Szoke tops Bridgestone Winter Test after final day at Jennings
Jennings, FL – The last day of official preseason testing wrapped up with a familiar name atop the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship leaderboard, as Jordan Szoke exited the Winter Test at Jennings GP as the man to beat in the feature Pro Superbike ranks.
Szoke’s return to Superbike action for the first time in over a year went as smoothly as anyone could have expected on Tuesday, leading day one at the north Florida circuit as the grid adjusted to the new Bridgestone spec tires.
His time of 1:17.732 seemed like a decent benchmark for the event, given how much the track surface has worsened since the previous test at Jennings in 2011. Instead, Szoke repeatedly topped the field in sessions four, five, and six, lowering the top time to a blistering 1:16.386 lap aboard his LDS Consultants Kawasaki.
It seemed like everything went right for Szoke in his return to Jennings and the Bridgestone CSBK series, showing zero signs of rust as he approaches his 26th season in the feature Pro Superbike class.
Defending champion Ben Young will exit a long Florida trip as the second-fastest rider overall, pacing majority of day one before eventually settling in behind Szoke with a time of 1:16.741, only 0.355 seconds slower.
The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider fought through a previous test at Jennings, the famed Daytona 200, and now the official Winter Test all in the last two weeks, but won’t take much time to rest as he aims to put his #1 plate back at the front for round one in nine weeks.
Completing the top trio was unsurprisingly Alex Dumas, with the former champion battling through a number of problems during the course of the test before ultimately topping the final session with a competitive 1:17.281 lap aboard his Purple Skull/Liqui Moly Suzuki.
Dumas used all the track time to his advantage with 62 laps completed in two days – the most of anyone in the top-seven riders – as he eventually weeded out some issues to bring himself within 0.895 seconds of Szoke.
Alex Dumas (23) made steady progress aboard his Purple Skull/Liqui Moly Suzuki, but still finds himself third through pre-season testing. Photo by Colin Fraser, courtesy CSBK.
The surprise of the test was rookie Pierre Simard in fourth, who continued to hang with the “usual suspects” at the front of day two aboard his D1C Suzuki. The former top Amateur was the only other rider to break into the 1:17’s, sitting 0.645 seconds off fellow Suzuki rider Dumas.
Rounding out the top five in the combined times was another “returning rookie” in Trevor Dion, who made more progress with his new LDS Consultants Kawasaki and continued to learn from teammate Szoke before posting a strong time of 1:18.141.
Sam Guerin was notably sixth, with the former championship runner-up breaking in a new EFC Group BMW machine of his own. The fan favourite managed a 1:18.531 lap, and seemed on course to be the “iron man” of the event with 54 laps completed in the first day and a half before sitting out the final two sessions.
That title ultimately went to rookie Alex Michel instead, who completed a staggering 67 laps across two days, placing himself 18th in the combined timesheets.
While the Pro’s were all combined at the Winter Test, the early Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike rider to beat was Vincent Levillain, who rebounded from a hectic Daytona 200 to finish eleventh overall and tops amongst the 600cc riders.
The SpeedFactory67 rider wound up just 0.040 seconds faster than title favourite David MacKay, who struggled early on in his adjustment to the Bridgestone tires but eventually put his ODH Snow City Kawasaki closer to where many expected.
Third-fastest of the group was Matt Simpson, who made up a ton of time in day two to put his Evans Racing Yamaha only 0.294 seconds off the top Sport Bike spot and 14th overall heading into the season.
Cooney continues to stun Amateur ranks
As if Andrew Cooney’s first day as a Scorpion Amateur Sport Bike rider wasn’t impressive enough, the Fast Company Honda competitor made absolutely sure his pace wouldn’t go unnoticed on day two.
Already leading the way with a 1:20.625 lap time on Tuesday, Cooney blitzed the Amateur group to a new benchmark of 1:19.883 in session five – an incredible lap that would have made him the top Pro Sport Bike rider and 11th amongst the Pro’s overall.
Somehow a distant second despite a strong lap of his own, Mack Weil managed to place himself in the rear-gunner spot of the Amateur ranks behind a time of 1:20.952, confirming the MotorcycleCourse Yamaha’s status as one of the lone title threats to Cooney this season.
Completing the lead triad of Amateurs was fellow teenager Maverick Cyr, who posted an improved 1:22.175 lap to place his Triumph firmly in the podium mix entering round one at Shannonville Motorsport Park.
The lead Lightweight rider continued to be 14-year-old sensation Vincent Lalande, who stormed to a ridiculous 1:26.620 in only his second ever day as a national rider. The reigning Mini Superbike Ohvale Cup champion has thus far cemented himself as one of the future stars of the sport, clearing the next Lightweight rider by over 1.5 seconds.
That proved to be former title winner Harvey Renaud, who paced a tighter battle for second just marginally ahead of Justin Marshall, with the main challenger to Lalande still unclear entering the campaign.
The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will now sit and wait for a lengthy nine weeks before returning for round one in late May, with an eleven-race, five-round slate upcoming in 2023.
Full results from the two-day test at Jennings GP can be found on the series’ official website at csbk.ca.
Unofficial Combined Times (all using Dunlop tires and Triumph engines):
Pedro Acosta, Spain (Kalex), 1:41.309
Aron Canet, Spanish (Kalex), 1:41.575
Alonso Lopez, Spain (Boscoscuro), 1:41.575
Tony Arbolino, Italy (Kalex), 1:41.732
Sam Lowes, UK (Kalex), 1:41.851
Albert Arenas, Spain (Kalex), 1:41.852
Lukas Tulovic, Germany (Kalex), 1:42.078
Somkiat Chantra, Thailand (Kalex), 1:42.093
Joe Roberts, USA (Kalex), 1:42.174
Barry Baltus, The Netherlands (Kalex) 1:42.190
Jake Dixon, UK (Kalex), 1:42.238
Manuel Gonzalez, Spain (Kalex), 1:42.307
Be Bendsneyder, The Netherlands (Kalex), 1:42.401
Fermin Aldeguer, Spain (Boscoscuro), 1:42.473
Filip Salac, Czech Republic (Kalex), 1:42.566
Jeremy Alcoba, Spain (Kalex), 1:42.567
Darryn Binder, South Africa (Kalex), 1:42.622
Sean Dylan Kelly, USA (Kalex), 1:42.832
Dennis Foggia, Italy (Kalex), 1:42.870
Zonta van der Goorbergh, The Netherlands (Kalex), 1:42.902
Sergio Garcia, Spain (Kalex), 1:42.911
Celestino Vietti, Italy (Kalex), 1:43.023
Marcos Ramirez, Spain (MV Agusta), 1:43.130
Lorenzos Dalla Porta, Italy (Kalex), 1:43.173
Rory Skinner, UK (Kalex), 1:43.174
Borja Gomez (Kalex), 1:43.254
Izan Guevara, Spain (Kalex), 1:43.596
Kohta Nozane, Japan (Kalex), 1:44.241
Alex Escrig, Spain (MV Agusta), 1:44.371
David Sanchis (Kalex), 1:44.622
More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:
Elf Marc VDS Racing Team kick off 2023 Moto2 preparations in Jerez
Less than two weeks away from the start of the 2023 Moto2 World Championship, Sam Lowes and Tony Arbolino stepped up their pre-season preparations with a successful two-day test session at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto in the Andalusia region of Spain.
The pair completed a mammoth 284 laps between them as sunny and warm conditions helped the pair reacquaint themselves with their Triumph-powered Kalex machinery after the long winter break.
Lowes and Arbolino begin their final winter test outing this Friday with a three-day session at the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal, which hosts the opening round of an intense 21-round season on March 26.
Sam Lowes (22). Photo courtesy Marc VDS Racing Team.
Sam Lowes 4th, 1’41.851, 146 laps
Fully recovered from the serious left shoulder injury that badly disrupted the final nine races of the 2022 campaign, Lowes tested his physical condition to the maximum with 146 laps completed during the test.
The main focus for the 32-year-old was to understand the performance of the new Triumph 765cc three-cylinder engine, which features an upgrade from 14,000 to 14,400 revs for the forthcoming season.
The Briton was also able to assess the new 2023 Kalex chassis and he showed excellent speed and consistency on Dunlop’s soft and hard rear tyre options to finish fourth on the timesheets with a quickest lap of 1:41.851.
“I don’t think this test could have gone much better”
“I’m so happy with how the test has gone, particularly from a physical point of view. I’ve worked really hard in the off-season on the shoulder, and everything feels normal on the bike. I was able to do a lot of laps on both days with some long runs, so from a physical perspective it was only positives. I haven’t been able to ride a bike properly since I first got the injury in early August last year, so it was a great feeling. The second day here has been very important because we got to assess the new engine and chassis together and obviously they are hugely important components that we need to fully understand. I also had some suspension parts from Ohlins, so it has been an intense test but a successful one. I would say 90 per cent of what we tried felt like an improvement, so we have finished the test in a good way. We now move to Portimao for the final test and that is a completely different track to Jerez, so it will be good to understand how well the new parts work there. But I had a good rhythm with no real issues in Jerez, so I don’t think this test could have gone much better.”
Tony Arbolino (14). Photo courtesy Marc VDS Racing Team.
Tony Arbolino 2nd, 1’41.732, 138 laps
A hot streak of three podiums in the last four races of 2022, including two wins in Thailand and Malaysia, meant Arbolino was relishing the opportunity to get back to work at the Jerez test in readiness for the 2023 campaign.
Initially getting back up to speed on last year’s Kalex machine, Arbolino spent the whole of the second day on track in Jerez working on the upgraded Triumph engine and revised Kalex frame.
Constant progress was made throughout the test in terms of front feeling and Arbolino was once again one of the main protagonists with a best lap of 1:41.732 placing him in a superb second place.
“I’m positive we’ll be strong from the first race”
“It has been a very good test for me, and it felt great to be back with my crew again. The first day we worked a lot on myself getting back into the rhythm and being as best prepared as we can be for the first race in Portugal. The second day was very positive because it was the first chance for me to try the complete new package for 2023 and I was very happy with the performance we found. I felt comfortable with the race pace, and I think there is definitely some margin for us to improve with the time attack. We understand we can find more improvements with more time on the bike but this first test has gone very well. I’m positive we are going to be strong from the first race.”
More, from a press release issued by QJMotor Gresini Racing:
GOOD FEELINGS ON THE FIRST MOTO2 TEST OF THE SEASON IN JEREZ
The Team Moto2 QJMOTOR GRESINI RACING is finally back on track after three months of winter break. The sun was shining bright in Jerez, giving the riders the perfect conditions to regain the confidence on their bikes.
Positive feelings in both sides of the box, with Filip Salač 15th, only 0,001secs faster than his new teammate Jeremy Alcoba, in 16th position. The Czech rider was able to set a good pace on day two despite a crash with luckily no consequences on the rider. Official debut in the other side of the box for the rider #52, who used this first test to find the feeling with the new bike (he also tried the new engine) and the best way to work together with his new team.
The Team Moto2 QJMOTOR GRESINI RACING will now drive to Portimao, ready to set-up for there more days of test, from Friday to Sunday in the Portuguese track: the last chance to find the perfect set-up before the first race of the season.
