victory and podium finish at the class’ penultimate round of the 2023 season. 2020 Twins Cup champion Rocco Landers took top honors in the Saturday Twins Cup race at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, while his teammate Gus Rodio’s victory in Sunday’s race allowed him to retake and increase his lead in the Twins Cup points standings. Both riders also delt with some disappointment at the Aug. 18-20 event, as Rodio came oh-so-close to a runner-up finish on Saturday, while a crash in Sunday’s warm-up session made Landers’ race on Sunday a more challenging task. Despite the setbacks, the team achieved its third 1-2 finish of the season, and both riders are locked in a three-way battle for the championship that will be decided at the season finale in September.

The weekend started well for the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering duo. In Friday morning practice, Rodio and Landers were the second- and third-fastest riders, respectively. Both riders lowered their best lap times from practice by more than a second in the Friday afternoon Qualifying 1 session, and Rodio claimed provisional pole position by a narrow 0.063 second margin. Landers provisionally qualified third.

Qualifying 2 ended up being Landers’ moment to shine. After spending most of the session in third place, Landers put down a blindingly fast lap with a few minutes to go in the session and claimed his fifth pole position of the year. Rodio finished qualifying in third place, putting both of the team’s Aprilia RS 660s on the front row for the round’s two Twins Cup races.

Saturday afternoon’s Race 1 was the scene of a Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering victory — and nearly a 1-2 finish. Rodio and Landers slotted into second and third place, respectively, as the field went through the holeshot. Rodio was the first to make a move to the lead, which he accomplished on the first lap at Turn 7. Landers also moved up a position and few corners later, and it was Rodio who led the field at the end of the first lap. Landers briefly fell to third in the running order early in Lap 2, but was back into second place by the time he exited Turn 4. Landers then made a pass on his teammate Rodio for the lead and – except for briefly dropping to second at the start of Lap 4 – Landers led every lap and clinched the win by more than three seconds. Rodio ran the remainder of the race in third place, though he made a big push in the closing laps for second place but had to settle for third by a mere 0.042 seconds.

Sunday got off to a downer start for one of the team’s riders, as Landers suffered a minor crash during the morning warm-up session. As a precaution, Landers and the team decided to make an engine change before Race 2.

The start of Race 2 mirrored Race 1, as Rodio and Landers were running second and third at the first turn and Rodio quickly made a move to take the lead a couple corners later. The three riders battling for the lead quickly began pulling away from the rest of the field, and Rodio dropped to second place before the end of the first lap. Most of the shortened nine-lap race featured an intense battle between the three riders vying for the lead until the other frontrunner made a mistake on the last lap that allowed Landers and Rodio to pull away from him. Though Landers had the lead heading into the last few corners, Rodio was able to get by him before the finish line to take the win by a mere 0.104 seconds.

Rodio ended the weekend at PittRace with an eight-point lead in the points standings, while Landers is in third place – just 14 points behind Rodio with two races remaining.

The last round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season is scheduled for Sept. 22-24 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J.

Gus Rodio / No. 96

“We struggled a little bit with bike setup this weekend and getting through the second sector – which is the esses and backstraight. We made some progress today, but we took a gamble on the tires. We made a step in the right direction today with the setup, but the tire was a little greasy. I’m happy with the results we had this weekend, and we lengthened the points lead a little going into my home race. I’ll have a lot of friends and family at the next round, and we’ll see what happens there.”

Rocco Landers / No. 97

“This is a good track for me, and the team had the bike working really good. I made a mistake this morning and we took the precaution of changing the engine. Unfortunately, that change resulted in a loss of power. I tried hard in the race, and I don’t know if I could’ve done much more than I did. It was good to get another 1-2 result.”

Robem Engineering’s technical partners for 2023 include Aprilia Racing, Piaggio Group Americas, Bitubo Suspension, Dunlop, Woodcraft Technologies, Dymag, Vesrah, Sprint Filter, DID, Sara Chappell Photos, NGK/NTK, Blud Lubricants, Millennium Technologies, Motovation USA and SC-Project.

