Two-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race One Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Gagne led from the start on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1 and was holding off Cameron Beaubier on lap 14 of 16 when Beaubier crashed his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR going into Turn One.

Beaubier’s BMW hit some haybales and put some debris onto the racetrack, causing the race to be stopped and called complete.

Westby Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz was scored second and Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin was awarded third.

Beaubier quickly ran to his motorcycle, picked it up, and rode it back to the pits — other words he was still actively competing, but the five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion was given a 20-second “time adjustment” under new-for-2023 Rule 1.27.d., which demoted him to seventh. The 20 seconds was the amount of time from when Beaubier crashed until he remounted his motorcycle and is the time he would have lost if the race had continued, according to MotoAmerica.

The new rule applying to races stopped by red flags is shown in the photo below.

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Gagne Wins A Tough One Race One At Ridge Motorsports Park

Jake Gagne Wins His Fourth Of The Year, His Fifth In A Row At Ridge, And The 33rd Of His Career

SHELTON, WA (June 24, 2023) – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne won his fourth MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike race of the season on a sunny Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, but it wasn’t as easy as the misleading 8.6-second margin of victory would have you believe.

With 13 of 16 laps in the books, Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s Cameron Beaubier had tracked Gagne down, trailing the two-time and defending series champion by less than a second and setting up what looked to be a thrilling finish. But going into turn one to start the 14th lap, Beaubier lost the front of his BMW M 1000 RR and crashed with hay bales and other debris from the incident bringing out the red flag.

The race was called complete, and the win was Gagne’s by 8.6 seconds over Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz. Beaubier, meanwhile, was given a 20 second time adjustment and that dropped him to seventh in the final standings.

A brave third place went to Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin just hours after a big crash in Q2 that left him battered and bruised and forced to use his back-up Panigale V4 R. Herrin had briefly led Gagne in the left-right chicane off the start but ended up running wide a few laps later while trying to keep Beaubier at bay. The mistake put Herrin back in seventh place, but he battled through to fourth, which became third with Beaubier’s crash.

Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Corey Alexander had the best Medallia Superbike race of his career, the non-defending Stock 1000 Champion riding his BMW M 1000 RR to fourth and just .441 of a second behind Herrin.

Almost a second later came Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante with the Mexican barely ahead of the third Tytlers BMW ridden by PJ Jacobsen.

With Beaubier seventh, eighth fell to Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim with Aftercare Scheibe BMW’s Ashton Yates and Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders rounding out the top 10.

Gagne’s win was the 33rd Superbike win of his career, and it moved him out of a tie with Miguel Duhamel and Toni Elias and into fourth on the all-time AMA Superbike win list. Gagne trails Mat Mladin, Josh Hayes and Beaubier on that list.

With his fourth win of the year and his fifth in a row at Ridge Motorsports Park, Gagne now leads the championship by 28 points over Beaubier, 136-108, with Beaubier now just two points ahead of Herrin. Scholtz is fourth, just five points behind Herrin with Jacobsen fifth and 54 points adrift of Gagne.

Notables not scoring points in the race were Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen, who crashed out of second place early in the race, and Wrench Racing’s Bobby Fong who was disqualified for ignoring a black flag.