Filip Salac (12). Photo courtesy Gresini Racing.
15th – FILIP SALAČ #12 (1:42.566s – 110 laps)
“I’m so happy that we were finally back on track after the long winter brake. We worked hard in these two days but also enjoyed a lot! In the first day we tried most of all to get back the confidence with my bike and it was not easy as I haven’t ridden this bike for more than three months, but I really enjoyed it. On the second day we did immediately a good lap-time, but in the second exit I made a “beginners” kind of mistake and I crashed. Luckily I’m ok, the team did a perfect job repairing the bike, making me able to go back on track and have a good pace. We did’t try the soft tires as we’re still missing a step. In these two days we didn’t show our real potential, so I can’t wait to do it in Portimao!”
Jeremy Alcoba (52). Photo courtesy Gresini Racing.
16th – JEREMY ALCOBA #52 (1:42.567s – 128 laps)
“It was amazing to feel the power of the Moto2 bike again. In this first test of the season I was able to find good feelings, especially in the morning sessions: in the afternoons was more difficult for me to be fast, we still need to ride more km to improve, and to understand how to work together with the team in the best way. I think we’ll be able to get where we want, our pace is good with the used tire, we have to improve instead with the new tire: this was a problem I used to have last year too, but in these days the feeling was better and the pace too. We have to work some more to take off one second on the fast-lap. We decided not to use the soft tire as we preferred to work on the bike rather than looking for the best lap-time but we’re not far from the first riders. I’m happy about the progress we made, now one day of brake and then off to Portimao: a track I like even if I had some trouble there last year, but it’s a chance to finish the work we began in these days.”
The Coleraine and District Motor Club is delighted to announce this year’s fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 will take place as planned on May 7-13.
As has been well documented over the past month, this year’s event had been thrown into jeopardy by a huge increase in the cost of public liability insurance. A new insurance deal has finally been secured and the crucial intervention of Co. Tyrone businessman, Derek Keys, with a generous donation from his company, Euro Auctions, has ensured the 2023 NW200 can go ahead.
“March 2023 represents the 25th anniversary of Euro Auctions and helping the North West 200 gives us the ideal chance to thank all of those people who have supported us over that 25 year journey,” Mr. Keys said, “The event sees over 195,000 people visit the region and many businesses, both large and small, depend upon events like this to bring trade and prosperity into the North West area. This event is part of our region’s heritage and I am delighted that with a little help from Euro Auctions, the event can now proceed this year.”
“We are very grateful to Derek Keys and Euro Auctions for this very generous support,” the NW200’s Mervyn Whyte said. “In the absence of any financial assistance from government, the sport has been left to its own devices to deal with the insurance crisis. Mr Keys intervention has been crucial in saving this year’s North West 200. We also wish to express our gratitude to the many members of the motorcycle racing community who donated so generously to the crowd funding initiative launched by the Motorcycle Union of Ireland, Ulster Centre.”
The American Racing Team is delighted to announce its collaboration with the subscription social platform OnlyFans for 2023.
OnlyFans already boasts a vast array of celebrities showcasing their content from artists such as Iggy Azalea and comedian Whitney Cummings along with familiar faces from American motorsport like MotoAmerica’s Josh Herrin and Supercross rider, Logan Karnow.
Giving fans an exclusive, behind-the-scenes experience both at and away from the track, American Racing and its riders will take fans around the world via the OnlyFans platform; showing them the inner workings of the team, life on the road and what it takes to be a world championship rider as well as offering fans exclusive competitions and subscriber-only opportunities.
Rory Skinner (33) on his OnlyFans-branded Moto2 racebike. Photo courtesy American Racing Team.
Eitan Butbul, Team Owner –
I’m thrilled to announce our collaboration with OnlyFans for the 2023 season. They are an enormous brand with a huge online presence across the world and it makes me very proud that the American Racing Team has grown to the point of attracting partners of this size.
This collaboration goes far beyond just a sticker on the bike and a patch on the leathers, it allows us to bring fans closer than ever before to a team in the MotoGP World Championship through content creation. We’ve seen what a real focus on content production has done for other sports and we couldn’t be more excited to take this to the next level in motorcycle racing through this platform.
Ami Gan, CEO of OnlyFans –
We are enthusiastic to welcome American Racing to OnlyFans. This collaboration will truly give MotoGP fans an inside look at what it’s like to race around the world, as the team and its riders showcase exclusive content on the platform.
OnlyFans continues to attract athletes to the platform who are looking for the best way to connect with their fans and share exclusive content.
All 21 Races to be Presented on NBC and CNBC, including LIVE coverage of the Americas GP
Wednesday, 15 March 2023
NBC Sports has announced its schedule for the blockbuster 2023 MotoGP™ season on NBC and CNBC, beginning with the Portuguese Grand Prix from Portimao on Sunday, March 26, at 1:30 p.m. ET on CNBC.
All 21 races will be presented on either NBC or CNBC, with timeslots designed to showcase the best of the sport. The Grand Prix of the Americas from Circuit of the Americas will be presented live for a second consecutive year on Sunday, April 16, at 2:30 p.m. ET on CNBC. NBC will air an hour-long encore on Saturday, April 22, at 3 p.m. ET.
NBC will present coverage of the following five MotoGP™ Grand Prix races, including three consecutive events in September, this season:
• British Grand Prix on Sunday, Aug. 6, at 1:30 p.m. ET
• Catalan Grand Prix on Sunday, Sept. 3, at 1:30 p.m. ET
• San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday, Sept. 10, at 1 p.m. ET
• Indian Grand Prix on Sunday, Sept. 24, at 1:30 p.m. ET
• Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, Nov. 12, at 1:30 p.m. ET
Ahead of the 2023 season, NBC Sports’ Leigh Diffey spoke with reigning MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia and 2021 MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo.
2023 marks NBC Sports’ fourth season as the exclusive television home of MotoGP™ in the United States. All race coverage presented on NBC and CNBC will stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
In addition to weekend telecasts on NBC and CNBC, live and on-demand coverage of all races will be available to stream on MotoGP™ VideoPass, in addition to every session of MotoGP™, Moto2™ and Moto3™, and races and qualifying for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship.
Below is the full MotoGP schedule on NBC and CNBC (subject to change).
Szoke fastest on day one of Bridgestone Winter Test at Jennings
Jennings, FL – Jordan Szoke’s long-awaited return to the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship was almost perfect on Tuesday, topping day one of the Bridgestone Winter Test at Jennings GP in north Florida.
Szoke didn’t need long to shake off the rust despite a year away from racing (and lingering effects from his serious motocross injury last off season), sitting third-fastest in the morning and fifth overall by mid-afternoon aboard his LDS Consultants Kawasaki.
Facing perhaps more obstacles than anybody given his hiatus, new machine, and abrupt adjustment to the new spec Bridgestone tires, it seemed like top-five pace would be a great accomplishment in his 2023 debut – but the 14-time champion had one more trick left up his sleeve.
In the final session of the day, Szoke crushed the previous benchmark with a time of 1:17.732 to go fastest overall in the combined times ahead of Ben Young. The reigning champion would put in a late flyer of his own to cut the deficit to just 0.077 seconds, but it wasn’t enough to oust his former rival from the top spot.
With most of the grid adapting to the new Bridgestone BATTLAX slick tires for the first time, the reception was almost entirely positive despite worse track conditions than previous tests at Jennings, something Szoke knows better than anyone.
“Any of the issues I think can be blamed on the track right now more than anything,” Szoke said to his crew on pit lane, as well as Bridgestone staff who were on-hand from around the world. “It’s going to take some getting used to, but the grip feels really good so far.”
Despite Szoke’s sensational lap, it was Young who paced majority of the day, rebounding quickly from a frustrating Daytona 200 weekend as he debuted the #1 plate aboard his Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW.
Sitting less than a tenth of a second out of first, Young represented a very tight group at the front on Tuesday, with the top nine riders separated by less than a second prior to the final session. Even with the late blitz from Szoke and Young, just 1.7 seconds will cover the entire top-ten going into Wednesday.
Completing the widely-expected trio of frontrunners was 2021 champion Alex Dumas, who struggled through a number of issues on day one but still managed to put in a strong lap of 1:18.128 – just 0.396 seconds away from making his Purple Skull/Liqui Moly Suzuki the top target.
The big surprise of the day was rookie Pierre Simard in fourth, who stole the show to begin the Bridgestone era aboard his D1C Suzuki effort. After an injury limited his “true rookie” season to just one round, Simard returned to the CSBK grid just 0.023 seconds off Dumas in third.
Rounding out the top-five was fellow LDS Consultants Kawasaki debutant Trevor Dion, who gradually made progress throughout the day aboard his new ZX-10R Ninja alongside teammate Szoke, with Sam Guerin placing his EFC Group BMW sixth and only a second off the top of the timesheets.
The combined top-ten of day one is below:
Cooney the top Amateur, Lalande stars in Lightweight
Andrew Cooney (133), Lightweight Sport Bike star from last season, has moved up to Amateur Sport Bike for 2023. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.
The first day of testing also saw a number of Amateurs take to the Jennings GP track, with first-year Scorpion Amateur Sport Bike rider Andrew Cooney setting the bar early on for Honda.
A four-time race winner in the Lightweight division last year, Cooney quickly got up to speed on his bigger 600cc machine, pacing the field with a blistering time of 1:20.625 – only 1.172 seconds off the Pro top-ten.
Trailing Cooney through the first half of testing is fellow youngster Mackenzie Weil, who went second-fastest aboard his MotorcycleCourse Yamaha with a time of 1:21.930. The lead trio was rounded off by Stephen Moxey, roughly two seconds off the pace.
As for the third and final group, it was 14-year-old Vincent Lalande who lived up to all the hype in his first taste of national action, leading the way in the combined Lightweight category.
The inaugural Canadian Mini Superbike Ohvale Cup champion is considered one of the series’ biggest talents in recent memory, and proved it on Tuesday by leading his group aboard a SpeedFactory67 Kawasaki with a time of 1:27.436.
Second to Lalande through day one was Justin Marshall, trailing the teenager by 1.110 seconds. Third in the group was veteran returnee Jeff Williams, who is making his own comeback after a scary Pro Superbike crash in 2020. The Yamaha rider managed an excellent 1:28.911 in his first official action in over two years.
Full results by session can be found on the series’ official website, while action will continue on Wednesday at Jennings GP.
MotoAmerica is paying out the entire $175,000 cash purse to the top 40 riders in the 81st Daytona 200 whether they finished the race or not.
Although the 2023 event ended with an unusual 10-lap “second race” that had only 22 official finishers from the original race’s 44 starters, MotoAmerica is paying out the entire purse.
Payouts will be awarded according to the order of finish in the second/restarted race, the order of retirement from the second/restarted race, and then the order of retirement from the original race down to what is effectively 40th place.
