KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.

At our online motorcycle parts store, you’ll find a specialized selection of quarter turn “Dzus” fasteners, titanium hardware, premium tire valve stems, Vesrah racing brake pads, Brembo parts and accessories, and other unique hardware specifically designed for race and trackday motorcycles.

Kyle Wyman won MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Race Two Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California.

Riding his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Road Glide, Wyman led from the start lights to the checkered flag to take his fifth win of the season, but the whole way he was hounded by Vance & Hines Mission Harley-Davidson teammates James Rispoli and Hayden Gillim.

Rispoli was breathing down Wyman’s neck all the way to the end but ended up second, 0.796 second behind the winner. Gillim crossed the finish line third, just 0.292 second behind Rispoli, making it an all-Harley-Davidson podium.

Defending Champion Tyler O’Hara slipped off the lead pace early on and came home fourth on his Progressive Insurance/Mission Foods Indian Challenger.

O’Hara’s teammate Jeremy McWilliams rounded out the top five finishers.

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Wyman Bounces Back With Mission King Of The Baggers Win

McWilliams Does The Double, Rodio Gets It Done At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

MONTEREY, CA (July 9, 2023) – A day after their synchronized crashing from the day before in the Mission King Of The Baggers on Saturday, the protagonists in the class were back at it on Sunday and this time H-D Screamin’ Eagle’s Kyle Wyman made amends by winning the second of the two races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on a sunny Sunday on the Monterey Peninsula.

Mission King Of The Baggers – Wyman Bounces Back

Mission King Of The Baggers (KOTB) is a one make versus one make championship: Harley-Davidson versus Indian Motorcycles. But on Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, “The Motor Company” as they colloquially refer to Harley-Davidson, swept the podium in KOTB race two.

H-D Screamin’ Eagle factory rider Kyle Wyman got the victory, and he was hounded by Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s James Rispoli, who got balked by a lapped rider on the final run to the checkers, and it thwarted his last-turn effort. Finishing third was Rispoli’s teammate Hayden Gillim, who won Saturday’s race one.

“Today, I tried to pull the trigger the last few laps,” Wyman said. “I thought I had a bit of a gap, but we caught a lapper in turn 11 on the last lap. It feels good to get a win today. We all want to win. We all have, maybe, a little bit different approach in trying to do it. Today, fortunately, I was able to do it my way, which is control the pace and try to manage and see if I can dig a little deeper in the end.”

REV’IT! Twins Cup – Rodio Answers

REV’IT! Twins Cup race two was a tale of two teammates, and it was the best of times for one of them and the worst of times for the other. Race one winner Rocco Landers was at the front aboard his Robem Engineering Aprilia and looked to be headed for another victory, but he made a mistake and crashed out unhurt, which handed the lead to Gus Rodio who is sponsored by Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering but is technically on the same team as Landers.

For Rodio, who hadn’t won since Daytona, he gladly took the win and also took over the championship lead by just three points over defending class champ Blake Davis. Speaking of Davis, he finished third in Sunday’s REV’IT! Twins Cup race two aboard his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7.

“I got a really good start and then I ran wide in turn five,” Rodio said. “That corner seems to get me every time I come here. That’s where I threw the lead away last year in the Junior Cup. So, once I ran wide, I knew to just stand it up and try and get back on the track because that green, you keep the lean angle and that’s how I crashed last year. Got back on the track. Was surprised to only have fallen back to third. I knew I had to get around Blake and then just put the pressure on Rocco. He’s my teammate and I know his plan. I just tried to keep the pressure there. I don’t think that’s why he crashed. I think there was a lot going on in that corner with the yellow flag and a rider that had just gone down. So, there’s no telling what happened there. It definitely helped to be right on him and kind of like a cat and mouse. He would stretch it in a sector, and I’d close it in a sector. I’m really happy with the race. Disappointed that he went down. Hopefully he’s all right.

“When I hopped on the Aprilia at Daytona, I just really felt like one with the bike. It reminds me a lot of my supermoto, and I love that thing a lot. The last couple rounds, I just didn’t feel very connected with the bike. I came here and right off the bat it feels like my bike again and I feel like I’m one with the machine. I just had a lot of fun this weekend and it seems the results come with that. So, I’m just going to keep having fun and keep chipping away.”

Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – McWilliams Again

The Mission Super Hooligan National Championship had two feature races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and venerable Ulsterman Jeremy McWilliams did the double by winning both races. On Sunday, he battled again with his Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods teammate and defending class champ Tyler O’Hara, taking the checkered flag by just a little more than one-and-a-half seconds over O’Hara.

Thus far in the championship, O’Hara has won three races and McWilliams has won two, but the pair are now in a deadlock for the title with 106 points apiece. Meanwhile, DiBrino Racing KTM rider Andy DiBrino, who finished third in Sunday’s race to round out the podium, is just 16 points behind in the point standings.

“We’ve been fastest in every session (this weekend),” McWilliams said. “I think maybe that was a lap record on the last lap. I could just see plus zero, plus zero. I could see the back markers were approaching. The problem is here that you get a trip-up with the back markers, as I believe happened to him maybe going onto the last lap. It’s so tight at the Corkscrew that you get tripped up and unfortunately your lap just goes away. So, I did need to be at the front so I could try to control the back markers. That was the plan. Even if I got passed, whether it was Andy or my teammate, I had to be able to get back past again as soon as possible. I wasn’t fast everywhere. I wasn’t as strong in some parts of the track as Tyler, and I kind of knew that. Which would make it very difficult to make a pass again because I think Tyler could have gapped me quite easily. Then I would have had to fight really hard to get back at him. But I needed the points and I needed to do this for our guys that are working so hard. They didn’t get back last night until 12:00 or something yesterday evening, and they’re up at 5:00 every morning. They’re not getting any time to relax and it’s hard on them, so we’ve got to repay that with the best results we can give them. We’ve got the hardest-working team and we’ve got a factory behind us.”

KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.

At our online motorcycle parts store, you’ll find a specialized selection of quarter turn “Dzus” fasteners, titanium hardware, premium tire valve stems, Vesrah racing brake pads, Brembo parts and accessories, and other unique hardware specifically designed for race and trackday motorcycles.

Cameron Beaubier won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Three Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California.

Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin led from the first lap with Beaubier right behind him on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.

Beaubier passed Herrin for the lead on lap 12, but Herrin took the lead right back on the next lap.

While Herrin and Beaubier battled, two-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne was catching the two from behind.

With two laps to go, Beaubier overtook Herrin on the brakes at Turn 11 to grab the lead. Gagne then slipped past Herrin in Turn Five on the last lap and pulled right behind the leader, but Beaubier was able to just hold off Gagne and take the win – his fifth of the season.

Gagne crossed the finish line right behind Beaubier, but the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha rider was given a two-second penalty for exceeding track limits in the middle of the race. This promoted Herrin to second place, and Gagne was credited with third place.

Richie Escalante was turning some of the fastest laps at the end of the race and came within 0.06 second of passing Gagne on the timing screen, but Gagne turned the fastest lap of the race on the final race, relegating Escalante to fourth on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R.

Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen got another terrific start and came away with fifth place.

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Beaubier Does The Medallia Superbike Double At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

Cameron Beaubier Wins Both Races On Sunday After A Crash On Saturday

MONTEREY, CA (July 9, 2023) – Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier had about as good of a Sunday as a person can have as he stormed to two MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike victories at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca a day after what was for him, a miserable Saturday.

Beaubier had similar battles in both of the Medallia Superbike races but with different foes. In race one, he hounded Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne for 15 of the 20 laps before making a pass and pulling away to a 2.423-second win over the defending two-time champion. Three hours later, Beaubier did it again only this time it was Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin leading until the very last lap only to get passed by Beaubier, who won his second race on the day – this time by .620 of a second.

Beaubier’s two wins were his fourth and fifth of the season and the 58th and 59th of his AMA Superbike career. The two wins came a day after he crashed out of race one on the opening lap after Cameron Petersen crashed in front of him, leaving him nowhere to go.

Herrin, who is still nursing the injuries suffered in his Q2 crash at Ridge Motorsports Park two weeks ago, was third and second in the two races on Sunday.

Gagne, the championship points leader, was second in race one and crossed the line second in race two, as well. However, he was given a two-second penalty for exceeding track limits and that penalty dropped him to third behind Herrin.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante continues to prove that he’s now a Medallia Superbike front runner as he scored two fourth-place finishes on Sunday, beating Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen in both races by 7.9 and 1.4 seconds, respectively.

Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz had a weekend to forget as he finished sixth and eighth in the two Sunday races.

