It is with deep regret that the Dundrod and District Motorcycle Club has been forced to abandon plans to revive the Ulster Grand Prix on August 18-19, 2023.
The club began the initiative with confidence, enjoying the full backing of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council and the Ulster Grand Prix Supporters’ Club. There was encouraging support from teams and riders and we also received strong commitments of financial support from the local business community for which we are extremely grateful.
However, in recent weeks those plans have been undermined by two specific issues.
Despite numerous requests by Dundrod club officials during the last six weeks, we have been totally frustrated in our attempts to gain access to a copy of the public liability insurance policy the Motorcycle Union of Ireland, Ulster Centre, has put in place for 2023.
The Dundrod club was expected to make an initial payment of £26,000 by mid-April. The finance is in place to make that payment but without sight and consideration of the policy documents, the club’s solicitor has advised this payment should not proceed.
That issue has been further compounded by ongoing uncertainty around funding for the event from Tourism NI. The Dundrod club made application to TNI last December as required. We are now in April 2023 and there has still been no indication as to whether or not this application will be successful or what level of support the UGP might be eligible to receive.
Given these uncertainties, the Dundrod club has been left with no option other than to make the unfortunate decision being announced today.
Following an eventful opening of the 2023 season in Portugal, Argentina and lately in Austin, Texas, the MotoGP World Championship returns to Europe this weekend with one of the classics in the calendar. The CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team is eager to compete at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto this weekend for the Spanish Grand Prix, one of three home rounds for team rider Raul Fernandez.
Following a strong catch up in the Sprint race as well as in the main race of the Americas Grand Prix last time out, Miguel Oliveira showed a strong comeback after being forced to sit out the second round of 2023. Starting from P15, he finished eighth in the Sprint and in an impressive fifth position of the full-length race on Sunday, collecting a total if 13 World Championship points. This weekend, the Portuguese star hopes to continue his progress aboard the Aprilia RS-GP, making similar moves with a better starting position.
At the same time, Raul Fernandez is coming home. The young rider from Spain’s capital Madrid, recently felt better and better with his RS-GP. He was ready to score some decent points in the main race at the Circuit of the Americas just a bit over one week ago, but unfortunately had to return to the pits with a technical issue, forcing him to an early retirement. On home soil, the 22-years old is aiming to make up for the lost points this weekend.
The fourth of 21 rounds in 2023 starts this Friday with Free Practice one at 10:45 local time, followed by Free Practice two at 15:00. Apart from Saturday’s action-packed program, Sunday will see the main race starting 15:00 local time in Spain.
MIGUEL OLIVEIRA
“I’m confident after Austin, which was a track, that is difficult for me. Coming back from the injury, it was nice to score some points. The goal for Jerez will remain the same, continue on this line in scoring points in both races. Hopefully we can make another step forward in terms of speed and improving the Qualifying. I’m looking forward to discover Jerez with the Aprilia. I’m very motivated.”
Raul Fernandez (25) at speed at COTA. Photo courtesy RNF MotoGP Team.
RAUL FERNANDEZ
“Jerez is a very important track for me. Of course, it’s always something special having a race in Spain, my home country in front of our fans. I will try to get a good feeling aboard the Aprilia RS-GP, like I had in Texas last time out and I hope I’ll be a bit luckier avoiding problems. We’ll try to do our best. I think we have potential and step by step we arrive closer to the top, but I think it’s time to get some results now to confirm we can be there.”
Razlan Razali, Founder and Team Principal CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team
“So far with the first round in Portimao and the first two flyaway races, we can be satisfied in some ways with our performance compared to last year. We know if that the situation was not the way it was, we could have done better, meaning the incident of Marc Marquez and Miguel in round one and the mechanical issue that Raul had in Austin.”
“Maybe the situation could be a little bit better for the team already. But it’s still a positive time for the team and now the MotoGP circus is back in Jerez this week, which I believe will be truly where the championship begins, where everybody is familiar with the circuits, beginning with Jerez, then Le Mans, followed by Mugello, Sachsenring and Assen. The most important thing is that both riders are in good health and fitness, getting to grips with the RS-GP at each track quickly. We arrive in Jerez full of enthusiasm and motivation to continue our progress to go better.”
Wilco Zeelenberg, Team Manager CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team
“After mixed results from Miguel and Raul in Austin, we are quite happy to go to Jerez and see what the boys can do in Spain. Of course, we have had Portimao already, which didn’t work out really well for us, but there is much more track knowledge by both riders in Jerez than in Austin and in Austin they already seemed to have a good speed and where both in a good flow. With their entourage and the enthusiastic fans, it’s always nice to ride in Jerez. On top of that, Raul is Spanish, so it will be his first 2023 home race. Let’s see, what we can do. Hopefully, the sun will shine again for us in the South of Spain.”
Round 1 of the 2023 NorthEast Motorcycle Road Racing (NEMRR) series kicked off April 22-23 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway under clear but cool conditions, typical of an April event in New England.
The excitement during this particular off-season has been palpable, as the series has been focused on the upcoming 100th running of the Loudon Classic in June. The record-breaking $250,000 purse and $55,000 winners take has attracted a group of top-level talent and teams of a size and pedigree that the Northeast has not seen in the 20 years since AMA Pro Racing last visited the speedway.
Although this opening weekend was attended by primarily the series regulars, it was apparent that many riders had made significant extra efforts to prepare top-shelf equipment for the big event in June.
In a good sign for the series and our sport, the new rider classes that open NEMRR events every Saturday were well-attended and full of new faces. Starting with the Super Street Classes, which were introduced several years ago as a half step into racing, riders on track day-prepared machines run a combined “heat race” to get a feel for what it’s like to start a session with a green flag. These mostly-for-fun classes are broken into Unlimited and Lightweight displacement divisions, with the overall win coming from Randy Morrissette on his Ducati Panigale.
The Rookie Race, which starts each race weekend for the NEMRR Novice racers and serves as a “final exam” for those seeking a license, had the largest turnout in recent memory and was won by Nino Jordan.
NEMRR is one of the only clubs in the nation that runs a novice racer class, which creates a idea atmosphere for new riders as it completely separates this group form experienced racers as they learn our sport.
The feature race of NEMRR weekend is the Michelin/MotoRace dash for cash, a Middleweight Grand Prix contest that will form the basis for the 100th running of the Loudon Classic. Conspicuously absent was 2022 champion Scott Greenwood, who dominated the class in 2022 but was forced to sit on the sidelines due to a lingering shoulder injury sustained playing hockey this winter.
Greenwood’s absence left the field wide open, and at the start of the race, Eli Block, who was the closest challenger to Greenwood in 2022, led the way on his freshly upgraded Yamaha R6. Starting from the back row, meanwhile, was the talented Tyler Sweeney on a Yamaha R6 that was the equal of Block’s machine.
Sweeney has not been a full-time participant in the NEMRR series for several years but has made an appearance at most of the Loudon Classic events and has always been a podium contender.
The dropping temperatures led NEMRR officials to shorten the normal 12-lap event to 8 laps, and Sweeney got right to work and moved into second place by lap three. From there, the gap between the two front runners closed at a rate of just over a second per lap with Sweeney taking the lead on lap six. This move lit a fire under Block, who dropped nearly a second a lap and made a strong effort to close the gap to the leader. As the two leaders rocketed out of the final corner, Block’s R6 was visibly spinning and sliding. His effort came up half a bikelength short as Sweeney held on for the win.
Sunday’s races were held under less favorable conditions as constant rain and temperatures in the low 40’s dominated the day. Of the riders who braved the conditions, the pair of Paul Duval and Tom Hynes led the way with each rider securing two wins. Both riders were Yamaha R6 -mounted and took turns churning out the fastest lap times of the day and trading wins on the racetrack. In the end, Duval secured the fastest lap and took the final head-to-head victory in the K-Tech Suspension Middleweight Supersport Class.
Round Two of the NEMRR Series with be held May 13-14 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and will give fans a preview of the Loudon Classic as several of the top professionals attending the big race will be using round two as an opportunity to test. Enthusiasts looking for tickets to the historic 100th running of the Loudon Classic June 16-18 can find a link directly on the www.nemrr.com home page!
Cameron wins on MotoAmerica return, Corey and PJ bag solid points as 2023 begins
Tytlers Cycle Racing leave the opening round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship as joint leaders of the series after Cameron Beaubier, who returns to the series after a couple of seasons on the world stage, romped to the win in Saturday’s first race before narrowly missing the double win on Sunday where he crossed the line second.
The team’s trio of riders Beaubier, PJ Jacobsen and reigning MotoAmerica Stock 1000 champion Corey Alexander were in fine form at Road Atlanta – all three showing a strong pace and potential throughout the weekend.
With all three inside the top ten in qualifying (Cameron second, PJ fifth and Corey ninth) the stage was set for a great opening round.
When the lights went out at the start of the opening encounter all eyes were on Cameron Beaubier as the former multiple MotoAmerica champion slowly but surely reduced the gap to early leader (and defending champion Jake Gagne). Hitting the front, the final stages were intense but as the checkered flag was waved it was the #6 who took the win to give the team the championship lead and BMW its first victory in the US national Superbike series for forty-five years.
Corey Alexander finished a credible eighth whilst unfortunately PJ Jacobsen crashed out, thankfully unhurt.
Sunday’s race was another barnstormer with Cameron once again in the battle for victory. Taking his turn to lead he would eventually be denied the win. He crossed the line second, adding another twenty points to his championship tally. He heads to the next round at Barber Motorsports Park as the joint championship leader.
PJ Jacobsen raced to his first points of his 2023 campaign with a solid ride to sixth. He finished just over a second ahead of teammate Corey Alexander who finished seventh.
Cameron Beaubier (right) with Crew Chief/Team Manager Dave Weaver (left) on top of the podium at Road Atlanta. Photo courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.
Cameron Beaubier: “Saturday was a great day. I am super happy to start the year off a win but to be honest I wasn’t expecting it after the time gap Jake (Gagne) had on us in qualifying. Race two was a wild one with good battles all race long. I am glad we got out of there safe on the last lap. I want to say a massive thank you to the Tytlers team for this first weekend back. We know what we need to work on, and I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Corey Alexander (23). Photo courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.
Corey Alexander: “It was a great first race and I was able to run inside the top eight for most of it. We knew after the race that there were a few set up issues that we could work on and improve, and I was confident of improving on Sunday. I am happy with the progress we made in Sunday’s race. Our average pace was much faster than Saturday and our set up took a step in the right direction. Overall, it was a successful first weekend on the superbike and I’m excited to continue the forward momentum into Barber. Thanks to my guys for all the hard work and congrats to Cam for the unbelievable weekend. It further proves the capability of the BMW.”
PJ Jacobsen: “Race one was a complete disaster. It was a shame to crash but we worked as a team to understand what happened and I was determined to come back stronger on Sunday. We bagged some solid points on Sunday but in all honesty, I want to put the weekend behind me and move on to the next one. It was a tough one for me and I am hoping to be a lot closer to the front at Barber. Obviously, it was great for us a team with Cam getting the win, so congrats to him and I hope to be in the fight at the next one.”
More, from a press release issued by Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering:
Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia riders Landers, Rodio score win, pair of second-place finishes at Road Atlanta
Rodio increases MotoAmerica Twins Cup points lead at April 21-23 round
BRASELTON, Ga. — Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders Rocco Landers and Gus Rodio each found success in different ways at this past weekend’s MotoAmerica round at Road Atlanta. Rodio’s pair of second place finishes allowed him pad his lead in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup points standings, while fill-in rider Landers found immediate success in his first weekend racing an Aprilia RS 660 by scoring a pole position and dominating victory.
Rodio came into the April 21-23 Road Atlanta round with a win and runner-up finish at Daytona under his belt, while Landers made his debut with the team in place of Ben Gloddy – who is still recovering from an injury he suffered at Daytona. The duo of Landers and Rodio ended up claiming three of the possible six podium finishes in the two Twins Cup contests at Road Atlanta, though Landers’ motorcycle suffered a mechanical problem during Saturday’s Race 1. The 2020 MotoAmerica Twins Cup and two-time MotoAmerica Junior Cup champion Landers also lowered the race lap record for the Twins Cup at Road Atlanta during Race 2 by about 0.8 seconds.
The team kicked off the weekend’s on-track action at the top of the time sheets, as Landers paced the field in Friday morning practice. In his first session on an Aprilia RS 660, Landers posted a best time of 1:33.937 — more than half a second faster than the next fastest rider. Rodio also showed good pace in practice as he finished third fastest. Later Friday, Landers was again the class of the field and lowered his best lap time for the day by about two seconds. Rodio finished Qualifying 1 in fourth.
The Twins Cup’s second and final qualifying session took place Saturday morning, but the conditions did not allow riders to improve their best lap times. Landers was again at the top of the time sheets in Qualifying 2, and Landers and Rodio ended up securing first and fourth place on the starting grid, respectively.
When Saturday’s Twins Cup Race 1 got started after a short red flag period, Rodio got a good start and had moved up to second place by the first corner. Landers didn’t get off the line as well but was running in fourth at Turn 1 and quickly moved up to third at Turn 3. Rodio, Landers and another rider then began pulling away at the front. The three riders jostled for position for several laps before Landers was forced to retire from the race at the end of Lap 3 due to a technical problem. Rodio and the other frontrunning rider took turns in the lead, and Rodio made a valiant effort to overtake the race leader on the last lap but wisely settled for a runner-up finish.
Landers’ fortunes turned around for Sunday’s race and he ended the weekend with a show of utter dominance. Landers got a very good start and led the race start to finish to claim a victory. His lead over Rodio and two other riders vying for second place grew to more than seven seconds with four laps to go, though he backed off his pace a little in the closing laps to win by a margin of more than four seconds. Rodio was at the point for the battle for second place for most of the race, as he finished nine of the race’s 12 laps running in second. In the closing laps, Rodio gradually pulled away from the third-place rider to clinch his second runner-up finish of the weekend by 0.831 seconds.
The results marked the second time in four races that a Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660 rider was on the top step of the podium, and Rodio’s third and fourth runner-up finishes of the season allowed him to extend his lead in the points standings. Rodio’s 85 points are 26 more than the next closest competitor in the standings. Though Landers has taken part in just two races and only finished one of them, the 25 points he earned for his victory moved him up to eighth place in the Twins Cup standings.
The Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team will be back in action in three weeks time at the next MotoAmerica round, which takes place at Barber Motorsports Park on May 19-21.
Rocco Landers (97). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering.
Rocco Landers / No. 97
“My first time on the Aprilia RS 660 was amazing. It handled very similar to a 600cc bike, in that it gave me a ton of feel on the front tire. I really like riding it. It’s really easy to adapt to, which is a blessing when you get on a new bike. Once I got on it, I knew I was going to gel with it immediately. Saturday’s race was a bit of a bummer, but a day like today always makes you feel better about a day like yesterday. I’m very, very happy to be able to ride the Aprilia to a win today, and I’m excited about the rest of the season.”
Gus Rodio (96). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering.
Gus Rodio / No. 96
“Overall, it was a pretty good weekend here at Road Atlanta. I’m super happy to get a double podium and extend my points lead to 26 points. I feel really good and learned a lot this weekend from riding with Rocco and other riders. I’m excited to take what we learned here to Barber and have a good weekend there.”
Robem Engineering’s technical partners for 2023 include Aprilia Racing, Piaggio Group Americas, Bitubo Suspension, Dunlop, Woodcraft Technologies, Dymag, Vesrah, Sprint Filter, DID, Sara Chappell Photos, NGK/NTK, Blud Lubricants, Millennium Technologies, Motovation USA and SC-Project.
Rodio Racing’s technical partners for 2023 include NJ MiniGP, Luxestar VIP, MAR Contractors, Evolve GT, N2 Racing, Dunlop, Spellcaster Productions, Kathedral, The Martinn and MVR Endeavor.
More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports:
MotoAmerica: Altus Motorsports faces difficulties at Road Atlanta
(Atlanta, GA) Altus Motorsports WPS Fly Racing Team entered the 2023 season with ambitious plans and high hopes. The team has talented riders and competitive equipment across four different classes: Stock 1000, Supersport, Twins Cup, and the Junior Cup. However, Road Atlanta proved to be a challenging weekend due to a mechanical issue that caused failures across most of the motorcycles on Saturday.
“We are still investigating the source of the problem that sidelined three of our four bikes on Saturday,” said George Nassaney, team owner. “I feel bad for the team and the riders. We continued to do things exactly as we have done for years, so to have issues manifest like this is demoralizing. We made some changes on Saturday evening and did not have the same issues on Sunday. We are working to get to the root of the problem to ensure it does not happen again.”
Superbike & Stock 1000:
As Brandon Paasch was out with an injury, Anthony Norton stepped in to ride the Altus Motorsports GSX-R1000. Norton arrived in Georgia with zero experience at Road Atlanta. A mechanical issue caused Norton to miss the first practice, which meant his first laps were during the Stock1000 qualifying session on Friday. Despite these challenges, Norton managed to post some impressive times and finished the first qualifying session in 25th place out of thirty-five competitors. Not bad considering he was on a track he had never seen and a bike he had never ridden. Norton started Race 1 from 25th and, after a great launch, was in 21st after the first lap. Through the race, he fought his way up to 17th and crossed the finish line in 16th – dropping four seconds off his qualifying time. Another amazing start in Race 2 put Norton up to 18th on the first lap. After a race-long battle, Anthony took the checkered flag in 17th.
Anthony Norton (83). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
Supersport:
Last season Jaret Nassaney really gelled with the new GSX-R750. Now, with a year of experience on that bike and building on some of the best riding of his career, Jaret is expecting great things in 2023. Based on his results on Friday at Road Atlanta, things were looking good for the weekend. Nassaney was Top 10 in both sessions and ended up qualifying 8th. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue knocked him out of Race 1. The second Supersport race was a different story. Jaret got a good start and ran most of the laps in 6th place. On the last lap, he lost that position to cross the finish line in 7th.
Jaret Nassaney (59). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
Jaret Nassaney: “We had some unfortunate luck on Saturday that knocked us out of the race but I’m happy with the amazing start I got! We had great pace all week and I’m really happy with how I’m jiving with the bike! Race 2 I got another great start and slotted myself into 5th but unfortunately made a couple mistakes and settled into 6th for the whole race until the last lap when I got passed into turn 10a and didn’t have any opportunity to attack back. All and all I’m happy with our pace. Barber is one of my favorite tracks so I’m ready to get back out there and try to battle a solid result!”
Twins Cup:
Joseph LiMandri Jr. qualified in P7 on the Altus Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R7 and looked good in the first race on Saturday. By lap 3 he had slotted into a solid 5th place. Unfortunately, that came to an untimely end a few laps later when a mechanical issue sent him back to the pits. In the Sunday race, LiMandri had an amazing start and completed the first lap in 4th. He ended up crossing the finish in 5th place.
Joseph LiMandri (62). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
Junior Cup:
There is no doubt that Alessandro Di Mario has the talent to win races. At Road Atlanta, the 2022 North American Talent Cup Champion put the Altus Motorsports Kawasaki Ninja 400 on the pole for his first race weekend in the MotoAmerica Junior Cup class. The first race ended unceremoniously when Di Mario was forced to retire with a mechanical issue. In the second Junior Cup race of the weekend, Alessandro went with the top group and led the race on more than one occasion. On the final lap, he lost the front while attempting a pass to take second place, knocking him out of the race. While he leaves the first round with no championship points, there is no doubt he will be a contender.
Alessandro Di Mario (70). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
“What a crazy and stressful weekend, but our team came through like Champions” said George Nassaney Team Owner. This was our teams first race weekend after the sudden passing of our friend and Crew Chief Eric Gray. I was expecting some growing pains, but not 3 DNF’s. I can absolutely say it was not our mechanics fault. Our Crew Chiefs Mike Castro and Mike Pond along with our mechanics put their head’s together and figured out the issue. We fixed the issue and Sunday showed our riders talents with their results. We are going to come into Barber recharged and ready to battle”
Altus Motorsports team is supported by our great family of sponsors: Altus Motorsports, FLY Racing WPS, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Yamaha Motor Company, Barnett, Maxima Racing Oils, Moto-D Racing, Bonamici, Hot Bodies Racing, M4 Exhausts, Vortex EK, Motion Pro, SBS Brakes, BrakeTech USA, Inc., Ohlins, K-Tech, RS Taichi, Arai, Yoshimura, Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers, CarbonSmith, Law Tigers Oklahoma, and Altus Factory Racing
More, from a press release issued by Hayden Bicknese Racing:
Hayden converts front row to double P3 as 2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup starts at Road Atlanta – heads to Alabama third overall
Hayden Bicknese on the MotoAmerica Junior Cup podium at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Hayden Bicknese Racing.
Hayden Bicknese kickstarted his MotoAmerica Junior Cup campaign in the best possible way – bagging a double podium in the season opener at Road Atlanta last weekend.
Fast from the off, the #69 Kawasaki rider ran at the front from the very first session, backing up his Free Practice pace with a strong showing in qualifying to secure a place on the front row of the grid for both races.
Saturday’s opening race was red flagged and restarted with Hayden losing a comfortable advantage that he had built. Nevertheless, he remained in contention when the second part of the opening encounter got underway. An on-track moment, that saw him take to the grass, created a gap between him and the leaders but he was still classified third at the flag after an incredible fight back in the latter stages.
With no major set up changes to his Bicknese Racing machine for warm up on Sunday morning, Hayden was once again in contention for glory when Race 2 got underway. But, as in most Junior Cup races the constant exchanging of positions enabled Bicknese to remain in the mix for the win throughout, his cool head and smart thinking allowed him to make his move on the final lap to secure his second podium of the weekend.
His double third place means he sits third overall in the standings as the series heads to Alabama and Barber Motorsports Park in a few weeks.
Hayden Bicknese: “FP1 started well, and I posted a time that was very competitive. I was surprised how fast I was at the compared to last year, almost four seconds in the first session. The bike was already set up well, but we made a small change for Q1. The change to the external pre-load helped on the brakes, but it was still not really proven with the track being a little greasy, but I was still able to improve my times. I was classified P2 and could have been P1 if I hadn’t made a mistake and hadn’t been held up by another rider on the last corner. We didn’t make any changes after first qualifying, and we skipped Q2 because of a storm the night before and we knew that the race would be dry. Race 1 started very well. I was able to set the pace at the front and as the race progressed it was just me, Alessandro (Di Mario) and Avery (Dreher). We had a huge gap but then there was a red flag. In the restart I got another good launch and was running first and was starting to open a gap, but I had a little bit of a headshake on a curb and lost drive. I got swallowed up on the straight and pushed back to fourth place. I was comfortable sitting behind. My plan was to try to just pass one-by-one to get to the front, but I got pinched-off a bit up to the esses. I got bumped off the track and lost about three seconds to the group. I was able to catch up but because there was a red flag the race was super short, so I only had a lap or two to pass three people to get to the podium. Race 2 started pretty well, and I was running third until I hit a false neutral on the first lap. I was able to remain in the fight at the front but it was so crazy so I decided to be smart and take a little less risk because I knew eventually that the riders ahead would slow each other up and I could take advantage. To take another podium is super good and a really great way to start the 2023 season. Having the data from previous years really helped us and I am confident that we can run at the front in Barber. I want to thank all of my sponsors and the team for all their hard work. See you all in Alabama!”
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad North America:
BMW Motorrad Motorsports Customer Racing Teams and the BMW M 1000 RR capture six podium finishes during MotoAmerica’s Race Weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – April 25, 2023…This past weekend’s MotoAmerica races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta saw BMW Motorrad Motorsport M 1000 RR customer racing teams clinch two wins and six total podium finishes around the 2.55 mile track in the Superbike and Stock 1000 classes. Six BMW riders were entered in the Superbike class and nine riders competed in the Stock 1000 class.