Here are the final finishing order and purse payouts, courtesy MotoAmerica:
81ST DAYTONA 200/SUPERSPORT RACE (March 11):
1. Josh Herrin (Duc), Dunlop, $25,000, 10 laps
2. Josh Hayes (Yam), Dunlop, $20,000, -0.070 second
Rodio takes victory in first MotoAmerica Twins Cup Race of 2023
Rodio Racing powered by Robem Engineering rider leaves Daytona round with championship lead
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It wasn’t Gus Rodio’s first time racing an Aprilia RS 660 at Daytona International Speedway, but the New Jersey rider kicked off the new-for-2023 Rodio Racing — Robem Engineering collaboration by scoring a win and runner-up finish at the opening round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season.
Rodio piloted his Aprilia to commanding win in his first race with the new team and come oh-so-close to scoring a second triumph at the March 9-11 event.
Rodio’s teammate, New Hampshirite Ben Gloddy, had a positive start to the Daytona round before suffering an unfortunate injury that did not allow him to finish Friday’s Race 1 or contest Saturday’s Race 2.
In the Twins Cup’s first on-track session of 2023, Rodio ended Thursday practice at the top of the time sheets. He best the next fastest rider for the best time in the class’ only practice session by 0.064 seconds. Gloddy finished practice fifth-fastest. Later Thursday, Rodio and Gloddy finished Qualifying 1 fourth- and sixth-fastest, respectively.
Friday morning saw Rodio secure fourth on the starting grid in the second and final qualifying session. He missed out on pole by a mere 0.216 seconds. Gloddy wrapped up qualifying in sixth place.
The Daytona round’s first Twins Cup race took place Friday afternoon and saw Rodio put in a dominant performance. Rodio moved up two places in the first several corners and was battling for the lead before the end of Lap 1. Gloddy also got a good start and ran as high a third before another rider crashed in front of him at the exit of the west horseshoe. The crash forced Gloddy to take evasive action, but unfortunately the crashed bike made contact with Gloddy’s RS 660, which caused Gloddy to crash. What was a three-way battle for the lead between Rodio and two other riders in the middle of the nine-lap race gradually became a one-rider show as Rodio pulled away from the other frontrunners to win by more than eight seconds.
Unfortunately for Gloddy, he suffered an injury when he was forced off track that did now allow him to take part in Saturday’s Twins Cup Race 2.
The second race was an eventful one for Rodio, who made the most of a race restart to extend his lead in the Twins Cup points standings. Rodio’s motorcycle began exhibiting a problem with its fuel cap on the warm-up lap, which caused Rodio to pull back into his pit box while the rest of the field was forming up for the race start. The team worked relentlessly to get the motorcycle repaired in time to rejoin the race, and a short time later the race was stopped on Lap 3 due to a crash.
The race was restarted with its original starting grid and five laps to go, and Rodio once again quickly made his way forward to the battle for the lead. He was in the race lead at the end of Laps 1, 3 and 4 and gradually broke away from the rest of the field with another rider. Rodio put in a valiant effort to get a good drive out of the backstraight chicane but was bested to the finish line by 0.162 seconds. Rodio’s second place added 20 valuable championship points to his tally, and he leaves Daytona with a nine-point lead in the class standings.
The MotoAmerica Twins Cup’s next round takes place April 21-23 at the Road Atlanta circuit in Braselton, Ga.
Gus Rodio / No. 96
“It was an awesome first race of the season. I was able to break away from the pack and win my first Twins Cup race. It was my biggest margin of victory and I’m very happy. In Race 2, I broke away from the pack with another rider and had a race long battle for the lead. I ended up second in a close finish. I’m really happy with this result as I didn’t think we would make it on track due to an issue we had. I’m really excited to get to Atlanta and keep working towards our goals.”
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 N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto:
N2/BobbleHeadMoto Blake Davis Scores Two Top Five Finishes at Daytona.
Blake Davis (1). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto.
Media, PA – March 2023 – N2/BobbleHeadMoto Racing’s Blake Davis leaves Daytona with a pair of fourths place finishes in Twins Cup and an 11th-place finish in his first Daytona 200. Blake was fast in every session scoring pole position in Twins Cup and leading both races, but small mechanical issues prevented Davis from capitalizing on his speed. Blake also competed in his first Daytona 200 with a Blake Davis Racing / Biothermal Yamaha YZF-R6 running with some of the best riders in the country in the final laps.
Blake was fast from the moment the team unloaded the championship winning N2/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7. Blake led nearly every session and qualified on pole despite a crash in Q2. Blake just missed out on a chance at the Time Attack Qualifying session for the Daytona 200 and qualified on row four in 13th place.
Championships are about scoring maximum points on your bad days and that is exactly what Blake did. In Twins Cup Race One, Blake battled for the lead for most of the race until he started having temperature issues with his R7 that require that he back off a bit to make it to the finish in fourth place.
Twins Cup Race Two was very similar with Blake having race winning speed in the beginning, but suffering some minor technical issues. Instead of crashing or pulling in, Blake stayed out and nursed his Yamaha R7 to the finish in fourth place. These two fourth place finishes leave him fourth in the points, 19 points back from Gus Rodio.
Blake’s focus in 2023 is defending his Twins Cup Championship, but Blake will participate in several Supersport rounds on his Blake Davis Racing / Biothermal Yamaha YZF-R6. The Daytona 200 was Blake’s first Supersport race and he did not disappoint. Despite having an issue at the start that saw him fade back to well outside the top 20, Blake kept fighting for the entire race, putting in fast, consistent laps. The N2/BobbleHeadMoto/Blake Davis Racing team gave Blake two great pit stops which put him in the lead group for the final 10-lap sprint. Sixteen-year-old Blake Davis battled with the best, most experience racers in the country for those last 10 laps, running as high as second place. In the end, Blake finished sixth on the race track, but a pit lane speeding penalty pushed him back to 11th. An amazing result for Davis’ first Daytona 200.
Blake Davis – “It was a tough weekend on the Yamaha YZF-R7 in Twins Cup. We were fast straight away and always in the mix, but we had some technical issues related to a crash that kept us from reaching our potential. It was positive that we brought home solid points in every race, and we are in decent shape to start the season. The Daytona 200 was awesome! I made a mistake in the beginning, but we fought the entire race and it was so much fun battling with the lead guys. Thanks to my N2/BobbleHeadMoto crew for an awesome R7 and thanks to Biothermal for all the support with the R6.”
Shiloh Salopek (Crew Chief) – “This was a tough weekend for the team, but we were able to leave with valuable championship points from both races and the knowledge to be more prepared for the next round at Road Atlanta in April.”
About N2: N2 – Ride, Race, Learn.
Founded in 2014, N2’s mission is to build a sustainable motorcycle community through safe, structured motorcycle track days, advanced rider training programs based on Yamaha Champions Riding School teaching methods, with a strong affinity for motorcycle road racing. N2 successfully resurrected Motorcycle Endurance Racing in America partnering with WERA Roadracing and creating the N2/WERA National Endurance Series by Dunlop. N2 is a premier participant in the MotoAmerica Pro Racing Series with a multi-rider team competing in several classes. N2 is also a major contributor to the Roadracing World Action Fund through fundraising efforts and support from its large member base.
N2 Racing is proudly sponsored by: Dunlop Motorcycle Tires, Yamaha Motor Corporation USA, Dainese, BobbleHeadMoto, Trading Paint, GB Racing, Spider, Yoshimura, STM, Sunstar, Giaccmoto, Robem Engineering, Puig, Eazi Grip, SBS Brakes and Yamaha Champions Riding School.
More, from a press release issued by Blackmon Racing:
Blackmon Overcomes Injury To Double Podium At Daytona
Jackson Blackmon (18). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Blackmon Racing.
The 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship debuted at Daytona International Speedway over this past weekend. There were three days full of close racing from all the classes that were featured at the race. The Twins class saw some new talent enter the class, while other riders made their return such as Jackson Blackmon.
The 21-year-old rider from South Carolina suffered an ankle injury back in June of 2022 at Road America that ultimately put an end to his 2022 season. Trackday Winner/Blackmon Racing has made a return in 2023 with Jackson back aboard a 2022 Yamaha YZF-R7. With this being his third year competing in the class, he was hoping to use that experience to gain great results and minimize mistakes. Upon hitting the banks of Daytona in practice one, it was evident that Jackson hadn’t lost any pace.
Coming out of the offseason, the team encountered multiple challenges while preparing for 2023. New partners for this year include K-Tech Suspension, M4 Exhaust, Robem Engineering, Spears Racing, REV’IT!, and Hustle Hard Racing. Trackday Winner has returned as title sponsor with numerous associate sponsors, including Yamaha, Yamalube, Finishline Machine, HJC, and Wiseco.
Blackmon Racing came to Daytona with a strong package that delivered astonishing finishes and fast speeds. Qualifying was up and down for Jackson. Continuing to make big changes to the race setup made it hard for him to get fast laps. He ended up starting seventh for the races, but he was feeling confident in the settings for Race One on Friday.
The first of the two races scheduled for the weekend consisted of some chaos that broke up the lead pack early on. Jackson had to take evasive action in a crash that saw him back in fourth position and seconds behind. He was able to continually find pace to eventually catch up to the second-place rider, Then, on the final lap he made a draft pass to the line to take over the position. From ending his last race with injury to starting this season with a podium was exactly how he wanted to return to racing.
The second and final race of the Twins class at Daytona saw a different story unfold. Starting with a red flag early on made for a five-lap restart. Blackmon struggled a bit in the infield and that let the top two guys get away, but he was still able to manage third place to make for a double podium weekend.
“The weekend couldn’t have gone much better,” Blackmon said about his 2023 Daytona experience. “It’s been a long road of recovery on my ankle as well as a lot of long nights to prepare the bike for round one. So I was very pleased to pay back my Trackday Winner/Blackmon Racing team with two days on the box. These results give me a lot of confidence heading into Road Atlanta, and I cannot wait to get back on track soon.”
Trackday Winner/Blackmon Racing would like to thank their 2023 partners for their support: Trackday Winner, Finishline Machine, Yamaha, Yamalube, K-Tech, Orient Express, HJC, REV’IT!, Robem Engineering, M4, Spears Racing, Wiseco, Hustle Hard Racing, Drippin’ Wet, and Sidi.
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING LEADS MISSION® SUPER HOOLIGAN® NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOLLOWING SEASON OPENER AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
2022 Super Hooligan® Champion Tyler O’Hara Takes Early Points Lead Following Back-to-Back Wins At Daytona Doubleheader
Indian Motorcycle Racing Comes Away with Podium Finish in Mission® King of the Baggers,
O’Hara Ranks Fifth In Season Standings with 21 Points, McWilliams Eighth with 19
Tyler O’Hara (1) and Jeremy McWilliams (99) on their Progressive/Mission Foods Indian FTR 1200 Super Hooligan racebikes. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Indian Motorcycle.
MINNEAPOLIS (MARCH 14, 2023) – Following an offseason that expanded the competitive landscape with new manufacturers lining up for the MotoAmerica® Mission® Super Hooligan® National Championship (SHNC), it was Indian Motorcycle Racing and its factory team claiming the top two spots on the leaderboard, following the season-opening doubleheader at Daytona International Speedway. Piloting a pair of S&S®-built Progressive® Mission® Foods Indian FTRs, reigning SHNC champion Tyler O’Hara and teammate Jeremy McWilliams each left Daytona with a pair of podiums, including back-to-back victories for O’Hara and third and second-place finishes for McWilliams.
