Rookie Collin Veijer took the first pole position of his career in FIM Moto3 World Championship qualifying Saturday at Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg, Austria. Riding his Liqui Moly Intact GP Husqvarna, Veijer lapped the 2.7-mile (4.3 km) course in 1:41.486 to top the field of 30 riders.
Daniel Holgado was second-fastest with a 1:41.543 on his Red Bull KTM Tech 3 machine, and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Deniz Oncu claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:41.591.
Moto3 Comb Qual
Mattia Casadei won FIM MotoE World Championship Race One Saturday at Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg, Austria. Riding his HP Pons Los40 Ducati electric racebike, the Italian won the seven-lap race by 1.218 seconds.
LCR E-Team’s Eric Granado was the runner-up, just 0.17 second ahead of Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse’s Kevin Zannoni in third.
Felo Gresini’s Matteo Ferrari was leading the race when he crashed on the last lap. He was able to remount and continue, but he finished 16th and outside of the point.
MotoE R1
BINDER TIES LONG-TERM MOTOGP™ FUTURE TO RED BULL KTM
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing will again count on the skills and tenacity of Brad Binder for their MotoGP project until the end of 2026. An early contract extension was agreed and signed with the South African star at the team’s home Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Binder, who recently turned 28, will remain in Red Bull KTM colors and onboard the KTM RC16; continuing a prosperous alliance that began in 2020. Brad will stretch his relationship with the factory well beyond a decade after entering the Red Bull KTM structure in 2015: the first of a five-year stint with the Red Bull KTM Ajo crew. Binder won the 2016 Moto3™ crown and then took 8 wins and 15 podiums during a three-term development phase in Moto2.
#33 made the jump to the MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team in 2020 and became the first athlete to scale all the way through the KTM GP Academy scheme from his formative days as a teenager in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. He clinched KTM’s maiden premier class victory that same year in the Czech Republic and logged another seven podium appearances to-date with a best championship finish of 6th.
His second MotoGP success, at the Red Bull Ring for the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix, was another KTM MotoGP milestone. Brad also grasped KTM’s first MotoGP ‘Sprint’ win with his performance in Argentina earlier this season.
Binder already had a contract in place for the 2024 MotoGP campaign but will now enter his thirties as a key rider and figure for the firm’s Grand Prix effort.
Brad Binder: “A massive thank you to KTM and the management for trusting in me and for letting me be involved in this incredible program for a few more years. We are coming very close to what we want to achieve on the track but I cannot say enough good things about the team and my crew. 2015 and those first KTM races feel like a long time ago! But also time passes quickly and we’ve made some special memories. I know there is a lot more to come and cannot wait to build those stories. Thanks again.”
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Brad is a rock of our team and it is great news that he will stay even longer with us. We’ve been building a relationship and a project for a long time now. He brings a winning spirit to our box but also stability and an important understanding of KTM. He is always an exciting rider to watch and a fantastic guy to work with. I want to thank him for his belief in us and for how we’ve pushed together to this point so far. There is still so much potential to come.”
Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director: “Keeping Brad at the sharp point of our MotoGP program was a big priority for us. We love everything about this guy: he is an all-out racer and leaves everything on the track. Brad is a valued part of the family and his character and the way he is around the box, the fans and the company makes him the ideal ambassador for us. We’ve already achieved and experienced so much together, and it makes us very proud that he wants to continue on our RC16 and stay in orange. We couldn’t be happier to put that #33 bike in the box for a few more years to come.”
Defending Champion Francesco Bagnaia earned pole position during MotoGP World Championship qualifying Saturday at Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg, Austria. Riding his Lenovo Ducati, Bagnaia lapped the 2.7-mile (4.3 km) course in 1:28.539, topping the field of 23 riders.
Maverick Vinales was second with a 1:28.576 on his factory Aprilia RS-GP, and Red Bull KTM rider Brad Binder scored the third and final spot on the front row with a time of 1:28.653 on his RC16.
MotoGP Comb Qual
Young awarded Superbike pole after qualifying cancelled at CTMP
Bowmanville, ON – Mother Nature again affected the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship on Friday, as rain brought the cancellation of most of the scheduled qualifying sessions at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Instead, grids for the weekend races – including a pair of pro tripleheaders – will be set by Friday morning’s dry practice sessions, meaning Ben Young will be awarded his third BS Battery Pole Position award of the season in the feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike class after setting the initial pace of the weekend.
Young sat atop the timesheets for virtually the entire 40-minute session, but with wildly different lap times as the pace ramped up in the latter half despite cool and cloudy conditions at the circuit just north of Bowmanville, ON.
After setting the early pace with a 1:22.331 lap, Young managed to gradually shave off three-quarters of a second, posting a time to beat of 1:21.674 aboard his Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW.