Medallia Superbike
In the Superbike class, five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion, Cameron Beaubier, on the No. 6 Tytlers Cycle Racing M 1000 RR, claimed the checkered flag in Race 1, by less than half a second, marking the 55th AMA Superbike win of his career. This win also delivered BMW’s first AMA Superbike win in 45 years, when Harry Klinzman and the R 90 S won in New Hampshire in 1978. Rounding out the top BMW finishers in Race 1 were Corey Alexander / Tytlers Cycle Racing (8th place) and Nolan Lamkin / Tom Wood Powersports (12th place).
Cameron Beaubier (6) won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race One at Road Atlanta on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy BMW Motorrad North America.
In Race 2 of the Superbike class, Cameron Beaubier was denied a victory but finished in 2nd place, making it two podium finishes in a row for Tytlers Cycle Racing. PJ Jacobsen / Tytlers Cycle Racing (6th), Corey Alexander / Tytlers Cycle Racing (7th), Ashton Yates / Aftercare Scheibe Racing (9th) and Nolan Lamkin / Tom Wood Powersports (15th) rounded out the BMW finishers.
PJ Jacobsen (99) and Corey Alexander (23) at speed on their Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW Superbikes at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy BMW Motorrad North America.
After the first two races of the season, Cameron Beaubier is in 2nd place in points in the Superbike class with Corey Alexander behind him in 6th position.
Stock 1000
BMW M 1000 RR riders took two wins and four total podium finishes in the two Stock 1000 races of the weekend.
In Race 1, Ezra Beaubier, riding for Orange Cat Racing, took the win and was followed closely in 2nd by Travis Wyman of Travis Wyman Racing. Ezra’s Orange Cat teammate, Kaleb De Keyrel crossed the finish line in 4th. Taylor Knapp / Taylor Knapp Racing (5th), Nolan Lamkin / Tom Wood Racing (6th), Jason Waters / Edge Racing (8th), Alex Arango / Top Pro Motorsports (9th) and Michael Henao / Hey Now Racing/On Any Moto (15th) were the BMW finishers in the first race.
Ezra Beaubier (16) won both MotoAmerica Stock 1000 races on his new Orange Cat Racing BMW. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy BMW Motorrad North America.
Race 2 saw Ezra Beaubier capture his 2nd win of the weekend and Taylor Knapp / Taylor Knapp Racing joined him on the podium after finishing in 3rd place. BMW Motorrad Motorsport customer racing teams rounding out the field in Race 2 were Travis Wyman / Travis Wyman Racing (4th), Kaleb De Keyrel / Orange Cat Racing (5th), Nolan Lamkin / Tom wood Powersports (7th), Jason Waters / Edge Racing (9th) and Michael Henao / Hey Now Racing/On Any Moto (12th).
In the Stock 1000 points standings, Ezra Beaubier leads the class in 1st place with Travis Wyman in 3rd, Taylor Knapp in 4th, Kaleb De Kreyel in 5th and Nolan Lamkin in 5th.
The next event on the MotoAmerica schedule is Barber Motorsport Park, May 19-21.
BMW Group in America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles as well as the BMW XM. The 349 BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 350 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers,146 BMW motorcycle retailers, 104 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
www.bmwgroup.com and www.bmwmotorcycles.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BMWMotorradUSA
Twitter: www.facebook.com/BMWMotorradUSA
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@bmwmotorrad
More, from a press release issued by Travis Wyman Racing:
Travis Wyman kicks off MotoAmerica Stock 1000 season with podium finish Saturday at Road Atlanta
BMW rider wraps up season-opening round third in Stock 1000 points standings
Travis Wyman on the MotoAmerica podium after scoring a second place finish in Saturday’s Stock 1000 race at Road Atlanta. Photo credit: Brian J. Nelson.
BRASELTON, Ga. — Travis Wyman got his sixth season racing in MotoAmerica’s Stock 1000 Class off to a positive start Saturday when he scored a podium finish in the first Stock 1000 race of the year. Wyman followed up his runner-up performance with a fourth-place finish in Sunday’s Race 2 and ended the April 21-23 event third in the Stock 1000 points standings.
Road Atlanta is one of Wyman’s favorite tracks. He recorded a commanding win in the first-ever MotoAmerica Stock 1000 race at the track in 2018 and has scored additional victories in Stock 1000 and Superstock 600 at the Braselton, Ga., track. Wyman’s on-track results were hampered some before the round even began, as he spent long days with his team at their Austin, Texas, base of operations repairing his BMW M 1000 RR’s electrical system after technical problems greatly reduced his test and development plan in the weeks leading up to the Road Atlanta round.
Wyman had good pace from the first practice session of the weekend, as he finished Friday morning practice in fifth place. He also finished the Friday afternoon Qualifying 1 session in fifth, but could have been even faster had more electrical issues not cut his on-track time during that session short. Qualifying 2 took place Saturday morning, but the wet conditions did not allow Wyman to improve on his best time from Qualifying 1. He therefore had to settle for fifth place on the starting grid for both of the round’s Stock 1000 races.
In Saturday’s Race 1, Wyman got a good start and was up to fourth place as the field entered Turn 1. Wyman made several attempts to move up the order during the first few laps but wisely took no unnecessary risks and maintained his fourth place until later in the race. On Lap 6 of the 13-lap race, Wyman began moving up the running order. He used the draft to move up to third place and battled with two other riders for the remainder of the race — eventually finishing in second place.
Sunday’s Race 2 wasn’t as sweet for Wyman. He got another good jump off the line and was again in the battle for the lead of the race. Wyman ran in fifth place for most of the race, despite several strategic attempts to move up the running order over the course of the 13-lap contest. A late-race mistake by one of the frontrunners allowed Wyman to clinch a fourth-place finish while missing out on his second podium finish of the weekend by a mere 0.285 seconds.
With a second- and fourth-place finish to his credit, Wyman concluded the first of five MotoAmerica Stock 1000 rounds third in the class standings — just three points behind the second-place rider.
The next Stock 1000 round is slated to take place in three weeks time — May 19-21 — at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.
Travis Wyman / No. 10
“My team and I started the season with some big challenges when our testing time at Barber got cut short earlier this month. I can’t thank my team and sponsors enough for giving me what I needed to race this weekend. I felt really good on the bike in first practice, but the electrical issues reappeared in Qualifying 1 and cost us a bit of track time in the only dry qualifying session we ended up having. I used Qualifying 2 to make sure the bike was running right again, and overall was happy with my result in Race 1. Things were a bit different in Race 2, as the warmer track conditions had me struggling a bit for rear grip throughout that race. It was still a positive start to the season, and I’m looking forward to having some more time to work on our BMW M 1000 RR before the next round at Barber.”
More, from a press release issued by Kreece Elliott Racing:
Double points finish as Kreece shows top six potential at Road Atlanta
A top ten finish on Saturday to score his first points of the 2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup season, followed by a top six fight on Sunday, Colorado teen Kreece Elliott had a satisfying start to his first full season of racing in the series.
Single race appearances last year, in which Kreece showed pace and potential, opened the door for a full campaign this year with the #47 improving steadily throughout the weekend, achieving a double point haul in the opening round of the championship at Road Atlanta.
Qualifying eleventh, Elliott rode hard in Saturday’s first race which was stopped and restarted after an on-track incident. He finished tenth. Sunday saw the race run the full distance with Kreece locked in a race long multi rider battle that saw him cross the line eleventh, a mere second from P6.
The results mean he leaves Atlanta joint tenth in the overall standings ahead of round two in Alabama in a few weeks’ time.
Kreece Elliott: “After starting P11 race one went well. I got a good start and went up to like seventh or eighth. The race was a battle with like eight other riders. I had a really fun time and learned a lot. Towards the end of the race, I got shuffled back in the draft and wasn’t able to make a smart move in the last lap and I didn’t want to risk a crash. I finished tenth which is a good way to start the season. I also made a decent start in race two but am pretty sure I stayed in the position where I started. It was hectic in the first corner, and I was in a battle for sixth for the whole race. It was super gnarly but I think we had a little issue because we couldn’t overtake on the back straight, even in the draft. I was hitting high top speeds but couldn’t get past the guys around me. I managed to work my way to the middle of the group and was very close to the top six. I wanted more on Sunday, but we scored solid points, and I am excited for Barber. I want to thank everyone that is helping and supporting me, especially mum and dad.”
Roadracing World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed North America had no new, up-and-coming young racers. This edition of the Roadracing World Young Gun Awards marks the 27th consecutive year of showcasing what is actually an abundance of new talent.
Roadracing World Young Guns have won:
FIM MotoGP and FIM Superbike races and World Championships;
MotoAmerica and AMA Pro races and Championships, including 12 MotoAmerica/AMA Pro Superbike Championships;
A KTM RC Cup World Final race;
The Daytona 200 (12 times);
WERA National Endurance Championships and WERA National Challenge Championships;
ASRA/Formula USA Grand National and CCS National Championships;
USGPRU National Championships;
Many regional and local titles.
The competition has continually become more intense as more — and younger — racers with higher levels of accomplishments are nominated, and the level of achievement required to make the grade keeps getting tougher.
We’ve spent the last several months accepting nominations and evaluating road racers between the ages of 10 and 18 (as of the start of the 2023 season) who have, at a minimum, won Expert-level road races and/or Championships or had outstanding results as an Amateur/Novice. Most of the riders included here have done far more than the minimum.
The young riders recognized here are the most promising young road racers in North America. All have earned the title of Roadracing World Young Gun.
We will feature one Young Gun per day, presenting them in alphabetical order.
Hank Vossberg and two of his racebikes. Photo by William Vossberg.
Hank Vossberg
Age: 12.
Current home: De Pere, Wisconsin.
Current height/weight: 5’2”/105 pounds.
Current school grade level: 7th grade.
Began riding at age: 2 years.
First road race: 2017, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Midwest Karting Assoc., Kids Mini Supermoto, 1st.
Current racebikes: Yamaha YZF-R3, Kramer 690, Kawasaki KX450.
Current tuners/mechanics: Redeye Performance, William Vossberg (father).
Primary race series: CCS, N2/WERA, Road America Supermoto Club.
Top sponsors: Liqui Moly, Spears Racing, Pirelli, Adrenaline Engineering, Redeye Performance, Schmotter Motion Racing, Vortex, Forma Boots, LS2 Helmets, BVA Trucking, Mark and Pam Madigan.
Recent racing accomplishments: 2022 season, won 2 WERA Sportsman National Championships (D Superbike Expert, F Superstock Expert), 10 race wins with WERA, co-rode to N2/WERA National Endurance Ultra-Lightweight class victory, won CCS 300 GP Expert Midwest Regional Championship, won ASRA Moto3 National race, won Road America Supermoto Mini Championship; 2021 season, won 2 WERA Sportsman National Championship (D Superstock Novice, F Superstock Novice), won 4 WERA Sportsman Regional Class Championships, won 18 WERA races.
2023 racing goals: win N2/WERA National Endurance Ultra-Lightweight Championship, win Road America 450 Supermoto Championship.
Racing career goal: Finish in the top five of a MotoAmerica race.
Racing hero: Josh Hayes.
Favorite track: Barber Motorsports Park.
Favorite hobby: Playing other sports.
If I wasn’t racing I would be…: Building stuff in my shop.
Some of the riders who have graduated from Roadracing World Young Guns and gone on to racing success in National or International series include:
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion Jason Aguilar (R.I.P.);
2013 AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Corey Alexander;
AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race winner Tommy Aquino (R.I.P.);
2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and AFT SuperTwins race winner J.D. Beach;
MotoAmerica Twins Cup race winner Jackson Blackmon;
former Canadian Sport Bike Champion Tomas Casas;
three-time Canadian Sport Bike Champion and 2014 Canadian Superbike Champion Jodi Christie;
former AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 race winner Josh Day;
2011 Daytona 200 winner Jason DiSalvo;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Championship runner-up and current MotoAmerica team owner Dustin Dominguez;
2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, 2019 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion, and 2021 Canadian Superbike Champion Alex Dumas;
four-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race winner and former motorcycle track record holder Carlin Dunne (R.I.P.);
Canadian Superbike race winner Bodhi Edie;
two-time AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, two-time AMA Pro XR1200/Harley-Davidson Champion and four-time Daytona 200 winner Danny Eslick;
2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Bobby Fong;
2010 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Superstock 1000 Champion, and two-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne;
two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and World Superbike podium finisher Garrett Gerloff;
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship runner-up Michael Gilbert;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Champion, 2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up, and 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship runner-up Hayden Gillim;
2002 AMA Superbike Champion and 2006 FIM MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden (R.I.P.);
2007 AMA Pro 600cc Supersport Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up, and 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship runner-up Roger Hayden;
eight-time AMA Pro Superbike race winner and two-time AMA Supersport Champion Tommy Hayden;
2013 AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Champion, 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and two-time Daytona 200 winner Josh Herrin;
MotoAmerica Supersport front-runner Teagg Hobbs;
AMA Pro Superstock race winner Jake Holden;
2011 British Superbike Championship runner-up and former MotoGP and World Superbike regular John Hopkins;
2015 Supersport World Championship runner-up, 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Superbike podium finisher Patrick “P.J.” Jacobsen;
2021 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and current Moto2 World Championship competitor Sean Dylan Kelly;
Canadian Superbike race winner Kevin Lacombe;
two-time MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee;
2021 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup Champion Jake Lewis;
MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Sam Lochoff;
MotoAmerica Superstock 600 race winner Nick McFadden;
AMA Pro SuperSport race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Stefano Mesa;
Elena Myers, the first and only woman to win AMA Pro Supersport races;
AMA Pro XR1200 race winner, multi-time Loudon Classic winner, and two-time BRL Champion Shane Narbonne;
2012 Canadian Superbike Championship runner-up Andrew Nelson;
2016 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Champion, 2019 British Motostar (Moto3) Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch;
2012 Daytona 200 winner and 2010 AMA Pro Supersport West Champion Joey Pascarella;
2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and current powersports dealership owner Bryce Prince;
AMA Pro and Canadian National race winner and multi-time N2/WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Peris;
two-time AMA Pro SuperSport National Champion, British Supersport podium finisher, 2020 AFT Production Twins Champion, and MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers race winner James Rispoli;
2015 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport race winner, and Moto2 World Championship race winner Joe Roberts;
former Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Champion and former FIM Moto2 European Championship competitor Benny Solis, Jr.;
three-time AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2009 Superbike World Champion, MotoGP race winner, and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Ben Spies;
multi-time AMA Pro race winner and four-time overall WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Ulrich;
MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher and former World Superbike competitor Jayson Uribe;
2017 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Championship runner-up, 2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher Cory Ventura;
Canadian Superbike race winner Alex Welsh;
former AMA Pro Superbike Rookie of the Year, Chinese Superbike Championship race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher Cory West;
MotoAmerica Junior Cup and Superbike Cup race winner Ashton Yates;
and two-time AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up Blake Young.
BACK TO EUROPE: GASGAS FACTORY RACING TECH3 HEADS TO ICONIC JEREZ CIRCUIT FOR SPANISH GRAND PRIX
It is time for MotoGP™ to start its European tour, and the first stop of GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 is nowhere else than at the iconic Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto, which will host the Gran Premio de España, the fourth round of this 2023 campaign.
After scoring his first MotoGP™ Top 10 in Austin, in addition to closing the third race out of three in the points, rookie Augusto Fernandez will be looking forward to coming back to more familiar tracks, and Jerez is without a doubt one that the Spaniard will have the most experience on. However, hitting the iconic Andalousian layout with a MotoGP™ machine will be a different story, but the three past weekends have proven that Augusto has adapted surprisingly well to the tracks with his GASGAS RC16. With fifteen points in the bag, he will look to continue his progress in the category, with the objectives to reduce the gap with the other riders, and why not finishing in higher positions in both the Tissot sprint on Saturday, and the race on Sunday.
On the other side of the garage, German Jonas Folger will once again line up with GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 as captain Pol Espargaro continues his recovery at home. The number 94 made an impressive comeback at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas for his first race in MotoGP™ in six years, as he finished twelfth and scored points for his adoptive team. He will head to Jerez with more experience on the RC16, and his good memories from the past at the circuit (Moto2™ win in 2015) should help him heading to Spain with even more enthusiasm. Folger will also participate in the Official Jerez MotoGP™ Test, on Monday, May 1st.
Don’t miss the action from the Spanish Grand Prix with Practice 1 starting at 10:45 local time (GMT+2), followed by the one hour long Practice 2 at 15:00. The first highlights of the weekend will already be on Saturday morning just after the free practice, with the qualifying sessions kicking off at 10:50. Rookie Augusto Fernandez will line up for the first time in MotoGP™ on home turf for the Tissot Sprint, at 15:00 (GMT+2). Finally, all eyes will be on Sunday’s race, scheduled at 14:00 local time, and both GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 riders will look to fly the flag of Spanish brand GASGAS as high as possible.
Augusto Fernandez
Championship: 15th
Points: 14
“I can not wait to go to Jerez for the Spanish Grand Prix. To be honest, I am really looking forward to being back in Europe on tracks that I know better, at least much more than Austin for example. Continuing our progression is our main goal, but I am hoping that my level of knowledge of this track will help me to be closer to the other guys and fight for higher positions.”
Jonas Folger
Championship: 21st
Points: 4
“With Texas in the bag, we have a bit more experience with the bike and the team now, so I feel confident about going to Jerez. It is a familiar track to me and I have good memories there from the past, including a win in Moto2 and a podium in the 125cc category. It is definitely one of my favorite tracks, so I am looking forward to going racing there with my team and more confidence, and hopefully we can make a good result.”
Nicholas Goyon, Team Manager
“We are back racing in Europe for the fourth round of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship, and we are starting the European tour at the iconic Andalousian circuit in Jerez. After an impressive start to his rookie season and his first top 10 in Austin, Augusto Fernandez will aim to achieve a strong result at his first home race in MotoGP. According to the last tests made in Jerez back in March, the Pierer Mobilty machine seems to have made some significant steps and we are all looking forward to discovering them in Jerez this week. On the other side of the garage, Jonas Folger will once again line up with us while Pol Espargaro carries on with his recovery. Jonas scored strong points in Austin for his comeback in the category and will aim to continue in this direction. He will also help the GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 team to develop the bike as he will attend the Jerez Test with us on Monday, May 1st.”
KODY KOPP AND MAX WHALE TAKE TOP FIVE FINISHES FOR RED BULL KTM IN DALLAS HALF-MILE
Round 5 – American Flat Track Championship
MESQUITE, Tex. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo Kody Kopp and Max Whale each claimed top five results in AFT Singles during the fifth round of the 2023 American Flat Track Championship, with the Dallas Half-Mile featuring at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Texas.
Following a difficult qualifying session, defending champion Kopp regrouped in the opening Heat race of the night, securing a direct transfer to the Main Event after a third-place finish. From there, it was a determined ride from Kopp onboard his KTM 450 SX-F to a fourth-place result in the fast-paced Main Event, maintaining his AFT Singles points-lead five rounds into the season.
Red Bull KTM’s Kody Kopp (1). Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM.
Kody Kopp: “We ended up P4 on the night and I was super happy with my riding. We started the Main Event as far back as 10th on the lap charts, just had to dig because it was totally different riding and the line was up really high in the Main Event. I just had to go to work, fought my way through the pack to make seven passes all the way up to fourth place, and had some great battles! I really closed in on the leaders over the last few laps, was within about two-tenths of a podium position, so that was huge progress. Hats off to my whole team, we’re really looking forward to these next rounds now.”
Red Bull KTM teammate Whale began the day inside the top five at the conclusion of qualifying, continuing his early season form. A fifth-place ride in the opening Heat of the night set him up well for the Main Event, where he would also charge through the pack on his way to a fifth-place result, retaining third in the standings as the series next heads to Ventura, California.
Red Bull KTM’s Max Whale (18). Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM.
Max Whale: “Dallas started out pretty good, qualifying fifth, and then I sort of struggled a little bit in the Heat, but was able to finish fifth again. I fought really hard in the Main Event, was outside of the top 10 on the first lap, and came through to fifth. To bring it home fifth was a really good night, for what could have happened being so far back early on. We salvaged a strong points finish, the team worked really hard all day, and I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Next Race: Ventura Short Track – Ventura, California – May 6, 2023
Round 5 Results
AFT Singles Main event
1. Trent Lowe, Honda
2. Chase Saathoff, Honda
3. Morgen Mischler, Honda
4. Kody Kopp, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
5. Max Whale, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
OTHER KTM
7. Dalton Gauthier, KTM
9. Shayna Texter-Bauman, KTM
13. Travis Petton IV, KTM
15. Clarke Morian V, KTM
16. Justin Jones, KTM
17. Logan Eisenhard, KTM
2023 AFT Singles Point Standings
1. Kody Kopp, 102 points
2. Dalton Gauthier, 98
3. Max Whale, 86
OTHER KTM
11. Justin Jones, 40
13. Logan Eisenhard, 25
14. Shayna Texter-Bauman, 22
16. Travis Petton IV, 19
18. Hayden Gillim, 14
22. Hunter Bauer, 11
24. Clarke Morian V, 10
25. Tanner Dean, 9
30. Olin Kissler, 4
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
Indian Motorcycle Racing and Reigning AFT SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees Win Big at Dallas Half-Mile
Mees Captures Second Win of the Season, Indian Motorcycle Privateer Brandon Robinson Finishes Third
Jared Mees (1). Photo by Tim Lester, courtesy AFT.
MINNEAPOLIS – Under the lights of the Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, the 2023 American Flat Track (AFT) action continued, where Indian Motorcycle Racing and reigning AFT SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees secured their second win of the season. Taking third and reaching the podium for the second time this season was Indian Motorcycle privateer Brandon Robinson.
Piloting his Indian FTR750, Mees took the hole shot off the line during Saturday night’s Main event. After falling back to fourth and chasing a pack of three riders, Mees was able to stay close and make a move past the group along the outside. Once there, the eight-time champion locked in and kept his lead until the checkered flag.
“This was a classic bounce back performance by Jared, as he knows each and every race is critical to the season standings as he continues to chip away and push for his record-tying ninth championship,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Service & Technology for Indian Motorcycle. “It’s great to see Robinson grind out a podium finish. He’s one of the sport’s most talented riders, and we’d expect to see plenty more top finishes from him and his team this season.”
For Robinson, consistency was key as he started near the back of the pack, but steadily improved his positioning throughout the race. One-by-one, Robinson edged his way into third place with two laps to go and would finish in this position.
Mees’s second win of the season places him squarely in second on the leaderboard with 96 total points – 17 points off the lead. The 2023 AFT season will continue on Saturday, May 6, at Ventura Raceway in Ventura, California.
For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle Company is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
INDIAN and INDIAN MOTORCYCLE are registered trademarks of Indian Motorcycle International, LLC. Always wear a helmet, protective clothing and eyewear and insist your passenger does the same. Ride within the limits of the law and your own abilities. Read, understand and follow your owner’s manual. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Gagne Returns to the Top in Epic Superbike Battle at Road Atlanta
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne wins MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at Road Atlanta
MARIETTA, Ga. – April 24, 2023 – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne came out on top in a thrilling MotoAmerica Superbike battle in Race 2 at the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. It was a strong start to the season for the reigning back-to-back MotoAmerica Superbike Champion, whose second and first-place finish at the opening round has him tied for the points lead. Unfortunately, his teammate Cameron Petersen had a technical issue early in the restarted race and did not finish.
Once again, Gagne grabbed the holeshot, but he would have to make another attempt at a perfect start from pole position as the race was red-flagged on the second lap. The race was shortened to 15 laps with a complete restart, and this time he found himself second but moved into the lead at the end of the opening lap. From there on, it was a heated battle with multiple lead changes. Around the halfway point, a third rider was added to the mix, and shortly after, a fourth, making it an absolute dogfight for top honors. Sitting third, Gagne reclaimed the lead after the frontrunners made contact on the final lap and rode on to his 30th-career superbike victory and first of the season.