Superbike Race One

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

Quotes…
 

Jake Gagne – Winner

“I was keeping an eye on my pit board. I got off to a great start. The Yamaha gets off to a good start. I went inside because I know Josh (Herrin) is always going to be deep on the brakes. Then, somehow, he runs around the outside of me. I’m like, ‘I don’t even know how he got there.’ Fortunately, it’s tough to make that line so I squared him up and put my head down. I was really happy with the bike. Everything was working good. I was a little bit surprised to see, I know Josh was hurting and I was a little bit surprised to see the gap just kind of going a couple tenths a lap, and then it was up to a second and a half about halfway, and then it started dropping. Honestly, I thought it was Josh. I didn’t know with how fast he was going earlier. I thought it was him. I couldn’t see who was behind me. I was surprised. I could hear the lap before the red flag up over the top chicane, I’m like, ‘Whoever is behind me is on me now.’ It was not a half second, or whatever it was. So, I was ready for a banger for the last three laps. I was going to try to put my head down. I was kind of riding everything I had to keep it on. Trying to get a couple more tenths a lap would have been pretty risky, I think. Unfortunately, it was a bummer to see Cam (Beaubier) go down and the red flag come out. I didn’t know until I got back who had crashed and who was second. A little luck on our side points-wise, but it would have been nice to bring that thing down to the last couple laps. I think that would have been fun racing. Tomorrow it will be the same. Everybody is going to step it up, so we got to step it up a little bit too. But I think we learned a lot from today’s race. I’m just stoked. Of course, after the last couple years, it’s nice to win all these races but I’m a racer and it’s awesome to see the class so stacked and so close. Practice here this weekend, all these guys within a couple tenths. So, it really comes down to figuring out how to do it consistently in the race. Just keep doing our job and look forward to more good racing.”

Mathew Scholtz – Second Place

“The first couple laps, I just was struggling. I felt like I was pushing the front end really hard. There were a couple spots where the bike was backing in. I felt like I nearly ran off the circuit a couple times, so I just had to steady everything and made a couple passes. It seemed like Jake (Gagne), Cameron Petersen and (Cameron) Beaubier and Josh Herrin were kind of going backwards and forward, so I knew that that was going to help me slightly. Then Josh (Herrin) ran wide. Cam Petersen crashed. I was kind of a couple seconds back and the next four laps or so I put down some pretty quick lap times. I managed to catch up to Beaubier a little bit then, but I think that he kind of noticed that and turned it up. I had a couple moments after that. I think the rear tire dropped off a hell of a lot more than I thought. So, it’s certainly something we have to look at now. But, after last race out, barely getting eighth in the first race and sixth in the second race, sitting up here in second place, this is a massive win for me and the Westby crew. We made a complete change on the front end of the motorcycle. Definitely seems to help me turn better than we have been. So, considering this is the first race on that setup I’m very, very pumped. I know that we have a lot more to gain there. So really looking forward to the second race. Hopefully I’ll be challenging Jake up at the front. I know Josh is going to pick up the pace. Beaubier will be there. Petersen will be there. I’ll be there. Richie (Escalante), Corey (Alexander), PJ (Jacobsen)… So, I’m looking to bang some bars tomorrow.”

Josh Herrin – Third Place

“On that sighting lap before we came to the grid with the crew, I told Bobby, (Shek), “I’m screwed.” He said, “Well, if it gets too bad, come in. It’s not worth it.” I think that fired me up. I’m like, “What? No, I’m fighting for it.” After the warmup lap, I took a bunch of tape off that the medics wrapped my foot up with and it actually helped it. I think that it was maybe too tight in the boot, and it was making it hurt worse on the sighting lap. So, I took all the tape off and I think it helped a lot. It was worse like twisting on the peg, but at least I could move, and I didn’t have pain. I got up there in the beginning and then I had some shifting problems at the top of the hill. That’s where I lost all the time. I just couldn’t get the gear to shift down. It happened a couple times in the race. I’m not sure if it was the bike or if it was just my foot. My left foot is a little banged up too, so maybe not being able to put enough pressure or something. But once I battled my way back up to fourth, I was kind of settled in. I was going to keep charging, but I settled in. Just got lucky with Cam (Beaubier) going down. Happy that he’s okay, but we really needed those points. I’m stoked to be up here. Just hoping that if we can ice it up enough tonight and take care of it that maybe the swelling will go down a little bit tomorrow and it will be better.”

More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:

Mathew Scholtz Is Runner-Up In Superbike Race One At Ridge Motorsports Park

Shelton, WA – June 24, 2023 – Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz has never finished outside the top five at Ridge Motorsports Park. And now, he can add a second runner-up finish to his repertoire. In Saturday’s Superbike race one at Ridge, Mathew matched his second-place finish in 2020 with another runner-up result.