That would eventually reward the defending champion with his fifth pole position in the last six rounds and 13th in his Superbike career, moving Young into the top-five all-time.
“It’s unfortunate we had another practice in place of qualifying, but we’re all in the same boat and it’s the same weather for everybody,” Young admitted. “The BMW is working great as always, especially now with the M 1000 RR, so hopefully we can put our head down and win some races this weekend.”
That looked set to be a comfortable advantage until the final moments, when rival and championship leader Alex Dumas – at that point a surprising fifth – improved to a 1:21.940 lap aboard his Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki, just 0.366 seconds behind Young and a crucial result given the cancellations to come.
“We’re happy to get back on the front row and next to Ben, even if it’s after another practice instead of qualifying,” Dumas said. “The weekend looks sunny and dry at least, so hopefully we can extend our championship lead.”
While it was ultimately a familiar duo up front, the entire top-five was hardly predictable for the chunk of the session, as the trio of Jordan Szoke, Sam Guerin, and Tomas Casas all swapped places back and forth with Dumas inside the 1:22 lap time bracket.
In the end it would be Szoke who wound up third, briefly sitting second aboard his LDS Consultants Kawasaki before Dumas shunted him back one position, just less than a half-second off the 2021 champion.
“It’s sad we couldn’t finish this in dry conditions, but I think we can still be there for the races,” Szoke said. “I don’t want to cause too much trouble for these guys in the championship, but you can bet we’re going to try and win at least one of these.”
Guerin would wind up marginally slower in fourth, only 0.090 seconds off Szoke, as the EFC Group BMW rider will complete the front row for all three of this weekend’s feature class races at CTMP.
That left Casas to round out the top-five, putting his Parts Canada Yamaha roughly one second off Young at the front of the pack and at the front of row two, where he will be joined by LDS Consultants Kawasaki rookie Trevor Dion and the IBEW BMW of Jordan Royds.
The change in schedule will also hand Sebastien Tremblay his second consecutive pole position in the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike category, after he paced the morning session by over a full second from championship leader David MacKay.
Tremblay will now start from the top spot for all three races this weekend after securing pole on the east coast for Friday’s round three make-up race, which will use the grid set prior to the cancellation of events in Nova Scotia.
The Turcotte Performance Suzuki rider will line up alongside MacKay on the ODH Snow City Cycle Kawasaki, who benefitted massively from Friday morning’s weather changes after title rival Matt Simpson could only place himself seventh, putting his Blackstock Motorsports Yamaha on the end of the second row.
Simpson will start second in the make-up race on Friday, however, with MacKay one spot behind him in third.
Completing the front row for the latter two races on Saturday and Sunday will be a pair of surprising names in Marco Sousa and Nathan Playford, both earning the best qualifying results of their Sport Bike career in third and fourth, respectively.
Sousa put his privateer Suzuki just marginally behind MacKay in second, with Playford another quarter-second behind on his Playford Company Inc. Ducati.
Superbike frontrunner Casas also got off to a blazing start in his Bickle Racing Pro Twins career, crushing the field to pole position in his debut appearance aboard an Acme Motorsports Yamaha.
The two-time Sport Bike champion went over four seconds faster than championship leader Jeff Williams, who will aim to extend his title advantage this weekend aboard his Williams Paving Aprilia after rival Andrew Van Winkle was sidelined by a big crash on Thursday at CTMP.
The Sport Bike and Twins classes will now turn their heads to Friday afternoon’s AMP make-up race, before the full slate returns on Saturday to kick off a full weekend of national racing.
Additional results from the Amateur classes as well as the revised weekend schedule can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Nathan Bettencourt, Nathan Gouker, Joshua Raymond, Cruise Texter, and Cole Varnes each won a MotoAmerica Mission Mini Cup Presented by Motul race Friday on the kart track at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania.
Bettencourt won the Stock 125 race on a Jacobsen Motorcycle Training/Bettencourt Racing Honda. Gouker won the 160 Ohvale race on a Stadler America Ohvale. Raymond won the 190 Ohvale race on an American Racing Team Ohvale. Texter won the Stock 50 race on a Cory Texter Racing/Roof Systems Honda. And Varnes won the Stock 110 race on a Varnes Racing Kawasaki.
The MotoAmerica Mini Cup will hold three races for each class on Saturday.
Results from all five of Friday’s races are in the single PDF document below. Use the scroll and zoom tools to better see all of the results.
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On Thursday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, a group of MotoAmerica riders got together with FIMNA Safety Officer Dan Argano and helped affix Medallia logos to some new sections of soft barriers that were deployed at PittRace.
The barriers were paid for by a generous donation to the Roadracing World Action Fund from friend of MotoAmerica Leslie Stretch, on behalf of Medallia, who is the title sponsor of the Medallia Superbike Championship.