Petersen went into the final race of the opening round looking to fight for a win. The South African had a good start both times in third, but unfortunately, on Lap 3, he had a technical issue and had to withdraw from the race.
The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team returns to action next month for Round 2 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at the Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, on May 19-21.
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“I think it was a super exciting race for the fans. It’s something different than they’ve seen in the last three years, with us pretty much dominating every single weekend. So I think it was fun for the fans. I’m glad some of the other manufacturers are in the mix, and we get to bring a lot of excitement. Jake rode really well, despite his arm pump. The pace was quite a bit slower than we were last year, so we’re trying to figure out why. It could have been Jake’s arm pump, or maybe it’s the new Dunlops. We haven’t got our heads around it quite yet, but we’ll work on that. I think Barber should be a much better track for us, and we look to get back to dominating the competition.”
Jake Gagne (1). Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“That was a crazy one! I got off to a good start. I really wanted to push the pace, but Cam (Beaubier) and I went back and forth in those first couple of laps. He knew I wanted to get away, so any opportunity that he could, he went past me, especially down into Turn 10. Then after that, the pace was pretty slow. I think at that point, we knew no one was getting away, so we were kind of sizing each other up for the last lap. I was in third, and I was kind of planning on that I could get a good drive up over the hill in the second-to-last turn and maybe make a pass there, but those guys came together in the kink at like 180 (mph). The seas just kind of parted, and I got straight down the center of them. I got a little lucky on that one, for sure. I was kind of counting on something crazy happening on that last lap. All things considered, I’m really happy leaving here. I had a lot of struggles with arm pump this weekend. From lap three on, I couldn’t ride as hard as I wanted to ride, so to come out of the first round with a second and first is pretty awesome.”
Cameron Petersen – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“There’s not much to say, to be honest. It’s just one of those things; it’s just part of racing. I felt really good all weekend, other than the crash I had on Friday. I had some really good race pace, and even in the second race there, I felt really great. I really felt like I had the pace to go win one of these things this weekend. So I’m a little bit bummed out, but like I said, it’s part of racing. At least the next few tracks we go to are ones that I really enjoy. So, I’m going to bounce back and try and get some wins under my belt and claw my way back into this championship.”
More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:
KYLE WYMAN DOES THE DOUBLE ON FACTORY HARLEY-DAVIDSON AT ROAD ATLANTA
Two Wins and Three Lap Records as Wyman Takes MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Points Lead
Kyle Wyman (33) leads Bobby Fong (50) and the rest of the King Of The Baggers field at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Harley-Davidson.
MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory rider Kyle Wyman scored two convincing wins in MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers races on Saturday and Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. Wyman has now won three consecutive races on the team’s race-prepared Harley-Davidson® Road Glide® motorcycle and leads the King of the Baggers series in points.
“This is so awesome to win three in a row and grab that points lead,” said Wyman after Sunday’s victory. “We had no changes to the bike today from yesterday. That’s how good this Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson bike is. I’m having a lot of fun with our Road Glide. Let’s keep the momentum going for Road America.”
Wyman paced the field in Friday’s qualifying session on the 2.55-mile Road Atlanta course, setting a new track record for the King of the Baggers class with a lap of 1:30.427. Wyman took the lead at the start of the eight-lap race on Saturday and pulled away from the field, opening a gap of 2.67 seconds by lap 5 and breaking his own track record with a best lap of 1:30.304. Factory Indian racer Tyler O’Hara finished second, 3.09 seconds behind Wyman. Hayden Gillim finished third on the Vance & Hines Racing Harley-Davidson Road Glide. Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory rider Travis Wyman finished in sixth place.
Travis Wyman (10) at speed on his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Road Glide. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Harley-Davidson.
On Sunday, it was O’Hara leading the field from the start with Kyle Wyman on his rear tire. But before the end of the first lap, O’Hara ran off the track as Wyman challenged him on the brakes in turn 6 with O’Hara ultimately over-shooting the turn. Kyle then began to pull away from the field and led by 2.56 seconds after lap 4 and set yet another class record with a best lap time of 1:30.036. O’Hara recovered to finish second, 1.83 seconds behind Wyman, with Bobby Fong finishing third on the Roland Sands Indian. Gillim and James Rispoli finished fourth and fifth respectively on their Vance & Hines Racing Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles. Travis Wyman finished seventh on the Factory Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
After four of 14 rounds in the 2023 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Kyle Wyman leads the championship with 75 points, followed by Rispoli with 67 points and Gillim with 65 points. O’Hara sits in fourth place with 61 points. Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson rider Jake Lewis is fifth with 37 points.
The Mission King of the Baggers series features race-prepared American V-Twin touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson® Factory Team Road Glide® motorcycles are powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle® Milwaukee-Eight® 131 Performance Crate Engines. The team bikes also feature upgraded suspension components, including Screamin’ Eagle/Öhlins Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks, plus competition exhaust, race tires and lightweight bodywork.
The Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory team returns to action June 2-4 in the MotoAmerica Superbike Series at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.
MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Road Atlanta Race 1
Kyle Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
Tyler O’Hara (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
Hayden Gillim (H-D) Vance & Hines Racing
Bobby Fong (Ind) Sacramento Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands
Harley-Davidson invites you to enhance the 2023 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers season with some adrenaline pumping action. Check out, ‘Push the Limit,’ a film that shares the story of defending 2021 champion Kyle Wyman, teammate Travis Wyman and the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle race team’s 2022 championship pursuit. Watch it now on Harley-Davidson’s YouTube channel.
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More, from a press release issued by Aprilia USA:
LANDERS WINS, RODIO EXTENDS MOTOAMERICA TWINS CUP POINTS LEAD ABOARD RS 660 AT ROAD ATLANTA
RODIO RACING, POWERED BY ROBEM ENGINEERING, RIDERS FINISH FIRST AND SECOND IN RACE 2 ON SUNDAY
BRASELTON, GA – 24 APRIL 2023 – Three years ago, the Aprilia RS 660 made its debut in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship at Road Atlanta, each year showing new competition, with no shortage of challenges at the Georgia circuit. After a competitive weekend, and Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders Rocco Landers and Gus Rodio claimed half of the MotoAmerica Twins Cup podium finishes at the April 21-23 event to give the Aprilia RS 660 its second victory in four races this season, with Gus Rodio adding to his lead in the Twins Cup points standings.
The three-time MotoAmerica class champion Landers – who was filling in for injured rider Ben Gloddy – claimed a pole position and a win in his first weekend competing aboard an Aprilia and ended the weekend in eighth place in the Twins Cup standings. Gus Rodio’s pair of second place finishes allowed him to end the weekend with a 26 point advantage over the second rider in the championship as they head to Barber in May.
Optimum Performance Motorsports’ Jody Barry put in a strong performance, qualifying second on the starting grid, before an injury prevented him from competing in either of the round’s two Twins Cup contests.
The weekend began with an Aprilia RS 660 at the top of the time sheets. Landers was the fastest rider in Friday morning practice and was more than half a second faster than the next-fastest rider. Rodio finished Friday practice third fastest, while Barry struggled in the session to finish 11th. Later Friday, Landers was again the top rider in the first of two qualifying sessions. He posted a best lap time of 1:31.907 and was nearly a second faster than Barry — who was the second-fastest rider. Rodio finished the session in fourth to give Aprilia three of the top four provisional qualifying positions.
Landers again paced the field in Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2, but track conditions did not allow riders to improve their lap times from Qualifying 1 — which handed Landers pole position and ensured Barry and Rodio would start the weekend’s races from second place and fourth place, respectively.
In the lead up to Saturday’s Race 1, Barry had an unfortunate incident on the warm-up lap and crashed near Turn 5. The damage to his motorcycle did now allow him to participate in the race. When racing did get underway, Rodio got a good jump when the lights went out and was running in second as the field took the holeshot. Landers didn’t get off the line well but was running just behind Rodio and another rider. That group of three riders steadily broke away from the rest of the field during the first lap. Landers’ race was unfortunately cut short by a mechanical failure that his motorcycle suffered near the end of Lap 3, leaving Rodio and the other rider to vie for the win. Both riders took turns in the lead, and Rodio made a calculated attempt to get the lead back on the last lap. His effort came up short, but he still managed to finish second and add 20 points to his championship bid. Rodio was one of two Aprilia riders to finish in the top 10, as Righteous Racing’s Ray Hofman came home in 10th.
Sunday’s Race 2 featured a notable absence on the starting grid, as Barry was not cleared to take part in the race.
Landers made his presence known from the start of Race 2 and put in a commanding performance. He got a good launch off the line, grabbed the holeshot, and continued with a lead that was never in doubt. As Rodio labored through a three-way battle for second, Landers gradually built a lead that topped out at more than seven seconds. He took the win by 4.166 seconds. Rodio finished nine of the race’s 12 laps in second place and pulled away from the third-place rider during the last two laps to secure his second runner-up finish of the weekend and give the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team its first 1-2 finish of the 2023 season. Landers’ best lap time of 1:31.950 in Race 2 lowered the Twins Cup race lap record by more than 0.8 seconds.
Two other Aprilia riders also finished in the top 10 in Race 2. Unreal Racing’s Daniel Garver finished in ninth place and Hofman secured his second 10th-place finish of the round.
Rodio’s pair of second place finishes added 40 points to his tally, giving him 85 points on the season and a 26-points lead in the Twins Cup points standings. Though he didn’t score any points in Race 1, Landers’ victory on Sunday elevated him to eighth in the class standings with 25 points to his credit.
Of the 38 riders registered to compete in MotoAmerica Twins Cup at the Road Atlanta round, 18 were slated to race aboard Aprilia RS 660s.
MotoAmerica Twins Cup has a three-weekend break before it’s back in action May 19-21 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.
Rocco Landers (97). Photo courtesy Aprilia USA.
Rocco Landers / No. 97
“My first time on the Aprilia RS 660 was amazing. It handled very similar to a 600cc bike, in that it gave me a ton of feel on the front tire. I really like riding it. It’s really easy to adapt to, which is a blessing when you get on a new bike. Once I got on it, I knew I was going to gel with it immediately. Saturday’s race was a bit of a bummer, but a day like today always makes you feel better about a day like yesterday. I’m very, very happy to be able to ride the Aprilia to a win today, and I’m excited about the rest of the season.”
Gus Rodio (96). Photo courtesy Aprilia USA.
Gus Rodio / No. 96
“Overall, it was a pretty good weekend here at Road Atlanta. I’m super happy to get a double podium and extend my points lead to 26 points. I feel really good and learned a lot this weekend from riding with Rocco and other riders. I’m excited to take what we learned here to Barber and have a good weekend there.”
MotoAmerica’s Twins Cup heads to Barber Motorsports Park, in Alabama, for the third round of the Championship,May 19-21. The championship schedule, competitor information and class rules can be found at https://motoamerica.com/.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, LLC:
ESCALANTE AND SCOTT EARN TOP FIVES IN ATLANTA
Suzuki Making Gains in MotoAmerica Series
BREA, CA – April 24, 2023 – Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer continued to flash race-winning potential, scoring two top-five finishes as the first points-paying round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport championships concluded on Sunday at Road Atlanta.
Race Highlights:
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
Supersport
Tyler Scott again raced for the win before finishing a close fourth on his next-generation GSX-R750.
Teagg Hobbs mounted an incredible comeback after running off course to finish in sixth.
Superbike
Richie Escalante made strides to significantly improve his pace and break into the top five.
Toni Elias picked up valuable points in his return to active Superbike competition.
Tyler Scott (70) battled for the lead on Sunday, finishing fourth at Road Atlanta. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott looked to improve upon his Supersport runner-up finish Saturday. The early going looked promising in both regards, as Scott powered off of pole position with the lead and repeatedly dove with confidence into the corner at the end of the long back straight aboard his next-generation GSX-R750. However, after leading multiple laps, the 17-year-old ace took the checkered flag in fourth, just 0.085 seconds removed from a second podium in as many days.
“I was really happy with how the race was going,” Scott said. “We had a good pace and it felt great to be back at the front. I can tell the bike is improved from last year, and the team worked well all weekend. I felt really comfortable while I had the lead. We had a problem in the last couple of laps that cost me some drive out of the corners, so we ended up a close fourth. We’ll come back stronger, and I am really happy for Barber coming up.”
After a challenging Sunday start, Teagg Hobbs (79) brought home another sixth-place finish. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Teagg Hobbs was encouraged by his Saturday sixth and hoped for even more in Sunday’s rematch. However, those aspirations were sunk nearly from the start as he ran off the track at the end of the back straight on the Sunday contest’s opening lap. Undeterred, Hobbs mounted a remarkable come-from-behind ride, working his way back up the field from outside the top ten. That charge ended with one final pass on the last lap to equal his Saturday sixth.
“This weekend has been a dream,” Hobbs said. “Riding for Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki has been amazing, and it’s a dream come true to be racing full-time in MotoAmerica Supersport. I had a great weekend. We started strong, and my crew did a great job all weekend tuning the bike for me. Today’s race didn’t exactly go as planned, so I had to claw my way back. But we showed some good pace this weekend, and if we put it all together, we can be at the front fighting for the podium.” Scott and Hobbs were joined by four other Suzuki GSX-Rs in the top ten of Sunday’s Supersport race, once again showing Suzuki’s hallmark consistency.
Richie Escalante (54) is showing real promise in Superbike, carding a fifth on Sunday. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Richie Escalante enjoyed a hugely promising outing at Road Atlanta as he made major strides aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R Superbike. Escalante bettered his Saturday sixth with a Sunday fifth, but even the reward of a top-five failed to adequately illustrate his improvement. The second-year Superbike ace cut his best lap by more than a half-second while slashing the gap to the leaders by a mammoth 17 seconds, finishing just 12.345 seconds back of the race winner.
“I’m super happy with the weekend, a P6 and P5,” said Escalante. “This morning, we tried something a little different with the setup, trying to provide more rear grip. In the end, we went back to yesterday’s settings for the race because I knew we could run the whole race consistently. I had a good start, and I stayed with the lead group for a couple of laps. It was difficult to continue the pace because I had an issue with how the rear brake was working. In racing, things like this happen. I dropped into the 1:26 range for a couple of laps but told myself to focus and got back in the ‘25s. I did a 1:25 on the last lap on worn tires. I can’t wait for Barber and am still working hard to get my first Superbike podium.”
Toni Elias (24) battled to eighth place on Sunday as he returns to MotoAmerica Superbike. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
In his return to active racing, former MotoAmerica Superbike champion Toni Elias backed up his Saturday seventh with an eighth on Sunday. The battle-proven Spaniard will take the points and focus his efforts on regaining his momentum to fight for victory once again like he’s done so many times.
“Today’s race was similar to yesterday,” Elias said. “The pace was better, but the problems were the same, transfer of weight to the front. We tried to find an improvement for today’s race, but we couldn’t. It wasn’t the comeback I was expecting but we will work hard to finish stronger for the next race.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki will return to action when the 2023 MotoAmerica season continues at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 19-21.
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 346 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.
Roadracing World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed North America had no new, up-and-coming young racers. This edition of the Roadracing World Young Gun Awards marks the 27th consecutive year of showcasing what is actually an abundance of new talent.
Roadracing World Young Guns have won:
FIM MotoGP and FIM Superbike races and World Championships;
MotoAmerica and AMA Pro races and Championships, including 12 MotoAmerica/AMA Pro Superbike Championships;
A KTM RC Cup World Final race;
The Daytona 200 (12 times);
WERA National Endurance Championships and WERA National Challenge Championships;
ASRA/Formula USA Grand National and CCS National Championships;
USGPRU National Championships;
Many regional and local titles.
The competition has continually become more intense as more — and younger — racers with higher levels of accomplishments are nominated, and the level of achievement required to make the grade keeps getting tougher.
We’ve spent the last several months accepting nominations and evaluating road racers between the ages of 10 and 18 (as of the start of the 2023 season) who have, at a minimum, won Expert-level road races and/or Championships or had outstanding results as an Amateur/Novice. Most of the riders included here have done far more than the minimum.
The young riders recognized here are the most promising young road racers in North America. All have earned the title of Roadracing World Young Gun.
We will feature one Young Gun per day, presenting them in alphabetical order.
Current tuners/mechanics: Brian Van (father), Dave Bavol, and Jimmy Fox.
Primary race series: MotoAmerica Junior Cup.
Top sponsors: SportbikeTrackGear.com and its customers.
Recent racing accomplishments: 2022 season, placed 5th in MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (3 wins, 5 total podium finishes), 2 class podium finishes in N2/WERA National Endurance races; 2021 season, finished 7th in MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (15 top-10 finishes in 18 races, best race finish was 4th); 2020 season, placed 17th in MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (only competed in 3 rounds, 2 top-10 finishes), won WERA North Central Regional F Superstock Expert Championship (6 race wins); 2019 season, finished 2nd in WERA North Central Regional D Superbike and D Superstock Novice Championships (12 race wins).
2023 racing goal: Win the MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship.
Racing career goal: Spend my life working in motorsports.
Racing hero: Chris Ulrich.
Favorite track: VIR.
Favorite hobbies: Working for my family’s business, SportbikeTrackGear.com, pursuing fitness training.
If I wasn’t racing I would be…: Riding around and doing track days with our awesome STG customers.
Some of the riders who have graduated from Roadracing World Young Guns and gone on to racing success in National or International series include:
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion Jason Aguilar (R.I.P.);
2013 AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Corey Alexander;
AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race winner Tommy Aquino (R.I.P.);
2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and AFT SuperTwins race winner J.D. Beach;
MotoAmerica Twins Cup race winner Jackson Blackmon;
former Canadian Sport Bike Champion Tomas Casas;
three-time Canadian Sport Bike Champion and 2014 Canadian Superbike Champion Jodi Christie;
former AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 race winner Josh Day;
2011 Daytona 200 winner Jason DiSalvo;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Championship runner-up and current MotoAmerica team owner Dustin Dominguez;
2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, 2019 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion, and 2021 Canadian Superbike Champion Alex Dumas;
four-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race winner and former motorcycle track record holder Carlin Dunne (R.I.P.);
Canadian Superbike race winner Bodhi Edie;
two-time AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, two-time AMA Pro XR1200/Harley-Davidson Champion and four-time Daytona 200 winner Danny Eslick;
2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Bobby Fong;
2010 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Superstock 1000 Champion, and two-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne;
two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and World Superbike podium finisher Garrett Gerloff;
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship runner-up Michael Gilbert;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Champion, 2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up, and 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship runner-up Hayden Gillim;
2002 AMA Superbike Champion and 2006 FIM MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden (R.I.P.);
2007 AMA Pro 600cc Supersport Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up, and 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship runner-up Roger Hayden;
eight-time AMA Pro Superbike race winner and two-time AMA Supersport Champion Tommy Hayden;
2013 AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Champion, 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and two-time Daytona 200 winner Josh Herrin;
MotoAmerica Supersport front-runner Teagg Hobbs;
AMA Pro Superstock race winner Jake Holden;
2011 British Superbike Championship runner-up and former MotoGP and World Superbike regular John Hopkins;
2015 Supersport World Championship runner-up, 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Superbike podium finisher Patrick “P.J.” Jacobsen;
2021 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and current Moto2 World Championship competitor Sean Dylan Kelly;
Canadian Superbike race winner Kevin Lacombe;
two-time MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee;
2021 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup Champion Jake Lewis;
MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Sam Lochoff;
MotoAmerica Superstock 600 race winner Nick McFadden;
AMA Pro SuperSport race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Stefano Mesa;
Elena Myers, the first and only woman to win AMA Pro Supersport races;
AMA Pro XR1200 race winner, multi-time Loudon Classic winner, and two-time BRL Champion Shane Narbonne;
2012 Canadian Superbike Championship runner-up Andrew Nelson;
2016 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Champion, 2019 British Motostar (Moto3) Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch;
2012 Daytona 200 winner and 2010 AMA Pro Supersport West Champion Joey Pascarella;
2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and current powersports dealership owner Bryce Prince;
AMA Pro and Canadian National race winner and multi-time N2/WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Peris;
two-time AMA Pro SuperSport National Champion, British Supersport podium finisher, 2020 AFT Production Twins Champion, and MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers race winner James Rispoli;
2015 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport race winner, and Moto2 World Championship race winner Joe Roberts;
former Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Champion and former FIM Moto2 European Championship competitor Benny Solis, Jr.;
three-time AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2009 Superbike World Champion, MotoGP race winner, and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Ben Spies;
multi-time AMA Pro race winner and four-time overall WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Ulrich;
MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher and former World Superbike competitor Jayson Uribe;
2017 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Championship runner-up, 2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher Cory Ventura;
Canadian Superbike race winner Alex Welsh;
former AMA Pro Superbike Rookie of the Year, Chinese Superbike Championship race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher Cory West;
MotoAmerica Junior Cup and Superbike Cup race winner Ashton Yates;
and two-time AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up Blake Young.
A WorldSBK weekend of mixed feelings for BMW Motorrad Motorsport in Assen.
Scott Redding from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team claims his best results so far in the Superpole and the races.
Big crash for team-mate Michael van der Mark in race two.
Two twelfth places for Garrett Gerloff from the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, Loris Baz returns from leg injury.
Michael van der Mark (60). Photo courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Assen. BMW Motorrad Motorsport experienced a weekend of mixed emotions at the opening round of the European leg of this season’s FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) in Assen, the Netherlands. Scott Redding (GBR) from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team claimed his best results of the season so far in the Superpole and the races. Meanwhile, his team-mate and local favourite Michael van der Mark (NED) suffered a big crash in race two. He suffered a leg injury and has been taken to an Assen hospital for further examinations after being checked in the Medical Centre. In the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, Garrett Gerloff (USA) ended both main races in twelfth place. Loris Baz (FRA) showed his fighting spirit on his return to the saddle just a few weeks after injuring his leg.
Scott Redding produced an impressive lap on his BMW M 1000 RR in Saturday morning’s Superpole qualifying to secure fifth place on the grid. Baz qualified 13th, while van der Mark and Gerloff ended qualifying in 15th and 17th place. Redding made a good start in race one on Saturday afternoon and was running in the top five until lap 17 of 21. At one point he had climbed into fourth place. However, his front tyre then started to wear dramatically, and Redding eventually crossed the finish line in 10th place. Gerloff lost a position on lap one, but then consistently worked his way through the field to finish 12th. He was followed over the line by van der Mark in 13th. The Dutchman was lacking the confidence in the front of his bike to be able to attack. Baz overcame the pain in his injured leg to finish 17th after 21 laps of racing.
A technical issue encountered during the warm-up lap meant Baz was unable to line up in the Superpole Race. The start was delayed, and the sprint reduced to eight laps. Redding came home eighth. Van der Mark gained five positions to finish 10th, while Gerloff crossed the finish line 17th.
In race two on Sunday afternoon, Redding immediately climbed from eighth to seventh at the start. As the race progressed, he spent eight laps in sixth place before dropping a position in the closing stages. Seventh place represents Redding’s best race result of the season so far. Gerloff dropped back to 20th place at the start, but then fought back to match the 12th place he claimed on Saturday. Van der Mark attempted to make progress from 15th on the grid but suffered a big crash on lap two and injured his leg. Baz was on course for a fine points finish until lap nine, when he too crashed out. The Frenchman was unhurt.
Round four of the 2023 WorldSBK takes place in Barcelona (ESP) in two weeks, from 5th to 7th May.