Starting the race from the outside of row three in seventh position, Mathew moved up to sixth on lap one, and then, on lap two, he was in fourth. He held onto fourth for three laps, and then moved into a podium position on lap five. Mathew then maintained his position all the way until the race was red-flagged on lap 14 and declared complete. Also, the red flag ended up benefitting Mathew because he was moved up to the runner-up position in the final results.

“The first couple laps, I just was struggling,” commented Mathew. “I felt like I was pushing the front end really hard. There were a couple spots where the bike was backing in. I felt like I nearly ran off the circuit a couple times, so I just had to steady everything and made a couple passes. It seemed like Jake (Gagne), Cameron Petersen, and (Cameron) Beaubier and Josh Herrin were kind of going backwards and forward, so I knew that that was going to help me slightly. Then, Josh (Herrin) ran wide. Cam Petersen crashed. I was kind of a couple seconds back, and the next four laps or so, I put down some pretty quick lap times. I managed to catch up to Beaubier a little bit then, but I think that he kind of noticed that and turned it up. I had a couple moments after that. I think the rear tire dropped off more than I thought it would. So, it’s certainly something we have to look at now. But, after last race out, barely getting eighth in the first race and sixth in the second race, sitting up here in second place, this is a massive win for me and the Westby crew. We made a complete change on the front end of the motorcycle. Definitely seems to help me turn better than we have been. So, considering this is the first race on that setup, I’m very, very pumped. I know that we have a lot more to gain there. So, I’m really looking forward to the second race. Hopefully I’ll be challenging Jake up at the front. I know Josh is going to pick up the pace. Beaubier will be there. Petersen will be there. I’ll be there. Richie (Escalante), Corey (Alexander), PJ (Jacobsen)… So, I’m looking to bang some bars tomorrow.”

Superbike race two will go green on Sunday afternoon at 3:10 PT, and the race will be broadcast live on MotoAmerica’s YouTube Channel. For all the action from Ridge Motorsports Park, as it happens, subscribe to MotoAmerica Live+, which is MotoAmerica’s live streaming and on-demand service.

Meet Mathew, Get An Autographed Poster, And More

Mathew will be available for autographs during the Dunlop Hot Pit Walk & Autograph Session, scheduled for 11 to 11:40 a.m. Sunday on pit lane at Ridge Motorsports Park. He and the team will be handing out free posters and T-shirts, so don’t miss it.

Check Out The Westby Racing Sponsor Showcase

Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA and Pro-Bolt USA are the featured team sponsors on display in the Westby Racing paddock area this race weekend, so be sure to stop by to say hello and learn about some of the companies that support the team.

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

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.:

Gagne’s Hot Streak at The Ridge Continues 

Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne makes championship gains with fifth-consecutive victory at the Ridge Motorsports Park 

MARIETTA, Ga. – June 24, 2023 – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne returned to the top step of the podium with his fifth-consecutive MotoAmerica Superbike win at the Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington. It also marked his fourth win of the season and 33rd-career victory in the class, expanding the reigning champ’s lead to 28 points in the hotly contested premier class championship. His teammate Cameron Petersen was running a great pace but unfortunately crashed out of the race while battling up front.

Gagne got the weekend off to a great start and topped the timesheets in both sessions on Friday. Although he was shy of the pole position in today’s final qualifying session, he got a great start from the number-two spot on the grid and quickly claimed the lead. The defending champ was putting in some fast times, including the fastest lap of the race with a 1:40.195 on Lap 5, and started to build a little gap up front but was unable to break away. Gagne continued to run his own race up front even as his championship rival slowly reeled him back in and went on to score his fourth victory of the season in the shortened red-flagged race. In addition to expanding his lead in the championship, the victory added to his personal win streak and maintained Yamaha’s perfect score in the Superbike class at the Washington State 2.5-mile track.

Although Petersen had a rough start to the weekend with some food poisoning the night before round four of the championship, he rebounded with a solid qualifying effort in fourth. From there, he got a great start into third and advanced to the runner-up spot on the second lap. The South African was on the heels of his teammate and putting in some fast times, but unfortunately tucked the front on Lap 5 and ultimately withdrew from the race.

The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team looks to keep the R1’s win streak rolling in tomorrow’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at the Ridge Motorsports Park.
 

Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager

“Our Yamaha R1 once again proved to be the rage at The Ridge. Even though Jake did not start from pole, we knew that we had the pace for the race. He did a great job and had the grunt to win from the front. We are looking forward to tomorrow, and our goal will be a Yamaha 1-2-3.”

Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing

“I got off to a great start and was able to get some clean laps out front with Cam (Petersen) on my tail. I had a small lead for a bit, but it was getting close towards the end, with (Cam) Beaubier closing in. I was bummed to see him go down and the red flag come out. It will be another fight tomorrow, and we are looking to improve some things for Race 2.”

Cameron Petersen – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing

“It’s been a tough start to the weekend. I’ve been dealing with a bit of food poisoning, but we rallied back and had a good qualifying. We got a great start and got into second, and I was reeling Jake in and then, unfortunately, went down. It’s really disappointing because we had the pace to be up front, but we’re going to focus ahead on tomorrow and come back stronger.”

About Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA

Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, WaveRunner Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars, Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.

YMUS has a corporate office in California, two corporate offices in Georgia, facilities in Wisconsin and Alabama, and factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company (YMSC) with divisions Bennett Marine (Florida), Kracor Systems (Wisconsin) and Siren Marine, Inc. (Rhode Island), Skeeter Boats (Texas), with division G3 Boats (Missouri), and Yamaha Precision Propeller (Indiana).

Xavi Fores took a dominant victory in MotoAmerica Supersport Race One Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Fores, riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V2, won the 15-lap race by 11.955 seconds. It was Fores’ sixth straight win in six races on the season.

Four-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes held off several challengers to take the runner-up spot on his Squid Hunter Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.

Teagg Hobbs came home third, his career-first Supersport podium finish, on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750.

Stefano Mesa was running third, chasing Hayes and fending off Hobbs, on the final lap when he crashed his Tytlers Cycle Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R. Mesa walked away from the high-speed tumble.

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Forés Still Perfect, Doyle Gets His First At Ridge Motorsports Park

Xavi Forés Wins His Sixth Supersport Race In A Row, Dominic Doyle Gets First REV’IT Twins Cup Win

SHELTON, WA (June 24, 2023) – Spaniard Xavi Forés continued his dominant march through the 2023 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship at Ridge Motorsports Park with the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati rider running his unbeaten streak to six in perhaps his finest performance thus far.

Forés was joined in the win column today by Dominic Doyle (REV’IT! Twins Cup), Tyler O’Hara (Mission Super Hooligan National Championship) and Mikayla Moore (Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race.).

Supersport – Perfect Forés

Xavi Forés is a long, long way from his home in Llombai, Spain. But, as he’s done at all four of the racetracks at which he’s raced in the MotoAmerica series so far this season, Forés acclimates quickly, learns the track fast, and speaking of fast, he gets up to speed in almost no time.

Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V2, and also a five-race unbeaten streak, Forés won Saturday’s Superport race one, which made it six victories in a row to start the 2023 season.

Saturday started out even better than usual for Forés since he also captured his first pole position of the season in the morning’s final qualifying.

Second place went to Squid Hunter Racing’s Josh Hayes, who continues to chase the all-time AMA race wins record. Earning provisional pole on Friday afternoon steeled his determination, but it was a different story on Saturday afternoon because he just couldn’t match Forés’s torrid pace.

Third place went to Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Teagg Hobbs, who was especially happy that he notched his first career podium in MotoAmerica’s hugely popular middleweight class.

“I used the Friday just to learn the track, and when I realized the track was suiting well for me and for the bike, I started to do long-distance sessions,” Fores said. “So, all the time, I was on the used tires. I tried to set my race pace for today. It was working quite well for me. The bike is working super nice here. I like the track. So, it was good for me. The first time on this season that I do a good start and I arrive first to the first corner, so this is important in order to have clear, initial laps, because this bike also on the initial laps it’s easy to warm the tires and they seem to go fast. I tried to make the gap in the beginning, and I was trying to stay on the pace of 43, 44 low. I did five or six 43s and I was trying to stay consistent in order to stay focused on myself. I was always counting that Josh (Hayes) was on the back. You can never relax when he’s on the back. So, the first four or five laps I was like 3.2, 3.5. The gap was nearly there all the time, so I started to do 43 and then I got the gap. Hopefully for tomorrow we can improve something on the front fork, but anyway the bike here is working amazing and I have not too much to say. Happy for me and also for the team, and also for the six victories in a row.”