On Friday, March 10, O’Hara strategically tailed RSD Indian FTR privateer Bobby Fong for nearly the entire six-lap race. Waiting for the final lap to strike, O’Hara was able to carry more speed through the chicane and go up and around the outside of Fong to capture the season’s first win by .0064 seconds. McWilliams rounded out the podium to complete the Indian FTR podium sweep.
“Bobby was running fast all weekend and gapped me for a period until I was able to make up some ground. The lapper through the chicane definitely played a big role as I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to draft pass him on the finish,” said O’Hara. “But what a fun race, and for Indian Motorcycle to sweep the podium just shows how impressive this Indian FTR really is.”
Race 2 on Saturday, March 11, was filled with plenty of action. After an early crash caused a red-flag restart, it was a five-rider group at the front of the pack. Pushing hard in the group, KTM rider Andy DiBrino lost his front end and laid his bike down, while Fong encountered a technical issue – making it a three-rider run for first between Harley-Davidson rider Cory West, O’Hara and McWilliams. While West ultimately crossed the finish line first, a post-race bike inspection found an illegal air intake that resulted in a disqualification – awarding O’Hara his second win of the weekend and earning McWilliams a second-place finish.
In the MotoAmerica® Mission® King of the Baggers (KOTB) class, O’Hara reached the podium with a third-place finish in Race 1. While the Indian Challenger had been running fast all weekend, even clocking the weekend’s fastest speed on a bagger at 182 mph, both O’Hara and McWilliams suffered technical issues in Race 2. Indian Motorcycle Racing concluded the opening rounds at Daytona with O’Hara in fifth (21 points) and McWilliams in eighth (19 points) on the season’s leaderboard.
“Our issues this weekend were specifically with our tires, MotoAmerica is a spec tire series, we are only given one choice for tires for Daytona and they failed with our higher speeds after four laps, but our new bikes are performing incredibly well, with a significantly higher level of both handling and power, as evidenced by both our riders registering speeds of more than 180 mph throughout the weekend,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology and Service for Indian Motorcycle. “At the end of the day, the performance of our Indian Challengers, coupled with our success in the Super Hooligan class has us feeling extremely optimistic and incredibly motivated heading into the second round in Atlanta.”
The 2023 KOTB and SHNC seasons continue with Road Atlanta April 21-23. For more information visit MotoAmerica.com.
Indian Motorcycle Racing is presented by Progressive Insurance®, Mission® Foods and Medallia®, with additional support from Indian Motorcycle Motor Oil, S&S®, Parts Unlimited, Drag Specialties®, Performance Finance, and J&P Cycles®.
For information about Indian Motorcycle, visit IndianMotorcycle.com, or follow along on Facebook, Twitterand Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle Company is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
INDIAN and INDIAN MOTORCYCLE are registered trademarks of Indian Motorcycle International, LLC. Always wear a helmet, protective clothing and eyewear and insist your passenger does the same. Ride within the limits of the law and your own abilities. Read, understand and follow your owner’s manual. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Progressive Insurance® is a registered trademark of Progressive Casualty Insurance Company; MOTOAMERICA® is a registered trademark of Krave Group, American Flat TrackSM is a service trademark of Daytona Motorsports Group LLC; Harley-Davidson® is a registered trademark of H-D U.S.A., LLC; King of the Baggers® is a registered trademark of KRAVE GROUP, LLC; Super Hooligan® is a registered trademark of Roland Sands Design, Inc.; Mission® is a registered trademark of Gruma Corporation; Monster Energy® is a registered trademark; Drag Specialties® is a registered trademark of LeMans Corporation; Bell® is a registered trademark of Bell Sports, Inc; Medallia® is a registered trademark of Medallia Inc.; S&S® is a registered trademark of S&S Cycle, Inc.; J&P Cycles® is a registered trademark of J&P CYCLES, LLC; Öhlins® is a registered trademark of Öhlins Racing AB CORPORATION SWEDEN; Klotz®is a registered trademark of Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, Inc.; Klock Werkssm is a service trademark of Klock, Brian INDIVIDUAL; RK TAKASAGO CHAIN is a registered trademark of RK JAPAN CO., LTD., Engine Ice® is a registered trademark of KOST USA, LLC; VP Racing Fuels® is a registered trademark of VP RACING FUELS Inc.; Motion Pro® is a registered trademark of Motion Pro Inc.; Corbi® is a registered trademark of CORBIN PACIFIC, INC; Unless noted, trademarks are the property of Indian Motorcycle International, LLC.
More, from a press release issued by Royal Enfield North America:
Royal Enfield And MotoAnatomy Get It Started In Daytona
Johnny Lewis and Ryan Wells kick off American Flat Track season at Daytona Short Track Doubleheader
MotoAnatomy’s Johnny Lewis (10) and Ryan Wells (94) put two Royal Enfield motorcycles on the starting line of an American Flat Track SuperTwins race, a milestone for the brand at the Daytona Short Track. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
Milwaukee, WI (Tuesday, March 14, 2023) – It’s been a busy off-season for Johnny Lewis and the MotoAnatomy Powered by Royal Enfield team, and the Daytona Short Track is where they got to showcase all the hard work, and reach more milestone moments for the brand. For Lewis, his 2023 season started with a heat race win, a main event holeshot and leading the first lap of Thursday night’s Daytona Short Track I. For Wells, it was his first race with the team, and the Daytona Short Track II marked first time ever that two Royal Enfields have been in an AFT SuperTwins main event.
“I love every bit of Short Track,” says Jonny Lewis. “Because it’s intense racing, but you’re really trying to control the motorcycle. We’re really try to push the bike in, get a direction change and you’re coming almost to a dead stop and accelerating really hard… so it’s really about trying to contain the power as much as you can, and keep the bike precise on the track. In Short Track, it’s really hard to do.”
Lewis put his razor-sharp technique to good use as he grabbed the holeshot and led the charge in the very first main event lap of 2023 American Flat Track. It also marked the first-ever unified SuperTwins race in AFT (previously, Lewis competed in the Production Twins class, which is now combined with the premiere Mission SuperTwins class). From there, Lewis settled into a strong fifth-place, but was taken out by another rider. He would soldier on to finish a respectable eighth.
For Ryan Wells, Daytona was his official debut with the MotoAnatomy Powered by Royal Enfield team. Like his teammate, Wells had some shining moments in Florida, and is looking to build on the excitement and progress into the rest of the season.
“It’s when I have someone like Johnny riding the same exact bike,” said Ryan Wells, “because Johnny’s really good at eliminating anything that could be under the bike’s control and puts it under his own control. Seeing what he’s doing made me want to work harder. Because he busts his butt every day of the week and he doesn’t stop. I know we feed off each other when he sees me working hard, he wants to work harder and vice versa.”
“This great team synergy, the progress made with the Royal Enfield Twins FT motorcycle and the enthusiasm for the entire 2023 season are our main takeaways from the Daytona Short Track Doubleheader,” said Adrian Sellers, Royal Enfield Head – Custom & Motorsport. “This is an exciting ride for all of us into uncharted territory and we’re already seeing the work pay off. Mostly, we’re just happy to be officially underway for the 2023 season.”
For more on the MotoAnatomy Powered by Royal Enfield team and a behind-the-scenes look at the Daytona Short Track Doubleheader, head to Instagram @motoanatomyxroyalenfield.
For more on the 2023 Progressive American Flat Track Championship, visit AmericanFlatTrack.com.
About Royal Enfield
The oldest motorcycle company in continuous production in the world, Royal Enfield made its first motorcycle in 1901. A division of Eicher Motors Limited, Royal Enfield has created the midsize motorcycle segment in India with its unique and distinctive modern classic motorcycles. With its manufacturing base in Chennai, India, Royal Enfield has been able to grow its production rapidly against a surge in demand for its motorcycles. Royal Enfield is a leading player in the global middleweight motorcycle market.
Royal Enfield North America (RENA) is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is developing a growing network of more than 150 dealers in North America, including the contiguous U.S. and Canada. RENA currently offers the all-new Scram 411, Classic 350, Meteor 350, Himalayan and the 650 Twins (INT650 and Continental GT 650) motorcycles, along with a range of Genuine Motorcycle Accessories and apparel.
For more information on Royal Enfield North America, visit www.RoyalEnfield.com/us/en/, www.Instagram.com/RoyalEnfield_NA, www.Facebook.com/RoyalEnfieldNorthAmerica.
Following fatigue in his right forearm, which occurred during the recent MotoGP tests at Portimao, Aprilia Racing rider Aleix Espargaró underwent a series of tests between yesterday and today at the Dexeus University Clinic in Barcelona. The checks revealed a fibrosis in the muscle for which a surgical operation was necessary.
The cleaning operation, carried out today, was largely successful and will allow the rider to recover in view of the first race of the season, scheduled for the weekend of 24-26 March.
Dr. XAVIER MIR – MD PhD
“Aleix Espargaró underwent surgery on his right forearm, due to a fibrotic retraction of the forearm fascia with compression of the median nerve in the proximal third of the forearm. An antebrachial fasciotomy and an arch release of the pronator teres muscle was performed using microsurgical techniques. He will start his recovery as soon as tomorrow”.
“King Kenny” Roberts is arguably the most significant figure in motorcycle racing history: Twice AMA Grand National Champion, triple MotoGP World Champion, indefatigable fighter for riders’ safety and rights, championship-winning team owner, and constructor of the last two-stroke to score a MotoGP pole position.
Roberts came of age in 1973 when he wrapped up his first American Grand National Championship, a series that combined road racing with all kinds of dirt-track—short track, mile, half-mile, and TT, which included motocross-style jumps. The title was also his first success with Yamaha, which led to a hat-trick of 500cc/MotoGP world titles, from 1978 to 1980, and three more, as team owner with rider Wayne Rainey, from 1990 to 1993.
The Roberts story started when he was age 13 and learning to be a
cowboy…
—Racing History: “King Kenny” Roberts, by Mat Oxley
It was 50 years ago that “King Kenny” Roberts won his first major championship, lost a testicle, shot himself in the leg and nearly wound up riding for MV Agusta. Pretty intense year. But as Roberts says, “You kind of fumble through life…” Read about one of road racing’s greatest riders of all time’s most intense 12 months of fumbling, in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats.
Jordan Szoke (101) has returned to CSBK, setting the overall best lap time of the two-day Bridgestone Winter Tire Test at Jennings GP. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Szoke tops Bridgestone Winter Test after final day at Jennings
Jennings, FL – The last day of official preseason testing wrapped up with a familiar name atop the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship leaderboard, as Jordan Szoke exited the Winter Test at Jennings GP as the man to beat in the feature Pro Superbike ranks.
Szoke’s return to Superbike action for the first time in over a year went as smoothly as anyone could have expected on Tuesday, leading day one at the north Florida circuit as the grid adjusted to the new Bridgestone spec tires.
His time of 1:17.732 seemed like a decent benchmark for the event, given how much the track surface has worsened since the previous test at Jennings in 2011. Instead, Szoke repeatedly topped the field in sessions four, five, and six, lowering the top time to a blistering 1:16.386 lap aboard his LDS Consultants Kawasaki.