Quotes after the Assen races.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “Michael’s crash was a sad end to a weekend, at which we witnessed a few rays of hope. We made a relatively good start to the weekend and, after the test in Barcelona, lined up with some improvements. The first free practice sessions went as expected and were satisfactory. Scott secured a fine fifth place in qualifying, and a good grid position is important in this extremely well-matched field. The others had difficulties. Scott produced a very strong performance in race one and was in P4 for a long time. We took a bit of a risk with the front tyre, which unfortunately did not pay off. We learned from that for the Superpole Race and race two. The performance was good again in race two. The fact is that we are not yet among the front-runners, but Scott was still able to hold on for seventh place. He also gave us some good input, as to how we need to progress. However, it was a great shame that Michael had that big crash so early in the race. We must await the diagnosis, but definitely wish him all the best. The main thing is that he recovers quickly. Respect to Loris. It was good to see him back on the bike and, despite being in pain, he performed well. Garrett struggled all weekend to find his rhythm on the opening laps of the race. That is reflected in his results. In the final race, he set very similar lap times to Scott after lap five – sometimes even faster. However, if you are not on it from the start, then you cannot make progress later. We will soon do some testing in Misano, where we will make more changes to the bike, in order to take the next step.”
Scott Redding (45). Photo courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Scott Redding, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 5 / R01: 10 / SP Race: 10 / R02: 7): “I was quite happy that I could be up in the race and even more as I was able to push the bike a little bit, which was nice. But still, we are struggling in some areas and it’s difficult because you cannot get much time back on the others. But I feel like I was riding well. I enjoyed riding the bike this week which was nice for me, and I was fighting in positions where I felt we should be. Yesterday I struggled with the front tyre and today I struggled with rear grip over the entire race. But it was a better weekend, we got some good information. And now we will see if we can bring something to further improve.”
Garrett Gerloff (31). Photo courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Garrett Gerloff, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team (SP: 17 / R01: 12 / SP Race: 17 / R02: 12): “I feel like we had some good pace, just starting from so far back after having such a tricky qualifying was making it difficult. It was my own fault really for being so far back and that’s the most frustrating thing. Also, it was so close, as it was so tight between everybody. It would have been nice to start a few rows forward and I could have changed some things. In the Superpole Race I just didn’t have anything to make up any ground, with only eight laps it was super difficult. In race two I had a good start, but in the first corner, I got bottlenecked and had to brake and check where the guys were around me. I just had to fight to come back. It was a long day. I’m looking forward to the next round, I like Barcelona. I’ll go back there and try to have some good results.”
Loris Baz (76). Photo courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Loris Baz, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team (SP: 13 / R01: 17 / SP Race: DNS / R02: DNF): “I’m ok, but my first thought was for Michael (van der Mark), because I was right behind him when he crashed, and it was really a big one. I know what he has been through and it’s really tough seeing him in this kind of situation again. I wish him a quick recovery and hope he can come back soon. I had a good start, and I was feeling better with the leg compared to yesterday. In the Superpole Race we had a technical issue, so I didn’t do a lap. We had to change the engine between the Superpole and the main race and the new engine didn’t feel the same, so I lost some time during the first laps. Then Öttl overtook me, as he was a bit faster in the parts where I was struggling. But I was catching him in some other fast places. Coming into that last fast left, it was three or four laps in a row that I gone wide there, and I was worried about crashing, so on that lap, I really rolled early to stay on the line and I crashed there. For sure, I released the brake earlier, maybe I went too inside, it’s just strange. I feel sorry for the team because the bike is destroyed. I was feeling better, but when you don’t feel at 100% all weekend, you obviously force it a bit in some places because I couldn’t move. I was trying to get some points; I was pretty fast considering the shape I’m in. It was a rough weekend, really hard, but we keep moving forward. Scott (Redding) has shown that the bike has something more than we did this weekend. For sure, I will feel better in Barcelona. I hope I’ll be able to come back to my normal pace.”
More, from a press release issued by Team HRC:
Vierge and Lecuona crash out while fighting for top six at Assen
Team HRC and riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge have today concluded the third round of the 2023 Superbike World Championship at the Assen TT Circuit in The Netherlands. Unfortunately it was not their day, with both factory riders crashing out of the afternoon’s 21-lap race while battling inside the top ten.
Before gearing up for race 2, riders were out for the Superpole sprint race. Conditions were cool and sunny (air temp. 14°C, track temp. 20°C), but there was a slight delay to the start after an incident involving another rider left dirt on the track. The race was shortened to 8 laps and began roughly ten minutes later than scheduled. From tenth on the grid, Lecuona made up two positions off the line while Vierge, twelfth on the starting grid, also gained two positions through the first corners. Lapping with very similar times, Xavi moved ahead of team-mate Iker on lap two. While Vierge was able to hold ninth to the line, Lecuona battled with Van der Mark in the final stages, just missing out on a top ten finish to close eleventh.
The third and final race got underway as scheduled at 2pm local time. Now ninth and eleventh on the grid thanks to their results in the sprint race, Vierge and Lecuona immediately gained a position on lap one. Unfortunately Xavi’s race was over almost as soon as it began, the Spaniard crashing on lap three, at turn one, while pushing to stay in touch with the riders battling for sixth, with team-mate Iker moving into eighth as a result. Working hard to get into a rhythm, the remaining Team HRC rider moved briefly up into seventh, before battling with Gardner and Redding in the central stages of the race. It was not to be today though, with Iker suffering the same fate as his team-mate and crashing at turn four on lap eleven. Although he was briefly able to return to the track, the Spaniard was forced to pull into the pits and retire shortly afterwards.
With the first three championship rounds now complete, Vierge lies ninth in the general standings with 49 points, Lecuona lies thirteenth with 33. Team HRC will now focus its attention on round four, which is scheduled to take place at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit in Spain on 5-7 May.
Xavi Vierge (97) leading Michael van der Mark (60). Photo courtesy Team HRC.
Xavi Vierge 97
SPR P9 RACE2 DNF
“I first want to apologise to the team for my mistake in race 2. The team worked really hard between yesterday and today, making various changes to the bike. It wasn’t easy to decide what to do following warm-up, as we didn’t have the right conditions to really check it, but we believed in our work and headed into the Superpole race feeling confident. I was pleased with the way that race went as the bike allowed me to battle. I was able to finish top nine and that meant I gained a better grid position for race 2. As that race got underway, I was feeling good and the feeling was there, allowing me to fight for the top six. Unfortunately I made a small mistake through turn 1 and lost the front, and that was the end of that. Not the end we were hoping for, but after a difficult weekend we did find something that allowed us to be up there fighting for a solid result. So we need to take the positives and will now head to Barcelona, a track that can work better for us.”
Iker Lecuona (7). Photo courtesy Team HRC.
Iker Lecuona 7
SPR P11 RACE 2 DNF
“It was a tough day in general for me, the team and Honda, with me and Xavi both crashing in Race 2 and generally struggling at this track. We think we understood something about why the weekend developed as it did, so now it’s time to remain cool and focused, checking all the data and really understanding which changes to make to the setup of the bike, both for the next round and for the subsequent testing session at Misano. It’s true that last year I also had to save myself from some crashes, but this year we have crashed a lot. Having said that, thanks to the team, to Kuwata san, Mori san and everyone on the team for the trust they put in me. I trust them and the team and now we need to work and make the right choices.”
More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team:
WorldSBK – Syahrin in the points in WorldSBK race 2 at Assen
The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda team has concluded what has been a challenging third round of the 2023 Superbike World Championship at Assen by scoring points in race 2 with rider Hafizh Syahrin.
In cool but sunny conditions, the brief Superpole race started a little later than scheduled when an incident for another rider left dirt on the track. One lap into the shortened 8-lap race and riders Granado and Syahrin were lying nineteenth and twentieth. Sticking close to each other, the pair moved up a place on lap two before exchanging positions on lap three. While Hafizh was able to maintain a consistent pace and hold eighteenth for the remainder of the race, Eric slipped back a little in the final lap to cross the line twenty-first.
The riders were back out for the weekend’s final 21-lap race at 2pm local time. The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda duo made up ground through the opening laps, with Syahrin lying seventeenth and Granado nineteenth by lap four. Both gained three more positions by the mid-race point, with the Malaysian moving into the points zone, followed by the Brazilian, sixteenth. Syahrin ran an undisturbed final part of the race to cross the line fourteenth and score two championship points, while Granado closed this final race in seventeenth position.
Syahrin now holds four points and places nineteenth in the championship standings, while Granado is yet to score points this season. The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda team will now prepare for the fourth WorldSBK round, scheduled to run at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit on 6-8 May.
Hafizh Syahrin (35). Photo courtesy PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team.
Hafizh Syahrin P14
“I’m very happy with our race 2 result as we scored two championship points. The Superpole race was also very useful and helped us to understand what we could do better in today’s final race, which turned out well. We might not be scoring points in every race but we did it at every racing weekend and we’re definitely taking steps round by round, repaying the efforts of everyone who is working so hard. I want to thank the team and all those supporting me. We now have a little time to rest before turning our attentions to the Catalunya round in two weeks’ time.”
Eric Granado (51). Photo courtesy PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team.
Eric Granado P17
“Well, the first half of the race went a lot better than yesterday and I felt that I had a good rhythm and was able to stick with the group. Then unfortunately from mid-race onwards I found myself struggling with arm pump, which meant I had to slow my pace quite significantly. I’d been suffering with this since Friday actually and I seemed to be recovering gradually but in this final race of the weekend, after completing so many laps, I guess my arm conceded defeat. Like I say, the first half of the race was positive, and I’ve taken a good step in terms of my confidence with the bike, but now we need to understand my physical condition and the bike setting in preparation for the next Barcelona round.”
More, from a press release issued by GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team:
AEGERTER THRILLED WITH FOURTH AND TOP INDEPENDENT RIDER STATUS, GARDNER GRABS GREAT SIXTH
Dominique Aegerter and Remy Gardner enjoyed a good Sunday in Assen, as the Swiss rider impressed in Race 2 and managed an excellent 4th place – making him the Top Independent Rider of the race. While the Australian recovered six places to finish 6th in the feature race.
The day started with the usual Warm Up session, and the GYTR GRT Yamaha pair made the final adjustments. Aegerter finished 7th with a 1’35.196, while Gardner was 13th (1’35.608), both felt ready ahead the two remaining races.
In a shortened 8-lap Tissot Superpole Race, the #77 and the #87 enjoyed a decent start. Aegerter was in contention for a Top 5 spot, with his teammate just behind. Unfortunately, Gardner was forced to go wide on Lap 2, dropping to 16th. The Australian rider did his best to recover as much as he could, showing good pace and eventually crossing the line in 12th. On the other side of the garage, Aegerter fought until the very end for a second-row start in Race 2, he managed 7th after fighting against Bassani’s Ducati.
The GYTR GRT Yamaha duo started from 7th and 12th on the grid in the final feature race of the weekend. Aegerter and Gardner got off the line well, gaining positions at the start. The #77 installed himself in a solid Top 5 place in the early stages, while the #87 rider made his way through the field to find himself 7th on Lap 8, going past Honda’s Vierge and Lecuona and Ducati’s Petrucci. With seven laps to go, Gardner made one final move on BMW’s Redding to take sixth position. Afterwards, he tried to close the gap with the guys in front to join the Top 5 fight and despite showing promising pace throughout the whole race, he stayed in 6th until the end.
Meanwhile, Aegerter tried to recover on Pata Yamaha Prometeon’s Locatelli and Ducati’s Bassani for a podium place. The Swiss star showed great speed in the 21-lap battle, staying in 5th for the majority of the race. In the latter stages, the #77 rider impressed with blistering pace, eventually catching Bassani for a last lap showdown. Finally, Domi crossed the line in 5th, before being promoted to 4th following Bassani’s track limits penalty. This means Domi placed as the Top Independent Rider on the day.
“That was a great Race 2, finishing 4th and getting top independent is nice. We had a good start and fierce battles until the last chicane. There are still aspects of this bike that I can learn how to better exploit, we’re going step by step. We have a great long-run pace and base setup, but we should be quick in the early stages too. I’m happy with the package we have, Yamaha and the GYTR GRT Team are doing a great job, plus it’s good we can share data with fast guys. We’ll keep working for sure, that is what has got us where we are today. We hope to be in the top group again in Barcelona.”
Remy Gardner (87) leads a group of riders at Assen. Photo courtesy GYTR GRT Yamaha.
Remy Gardner #87
Superpole Race: P12 / Race 2: P6
“Not a bad Race 2, although unfortunately we had bad luck in the sprint race. For sure we need to work on our qualifying sessions, once again starting from behind didn’t help. In the last feature race, our pace was fine and I enjoyed it. The tyre choice was the correct one in my opinion, it was just a shame I lost a lot of time in the opening laps as I got forced wide, but we were still able to perform a good recovery. Let’s keep rolling and progress further, we know there’s potential.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea Takes A Podium Before Misfortune Strikes
Jonathan Rea secured his third podium finish of the season with second place in the Superpole race at Assen. He would then fall in Race Two while chasing the leading duo. Alex Lowes was fourth and then ninth, after going through his own moment of high drama before Race Two.
A delayed start to the WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race meant it was run over eight laps, not the customary ten. Rea led in the first part of lap one but eventual winner Alvaro Bautista would pass in the final sector and hold his lead to the flag.
Rea was a clear second while his team-mate Lowes took a lonely fourth, having been in the leading mix early on while chasing his own podium ambition.
In the second race of the day, and the third WorldSBK race of the weekend, there was an unexpected turn even before the start of the 21-lap race itself. Lowes crashed on the sighting lap and had to come back to the pits to use a second bike for the 21-lap race.
Lowes moved up strongly from his last place starting position (imposed on him due to his late bike change) to finish ninth and salvage good championship points.
Rea was still fighting for the podium places with Alvaro Bautista and Toprak Razgatlioglu in Race Two when he fell on lap six, at the fast Turn Nine, and he was unable to re-start. Despite this misfortune Rea moved up one place in the championship standings at the end of the Assen race weekend.
In the championship standings, after three rounds and nine individual races, Bautista has 174 points Razgatlioglu 118, Locatelli 104, Bassani 77 and Rea 73. Lowes is tenth, with 44 points.
The next round takes place at KRT’s home circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya, between 5-7 May.
Jonathan Rea (65) leads Toprak Razgatlioglu (54) and Alex Lowes (22) at Assen. Photo courtesy Kawasaki.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “It was one of those days, unfortunately, but I have got to take some positives from this weekend. The bike was really comfortable to ride, and I did some things at Assen that I have not been able to do for a few years. The starts were great, but I missed the jump a little bit in Race Two. We checked the data to understand the crash and for some reason, all weekend, I have had some pressure on the gearshift. This one time in T9, as soon as I opened the gas, it engaged third gear and that was enough to crash. I went down in probably the most graceful crash I have ever had! I was so frustrated because I felt like we could fight for a podium again. I felt much more comfortable in that race, compared to Race One and also the Superpole Race earlier today. The Superpole Race was maximum attack for eight laps. Alvaro just broke me with two laps to go.”
Alex Lowes (22). Photo courtesy Kawasaki.
Alex Lowes, stated: “This weekend has been a bit better and when we have grip in the bike we can be quite fast. The Superpole Race was quite good because I was one of the only guys who could stay with the front three. The race, at eight laps, was a bit shorter than normal. The pace was fast and I felt OK on the limit. Everybody is riding on the limit. I lost the front on the sighting lap before Race Two. Starting from the back of the grid it was going to be tough, but my pace was a bit better after we had made a few changes on the bike. I was able to keep my front tyre grip for five or six laps longer and I was faster than the day before.”
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished 19th in the Superpole Race and took a point in Race Two for 15th place.
Oliver König (Orelac Racing Movisio Kawasaki) was 25th and then 16th on the final day at Assen. Isaac Vinales (TPR by Vinales Racing Kawasaki) was a retiree in the Superpole Race and then 18th in Race Two.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Aruba.it Racing and Ducati write a page of history at “The Cathedral of Speed”. Bautista and Bulega win all the races in WorldSBK and WorldSSP. The Spanish rider also gives Borgo Panigale victory #400. Top 10 for Rinaldi
The weekend of the Pirelli Dutch Round, third event of the 2023 WorldSBK season, enters by right in the history of Aruba.it Racing and Ducati.
Alvaro Bautista and Nicolò Bulega in fact, won all the races held at TTCircuit of Assen (Netherland) both in WorldSBK and WorldSSP, taking their respective Pole Positions and setting all the fastest laps, as well as setting new circuit records.
An extraordinary haul on the same day of the historic 400 Ducati victories in the World Superbike Championship, a milestone cut by the Spaniard in Race 2.
At the end of the Pirelli Dutch Round, Alvaro Bautista is firmly first in the standings with 174 points, 56 more than Razgatlioglu (Yamaha). There is also a wide margin for Nicolò Bulega, the leader in WorldSSP with 127 points, 37 more than Manzi (Yamaha).
It was a difficult weekend, however, for Michael Rinaldi, who nevertheless gritted his teeth in Race 2 and brought home the Top 10.
Alvaro Bautista. Photo courtesy Ducati.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #1)
“It has been an exciting weekend and I am very happy to have put my signature on such an important milestone as the 400th victory for Ducati in Superbike. I’m also really happy because we even managed to improve on yesterday, especially in the Superpole Race. The advantage in the standings it is not my interest at the moment: what I’ll remember from this day is the fantastic feeling with the bike.
Michael Rinaldi (21). Photo courtesy Ducati.
Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #21)
“Honestly it was a very difficult weekend. Right from FP1 the feeling wasn’t the same as in the previous rounds; unfortunately, we couldn’t work in FP2, then we had to run in wet conditions in FP3. Basically, we did setup in Race 1. At the same time, though, we need to be more responsive when we face difficulties like these. For sure we are not going to lose confidence from a weekend gone wrong.”
Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WSSP #11)
“We can say that this was a perfect weekend, probably the best weekend of my life. We won the two races, starting from the pole position, always doing the fastest lap. I want to thank my team because from the very first lap of FP1 the feeling with the bike was simply fantastic. Now, though, we have to think about Barcelona.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Double Dutch Podium for Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu and Andrea Locatelli stepped on to the podium together after an exciting display of professional race craft in Race 2 at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands today, to finish a positive weekend for Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK at the third round of the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship.
It was Razgatlıoğlu’s third podium of the event, finishing one better than his Race 1 and Superpole Race third places, but the key difference was how close the team’s Turkish rider was able to run to winner Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) in the first half of the final main race. Forcing a move through the northern loop of the historical circuit in the opening laps netted a brief look at the lead of the race, but it was not enough to fully upset the dominance of the Spanish rider this weekend.
Teammate Locatelli took another step forward again today, enjoying a fierce battle with Italian compatriot Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati) in both races. “Loka” was held up in the first part of the Superpole Race, unable to make a move and lost out to Bassani in the final portion of the shortened eight-lap sprint. But in Race 2, the two went head-to-head once again and the #55 rider came out on top after a spectacular high-speed battle on entry to Assen’s fastest corner. Superior late race pace from Locatelli and his Yamaha R1 WorldSBK sealed the deal for the podium, following a super consistent weekend of results.
Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK returns to Barcelona in less than two weeks’ time for the fourth round of the season, taking place from 5-7 May.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54). Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – Superpole Race: P3 / Race 2: P2
“I am really happy, I ride through the first corner in Race 2 and don’t crash like 2021 and 2022! This is a big improvement! Also, today, in World Supersport my Turkish friends Can and Bahattin crashed and I am a bit scared before the race to do the same! I tried my best and finish in second position, I am happy for this but normally I am always try to win – this race it was impossible but I tried everything. Also I tried to attack Alvaro for the lead and anyway, we know, everybody know in the last laps he is more strong. This track is very fast, I am not close enough to try a hard braking pass – it was not easy. Second position is not bad, better than nothing! Also I am not coming back home without podiums, so this is a good positive! We will see in the next race. I am very happy for my teammate Locatelli as well, I hope we can finish more races on the podium together.”
Andrea Locatelli (55). Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Andrea Locatelli – Superpole Race: P5 / Race 2: P3
“I am really happy about Race 2, because to think about going home after Assen without a podium was a bit sad! So I am really proud about the job we did here because we started in difficult conditions and we never really found good grip with the rear and it compromised the first laps a little bit until I could do my rhythm. We need to understand a bit more but we have another podium and a lot of good points for the championship, a really good result and no mistakes. We need to continue to work and see what is possible for the future races. I want to say thanks to the guys for this weekend, we can enjoy this moment.”
Paul Denning – Team Principal, Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK
“Another good day ‘at the office’! Friday was tough, we improved yesterday and took another step forward with both riders today. So first of all, I have to say thank you to the efforts of Yamaha and the team for reacting so well and giving the guys competitive packages today. We can’t really argue with the outright pace of Bautista and his package at this moment, so to score a double podium in Race 2, retain second and third positions in the championship – and, more importantly for Yamaha, to finish second, third, fourth and sixth in the last race, shows that the R1 still has plenty of life in it yet! We’ll move on to Barcelona – another challenging track for us – and try to maximise our performance there.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Go Eleven:
SO CLOSE TO THE TOP TEN IN RACE 2, BUT TOO MUCH GAP IN THE FIRST LAPS!
Philipp Oettl (5). Photo courtesy Team Go Eleven.
The team’s work yesterday evening allowed Philipp to be able to fight in today’s two races, but the staory was similar to yesterday’s; a lot of time lost in the first laps, where the main difficulty is finding space for overtaking, then from the middle of the race onwards a pace in line with the Top 8. This is the aspect to work on, which conditions the races in our start of the season!
The morning got off to a good start for the Go Eleven rider, in the Warm Up he was able to get down to a low 35, a time in line with the pace of Race 1. Ninth position and a good feeling especially at the front.
Warm Up:
P 1 J. Rea 1.34.747
P 2 A. Bautista + 0.092
P 3 T. Razgatlioglu + 0.275
…
P 9 P. Oettl + 0.594
The Superpole Race here in Assen was held over a shortened distance of 8 laps, due to oil on the track in the Warm Up Lap. Even more difficult to recover for Philipp, starting from fourteenth place. The first lap, which was decisive in these sprint races, was rather complicated, then lap after lap he improved and came back a few positions, fighting above all with Petrucci, finishing in front of him at the chequered flag. No points taken, but the awareness of being able to think about the Top Ten in Race 2.
Superpole Race:
P 1 A. Bautista 12’37.045
P 2 J. Rea + 0.916
P 3 T. Razgatlioglu + 1.757
…
P 14 P. Oettl + 12.037
At the start of Race 2 Philipp managed to get off to a good start, defending his position, then suffering a couple of attacks in the first and second sectors. Unfortunately, the race was “lost” in the first six laps, when he was in the fight with slower riders, the group in front, battling for the Top Ten, took a clear advantage. In the second half of the race he was faster than Rinaldi, Redding and Lowes, closing the gap by almost half a second per lap, managing to slip behind the Ducati rider. Eleventh position conquered, a step forward compared to yesterday, but there is still a lot to work on.
Race 2:
P 1 A. Bautista 33’14.560
P 2 T. Razgatlioglu + 3.915
P 3 A. Locatelli + 7.416
…
P 11 P. Oettl + 21.645
This Round, held on a particular track like the TT-Circuit, highlighted the major problems affecting the results of the Italian team in this part of the season; all the riders are really close, just a few thousandths away, and a start from the rear, combined with a difficulty in dealing with overtaking relegates to a comeback race. A comeback that becomes difficult when all the riders lap with two, maximum three tenths of a difference. 21 seconds taken in Race 2 is not a lot, but 12 of which in the first seven laps highlight the area you need to focus on.
Now the WorldSBK circus moves to Barcelona, where last year Philipp finished in the top ten, a track where Ducati should perform very well. However, each year is unique, so Team Go Eleven will have to work and find the right set-up!
Philipp Oettl (Rider):
“Today we made a step in the right direction, starting from the Warm Up. The start and the first laps are our biggest problem at the moment, we don’t miss a lot to fight in the group, but we missed just two/three tenths to have a really good race. This weekend we choice the right tyre, I was quite confident with the front. I struggled to overtake, especially the BMWs, i lost a lot of seconds there with Baz. We are fast, but we know where to improve. Physically i feel really good, I had zero problem through the weekend, even if I came from Le Mans 24 hour. I will keep working in the same way and we will have better days in the future!”