Tytlers Cycle Racing’s PJ Jacobsen couldn’t match his podium finish from Saturday on Sunday as mechanical problems knocked him out of race two prior to him finishing sixth in race three.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch, meanwhile, had a weekend he will always remember as he concluded his factory Suzuki debut weekend with eighth- and seventh-place finishes a day after finishing fifth.

The third of the Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RRs was ridden to seventh and ninth in Sunday’s two races by Corey Alexander.

Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim had a busy day with two Superbike races and a Mission King Of The Baggers race and he was ninth and 10th in the two Superbike races.

After five rounds and 11 races, Gagne and Beaubier each have five wins, but Gagne has a 34-point lead on his former teammate, 217-183. Herrin, with one victory on the year, is third with 178 points. Escalante and his 127 points are eight better than Scholtz, who slips to fifth in the championship points chase.

Superbike Race Two

1. Cameron Beaubier (BMW)
2. Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
3. Josh Herrin (Ducati)
4. Richie Escalante (Suzuki)
5. Cameron Petersen (Yamaha)
6. Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha)
7. Corey Alexander (BMW)
8. Brandon Paasch (Suzuki)
9. Hayden Gillim (Suzuki)
10. Max Flinders (Yamaha)

Superbike Race Three

1. Cameron Beaubier (BMW)
2. Josh Herrin (Ducati)
3. Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
4. Richie Escalante (Suzuki)
5. Cameron Petersen (Yamaha)
6. PJ Jacobsen (BMW)
7. Brandon Paasch (Suzuki)
8. Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha)
9. Corey Alexander (BMW)
10. Hayden Gillim (Suzuki)

Race Two Quotes
 
Cameron Beaubier – Winner

“I woke up pretty sore this morning, for sure, but it wasn’t too bad once I got riding. After the first few laps it was okay. But we destroyed a bike pretty good yesterday. The boys were here until 10:30, 11:00 making sure the second bike was ready to go. To be honest, coming into today I didn’t really know what to expect just because we made some good strides on that new frame and the new bike that we’ve been riding the last round. Went back to the other one, but it honestly felt really good. I felt like it absorbs some of the bumps that I was struggling with earlier in the weekend. So, hats off. Thank you so much to the Tytlers guys. They’ve been working their butts off all year and especially this weekend. There at the beginning I felt like I had some places I was stronger than Jake (Gagne), and then vice versa. He had some good spots too. I felt like they really made a good step on the brakes. It was pretty tough to get around him. I was trying to just be patient. There with five or six, I was struggling a little bit off the last corner compared to him and I felt like I finally got out of there pretty good one lap and I was able to sneak up the inside with the BMW power up over one and just tried to put my head down from there and see what happens. Felt really good. It’s hard to be too excited because I know we’ve got another one of these coming up in a couple hours, but I’m super happy and move on to the third race.”

Jake Gagne – Second Place

“The bike was about the same, but we made a couple little tweaks. I got off to a good start. Cam (Beaubier) threw it into one and it was a little wide, so I snuck it up in there. I knew especially Cam and Josh (Herrin), those guys have had incredible pace. All I could do was try to just not make mistakes and at least try to make it tough. I knew it was Cam behind me. I didn’t know if Josh was close exactly, but I could hear the Beemer behind me. Just tried to click off consistent laps and not leave the door open and hope that I could hold him off for a while. I can’t remember, five or six to go or something, he came by me on the front straight up over one and he just put his head down and I didn’t have anything to run that pace. Low 23s there at the end would have been really, really tricky for me. So, I think we learned a lot. We could see some areas where Cameron was really rolling and doing a good job. So, we’ll see. We got a couple hours here. We’ll see if we can maybe try a couple things. I think as we’ve seen it’s just going to be even tighter of a race this afternoon.”

Josh Herrin – Third Place

“I wanted to try to catch those guys. I keep thinking about earlier in the year. I don’t know if it’s tires on the Ducati or fitness, or something comes into play middle of the race today where I’m able to kind of get a little bit on them. So, I didn’t want to give up. Obviously, normally you never want to give up, but especially this year I have felt good in the second half of the race. So, I just wanted to make sure I kept plugging away in case I was able to get them to come back. It seemed like for a little while I was a tenth here, two tenths here maybe catching up. So, just wanted to get as close as I could just in case I got an opportunity at the end. Also, then I saw Richie (Escalante) behind me, so that definitely scared me into going a little bit faster. I’m just starting to get really comfortable on this thing. It seems like every weekend I get a little bit stronger in the second race, so I’m glad we got three this time. I feel like I can capitalize on that. I’m just having fun on the bike and really enjoying spinning laps out there. The beginning of the weekend it wasn’t going so well for me. I wasn’t feeling comfortable. Today in the race I felt really good. Just having a lot of fun and trying to plug as many laps away as I can and get as much confidence as I can for race three.”