It seemed like everything went right for Szoke in his return to Jennings and the Bridgestone CSBK series, showing zero signs of rust as he approaches his 26th season in the feature Pro Superbike class.
Defending champion Ben Young will exit a long Florida trip as the second-fastest rider overall, pacing majority of day one before eventually settling in behind Szoke with a time of 1:16.741, only 0.355 seconds slower.
The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider fought through a previous test at Jennings, the famed Daytona 200, and now the official Winter Test all in the last two weeks, but won’t take much time to rest as he aims to put his #1 plate back at the front for round one in nine weeks.
Completing the top trio was unsurprisingly Alex Dumas, with the former champion battling through a number of problems during the course of the test before ultimately topping the final session with a competitive 1:17.281 lap aboard his Purple Skull/Liqui Moly Suzuki.
Dumas used all the track time to his advantage with 62 laps completed in two days – the most of anyone in the top-seven riders – as he eventually weeded out some issues to bring himself within 0.895 seconds of Szoke.
Alex Dumas (23) made steady progress aboard his Purple Skull/Liqui Moly Suzuki, but still finds himself third through pre-season testing. Photo by Colin Fraser, courtesy CSBK.
The surprise of the test was rookie Pierre Simard in fourth, who continued to hang with the “usual suspects” at the front of day two aboard his D1C Suzuki. The former top Amateur was the only other rider to break into the 1:17’s, sitting 0.645 seconds off fellow Suzuki rider Dumas.
Rounding out the top five in the combined times was another “returning rookie” in Trevor Dion, who made more progress with his new LDS Consultants Kawasaki and continued to learn from teammate Szoke before posting a strong time of 1:18.141.
Sam Guerin was notably sixth, with the former championship runner-up breaking in a new EFC Group BMW machine of his own. The fan favourite managed a 1:18.531 lap, and seemed on course to be the “iron man” of the event with 54 laps completed in the first day and a half before sitting out the final two sessions.
That title ultimately went to rookie Alex Michel instead, who completed a staggering 67 laps across two days, placing himself 18th in the combined timesheets.
While the Pro’s were all combined at the Winter Test, the early Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike rider to beat was Vincent Levillain, who rebounded from a hectic Daytona 200 to finish eleventh overall and tops amongst the 600cc riders.
The SpeedFactory67 rider wound up just 0.040 seconds faster than title favourite David MacKay, who struggled early on in his adjustment to the Bridgestone tires but eventually put his ODH Snow City Kawasaki closer to where many expected.
Third-fastest of the group was Matt Simpson, who made up a ton of time in day two to put his Evans Racing Yamaha only 0.294 seconds off the top Sport Bike spot and 14th overall heading into the season.
Cooney continues to stun Amateur ranks
As if Andrew Cooney’s first day as a Scorpion Amateur Sport Bike rider wasn’t impressive enough, the Fast Company Honda competitor made absolutely sure his pace wouldn’t go unnoticed on day two.
Already leading the way with a 1:20.625 lap time on Tuesday, Cooney blitzed the Amateur group to a new benchmark of 1:19.883 in session five – an incredible lap that would have made him the top Pro Sport Bike rider and 11th amongst the Pro’s overall.
Somehow a distant second despite a strong lap of his own, Mack Weil managed to place himself in the rear-gunner spot of the Amateur ranks behind a time of 1:20.952, confirming the MotorcycleCourse Yamaha’s status as one of the lone title threats to Cooney this season.
Completing the lead triad of Amateurs was fellow teenager Maverick Cyr, who posted an improved 1:22.175 lap to place his Triumph firmly in the podium mix entering round one at Shannonville Motorsport Park.
The lead Lightweight rider continued to be 14-year-old sensation Vincent Lalande, who stormed to a ridiculous 1:26.620 in only his second ever day as a national rider. The reigning Mini Superbike Ohvale Cup champion has thus far cemented himself as one of the future stars of the sport, clearing the next Lightweight rider by over 1.5 seconds.
That proved to be former title winner Harvey Renaud, who paced a tighter battle for second just marginally ahead of Justin Marshall, with the main challenger to Lalande still unclear entering the campaign.
The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will now sit and wait for a lengthy nine weeks before returning for round one in late May, with an eleven-race, five-round slate upcoming in 2023.
Full results from the two-day test at Jennings GP can be found on the series’ official website at csbk.ca.
Pedro Acosta (37). Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM Ajo.
FIM Moto2 World Championship Private Testing
Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, Spain
March 14-15, 2023
Unofficial Combined Times (all using Dunlop tires and Triumph engines):
Pedro Acosta, Spain (Kalex), 1:41.309
Aron Canet, Spanish (Kalex), 1:41.575
Alonso Lopez, Spain (Boscoscuro), 1:41.575
Tony Arbolino, Italy (Kalex), 1:41.732
Sam Lowes, UK (Kalex), 1:41.851
Albert Arenas, Spain (Kalex), 1:41.852
Lukas Tulovic, Germany (Kalex), 1:42.078
Somkiat Chantra, Thailand (Kalex), 1:42.093
Joe Roberts, USA (Kalex), 1:42.174
Barry Baltus, The Netherlands (Kalex) 1:42.190
Jake Dixon, UK (Kalex), 1:42.238
Manuel Gonzalez, Spain (Kalex), 1:42.307
Be Bendsneyder, The Netherlands (Kalex), 1:42.401
Fermin Aldeguer, Spain (Boscoscuro), 1:42.473
Filip Salac, Czech Republic (Kalex), 1:42.566
Jeremy Alcoba, Spain (Kalex), 1:42.567
Darryn Binder, South Africa (Kalex), 1:42.622
Sean Dylan Kelly, USA (Kalex), 1:42.832
Dennis Foggia, Italy (Kalex), 1:42.870
Zonta van der Goorbergh, The Netherlands (Kalex), 1:42.902
Sergio Garcia, Spain (Kalex), 1:42.911
Celestino Vietti, Italy (Kalex), 1:43.023
Marcos Ramirez, Spain (MV Agusta), 1:43.130
Lorenzos Dalla Porta, Italy (Kalex), 1:43.173
Rory Skinner, UK (Kalex), 1:43.174
Borja Gomez (Kalex), 1:43.254
Izan Guevara, Spain (Kalex), 1:43.596
Kohta Nozane, Japan (Kalex), 1:44.241
Alex Escrig, Spain (MV Agusta), 1:44.371
David Sanchis (Kalex), 1:44.622
More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:
Elf Marc VDS Racing Team kick off 2023 Moto2 preparations in Jerez
Less than two weeks away from the start of the 2023 Moto2 World Championship, Sam Lowes and Tony Arbolino stepped up their pre-season preparations with a successful two-day test session at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto in the Andalusia region of Spain.
The pair completed a mammoth 284 laps between them as sunny and warm conditions helped the pair reacquaint themselves with their Triumph-powered Kalex machinery after the long winter break.
Lowes and Arbolino begin their final winter test outing this Friday with a three-day session at the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal, which hosts the opening round of an intense 21-round season on March 26.
Sam Lowes (22). Photo courtesy Marc VDS Racing Team.
Sam Lowes 4th, 1’41.851, 146 laps
Fully recovered from the serious left shoulder injury that badly disrupted the final nine races of the 2022 campaign, Lowes tested his physical condition to the maximum with 146 laps completed during the test.
The main focus for the 32-year-old was to understand the performance of the new Triumph 765cc three-cylinder engine, which features an upgrade from 14,000 to 14,400 revs for the forthcoming season.
The Briton was also able to assess the new 2023 Kalex chassis and he showed excellent speed and consistency on Dunlop’s soft and hard rear tyre options to finish fourth on the timesheets with a quickest lap of 1:41.851.
“I don’t think this test could have gone much better”
“I’m so happy with how the test has gone, particularly from a physical point of view. I’ve worked really hard in the off-season on the shoulder, and everything feels normal on the bike. I was able to do a lot of laps on both days with some long runs, so from a physical perspective it was only positives. I haven’t been able to ride a bike properly since I first got the injury in early August last year, so it was a great feeling. The second day here has been very important because we got to assess the new engine and chassis together and obviously they are hugely important components that we need to fully understand. I also had some suspension parts from Ohlins, so it has been an intense test but a successful one. I would say 90 per cent of what we tried felt like an improvement, so we have finished the test in a good way. We now move to Portimao for the final test and that is a completely different track to Jerez, so it will be good to understand how well the new parts work there. But I had a good rhythm with no real issues in Jerez, so I don’t think this test could have gone much better.”
Tony Arbolino (14). Photo courtesy Marc VDS Racing Team.
Tony Arbolino 2nd, 1’41.732, 138 laps
A hot streak of three podiums in the last four races of 2022, including two wins in Thailand and Malaysia, meant Arbolino was relishing the opportunity to get back to work at the Jerez test in readiness for the 2023 campaign.
Initially getting back up to speed on last year’s Kalex machine, Arbolino spent the whole of the second day on track in Jerez working on the upgraded Triumph engine and revised Kalex frame.
Constant progress was made throughout the test in terms of front feeling and Arbolino was once again one of the main protagonists with a best lap of 1:41.732 placing him in a superb second place.
“I’m positive we’ll be strong from the first race”
“It has been a very good test for me, and it felt great to be back with my crew again. The first day we worked a lot on myself getting back into the rhythm and being as best prepared as we can be for the first race in Portugal. The second day was very positive because it was the first chance for me to try the complete new package for 2023 and I was very happy with the performance we found. I felt comfortable with the race pace, and I think there is definitely some margin for us to improve with the time attack. We understand we can find more improvements with more time on the bike but this first test has gone very well. I’m positive we are going to be strong from the first race.”
More, from a press release issued by QJMotor Gresini Racing:
GOOD FEELINGS ON THE FIRST MOTO2 TEST OF THE SEASON IN JEREZ
The Team Moto2 QJMOTOR GRESINI RACING is finally back on track after three months of winter break. The sun was shining bright in Jerez, giving the riders the perfect conditions to regain the confidence on their bikes.
Positive feelings in both sides of the box, with Filip Salač 15th, only 0,001secs faster than his new teammate Jeremy Alcoba, in 16th position. The Czech rider was able to set a good pace on day two despite a crash with luckily no consequences on the rider. Official debut in the other side of the box for the rider #52, who used this first test to find the feeling with the new bike (he also tried the new engine) and the best way to work together with his new team.
The Team Moto2 QJMOTOR GRESINI RACING will now drive to Portimao, ready to set-up for there more days of test, from Friday to Sunday in the Portuguese track: the last chance to find the perfect set-up before the first race of the season.
Filip Salac (12). Photo courtesy Gresini Racing.
15th – FILIP SALAČ #12 (1:42.566s – 110 laps)
“I’m so happy that we were finally back on track after the long winter brake. We worked hard in these two days but also enjoyed a lot! In the first day we tried most of all to get back the confidence with my bike and it was not easy as I haven’t ridden this bike for more than three months, but I really enjoyed it. On the second day we did immediately a good lap-time, but in the second exit I made a “beginners” kind of mistake and I crashed. Luckily I’m ok, the team did a perfect job repairing the bike, making me able to go back on track and have a good pace. We did’t try the soft tires as we’re still missing a step. In these two days we didn’t show our real potential, so I can’t wait to do it in Portimao!”