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“Today we took a step forward but we lost too much time in the early stages of the race. It was difficult for Philipp to overtake Baz and with him we lost contact with the group that was fighting for sixth position. Everyone is riding very close here, the difference of performance among the riders is minimal, and nothing is enough to move from fifth to fifteenth, while still remaining “fast”. We have to take care of every detail and improve in the first half of the race. We are competitive even if we haven’t achieved the result that we want and this is what leaves a bitter taste in our mouth, it’s like smelling good food but not being able to eat it… it makes us want even more! Now we can only focus on ourselves and improve to be back to the top positions!”
Peter Hickman (60) in action at the 2019 Ulster Grand Prix. Photo by Pacemaker Press International, courtesy of the Ulster Grand Prix.
It is with deep regret that the Dundrod and District Motorcycle Club has been forced to abandon plans to revive the Ulster Grand Prix on August 18-19, 2023.
The club began the initiative with confidence, enjoying the full backing of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council and the Ulster Grand Prix Supporters’ Club. There was encouraging support from teams and riders and we also received strong commitments of financial support from the local business community for which we are extremely grateful.
However, in recent weeks those plans have been undermined by two specific issues.
Despite numerous requests by Dundrod club officials during the last six weeks, we have been totally frustrated in our attempts to gain access to a copy of the public liability insurance policy the Motorcycle Union of Ireland, Ulster Centre, has put in place for 2023.
The Dundrod club was expected to make an initial payment of £26,000 by mid-April. The finance is in place to make that payment but without sight and consideration of the policy documents, the club’s solicitor has advised this payment should not proceed.
That issue has been further compounded by ongoing uncertainty around funding for the event from Tourism NI. The Dundrod club made application to TNI last December as required. We are now in April 2023 and there has still been no indication as to whether or not this application will be successful or what level of support the UGP might be eligible to receive.
Given these uncertainties, the Dundrod club has been left with no option other than to make the unfortunate decision being announced today.
Miguel Oliveira's results at COTA resulted in him feeling confident and motivated heading into Round Four at Jerez. Photo courtesy RNF MotoGP Team.
CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team returns to Europe
Following an eventful opening of the 2023 season in Portugal, Argentina and lately in Austin, Texas, the MotoGP World Championship returns to Europe this weekend with one of the classics in the calendar. The CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team is eager to compete at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto this weekend for the Spanish Grand Prix, one of three home rounds for team rider Raul Fernandez.
Following a strong catch up in the Sprint race as well as in the main race of the Americas Grand Prix last time out, Miguel Oliveira showed a strong comeback after being forced to sit out the second round of 2023. Starting from P15, he finished eighth in the Sprint and in an impressive fifth position of the full-length race on Sunday, collecting a total if 13 World Championship points. This weekend, the Portuguese star hopes to continue his progress aboard the Aprilia RS-GP, making similar moves with a better starting position.
At the same time, Raul Fernandez is coming home. The young rider from Spain’s capital Madrid, recently felt better and better with his RS-GP. He was ready to score some decent points in the main race at the Circuit of the Americas just a bit over one week ago, but unfortunately had to return to the pits with a technical issue, forcing him to an early retirement. On home soil, the 22-years old is aiming to make up for the lost points this weekend.
The fourth of 21 rounds in 2023 starts this Friday with Free Practice one at 10:45 local time, followed by Free Practice two at 15:00. Apart from Saturday’s action-packed program, Sunday will see the main race starting 15:00 local time in Spain.
MIGUEL OLIVEIRA
“I’m confident after Austin, which was a track, that is difficult for me. Coming back from the injury, it was nice to score some points. The goal for Jerez will remain the same, continue on this line in scoring points in both races. Hopefully we can make another step forward in terms of speed and improving the Qualifying. I’m looking forward to discover Jerez with the Aprilia. I’m very motivated.”
Raul Fernandez (25) at speed at COTA. Photo courtesy RNF MotoGP Team.
RAUL FERNANDEZ
“Jerez is a very important track for me. Of course, it’s always something special having a race in Spain, my home country in front of our fans. I will try to get a good feeling aboard the Aprilia RS-GP, like I had in Texas last time out and I hope I’ll be a bit luckier avoiding problems. We’ll try to do our best. I think we have potential and step by step we arrive closer to the top, but I think it’s time to get some results now to confirm we can be there.”
Razlan Razali, Founder and Team Principal CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team
“So far with the first round in Portimao and the first two flyaway races, we can be satisfied in some ways with our performance compared to last year. We know if that the situation was not the way it was, we could have done better, meaning the incident of Marc Marquez and Miguel in round one and the mechanical issue that Raul had in Austin.”
“Maybe the situation could be a little bit better for the team already. But it’s still a positive time for the team and now the MotoGP circus is back in Jerez this week, which I believe will be truly where the championship begins, where everybody is familiar with the circuits, beginning with Jerez, then Le Mans, followed by Mugello, Sachsenring and Assen. The most important thing is that both riders are in good health and fitness, getting to grips with the RS-GP at each track quickly. We arrive in Jerez full of enthusiasm and motivation to continue our progress to go better.”
Wilco Zeelenberg, Team Manager CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team
“After mixed results from Miguel and Raul in Austin, we are quite happy to go to Jerez and see what the boys can do in Spain. Of course, we have had Portimao already, which didn’t work out really well for us, but there is much more track knowledge by both riders in Jerez than in Austin and in Austin they already seemed to have a good speed and where both in a good flow. With their entourage and the enthusiastic fans, it’s always nice to ride in Jerez. On top of that, Raul is Spanish, so it will be his first 2023 home race. Let’s see, what we can do. Hopefully, the sun will shine again for us in the South of Spain.”
Tyler Sweeney (745). Photo by Martin Hanlon, courtesy NEMRR.
Round 1 of the 2023 NorthEast Motorcycle Road Racing (NEMRR) series kicked off April 22-23 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway under clear but cool conditions, typical of an April event in New England.
The excitement during this particular off-season has been palpable, as the series has been focused on the upcoming 100th running of the Loudon Classic in June. The record-breaking $250,000 purse and $55,000 winners take has attracted a group of top-level talent and teams of a size and pedigree that the Northeast has not seen in the 20 years since AMA Pro Racing last visited the speedway.
Although this opening weekend was attended by primarily the series regulars, it was apparent that many riders had made significant extra efforts to prepare top-shelf equipment for the big event in June.
In a good sign for the series and our sport, the new rider classes that open NEMRR events every Saturday were well-attended and full of new faces. Starting with the Super Street Classes, which were introduced several years ago as a half step into racing, riders on track day-prepared machines run a combined “heat race” to get a feel for what it’s like to start a session with a green flag. These mostly-for-fun classes are broken into Unlimited and Lightweight displacement divisions, with the overall win coming from Randy Morrissette on his Ducati Panigale.
The Rookie Race, which starts each race weekend for the NEMRR Novice racers and serves as a “final exam” for those seeking a license, had the largest turnout in recent memory and was won by Nino Jordan.
NEMRR is one of the only clubs in the nation that runs a novice racer class, which creates a idea atmosphere for new riders as it completely separates this group form experienced racers as they learn our sport.
The feature race of NEMRR weekend is the Michelin/MotoRace dash for cash, a Middleweight Grand Prix contest that will form the basis for the 100th running of the Loudon Classic. Conspicuously absent was 2022 champion Scott Greenwood, who dominated the class in 2022 but was forced to sit on the sidelines due to a lingering shoulder injury sustained playing hockey this winter.
Greenwood’s absence left the field wide open, and at the start of the race, Eli Block, who was the closest challenger to Greenwood in 2022, led the way on his freshly upgraded Yamaha R6. Starting from the back row, meanwhile, was the talented Tyler Sweeney on a Yamaha R6 that was the equal of Block’s machine.
Sweeney has not been a full-time participant in the NEMRR series for several years but has made an appearance at most of the Loudon Classic events and has always been a podium contender.
The dropping temperatures led NEMRR officials to shorten the normal 12-lap event to 8 laps, and Sweeney got right to work and moved into second place by lap three. From there, the gap between the two front runners closed at a rate of just over a second per lap with Sweeney taking the lead on lap six. This move lit a fire under Block, who dropped nearly a second a lap and made a strong effort to close the gap to the leader. As the two leaders rocketed out of the final corner, Block’s R6 was visibly spinning and sliding. His effort came up half a bikelength short as Sweeney held on for the win.
Sunday’s races were held under less favorable conditions as constant rain and temperatures in the low 40’s dominated the day. Of the riders who braved the conditions, the pair of Paul Duval and Tom Hynes led the way with each rider securing two wins. Both riders were Yamaha R6 -mounted and took turns churning out the fastest lap times of the day and trading wins on the racetrack. In the end, Duval secured the fastest lap and took the final head-to-head victory in the K-Tech Suspension Middleweight Supersport Class.
Round Two of the NEMRR Series with be held May 13-14 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and will give fans a preview of the Loudon Classic as several of the top professionals attending the big race will be using round two as an opportunity to test. Enthusiasts looking for tickets to the historic 100th running of the Loudon Classic June 16-18 can find a link directly on the www.nemrr.com home page!
Cameron Beaubier (6) and Jake Gagne (1), as seen during a MotoAmerica Superbike race at Road Atlanta. Photo courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.
Cameron wins on MotoAmerica return, Corey and PJ bag solid points as 2023 begins
Tytlers Cycle Racing leave the opening round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship as joint leaders of the series after Cameron Beaubier, who returns to the series after a couple of seasons on the world stage, romped to the win in Saturday’s first race before narrowly missing the double win on Sunday where he crossed the line second.
The team’s trio of riders Beaubier, PJ Jacobsen and reigning MotoAmerica Stock 1000 champion Corey Alexander were in fine form at Road Atlanta – all three showing a strong pace and potential throughout the weekend.
With all three inside the top ten in qualifying (Cameron second, PJ fifth and Corey ninth) the stage was set for a great opening round.
When the lights went out at the start of the opening encounter all eyes were on Cameron Beaubier as the former multiple MotoAmerica champion slowly but surely reduced the gap to early leader (and defending champion Jake Gagne). Hitting the front, the final stages were intense but as the checkered flag was waved it was the #6 who took the win to give the team the championship lead and BMW its first victory in the US national Superbike series for forty-five years.
Corey Alexander finished a credible eighth whilst unfortunately PJ Jacobsen crashed out, thankfully unhurt.
Sunday’s race was another barnstormer with Cameron once again in the battle for victory. Taking his turn to lead he would eventually be denied the win. He crossed the line second, adding another twenty points to his championship tally. He heads to the next round at Barber Motorsports Park as the joint championship leader.
PJ Jacobsen raced to his first points of his 2023 campaign with a solid ride to sixth. He finished just over a second ahead of teammate Corey Alexander who finished seventh.
Cameron Beaubier (right) with Crew Chief/Team Manager Dave Weaver (left) on top of the podium at Road Atlanta. Photo courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.
Cameron Beaubier: “Saturday was a great day. I am super happy to start the year off a win but to be honest I wasn’t expecting it after the time gap Jake (Gagne) had on us in qualifying. Race two was a wild one with good battles all race long. I am glad we got out of there safe on the last lap. I want to say a massive thank you to the Tytlers team for this first weekend back. We know what we need to work on, and I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Corey Alexander (23). Photo courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.
Corey Alexander: “It was a great first race and I was able to run inside the top eight for most of it. We knew after the race that there were a few set up issues that we could work on and improve, and I was confident of improving on Sunday. I am happy with the progress we made in Sunday’s race. Our average pace was much faster than Saturday and our set up took a step in the right direction. Overall, it was a successful first weekend on the superbike and I’m excited to continue the forward momentum into Barber. Thanks to my guys for all the hard work and congrats to Cam for the unbelievable weekend. It further proves the capability of the BMW.”
PJ Jacobsen: “Race one was a complete disaster. It was a shame to crash but we worked as a team to understand what happened and I was determined to come back stronger on Sunday. We bagged some solid points on Sunday but in all honesty, I want to put the weekend behind me and move on to the next one. It was a tough one for me and I am hoping to be a lot closer to the front at Barber. Obviously, it was great for us a team with Cam getting the win, so congrats to him and I hope to be in the fight at the next one.”
More, from a press release issued by Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering:
Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia riders Landers, Rodio score win, pair of second-place finishes at Road Atlanta
Rodio increases MotoAmerica Twins Cup points lead at April 21-23 round
BRASELTON, Ga. — Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders Rocco Landers and Gus Rodio each found success in different ways at this past weekend’s MotoAmerica round at Road Atlanta. Rodio’s pair of second place finishes allowed him pad his lead in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup points standings, while fill-in rider Landers found immediate success in his first weekend racing an Aprilia RS 660 by scoring a pole position and dominating victory.
Rodio came into the April 21-23 Road Atlanta round with a win and runner-up finish at Daytona under his belt, while Landers made his debut with the team in place of Ben Gloddy – who is still recovering from an injury he suffered at Daytona. The duo of Landers and Rodio ended up claiming three of the possible six podium finishes in the two Twins Cup contests at Road Atlanta, though Landers’ motorcycle suffered a mechanical problem during Saturday’s Race 1. The 2020 MotoAmerica Twins Cup and two-time MotoAmerica Junior Cup champion Landers also lowered the race lap record for the Twins Cup at Road Atlanta during Race 2 by about 0.8 seconds.
The team kicked off the weekend’s on-track action at the top of the time sheets, as Landers paced the field in Friday morning practice. In his first session on an Aprilia RS 660, Landers posted a best time of 1:33.937 — more than half a second faster than the next fastest rider. Rodio also showed good pace in practice as he finished third fastest. Later Friday, Landers was again the class of the field and lowered his best lap time for the day by about two seconds. Rodio finished Qualifying 1 in fourth.
The Twins Cup’s second and final qualifying session took place Saturday morning, but the conditions did not allow riders to improve their best lap times. Landers was again at the top of the time sheets in Qualifying 2, and Landers and Rodio ended up securing first and fourth place on the starting grid, respectively.
When Saturday’s Twins Cup Race 1 got started after a short red flag period, Rodio got a good start and had moved up to second place by the first corner. Landers didn’t get off the line as well but was running in fourth at Turn 1 and quickly moved up to third at Turn 3. Rodio, Landers and another rider then began pulling away at the front. The three riders jostled for position for several laps before Landers was forced to retire from the race at the end of Lap 3 due to a technical problem. Rodio and the other frontrunning rider took turns in the lead, and Rodio made a valiant effort to overtake the race leader on the last lap but wisely settled for a runner-up finish.
Landers’ fortunes turned around for Sunday’s race and he ended the weekend with a show of utter dominance. Landers got a very good start and led the race start to finish to claim a victory. His lead over Rodio and two other riders vying for second place grew to more than seven seconds with four laps to go, though he backed off his pace a little in the closing laps to win by a margin of more than four seconds. Rodio was at the point for the battle for second place for most of the race, as he finished nine of the race’s 12 laps running in second. In the closing laps, Rodio gradually pulled away from the third-place rider to clinch his second runner-up finish of the weekend by 0.831 seconds.
The results marked the second time in four races that a Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660 rider was on the top step of the podium, and Rodio’s third and fourth runner-up finishes of the season allowed him to extend his lead in the points standings. Rodio’s 85 points are 26 more than the next closest competitor in the standings. Though Landers has taken part in just two races and only finished one of them, the 25 points he earned for his victory moved him up to eighth place in the Twins Cup standings.
The Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team will be back in action in three weeks time at the next MotoAmerica round, which takes place at Barber Motorsports Park on May 19-21.
Rocco Landers (97). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering.
Rocco Landers / No. 97
“My first time on the Aprilia RS 660 was amazing. It handled very similar to a 600cc bike, in that it gave me a ton of feel on the front tire. I really like riding it. It’s really easy to adapt to, which is a blessing when you get on a new bike. Once I got on it, I knew I was going to gel with it immediately. Saturday’s race was a bit of a bummer, but a day like today always makes you feel better about a day like yesterday. I’m very, very happy to be able to ride the Aprilia to a win today, and I’m excited about the rest of the season.”
Gus Rodio (96). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering.
Gus Rodio / No. 96
“Overall, it was a pretty good weekend here at Road Atlanta. I’m super happy to get a double podium and extend my points lead to 26 points. I feel really good and learned a lot this weekend from riding with Rocco and other riders. I’m excited to take what we learned here to Barber and have a good weekend there.”
Robem Engineering’s technical partners for 2023 include Aprilia Racing, Piaggio Group Americas, Bitubo Suspension, Dunlop, Woodcraft Technologies, Dymag, Vesrah, Sprint Filter, DID, Sara Chappell Photos, NGK/NTK, Blud Lubricants, Millennium Technologies, Motovation USA and SC-Project.
Rodio Racing’s technical partners for 2023 include NJ MiniGP, Luxestar VIP, MAR Contractors, Evolve GT, N2 Racing, Dunlop, Spellcaster Productions, Kathedral, The Martinn and MVR Endeavor.
More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports:
MotoAmerica: Altus Motorsports faces difficulties at Road Atlanta
(Atlanta, GA) Altus Motorsports WPS Fly Racing Team entered the 2023 season with ambitious plans and high hopes. The team has talented riders and competitive equipment across four different classes: Stock 1000, Supersport, Twins Cup, and the Junior Cup. However, Road Atlanta proved to be a challenging weekend due to a mechanical issue that caused failures across most of the motorcycles on Saturday.
“We are still investigating the source of the problem that sidelined three of our four bikes on Saturday,” said George Nassaney, team owner. “I feel bad for the team and the riders. We continued to do things exactly as we have done for years, so to have issues manifest like this is demoralizing. We made some changes on Saturday evening and did not have the same issues on Sunday. We are working to get to the root of the problem to ensure it does not happen again.”
Superbike & Stock 1000:
As Brandon Paasch was out with an injury, Anthony Norton stepped in to ride the Altus Motorsports GSX-R1000. Norton arrived in Georgia with zero experience at Road Atlanta. A mechanical issue caused Norton to miss the first practice, which meant his first laps were during the Stock1000 qualifying session on Friday. Despite these challenges, Norton managed to post some impressive times and finished the first qualifying session in 25th place out of thirty-five competitors. Not bad considering he was on a track he had never seen and a bike he had never ridden. Norton started Race 1 from 25th and, after a great launch, was in 21st after the first lap. Through the race, he fought his way up to 17th and crossed the finish line in 16th – dropping four seconds off his qualifying time. Another amazing start in Race 2 put Norton up to 18th on the first lap. After a race-long battle, Anthony took the checkered flag in 17th.
Anthony Norton (83). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
Supersport:
Last season Jaret Nassaney really gelled with the new GSX-R750. Now, with a year of experience on that bike and building on some of the best riding of his career, Jaret is expecting great things in 2023. Based on his results on Friday at Road Atlanta, things were looking good for the weekend. Nassaney was Top 10 in both sessions and ended up qualifying 8th. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue knocked him out of Race 1. The second Supersport race was a different story. Jaret got a good start and ran most of the laps in 6th place. On the last lap, he lost that position to cross the finish line in 7th.
Jaret Nassaney (59). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
Jaret Nassaney: “We had some unfortunate luck on Saturday that knocked us out of the race but I’m happy with the amazing start I got! We had great pace all week and I’m really happy with how I’m jiving with the bike! Race 2 I got another great start and slotted myself into 5th but unfortunately made a couple mistakes and settled into 6th for the whole race until the last lap when I got passed into turn 10a and didn’t have any opportunity to attack back. All and all I’m happy with our pace. Barber is one of my favorite tracks so I’m ready to get back out there and try to battle a solid result!”
Twins Cup:
Joseph LiMandri Jr. qualified in P7 on the Altus Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R7 and looked good in the first race on Saturday. By lap 3 he had slotted into a solid 5th place. Unfortunately, that came to an untimely end a few laps later when a mechanical issue sent him back to the pits. In the Sunday race, LiMandri had an amazing start and completed the first lap in 4th. He ended up crossing the finish in 5th place.
Joseph LiMandri (62). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
Junior Cup:
There is no doubt that Alessandro Di Mario has the talent to win races. At Road Atlanta, the 2022 North American Talent Cup Champion put the Altus Motorsports Kawasaki Ninja 400 on the pole for his first race weekend in the MotoAmerica Junior Cup class. The first race ended unceremoniously when Di Mario was forced to retire with a mechanical issue. In the second Junior Cup race of the weekend, Alessandro went with the top group and led the race on more than one occasion. On the final lap, he lost the front while attempting a pass to take second place, knocking him out of the race. While he leaves the first round with no championship points, there is no doubt he will be a contender.
Alessandro Di Mario (70). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Altus Motorsports.
“What a crazy and stressful weekend, but our team came through like Champions” said George Nassaney Team Owner. This was our teams first race weekend after the sudden passing of our friend and Crew Chief Eric Gray. I was expecting some growing pains, but not 3 DNF’s. I can absolutely say it was not our mechanics fault. Our Crew Chiefs Mike Castro and Mike Pond along with our mechanics put their head’s together and figured out the issue. We fixed the issue and Sunday showed our riders talents with their results. We are going to come into Barber recharged and ready to battle”
Altus Motorsports team is supported by our great family of sponsors: Altus Motorsports, FLY Racing WPS, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Yamaha Motor Company, Barnett, Maxima Racing Oils, Moto-D Racing, Bonamici, Hot Bodies Racing, M4 Exhausts, Vortex EK, Motion Pro, SBS Brakes, BrakeTech USA, Inc., Ohlins, K-Tech, RS Taichi, Arai, Yoshimura, Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers, CarbonSmith, Law Tigers Oklahoma, and Altus Factory Racing
More, from a press release issued by Hayden Bicknese Racing:
Hayden converts front row to double P3 as 2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup starts at Road Atlanta – heads to Alabama third overall
Hayden Bicknese on the MotoAmerica Junior Cup podium at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Hayden Bicknese Racing.
Hayden Bicknese kickstarted his MotoAmerica Junior Cup campaign in the best possible way – bagging a double podium in the season opener at Road Atlanta last weekend.
Fast from the off, the #69 Kawasaki rider ran at the front from the very first session, backing up his Free Practice pace with a strong showing in qualifying to secure a place on the front row of the grid for both races.
Saturday’s opening race was red flagged and restarted with Hayden losing a comfortable advantage that he had built. Nevertheless, he remained in contention when the second part of the opening encounter got underway. An on-track moment, that saw him take to the grass, created a gap between him and the leaders but he was still classified third at the flag after an incredible fight back in the latter stages.
With no major set up changes to his Bicknese Racing machine for warm up on Sunday morning, Hayden was once again in contention for glory when Race 2 got underway. But, as in most Junior Cup races the constant exchanging of positions enabled Bicknese to remain in the mix for the win throughout, his cool head and smart thinking allowed him to make his move on the final lap to secure his second podium of the weekend.
His double third place means he sits third overall in the standings as the series heads to Alabama and Barber Motorsports Park in a few weeks.