Race Three Quotes
 

Cameron Beaubier – Winner

“They were both tough in their own way. I think this afternoon I was struggling more than I did earlier today. I felt like when I could put my head down earlier today my bike was working really good and I felt hooked up. Here this afternoon, I felt like every time I tried to put my head down, even when Josh (Herrin) would pull me in a little bit and I would try to get back to him in the next section, the rear end would come around on the entry. That’s not very confidence inspiring. Especially down Rainey, the rear end was coming around and I hadn’t really had that all weekend, other than when the track was really green. I’m not sure why. I think obviously that’s the hottest the track temp has been for us all week, so maybe that’s a little bit has to do with it. Anyway, Josh rode incredible. He was so good on the brakes. I was kind of like earlier today, I was sniffing here and there, but I couldn’t really commit to anything. I saw his tire starting to shred and I was able to get out of the second-to-last corner before the last corner a little bit better than him. So, I was trying to make that work where he passed me earlier in the race. After that, I just put my head down. I saw my gap just shrinking. I knew Jake (Gagne) was coming and I really didn’t want to be in second with Jake behind me going into the last lap. So, today was an amazing day. After a really tough day yesterday, and just shout out to the Tytlers guys. Good to wrap it up good here.”

Josh Herrin – Second Place

“I knew he (Beaubier) had pace on me. Whenever he passed me earlier in the race, maybe four to go or something, I saw he had the pace. I knew if I wanted to win the race, I had to just get back by him and make a dogfight out of it. I kind of had a feeling that he didn’t want to risk Jake (Gagne) getting by both of us, if he had to keep battling. So, in my head I was thinking, ‘all right, he’s probably going to wait until the last lap and try to make a move.’ I was thinking in the three, four section, because I was pretty slow there. I could hear him every time coming up on me. With five to go, I was trying – like I talked about yesterday, trying third instead of second in four, but I just couldn’t make it work. Second was too slow mid-corner. He was getting me mid-corner. I just had nothing for him. So, I tried my hardest and made a huge mistake out of four. That’s when (Jake) Gagne got by me. I was worried that Richie (Escalante) was right there. I didn’t know how close anybody else was, so I just put my head down and tried my hardest to get back up to Jake, but I couldn’t do it. That was one of the funnest races that I’ve had in a long time. I was pumped to get to lead. I knew my pace wasn’t super good. I figured maybe they were battling behind me or something, but I was really happy. I’m happy with how the weekend turned out. Getting on the podium all three times, I’m stoked on that. Getting more and more comfortable on the V4. Hopefully Brainerd treats us well and we can keep fighting for the lead. We made a little bit up on Jake today, but not much, and we didn’t earn it the right way, but I’ll take it. I’ve won a championship like that before where (Josh) Hayes made a bunch of jump starts. Sometimes that’s what you got to do. I think (Ben) Bostrom won a championship in the early 2000s and he didn’t win one race. Just got to be consistent and keep trying.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati:

Herrin and Forés Turn it on at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

Josh Herrin and Xavi Forés bring home some glory in the Californian sunshine

Sunnyvale, Calif., July 9, 2023 — Round five of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike and
Supersport Championship was held at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca and it was a podium-filled celebration for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC team.

In the extended 38 lap Supersport race, it was yet another red letter weekend for Xavi Forés who took his eighth-straight win in the class to maintain his perfect season.
Forés charged hard to the pit stop and a flawless display by the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC team gave the Spaniard the advantage he needed as he crossed the line a massive 12 seconds in front of Yamaha’s Josh Hayes.

For Herrin, the gritty Georgian had three races to contend with in the Superbike category. Still dealing with his ankle injury suffered in a crash at The Ridge, Herrin pushed on to take a second in race one, third in race two, and very nearly took the win in the final race but was bested by eventual winner, Cameron Beaubier.

Witnessed by the packed Ducatisti crowd and Ducati Corse Sporting Director, Paolo Ciabatti, the result sees Herrin solidify third in the championship, 39 point off the lead heading into the next round of the series at Brainerd in Minnesota in two weeks.

