Spaniard Hector Garza won FIM MotoE World Championship Race Two Saturday at Sachsenring, in Germany.
Garza, riding his Dynavolt Intact GP Ducati electric racebike, won the six-lap race by just 0.233 second over HP Pons Los40’s Mattia Casadei. Openbank Aspar Team’s Jordi Torres was equally close in third, just 0.290 second behind Garza.
Just 0.857 second covered the top seven finishers.
Hector Garzo (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) secured his first MotoE™ win in dramatic circumstances in a shortened Race 2, the Spaniard making a sensational overtake on Mattia Casadei (HP Pons Los40) and Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) on Lap 6 to claim victory before the red flag came out due to rain, with Casadei and Torres completing the podium.
Garzo got the holeshot as he looked to respond from his Race 1 disappointment, where he was taken out of the race while fighting in the podium places. On Lap 3 though, the tension was high as drops of rain were falling around the circuit and Race 1 winner Torres made his move for the lead on the same lap, up the inside of Garzo at Turn 12. His lead didn’t last long though as Casadei went from third to first at Turn 1 on Lap 4.
On Lap 5, the pair switched positions twice. Torres initially re-took the lead at Turn 12 before Casadei responded immediately at Turn 13. Just one lap later and Garzo had moved back into first as he pulled off the exact same move Casadei did at Turn 1 to overtake the Italian and Torres. It turned out to be the race-winning move as red flags were shown on Lap 7 due to weather conditions worsening. Garzo, Casadei and Torres therefore finish on the Race 2 podium in Germany with just 0.368s separating the trio.
Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) took fourth place, missing out on a podium by just 0.025s as the field bunched up while the rain came down, but it’s solid points for the Brazilian after his Rae 1 crash. Nicholas Spinelli (HP Pons Los40) finished fifth on take two, with Randy Krummenacher (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) in sixth and Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) just behind the Swiss rider in seventh. Just 0.857s separated the top seven when the red flags were shown.
Japanese rider Hikari Okubo (Tech3 E-racing) secured eighth place with teammate Alessandro Zaccone in ninth as Mugello Race 1 winner Andrea Mantovani (RNF MotoE™Team) rounded out the top ten.
That’s a wrap on the Sachsenring! MotoE™ now heads to Assen next week for the Dutch Grand Prix – don’t forget to tune in to all the action!
Shane Narbonne, the 10-time and defending Champion, was fastest in the damp-but-drying final qualifying sessions Saturday morning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but 17-year-old Tyler Scott will start the 100th Loudon Classic from pole position based on the lap time he did during provisional qualifying in the dry on Friday.
On Friday, Scott lapped the 1.6-mile 12-turn road course in 1:10.673 on his Dunlop-shod Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 Next-Gen Supersport bike to top the field of 48 hopefuls.
Tyler Scott (70) in action Saturday morning at NHMS. Photo by David Swarts, copyright Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
On Saturday, Narbonne used Pirelli rain tires on his 64 Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6 to post the quickest lap time, a 1:15.868, but he will start Saturday’s 25-lap race from second on the grid based on the 1:10.747 he did on Friday.
PJ Jacobsen, riding his Dunlop-fitted Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V2 Next-Gen Supersport machine, was third in the damp Saturday morning session (1:18.491) and third in the dry session on Friday (1:10.854).
Scott’s teammate Richie Escalante, who is riding the challenging track for the first time, will start the race from fourth on the grid based on the 1:10.886 he did on Friday.
Row two starters include Stefano Mesa (1:10.985), who is riding a Pirelli-equipped Boulder MotorSports Pierobon X80R powered by a Ducati 848 engine with full Marelli electronics; Eric Wood (1:11.008), who is riding a Dunlop-tired Woodcraft Ducati 1098 R fitted with an 848 engine; 20-year-old Eli Block (1:11.559), who is riding a Team ECB/Bartcon Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 on Michelins; and Tyler Sweeney (1:11.565), who is riding a Sweeney Racing Team Yamaha on Dunlops.
The qualifying cutoff time for the race was 107.5% of the pole time, 1:15.973, and the field was limited to the top 32 riders.
The 25-lap 100th Loudon Classic, which pays a cash purse of $250,000 including $55,000 to the race winner, is scheduled to start at 3:15 p.m. Eastern Time – rain of shine. All all of the top riders Roadracingworld.com spoke to indicated that they will start the race regardless of the conditions.
The weather forecast calls for a chance of rain through the day Saturday.
The race will be broadcast tape-delayed on YouTube on the Kaplan America channel.
100th Loudon Classic Presented by NEMRR
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, New Hampshire
June 17, 2023
Combined Qualifying Session A & B Results (damp-but-drying conditions):
Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame Announces 2023 Inductees
Toronto, ON – The Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame are pleased to announce their 2023 Inductees:
Competitors Jordan Szoke and Greg Williams; Contributors Bill Jamieson, Dave Lloyd and Colin Fraser; and competitor/contributors Bob Fisher and Dave McLean.
Also confirmed is the 2023 winner of the Bar and Hedy Hodgson Award, Can-Am, and Ambassador Awards for Chris Ellis and Bob Ramsay.
The contributions to Canada’s already rich motorcycling heritage by each member of this group is greatly appreciated. These individuals will be joining a group of their peers – legends and champions – who have made an exceptional contribution to the history of motorcycling in Canada.
The 16th Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame induction Banquet and Reunion will include an evening’s presentation of these individuals on stage. This event takes place on Saturday, November 4 at the Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale in Mississauga, northwest of Toronto, Ontario.
Further information, including ticket availability, will be published on Facebook and on the official site at canmoto.ca.
Waters and McMartin in Ominous Form After Dominant Saturday at Hidden Valley
The dominant performance of championship leader Josh Waters (McMartin Racing with K-Tech Suspension) in the opening race of the Alpinestars Superbike category that is on the card with the betr Darwin Triple Crown this weekend, confirmed that his results at the last round of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championships, presented by Motul at Queensland Raceway back in April was an aberration.
From the nine races contested in this year’s championship chase, Waters has won seven and broken the lap record at three tracks from the four venues the championship has visited.
Josh Waters (21) won Australian Superbike Race One Saturday at Hidden Valley Raceway. Photo by Endorphin Media, courtesy ASBK.