Among the riders who participated were Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne (the two-time and defending Medallia Superbike Champion) and his teammate JD Beach; Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Richie Escalante, Brandon Paasch, Tyler Scott, and Teagg Hobbs; Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier; Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz; and Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders. In addition, MotoAmerica Director of Operations Niccole Cox and Race Director Rick Hobbs pitched in and helped apply some of the Medallia logos, as well.
“Every racer in MotoAmerica, as well as our staff and officials, know the importance of the Roadracing World Action Fund in protecting our riders through the purchase and deployment of soft barriers,” MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey said. “I’m so grateful to Medallia and our good friend Leslie Stretch, for donating a significant sum for the purchase of new soft barriers, which are being used this weekend to protect our competitors during the MotoAmerica Superbikes at Pittsburgh event.”
The Roadracing World Action Fund is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that promotes motorcycle racing safety, and in particular, encourages and facilitates the use of soft barriers at motorcycle racing events, including all MotoAmerica races.
For more information about the Roadracing World Action Fund, including how to donate, click here.
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Championship point leader Mikayla Moore topped MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. After recording a 2:10.993 Friday morning, 19-year-old Moore rode her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 to a quicker 2:09.911 in Q1 in the hotter conditions of the afternoon.
Crystal Martinez was second-best with a 2:11.222, and Sonya Lloyd earned the third and final spot on the provisional front row with a 2:11.333.
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KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Championship point leader Gus Rodio was the fastest rider during MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660, Rodio recorded a time of 1:48.842 around the 2.7-mile, 18-turn course.
Defending Champion Blake Davis was right behind Rodio with a lap at 1:48.905 on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7, and Rodio’s teammate Rocco Landers got the third and final spot on the provisional front row with his 1:48.995.
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KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
PJ Jacobsen claimed provisional pole position during MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Qualifying One (Q1) Friday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Jacobsen followed up leading Free Practice One (FP1) in the morning with a 1:43.079 by topping the hotter afternoon session with a 1:43.061 on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Two-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne was second-best in Q1 with a lap of 1:43.228 on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1. Jacobsen’s teammate Cameron Beaubier earned the third and final spot on the provisional front row with a 1:43.339.
Bobby Fong was fourth with a time of 1:43.477 on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante was fifth in the session based on his 1:43.789. Mathew Scholtz ranked sixth by doing a 1:43.873 on his Westby Racing Yamaha.
Just 0.9 second covered the top seven riders in Q1, including Escalante’s teammate Brandon Paasch (P7 – 1:44.047), and the top 12 riders were separated by only 1.6 seconds.
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More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Jacobsen Rolls On With Provisional Pole At Pittsburg International Race Complex
PJ Jacobsen Leads The Way On An Ultra Close Opening Day At Pittsburgh International Race Complex
WAMPUM, PA (August 18, 2023) – Tytlers Cycle Racing’s PJ Jacobsen brought the confidence earned from winning his first MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike race a few weeks ago in Minnesota to Pittsburgh International Race Complex on a blustery Friday with the New Yorker earning provisional pole position on his BMW M 1000 RR.
In what was the closest session of the season in the Medallia Superbike class, just 1.6 seconds covered the top 12 with a tick over one second separating first from ninth.
Jacobsen led both of Friday’s Superbike sessions with his best lap, a 1:43.061, coming in the afternoon’s Q1 session. That lap on his seventh go around, was just .167 of a second better than Medallia Superbike Championship points leader Jake Gagne. Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Gagne missed most of the first session after his Yamaha suffered a mechanical problem that oiled a portion of the track, bringing out the red flag after just one lap of FP1. Gagne’s crew got him back on track and he was able to jump up to third on his eighth of eight laps.
Jacobsen’s Tytlers Cycle Racing teammate Cameron Beaubier had a big moment early in Q1, losing the front, saving it and running off track and onto the grass. Beaubier ended up third in the session and .278 of a second off his teammate’s best.
Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong had his best session of the season on the team’s Yamaha YZF-R1 to post the fourth quickest time and less than half a second off Jacobsen’s provisional pole.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante ended the day fifth fastest and just ahead of Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch, who in turn was .15 of a second ahead of Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates.
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s JD Beach, who is filling in at Pitt Race for the injured Cameron Petersen, ended up ninth and only 1.1 seconds from pole in his first Superbike race in two years.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Josh Herrin completed the top 10 after losing his best lap as a penalty for cutting the chicane on the following lap.
Supersport – Mesa On Top
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa bounced back from what wasn’t a good weekend for him at Brainerd International Raceway to lead the Supersport pack in Q1 on Friday afternoon. Mesa’s best was a 1:46.110, which was .635 of a second clear of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott.
Disrupt Racing’s Jake Lewis led the morning session and was third fastest in Q1 with a lap that was .808 of a second off Mesa’s fast lap.