REV’IT Twins Cup – Doyle Wins After Landers Gets Docked

Robem Engineering’s Rocco Landers won Saturday’s REV’IT! Twins Cup race at Ridge Motorsports Park right up until the time that he didn’t.

Landers, who crossed the finish line first, was penalized two spots for passing under a yellow flag on the final lap of the race and that gave the victory to Team Iso’s Dominic Doyle.

The win, Doyle’s first in the class, came over defending series champion Blake Davis and his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7. With Landers moved to third, Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Gus Rodio was fourth with Trackday Winner/Blackmon Racing’s Jackson Blackmon rounding out the top five.

When the dust had cleared on a day of change, Davis was still atop the point standings by nine over Rodio, 107-98, with Landers 16 points behind Davis in third.

Cycle Tech’s Hayden Schultz had plenty to be woeful about as he crashed out of the race early while running with the frontrunners. Schultz went from being just two points out of the championship lead to 22 points behind.

Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – More Winning For Moore

The Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. program started off the first day’s races at Ridge Motorsports Park, and the group of a dozen female riders who each race-prep their own Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 motorcycles, train aboard them, and ultimately compete against each other at selected MotoAmerica rounds, put on quite a show for the fans. Mikayla Moore, who won both BTR races a few weeks ago at Road America, emerged victorious again. Moore was recommended to the program by her friend Kayleigh Buyck, who ironically finished as runner-up to Moore. Sonya Lloyd, who was third in the first race of the BTR season at Road America, finished third again in race one at Ridge.

Moore took the checkered flag with a gap of over 16 seconds back to Buyck, but she was the first to admit that it was not a flawless race for her.

“I caught a false neutral and instead of going to the higher gear, I thought it maybe didn’t get into gear, so I went into a lower gear, and it got a little out of hand,” Moore said. “So, I just shifted quick and then just get back on track without making the bike any more upset than what it was.

“This morning, I made some suspension changes, and I made some tire pressure changes, and I went out on freshies and gearing changes. So, all those combinations definitely helped for this race.”

Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – O’Hara’s Third

The Mission Super Hooligan National Championship is holding their second round of the season at Ridge Motorsports Park, and after taking both wins way back in March at Daytona, defending class champion Tyler O’Hara chased down his Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods teammate and race leader Jeremy McWilliams in MSHNC race one at Ridge, overtook him, and went one to notch his third consecutive class win this season.

McWilliams, meanwhile, finished second and just under a second behind O’Hara. DiBrino Racing/KTM rider Andy DiBrino, who started from the pole position in the race, rounded out the podium in third. It was a good showing for Oregonian DiBrino who was racing on his home track and in front of his home crowd.

“Well, it didn’t go the way I planned it,” O’Hara said. “I knew. I studied it a lot and lost a lot of feeling. It’s not an easy track to pass. I knew I had to be aggressive and just kind of let the race come to me. I knew we had pace, and we were all right there. I felt really strong on the brakes and had a lot of roll speed mid-corner. We were kind of protected all of us in a couple sections that were kind of passing zones. When Jeremy (McWilliams) passed DiBrino in (turn) 11 there, we all started tightening that up after that. That was a beautiful pass. I was getting some chatter and having some moments, as well, but just kind of let the race come to me. Getting into the lappers there at the end was a little bit sketchy, but what a race. Just really proud of our team for working so hard and just never giving up. Like Jeremy said, this is the first time we’ve been here. We rode here on Tuesday in the rain. Really glad that our team was able to allow us and help us come out and ride this track. It is one of the most technical tracks I’ve ever ridden. I would say it’s kind of one of my specialties is really technical tracks. It’s a track where it’s got a lot of flow, but you can kind of charge it, as well. So, I’ve just been really enjoying this track. Every dry session we’ve had, we’re just going faster and faster. I didn’t really get to ride with Andy at all until the race. It was just a lot of fun, really. This Hooligan class, we were all just goon-riding on the way. Just gooning it around, just having fun. Just hats off to everybody on the whole team. Just really appreciate it. S&S Cycles, they’ve been working their butts off.”