The opposition will be extremely worried for the two, 16-lap races tomorrow, and for that matter the remaining three rounds. The dominance commenced in the morning’s qualifying session when Waters went within one-thousandth of a second of equalling the fastest-ever recorded lap by a motorcycle of the Hidden Valley circuit set by Wayne Maxwell last year. He was the only rider in the 15-minute session to record a sub-65 second lap with defending champion Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) second fastest and Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda) rounding out the front row.
Hidden Valley provides a massive 440-metre drag to the first turn from the front row of the grid so it was vitally important for his rivals to attempt to beat Waters to the turn but it was not to be. Herfoss and Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW) managed to be side-by-side, but Waters on the outside managed to hold the corner entry to take the lead from Allerton, Herfoss in third, and defending champion Mike Jones in fourth.
Waters was never headed on his way to a scintillating win to make it eight victories in his career at the Darwin venue.
The quartet quickly gapped the rest of the field but after five laps Waters had carved out nearly a second lead as Allerton muscled him trying to force the “Mildura Missile” into a mistake, but Waters responded by breaking the lap record (also held by Maxwell) twice in two laps to set the bar at 1:05.307 and demoralise the opposition.
Waters set up an unassailable lead to establish a race-winning buffer of 2.435 seconds after 13 laps, as Herfoss, Jones and Allerton fought over the scraps.
Allerton tried everything to stay in touch with Waters and held onto second spot until the start of the sixth lap when Herfoss overtook him charging into turn one. Jones followed soon after with a very brave, ballsy and committed move on the BMW rider going through the daunting Turn 3.
Behind the leading four, an entertaining battle ensued between Bryan Staring (MotoGo Yamaha), Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) who will rue another shocker of a start, with Anthony West, (Addicted To Track). Halliday after being eighth early in the race muscled his way to the front of the trio but no sooner had he succeeded that he ran off at turn one and dropped back to an extremely disappointing eighth place. It was undoubtedly not the result he was after and Cru cut a dejected figure after the race.
Waters has now increased his championship lead 24 points over Herfoss with Allerton now in a clear third position 29 points adrift of Herfoss with Halliday’s lackluster result putting him a further five points behind with his teammate, Mike Jones clambering his way up the points table to be in sixth, seven points behind his team-mate.
Sunday will consist of races two and three at 08:30 ACST and 13:10 ACST respectively.
Spaniard Jorge Martin took a convincing victory in the FIM MotoGP World Championship Sprint race Saturday at Sachsenring, in Germany. Riding his Prima Pramac Racing Ducati Desmosedici, Martin won the 15-lap race by 2.468 seconds.
Defending World Champion Francesco Bagnaia was the runner-up on his Lenovo Team Ducati, and Red Bull KTM’s Jack Miller earned the final spot on the podium.
Martin escapes Bagnaia & Miller for statement Sachsenring Sprint win
The number 89 continues his roll to defeat the reigning Champion, with Miller putting KTM back on the rostrum as Marc Marquez suffers a tough Tissot Sprint
Francesco Bagnaia (1) and Jack Miller (43) fight for the lead ahead of Luca Marini (10), Johann Zarco (5), Jorge Martin (89), and the rest in Saturday’s MotoGP Sprint race. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Saturday, 17 June 2023
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) is becoming a Tissot Sprint master in 2023, making it two wins in the last three on a Saturday afternoon after more glory at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. The Spaniard beat World Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) by 2.4s and in doing so, Martin moves up to second overall, with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the rostrum.
A barnstorming start
Miller got a rocket ship launch on the KTM RC16 once again, he had the inside line for Turn 1 but Bagnaia hung it around the outside to hit the front at Turn 2. Miller tried to make a move stick at Turn 8 but that didn’t work, and Martin then made his way through on Miller down at Turn 12.
On Lap 2 at Turn 1 though, Bagnaia and Martin were wide and that allowed Miller to move back through to the lead. Then it tightened up again, with lead group of five formed as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) joined the party.
Meanwhile, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) wasn’t enjoying his early Sprint laps, the King of the Ring down to P9 on Lap 5, and that despite having made a good start.
Back at the front, it had become a top seven as Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) joined the breathless action, and Martin was on the move back into the lead too as he grabbed P1 with a beautiful double overtake down the Waterfall as the two ahead shuffled.
Pin pulled
Lap 6 ticked by and Martin was asking big questions – a 1:20.990 saw the Spaniard sit eight tenths clear of Bagnaia, who had also now overtaken Miller. Another fastest lap of the Sprint came in from Martin with nine laps to go, and the gap was up to 1.1s. A lap later it was 1.3s. it seemed Bagnaia didn’t have an answer and barring any drama, the top three looked like they were set for the Sprint: Martin led Bagnaia by 1.4s, and the latter 0.8s clear of Miller.
The Aussie was, in turn, 1.4s ahead of Marini, but the battle for P4 was alive and kicking as Marini had Binder and Zarco right on his coattails. The three-way tussle was fascinating as twice Binder tried to find a way through on Marini at Turn 1, but both times the South African was slightly wide.
As Martin crossed the line for another stunning Sprint win and Bagnaia and Miller secured their visits to the rostrum, the battle was hotting up. At Turn 11, the rapid right-hander, Zarco pounced on Binder and the South African was sent wide, losing some ground as the Frenchman disappeared up the road to take that fifth place. It was investigated but no further action taken…
Jorge Martin (89) won Saturday’s MotoGP Sprint race. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Marini held onto P4 ahead of Zarco and Binder as Bezzecchi, Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) completed the points scorers in P7, P8 and P9. Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) rounded out the top 10, with Marc Marquez dropping from P7 to P11 in a disappointing Sprint on a circuit he’s been unbeatable at. He said after the race that risk vs reward saw him roll off.
Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) crashed unhurt at Turn 1, with Jonas Folger (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) retiring from his home GP Sprint.
Next: Grand Prix Sunday!
21 points split the top duo in the Championship ahead of Grand Prix Sunday at the Sachsenring – those two riders are now Bagnaia and Martin. Tune into the MotoGP™ race at 14:00 local time (GMT+2) for another stunning showdown!
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Pedro Acosta earned pole position during Moto2 qualifying Saturday at Sachsenring, in Germany. The Spanish rider lapped the 2.28-mile (3.67 km) road course in 1:23.858.
Elf Marc VDS Racing’s Tony Arbolino was the best of the rest at 1:24.127, and Polar Cube GASGAS Aspar Team rider Jake Dixon earned the third and final spot on the front row with a time of 1:24.158.