Rodio Racing’s technical partners for 2023 include NJ MiniGP, Luxestar VIP, MAR Contractors, Evolve GT, N2 Racing, Dunlop, Spellcaster Productions, Kathedral, The Martinn and MVR Endeavor.

More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:

BMW Motorrad Motorsport Customer Racing Teams MotoAmerica Superbikes at Pittsburgh Weekend 2023.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – Aug. 21, 2023…Round 7 of 9 of MotoAmerica’s Superbike Race weekends took place at the newly configured 2.78-mile Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Wampum, PA. The Steel Commander Stock 1000 riders did not participate in this round, leaving the Medallia Superbike M 1000 and S 1000 riders to carry the BMW flag over three races. Cameron Beaubier regained his Saturday form and finished on the podium in Race 1. A collision with another rider during race 2 would put Beaubier out of the remaining two weekend races, however. PJ Jacobsen missed the podium in race 1 and race 3 but rode to a 2nd place finish in race number 2.

Medallia Superbike Race 1 (Saturday)

Tytlers Cycle Racing M 1000 RR teammates, Cameron Beaubier and PJ Jacobsen started the 17-lap race from 5th and 6th positions, respectively. By lap 3, Jacobsen and Beaubier had worked themselves into 4th and 5th, giving chase to the group of Yamahas ahead. On Lap 6, the teammates swapped positions when Beaubier passed Jacobsen to take over 4th. Just a lap later, Beaubier took over 3rd, followed soon after by 2nd on lap 8. He would not be able to catch the race leading Yamaha however, and would finish 2nd, putting some previously bad Saturday race luck behind him. PJ Jacobsen, who won his first Superbike race in round 6, finished 5th.

Top 10 BMW finishers in Race 1 were:

2nd      Cameron Beaubier    No. 6 Tytlers Cycle Racing

5th       PJ Jacobsen             No. 99 Tytlers Cycle Racing

Medallia Superbike Race 2 (Sunday)

Tytlers Cycle Racing worked throughout the night to find a few tenths of a second per lap for each team BMW M 1000 RR leading up to race 2. PJ Jacobsen and Cameron Beaubier would start from row 2 for the second race of the weekend, in 5th and 6th respectively. A bad start left Beaubier in 10th position, trying to work his way back to the front. PJ Jacobsen began the race in 5th but soon after, on lap 3, a leading rider went off track, elevating Jacobsen to 4th.

On lap 8, BMW S 1000 RR rider, Ashton Yates appeared to have a hesitation issue coming through the new chicane, causing Cameron Beaubier to ride up on Ashton’s rear tire, causing Cameron to crash and the race to be red flagged.

The restart of race 2 had the riders re-grid in the position they were in when the red flag was waved. PJ Jacobsen had an excellent restart, grabbing 2nd from his 3rd place restart position. Jacobsen would finish the race in 2nd, making it two podium finishes for Tytlers Cycle Racing, in the first two races of the weekend.

Top 10 BMW finishers in Race 2 were:

2nd      PJ Jacobsen             No 99 Tytlers Cycle Racing

8th       Corey Alexander       No. 23 Tytlers Cycle Racing

Medallia Superbike Race 3 (Sunday)

PJ Jacobsen would start race 3 from 5th position, in the middle of row 2. His Tytlers Cycle Racing teammate Cameron Beaubier would not start after a hard crash in previous race. Jacobsen was part of a breakaway group of five riders, who were chasing the race leading Yamaha, all the while battling with each other for position. The group would not catch the race leader and Jacobsen would finish in 5th place, putting himself ahead of Beaubier in season points.

Top 10 BMW finishers in Race 3 were:

5th       PJ Jacobsen             No 99 Tytlers Cycle Racing

10th     Nolan Lamkin           No. 21 Tom Wood Powersports

Standings After Round 7

In Medallia Superbikes season points, PJ Jacobsen now stands in 3rd place with Cameron Beaubier in 4th, Corey Alexander in 8th and Ashton Yates in 10th.

With no racing this past weekend, the Steel Commander Stock 1000 season points standings remain unchanged with Ezra Beaubier leading, Kaleb De Keyrel in 3rd, Travis Wyman in 4th and Nolan Lamkin in 5th.