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

TEAGG HOBBS SCORES HIS FIRST SUPERSPORT PODIUM FOR  VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI

Suzuki GSX-R750 Continues to Impact the Supersport Class 

BREA, CA – June 24, 2023 – Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer celebrated the opening day of MotoAmerica race action at Ridge Motorsports Park from the podium following a breakthrough ride from rising star Teagg Hobbs.

Race Highlights:

•  Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
  • Supersport
    • Teagg Hobbs charged to the first podium of his MotoAmerica Supersport career.
    • Tyler Scott fought back from an off-track excursion to secure fourth position.
  • Superbike
    • Richie Escalante earned his third top-five in his last four races.
    • Taylor Knapp earned points for the team as he kicked off his one-weekend, two-race run with the squad.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Teagg Hobbs was rewarded for his continued rise in speed and confidence with a career-first Supersport podium. Hobbs qualified alongside teammate Tyler Scott on the front row aboard their identical Suzuki GSX-R750s, and the two spent the early stages of the race in a multi-rider scrap near the front. Hobbs clawed his way up from fifth to make a late run at the podium contenders. He arrived on the back wheel of the fight for second with three laps to go and was initially denied in a last-lap battle for third position. However, Hobbs’ continued application of intense pressure paid off, forcing the rider in front of him into a mistake. That handed Hobbs third place with just a half-lap remaining.

“I was having fun out there,” Hobbs said. ”I knew 15 laps was going to take a little bit of time, and I chose the right tire for the race. In the first few laps, I was held up a little bit, but towards the end I put my head down, tried to hit my marks, and chased after the riders in second and third. Once that crash happened with a half-a-lap to go, that was my sign to relax and bring it home. I wanted to race for second, but that was just a little too far ahead. I can’t thank my whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team enough. They’ve been working incredibly hard, and my Suzuki worked flawlessly. We’re going to go back and see if we can do even better tomorrow.”

Tyler Scott endured and enjoyed an eventful day of his own. The 17-year-old ran in second early on aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 before being displaced to fourth in the early shuffle. While looking for a way around teammate Hobbs Scott ran off track and lost two positions. Undeterred, Scott worked his way back up to fifth and then successfully defended what became fourth position, following the last-lap incident ahead to the checkered flag.

“We had an issue in the race,” Scott said. “We worked through it, and I think the race pace was good. We may make some small changes for tomorrow, but everything is heading in a positive direction. We qualified second and showed a decent pace. I had a moment related to that issue and that set us back, but overall, I think we can improve for Sunday.”  In addition to Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s solid performance, Saturday’s Supersport race was filled once more with Suzuki GSX-Rs, earning almost half of the top ten finishing positions.

Richie Escalante continued his strong form on Saturday, collecting his third Superbike top five in his last four outings aboard the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R. Escalante jumped into the top five from his startling slot on the outside of Row 2 and then spent his race battling for position. Escalante continued battling when the race was concluded three laps early due to a red flag, resulting in an official fifth-place finish.

Escalante said, “Overall, not as good of a day as we have been having, but the result was positive. I’ve been working on race pace all weekend, and I liked where we were on Friday. On Saturday morning, the weather was cooler and for some reason, we did not have the pace we had before. In the first half of the race, I felt quite good. Then we developed an issue that set us back a bit. I was mainly concentrating on finishing the race. I was feeling good apart from the issue. Tomorrow, I think we will have a better result.”

Taylor Knapp picked up a handful of championship points for the team in the first race of his one-weekend substitute ride for the team. Knapp quickly came to grips with the team’s powerful GSXR-1000R racebike to reel in a solid 13th-place result in the experienced rider’s premier-class return.