Americans Joe Roberts (1:24.909) and Sean Dylan Kelly (1:25.519) qualified 16th and 18th, respectively, and both will start the race from Row Six of the 29-rider grid.
Japanese rider Ayumu Sasaki claimed pole position during Moto3 qualifying at Sachsenring, in Germany. Riding his Liqui Moly Intact GP Husqvarna, Sasaki broke the All-Time Lap Record he set Friday, 1:25.840, with a 1:25.130 on Saturday. Not only was Sasaki’s lap a record and good enough for pole position, it was 1.092 seconds better than the next-fastest rider, Deniz Oncu, in the normally tight field.
Spaniard Jordi Torres won FIM MotoE World Championship Race One Saturday at Sachsenring, in Germany. Riding his Openbank Aspar Team Ducati electric racebike, Torres won the 10-lap race by just 0.778 second over Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE team’s Randy Krummenacher. HP Pons Los40 rider Nicolas Spinelli was a very close third.
The Spaniard was back on the top step, with Garzo and Granado crashing out… but a penalty promoting Ferrari to a valuable third
Jordi Torres (81) leading MotoE Race One. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Saturday, 17 June 2023
Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) took a stunning victory at the Sachsenring in Race 1 after a dramatic . Polesitter Torres lost out at the start but a series of incredible overtakes and then late drama meant he took victory. Swiss rider Randy Krummenacher (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) claimed his best MotoE™ result with second, while Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE) was ultimately classified third after a penalty for rookie Nicholas Spinelli (HP Pons Los40).
The lights went out for Race 1 and rookie Spinelli took the lead into Turn 1, but he soon relinquished that on Lap 2 when Hector Garzo (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) came past in search of his first MotoE™ win. Garzo’s pace meant he was able to set a new race lap record on the second lap, with a 1:27.914, before the race pace across the field slowed down. The Spaniard was unable to pull away from the chasing pack as polesitter Torres kept the pressure on, although he found himself dropping down the order in the early stages.
Mugello Race 2 winner Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) moved into the podium places as he passed Mattia Casadei (HP Pons Los40) with an unconventional but effective move at Turn 2 on Lap 5 before he set his sights on Torres up ahead. A lap later and Granado was through on the two-time World Cup winner at Turn 12; a move he repeated on Lap 7 on Garzo to move into the lead. Granado’s lead lasted just a couple of laps as Torres, who had battled back into the lead fight, came by on Lap 9 at Turn 12 to take the lead.
The drama continued at the start of the final lap. Both Granado and Garzo crashed at Turn 1, in separate incidents, with Granado attempting to re-take the lead when he lost the front of his Ducati machine while Garzo went down after contact with Spinelli. The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards with Spinelli given a three-second penalty, the equivalent of a Long Lap Penalty. The incident itself saw Krummenacher take over in second and Spinelli third initially, but the Italian dropped to sixth once the penalty was applied. That puts Ferrari into third, and given the Italian had started tenth after he was disqualified from Q2 for a technical infringement, it was a first job of the day well done.
Ferrari was three tenths clear of Alessandro Zaccone (Tech3 E-racing) in fourth, the Italian back into the front echelons as he gains experience on the new Ducati and returns from Moto2™. Zaccone had a two-second margin over Casadei in fifth. Spinelli was sixth with his penalty, finishing ahead of Tito Rabat (Prettl Pramac MotoE™) in eighth as the Spaniard made gains. Mugello Race 1 victor Andrea Mantovani (RNF MotoE Team) was ninth with Hikari Okubo (Tech3 E-racing) rounding out the top ten.
Defending World Champion Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia conquered tricky drying conditions and his competition to claim his second consecutive pole position during MotoGP qualifying Saturday at Sachsenring, in Germany.
Riding his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici on Michelin slicks on a drying track, the Italian lapped the 2.28-mile (3.67 km) track in 1:21.409 to edge out Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati’s Luca Marini (1:21.4487) and Red Bull KTM’s Jack Miller (1:21.492).
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez, meanwhile, continued to struggle, crashing three times between Q1 and Q2. Marquez’s condition was not immediately known.
Bagnaia takes pole, Marc Marquez makes it a blockbuster qualifying in Germany
Bagnaia, Marini & Miller head the grid, but MM93 steals the headlines after recovering from Q1 and three crashes to take a hard-earned P7
Saturday, 17 June 2023
Crashes, pitlane sprints and serious skills were on show as MotoGP™ qualifying at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland threw up drama aplenty. It will be Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) starting from pole position as the Italian’s 1:21.409 saw him beat Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) by 0.078s, with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing a front row split by just 0.083s. Elsewhere, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) claimed a third row start despite three crashes across Q1 and Q2, the number 93 going all in against quite a mountain to climb.
Slick tyre gambles pay off
After an eventful Friday, King of the Ring Marc Marquez found himself in Q1 – and after morning rainfall, conditions were damp but drying quickly at the Sachsenring. After one flying lap, the #93 led Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) by 0.9s before pulling into pitlane. There was a very noticeable dry line but Marquez ventured back out on Michelin’s rain tyres, as did Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), but Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) opted for a pair of slicks.
Then, 0.3s under his fastest lap, it was unlucky Turn 13 as Marquez tucked the front. The Spaniard had barely come to a halt before he was up and legging it back to pitlane to hop on his second RC213V – on slick tyres. Meanwhile, on rain tyres still, Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) went P2 before Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was then fastest. He too was on rain tyres but Binder moved the goalposts on his slick tyres – the South African 0.4s quicker than Viñales, with Marquez P3 heading onto his final lap.
Binder improved again on his next lap, his advantage up to nearly two seconds, as Marquez engaged attack mode. A moment out the final corner cost the HRC star time, but not enough to stop him from snatching P2 from Viñales. Binder and Marc Marquez sailed into Q2 as the slick tyre gamble paid off.
Drama, drama and a bit more drama
A few more minutes of Sachsenring sun, coupled with Binder and Marc Marquez’s Q1 exploits, saw the Q2 field head straight out on slick tyres. Bagnaia set the initial benchmark but his 1:24.285 wasn’t going to stay as the time to beat for long. Then, Turn 13 bit Marc Marquez hard – again. A highside saw the Repsol Honda rider unable to rejoin but after a few minutes, Marquez was back in pitlane. On the next lap, Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) also highsided and became the second rider in qualifying to sprint up pitlane. Relentless drama.