Jeremy Alcoba (52). Photo courtesy Gresini Racing.
16th – JEREMY ALCOBA #52 (1:42.567s – 128 laps)
“It was amazing to feel the power of the Moto2 bike again. In this first test of the season I was able to find good feelings, especially in the morning sessions: in the afternoons was more difficult for me to be fast, we still need to ride more km to improve, and to understand how to work together with the team in the best way. I think we’ll be able to get where we want, our pace is good with the used tire, we have to improve instead with the new tire: this was a problem I used to have last year too, but in these days the feeling was better and the pace too. We have to work some more to take off one second on the fast-lap. We decided not to use the soft tire as we preferred to work on the bike rather than looking for the best lap-time but we’re not far from the first riders. I’m happy about the progress we made, now one day of brake and then off to Portimao: a track I like even if I had some trouble there last year, but it’s a chance to finish the work we began in these days.”
The start of a race at a previous North West 200 race. Photo by Stephen Davison/Pacemaker Press International, courtesy Coleraine and District Motor Club Ltd.
The Coleraine and District Motor Club is delighted to announce this year’s fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 will take place as planned on May 7-13.
As has been well documented over the past month, this year’s event had been thrown into jeopardy by a huge increase in the cost of public liability insurance. A new insurance deal has finally been secured and the crucial intervention of Co. Tyrone businessman, Derek Keys, with a generous donation from his company, Euro Auctions, has ensured the 2023 NW200 can go ahead.
“March 2023 represents the 25th anniversary of Euro Auctions and helping the North West 200 gives us the ideal chance to thank all of those people who have supported us over that 25 year journey,” Mr. Keys said, “The event sees over 195,000 people visit the region and many businesses, both large and small, depend upon events like this to bring trade and prosperity into the North West area. This event is part of our region’s heritage and I am delighted that with a little help from Euro Auctions, the event can now proceed this year.”
“We are very grateful to Derek Keys and Euro Auctions for this very generous support,” the NW200’s Mervyn Whyte said. “In the absence of any financial assistance from government, the sport has been left to its own devices to deal with the insurance crisis. Mr Keys intervention has been crucial in saving this year’s North West 200. We also wish to express our gratitude to the many members of the motorcycle racing community who donated so generously to the crowd funding initiative launched by the Motorcycle Union of Ireland, Ulster Centre.”
American Racing Team Moto2 World Championship rider Sean Dylan Kelly. Photo courtesy American Racing Team.
The American Racing Team is delighted to announce its collaboration with the subscription social platform OnlyFans for 2023.
OnlyFans already boasts a vast array of celebrities showcasing their content from artists such as Iggy Azalea and comedian Whitney Cummings along with familiar faces from American motorsport like MotoAmerica’s Josh Herrin and Supercross rider, Logan Karnow.
Giving fans an exclusive, behind-the-scenes experience both at and away from the track, American Racing and its riders will take fans around the world via the OnlyFans platform; showing them the inner workings of the team, life on the road and what it takes to be a world championship rider as well as offering fans exclusive competitions and subscriber-only opportunities.
Rory Skinner (33) on his OnlyFans-branded Moto2 racebike. Photo courtesy American Racing Team.
Eitan Butbul, Team Owner –
I’m thrilled to announce our collaboration with OnlyFans for the 2023 season. They are an enormous brand with a huge online presence across the world and it makes me very proud that the American Racing Team has grown to the point of attracting partners of this size.
This collaboration goes far beyond just a sticker on the bike and a patch on the leathers, it allows us to bring fans closer than ever before to a team in the MotoGP World Championship through content creation. We’ve seen what a real focus on content production has done for other sports and we couldn’t be more excited to take this to the next level in motorcycle racing through this platform.
Ami Gan, CEO of OnlyFans –
We are enthusiastic to welcome American Racing to OnlyFans. This collaboration will truly give MotoGP fans an inside look at what it’s like to race around the world, as the team and its riders showcase exclusive content on the platform.
OnlyFans continues to attract athletes to the platform who are looking for the best way to connect with their fans and share exclusive content.
Francesco Bagnaia (63) leading at Phillip Island on his way to the 2022 MotoGP World Championship. Photo courtesy Dorna.
NBC Sports announces 2023 MotoGP™ season schedule
All 21 Races to be Presented on NBC and CNBC, including LIVE coverage of the Americas GP
Wednesday, 15 March 2023
NBC Sports has announced its schedule for the blockbuster 2023 MotoGP™ season on NBC and CNBC, beginning with the Portuguese Grand Prix from Portimao on Sunday, March 26, at 1:30 p.m. ET on CNBC.
All 21 races will be presented on either NBC or CNBC, with timeslots designed to showcase the best of the sport. The Grand Prix of the Americas from Circuit of the Americas will be presented live for a second consecutive year on Sunday, April 16, at 2:30 p.m. ET on CNBC. NBC will air an hour-long encore on Saturday, April 22, at 3 p.m. ET.
NBC will present coverage of the following five MotoGP™ Grand Prix races, including three consecutive events in September, this season:
• British Grand Prix on Sunday, Aug. 6, at 1:30 p.m. ET
• Catalan Grand Prix on Sunday, Sept. 3, at 1:30 p.m. ET
• San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday, Sept. 10, at 1 p.m. ET
• Indian Grand Prix on Sunday, Sept. 24, at 1:30 p.m. ET
• Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, Nov. 12, at 1:30 p.m. ET
Ahead of the 2023 season, NBC Sports’ Leigh Diffey spoke with reigning MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia and 2021 MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo.
2023 marks NBC Sports’ fourth season as the exclusive television home of MotoGP™ in the United States. All race coverage presented on NBC and CNBC will stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
In addition to weekend telecasts on NBC and CNBC, live and on-demand coverage of all races will be available to stream on MotoGP™ VideoPass, in addition to every session of MotoGP™, Moto2™ and Moto3™, and races and qualifying for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship.
Below is the full MotoGP schedule on NBC and CNBC (subject to change).
Jordan Szoke (101) was fastest after the first day of Bridgestone CSBK testing at Jennings GP. Testing continues on Wednesday at the Florida circuit.
Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Szoke fastest on day one of Bridgestone Winter Test at Jennings
Jennings, FL – Jordan Szoke’s long-awaited return to the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship was almost perfect on Tuesday, topping day one of the Bridgestone Winter Test at Jennings GP in north Florida.
Szoke didn’t need long to shake off the rust despite a year away from racing (and lingering effects from his serious motocross injury last off season), sitting third-fastest in the morning and fifth overall by mid-afternoon aboard his LDS Consultants Kawasaki.
Facing perhaps more obstacles than anybody given his hiatus, new machine, and abrupt adjustment to the new spec Bridgestone tires, it seemed like top-five pace would be a great accomplishment in his 2023 debut – but the 14-time champion had one more trick left up his sleeve.
In the final session of the day, Szoke crushed the previous benchmark with a time of 1:17.732 to go fastest overall in the combined times ahead of Ben Young. The reigning champion would put in a late flyer of his own to cut the deficit to just 0.077 seconds, but it wasn’t enough to oust his former rival from the top spot.
With most of the grid adapting to the new Bridgestone BATTLAX slick tires for the first time, the reception was almost entirely positive despite worse track conditions than previous tests at Jennings, something Szoke knows better than anyone.
“Any of the issues I think can be blamed on the track right now more than anything,” Szoke said to his crew on pit lane, as well as Bridgestone staff who were on-hand from around the world. “It’s going to take some getting used to, but the grip feels really good so far.”
Despite Szoke’s sensational lap, it was Young who paced majority of the day, rebounding quickly from a frustrating Daytona 200 weekend as he debuted the #1 plate aboard his Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW.
Sitting less than a tenth of a second out of first, Young represented a very tight group at the front on Tuesday, with the top nine riders separated by less than a second prior to the final session. Even with the late blitz from Szoke and Young, just 1.7 seconds will cover the entire top-ten going into Wednesday.
Completing the widely-expected trio of frontrunners was 2021 champion Alex Dumas, who struggled through a number of issues on day one but still managed to put in a strong lap of 1:18.128 – just 0.396 seconds away from making his Purple Skull/Liqui Moly Suzuki the top target.
The big surprise of the day was rookie Pierre Simard in fourth, who stole the show to begin the Bridgestone era aboard his D1C Suzuki effort. After an injury limited his “true rookie” season to just one round, Simard returned to the CSBK grid just 0.023 seconds off Dumas in third.
Rounding out the top-five was fellow LDS Consultants Kawasaki debutant Trevor Dion, who gradually made progress throughout the day aboard his new ZX-10R Ninja alongside teammate Szoke, with Sam Guerin placing his EFC Group BMW sixth and only a second off the top of the timesheets.
The combined top-ten of day one is below:
Cooney the top Amateur, Lalande stars in Lightweight
Andrew Cooney (133), Lightweight Sport Bike star from last season, has moved up to Amateur Sport Bike for 2023. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.
The first day of testing also saw a number of Amateurs take to the Jennings GP track, with first-year Scorpion Amateur Sport Bike rider Andrew Cooney setting the bar early on for Honda.
A four-time race winner in the Lightweight division last year, Cooney quickly got up to speed on his bigger 600cc machine, pacing the field with a blistering time of 1:20.625 – only 1.172 seconds off the Pro top-ten.
Trailing Cooney through the first half of testing is fellow youngster Mackenzie Weil, who went second-fastest aboard his MotorcycleCourse Yamaha with a time of 1:21.930. The lead trio was rounded off by Stephen Moxey, roughly two seconds off the pace.
As for the third and final group, it was 14-year-old Vincent Lalande who lived up to all the hype in his first taste of national action, leading the way in the combined Lightweight category.
The inaugural Canadian Mini Superbike Ohvale Cup champion is considered one of the series’ biggest talents in recent memory, and proved it on Tuesday by leading his group aboard a SpeedFactory67 Kawasaki with a time of 1:27.436.
Second to Lalande through day one was Justin Marshall, trailing the teenager by 1.110 seconds. Third in the group was veteran returnee Jeff Williams, who is making his own comeback after a scary Pro Superbike crash in 2020. The Yamaha rider managed an excellent 1:28.911 in his first official action in over two years.
Full results by session can be found on the series’ official website, while action will continue on Wednesday at Jennings GP.
Fans in the infield grandstands watch Cameron Petersen (45) lead Josh Herrin (1), Josh Hayes (4), Brandon Paasch (96), Hayden Gillim (95), Geoff May (behind Paasch), Teagg Hobbs (behind Hayes), Danny Eslick (69), Blake Davis (behind Eslick), PJ Jacobsen (66), and the rest in the restarted 2023 Daytona 200. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
MotoAmerica is paying out the entire $175,000 cash purse to the top 40 riders in the 81st Daytona 200 whether they finished the race or not.
Although the 2023 event ended with an unusual 10-lap “second race” that had only 22 official finishers from the original race’s 44 starters, MotoAmerica is paying out the entire purse.