2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings

P1 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 217

P2 – Cameron Beaubier (BMW) 183

P3 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 178

P4 – Richie Escalante (Suzuki) 127

P5 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 119

2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings

P1 – Xavi Forés (Ducati) 250

P2 – Stefano Mesa (Kawasaki) 150

P3 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 144

P4 – Josh Hayes (Yamaha) 143

P5 – Teagg Hobbs (Suzuki) 105

Xavi Forés (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – #12)

“It was a great race for me today,” Forés said. “The pace was better than I expected after a couple of crashes this weekend and not the best feeling with the bike, but we found a good solution and could maximize our potential. I was pushing really hard before the pit stop. I was feeling good but I was still having issues with the front end. The guys did a massive job in the pit stop and that’s where we won the race. It’s my eighth win in a row, an all-time record in this class, so I couldn’t be happier.”

Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – #2)

“Super good weekend,” Herrin said. “I’m a little bummed we didn’t come out of this weekend with a win as this is Ducati’s local track to the U.S. headquarters, and for it being one of my favorite tracks, but to be on the podium in each of the three races, I’m really happy. It was great to lead so much of the last race. It was a great battle with Cam (Beaubier) and Jake (Gagne), and I’m just so happy with life at Ducati and riding this Panigale V4 R.”

Round six of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport Championship will take place
at Laguna Seca on the beautiful Californian coastline over the June 5-7 weekend.

KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.

At our online motorcycle parts store, you’ll find a specialized selection of quarter turn “Dzus” fasteners, titanium hardware, premium tire valve stems, Vesrah racing brake pads, Brembo parts and accessories, and other unique hardware specifically designed for race and trackday motorcycles.

Gus Rodio won MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Race Two Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California.

Riding his Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660, Rocco Landers led from early on but he crashed out of the race on lap 11 of 13.

Rodio went from pressuring Landers to leading and then brought his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia home for his second victory of the season.

Italian rider Filippo Rovelli got second place on his Team Iso Yamaha YZF-R7 by holding off defending Champion Blake Davis, who got third on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7.

Kayla Yaakov was fourth on her The WagBar MP13 Racing Yamaha, and Rovelli’s teammate Dominic Doyle placed fifth.

KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.

At our online motorcycle parts store, you’ll find a specialized selection of quarter turn “Dzus” fasteners, titanium hardware, premium tire valve stems, Vesrah racing brake pads, Brembo parts and accessories, and other unique hardware specifically designed for race and trackday motorcycles.

Former MotoGP star Jeremy McWilliams won his second straight MotoAmerica Mission Super Hooligans race Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California.

McWilliams battled with his Progressive Insurance/Mission Foods Indian teammate Tyler O’Hara until O’Hara lost out in an encounter with a backmarker in the Corkscrew.

McWilliams went on to win the eight-lap race by 1.510 seconds over runner-up O’Hara.

Andy DiBrino finished third on his DiBrino Racing KTM 890 Duke R.

Cory West got fourth on the Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250.

Stefano Mesa rounded out the top five finishers on the Energica Eva Ribelle RS electric motorcycle.

Hawk Mazzotta finished 17th overall but won the air-cooled class for a second day in a row on his Lloydz Garage Indian Chief.

KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.

At our online motorcycle parts store, you’ll find a specialized selection of quarter turn “Dzus” fasteners, titanium hardware, premium tire valve stems, Vesrah racing brake pads, Brembo parts and accessories, and other unique hardware specifically designed for race and trackday motorcycles.

Five-time Champion Cameron Beaubier won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California.

Riding his back-up Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR, Beaubier passed Jake Gagne late in the race and pulled away to win the 20-lapper by 2.423 seconds. It was Beaubier’s fourth win of the season, the 58th Superbike win of his career, and his 79th overall AMA/MotoAmerica race victory.

Two-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne led from the first lap and made no mistakes, but second place was the best he could do on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1. Second place, however, allowed Gagne to expand his Championship lead to 43 points.

Josh Herrin was the fastest rider on track at one point and was closing on the lead duo late in the race, but he ran out of time and ended up third on his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R.

Richie Escalante recovered from a sub-par start and being seventh at the end of the first lap to catching the top three late in the race. The Mexican rider crossed the finish line fourth, just 1.2 seconds behind Herrin, on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R.

Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen got a strong start but faded somewhat during the race to an eventual fifth-place finish.

KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.

At our online motorcycle parts store, you’ll find a specialized selection of quarter turn “Dzus” fasteners, titanium hardware, premium tire valve stems, Vesrah racing brake pads, Brembo parts and accessories, and other unique hardware specifically designed for race and trackday motorcycles.

Xavi Fores won the MotoAmerica Supersport Extended Race Saturday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California.

Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V2, Fores won the 38-lap, double-points race by 12.685 seconds. It was Fores’ eighth straight win, setting a new record for the MotoAmerica Supersport class.

Pole-sitter Josh Hayes overcame a troubled pit stop to finish a strong second on his Squid Hunter Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.

Tyler Scott ran near the front from start to finish and came home third, 20.623 seconds behind Fores, on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750.

Stefano Mesa got fourth on his Tytlers Cycle Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R, and Scott’s teammate Teagg Hobbs rounded out the top five finishers.

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Fores Still Perfect With Eighth Straight Win Coming At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

Fores, Gillim, McWiliams Score Victories On Saturday On The Monterey Peninsula

MONTEREY, CA (July 8, 2023) – Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Xavi Fores won his eighth straight MotoAmerica Supersport race on Saturday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to break Garrett Gerloff’s consecutive win streak from 2017. Although Fores isn’t the 2023 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion yet, he’s getting close with his perfect 250 points stretching his championship points lead to 100 points after eight races.

Supersport – Fores The Record Breaker

Xavi Fores wasn’t overly confident going into Saturday’s “Extended” Supersport race after suffering the first two crashes of his season on Thursday and Saturday morning. He also knew that Squid Hunter Racing’s Josh Hayes had good pace. Put those two things together and it was as close to trouble as Fores has been in all year.

But then it all fell into place when the race started. Fores suddenly felt more comfortable, and he could match Hayes’ pace, though he did lose valuable time in lapped traffic just prior to the mandatory pit stops.

And the pit stop is where Fores won the race, though it wasn’t in his pit. The race was handed to him when Hayes’ crew struggled to get the front wheel into the fork during his stop and it ultimately cost him victory.

At the completion of the 38-lap race, Fores was 12.685 seconds ahead of Hayes and had his eighth straight win in hand. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott finished third with the youngster being caught and passed by Hayes in the closing laps.

Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Teagg Hobbs rounded out the top five.

“I was not 100% convinced about this race, especially after the crash we had this morning because I had some pain in my neck and I was a little bit not 100% concentrated,” Fores said. “I was a little bit confused because the bike was not working 100% well. The front tire consumption all the weekend was horrendous, especially on the left side. Honestly, the first part of the race I had a good fight with Josh, but then on the last four laps before to come in, I lost the front two or three times in turn nine and turn five. I nearly crashed and then I had to run off. Then we got the pack of slow riders. He was really brave passing them on the Corkscrew. After my crash this morning, I said, I’m going to stay away of this. Then I lost a couple of seconds there. But, honestly, when we did the pit stop the guys in the pit stop were working perfectly. My tired changes and my feeling on the bike. We didn’t lose much time there. So, I went out the first two or three corners, the rear tire was a little bit cold, and it took a little bit to get warm. But then when I passed on the straight, I see Josh coming out of the pits but quite early yet, so I said, maybe he had some issue on the pit stop. I started to see I was still P4, then P3, then P1. I was managing the gap on the last 18, 17 laps. So honestly, I was not the fastest one this weekend, but we did a good strategy on the race. I came maybe two laps earlier than we had been expecting, because the front tire was not working well. We managed well the situation. That was the key to win the race. Honestly, Josh was much faster than me this weekend, more solid and especially in the right corners. He was always pulling meters away from me. When I catch him on the first part of the race, I was like, I have no more. I was taking some risks. So fair play to him, his team. It was a shame to don’t arrive to the end of the race fighting me and him because it would be great to have a good battle with him until the last lap.”

Mission King Of The Baggers – A Wild Finish

Talk about a wild finish. Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods’ Tyler O’Hara stuffedhis way past H-D Screamin’ Eagle’s Kyle Wyman heading into the Corkscrew and held that lead all the way to the final corner. With his Indian snaking under braking, O’Hara flicked it into the final corner, lost the front end and crashed. But that’s not all. Just a millisecond later, Wyman made exactly the same miscue and both riders found themselves trying to pick up their motorcycles.