On track, Bagnaia was leading the way from Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Marini, with KTM double act Miller and Binder in P4 and P5. With five minutes to go, Pecco hammered home his advantage – the gap to Martin was now 0.5s and the time to beat was 1:22.028.
But a lot can happen in five minutes. Especially when Marc Marquez is rumbling out of pitlane. The clock ticked down to three minutes remaining and now we had all 12 riders on track – it was time to throw caution to the wind. Miller pounced to P2 with Binder going P3 and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) was up P4 before Zarco climbed to the summit.
This was going to change constantly. Miller was P1 before Marini bettered the Aussie, as Zarco crashed and for a third time, so did Marquez. This time it was Turn 1 that saw Marquez slide into the gravel and those yellow flags, coupled with the Zarco crash, meant plenty of laps were cancelled in the final minute.
THE GRID(S)
Emerging from the drama, Pecco claimed pole from VR46 Academy stablemate Marini and former Ducati teammate Miller, who continues to thrive on the KTM. Despite a late tumble, Zarco launches from P4 ahead of Bezzecchi and Martin, with Marc Marquez P7 after those three qualifying crashes.
The eight-time World Champion is joined on Row 3 by Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Binder, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Quartararo completing the Q2 order.
Tyler Scott, age 17, took provisional pole position during qualifying for the $250,000 100th Loudon Classic Presented by NEMRR Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS), in Loudon, New Hampshire.
Riding his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 Next-Gen MotoAmerica Supersport bike on Dunlop Sportmax Slicks, Scott lapped the undulating and bumpy 1.6-mile road course in 1:10.673 to top the field of 48 riders.
“We came here for testing last month and did a 1:10.9,” Scott told Roadracingworld.com. “We’ve been kind of chasing that all day, and then we did a 1:10.8 in the first [Pro Practice/Qualifying] session. But Shane Narbonne did a 1:10.7. So, we made some small changes to get some more front-end grip and then we were able to do a 1:10.6. I have a good feeling with the bike, a good feeling with the team, and, even though it’s only my second time here, a good feeling with the track.”
Shane Narbonne, the 10-time and defending Loudon Classic Champion, did a 1:10.747 on his Pirelli-shod 64 Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6 in the first of two Pro Practice/Qualifying sessions late Friday evening, but he failed to improve on that time in the second session and ended up second-quickest when Friday’s provisional qualifying times were combined.
Narbonne lost some time in that final session when he pulled offline exiting Turn 10, slowed to walking speed, and kicked at two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch, who was admittedly trying to get a tow off Narbonne and had also slowed to stay behind him.
Shane Narbonne (left) kicked at Brandon Paasch during qualifying for the 100th Loudon Classic Friday when Paasch was trying to get a tow off Narbonne. Photo by David Swarts, copyright Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
“He blew Turn Two,” Narbonne told Roadracingworld.com. “He tried to hunt me down, and I tried to pull off, and he just kept following me. Childish games.”
“I think he just got a little pisssed off that I was following him,” said Paasch. “I mean, I didn’t really do nothing wrong. We do this every weekend. Somebody’s always trying to follow somebody else. That’s just part of the racing. World Superbike does it. MotoGP does it. BSB does it. MotoAmerica does it. So, he was mad that I was following him, started flipping me off, yelling ‘F*** you!’ through his helmet. Like, I could hear him.
“I was, whatever, he’s going to have to go for a lap because there’s only two minutes left. So, I just sat behind him because the dude’s fast here. You know what I mean? It’s the same thing anywhere. You want to go behind the fastest-possible guy you can get behind. I know he’s fast here. Why wouldn’t I want to follow the fastest guy?
“So, I’m sitting behind him. He’s getting all mad, waving his hands around like a child. We come down through Turn Nine, the left, then [Turn] 10, the right. And we’re in first gear by this point, literally just cruising. And I’m like, I’m not letting you not give me a tow. He kind of makes like a hard left towards the wall and then just like a hard right and about cleaned my front wheel out. Then he kicked the front of my bike at the same time. And I just gave him a thumbs up. I was like, ‘Real professional, bro.’ And that was really the end of it.”
NEMRR officials are investigating the incident between Narbonne and Paasch, according to Executive Director John Grush, but NEMRR’s Referee had not yet determined if any sanctions will be issued as of post time.
Update: According to Grush, Paasch was fined $100 for not using the correct procedure at the Turn Two escape road and $100 for inappropriate/dangerous riding and Narbonne was fined $100 for inappropriate/dangerous riding and $500 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
PJ Jacobson was third-fastest Friday with a lap time of 1:10.854 on a Dunlop-fitted Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V2 he had never ridden before Friday morning.
Earning the fourth and final spot on the provisional front row was Scott’s teammate Richie Escalante, who bounced back from a big highside crash Friday morning to do a 1:10.886 on his second day ever riding at NHMS.
Final qualifying is scheduled to take place Saturday morning, but with a strong chance of rain and much cooler temperatures in the forecast, it’s possible that the grid for the 100th Loudon Classic may have already been set.
The race – with its $55,000 first-place prize up for grabs — is scheduled to start at 3:15 p.m. Eastern Time.
100th Loudon Classic Presented by NEMRR
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, New Hampshire
June 16, 2023
Combined Pro Practice/Pre-Qualifying Session One & Two Results:
Spaniard Hector Garza won FIM MotoE World Championship Race Two Saturday at Sachsenring, in Germany.
Garza, riding his Dynavolt Intact GP Ducati electric racebike, won the six-lap race by just 0.233 second over HP Pons Los40’s Mattia Casadei. Openbank Aspar Team’s Jordi Torres was equally close in third, just 0.290 second behind Garza.
Just 0.857 second covered the top seven finishers.
Hector Garzo (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) secured his first MotoE™ win in dramatic circumstances in a shortened Race 2, the Spaniard making a sensational overtake on Mattia Casadei (HP Pons Los40) and Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) on Lap 6 to claim victory before the red flag came out due to rain, with Casadei and Torres completing the podium.
Garzo got the holeshot as he looked to respond from his Race 1 disappointment, where he was taken out of the race while fighting in the podium places. On Lap 3 though, the tension was high as drops of rain were falling around the circuit and Race 1 winner Torres made his move for the lead on the same lap, up the inside of Garzo at Turn 12. His lead didn’t last long though as Casadei went from third to first at Turn 1 on Lap 4.