BMW Group in America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles as well as the BMW XM. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 350 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers,147 BMW motorcycle retailers, 104 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

More, from a press release issued by Tytlers Cycle Racing:

Podium and double top five for PJ at Pitt Race as Cameron podiums before horror crash, whilst Corey scores solid points

It was a challenging weekend for Tytlers Cycle Racing in the latest round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Championship which took place last weekend at the 2.7-mile undulating Pittsburgh International Race Complex.

Known affectionately as PittRace, round seven of the series saw the return to the track for former multiple champion Cameron Beaubier, who by his own admission was tentative on Friday before putting himself into contention for another front running weekend in qualifying. He took sixth on the grid just behind Brainerd race winner PJ Jacobsen who was consistently inside the top five throughout the event.

PJ would once again be the team’s top scorer across the weekend’s three Superbike races. The New Yorker bagging fifth, second and fifth place finishes to move into third overall in the points standings. He was in the fight for the podium in all three of the seventeen lap encounters.

Cameron Beaubier raced to his eighth podium of the year on Saturday to keep his title hopes alive before an incident during Sunday’s second race floored the #6, bringing a temporary halt to proceedings. A mechanical issue for a rival left Cameron with nowhere to go, the result was a scary looking crash that ruled him out of the rest of the weekend.

It was a slightly tougher time for the team’s third rider Corey Alexander who after qualifying on row four of the grid finished twelfth in Saturday’s opening race. He finished eighth in race two on Sunday before retiring in race three.

The results mean the title fight is over for the team as far as 2023 goes but with both PJ and Cameron in contention for a top three final placing their full focus is on the final two rounds at COTA and in New Jersey where the intention is to put the BMW M 1000 RR on the top of the podium before the season ends.

Corey Alexander: “It was a challenging start to the weekend in terms of grip for everyone and we tried a bunch of things to try to find some which included some changes for race one that didn’t pay off. It was a very long and difficult race on Saturday, and I was looking forward to a more positive result in both races on Sunday. We managed a P8 and much better pace on Sunday afternoon’s first race but still struggled with grip issues throughout. Unfortunately, we suffered a mechanical before the start of race three. We made some big improvements between the races, and it would’ve been nice to see them through with a better result but onwards we go to COTA.”

Cameron Beaubier: “I am happy with a P2 in race one on Saturday especially after how the weekend started. We struggled in practice and qualifying but made some positive changes going into the race which brought us into contention. On Sunday morning we made a couple of positive changes and were able to go fastest in warm up and I was looking forward to two good races. I got a bad start in race two, the first of two for us on Sunday and was trying to make my way through but was having major grip problems. Unfortunately, Ashton (Yates) had a bike problem right in front of me and I was left with nowhere to go and had a nasty get off. The bad luck has been rolling lately but it is nice to be home and for the healing to start.”

PJ Jacobsen: “The first of the weekend didn’t go as I had hoped. I was fastest on Friday but it then kinda went a bit downhill. I wasn’t happy to come away with fifth but was super motivated to improve for the rest of the weekend. Sunday’s first race was good for me. I was able to get another podium with a P2 after the race was stopped. It sucks what happened to Cam (Beaubier) and I wish him a speedy recovery. We were close to the win, and we made some changes for race three. It was much hotter, and I was in the hunt for the podium again but unfortunately, we had to settle for another fifth. We are now third in points, and we move to COTA with the goal to once again be on the box.”

More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports:

MotoAmerica: Altus Motorsports Results from PittRace 

(Pittsburgh, PA) The MotoAmerica round at Pittsburgh International Race Complex or, “PittRace”, was a successful one for the Altus Motorsports team. Alessandro Di Mario was extremely impressive and put the Altus Ninja 400 on the podium in both Junior Cup Races. In Supersport, Jaret Nassaney is feeling comfortable on his GSX-750 for the first time this year and is poised to finish the season strong.

Supersport:

Jaret Nassaney made notable progress during the MotoAmerica round at PittRace. While his 10th-place qualifying position might not immediately suggest improvement, this weekend marked a significant turning point. His setup and feeling on the bike were the best they have been so far this year and will be the foundation to finish the season strong. He started both the Supersport races from 10th and finished Race 1 in 9th and Race 2 in 11th.