Hayden Bicknese: “FP1 started well, and I posted a time that was very competitive. I was surprised how fast I was at the compared to last year, almost four seconds in the first session. The bike was already set up well, but we made a small change for Q1. The change to the external pre-load helped on the brakes, but it was still not really proven with the track being a little greasy, but I was still able to improve my times. I was classified P2 and could have been P1 if I hadn’t made a mistake and hadn’t been held up by another rider on the last corner. We didn’t make any changes after first qualifying, and we skipped Q2 because of a storm the night before and we knew that the race would be dry. Race 1 started very well. I was able to set the pace at the front and as the race progressed it was just me, Alessandro (Di Mario) and Avery (Dreher). We had a huge gap but then there was a red flag. In the restart I got another good launch and was running first and was starting to open a gap, but I had a little bit of a headshake on a curb and lost drive. I got swallowed up on the straight and pushed back to fourth place. I was comfortable sitting behind. My plan was to try to just pass one-by-one to get to the front, but I got pinched-off a bit up to the esses. I got bumped off the track and lost about three seconds to the group. I was able to catch up but because there was a red flag the race was super short, so I only had a lap or two to pass three people to get to the podium. Race 2 started pretty well, and I was running third until I hit a false neutral on the first lap. I was able to remain in the fight at the front but it was so crazy so I decided to be smart and take a little less risk because I knew eventually that the riders ahead would slow each other up and I could take advantage. To take another podium is super good and a really great way to start the 2023 season. Having the data from previous years really helped us and I am confident that we can run at the front in Barber. I want to thank all of my sponsors and the team for all their hard work. See you all in Alabama!”
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad North America:
BMW Motorrad Motorsports Customer Racing Teams and the BMW M 1000 RR capture six podium finishes during MotoAmerica’s Race Weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – April 25, 2023…This past weekend’s MotoAmerica races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta saw BMW Motorrad Motorsport M 1000 RR customer racing teams clinch two wins and six total podium finishes around the 2.55 mile track in the Superbike and Stock 1000 classes. Six BMW riders were entered in the Superbike class and nine riders competed in the Stock 1000 class.
Medallia Superbike
In the Superbike class, five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion, Cameron Beaubier, on the No. 6 Tytlers Cycle Racing M 1000 RR, claimed the checkered flag in Race 1, by less than half a second, marking the 55th AMA Superbike win of his career. This win also delivered BMW’s first AMA Superbike win in 45 years, when Harry Klinzman and the R 90 S won in New Hampshire in 1978. Rounding out the top BMW finishers in Race 1 were Corey Alexander / Tytlers Cycle Racing (8th place) and Nolan Lamkin / Tom Wood Powersports (12th place).
Cameron Beaubier (6) won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race One at Road Atlanta on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy BMW Motorrad North America.
In Race 2 of the Superbike class, Cameron Beaubier was denied a victory but finished in 2nd place, making it two podium finishes in a row for Tytlers Cycle Racing. PJ Jacobsen / Tytlers Cycle Racing (6th), Corey Alexander / Tytlers Cycle Racing (7th), Ashton Yates / Aftercare Scheibe Racing (9th) and Nolan Lamkin / Tom Wood Powersports (15th) rounded out the BMW finishers.
PJ Jacobsen (99) and Corey Alexander (23) at speed on their Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW Superbikes at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy BMW Motorrad North America.
After the first two races of the season, Cameron Beaubier is in 2nd place in points in the Superbike class with Corey Alexander behind him in 6th position.
Stock 1000
BMW M 1000 RR riders took two wins and four total podium finishes in the two Stock 1000 races of the weekend.
In Race 1, Ezra Beaubier, riding for Orange Cat Racing, took the win and was followed closely in 2nd by Travis Wyman of Travis Wyman Racing. Ezra’s Orange Cat teammate, Kaleb De Keyrel crossed the finish line in 4th. Taylor Knapp / Taylor Knapp Racing (5th), Nolan Lamkin / Tom Wood Racing (6th), Jason Waters / Edge Racing (8th), Alex Arango / Top Pro Motorsports (9th) and Michael Henao / Hey Now Racing/On Any Moto (15th) were the BMW finishers in the first race.
Ezra Beaubier (16) won both MotoAmerica Stock 1000 races on his new Orange Cat Racing BMW. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy BMW Motorrad North America.
Race 2 saw Ezra Beaubier capture his 2nd win of the weekend and Taylor Knapp / Taylor Knapp Racing joined him on the podium after finishing in 3rd place. BMW Motorrad Motorsport customer racing teams rounding out the field in Race 2 were Travis Wyman / Travis Wyman Racing (4th), Kaleb De Keyrel / Orange Cat Racing (5th), Nolan Lamkin / Tom wood Powersports (7th), Jason Waters / Edge Racing (9th) and Michael Henao / Hey Now Racing/On Any Moto (12th).
In the Stock 1000 points standings, Ezra Beaubier leads the class in 1st place with Travis Wyman in 3rd, Taylor Knapp in 4th, Kaleb De Kreyel in 5th and Nolan Lamkin in 5th.
The next event on the MotoAmerica schedule is Barber Motorsport Park, May 19-21.
BMW Group in America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles as well as the BMW XM. The 349 BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 350 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers,146 BMW motorcycle retailers, 104 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
www.bmwgroup.com and www.bmwmotorcycles.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BMWMotorradUSA
Twitter: www.facebook.com/BMWMotorradUSA
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@bmwmotorrad
More, from a press release issued by Travis Wyman Racing:
Travis Wyman kicks off MotoAmerica Stock 1000 season with podium finish Saturday at Road Atlanta
BMW rider wraps up season-opening round third in Stock 1000 points standings
Travis Wyman on the MotoAmerica podium after scoring a second place finish in Saturday’s Stock 1000 race at Road Atlanta. Photo credit: Brian J. Nelson.
BRASELTON, Ga. — Travis Wyman got his sixth season racing in MotoAmerica’s Stock 1000 Class off to a positive start Saturday when he scored a podium finish in the first Stock 1000 race of the year. Wyman followed up his runner-up performance with a fourth-place finish in Sunday’s Race 2 and ended the April 21-23 event third in the Stock 1000 points standings.
Road Atlanta is one of Wyman’s favorite tracks. He recorded a commanding win in the first-ever MotoAmerica Stock 1000 race at the track in 2018 and has scored additional victories in Stock 1000 and Superstock 600 at the Braselton, Ga., track. Wyman’s on-track results were hampered some before the round even began, as he spent long days with his team at their Austin, Texas, base of operations repairing his BMW M 1000 RR’s electrical system after technical problems greatly reduced his test and development plan in the weeks leading up to the Road Atlanta round.
Wyman had good pace from the first practice session of the weekend, as he finished Friday morning practice in fifth place. He also finished the Friday afternoon Qualifying 1 session in fifth, but could have been even faster had more electrical issues not cut his on-track time during that session short. Qualifying 2 took place Saturday morning, but the wet conditions did not allow Wyman to improve on his best time from Qualifying 1. He therefore had to settle for fifth place on the starting grid for both of the round’s Stock 1000 races.
In Saturday’s Race 1, Wyman got a good start and was up to fourth place as the field entered Turn 1. Wyman made several attempts to move up the order during the first few laps but wisely took no unnecessary risks and maintained his fourth place until later in the race. On Lap 6 of the 13-lap race, Wyman began moving up the running order. He used the draft to move up to third place and battled with two other riders for the remainder of the race — eventually finishing in second place.
Sunday’s Race 2 wasn’t as sweet for Wyman. He got another good jump off the line and was again in the battle for the lead of the race. Wyman ran in fifth place for most of the race, despite several strategic attempts to move up the running order over the course of the 13-lap contest. A late-race mistake by one of the frontrunners allowed Wyman to clinch a fourth-place finish while missing out on his second podium finish of the weekend by a mere 0.285 seconds.
With a second- and fourth-place finish to his credit, Wyman concluded the first of five MotoAmerica Stock 1000 rounds third in the class standings — just three points behind the second-place rider.
The next Stock 1000 round is slated to take place in three weeks time — May 19-21 — at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.
Travis Wyman / No. 10
“My team and I started the season with some big challenges when our testing time at Barber got cut short earlier this month. I can’t thank my team and sponsors enough for giving me what I needed to race this weekend. I felt really good on the bike in first practice, but the electrical issues reappeared in Qualifying 1 and cost us a bit of track time in the only dry qualifying session we ended up having. I used Qualifying 2 to make sure the bike was running right again, and overall was happy with my result in Race 1. Things were a bit different in Race 2, as the warmer track conditions had me struggling a bit for rear grip throughout that race. It was still a positive start to the season, and I’m looking forward to having some more time to work on our BMW M 1000 RR before the next round at Barber.”
More, from a press release issued by Kreece Elliott Racing:
Double points finish as Kreece shows top six potential at Road Atlanta
A top ten finish on Saturday to score his first points of the 2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup season, followed by a top six fight on Sunday, Colorado teen Kreece Elliott had a satisfying start to his first full season of racing in the series.
Single race appearances last year, in which Kreece showed pace and potential, opened the door for a full campaign this year with the #47 improving steadily throughout the weekend, achieving a double point haul in the opening round of the championship at Road Atlanta.
Qualifying eleventh, Elliott rode hard in Saturday’s first race which was stopped and restarted after an on-track incident. He finished tenth. Sunday saw the race run the full distance with Kreece locked in a race long multi rider battle that saw him cross the line eleventh, a mere second from P6.
The results mean he leaves Atlanta joint tenth in the overall standings ahead of round two in Alabama in a few weeks’ time.
Kreece Elliott: “After starting P11 race one went well. I got a good start and went up to like seventh or eighth. The race was a battle with like eight other riders. I had a really fun time and learned a lot. Towards the end of the race, I got shuffled back in the draft and wasn’t able to make a smart move in the last lap and I didn’t want to risk a crash. I finished tenth which is a good way to start the season. I also made a decent start in race two but am pretty sure I stayed in the position where I started. It was hectic in the first corner, and I was in a battle for sixth for the whole race. It was super gnarly but I think we had a little issue because we couldn’t overtake on the back straight, even in the draft. I was hitting high top speeds but couldn’t get past the guys around me. I managed to work my way to the middle of the group and was very close to the top six. I wanted more on Sunday, but we scored solid points, and I am excited for Barber. I want to thank everyone that is helping and supporting me, especially mum and dad.”
Hank Vossberg (31). Photo by Raul Jerez - Highside Photo.
Roadracing World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed North America had no new, up-and-coming young racers. This edition of the Roadracing World Young Gun Awards marks the 27th consecutive year of showcasing what is actually an abundance of new talent.
Roadracing World Young Guns have won:
FIM MotoGP and FIM Superbike races and World Championships;
MotoAmerica and AMA Pro races and Championships, including 12 MotoAmerica/AMA Pro Superbike Championships;
A KTM RC Cup World Final race;
The Daytona 200 (12 times);
WERA National Endurance Championships and WERA National Challenge Championships;
ASRA/Formula USA Grand National and CCS National Championships;
USGPRU National Championships;
Many regional and local titles.
The competition has continually become more intense as more — and younger — racers with higher levels of accomplishments are nominated, and the level of achievement required to make the grade keeps getting tougher.
We’ve spent the last several months accepting nominations and evaluating road racers between the ages of 10 and 18 (as of the start of the 2023 season) who have, at a minimum, won Expert-level road races and/or Championships or had outstanding results as an Amateur/Novice. Most of the riders included here have done far more than the minimum.
The young riders recognized here are the most promising young road racers in North America. All have earned the title of Roadracing World Young Gun.
We will feature one Young Gun per day, presenting them in alphabetical order.
Hank Vossberg and two of his racebikes. Photo by William Vossberg.
Hank Vossberg
Age: 12.
Current home: De Pere, Wisconsin.
Current height/weight: 5’2”/105 pounds.
Current school grade level: 7th grade.
Began riding at age: 2 years.
First road race: 2017, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Midwest Karting Assoc., Kids Mini Supermoto, 1st.
Current racebikes: Yamaha YZF-R3, Kramer 690, Kawasaki KX450.
Current tuners/mechanics: Redeye Performance, William Vossberg (father).
Primary race series: CCS, N2/WERA, Road America Supermoto Club.
Top sponsors: Liqui Moly, Spears Racing, Pirelli, Adrenaline Engineering, Redeye Performance, Schmotter Motion Racing, Vortex, Forma Boots, LS2 Helmets, BVA Trucking, Mark and Pam Madigan.
Recent racing accomplishments: 2022 season, won 2 WERA Sportsman National Championships (D Superbike Expert, F Superstock Expert), 10 race wins with WERA, co-rode to N2/WERA National Endurance Ultra-Lightweight class victory, won CCS 300 GP Expert Midwest Regional Championship, won ASRA Moto3 National race, won Road America Supermoto Mini Championship; 2021 season, won 2 WERA Sportsman National Championship (D Superstock Novice, F Superstock Novice), won 4 WERA Sportsman Regional Class Championships, won 18 WERA races.
2023 racing goals: win N2/WERA National Endurance Ultra-Lightweight Championship, win Road America 450 Supermoto Championship.
Racing career goal: Finish in the top five of a MotoAmerica race.
Racing hero: Josh Hayes.
Favorite track: Barber Motorsports Park.
Favorite hobby: Playing other sports.
If I wasn’t racing I would be…: Building stuff in my shop.
Some of the riders who have graduated from Roadracing World Young Guns and gone on to racing success in National or International series include:
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion Jason Aguilar (R.I.P.);
2013 AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Corey Alexander;
AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race winner Tommy Aquino (R.I.P.);
2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and AFT SuperTwins race winner J.D. Beach;
MotoAmerica Twins Cup race winner Jackson Blackmon;
former Canadian Sport Bike Champion Tomas Casas;
three-time Canadian Sport Bike Champion and 2014 Canadian Superbike Champion Jodi Christie;
former AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 race winner Josh Day;
2011 Daytona 200 winner Jason DiSalvo;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Championship runner-up and current MotoAmerica team owner Dustin Dominguez;
2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, 2019 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion, and 2021 Canadian Superbike Champion Alex Dumas;
four-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race winner and former motorcycle track record holder Carlin Dunne (R.I.P.);
Canadian Superbike race winner Bodhi Edie;
two-time AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, two-time AMA Pro XR1200/Harley-Davidson Champion and four-time Daytona 200 winner Danny Eslick;
2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Bobby Fong;
2010 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Superstock 1000 Champion, and two-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne;
two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and World Superbike podium finisher Garrett Gerloff;
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship runner-up Michael Gilbert;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Champion, 2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up, and 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship runner-up Hayden Gillim;
2002 AMA Superbike Champion and 2006 FIM MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden (R.I.P.);
2007 AMA Pro 600cc Supersport Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up, and 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship runner-up Roger Hayden;
eight-time AMA Pro Superbike race winner and two-time AMA Supersport Champion Tommy Hayden;
2013 AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Champion, 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and two-time Daytona 200 winner Josh Herrin;
MotoAmerica Supersport front-runner Teagg Hobbs;
AMA Pro Superstock race winner Jake Holden;
2011 British Superbike Championship runner-up and former MotoGP and World Superbike regular John Hopkins;
2015 Supersport World Championship runner-up, 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Superbike podium finisher Patrick “P.J.” Jacobsen;
2021 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and current Moto2 World Championship competitor Sean Dylan Kelly;
Canadian Superbike race winner Kevin Lacombe;
two-time MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee;
2021 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup Champion Jake Lewis;
MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Sam Lochoff;
MotoAmerica Superstock 600 race winner Nick McFadden;
AMA Pro SuperSport race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Stefano Mesa;
Elena Myers, the first and only woman to win AMA Pro Supersport races;
AMA Pro XR1200 race winner, multi-time Loudon Classic winner, and two-time BRL Champion Shane Narbonne;
2012 Canadian Superbike Championship runner-up Andrew Nelson;
2016 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Champion, 2019 British Motostar (Moto3) Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch;
2012 Daytona 200 winner and 2010 AMA Pro Supersport West Champion Joey Pascarella;
2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and current powersports dealership owner Bryce Prince;
AMA Pro and Canadian National race winner and multi-time N2/WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Peris;
two-time AMA Pro SuperSport National Champion, British Supersport podium finisher, 2020 AFT Production Twins Champion, and MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers race winner James Rispoli;
2015 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport race winner, and Moto2 World Championship race winner Joe Roberts;
former Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Champion and former FIM Moto2 European Championship competitor Benny Solis, Jr.;
three-time AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2009 Superbike World Champion, MotoGP race winner, and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Ben Spies;
multi-time AMA Pro race winner and four-time overall WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Ulrich;
MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher and former World Superbike competitor Jayson Uribe;
2017 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Championship runner-up, 2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher Cory Ventura;
Canadian Superbike race winner Alex Welsh;
former AMA Pro Superbike Rookie of the Year, Chinese Superbike Championship race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher Cory West;
MotoAmerica Junior Cup and Superbike Cup race winner Ashton Yates;
and two-time AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up Blake Young.
Jonas Folger (94). Photo courtesy GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3.
BACK TO EUROPE: GASGAS FACTORY RACING TECH3 HEADS TO ICONIC JEREZ CIRCUIT FOR SPANISH GRAND PRIX
It is time for MotoGP™ to start its European tour, and the first stop of GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 is nowhere else than at the iconic Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto, which will host the Gran Premio de España, the fourth round of this 2023 campaign.
After scoring his first MotoGP™ Top 10 in Austin, in addition to closing the third race out of three in the points, rookie Augusto Fernandez will be looking forward to coming back to more familiar tracks, and Jerez is without a doubt one that the Spaniard will have the most experience on. However, hitting the iconic Andalousian layout with a MotoGP™ machine will be a different story, but the three past weekends have proven that Augusto has adapted surprisingly well to the tracks with his GASGAS RC16. With fifteen points in the bag, he will look to continue his progress in the category, with the objectives to reduce the gap with the other riders, and why not finishing in higher positions in both the Tissot sprint on Saturday, and the race on Sunday.
On the other side of the garage, German Jonas Folger will once again line up with GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 as captain Pol Espargaro continues his recovery at home. The number 94 made an impressive comeback at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas for his first race in MotoGP™ in six years, as he finished twelfth and scored points for his adoptive team. He will head to Jerez with more experience on the RC16, and his good memories from the past at the circuit (Moto2™ win in 2015) should help him heading to Spain with even more enthusiasm. Folger will also participate in the Official Jerez MotoGP™ Test, on Monday, May 1st.
Don’t miss the action from the Spanish Grand Prix with Practice 1 starting at 10:45 local time (GMT+2), followed by the one hour long Practice 2 at 15:00. The first highlights of the weekend will already be on Saturday morning just after the free practice, with the qualifying sessions kicking off at 10:50. Rookie Augusto Fernandez will line up for the first time in MotoGP™ on home turf for the Tissot Sprint, at 15:00 (GMT+2). Finally, all eyes will be on Sunday’s race, scheduled at 14:00 local time, and both GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 riders will look to fly the flag of Spanish brand GASGAS as high as possible.
Augusto Fernandez
Championship: 15th
Points: 14
“I can not wait to go to Jerez for the Spanish Grand Prix. To be honest, I am really looking forward to being back in Europe on tracks that I know better, at least much more than Austin for example. Continuing our progression is our main goal, but I am hoping that my level of knowledge of this track will help me to be closer to the other guys and fight for higher positions.”
Jonas Folger
Championship: 21st
Points: 4
“With Texas in the bag, we have a bit more experience with the bike and the team now, so I feel confident about going to Jerez. It is a familiar track to me and I have good memories there from the past, including a win in Moto2 and a podium in the 125cc category. It is definitely one of my favorite tracks, so I am looking forward to going racing there with my team and more confidence, and hopefully we can make a good result.”
Nicholas Goyon, Team Manager
“We are back racing in Europe for the fourth round of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship, and we are starting the European tour at the iconic Andalousian circuit in Jerez. After an impressive start to his rookie season and his first top 10 in Austin, Augusto Fernandez will aim to achieve a strong result at his first home race in MotoGP. According to the last tests made in Jerez back in March, the Pierer Mobilty machine seems to have made some significant steps and we are all looking forward to discovering them in Jerez this week. On the other side of the garage, Jonas Folger will once again line up with us while Pol Espargaro carries on with his recovery. Jonas scored strong points in Austin for his comeback in the category and will aim to continue in this direction. He will also help the GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 team to develop the bike as he will attend the Jerez Test with us on Monday, May 1st.”
Red Bull KTM's Kody Kopp (1) and Max Whale (18). Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM.
KODY KOPP AND MAX WHALE TAKE TOP FIVE FINISHES FOR RED BULL KTM IN DALLAS HALF-MILE
Round 5 – American Flat Track Championship
MESQUITE, Tex. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo Kody Kopp and Max Whale each claimed top five results in AFT Singles during the fifth round of the 2023 American Flat Track Championship, with the Dallas Half-Mile featuring at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Texas.
Following a difficult qualifying session, defending champion Kopp regrouped in the opening Heat race of the night, securing a direct transfer to the Main Event after a third-place finish. From there, it was a determined ride from Kopp onboard his KTM 450 SX-F to a fourth-place result in the fast-paced Main Event, maintaining his AFT Singles points-lead five rounds into the season.
Red Bull KTM’s Kody Kopp (1). Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM.
Kody Kopp: “We ended up P4 on the night and I was super happy with my riding. We started the Main Event as far back as 10th on the lap charts, just had to dig because it was totally different riding and the line was up really high in the Main Event. I just had to go to work, fought my way through the pack to make seven passes all the way up to fourth place, and had some great battles! I really closed in on the leaders over the last few laps, was within about two-tenths of a podium position, so that was huge progress. Hats off to my whole team, we’re really looking forward to these next rounds now.”
Red Bull KTM teammate Whale began the day inside the top five at the conclusion of qualifying, continuing his early season form. A fifth-place ride in the opening Heat of the night set him up well for the Main Event, where he would also charge through the pack on his way to a fifth-place result, retaining third in the standings as the series next heads to Ventura, California.
Red Bull KTM’s Max Whale (18). Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM.
Max Whale: “Dallas started out pretty good, qualifying fifth, and then I sort of struggled a little bit in the Heat, but was able to finish fifth again. I fought really hard in the Main Event, was outside of the top 10 on the first lap, and came through to fifth. To bring it home fifth was a really good night, for what could have happened being so far back early on. We salvaged a strong points finish, the team worked really hard all day, and I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Next Race: Ventura Short Track – Ventura, California – May 6, 2023
Round 5 Results
AFT Singles Main event
1. Trent Lowe, Honda
2. Chase Saathoff, Honda
3. Morgen Mischler, Honda
4. Kody Kopp, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
5. Max Whale, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
OTHER KTM
7. Dalton Gauthier, KTM
9. Shayna Texter-Bauman, KTM
13. Travis Petton IV, KTM
15. Clarke Morian V, KTM
16. Justin Jones, KTM
17. Logan Eisenhard, KTM
2023 AFT Singles Point Standings
1. Kody Kopp, 102 points
2. Dalton Gauthier, 98
3. Max Whale, 86
OTHER KTM
11. Justin Jones, 40
13. Logan Eisenhard, 25
14. Shayna Texter-Bauman, 22
16. Travis Petton IV, 19
18. Hayden Gillim, 14
22. Hunter Bauer, 11
24. Clarke Morian V, 10
25. Tanner Dean, 9
30. Olin Kissler, 4
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
Indian Motorcycle Racing and Reigning AFT SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees Win Big at Dallas Half-Mile
Mees Captures Second Win of the Season, Indian Motorcycle Privateer Brandon Robinson Finishes Third
Jared Mees (1). Photo by Tim Lester, courtesy AFT.
MINNEAPOLIS – Under the lights of the Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, the 2023 American Flat Track (AFT) action continued, where Indian Motorcycle Racing and reigning AFT SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees secured their second win of the season. Taking third and reaching the podium for the second time this season was Indian Motorcycle privateer Brandon Robinson.
Piloting his Indian FTR750, Mees took the hole shot off the line during Saturday night’s Main event. After falling back to fourth and chasing a pack of three riders, Mees was able to stay close and make a move past the group along the outside. Once there, the eight-time champion locked in and kept his lead until the checkered flag.
“This was a classic bounce back performance by Jared, as he knows each and every race is critical to the season standings as he continues to chip away and push for his record-tying ninth championship,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Service & Technology for Indian Motorcycle. “It’s great to see Robinson grind out a podium finish. He’s one of the sport’s most talented riders, and we’d expect to see plenty more top finishes from him and his team this season.”