Supersport Championship leader Xavi Forés was sixth fastest on the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V2, one spot better than the man who is second in the title chase, Squid Hunter Racing’s Josh Hayes.
Junior Cup – Di Mario, Barely
Alessandro Di Mario put his Altus Motorsports Kawasaki Ninja 400 on provisional pole for the weekend’s two Junior Cup races with the Kentuckian barely besting Fairium NGRT – Gray Area Racing’s Rossi Moor and his KTM RC 390 R by just .186 of a second. Bicknese Racing’s Hayden Bicknese was just a tick behind those two to round out the provisional front row.
Championship points leader Avery Dreher ended up fourth fastest and 1.163 seconds behind Di Mario on his Bad Boys Racing Kawasaki.
REV’IT! Twins Cup – Rodio Over Davis Over Landers
A scant .153 of a second covered the top three in REV’IT! Twins Cup Q1 at PittRace with championship points leader Gus Rodio taking the top spot by just .063 of a second on his Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering.
N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s defending class champion Blake Davis ended up the closest to Rodio’s 1:48.842 with his 1:48.905. And that lap was only .090 of a second faster than Rodio’s teammate Rocco Landers, the all-time win leader in the class.
The top three managed to separate themselves from the rest of the pack with Team Iso’s Dominic Doyle fourth but 1.7 seconds behind Rodio.
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – Moore On The Verge
Upper Marlboro, Maryland’s Mikayla Moore took the first step to what will undoubtedly be a Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Championship on Saturday at PittRace with provisional pole on Friday.
As she has been at each and every round, Moore was in a class of her own this afternoon with her lap of 2:09.911 leading the way as he has in what has been a perfect season for the 19 year old.
Second fastest today was Crystal Martinez with Sonya Lloyd rounding out the provisional front row.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
2023 MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport Championship Round 7 – Herrin and Forés Optimistic Following a Good First Day at PittRace
Sunnyvale, Calif., August 18, 2023 — The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC dynamic duo of Josh Herrin and Xavi Forés are both optimistic of their chances of race success at round seven of the MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport Championship at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
Herrin and the stunning factory-built Ducati Panigale V4 R completed 16 laps of the picturesque 2.8 mile PittRace venue, and was looking good for a top five finish to the day until he ran off at the chicane and had his previous lap time (which was his fastest of the day) scratched from the timing screen as a result. The number 2 Ducati would eventually finish the day in 10th overall, but Herrin notes there’s still plenty of time left in Q2 to get onto the front row for the two scheduled races.
For Forés, PittRace marked yet another new track to his growing list for 2023 despite it being the home round for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC team. With limited chances to get his bearings, Forés punched out 22 laps over the two Supersport sessions and finished an impressive sixth overall, less than a second behind class pacesetter, Stefano Mesa.
Forés will now turn his attention to Q2 where he feels a front row position is ready and waiting for the taking before race one commences on Saturday afternoon.
Superbike Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – PJ Jacobsen (BMW) 1:43.061
P2 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 1:43.228
P3 – Cameron Beaubier (BMW) 1:43.339
P4 – Bobby Fong (Yamaha) 1:43.477
P5 – Richie Escalante (Suzuki) 1:43.789
P10 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 1:44.691
Supersport Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – Stefano Mesa (Kawasaki) 1:46.110
P2 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 1:46.745
P3 – Jake Lewis (Suzuki) 1:46.918
P4 – Teagg Hobbs (Suzuki) 1:46.987
P5 – Anthony Mazziotto (Yamaha) 1:47.015
P6 – Xavi Forés (Ducati) 1:47.100
Xavi Forés (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – #12)
“It was a positive day,” Forés enthused. “I’ve never been on this track before but the feeling is similar to The Ridge in regards to the bike. We improved some things between FP1 and Q1 and got the bike working in a better way, but in Q1 I got stuck behind some traffic on my fastest lap and lost maybe half a second, but the lap time was still quite good. Hopefully, tomorrow we will get onto the first row in Q2 and be ready for the fight in race one.”
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC– #2)
“Today was a good day, honestly,” Herrin said. “I struggled all day to get the bike working how I wanted and then in the last outing for the day, we did a good time. We were fourth or fifth, and was another half second up on the next lap, but I cut the chicane because I ran wide and the rule is the race control takes the previous lap time away, so the fast lap didn’t count. That’s a bummer, but we have the data, the bike is working well, and we have another qualifying session tomorrow to get it done. The times today don’t show what we had, we should have been top five, but we’ll be ready for tomorrow.”
Saturday sees track action commences at 8:30 am EDT with Herrin hitting the black top for Superbike Qualifying 2 at 9:50 am EDT. Forés will follow shortly afterwards for Supersport Qualifying 2 at 10:35 am EDT. The first Supersport race will commence at 2:10 pm EDT, with race one for Superbike scheduled for 3:10 pm EDT.