On Lap 5, the pair switched positions twice. Torres initially re-took the lead at Turn 12 before Casadei responded immediately at Turn 13. Just one lap later and Garzo had moved back into first as he pulled off the exact same move Casadei did at Turn 1 to overtake the Italian and Torres. It turned out to be the race-winning move as red flags were shown on Lap 7 due to weather conditions worsening. Garzo, Casadei and Torres therefore finish on the Race 2 podium in Germany with just 0.368s separating the trio.
Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) took fourth place, missing out on a podium by just 0.025s as the field bunched up while the rain came down, but it’s solid points for the Brazilian after his Rae 1 crash. Nicholas Spinelli (HP Pons Los40) finished fifth on take two, with Randy Krummenacher (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) in sixth and Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) just behind the Swiss rider in seventh. Just 0.857s separated the top seven when the red flags were shown.
Japanese rider Hikari Okubo (Tech3 E-racing) secured eighth place with teammate Alessandro Zaccone in ninth as Mugello Race 1 winner Andrea Mantovani (RNF MotoE™Team) rounded out the top ten.
That’s a wrap on the Sachsenring! MotoE™ now heads to Assen next week for the Dutch Grand Prix – don’t forget to tune in to all the action!
Shane Narbonne (64), as seen during damp final qualifying for the 100th Loudon Classic. Photo by David Swarts, copyright Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Shane Narbonne, the 10-time and defending Champion, was fastest in the damp-but-drying final qualifying sessions Saturday morning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but 17-year-old Tyler Scott will start the 100th Loudon Classic from pole position based on the lap time he did during provisional qualifying in the dry on Friday.
On Friday, Scott lapped the 1.6-mile 12-turn road course in 1:10.673 on his Dunlop-shod Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 Next-Gen Supersport bike to top the field of 48 hopefuls.
Tyler Scott (70) in action Saturday morning at NHMS. Photo by David Swarts, copyright Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
On Saturday, Narbonne used Pirelli rain tires on his 64 Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6 to post the quickest lap time, a 1:15.868, but he will start Saturday’s 25-lap race from second on the grid based on the 1:10.747 he did on Friday.
PJ Jacobsen, riding his Dunlop-fitted Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V2 Next-Gen Supersport machine, was third in the damp Saturday morning session (1:18.491) and third in the dry session on Friday (1:10.854).
Scott’s teammate Richie Escalante, who is riding the challenging track for the first time, will start the race from fourth on the grid based on the 1:10.886 he did on Friday.
Row two starters include Stefano Mesa (1:10.985), who is riding a Pirelli-equipped Boulder MotorSports Pierobon X80R powered by a Ducati 848 engine with full Marelli electronics; Eric Wood (1:11.008), who is riding a Dunlop-tired Woodcraft Ducati 1098 R fitted with an 848 engine; 20-year-old Eli Block (1:11.559), who is riding a Team ECB/Bartcon Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 on Michelins; and Tyler Sweeney (1:11.565), who is riding a Sweeney Racing Team Yamaha on Dunlops.
The qualifying cutoff time for the race was 107.5% of the pole time, 1:15.973, and the field was limited to the top 32 riders.
The 25-lap 100th Loudon Classic, which pays a cash purse of $250,000 including $55,000 to the race winner, is scheduled to start at 3:15 p.m. Eastern Time – rain of shine. All all of the top riders Roadracingworld.com spoke to indicated that they will start the race regardless of the conditions.
The weather forecast calls for a chance of rain through the day Saturday.
The race will be broadcast tape-delayed on YouTube on the Kaplan America channel.
100th Loudon Classic Presented by NEMRR
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, New Hampshire
June 17, 2023
Combined Qualifying Session A & B Results (damp-but-drying conditions):
Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame members at the Bridgestone CSBK event in Grand Bend (from left): Gary McKinnon (Class of 2016), Toni Sharpless (2011), Steve Beattie (2017), Clive Ng-A-Kien (2019), and 2023 CSBK inductees, 14-time CSBK Champion Jordan Szoke and CSBK founder Colin Fraser. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame Announces 2023 Inductees
Toronto, ON – The Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame are pleased to announce their 2023 Inductees:
Competitors Jordan Szoke and Greg Williams; Contributors Bill Jamieson, Dave Lloyd and Colin Fraser; and competitor/contributors Bob Fisher and Dave McLean.
Also confirmed is the 2023 winner of the Bar and Hedy Hodgson Award, Can-Am, and Ambassador Awards for Chris Ellis and Bob Ramsay.
The contributions to Canada’s already rich motorcycling heritage by each member of this group is greatly appreciated. These individuals will be joining a group of their peers – legends and champions – who have made an exceptional contribution to the history of motorcycling in Canada.
The 16th Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame induction Banquet and Reunion will include an evening’s presentation of these individuals on stage. This event takes place on Saturday, November 4 at the Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale in Mississauga, northwest of Toronto, Ontario.
Further information, including ticket availability, will be published on Facebook and on the official site at canmoto.ca.
Troy Herfoss (17) leads Glenn Allerton during Race One at Hidden Valley Raceway. Photo courtesy ASBK.
Waters and McMartin in Ominous Form After Dominant Saturday at Hidden Valley
The dominant performance of championship leader Josh Waters (McMartin Racing with K-Tech Suspension) in the opening race of the Alpinestars Superbike category that is on the card with the betr Darwin Triple Crown this weekend, confirmed that his results at the last round of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championships, presented by Motul at Queensland Raceway back in April was an aberration.
From the nine races contested in this year’s championship chase, Waters has won seven and broken the lap record at three tracks from the four venues the championship has visited.
Josh Waters (21) won Australian Superbike Race One Saturday at Hidden Valley Raceway. Photo by Endorphin Media, courtesy ASBK.
The opposition will be extremely worried for the two, 16-lap races tomorrow, and for that matter the remaining three rounds. The dominance commenced in the morning’s qualifying session when Waters went within one-thousandth of a second of equalling the fastest-ever recorded lap by a motorcycle of the Hidden Valley circuit set by Wayne Maxwell last year. He was the only rider in the 15-minute session to record a sub-65 second lap with defending champion Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) second fastest and Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda) rounding out the front row.
Hidden Valley provides a massive 440-metre drag to the first turn from the front row of the grid so it was vitally important for his rivals to attempt to beat Waters to the turn but it was not to be. Herfoss and Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW) managed to be side-by-side, but Waters on the outside managed to hold the corner entry to take the lead from Allerton, Herfoss in third, and defending champion Mike Jones in fourth.