For Robinson, consistency was key as he started near the back of the pack, but steadily improved his positioning throughout the race. One-by-one, Robinson edged his way into third place with two laps to go and would finish in this position.
Mees’s second win of the season places him squarely in second on the leaderboard with 96 total points – 17 points off the lead. The 2023 AFT season will continue on Saturday, May 6, at Ventura Raceway in Ventura, California.
For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle Company is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
INDIAN and INDIAN MOTORCYCLE are registered trademarks of Indian Motorcycle International, LLC. Always wear a helmet, protective clothing and eyewear and insist your passenger does the same. Ride within the limits of the law and your own abilities. Read, understand and follow your owner’s manual. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Jake Gagne (1), Cameron Beaubier (6), and Josh Herrin (2) in action at Road Atlanta. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Gagne Returns to the Top in Epic Superbike Battle at Road Atlanta
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne wins MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at Road Atlanta
MARIETTA, Ga. – April 24, 2023 – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne came out on top in a thrilling MotoAmerica Superbike battle in Race 2 at the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. It was a strong start to the season for the reigning back-to-back MotoAmerica Superbike Champion, whose second and first-place finish at the opening round has him tied for the points lead. Unfortunately, his teammate Cameron Petersen had a technical issue early in the restarted race and did not finish.
Once again, Gagne grabbed the holeshot, but he would have to make another attempt at a perfect start from pole position as the race was red-flagged on the second lap. The race was shortened to 15 laps with a complete restart, and this time he found himself second but moved into the lead at the end of the opening lap. From there on, it was a heated battle with multiple lead changes. Around the halfway point, a third rider was added to the mix, and shortly after, a fourth, making it an absolute dogfight for top honors. Sitting third, Gagne reclaimed the lead after the frontrunners made contact on the final lap and rode on to his 30th-career superbike victory and first of the season.
Petersen went into the final race of the opening round looking to fight for a win. The South African had a good start both times in third, but unfortunately, on Lap 3, he had a technical issue and had to withdraw from the race.
The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team returns to action next month for Round 2 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at the Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, on May 19-21.
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“I think it was a super exciting race for the fans. It’s something different than they’ve seen in the last three years, with us pretty much dominating every single weekend. So I think it was fun for the fans. I’m glad some of the other manufacturers are in the mix, and we get to bring a lot of excitement. Jake rode really well, despite his arm pump. The pace was quite a bit slower than we were last year, so we’re trying to figure out why. It could have been Jake’s arm pump, or maybe it’s the new Dunlops. We haven’t got our heads around it quite yet, but we’ll work on that. I think Barber should be a much better track for us, and we look to get back to dominating the competition.”
Jake Gagne (1). Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“That was a crazy one! I got off to a good start. I really wanted to push the pace, but Cam (Beaubier) and I went back and forth in those first couple of laps. He knew I wanted to get away, so any opportunity that he could, he went past me, especially down into Turn 10. Then after that, the pace was pretty slow. I think at that point, we knew no one was getting away, so we were kind of sizing each other up for the last lap. I was in third, and I was kind of planning on that I could get a good drive up over the hill in the second-to-last turn and maybe make a pass there, but those guys came together in the kink at like 180 (mph). The seas just kind of parted, and I got straight down the center of them. I got a little lucky on that one, for sure. I was kind of counting on something crazy happening on that last lap. All things considered, I’m really happy leaving here. I had a lot of struggles with arm pump this weekend. From lap three on, I couldn’t ride as hard as I wanted to ride, so to come out of the first round with a second and first is pretty awesome.”
Cameron Petersen – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“There’s not much to say, to be honest. It’s just one of those things; it’s just part of racing. I felt really good all weekend, other than the crash I had on Friday. I had some really good race pace, and even in the second race there, I felt really great. I really felt like I had the pace to go win one of these things this weekend. So I’m a little bit bummed out, but like I said, it’s part of racing. At least the next few tracks we go to are ones that I really enjoy. So, I’m going to bounce back and try and get some wins under my belt and claw my way back into this championship.”
More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:
KYLE WYMAN DOES THE DOUBLE ON FACTORY HARLEY-DAVIDSON AT ROAD ATLANTA
Two Wins and Three Lap Records as Wyman Takes MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Points Lead
Kyle Wyman (33) leads Bobby Fong (50) and the rest of the King Of The Baggers field at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Harley-Davidson.
MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory rider Kyle Wyman scored two convincing wins in MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers races on Saturday and Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. Wyman has now won three consecutive races on the team’s race-prepared Harley-Davidson® Road Glide® motorcycle and leads the King of the Baggers series in points.
“This is so awesome to win three in a row and grab that points lead,” said Wyman after Sunday’s victory. “We had no changes to the bike today from yesterday. That’s how good this Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson bike is. I’m having a lot of fun with our Road Glide. Let’s keep the momentum going for Road America.”
Wyman paced the field in Friday’s qualifying session on the 2.55-mile Road Atlanta course, setting a new track record for the King of the Baggers class with a lap of 1:30.427. Wyman took the lead at the start of the eight-lap race on Saturday and pulled away from the field, opening a gap of 2.67 seconds by lap 5 and breaking his own track record with a best lap of 1:30.304. Factory Indian racer Tyler O’Hara finished second, 3.09 seconds behind Wyman. Hayden Gillim finished third on the Vance & Hines Racing Harley-Davidson Road Glide. Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory rider Travis Wyman finished in sixth place.
Travis Wyman (10) at speed on his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Road Glide. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Harley-Davidson.
On Sunday, it was O’Hara leading the field from the start with Kyle Wyman on his rear tire. But before the end of the first lap, O’Hara ran off the track as Wyman challenged him on the brakes in turn 6 with O’Hara ultimately over-shooting the turn. Kyle then began to pull away from the field and led by 2.56 seconds after lap 4 and set yet another class record with a best lap time of 1:30.036. O’Hara recovered to finish second, 1.83 seconds behind Wyman, with Bobby Fong finishing third on the Roland Sands Indian. Gillim and James Rispoli finished fourth and fifth respectively on their Vance & Hines Racing Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles. Travis Wyman finished seventh on the Factory Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
After four of 14 rounds in the 2023 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Kyle Wyman leads the championship with 75 points, followed by Rispoli with 67 points and Gillim with 65 points. O’Hara sits in fourth place with 61 points. Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson rider Jake Lewis is fifth with 37 points.
The Mission King of the Baggers series features race-prepared American V-Twin touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson® Factory Team Road Glide® motorcycles are powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle® Milwaukee-Eight® 131 Performance Crate Engines. The team bikes also feature upgraded suspension components, including Screamin’ Eagle/Öhlins Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks, plus competition exhaust, race tires and lightweight bodywork.
The Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory team returns to action June 2-4 in the MotoAmerica Superbike Series at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.
MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Road Atlanta Race 1
Kyle Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
Tyler O’Hara (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
Hayden Gillim (H-D) Vance & Hines Racing
Bobby Fong (Ind) Sacramento Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands
Harley-Davidson invites you to enhance the 2023 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers season with some adrenaline pumping action. Check out, ‘Push the Limit,’ a film that shares the story of defending 2021 champion Kyle Wyman, teammate Travis Wyman and the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle race team’s 2022 championship pursuit. Watch it now on Harley-Davidson’s YouTube channel.
Harley-Davidson stands for the timeless pursuit of adventure and freedom for the soul. Go to H-D.com to learn more about the complete line of 2023 Harley-Davidson Grand American Touring, Sport, Adventure Touring, Cruiser and Trike motorcycles, Harley-Davidson Certified™ pre-owned motorcycles, Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories, Harley-Davidson MotorClothes and gear, and Harley-Davidson Financial Services.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia USA:
LANDERS WINS, RODIO EXTENDS MOTOAMERICA TWINS CUP POINTS LEAD ABOARD RS 660 AT ROAD ATLANTA
RODIO RACING, POWERED BY ROBEM ENGINEERING, RIDERS FINISH FIRST AND SECOND IN RACE 2 ON SUNDAY
BRASELTON, GA – 24 APRIL 2023 – Three years ago, the Aprilia RS 660 made its debut in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship at Road Atlanta, each year showing new competition, with no shortage of challenges at the Georgia circuit. After a competitive weekend, and Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders Rocco Landers and Gus Rodio claimed half of the MotoAmerica Twins Cup podium finishes at the April 21-23 event to give the Aprilia RS 660 its second victory in four races this season, with Gus Rodio adding to his lead in the Twins Cup points standings.
The three-time MotoAmerica class champion Landers – who was filling in for injured rider Ben Gloddy – claimed a pole position and a win in his first weekend competing aboard an Aprilia and ended the weekend in eighth place in the Twins Cup standings. Gus Rodio’s pair of second place finishes allowed him to end the weekend with a 26 point advantage over the second rider in the championship as they head to Barber in May.
Optimum Performance Motorsports’ Jody Barry put in a strong performance, qualifying second on the starting grid, before an injury prevented him from competing in either of the round’s two Twins Cup contests.
The weekend began with an Aprilia RS 660 at the top of the time sheets. Landers was the fastest rider in Friday morning practice and was more than half a second faster than the next-fastest rider. Rodio finished Friday practice third fastest, while Barry struggled in the session to finish 11th. Later Friday, Landers was again the top rider in the first of two qualifying sessions. He posted a best lap time of 1:31.907 and was nearly a second faster than Barry — who was the second-fastest rider. Rodio finished the session in fourth to give Aprilia three of the top four provisional qualifying positions.
Landers again paced the field in Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2, but track conditions did not allow riders to improve their lap times from Qualifying 1 — which handed Landers pole position and ensured Barry and Rodio would start the weekend’s races from second place and fourth place, respectively.
In the lead up to Saturday’s Race 1, Barry had an unfortunate incident on the warm-up lap and crashed near Turn 5. The damage to his motorcycle did now allow him to participate in the race. When racing did get underway, Rodio got a good jump when the lights went out and was running in second as the field took the holeshot. Landers didn’t get off the line well but was running just behind Rodio and another rider. That group of three riders steadily broke away from the rest of the field during the first lap. Landers’ race was unfortunately cut short by a mechanical failure that his motorcycle suffered near the end of Lap 3, leaving Rodio and the other rider to vie for the win. Both riders took turns in the lead, and Rodio made a calculated attempt to get the lead back on the last lap. His effort came up short, but he still managed to finish second and add 20 points to his championship bid. Rodio was one of two Aprilia riders to finish in the top 10, as Righteous Racing’s Ray Hofman came home in 10th.
Sunday’s Race 2 featured a notable absence on the starting grid, as Barry was not cleared to take part in the race.
Landers made his presence known from the start of Race 2 and put in a commanding performance. He got a good launch off the line, grabbed the holeshot, and continued with a lead that was never in doubt. As Rodio labored through a three-way battle for second, Landers gradually built a lead that topped out at more than seven seconds. He took the win by 4.166 seconds. Rodio finished nine of the race’s 12 laps in second place and pulled away from the third-place rider during the last two laps to secure his second runner-up finish of the weekend and give the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team its first 1-2 finish of the 2023 season. Landers’ best lap time of 1:31.950 in Race 2 lowered the Twins Cup race lap record by more than 0.8 seconds.
Two other Aprilia riders also finished in the top 10 in Race 2. Unreal Racing’s Daniel Garver finished in ninth place and Hofman secured his second 10th-place finish of the round.
Rodio’s pair of second place finishes added 40 points to his tally, giving him 85 points on the season and a 26-points lead in the Twins Cup points standings. Though he didn’t score any points in Race 1, Landers’ victory on Sunday elevated him to eighth in the class standings with 25 points to his credit.
Of the 38 riders registered to compete in MotoAmerica Twins Cup at the Road Atlanta round, 18 were slated to race aboard Aprilia RS 660s.
MotoAmerica Twins Cup has a three-weekend break before it’s back in action May 19-21 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.
Rocco Landers (97). Photo courtesy Aprilia USA.
Rocco Landers / No. 97
“My first time on the Aprilia RS 660 was amazing. It handled very similar to a 600cc bike, in that it gave me a ton of feel on the front tire. I really like riding it. It’s really easy to adapt to, which is a blessing when you get on a new bike. Once I got on it, I knew I was going to gel with it immediately. Saturday’s race was a bit of a bummer, but a day like today always makes you feel better about a day like yesterday. I’m very, very happy to be able to ride the Aprilia to a win today, and I’m excited about the rest of the season.”
Gus Rodio (96). Photo courtesy Aprilia USA.
Gus Rodio / No. 96
“Overall, it was a pretty good weekend here at Road Atlanta. I’m super happy to get a double podium and extend my points lead to 26 points. I feel really good and learned a lot this weekend from riding with Rocco and other riders. I’m excited to take what we learned here to Barber and have a good weekend there.”
MotoAmerica’s Twins Cup heads to Barber Motorsports Park, in Alabama, for the third round of the Championship,May 19-21. The championship schedule, competitor information and class rules can be found at https://motoamerica.com/.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, LLC:
ESCALANTE AND SCOTT EARN TOP FIVES IN ATLANTA
Suzuki Making Gains in MotoAmerica Series
BREA, CA – April 24, 2023 – Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer continued to flash race-winning potential, scoring two top-five finishes as the first points-paying round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport championships concluded on Sunday at Road Atlanta.
Race Highlights:
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
Supersport
Tyler Scott again raced for the win before finishing a close fourth on his next-generation GSX-R750.
Teagg Hobbs mounted an incredible comeback after running off course to finish in sixth.
Superbike
Richie Escalante made strides to significantly improve his pace and break into the top five.
Toni Elias picked up valuable points in his return to active Superbike competition.
Tyler Scott (70) battled for the lead on Sunday, finishing fourth at Road Atlanta. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott looked to improve upon his Supersport runner-up finish Saturday. The early going looked promising in both regards, as Scott powered off of pole position with the lead and repeatedly dove with confidence into the corner at the end of the long back straight aboard his next-generation GSX-R750. However, after leading multiple laps, the 17-year-old ace took the checkered flag in fourth, just 0.085 seconds removed from a second podium in as many days.
“I was really happy with how the race was going,” Scott said. “We had a good pace and it felt great to be back at the front. I can tell the bike is improved from last year, and the team worked well all weekend. I felt really comfortable while I had the lead. We had a problem in the last couple of laps that cost me some drive out of the corners, so we ended up a close fourth. We’ll come back stronger, and I am really happy for Barber coming up.”
After a challenging Sunday start, Teagg Hobbs (79) brought home another sixth-place finish. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Teagg Hobbs was encouraged by his Saturday sixth and hoped for even more in Sunday’s rematch. However, those aspirations were sunk nearly from the start as he ran off the track at the end of the back straight on the Sunday contest’s opening lap. Undeterred, Hobbs mounted a remarkable come-from-behind ride, working his way back up the field from outside the top ten. That charge ended with one final pass on the last lap to equal his Saturday sixth.
“This weekend has been a dream,” Hobbs said. “Riding for Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki has been amazing, and it’s a dream come true to be racing full-time in MotoAmerica Supersport. I had a great weekend. We started strong, and my crew did a great job all weekend tuning the bike for me. Today’s race didn’t exactly go as planned, so I had to claw my way back. But we showed some good pace this weekend, and if we put it all together, we can be at the front fighting for the podium.” Scott and Hobbs were joined by four other Suzuki GSX-Rs in the top ten of Sunday’s Supersport race, once again showing Suzuki’s hallmark consistency.
Richie Escalante (54) is showing real promise in Superbike, carding a fifth on Sunday. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Richie Escalante enjoyed a hugely promising outing at Road Atlanta as he made major strides aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R Superbike. Escalante bettered his Saturday sixth with a Sunday fifth, but even the reward of a top-five failed to adequately illustrate his improvement. The second-year Superbike ace cut his best lap by more than a half-second while slashing the gap to the leaders by a mammoth 17 seconds, finishing just 12.345 seconds back of the race winner.
“I’m super happy with the weekend, a P6 and P5,” said Escalante. “This morning, we tried something a little different with the setup, trying to provide more rear grip. In the end, we went back to yesterday’s settings for the race because I knew we could run the whole race consistently. I had a good start, and I stayed with the lead group for a couple of laps. It was difficult to continue the pace because I had an issue with how the rear brake was working. In racing, things like this happen. I dropped into the 1:26 range for a couple of laps but told myself to focus and got back in the ‘25s. I did a 1:25 on the last lap on worn tires. I can’t wait for Barber and am still working hard to get my first Superbike podium.”
Toni Elias (24) battled to eighth place on Sunday as he returns to MotoAmerica Superbike. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
In his return to active racing, former MotoAmerica Superbike champion Toni Elias backed up his Saturday seventh with an eighth on Sunday. The battle-proven Spaniard will take the points and focus his efforts on regaining his momentum to fight for victory once again like he’s done so many times.
“Today’s race was similar to yesterday,” Elias said. “The pace was better, but the problems were the same, transfer of weight to the front. We tried to find an improvement for today’s race, but we couldn’t. It wasn’t the comeback I was expecting but we will work hard to finish stronger for the next race.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki will return to action when the 2023 MotoAmerica season continues at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 19-21.
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 346 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.
Roadracing World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed North America had no new, up-and-coming young racers. This edition of the Roadracing World Young Gun Awards marks the 27th consecutive year of showcasing what is actually an abundance of new talent.
Roadracing World Young Guns have won:
FIM MotoGP and FIM Superbike races and World Championships;
MotoAmerica and AMA Pro races and Championships, including 12 MotoAmerica/AMA Pro Superbike Championships;
A KTM RC Cup World Final race;
The Daytona 200 (12 times);
WERA National Endurance Championships and WERA National Challenge Championships;
ASRA/Formula USA Grand National and CCS National Championships;
USGPRU National Championships;
Many regional and local titles.
The competition has continually become more intense as more — and younger — racers with higher levels of accomplishments are nominated, and the level of achievement required to make the grade keeps getting tougher.
We’ve spent the last several months accepting nominations and evaluating road racers between the ages of 10 and 18 (as of the start of the 2023 season) who have, at a minimum, won Expert-level road races and/or Championships or had outstanding results as an Amateur/Novice. Most of the riders included here have done far more than the minimum.
The young riders recognized here are the most promising young road racers in North America. All have earned the title of Roadracing World Young Gun.
We will feature one Young Gun per day, presenting them in alphabetical order.
Current tuners/mechanics: Brian Van (father), Dave Bavol, and Jimmy Fox.
Primary race series: MotoAmerica Junior Cup.
Top sponsors: SportbikeTrackGear.com and its customers.
Recent racing accomplishments: 2022 season, placed 5th in MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (3 wins, 5 total podium finishes), 2 class podium finishes in N2/WERA National Endurance races; 2021 season, finished 7th in MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (15 top-10 finishes in 18 races, best race finish was 4th); 2020 season, placed 17th in MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (only competed in 3 rounds, 2 top-10 finishes), won WERA North Central Regional F Superstock Expert Championship (6 race wins); 2019 season, finished 2nd in WERA North Central Regional D Superbike and D Superstock Novice Championships (12 race wins).
2023 racing goal: Win the MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship.
Racing career goal: Spend my life working in motorsports.
Racing hero: Chris Ulrich.
Favorite track: VIR.
Favorite hobbies: Working for my family’s business, SportbikeTrackGear.com, pursuing fitness training.
If I wasn’t racing I would be…: Riding around and doing track days with our awesome STG customers.
Some of the riders who have graduated from Roadracing World Young Guns and gone on to racing success in National or International series include:
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion Jason Aguilar (R.I.P.);
2013 AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Corey Alexander;
AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race winner Tommy Aquino (R.I.P.);
2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and AFT SuperTwins race winner J.D. Beach;
MotoAmerica Twins Cup race winner Jackson Blackmon;
former Canadian Sport Bike Champion Tomas Casas;
three-time Canadian Sport Bike Champion and 2014 Canadian Superbike Champion Jodi Christie;
former AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 race winner Josh Day;
2011 Daytona 200 winner Jason DiSalvo;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Championship runner-up and current MotoAmerica team owner Dustin Dominguez;
2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, 2019 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion, and 2021 Canadian Superbike Champion Alex Dumas;
four-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race winner and former motorcycle track record holder Carlin Dunne (R.I.P.);
Canadian Superbike race winner Bodhi Edie;
two-time AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, two-time AMA Pro XR1200/Harley-Davidson Champion and four-time Daytona 200 winner Danny Eslick;
2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Bobby Fong;
2010 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Superstock 1000 Champion, and two-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne;
two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and World Superbike podium finisher Garrett Gerloff;
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship runner-up Michael Gilbert;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Champion, 2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up, and 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship runner-up Hayden Gillim;
2002 AMA Superbike Champion and 2006 FIM MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden (R.I.P.);
2007 AMA Pro 600cc Supersport Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up, and 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship runner-up Roger Hayden;
eight-time AMA Pro Superbike race winner and two-time AMA Supersport Champion Tommy Hayden;
2013 AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Champion, 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and two-time Daytona 200 winner Josh Herrin;
MotoAmerica Supersport front-runner Teagg Hobbs;
AMA Pro Superstock race winner Jake Holden;
2011 British Superbike Championship runner-up and former MotoGP and World Superbike regular John Hopkins;
2015 Supersport World Championship runner-up, 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Superbike podium finisher Patrick “P.J.” Jacobsen;
2021 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and current Moto2 World Championship competitor Sean Dylan Kelly;
Canadian Superbike race winner Kevin Lacombe;
two-time MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee;
2021 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup Champion Jake Lewis;
MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Sam Lochoff;
MotoAmerica Superstock 600 race winner Nick McFadden;
AMA Pro SuperSport race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Stefano Mesa;
Elena Myers, the first and only woman to win AMA Pro Supersport races;
AMA Pro XR1200 race winner, multi-time Loudon Classic winner, and two-time BRL Champion Shane Narbonne;
2012 Canadian Superbike Championship runner-up Andrew Nelson;
2016 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Champion, 2019 British Motostar (Moto3) Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch;
2012 Daytona 200 winner and 2010 AMA Pro Supersport West Champion Joey Pascarella;
2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and current powersports dealership owner Bryce Prince;
AMA Pro and Canadian National race winner and multi-time N2/WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Peris;
two-time AMA Pro SuperSport National Champion, British Supersport podium finisher, 2020 AFT Production Twins Champion, and MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers race winner James Rispoli;
2015 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport race winner, and Moto2 World Championship race winner Joe Roberts;
former Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Champion and former FIM Moto2 European Championship competitor Benny Solis, Jr.;
three-time AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2009 Superbike World Champion, MotoGP race winner, and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Ben Spies;
multi-time AMA Pro race winner and four-time overall WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Ulrich;
MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher and former World Superbike competitor Jayson Uribe;
2017 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Championship runner-up, 2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher Cory Ventura;
Canadian Superbike race winner Alex Welsh;
former AMA Pro Superbike Rookie of the Year, Chinese Superbike Championship race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher Cory West;
MotoAmerica Junior Cup and Superbike Cup race winner Ashton Yates;
and two-time AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up Blake Young.
World Superbike racing action from Sunday at TT Circuit Assen. Photo courtesy Kawasaki.
A WorldSBK weekend of mixed feelings for BMW Motorrad Motorsport in Assen.
Scott Redding from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team claims his best results so far in the Superpole and the races.
Big crash for team-mate Michael van der Mark in race two.
Two twelfth places for Garrett Gerloff from the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, Loris Baz returns from leg injury.
Michael van der Mark (60). Photo courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Assen. BMW Motorrad Motorsport experienced a weekend of mixed emotions at the opening round of the European leg of this season’s FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) in Assen, the Netherlands. Scott Redding (GBR) from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team claimed his best results of the season so far in the Superpole and the races. Meanwhile, his team-mate and local favourite Michael van der Mark (NED) suffered a big crash in race two. He suffered a leg injury and has been taken to an Assen hospital for further examinations after being checked in the Medical Centre. In the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, Garrett Gerloff (USA) ended both main races in twelfth place. Loris Baz (FRA) showed his fighting spirit on his return to the saddle just a few weeks after injuring his leg.