Rookie Collin Veijer took the first pole position of his career in FIM Moto3 World Championship qualifying Saturday at Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg, Austria. Riding his Liqui Moly Intact GP Husqvarna, Veijer lapped the 2.7-mile (4.3 km) course in 1:41.486 to top the field of 30 riders.
Daniel Holgado was second-fastest with a 1:41.543 on his Red Bull KTM Tech 3 machine, and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Deniz Oncu claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:41.591.
Moto3 Comb Qual
Mattia Casadei won FIM MotoE World Championship Race One Saturday at Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg, Austria. Riding his HP Pons Los40 Ducati electric racebike, the Italian won the seven-lap race by 1.218 seconds.
LCR E-Team’s Eric Granado was the runner-up, just 0.17 second ahead of Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse’s Kevin Zannoni in third.
Felo Gresini’s Matteo Ferrari was leading the race when he crashed on the last lap. He was able to remount and continue, but he finished 16th and outside of the point.
MotoE R1
BINDER TIES LONG-TERM MOTOGP™ FUTURE TO RED BULL KTM
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing will again count on the skills and tenacity of Brad Binder for their MotoGP project until the end of 2026. An early contract extension was agreed and signed with the South African star at the team’s home Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Binder, who recently turned 28, will remain in Red Bull KTM colors and onboard the KTM RC16; continuing a prosperous alliance that began in 2020. Brad will stretch his relationship with the factory well beyond a decade after entering the Red Bull KTM structure in 2015: the first of a five-year stint with the Red Bull KTM Ajo crew. Binder won the 2016 Moto3™ crown and then took 8 wins and 15 podiums during a three-term development phase in Moto2.
#33 made the jump to the MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team in 2020 and became the first athlete to scale all the way through the KTM GP Academy scheme from his formative days as a teenager in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. He clinched KTM’s maiden premier class victory that same year in the Czech Republic and logged another seven podium appearances to-date with a best championship finish of 6th.
His second MotoGP success, at the Red Bull Ring for the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix, was another KTM MotoGP milestone. Brad also grasped KTM’s first MotoGP ‘Sprint’ win with his performance in Argentina earlier this season.
Binder already had a contract in place for the 2024 MotoGP campaign but will now enter his thirties as a key rider and figure for the firm’s Grand Prix effort.
Brad Binder: “A massive thank you to KTM and the management for trusting in me and for letting me be involved in this incredible program for a few more years. We are coming very close to what we want to achieve on the track but I cannot say enough good things about the team and my crew. 2015 and those first KTM races feel like a long time ago! But also time passes quickly and we’ve made some special memories. I know there is a lot more to come and cannot wait to build those stories. Thanks again.”
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Brad is a rock of our team and it is great news that he will stay even longer with us. We’ve been building a relationship and a project for a long time now. He brings a winning spirit to our box but also stability and an important understanding of KTM. He is always an exciting rider to watch and a fantastic guy to work with. I want to thank him for his belief in us and for how we’ve pushed together to this point so far. There is still so much potential to come.”
Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director: “Keeping Brad at the sharp point of our MotoGP program was a big priority for us. We love everything about this guy: he is an all-out racer and leaves everything on the track. Brad is a valued part of the family and his character and the way he is around the box, the fans and the company makes him the ideal ambassador for us. We’ve already achieved and experienced so much together, and it makes us very proud that he wants to continue on our RC16 and stay in orange. We couldn’t be happier to put that #33 bike in the box for a few more years to come.”
Defending Champion Francesco Bagnaia earned pole position during MotoGP World Championship qualifying Saturday at Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg, Austria. Riding his Lenovo Ducati, Bagnaia lapped the 2.7-mile (4.3 km) course in 1:28.539, topping the field of 23 riders.
Maverick Vinales was second with a 1:28.576 on his factory Aprilia RS-GP, and Red Bull KTM rider Brad Binder scored the third and final spot on the front row with a time of 1:28.653 on his RC16.
MotoGP Comb Qual
Young awarded Superbike pole after qualifying cancelled at CTMP
Bowmanville, ON – Mother Nature again affected the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship on Friday, as rain brought the cancellation of most of the scheduled qualifying sessions at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Instead, grids for the weekend races – including a pair of pro tripleheaders – will be set by Friday morning’s dry practice sessions, meaning Ben Young will be awarded his third BS Battery Pole Position award of the season in the feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike class after setting the initial pace of the weekend.
Young sat atop the timesheets for virtually the entire 40-minute session, but with wildly different lap times as the pace ramped up in the latter half despite cool and cloudy conditions at the circuit just north of Bowmanville, ON.
After setting the early pace with a 1:22.331 lap, Young managed to gradually shave off three-quarters of a second, posting a time to beat of 1:21.674 aboard his Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW.
That would eventually reward the defending champion with his fifth pole position in the last six rounds and 13th in his Superbike career, moving Young into the top-five all-time.