Waters was never headed on his way to a scintillating win to make it eight victories in his career at the Darwin venue.
The quartet quickly gapped the rest of the field but after five laps Waters had carved out nearly a second lead as Allerton muscled him trying to force the “Mildura Missile” into a mistake, but Waters responded by breaking the lap record (also held by Maxwell) twice in two laps to set the bar at 1:05.307 and demoralise the opposition.
Waters set up an unassailable lead to establish a race-winning buffer of 2.435 seconds after 13 laps, as Herfoss, Jones and Allerton fought over the scraps.
Allerton tried everything to stay in touch with Waters and held onto second spot until the start of the sixth lap when Herfoss overtook him charging into turn one. Jones followed soon after with a very brave, ballsy and committed move on the BMW rider going through the daunting Turn 3.
Behind the leading four, an entertaining battle ensued between Bryan Staring (MotoGo Yamaha), Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) who will rue another shocker of a start, with Anthony West, (Addicted To Track). Halliday after being eighth early in the race muscled his way to the front of the trio but no sooner had he succeeded that he ran off at turn one and dropped back to an extremely disappointing eighth place. It was undoubtedly not the result he was after and Cru cut a dejected figure after the race.
Waters has now increased his championship lead 24 points over Herfoss with Allerton now in a clear third position 29 points adrift of Herfoss with Halliday’s lackluster result putting him a further five points behind with his teammate, Mike Jones clambering his way up the points table to be in sixth, seven points behind his team-mate.
Sunday will consist of races two and three at 08:30 ACST and 13:10 ACST respectively.
Spaniard Jorge Martin took a convincing victory in the FIM MotoGP World Championship Sprint race Saturday at Sachsenring, in Germany. Riding his Prima Pramac Racing Ducati Desmosedici, Martin won the 15-lap race by 2.468 seconds.
Defending World Champion Francesco Bagnaia was the runner-up on his Lenovo Team Ducati, and Red Bull KTM’s Jack Miller earned the final spot on the podium.
Martin escapes Bagnaia & Miller for statement Sachsenring Sprint win
The number 89 continues his roll to defeat the reigning Champion, with Miller putting KTM back on the rostrum as Marc Marquez suffers a tough Tissot Sprint
Francesco Bagnaia (1) and Jack Miller (43) fight for the lead ahead of Luca Marini (10), Johann Zarco (5), Jorge Martin (89), and the rest in Saturday’s MotoGP Sprint race. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Saturday, 17 June 2023
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) is becoming a Tissot Sprint master in 2023, making it two wins in the last three on a Saturday afternoon after more glory at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. The Spaniard beat World Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) by 2.4s and in doing so, Martin moves up to second overall, with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the rostrum.
A barnstorming start
Miller got a rocket ship launch on the KTM RC16 once again, he had the inside line for Turn 1 but Bagnaia hung it around the outside to hit the front at Turn 2. Miller tried to make a move stick at Turn 8 but that didn’t work, and Martin then made his way through on Miller down at Turn 12.
On Lap 2 at Turn 1 though, Bagnaia and Martin were wide and that allowed Miller to move back through to the lead. Then it tightened up again, with lead group of five formed as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) joined the party.
Meanwhile, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) wasn’t enjoying his early Sprint laps, the King of the Ring down to P9 on Lap 5, and that despite having made a good start.
Back at the front, it had become a top seven as Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) joined the breathless action, and Martin was on the move back into the lead too as he grabbed P1 with a beautiful double overtake down the Waterfall as the two ahead shuffled.
Pin pulled
Lap 6 ticked by and Martin was asking big questions – a 1:20.990 saw the Spaniard sit eight tenths clear of Bagnaia, who had also now overtaken Miller. Another fastest lap of the Sprint came in from Martin with nine laps to go, and the gap was up to 1.1s. A lap later it was 1.3s. it seemed Bagnaia didn’t have an answer and barring any drama, the top three looked like they were set for the Sprint: Martin led Bagnaia by 1.4s, and the latter 0.8s clear of Miller.
The Aussie was, in turn, 1.4s ahead of Marini, but the battle for P4 was alive and kicking as Marini had Binder and Zarco right on his coattails. The three-way tussle was fascinating as twice Binder tried to find a way through on Marini at Turn 1, but both times the South African was slightly wide.
As Martin crossed the line for another stunning Sprint win and Bagnaia and Miller secured their visits to the rostrum, the battle was hotting up. At Turn 11, the rapid right-hander, Zarco pounced on Binder and the South African was sent wide, losing some ground as the Frenchman disappeared up the road to take that fifth place. It was investigated but no further action taken…
Jorge Martin (89) won Saturday’s MotoGP Sprint race. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Marini held onto P4 ahead of Zarco and Binder as Bezzecchi, Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) completed the points scorers in P7, P8 and P9. Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) rounded out the top 10, with Marc Marquez dropping from P7 to P11 in a disappointing Sprint on a circuit he’s been unbeatable at. He said after the race that risk vs reward saw him roll off.
Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) crashed unhurt at Turn 1, with Jonas Folger (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) retiring from his home GP Sprint.
Next: Grand Prix Sunday!
21 points split the top duo in the Championship ahead of Grand Prix Sunday at the Sachsenring – those two riders are now Bagnaia and Martin. Tune into the MotoGP™ race at 14:00 local time (GMT+2) for another stunning showdown!
Pedro Acosta (37), as seen earlier this season. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Pedro Acosta earned pole position during Moto2 qualifying Saturday at Sachsenring, in Germany. The Spanish rider lapped the 2.28-mile (3.67 km) road course in 1:23.858.
Elf Marc VDS Racing’s Tony Arbolino was the best of the rest at 1:24.127, and Polar Cube GASGAS Aspar Team rider Jake Dixon earned the third and final spot on the front row with a time of 1:24.158.
Americans Joe Roberts (1:24.909) and Sean Dylan Kelly (1:25.519) qualified 16th and 18th, respectively, and both will start the race from Row Six of the 29-rider grid.
Japanese rider Ayumu Sasaki claimed pole position during Moto3 qualifying at Sachsenring, in Germany. Riding his Liqui Moly Intact GP Husqvarna, Sasaki broke the All-Time Lap Record he set Friday, 1:25.840, with a 1:25.130 on Saturday. Not only was Sasaki’s lap a record and good enough for pole position, it was 1.092 seconds better than the next-fastest rider, Deniz Oncu, in the normally tight field.