Meanwhile, Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim streaked past to score his first victory in the class – 2.9 seconds ahead of his teammate James Rispoli with the pair smiling under their helmets like five-year-olds at Christmas.

Ditto for Sac Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands/Indian’s Bobby Fong, who also found himself gifted with a podium finish.

O’Hara won the race of the fallen to finish fourth, just ahead of Team Saddlemen’s Jake Lewis.

“I immediately looked back to see where he was, because I was so focused on them that I ran wide and I was just hoping he wasn’t close to get a run,” Gillim said. “It sucked to see. I kind of figured one would go down. The way those two guys go at it; I knew it was going to get a little dicey. I had kind of given up when I had come across the stripe going onto the last lap because I was kind of starting to move around a little bit more and they were going fast. They had picked up the pace once Kyle (Wyman) got in front. So, I had kind of called the dog off and then they started going at it and I was like, ‘all right. I need to kind of keep going because in case something does happen, if they run wide or something, I need to be there to capitalize.’ I got lucky and brought it home. First bagger win. I’ve done three championships of it, so this is my first win. It’s awesome. I’m happy to be up on top. I need to fix my starts, though. I think I was eighth going into turn one, starting from fourth. So, I was a little nervous the first couple laps, for sure. The Vance & Hines guys have put a great bike underneath me. We’re going to keep making steady progress, like James said, and hopefully actually be able to get up there and be a part of that fight tomorrow.”

Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – McWilliams Does It

Jeremy McWilliams flew back to Northern Ireland an angry man after learning that his first-career Super Hooligan victory at Ridge Motorsports Park was taken from him due to a protest that resulted in his disqualification for a technical infraction.

McWilliams stewed for the two weeks, but came back with a vengeance, leading the practice sessions, qualifying on pole, and winning Saturday’s race by a scant .071 of a second on his Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods Indian FTR1200 over DiBrino Racing KTM’s Andy DiBrino.

Cory West rode the Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America to third place.

“I went home and was very pissed off for a long time,” McWilliams said. “I came here with only one goal in mind, and it was to win at all costs, win it or bin it. Regardless of what happens tomorrow, it doesn’t really matter. I needed that win for myself. Just to kind of prove to everybody that it doesn’t matter where you put your handlebars. You can still win the race because they’re not up a little bit, but it looks like with the new rules we can put them back down exactly where we had them at the Ridge. Take all that aside, put it behind us and move on. I need championship points, and that’s what I was more pissed off at the Ridge in the race because I hadn’t had a win and just for my sanity, I needed a win. I needed to beat Tyler (O’Hara) at his own. That rivalry between teammates makes it a great team. He just basically said he had nothing left at the Ridge, fair and square. Coming here, I needed it at all costs. So, thanks to S & S. They put a great motorcycle together. Indian are behind it. I think with that little bit of factory support, it definitely bolsters us a little bit at every round. We just have that kind of safety net around us with the factory support. So, it’s a big thanks to the guys believing in me and keep signing me to come and do this because the last time I was here was 1993 or ’94, so it’s nice to come back here and perform still on this circuit which I dearly love.”

REV’IT! Twins Cup – Landers Takes Over

REV’IT! Twins Cup had their first race of the weekend on Saturday, and pole sitter Rocco Landers notched his fifth win of the season by more than four seconds aboard his Robem Engineering Aprilia in a contest where he was chased by his stablemate, Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Gus Rodio. For Rodio, it was his sixth podium aboard his Aprilia RS 660. Finishing third after overtaking defending class champion Blake Davis was Dominic Doyle aboard his Team Iso Yamaha YZF-R7.

Landers’ victory enabled him to take over the championship lead by one point over Davis, 141-140, and after celebrating on the podium, he said, “It was a great race. I had tons of fun. I didn’t get the best initial start, but I think they got together in turn two and I was able to get by Blake (Davis) out of five. Then, I was just able to run my own race and click off laps. Like five laps to go, my front tire just took a dive off a cliff. I had absolutely no feel out of that coming down Rainey (Curve). The thing would just start chattering. But Gus and I have been working together probably more than we have all season this one weekend. Made the bikes work as good as possible. Been trading data, making sure to have the best setup possible to race so we can get some one-twos for Aprilia and for the team, and also for the championship. Matt, my crew chief, my mechanic Chad, they’ve been busting their butts all weekend, making the thing work as good as possible. We have an amazing setup.”