“It’s unfortunate we had another practice in place of qualifying, but we’re all in the same boat and it’s the same weather for everybody,” Young admitted. “The BMW is working great as always, especially now with the M 1000 RR, so hopefully we can put our head down and win some races this weekend.”
That looked set to be a comfortable advantage until the final moments, when rival and championship leader Alex Dumas – at that point a surprising fifth – improved to a 1:21.940 lap aboard his Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki, just 0.366 seconds behind Young and a crucial result given the cancellations to come.
“We’re happy to get back on the front row and next to Ben, even if it’s after another practice instead of qualifying,” Dumas said. “The weekend looks sunny and dry at least, so hopefully we can extend our championship lead.”
While it was ultimately a familiar duo up front, the entire top-five was hardly predictable for the chunk of the session, as the trio of Jordan Szoke, Sam Guerin, and Tomas Casas all swapped places back and forth with Dumas inside the 1:22 lap time bracket.
In the end it would be Szoke who wound up third, briefly sitting second aboard his LDS Consultants Kawasaki before Dumas shunted him back one position, just less than a half-second off the 2021 champion.
“It’s sad we couldn’t finish this in dry conditions, but I think we can still be there for the races,” Szoke said. “I don’t want to cause too much trouble for these guys in the championship, but you can bet we’re going to try and win at least one of these.”
Guerin would wind up marginally slower in fourth, only 0.090 seconds off Szoke, as the EFC Group BMW rider will complete the front row for all three of this weekend’s feature class races at CTMP.
That left Casas to round out the top-five, putting his Parts Canada Yamaha roughly one second off Young at the front of the pack and at the front of row two, where he will be joined by LDS Consultants Kawasaki rookie Trevor Dion and the IBEW BMW of Jordan Royds.
The change in schedule will also hand Sebastien Tremblay his second consecutive pole position in the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike category, after he paced the morning session by over a full second from championship leader David MacKay.
Tremblay will now start from the top spot for all three races this weekend after securing pole on the east coast for Friday’s round three make-up race, which will use the grid set prior to the cancellation of events in Nova Scotia.
The Turcotte Performance Suzuki rider will line up alongside MacKay on the ODH Snow City Cycle Kawasaki, who benefitted massively from Friday morning’s weather changes after title rival Matt Simpson could only place himself seventh, putting his Blackstock Motorsports Yamaha on the end of the second row.
Simpson will start second in the make-up race on Friday, however, with MacKay one spot behind him in third.
Completing the front row for the latter two races on Saturday and Sunday will be a pair of surprising names in Marco Sousa and Nathan Playford, both earning the best qualifying results of their Sport Bike career in third and fourth, respectively.
Sousa put his privateer Suzuki just marginally behind MacKay in second, with Playford another quarter-second behind on his Playford Company Inc. Ducati.
Superbike frontrunner Casas also got off to a blazing start in his Bickle Racing Pro Twins career, crushing the field to pole position in his debut appearance aboard an Acme Motorsports Yamaha.
The two-time Sport Bike champion went over four seconds faster than championship leader Jeff Williams, who will aim to extend his title advantage this weekend aboard his Williams Paving Aprilia after rival Andrew Van Winkle was sidelined by a big crash on Thursday at CTMP.
The Sport Bike and Twins classes will now turn their heads to Friday afternoon’s AMP make-up race, before the full slate returns on Saturday to kick off a full weekend of national racing.
Additional results from the Amateur classes as well as the revised weekend schedule can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Nathan Bettencourt, Nathan Gouker, Joshua Raymond, Cruise Texter, and Cole Varnes each won a MotoAmerica Mission Mini Cup Presented by Motul race Friday on the kart track at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania.
Bettencourt won the Stock 125 race on a Jacobsen Motorcycle Training/Bettencourt Racing Honda. Gouker won the 160 Ohvale race on a Stadler America Ohvale. Raymond won the 190 Ohvale race on an American Racing Team Ohvale. Texter won the Stock 50 race on a Cory Texter Racing/Roof Systems Honda. And Varnes won the Stock 110 race on a Varnes Racing Kawasaki.
The MotoAmerica Mini Cup will hold three races for each class on Saturday.
Results from all five of Friday’s races are in the single PDF document below. Use the scroll and zoom tools to better see all of the results.
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On Thursday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, a group of MotoAmerica riders got together with FIMNA Safety Officer Dan Argano and helped affix Medallia logos to some new sections of soft barriers that were deployed at PittRace.
The barriers were paid for by a generous donation to the Roadracing World Action Fund from friend of MotoAmerica Leslie Stretch, on behalf of Medallia, who is the title sponsor of the Medallia Superbike Championship.