Payouts will be awarded according to the order of finish in the second/restarted race, the order of retirement from the second/restarted race, and then the order of retirement from the original race down to what is effectively 40th place.
Here are the final finishing order and purse payouts, courtesy MotoAmerica:
81ST DAYTONA 200/SUPERSPORT RACE (March 11):
1. Josh Herrin (Duc), Dunlop, $25,000, 10 laps
2. Josh Hayes (Yam), Dunlop, $20,000, -0.070 second
Gus Rodio (96). Photo from 2023 by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Rodio Racing.
Rodio takes victory in first MotoAmerica Twins Cup Race of 2023
Rodio Racing powered by Robem Engineering rider leaves Daytona round with championship lead
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It wasn’t Gus Rodio’s first time racing an Aprilia RS 660 at Daytona International Speedway, but the New Jersey rider kicked off the new-for-2023 Rodio Racing — Robem Engineering collaboration by scoring a win and runner-up finish at the opening round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season.
Rodio piloted his Aprilia to commanding win in his first race with the new team and come oh-so-close to scoring a second triumph at the March 9-11 event.
Rodio’s teammate, New Hampshirite Ben Gloddy, had a positive start to the Daytona round before suffering an unfortunate injury that did not allow him to finish Friday’s Race 1 or contest Saturday’s Race 2.
In the Twins Cup’s first on-track session of 2023, Rodio ended Thursday practice at the top of the time sheets. He best the next fastest rider for the best time in the class’ only practice session by 0.064 seconds. Gloddy finished practice fifth-fastest. Later Thursday, Rodio and Gloddy finished Qualifying 1 fourth- and sixth-fastest, respectively.
Friday morning saw Rodio secure fourth on the starting grid in the second and final qualifying session. He missed out on pole by a mere 0.216 seconds. Gloddy wrapped up qualifying in sixth place.
The Daytona round’s first Twins Cup race took place Friday afternoon and saw Rodio put in a dominant performance. Rodio moved up two places in the first several corners and was battling for the lead before the end of Lap 1. Gloddy also got a good start and ran as high a third before another rider crashed in front of him at the exit of the west horseshoe. The crash forced Gloddy to take evasive action, but unfortunately the crashed bike made contact with Gloddy’s RS 660, which caused Gloddy to crash. What was a three-way battle for the lead between Rodio and two other riders in the middle of the nine-lap race gradually became a one-rider show as Rodio pulled away from the other frontrunners to win by more than eight seconds.
Unfortunately for Gloddy, he suffered an injury when he was forced off track that did now allow him to take part in Saturday’s Twins Cup Race 2.
The second race was an eventful one for Rodio, who made the most of a race restart to extend his lead in the Twins Cup points standings. Rodio’s motorcycle began exhibiting a problem with its fuel cap on the warm-up lap, which caused Rodio to pull back into his pit box while the rest of the field was forming up for the race start. The team worked relentlessly to get the motorcycle repaired in time to rejoin the race, and a short time later the race was stopped on Lap 3 due to a crash.
The race was restarted with its original starting grid and five laps to go, and Rodio once again quickly made his way forward to the battle for the lead. He was in the race lead at the end of Laps 1, 3 and 4 and gradually broke away from the rest of the field with another rider. Rodio put in a valiant effort to get a good drive out of the backstraight chicane but was bested to the finish line by 0.162 seconds. Rodio’s second place added 20 valuable championship points to his tally, and he leaves Daytona with a nine-point lead in the class standings.
The MotoAmerica Twins Cup’s next round takes place April 21-23 at the Road Atlanta circuit in Braselton, Ga.
Gus Rodio / No. 96
“It was an awesome first race of the season. I was able to break away from the pack and win my first Twins Cup race. It was my biggest margin of victory and I’m very happy. In Race 2, I broke away from the pack with another rider and had a race long battle for the lead. I ended up second in a close finish. I’m really happy with this result as I didn’t think we would make it on track due to an issue we had. I’m really excited to get to Atlanta and keep working towards our goals.”
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 N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto:
N2/BobbleHeadMoto Blake Davis Scores Two Top Five Finishes at Daytona.
Blake Davis (1). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto.
Media, PA – March 2023 – N2/BobbleHeadMoto Racing’s Blake Davis leaves Daytona with a pair of fourths place finishes in Twins Cup and an 11th-place finish in his first Daytona 200. Blake was fast in every session scoring pole position in Twins Cup and leading both races, but small mechanical issues prevented Davis from capitalizing on his speed. Blake also competed in his first Daytona 200 with a Blake Davis Racing / Biothermal Yamaha YZF-R6 running with some of the best riders in the country in the final laps.
Blake was fast from the moment the team unloaded the championship winning N2/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7. Blake led nearly every session and qualified on pole despite a crash in Q2. Blake just missed out on a chance at the Time Attack Qualifying session for the Daytona 200 and qualified on row four in 13th place.
Championships are about scoring maximum points on your bad days and that is exactly what Blake did. In Twins Cup Race One, Blake battled for the lead for most of the race until he started having temperature issues with his R7 that require that he back off a bit to make it to the finish in fourth place.
Twins Cup Race Two was very similar with Blake having race winning speed in the beginning, but suffering some minor technical issues. Instead of crashing or pulling in, Blake stayed out and nursed his Yamaha R7 to the finish in fourth place. These two fourth place finishes leave him fourth in the points, 19 points back from Gus Rodio.
Blake’s focus in 2023 is defending his Twins Cup Championship, but Blake will participate in several Supersport rounds on his Blake Davis Racing / Biothermal Yamaha YZF-R6. The Daytona 200 was Blake’s first Supersport race and he did not disappoint. Despite having an issue at the start that saw him fade back to well outside the top 20, Blake kept fighting for the entire race, putting in fast, consistent laps. The N2/BobbleHeadMoto/Blake Davis Racing team gave Blake two great pit stops which put him in the lead group for the final 10-lap sprint. Sixteen-year-old Blake Davis battled with the best, most experience racers in the country for those last 10 laps, running as high as second place. In the end, Blake finished sixth on the race track, but a pit lane speeding penalty pushed him back to 11th. An amazing result for Davis’ first Daytona 200.
Blake Davis – “It was a tough weekend on the Yamaha YZF-R7 in Twins Cup. We were fast straight away and always in the mix, but we had some technical issues related to a crash that kept us from reaching our potential. It was positive that we brought home solid points in every race, and we are in decent shape to start the season. The Daytona 200 was awesome! I made a mistake in the beginning, but we fought the entire race and it was so much fun battling with the lead guys. Thanks to my N2/BobbleHeadMoto crew for an awesome R7 and thanks to Biothermal for all the support with the R6.”
Shiloh Salopek (Crew Chief) – “This was a tough weekend for the team, but we were able to leave with valuable championship points from both races and the knowledge to be more prepared for the next round at Road Atlanta in April.”
About N2: N2 – Ride, Race, Learn.
Founded in 2014, N2’s mission is to build a sustainable motorcycle community through safe, structured motorcycle track days, advanced rider training programs based on Yamaha Champions Riding School teaching methods, with a strong affinity for motorcycle road racing. N2 successfully resurrected Motorcycle Endurance Racing in America partnering with WERA Roadracing and creating the N2/WERA National Endurance Series by Dunlop. N2 is a premier participant in the MotoAmerica Pro Racing Series with a multi-rider team competing in several classes. N2 is also a major contributor to the Roadracing World Action Fund through fundraising efforts and support from its large member base.
N2 Racing is proudly sponsored by: Dunlop Motorcycle Tires, Yamaha Motor Corporation USA, Dainese, BobbleHeadMoto, Trading Paint, GB Racing, Spider, Yoshimura, STM, Sunstar, Giaccmoto, Robem Engineering, Puig, Eazi Grip, SBS Brakes and Yamaha Champions Riding School.
More, from a press release issued by Blackmon Racing:
Blackmon Overcomes Injury To Double Podium At Daytona
Jackson Blackmon (18). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Blackmon Racing.
The 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship debuted at Daytona International Speedway over this past weekend. There were three days full of close racing from all the classes that were featured at the race. The Twins class saw some new talent enter the class, while other riders made their return such as Jackson Blackmon.
The 21-year-old rider from South Carolina suffered an ankle injury back in June of 2022 at Road America that ultimately put an end to his 2022 season. Trackday Winner/Blackmon Racing has made a return in 2023 with Jackson back aboard a 2022 Yamaha YZF-R7. With this being his third year competing in the class, he was hoping to use that experience to gain great results and minimize mistakes. Upon hitting the banks of Daytona in practice one, it was evident that Jackson hadn’t lost any pace.
Coming out of the offseason, the team encountered multiple challenges while preparing for 2023. New partners for this year include K-Tech Suspension, M4 Exhaust, Robem Engineering, Spears Racing, REV’IT!, and Hustle Hard Racing. Trackday Winner has returned as title sponsor with numerous associate sponsors, including Yamaha, Yamalube, Finishline Machine, HJC, and Wiseco.
Blackmon Racing came to Daytona with a strong package that delivered astonishing finishes and fast speeds. Qualifying was up and down for Jackson. Continuing to make big changes to the race setup made it hard for him to get fast laps. He ended up starting seventh for the races, but he was feeling confident in the settings for Race One on Friday.
The first of the two races scheduled for the weekend consisted of some chaos that broke up the lead pack early on. Jackson had to take evasive action in a crash that saw him back in fourth position and seconds behind. He was able to continually find pace to eventually catch up to the second-place rider, Then, on the final lap he made a draft pass to the line to take over the position. From ending his last race with injury to starting this season with a podium was exactly how he wanted to return to racing.
The second and final race of the Twins class at Daytona saw a different story unfold. Starting with a red flag early on made for a five-lap restart. Blackmon struggled a bit in the infield and that let the top two guys get away, but he was still able to manage third place to make for a double podium weekend.
“The weekend couldn’t have gone much better,” Blackmon said about his 2023 Daytona experience. “It’s been a long road of recovery on my ankle as well as a lot of long nights to prepare the bike for round one. So I was very pleased to pay back my Trackday Winner/Blackmon Racing team with two days on the box. These results give me a lot of confidence heading into Road Atlanta, and I cannot wait to get back on track soon.”
Trackday Winner/Blackmon Racing would like to thank their 2023 partners for their support: Trackday Winner, Finishline Machine, Yamaha, Yamalube, K-Tech, Orient Express, HJC, REV’IT!, Robem Engineering, M4, Spears Racing, Wiseco, Hustle Hard Racing, Drippin’ Wet, and Sidi.
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING LEADS MISSION® SUPER HOOLIGAN® NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOLLOWING SEASON OPENER AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
2022 Super Hooligan® Champion Tyler O’Hara Takes Early Points Lead Following Back-to-Back Wins At Daytona Doubleheader
Indian Motorcycle Racing Comes Away with Podium Finish in Mission® King of the Baggers,
O’Hara Ranks Fifth In Season Standings with 21 Points, McWilliams Eighth with 19
Tyler O’Hara (1) and Jeremy McWilliams (99) on their Progressive/Mission Foods Indian FTR 1200 Super Hooligan racebikes. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Indian Motorcycle.