Jaret Nassaney: “We are definitely moving in the right direction. We had a decent race on Saturday and would have had a better result on Sunday, but we struggled with a quick shifter issue that hurt my pace a bit. Overall, I’m happy with the weekend and looking forward to the next round.”

Junior Cup:

Alessandro Di Mario had a breakout weekend at PittRace. After topping the timing chart for Practice 1, he ended up qualifying 4th and started both Junior Cup races from the head of the second row.

Throughout both races, Di Mario consistently ran with the lead group, actively participating in the intense battles at the front of the pack. His consistency and determination earned him a 3rd-place finish in the first race.

Sunday’s Race 2 saw Di Mario seize the holeshot and lead the race until a red flag temporarily halted proceedings. Upon the restart, he quickly maneuvered into 3rd position and made a decisive move to regain the lead by the third lap. The remainder of the race was marked by his unwavering presence at the front. Alessandro even led the final lap but narrowly missed the victory, as he was overtaken at the finish line, ultimately settling for a well-deserved second place.

Alessandro Di Mario: “We made some setup changes which made me a lot more comfortable on the bike. Sadly the shifter broke on the first motor so I had to use the spare one which was less powerful. I probably wouldn’t have gotten drafted at the line with the first motor but it is what it is. I still had a great weekend but I would like to have a better one at Jersey.”

George Nassaney: “I am very happy with our results In Pittsburgh. Alessandro had his best finishes of the year and rode amazingly. He is going to be on fire at New Jersey. It’s been a very tough season for my son Jaret, but he is now feeling more confident. Hiring Crew Chief Boyd Brunner was the best decision I could have made for our team. We know our riders will finish the season strong. I would personally like to thank Boyd Brunner, Mike Castro, Blair Ramey, William Gerken, LJ Parker, Ed Longacre  for all the hard work this past weekend.”

Altus Motorsports team is supported by our great family of sponsors: Altus Motorsports, FLY Racing WPS, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Yamaha Motor Company, Barnett, Buy A Jet From Steve Main, Maxima Racing Oils, Moto-D Racing, Bonamici, Hot Bodies Racing, M4 Exhausts, Vortex EK, Motion Pro, SBS Brakes, BrakeTech USA, Inc., Ohlins, K-Tech, RS Taichi, Arai, Yoshimura, Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers, CarbonSmith, Law Tigers Oklahoma, and Altus Factory Racing

More, from a press release issued by Kreece Elliott Racing:

KO for Kreece Elliott at Pittsburgh but he’s taking the positives and ready to end the season on a high at NJMP in September

The penultimate round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship at Pittsburgh International Race Complex last weekend ended with a zero score on the board for rising star Kreece Elliott who was ruled unfit for the weekend after an on-track incident in Saturday morning’s final qualifying session.

Running well inside the top ten in the early stages of Free Practice on Friday, Kreece was just settling into his stride in Q2 before disaster struck. The #47 was taken out by a wayward rival and after taking a heavy hit was deemed unfit by the MotoAmerica medical team.

Understandably frustrated and annoyed, Kreece is now fully focused on the final two races of the season in New Jersey in September. He remains fifteenth overall in the points classification.

Kreece Elliott: “I felt really good going into the weekend. I had made a ton of notes after a track walk with Liam MacDonald who was with me for the weekend. Friday morning went well. I felt good and knew where could improve. In qualifying one I stayed in the same position but had improved my time by over a second. We noticed some things that we could change for Saturday, and I had improved by a couple of seconds and honestly, I felt amazing. I was in the group and was on a good lap until I was wiped out by someone who just didn’t look. I hit my head and that was that. I really think we could have been in the top ten fight on both days and so to not even be able to race through no fault of my own is annoying. On the other hand, I am taking the positives and looking froward to New Jersey where I want to finish the year on a high. I want to thank Bilmola, Bison and Gaerne for keeping me safe and to Liam, Michael, my mum and dad and everyone who is supporting me. See you in September!”

Between now and the season finale, Kreece will launch his new KE47 merchandise range which will be available globally through his website. Stay tuned for more information.