Among the riders who participated were Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne (the two-time and defending Medallia Superbike Champion) and his teammate JD Beach; Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Richie Escalante, Brandon Paasch, Tyler Scott, and Teagg Hobbs; Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier; Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz; and Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders. In addition, MotoAmerica Director of Operations Niccole Cox and Race Director Rick Hobbs pitched in and helped apply some of the Medallia logos, as well.
“Every racer in MotoAmerica, as well as our staff and officials, know the importance of the Roadracing World Action Fund in protecting our riders through the purchase and deployment of soft barriers,” MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey said. “I’m so grateful to Medallia and our good friend Leslie Stretch, for donating a significant sum for the purchase of new soft barriers, which are being used this weekend to protect our competitors during the MotoAmerica Superbikes at Pittsburgh event.”
The Roadracing World Action Fund is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that promotes motorcycle racing safety, and in particular, encourages and facilitates the use of soft barriers at motorcycle racing events, including all MotoAmerica races.
For more information about the Roadracing World Action Fund, including how to donate, click here.
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Championship point leader Mikayla Moore topped MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. After recording a 2:10.993 Friday morning, 19-year-old Moore rode her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 to a quicker 2:09.911 in Q1 in the hotter conditions of the afternoon.
Crystal Martinez was second-best with a 2:11.222, and Sonya Lloyd earned the third and final spot on the provisional front row with a 2:11.333.
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KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Championship point leader Gus Rodio was the fastest rider during MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Riding his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660, Rodio recorded a time of 1:48.842 around the 2.7-mile, 18-turn course.
Defending Champion Blake Davis was right behind Rodio with a lap at 1:48.905 on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7, and Rodio’s teammate Rocco Landers got the third and final spot on the provisional front row with his 1:48.995.
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KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
PJ Jacobsen claimed provisional pole position during MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Qualifying One (Q1) Friday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace), in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Jacobsen followed up leading Free Practice One (FP1) in the morning with a 1:43.079 by topping the hotter afternoon session with a 1:43.061 on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Two-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne was second-best in Q1 with a lap of 1:43.228 on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1. Jacobsen’s teammate Cameron Beaubier earned the third and final spot on the provisional front row with a 1:43.339.
Bobby Fong was fourth with a time of 1:43.477 on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante was fifth in the session based on his 1:43.789. Mathew Scholtz ranked sixth by doing a 1:43.873 on his Westby Racing Yamaha.
Just 0.9 second covered the top seven riders in Q1, including Escalante’s teammate Brandon Paasch (P7 – 1:44.047), and the top 12 riders were separated by only 1.6 seconds.
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More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Jacobsen Rolls On With Provisional Pole At Pittsburg International Race Complex
PJ Jacobsen Leads The Way On An Ultra Close Opening Day At Pittsburgh International Race Complex
WAMPUM, PA (August 18, 2023) – Tytlers Cycle Racing’s PJ Jacobsen brought the confidence earned from winning his first MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike race a few weeks ago in Minnesota to Pittsburgh International Race Complex on a blustery Friday with the New Yorker earning provisional pole position on his BMW M 1000 RR.
In what was the closest session of the season in the Medallia Superbike class, just 1.6 seconds covered the top 12 with a tick over one second separating first from ninth.
Jacobsen led both of Friday’s Superbike sessions with his best lap, a 1:43.061, coming in the afternoon’s Q1 session. That lap on his seventh go around, was just .167 of a second better than Medallia Superbike Championship points leader Jake Gagne. Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Gagne missed most of the first session after his Yamaha suffered a mechanical problem that oiled a portion of the track, bringing out the red flag after just one lap of FP1. Gagne’s crew got him back on track and he was able to jump up to third on his eighth of eight laps.
Jacobsen’s Tytlers Cycle Racing teammate Cameron Beaubier had a big moment early in Q1, losing the front, saving it and running off track and onto the grass. Beaubier ended up third in the session and .278 of a second off his teammate’s best.
Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong had his best session of the season on the team’s Yamaha YZF-R1 to post the fourth quickest time and less than half a second off Jacobsen’s provisional pole.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante ended the day fifth fastest and just ahead of Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch, who in turn was .15 of a second ahead of Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates.
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s JD Beach, who is filling in at Pitt Race for the injured Cameron Petersen, ended up ninth and only 1.1 seconds from pole in his first Superbike race in two years.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Josh Herrin completed the top 10 after losing his best lap as a penalty for cutting the chicane on the following lap.
Supersport – Mesa On Top
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa bounced back from what wasn’t a good weekend for him at Brainerd International Raceway to lead the Supersport pack in Q1 on Friday afternoon. Mesa’s best was a 1:46.110, which was .635 of a second clear of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott.
Disrupt Racing’s Jake Lewis led the morning session and was third fastest in Q1 with a lap that was .808 of a second off Mesa’s fast lap.