Spaniard Jordi Torres won FIM MotoE World Championship Race One Saturday at Sachsenring, in Germany. Riding his Openbank Aspar Team Ducati electric racebike, Torres won the 10-lap race by just 0.778 second over Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE team’s Randy Krummenacher. HP Pons Los40 rider Nicolas Spinelli was a very close third.
The Spaniard was back on the top step, with Garzo and Granado crashing out… but a penalty promoting Ferrari to a valuable third
Jordi Torres (81) leading MotoE Race One. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Saturday, 17 June 2023
Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) took a stunning victory at the Sachsenring in Race 1 after a dramatic . Polesitter Torres lost out at the start but a series of incredible overtakes and then late drama meant he took victory. Swiss rider Randy Krummenacher (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) claimed his best MotoE™ result with second, while Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE) was ultimately classified third after a penalty for rookie Nicholas Spinelli (HP Pons Los40).
The lights went out for Race 1 and rookie Spinelli took the lead into Turn 1, but he soon relinquished that on Lap 2 when Hector Garzo (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) came past in search of his first MotoE™ win. Garzo’s pace meant he was able to set a new race lap record on the second lap, with a 1:27.914, before the race pace across the field slowed down. The Spaniard was unable to pull away from the chasing pack as polesitter Torres kept the pressure on, although he found himself dropping down the order in the early stages.
Mugello Race 2 winner Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) moved into the podium places as he passed Mattia Casadei (HP Pons Los40) with an unconventional but effective move at Turn 2 on Lap 5 before he set his sights on Torres up ahead. A lap later and Granado was through on the two-time World Cup winner at Turn 12; a move he repeated on Lap 7 on Garzo to move into the lead. Granado’s lead lasted just a couple of laps as Torres, who had battled back into the lead fight, came by on Lap 9 at Turn 12 to take the lead.
The drama continued at the start of the final lap. Both Granado and Garzo crashed at Turn 1, in separate incidents, with Granado attempting to re-take the lead when he lost the front of his Ducati machine while Garzo went down after contact with Spinelli. The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards with Spinelli given a three-second penalty, the equivalent of a Long Lap Penalty. The incident itself saw Krummenacher take over in second and Spinelli third initially, but the Italian dropped to sixth once the penalty was applied. That puts Ferrari into third, and given the Italian had started tenth after he was disqualified from Q2 for a technical infringement, it was a first job of the day well done.
Ferrari was three tenths clear of Alessandro Zaccone (Tech3 E-racing) in fourth, the Italian back into the front echelons as he gains experience on the new Ducati and returns from Moto2™. Zaccone had a two-second margin over Casadei in fifth. Spinelli was sixth with his penalty, finishing ahead of Tito Rabat (Prettl Pramac MotoE™) in eighth as the Spaniard made gains. Mugello Race 1 victor Andrea Mantovani (RNF MotoE Team) was ninth with Hikari Okubo (Tech3 E-racing) rounding out the top ten.
Defending World Champion Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia conquered tricky drying conditions and his competition to claim his second consecutive pole position during MotoGP qualifying Saturday at Sachsenring, in Germany.
Riding his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici on Michelin slicks on a drying track, the Italian lapped the 2.28-mile (3.67 km) track in 1:21.409 to edge out Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati’s Luca Marini (1:21.4487) and Red Bull KTM’s Jack Miller (1:21.492).
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez, meanwhile, continued to struggle, crashing three times between Q1 and Q2. Marquez’s condition was not immediately known.
Bagnaia takes pole, Marc Marquez makes it a blockbuster qualifying in Germany
Bagnaia, Marini & Miller head the grid, but MM93 steals the headlines after recovering from Q1 and three crashes to take a hard-earned P7
Saturday, 17 June 2023
Crashes, pitlane sprints and serious skills were on show as MotoGP™ qualifying at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland threw up drama aplenty. It will be Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) starting from pole position as the Italian’s 1:21.409 saw him beat Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) by 0.078s, with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing a front row split by just 0.083s. Elsewhere, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) claimed a third row start despite three crashes across Q1 and Q2, the number 93 going all in against quite a mountain to climb.
Slick tyre gambles pay off
After an eventful Friday, King of the Ring Marc Marquez found himself in Q1 – and after morning rainfall, conditions were damp but drying quickly at the Sachsenring. After one flying lap, the #93 led Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) by 0.9s before pulling into pitlane. There was a very noticeable dry line but Marquez ventured back out on Michelin’s rain tyres, as did Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), but Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) opted for a pair of slicks.
Then, 0.3s under his fastest lap, it was unlucky Turn 13 as Marquez tucked the front. The Spaniard had barely come to a halt before he was up and legging it back to pitlane to hop on his second RC213V – on slick tyres. Meanwhile, on rain tyres still, Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) went P2 before Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was then fastest. He too was on rain tyres but Binder moved the goalposts on his slick tyres – the South African 0.4s quicker than Viñales, with Marquez P3 heading onto his final lap.
Binder improved again on his next lap, his advantage up to nearly two seconds, as Marquez engaged attack mode. A moment out the final corner cost the HRC star time, but not enough to stop him from snatching P2 from Viñales. Binder and Marc Marquez sailed into Q2 as the slick tyre gamble paid off.
Drama, drama and a bit more drama
A few more minutes of Sachsenring sun, coupled with Binder and Marc Marquez’s Q1 exploits, saw the Q2 field head straight out on slick tyres. Bagnaia set the initial benchmark but his 1:24.285 wasn’t going to stay as the time to beat for long. Then, Turn 13 bit Marc Marquez hard – again. A highside saw the Repsol Honda rider unable to rejoin but after a few minutes, Marquez was back in pitlane. On the next lap, Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) also highsided and became the second rider in qualifying to sprint up pitlane. Relentless drama.
On track, Bagnaia was leading the way from Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Marini, with KTM double act Miller and Binder in P4 and P5. With five minutes to go, Pecco hammered home his advantage – the gap to Martin was now 0.5s and the time to beat was 1:22.028.
But a lot can happen in five minutes. Especially when Marc Marquez is rumbling out of pitlane. The clock ticked down to three minutes remaining and now we had all 12 riders on track – it was time to throw caution to the wind. Miller pounced to P2 with Binder going P3 and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) was up P4 before Zarco climbed to the summit.
This was going to change constantly. Miller was P1 before Marini bettered the Aussie, as Zarco crashed and for a third time, so did Marquez. This time it was Turn 1 that saw Marquez slide into the gravel and those yellow flags, coupled with the Zarco crash, meant plenty of laps were cancelled in the final minute.