MINNEAPOLIS (MARCH 14, 2023) – Following an offseason that expanded the competitive landscape with new manufacturers lining up for the MotoAmerica® Mission® Super Hooligan® National Championship (SHNC), it was Indian Motorcycle Racing and its factory team claiming the top two spots on the leaderboard, following the season-opening doubleheader at Daytona International Speedway. Piloting a pair of S&S®-built Progressive® Mission® Foods Indian FTRs, reigning SHNC champion Tyler O’Hara and teammate Jeremy McWilliams each left Daytona with a pair of podiums, including back-to-back victories for O’Hara and third and second-place finishes for McWilliams.
On Friday, March 10, O’Hara strategically tailed RSD Indian FTR privateer Bobby Fong for nearly the entire six-lap race. Waiting for the final lap to strike, O’Hara was able to carry more speed through the chicane and go up and around the outside of Fong to capture the season’s first win by .0064 seconds. McWilliams rounded out the podium to complete the Indian FTR podium sweep.
“Bobby was running fast all weekend and gapped me for a period until I was able to make up some ground. The lapper through the chicane definitely played a big role as I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to draft pass him on the finish,” said O’Hara. “But what a fun race, and for Indian Motorcycle to sweep the podium just shows how impressive this Indian FTR really is.”
Race 2 on Saturday, March 11, was filled with plenty of action. After an early crash caused a red-flag restart, it was a five-rider group at the front of the pack. Pushing hard in the group, KTM rider Andy DiBrino lost his front end and laid his bike down, while Fong encountered a technical issue – making it a three-rider run for first between Harley-Davidson rider Cory West, O’Hara and McWilliams. While West ultimately crossed the finish line first, a post-race bike inspection found an illegal air intake that resulted in a disqualification – awarding O’Hara his second win of the weekend and earning McWilliams a second-place finish.
In the MotoAmerica® Mission® King of the Baggers (KOTB) class, O’Hara reached the podium with a third-place finish in Race 1. While the Indian Challenger had been running fast all weekend, even clocking the weekend’s fastest speed on a bagger at 182 mph, both O’Hara and McWilliams suffered technical issues in Race 2. Indian Motorcycle Racing concluded the opening rounds at Daytona with O’Hara in fifth (21 points) and McWilliams in eighth (19 points) on the season’s leaderboard.
“Our issues this weekend were specifically with our tires, MotoAmerica is a spec tire series, we are only given one choice for tires for Daytona and they failed with our higher speeds after four laps, but our new bikes are performing incredibly well, with a significantly higher level of both handling and power, as evidenced by both our riders registering speeds of more than 180 mph throughout the weekend,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology and Service for Indian Motorcycle. “At the end of the day, the performance of our Indian Challengers, coupled with our success in the Super Hooligan class has us feeling extremely optimistic and incredibly motivated heading into the second round in Atlanta.”
The 2023 KOTB and SHNC seasons continue with Road Atlanta April 21-23. For more information visit MotoAmerica.com.
Indian Motorcycle Racing is presented by Progressive Insurance®, Mission® Foods and Medallia®, with additional support from Indian Motorcycle Motor Oil, S&S®, Parts Unlimited, Drag Specialties®, Performance Finance, and J&P Cycles®.
For information about Indian Motorcycle, visit IndianMotorcycle.com, or follow along on Facebook, Twitterand Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle Company is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
INDIAN and INDIAN MOTORCYCLE are registered trademarks of Indian Motorcycle International, LLC. Always wear a helmet, protective clothing and eyewear and insist your passenger does the same. Ride within the limits of the law and your own abilities. Read, understand and follow your owner’s manual. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Progressive Insurance® is a registered trademark of Progressive Casualty Insurance Company; MOTOAMERICA® is a registered trademark of Krave Group, American Flat TrackSM is a service trademark of Daytona Motorsports Group LLC; Harley-Davidson® is a registered trademark of H-D U.S.A., LLC; King of the Baggers® is a registered trademark of KRAVE GROUP, LLC; Super Hooligan® is a registered trademark of Roland Sands Design, Inc.; Mission® is a registered trademark of Gruma Corporation; Monster Energy® is a registered trademark; Drag Specialties® is a registered trademark of LeMans Corporation; Bell® is a registered trademark of Bell Sports, Inc; Medallia® is a registered trademark of Medallia Inc.; S&S® is a registered trademark of S&S Cycle, Inc.; J&P Cycles® is a registered trademark of J&P CYCLES, LLC; Öhlins® is a registered trademark of Öhlins Racing AB CORPORATION SWEDEN; Klotz®is a registered trademark of Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, Inc.; Klock Werkssm is a service trademark of Klock, Brian INDIVIDUAL; RK TAKASAGO CHAIN is a registered trademark of RK JAPAN CO., LTD., Engine Ice® is a registered trademark of KOST USA, LLC; VP Racing Fuels® is a registered trademark of VP RACING FUELS Inc.; Motion Pro® is a registered trademark of Motion Pro Inc.; Corbi® is a registered trademark of CORBIN PACIFIC, INC; Unless noted, trademarks are the property of Indian Motorcycle International, LLC.
More, from a press release issued by Royal Enfield North America:
Royal Enfield And MotoAnatomy Get It Started In Daytona
Johnny Lewis and Ryan Wells kick off American Flat Track season at Daytona Short Track Doubleheader
MotoAnatomy’s Johnny Lewis (10) and Ryan Wells (94) put two Royal Enfield motorcycles on the starting line of an American Flat Track SuperTwins race, a milestone for the brand at the Daytona Short Track. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
Milwaukee, WI (Tuesday, March 14, 2023) – It’s been a busy off-season for Johnny Lewis and the MotoAnatomy Powered by Royal Enfield team, and the Daytona Short Track is where they got to showcase all the hard work, and reach more milestone moments for the brand. For Lewis, his 2023 season started with a heat race win, a main event holeshot and leading the first lap of Thursday night’s Daytona Short Track I. For Wells, it was his first race with the team, and the Daytona Short Track II marked first time ever that two Royal Enfields have been in an AFT SuperTwins main event.
“I love every bit of Short Track,” says Jonny Lewis. “Because it’s intense racing, but you’re really trying to control the motorcycle. We’re really try to push the bike in, get a direction change and you’re coming almost to a dead stop and accelerating really hard… so it’s really about trying to contain the power as much as you can, and keep the bike precise on the track. In Short Track, it’s really hard to do.”
Lewis put his razor-sharp technique to good use as he grabbed the holeshot and led the charge in the very first main event lap of 2023 American Flat Track. It also marked the first-ever unified SuperTwins race in AFT (previously, Lewis competed in the Production Twins class, which is now combined with the premiere Mission SuperTwins class). From there, Lewis settled into a strong fifth-place, but was taken out by another rider. He would soldier on to finish a respectable eighth.
For Ryan Wells, Daytona was his official debut with the MotoAnatomy Powered by Royal Enfield team. Like his teammate, Wells had some shining moments in Florida, and is looking to build on the excitement and progress into the rest of the season.
“It’s when I have someone like Johnny riding the same exact bike,” said Ryan Wells, “because Johnny’s really good at eliminating anything that could be under the bike’s control and puts it under his own control. Seeing what he’s doing made me want to work harder. Because he busts his butt every day of the week and he doesn’t stop. I know we feed off each other when he sees me working hard, he wants to work harder and vice versa.”
“This great team synergy, the progress made with the Royal Enfield Twins FT motorcycle and the enthusiasm for the entire 2023 season are our main takeaways from the Daytona Short Track Doubleheader,” said Adrian Sellers, Royal Enfield Head – Custom & Motorsport. “This is an exciting ride for all of us into uncharted territory and we’re already seeing the work pay off. Mostly, we’re just happy to be officially underway for the 2023 season.”
For more on the MotoAnatomy Powered by Royal Enfield team and a behind-the-scenes look at the Daytona Short Track Doubleheader, head to Instagram @motoanatomyxroyalenfield.
For more on the 2023 Progressive American Flat Track Championship, visit AmericanFlatTrack.com.
About Royal Enfield
The oldest motorcycle company in continuous production in the world, Royal Enfield made its first motorcycle in 1901. A division of Eicher Motors Limited, Royal Enfield has created the midsize motorcycle segment in India with its unique and distinctive modern classic motorcycles. With its manufacturing base in Chennai, India, Royal Enfield has been able to grow its production rapidly against a surge in demand for its motorcycles. Royal Enfield is a leading player in the global middleweight motorcycle market.
Royal Enfield North America (RENA) is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is developing a growing network of more than 150 dealers in North America, including the contiguous U.S. and Canada. RENA currently offers the all-new Scram 411, Classic 350, Meteor 350, Himalayan and the 650 Twins (INT650 and Continental GT 650) motorcycles, along with a range of Genuine Motorcycle Accessories and apparel.
For more information on Royal Enfield North America, visit www.RoyalEnfield.com/us/en/, www.Instagram.com/RoyalEnfield_NA, www.Facebook.com/RoyalEnfieldNorthAmerica.
Aleix Espargaro (left), as seen at the pre-season test at Portimao. Photo courtesy Aprilia.
APRILIA RACING – UPDATE ON ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
Following fatigue in his right forearm, which occurred during the recent MotoGP tests at Portimao, Aprilia Racing rider Aleix Espargaró underwent a series of tests between yesterday and today at the Dexeus University Clinic in Barcelona. The checks revealed a fibrosis in the muscle for which a surgical operation was necessary.
The cleaning operation, carried out today, was largely successful and will allow the rider to recover in view of the first race of the season, scheduled for the weekend of 24-26 March.
Dr. XAVIER MIR – MD PhD
“Aleix Espargaró underwent surgery on his right forearm, due to a fibrotic retraction of the forearm fascia with compression of the median nerve in the proximal third of the forearm. An antebrachial fasciotomy and an arch release of the pronator teres muscle was performed using microsurgical techniques. He will start his recovery as soon as tomorrow”.
"King Kenny" Roberts leading a 1975 AMA National at the now defunct Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, riding
a two-stroke, four-cylinder Yamaha TZ750 variant. Photo by Mush Emmons.
Featured In The March 2023 Issue:
“King Kenny” Roberts is arguably the most significant figure in motorcycle racing history: Twice AMA Grand National Champion, triple MotoGP World Champion, indefatigable fighter for riders’ safety and rights, championship-winning team owner, and constructor of the last two-stroke to score a MotoGP pole position.
Roberts came of age in 1973 when he wrapped up his first American Grand National Championship, a series that combined road racing with all kinds of dirt-track—short track, mile, half-mile, and TT, which included motocross-style jumps. The title was also his first success with Yamaha, which led to a hat-trick of 500cc/MotoGP world titles, from 1978 to 1980, and three more, as team owner with rider Wayne Rainey, from 1990 to 1993.
The Roberts story started when he was age 13 and learning to be a
cowboy…
—Racing History: “King Kenny” Roberts, by Mat Oxley
It was 50 years ago that “King Kenny” Roberts won his first major championship, lost a testicle, shot himself in the leg and nearly wound up riding for MV Agusta. Pretty intense year. But as Roberts says, “You kind of fumble through life…” Read about one of road racing’s greatest riders of all time’s most intense 12 months of fumbling, in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
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May 24, 2026
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