Supersport Championship leader Xavi Forés was sixth fastest on the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V2, one spot better than the man who is second in the title chase, Squid Hunter Racing’s Josh Hayes.
Junior Cup – Di Mario, Barely
Alessandro Di Mario put his Altus Motorsports Kawasaki Ninja 400 on provisional pole for the weekend’s two Junior Cup races with the Kentuckian barely besting Fairium NGRT – Gray Area Racing’s Rossi Moor and his KTM RC 390 R by just .186 of a second. Bicknese Racing’s Hayden Bicknese was just a tick behind those two to round out the provisional front row.
Championship points leader Avery Dreher ended up fourth fastest and 1.163 seconds behind Di Mario on his Bad Boys Racing Kawasaki.
REV’IT! Twins Cup – Rodio Over Davis Over Landers
A scant .153 of a second covered the top three in REV’IT! Twins Cup Q1 at PittRace with championship points leader Gus Rodio taking the top spot by just .063 of a second on his Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering.
N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s defending class champion Blake Davis ended up the closest to Rodio’s 1:48.842 with his 1:48.905. And that lap was only .090 of a second faster than Rodio’s teammate Rocco Landers, the all-time win leader in the class.
The top three managed to separate themselves from the rest of the pack with Team Iso’s Dominic Doyle fourth but 1.7 seconds behind Rodio.
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – Moore On The Verge
Upper Marlboro, Maryland’s Mikayla Moore took the first step to what will undoubtedly be a Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Championship on Saturday at PittRace with provisional pole on Friday.
As she has been at each and every round, Moore was in a class of her own this afternoon with her lap of 2:09.911 leading the way as he has in what has been a perfect season for the 19 year old.
Second fastest today was Crystal Martinez with Sonya Lloyd rounding out the provisional front row.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
2023 MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport Championship Round 7 – Herrin and Forés Optimistic Following a Good First Day at PittRace
Sunnyvale, Calif., August 18, 2023 — The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC dynamic duo of Josh Herrin and Xavi Forés are both optimistic of their chances of race success at round seven of the MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport Championship at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
Herrin and the stunning factory-built Ducati Panigale V4 R completed 16 laps of the picturesque 2.8 mile PittRace venue, and was looking good for a top five finish to the day until he ran off at the chicane and had his previous lap time (which was his fastest of the day) scratched from the timing screen as a result. The number 2 Ducati would eventually finish the day in 10th overall, but Herrin notes there’s still plenty of time left in Q2 to get onto the front row for the two scheduled races.
For Forés, PittRace marked yet another new track to his growing list for 2023 despite it being the home round for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC team. With limited chances to get his bearings, Forés punched out 22 laps over the two Supersport sessions and finished an impressive sixth overall, less than a second behind class pacesetter, Stefano Mesa.
Forés will now turn his attention to Q2 where he feels a front row position is ready and waiting for the taking before race one commences on Saturday afternoon.
Superbike Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – PJ Jacobsen (BMW) 1:43.061
P2 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 1:43.228
P3 – Cameron Beaubier (BMW) 1:43.339
P4 – Bobby Fong (Yamaha) 1:43.477
P5 – Richie Escalante (Suzuki) 1:43.789
P10 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 1:44.691
Supersport Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – Stefano Mesa (Kawasaki) 1:46.110
P2 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 1:46.745
P3 – Jake Lewis (Suzuki) 1:46.918
P4 – Teagg Hobbs (Suzuki) 1:46.987
P5 – Anthony Mazziotto (Yamaha) 1:47.015
P6 – Xavi Forés (Ducati) 1:47.100
Xavi Forés (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – #12)
“It was a positive day,” Forés enthused. “I’ve never been on this track before but the feeling is similar to The Ridge in regards to the bike. We improved some things between FP1 and Q1 and got the bike working in a better way, but in Q1 I got stuck behind some traffic on my fastest lap and lost maybe half a second, but the lap time was still quite good. Hopefully, tomorrow we will get onto the first row in Q2 and be ready for the fight in race one.”
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC– #2)
“Today was a good day, honestly,” Herrin said. “I struggled all day to get the bike working how I wanted and then in the last outing for the day, we did a good time. We were fourth or fifth, and was another half second up on the next lap, but I cut the chicane because I ran wide and the rule is the race control takes the previous lap time away, so the fast lap didn’t count. That’s a bummer, but we have the data, the bike is working well, and we have another qualifying session tomorrow to get it done. The times today don’t show what we had, we should have been top five, but we’ll be ready for tomorrow.”
Saturday sees track action commences at 8:30 am EDT with Herrin hitting the black top for Superbike Qualifying 2 at 9:50 am EDT. Forés will follow shortly afterwards for Supersport Qualifying 2 at 10:35 am EDT. The first Supersport race will commence at 2:10 pm EDT, with race one for Superbike scheduled for 3:10 pm EDT.