THE GRID(S)
Emerging from the drama, Pecco claimed pole from VR46 Academy stablemate Marini and former Ducati teammate Miller, who continues to thrive on the KTM. Despite a late tumble, Zarco launches from P4 ahead of Bezzecchi and Martin, with Marc Marquez P7 after those three qualifying crashes.
The eight-time World Champion is joined on Row 3 by Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Binder, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Quartararo completing the Q2 order.
Tyler Scott (70) leads Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Teagg Hobbs (behind Scott) and Richie Escalante (behind Hobbs) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Photo by Dylan Raduenz.
Tyler Scott, age 17, took provisional pole position during qualifying for the $250,000 100th Loudon Classic Presented by NEMRR Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS), in Loudon, New Hampshire.
Riding his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 Next-Gen MotoAmerica Supersport bike on Dunlop Sportmax Slicks, Scott lapped the undulating and bumpy 1.6-mile road course in 1:10.673 to top the field of 48 riders.
“We came here for testing last month and did a 1:10.9,” Scott told Roadracingworld.com. “We’ve been kind of chasing that all day, and then we did a 1:10.8 in the first [Pro Practice/Qualifying] session. But Shane Narbonne did a 1:10.7. So, we made some small changes to get some more front-end grip and then we were able to do a 1:10.6. I have a good feeling with the bike, a good feeling with the team, and, even though it’s only my second time here, a good feeling with the track.”
Shane Narbonne, the 10-time and defending Loudon Classic Champion, did a 1:10.747 on his Pirelli-shod 64 Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6 in the first of two Pro Practice/Qualifying sessions late Friday evening, but he failed to improve on that time in the second session and ended up second-quickest when Friday’s provisional qualifying times were combined.
Narbonne lost some time in that final session when he pulled offline exiting Turn 10, slowed to walking speed, and kicked at two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch, who was admittedly trying to get a tow off Narbonne and had also slowed to stay behind him.
Shane Narbonne (left) kicked at Brandon Paasch during qualifying for the 100th Loudon Classic Friday when Paasch was trying to get a tow off Narbonne. Photo by David Swarts, copyright Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
“He blew Turn Two,” Narbonne told Roadracingworld.com. “He tried to hunt me down, and I tried to pull off, and he just kept following me. Childish games.”
“I think he just got a little pisssed off that I was following him,” said Paasch. “I mean, I didn’t really do nothing wrong. We do this every weekend. Somebody’s always trying to follow somebody else. That’s just part of the racing. World Superbike does it. MotoGP does it. BSB does it. MotoAmerica does it. So, he was mad that I was following him, started flipping me off, yelling ‘F*** you!’ through his helmet. Like, I could hear him.
“I was, whatever, he’s going to have to go for a lap because there’s only two minutes left. So, I just sat behind him because the dude’s fast here. You know what I mean? It’s the same thing anywhere. You want to go behind the fastest-possible guy you can get behind. I know he’s fast here. Why wouldn’t I want to follow the fastest guy?
“So, I’m sitting behind him. He’s getting all mad, waving his hands around like a child. We come down through Turn Nine, the left, then [Turn] 10, the right. And we’re in first gear by this point, literally just cruising. And I’m like, I’m not letting you not give me a tow. He kind of makes like a hard left towards the wall and then just like a hard right and about cleaned my front wheel out. Then he kicked the front of my bike at the same time. And I just gave him a thumbs up. I was like, ‘Real professional, bro.’ And that was really the end of it.”
NEMRR officials are investigating the incident between Narbonne and Paasch, according to Executive Director John Grush, but NEMRR’s Referee had not yet determined if any sanctions will be issued as of post time.
Update: According to Grush, Paasch was fined $100 for not using the correct procedure at the Turn Two escape road and $100 for inappropriate/dangerous riding and Narbonne was fined $100 for inappropriate/dangerous riding and $500 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
PJ Jacobson was third-fastest Friday with a lap time of 1:10.854 on a Dunlop-fitted Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V2 he had never ridden before Friday morning.
Earning the fourth and final spot on the provisional front row was Scott’s teammate Richie Escalante, who bounced back from a big highside crash Friday morning to do a 1:10.886 on his second day ever riding at NHMS.
Final qualifying is scheduled to take place Saturday morning, but with a strong chance of rain and much cooler temperatures in the forecast, it’s possible that the grid for the 100th Loudon Classic may have already been set.
The race – with its $55,000 first-place prize up for grabs — is scheduled to start at 3:15 p.m. Eastern Time.
100th Loudon Classic Presented by NEMRR
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, New Hampshire
June 16, 2023
Combined Pro Practice/Pre-Qualifying Session One & Two Results:
A “press release” is promotional text issued by a rider, team, company or organization to inform
the public about an event, product, or service from the issuer’s own point of view, and if deemed
to have news value, may be placed on roadracingworld.com as a service to our readers.
A press release is not an article written by Roadracingworld.com staffers. When a post is labeled with the words “press release”, it means that Roadracingworld.com is not responsible for its content and that Roadracingworld.com makes no guarantee that it is accurate. Not all press releases are posted and Roadracingworld.com may reject press releases if the content is too heavy on commercial promotion with little or no news value or if the press release contains obvious errors.
Accessibility
Accessibility modes
Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Online Dictionary
Readable Experience
Content Scaling
Default
Text Magnifier
Readable Font
Dyslexia Friendly
Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Font Sizing
Default
Line Height
Default
Letter Spacing
Default
Left Aligned
Center Aligned
Right Aligned
Visually Pleasing Experience
Dark Contrast
Light Contrast
Monochrome
High Contrast
High Saturation
Low Saturation
Adjust Text Colors
Adjust Title Colors
Adjust Background Colors
Easy Orientation
Mute Sounds
Hide Images
Hide Emoji
Reading Guide
Stop Animations
Reading Mask
Highlight Hover
Highlight Focus
Big Dark Cursor
Big Light Cursor
Cognitive Reading
Virtual Keyboard
Navigation Keys
Voice Navigation
Accessibility Statement
www.roadracingworld.com
November 12, 2026
Compliance status
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience,
regardless of circumstance and ability.
To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level.
These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible
to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific
disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML,
adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with
screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive
a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements,
alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website.
In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels;
descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups),
and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag
for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology.
To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on
as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