“We’re learning, and I am getting more familiar with the bike. Looking at the data after the race, we see things to try,” said Knapp. “It takes time and laps, but a strong team is helping me. I am happy to get another shot at it on Sunday.”

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki will be back on track tomorrow to close out the MotoAmerica round at Ridge Motorsports Park.

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 348 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.

Rocco Landers dominated MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Race One Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Riding his Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660, Landers broke the Race Lap Record and got to the checkered flag 4.8 seconds ahead of the field.

After the race, however, Landers was penalized two finishing positions for passing a backmarker under a waving yellow flag.

This promoted Team Iso Yamaha’s Dominic Doyle to first place, giving the South Africa native his first Twins Cup race win.

N2/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha’s Blake Davis was elevated to the runner-up spot, and Landers was officially scored in third.

Mikayla Moore, age 19, won MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Race One Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington.

Defending Champion Kayleigh Buyck finished a distant second, and Sonya Lloyd took a lonely third.

Aubrey Credaroli, the third-fastest qualifier, crashed out while running third in the race.

Local hero Andy DiBrino took pole position during MotoAmerica Roland Sands Design (RSD) Mission Super Hooligan qualifying Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington.

Riding his DiBrino Racing KTM 890 Duke R, DiBrino led the 25-rider field with a 1:45.497.

Defending Champion Tyler O’Hara was second-quickest with a 1:45.906 on his Progressive Insurance/Mission Foods Indian FTR 1200.

O’Hara’s teammate Jeremy McWilliams earned the third and final spot on the third row of the grid with a 1:46.391.

Josh Herrin earned his second pole position of the year in MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Qualifying Two (Q2) Saturday morning at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington.

Herrin pushed at the end of the session to record a 1:39.863 and then crashed his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R. Herrin was uninjured in the fall, but it may force him to switch to his spare Superbike for Race One Saturday afternoon.

Two-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne was second-best with a 1:40.278 on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha.

Five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Cameron Beaubier claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:40.308 on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.

Row-two starters include Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen (1:40.383), Beaubier’s teammate Corey Alexander (1:40.507), and Richie Escalante (1:40.892) on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R.

Xavi Fores took pole position during MotoAmerica Supersport qualifying Saturday morning at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington.

Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V2, the Spaniard turned a lap time of 1:43.406, which was 1.2 seconds faster than he went Friday on the 2.5-mile road course.

Tyler Scott was the best of the rest with a 1:44.141 on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750, and Scott’s teammate Teagg Hobbs earned the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:44.174.

Row two starters include Disrupt Racing Suzuki’s Jake Lewis (1:44.256), Squid Hunter Racing Yamaha’s Josh Hayes (1:44.392), and Andy DiBrino (1:44.645) on his brand new MV Agusta F3 RR 800cc triple.

Rocco Landers claimed pole position during MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup qualifying Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington.

Riding his Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660, Landers led Qualifying Two (Q2) with a lap time of 1:46.683 but the 1:46.546 he did on Friday stood up as the fastest qualifying time overall.

Dominic Doyle could only manage a time of 1:48.293 in the chilly conditions on Saturday morning, but the 1:46.998 he did on his Team Iso Yamaha YZF-R7 on Friday was good enough for the second spot on the grid.

Rodio Racing Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia rider Gus Rodio improved from 1:49.064 on Friday to 1:47.562 on Saturday, earning the third and final spot on the front row.

Twins Cup Q2 featured several crashes and two red flags, including one for the crash of Darren James, who was transported to a local hospital with a leg injury, according to MotoAmerica officials.

Mikayla Moore didn’t go faster in MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Qualifying Two (Q2) Saturday morning at chilly Ridge Motorsports Park, but the 19-year-old’s lap time from Friday (2:08.170) was good enough to secure pole position for both of this weekend’s races.

Defending Champion Kayleigh Buyck’s time from Friday (2:09.974) also held up as second-best in the combined qualifying results.

In spite of the 57-degree temperature Saturday morning, Aubrey Credaroli improved her lap time from 2:11.294 to 2:10.517, but she was unable to improve on her qualifying position, third.