More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, Inc.:

VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI’S TYLER SCOTT EARNS PODIUM SPOT AT
LAGUNA SECA

BREA, CA – July 9, 2023 – Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer were key players in a dramatic day of racing as the 2023 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship resumed at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. All four of the team’s riders earned top five results, with Tyler Scott in third aboard his Suzuki GSX-R750 Supersport machine and celebrating on the podium.

Race Highlights:

•  Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
  • Superbike
    • Richie Escalante charged from the back of the field to score another fourth-place result.
    • Brandon Paasch landed inside the top-five in his team debut.
  • Supersport
    • Tyler Scott earned another podium result after finishing third.
    • Teagg Hobbs led early and was rewarded with the fifth spot.

The on-form Richie Escalante took a circuitous route to secure his fourth fourth-place finish in his last six MotoAmerica Superbike starts on Saturday. The Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki pilot was a popular pre-race pick to claim his maiden premier-class podium after earning a front-row qualifying position aboard his GSX-R1000R. Richie was able to slot into third early on before a red flag brought the proceedings to a temporary halt. Escalante’s podium hopes took a big hit when his tire warmer cover melted to his brake disc during the red flag, forcing him to miss the sighting lap and therefore line up in last position for the restart. Escalante immediately carved his way up the field and joined the tail-end of what turned out to be a race-long, multi-rider fight for the podium. That battle ultimately ended early when a second red flag ended the race and awarded Escalante another fourth-place finish.

“It was a crazy race,” said Escalante. “I am the only rider at the front who chose the Dunlop R7 tire compound, so I wasn’t happy when I saw the red flag. Then when I was leaving the pits, we had an issue with the tire cover warmer, which caused me to start at the back of the grid. I tried to make up as many positions as I could. I’ve been feeling good this weekend, and my confidence has been strong but I made a couple of mistakes in the race and would lose ground and then make it up. I couldn’t advance any further. In the end, I am happy about getting good points, but I am really glad there are two more races. A big thank you to not only the team and everyone who supports me but also to all the fans.”

Brandon Paasch, meanwhile, had a stellar race debut as the newest member of the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team. Despite the young rider’s history of success across several different classes, he’s still new to a full-blown Superbike. But that inexperience did not show. Paasch, still recovering from a broken back, did well to fight up to sixth on the team’s GSX-R1000R and then defended the position all the way to the red flag. He was ultimately awarded a fifth as a result of the final red flag.

“For the first time out, it was a pretty good result,” said Paasch. “I didn’t know what exactly to expect, this being our first race on the bike. So far, the lap times are getting closer every time out so I think we are making good progress. In the race, we didn’t have any issues and I was happy with the lap times we were turning at the end. I felt I got stronger and definitely faster so it was a good first race.”

The Supersport class saw a return of a sole 38-lap “long race” with a mandatory pit stop this weekend in California. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott ran a strong, measured race to earn third on his next-generation Suzuki GSX-R750. Ensconced in the top ten early, Scott emerged in podium contention after his strong pit stop on lap 18 and ran as high as second on the repaved track.

“We started this weekend behind,” Scott said. “The Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team did a great job step-by-step all weekend. We got a really good setup going into the race and I felt good. I dropped back when I made some mistakes but then I started becoming more consistent with good times. The pit stop was great and I pushed until the end. It was a great race.”

Teagg Hobbs led the race early and gained valuable experience at the front of the Supersport pack. Hobbs was the first of the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki racers to pit, entering on lap 16 and emerging with a clean stop. Hobbs then chased his teammate Scott inside the top three before eventually earning fifth on the day.

“It was cool to lead and it felt good,” said Hobbs. “We had a strong qualifying and there are tons of positives to take away. But we chose the wrong tire for the race and that made for a long day and kept us from getting a better result. I am looking forward to going to Brainerd, which is one of my favorite tracks.”

While the weekend is now complete for the MotoAmerica Supersport contenders, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike pilots Escalante and Paasch will have two more shots at the podium on Sunday as the premier-class racing continues at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

For more racing news, results, and special team content please visit https://suzukicycles.com/racing/road-racing.

ABOUT SUZUKI

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

ABOUT TEAM HAMMER

The 2023 season marks Team Hammer’s 43rd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Race bikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 351 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport.) The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.

ABOUT VISION WHEEL

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