Scott Redding produced an impressive lap on his BMW M 1000 RR in Saturday morning’s Superpole qualifying to secure fifth place on the grid. Baz qualified 13th, while van der Mark and Gerloff ended qualifying in 15th and 17th place. Redding made a good start in race one on Saturday afternoon and was running in the top five until lap 17 of 21. At one point he had climbed into fourth place. However, his front tyre then started to wear dramatically, and Redding eventually crossed the finish line in 10th place. Gerloff lost a position on lap one, but then consistently worked his way through the field to finish 12th. He was followed over the line by van der Mark in 13th. The Dutchman was lacking the confidence in the front of his bike to be able to attack. Baz overcame the pain in his injured leg to finish 17th after 21 laps of racing.
A technical issue encountered during the warm-up lap meant Baz was unable to line up in the Superpole Race. The start was delayed, and the sprint reduced to eight laps. Redding came home eighth. Van der Mark gained five positions to finish 10th, while Gerloff crossed the finish line 17th.
In race two on Sunday afternoon, Redding immediately climbed from eighth to seventh at the start. As the race progressed, he spent eight laps in sixth place before dropping a position in the closing stages. Seventh place represents Redding’s best race result of the season so far. Gerloff dropped back to 20th place at the start, but then fought back to match the 12th place he claimed on Saturday. Van der Mark attempted to make progress from 15th on the grid but suffered a big crash on lap two and injured his leg. Baz was on course for a fine points finish until lap nine, when he too crashed out. The Frenchman was unhurt.
Round four of the 2023 WorldSBK takes place in Barcelona (ESP) in two weeks, from 5th to 7th May.
Quotes after the Assen races.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “Michael’s crash was a sad end to a weekend, at which we witnessed a few rays of hope. We made a relatively good start to the weekend and, after the test in Barcelona, lined up with some improvements. The first free practice sessions went as expected and were satisfactory. Scott secured a fine fifth place in qualifying, and a good grid position is important in this extremely well-matched field. The others had difficulties. Scott produced a very strong performance in race one and was in P4 for a long time. We took a bit of a risk with the front tyre, which unfortunately did not pay off. We learned from that for the Superpole Race and race two. The performance was good again in race two. The fact is that we are not yet among the front-runners, but Scott was still able to hold on for seventh place. He also gave us some good input, as to how we need to progress. However, it was a great shame that Michael had that big crash so early in the race. We must await the diagnosis, but definitely wish him all the best. The main thing is that he recovers quickly. Respect to Loris. It was good to see him back on the bike and, despite being in pain, he performed well. Garrett struggled all weekend to find his rhythm on the opening laps of the race. That is reflected in his results. In the final race, he set very similar lap times to Scott after lap five – sometimes even faster. However, if you are not on it from the start, then you cannot make progress later. We will soon do some testing in Misano, where we will make more changes to the bike, in order to take the next step.”
Scott Redding (45). Photo courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Scott Redding, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 5 / R01: 10 / SP Race: 10 / R02: 7): “I was quite happy that I could be up in the race and even more as I was able to push the bike a little bit, which was nice. But still, we are struggling in some areas and it’s difficult because you cannot get much time back on the others. But I feel like I was riding well. I enjoyed riding the bike this week which was nice for me, and I was fighting in positions where I felt we should be. Yesterday I struggled with the front tyre and today I struggled with rear grip over the entire race. But it was a better weekend, we got some good information. And now we will see if we can bring something to further improve.”
Garrett Gerloff (31). Photo courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Garrett Gerloff, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team (SP: 17 / R01: 12 / SP Race: 17 / R02: 12): “I feel like we had some good pace, just starting from so far back after having such a tricky qualifying was making it difficult. It was my own fault really for being so far back and that’s the most frustrating thing. Also, it was so close, as it was so tight between everybody. It would have been nice to start a few rows forward and I could have changed some things. In the Superpole Race I just didn’t have anything to make up any ground, with only eight laps it was super difficult. In race two I had a good start, but in the first corner, I got bottlenecked and had to brake and check where the guys were around me. I just had to fight to come back. It was a long day. I’m looking forward to the next round, I like Barcelona. I’ll go back there and try to have some good results.”
Loris Baz (76). Photo courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Loris Baz, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team (SP: 13 / R01: 17 / SP Race: DNS / R02: DNF): “I’m ok, but my first thought was for Michael (van der Mark), because I was right behind him when he crashed, and it was really a big one. I know what he has been through and it’s really tough seeing him in this kind of situation again. I wish him a quick recovery and hope he can come back soon. I had a good start, and I was feeling better with the leg compared to yesterday. In the Superpole Race we had a technical issue, so I didn’t do a lap. We had to change the engine between the Superpole and the main race and the new engine didn’t feel the same, so I lost some time during the first laps. Then Öttl overtook me, as he was a bit faster in the parts where I was struggling. But I was catching him in some other fast places. Coming into that last fast left, it was three or four laps in a row that I gone wide there, and I was worried about crashing, so on that lap, I really rolled early to stay on the line and I crashed there. For sure, I released the brake earlier, maybe I went too inside, it’s just strange. I feel sorry for the team because the bike is destroyed. I was feeling better, but when you don’t feel at 100% all weekend, you obviously force it a bit in some places because I couldn’t move. I was trying to get some points; I was pretty fast considering the shape I’m in. It was a rough weekend, really hard, but we keep moving forward. Scott (Redding) has shown that the bike has something more than we did this weekend. For sure, I will feel better in Barcelona. I hope I’ll be able to come back to my normal pace.”
More, from a press release issued by Team HRC:
Vierge and Lecuona crash out while fighting for top six at Assen
Team HRC and riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge have today concluded the third round of the 2023 Superbike World Championship at the Assen TT Circuit in The Netherlands. Unfortunately it was not their day, with both factory riders crashing out of the afternoon’s 21-lap race while battling inside the top ten.
Before gearing up for race 2, riders were out for the Superpole sprint race. Conditions were cool and sunny (air temp. 14°C, track temp. 20°C), but there was a slight delay to the start after an incident involving another rider left dirt on the track. The race was shortened to 8 laps and began roughly ten minutes later than scheduled. From tenth on the grid, Lecuona made up two positions off the line while Vierge, twelfth on the starting grid, also gained two positions through the first corners. Lapping with very similar times, Xavi moved ahead of team-mate Iker on lap two. While Vierge was able to hold ninth to the line, Lecuona battled with Van der Mark in the final stages, just missing out on a top ten finish to close eleventh.
The third and final race got underway as scheduled at 2pm local time. Now ninth and eleventh on the grid thanks to their results in the sprint race, Vierge and Lecuona immediately gained a position on lap one. Unfortunately Xavi’s race was over almost as soon as it began, the Spaniard crashing on lap three, at turn one, while pushing to stay in touch with the riders battling for sixth, with team-mate Iker moving into eighth as a result. Working hard to get into a rhythm, the remaining Team HRC rider moved briefly up into seventh, before battling with Gardner and Redding in the central stages of the race. It was not to be today though, with Iker suffering the same fate as his team-mate and crashing at turn four on lap eleven. Although he was briefly able to return to the track, the Spaniard was forced to pull into the pits and retire shortly afterwards.
With the first three championship rounds now complete, Vierge lies ninth in the general standings with 49 points, Lecuona lies thirteenth with 33. Team HRC will now focus its attention on round four, which is scheduled to take place at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit in Spain on 5-7 May.
Xavi Vierge (97) leading Michael van der Mark (60). Photo courtesy Team HRC.
Xavi Vierge 97
SPR P9 RACE2 DNF
“I first want to apologise to the team for my mistake in race 2. The team worked really hard between yesterday and today, making various changes to the bike. It wasn’t easy to decide what to do following warm-up, as we didn’t have the right conditions to really check it, but we believed in our work and headed into the Superpole race feeling confident. I was pleased with the way that race went as the bike allowed me to battle. I was able to finish top nine and that meant I gained a better grid position for race 2. As that race got underway, I was feeling good and the feeling was there, allowing me to fight for the top six. Unfortunately I made a small mistake through turn 1 and lost the front, and that was the end of that. Not the end we were hoping for, but after a difficult weekend we did find something that allowed us to be up there fighting for a solid result. So we need to take the positives and will now head to Barcelona, a track that can work better for us.”
Iker Lecuona (7). Photo courtesy Team HRC.
Iker Lecuona 7
SPR P11 RACE 2 DNF
“It was a tough day in general for me, the team and Honda, with me and Xavi both crashing in Race 2 and generally struggling at this track. We think we understood something about why the weekend developed as it did, so now it’s time to remain cool and focused, checking all the data and really understanding which changes to make to the setup of the bike, both for the next round and for the subsequent testing session at Misano. It’s true that last year I also had to save myself from some crashes, but this year we have crashed a lot. Having said that, thanks to the team, to Kuwata san, Mori san and everyone on the team for the trust they put in me. I trust them and the team and now we need to work and make the right choices.”
More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team:
WorldSBK – Syahrin in the points in WorldSBK race 2 at Assen
The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda team has concluded what has been a challenging third round of the 2023 Superbike World Championship at Assen by scoring points in race 2 with rider Hafizh Syahrin.
In cool but sunny conditions, the brief Superpole race started a little later than scheduled when an incident for another rider left dirt on the track. One lap into the shortened 8-lap race and riders Granado and Syahrin were lying nineteenth and twentieth. Sticking close to each other, the pair moved up a place on lap two before exchanging positions on lap three. While Hafizh was able to maintain a consistent pace and hold eighteenth for the remainder of the race, Eric slipped back a little in the final lap to cross the line twenty-first.
The riders were back out for the weekend’s final 21-lap race at 2pm local time. The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda duo made up ground through the opening laps, with Syahrin lying seventeenth and Granado nineteenth by lap four. Both gained three more positions by the mid-race point, with the Malaysian moving into the points zone, followed by the Brazilian, sixteenth. Syahrin ran an undisturbed final part of the race to cross the line fourteenth and score two championship points, while Granado closed this final race in seventeenth position.
Syahrin now holds four points and places nineteenth in the championship standings, while Granado is yet to score points this season. The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda team will now prepare for the fourth WorldSBK round, scheduled to run at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit on 6-8 May.
Hafizh Syahrin (35). Photo courtesy PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team.
Hafizh Syahrin P14
“I’m very happy with our race 2 result as we scored two championship points. The Superpole race was also very useful and helped us to understand what we could do better in today’s final race, which turned out well. We might not be scoring points in every race but we did it at every racing weekend and we’re definitely taking steps round by round, repaying the efforts of everyone who is working so hard. I want to thank the team and all those supporting me. We now have a little time to rest before turning our attentions to the Catalunya round in two weeks’ time.”
Eric Granado (51). Photo courtesy PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team.
Eric Granado P17
“Well, the first half of the race went a lot better than yesterday and I felt that I had a good rhythm and was able to stick with the group. Then unfortunately from mid-race onwards I found myself struggling with arm pump, which meant I had to slow my pace quite significantly. I’d been suffering with this since Friday actually and I seemed to be recovering gradually but in this final race of the weekend, after completing so many laps, I guess my arm conceded defeat. Like I say, the first half of the race was positive, and I’ve taken a good step in terms of my confidence with the bike, but now we need to understand my physical condition and the bike setting in preparation for the next Barcelona round.”
More, from a press release issued by GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team:
AEGERTER THRILLED WITH FOURTH AND TOP INDEPENDENT RIDER STATUS, GARDNER GRABS GREAT SIXTH
Dominique Aegerter and Remy Gardner enjoyed a good Sunday in Assen, as the Swiss rider impressed in Race 2 and managed an excellent 4th place – making him the Top Independent Rider of the race. While the Australian recovered six places to finish 6th in the feature race.
The day started with the usual Warm Up session, and the GYTR GRT Yamaha pair made the final adjustments. Aegerter finished 7th with a 1’35.196, while Gardner was 13th (1’35.608), both felt ready ahead the two remaining races.
In a shortened 8-lap Tissot Superpole Race, the #77 and the #87 enjoyed a decent start. Aegerter was in contention for a Top 5 spot, with his teammate just behind. Unfortunately, Gardner was forced to go wide on Lap 2, dropping to 16th. The Australian rider did his best to recover as much as he could, showing good pace and eventually crossing the line in 12th. On the other side of the garage, Aegerter fought until the very end for a second-row start in Race 2, he managed 7th after fighting against Bassani’s Ducati.
The GYTR GRT Yamaha duo started from 7th and 12th on the grid in the final feature race of the weekend. Aegerter and Gardner got off the line well, gaining positions at the start. The #77 installed himself in a solid Top 5 place in the early stages, while the #87 rider made his way through the field to find himself 7th on Lap 8, going past Honda’s Vierge and Lecuona and Ducati’s Petrucci. With seven laps to go, Gardner made one final move on BMW’s Redding to take sixth position. Afterwards, he tried to close the gap with the guys in front to join the Top 5 fight and despite showing promising pace throughout the whole race, he stayed in 6th until the end.
Meanwhile, Aegerter tried to recover on Pata Yamaha Prometeon’s Locatelli and Ducati’s Bassani for a podium place. The Swiss star showed great speed in the 21-lap battle, staying in 5th for the majority of the race. In the latter stages, the #77 rider impressed with blistering pace, eventually catching Bassani for a last lap showdown. Finally, Domi crossed the line in 5th, before being promoted to 4th following Bassani’s track limits penalty. This means Domi placed as the Top Independent Rider on the day.
“That was a great Race 2, finishing 4th and getting top independent is nice. We had a good start and fierce battles until the last chicane. There are still aspects of this bike that I can learn how to better exploit, we’re going step by step. We have a great long-run pace and base setup, but we should be quick in the early stages too. I’m happy with the package we have, Yamaha and the GYTR GRT Team are doing a great job, plus it’s good we can share data with fast guys. We’ll keep working for sure, that is what has got us where we are today. We hope to be in the top group again in Barcelona.”
Remy Gardner (87) leads a group of riders at Assen. Photo courtesy GYTR GRT Yamaha.
Remy Gardner #87
Superpole Race: P12 / Race 2: P6
“Not a bad Race 2, although unfortunately we had bad luck in the sprint race. For sure we need to work on our qualifying sessions, once again starting from behind didn’t help. In the last feature race, our pace was fine and I enjoyed it. The tyre choice was the correct one in my opinion, it was just a shame I lost a lot of time in the opening laps as I got forced wide, but we were still able to perform a good recovery. Let’s keep rolling and progress further, we know there’s potential.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea Takes A Podium Before Misfortune Strikes
Jonathan Rea secured his third podium finish of the season with second place in the Superpole race at Assen. He would then fall in Race Two while chasing the leading duo. Alex Lowes was fourth and then ninth, after going through his own moment of high drama before Race Two.
A delayed start to the WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race meant it was run over eight laps, not the customary ten. Rea led in the first part of lap one but eventual winner Alvaro Bautista would pass in the final sector and hold his lead to the flag.
Rea was a clear second while his team-mate Lowes took a lonely fourth, having been in the leading mix early on while chasing his own podium ambition.
In the second race of the day, and the third WorldSBK race of the weekend, there was an unexpected turn even before the start of the 21-lap race itself. Lowes crashed on the sighting lap and had to come back to the pits to use a second bike for the 21-lap race.
Lowes moved up strongly from his last place starting position (imposed on him due to his late bike change) to finish ninth and salvage good championship points.
Rea was still fighting for the podium places with Alvaro Bautista and Toprak Razgatlioglu in Race Two when he fell on lap six, at the fast Turn Nine, and he was unable to re-start. Despite this misfortune Rea moved up one place in the championship standings at the end of the Assen race weekend.
In the championship standings, after three rounds and nine individual races, Bautista has 174 points Razgatlioglu 118, Locatelli 104, Bassani 77 and Rea 73. Lowes is tenth, with 44 points.
The next round takes place at KRT’s home circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya, between 5-7 May.
Jonathan Rea (65) leads Toprak Razgatlioglu (54) and Alex Lowes (22) at Assen. Photo courtesy Kawasaki.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “It was one of those days, unfortunately, but I have got to take some positives from this weekend. The bike was really comfortable to ride, and I did some things at Assen that I have not been able to do for a few years. The starts were great, but I missed the jump a little bit in Race Two. We checked the data to understand the crash and for some reason, all weekend, I have had some pressure on the gearshift. This one time in T9, as soon as I opened the gas, it engaged third gear and that was enough to crash. I went down in probably the most graceful crash I have ever had! I was so frustrated because I felt like we could fight for a podium again. I felt much more comfortable in that race, compared to Race One and also the Superpole Race earlier today. The Superpole Race was maximum attack for eight laps. Alvaro just broke me with two laps to go.”
Alex Lowes (22). Photo courtesy Kawasaki.
Alex Lowes, stated: “This weekend has been a bit better and when we have grip in the bike we can be quite fast. The Superpole Race was quite good because I was one of the only guys who could stay with the front three. The race, at eight laps, was a bit shorter than normal. The pace was fast and I felt OK on the limit. Everybody is riding on the limit. I lost the front on the sighting lap before Race Two. Starting from the back of the grid it was going to be tough, but my pace was a bit better after we had made a few changes on the bike. I was able to keep my front tyre grip for five or six laps longer and I was faster than the day before.”
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished 19th in the Superpole Race and took a point in Race Two for 15th place.
Oliver König (Orelac Racing Movisio Kawasaki) was 25th and then 16th on the final day at Assen. Isaac Vinales (TPR by Vinales Racing Kawasaki) was a retiree in the Superpole Race and then 18th in Race Two.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Aruba.it Racing and Ducati write a page of history at “The Cathedral of Speed”. Bautista and Bulega win all the races in WorldSBK and WorldSSP. The Spanish rider also gives Borgo Panigale victory #400. Top 10 for Rinaldi
The weekend of the Pirelli Dutch Round, third event of the 2023 WorldSBK season, enters by right in the history of Aruba.it Racing and Ducati.
Alvaro Bautista and Nicolò Bulega in fact, won all the races held at TTCircuit of Assen (Netherland) both in WorldSBK and WorldSSP, taking their respective Pole Positions and setting all the fastest laps, as well as setting new circuit records.
An extraordinary haul on the same day of the historic 400 Ducati victories in the World Superbike Championship, a milestone cut by the Spaniard in Race 2.
At the end of the Pirelli Dutch Round, Alvaro Bautista is firmly first in the standings with 174 points, 56 more than Razgatlioglu (Yamaha). There is also a wide margin for Nicolò Bulega, the leader in WorldSSP with 127 points, 37 more than Manzi (Yamaha).
It was a difficult weekend, however, for Michael Rinaldi, who nevertheless gritted his teeth in Race 2 and brought home the Top 10.
Alvaro Bautista. Photo courtesy Ducati.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #1)
“It has been an exciting weekend and I am very happy to have put my signature on such an important milestone as the 400th victory for Ducati in Superbike. I’m also really happy because we even managed to improve on yesterday, especially in the Superpole Race. The advantage in the standings it is not my interest at the moment: what I’ll remember from this day is the fantastic feeling with the bike.
Michael Rinaldi (21). Photo courtesy Ducati.
Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #21)
“Honestly it was a very difficult weekend. Right from FP1 the feeling wasn’t the same as in the previous rounds; unfortunately, we couldn’t work in FP2, then we had to run in wet conditions in FP3. Basically, we did setup in Race 1. At the same time, though, we need to be more responsive when we face difficulties like these. For sure we are not going to lose confidence from a weekend gone wrong.”
Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WSSP #11)
“We can say that this was a perfect weekend, probably the best weekend of my life. We won the two races, starting from the pole position, always doing the fastest lap. I want to thank my team because from the very first lap of FP1 the feeling with the bike was simply fantastic. Now, though, we have to think about Barcelona.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Double Dutch Podium for Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu and Andrea Locatelli stepped on to the podium together after an exciting display of professional race craft in Race 2 at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands today, to finish a positive weekend for Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK at the third round of the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship.
It was Razgatlıoğlu’s third podium of the event, finishing one better than his Race 1 and Superpole Race third places, but the key difference was how close the team’s Turkish rider was able to run to winner Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) in the first half of the final main race. Forcing a move through the northern loop of the historical circuit in the opening laps netted a brief look at the lead of the race, but it was not enough to fully upset the dominance of the Spanish rider this weekend.
Teammate Locatelli took another step forward again today, enjoying a fierce battle with Italian compatriot Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati) in both races. “Loka” was held up in the first part of the Superpole Race, unable to make a move and lost out to Bassani in the final portion of the shortened eight-lap sprint. But in Race 2, the two went head-to-head once again and the #55 rider came out on top after a spectacular high-speed battle on entry to Assen’s fastest corner. Superior late race pace from Locatelli and his Yamaha R1 WorldSBK sealed the deal for the podium, following a super consistent weekend of results.
Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK returns to Barcelona in less than two weeks’ time for the fourth round of the season, taking place from 5-7 May.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54). Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – Superpole Race: P3 / Race 2: P2
“I am really happy, I ride through the first corner in Race 2 and don’t crash like 2021 and 2022! This is a big improvement! Also, today, in World Supersport my Turkish friends Can and Bahattin crashed and I am a bit scared before the race to do the same! I tried my best and finish in second position, I am happy for this but normally I am always try to win – this race it was impossible but I tried everything. Also I tried to attack Alvaro for the lead and anyway, we know, everybody know in the last laps he is more strong. This track is very fast, I am not close enough to try a hard braking pass – it was not easy. Second position is not bad, better than nothing! Also I am not coming back home without podiums, so this is a good positive! We will see in the next race. I am very happy for my teammate Locatelli as well, I hope we can finish more races on the podium together.”
Andrea Locatelli (55). Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Andrea Locatelli – Superpole Race: P5 / Race 2: P3
“I am really happy about Race 2, because to think about going home after Assen without a podium was a bit sad! So I am really proud about the job we did here because we started in difficult conditions and we never really found good grip with the rear and it compromised the first laps a little bit until I could do my rhythm. We need to understand a bit more but we have another podium and a lot of good points for the championship, a really good result and no mistakes. We need to continue to work and see what is possible for the future races. I want to say thanks to the guys for this weekend, we can enjoy this moment.”
Paul Denning – Team Principal, Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK
“Another good day ‘at the office’! Friday was tough, we improved yesterday and took another step forward with both riders today. So first of all, I have to say thank you to the efforts of Yamaha and the team for reacting so well and giving the guys competitive packages today. We can’t really argue with the outright pace of Bautista and his package at this moment, so to score a double podium in Race 2, retain second and third positions in the championship – and, more importantly for Yamaha, to finish second, third, fourth and sixth in the last race, shows that the R1 still has plenty of life in it yet! We’ll move on to Barcelona – another challenging track for us – and try to maximise our performance there.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Go Eleven:
SO CLOSE TO THE TOP TEN IN RACE 2, BUT TOO MUCH GAP IN THE FIRST LAPS!
Philipp Oettl (5). Photo courtesy Team Go Eleven.
The team’s work yesterday evening allowed Philipp to be able to fight in today’s two races, but the staory was similar to yesterday’s; a lot of time lost in the first laps, where the main difficulty is finding space for overtaking, then from the middle of the race onwards a pace in line with the Top 8. This is the aspect to work on, which conditions the races in our start of the season!
The morning got off to a good start for the Go Eleven rider, in the Warm Up he was able to get down to a low 35, a time in line with the pace of Race 1. Ninth position and a good feeling especially at the front.
Warm Up:
P 1 J. Rea 1.34.747
P 2 A. Bautista + 0.092
P 3 T. Razgatlioglu + 0.275
…
P 9 P. Oettl + 0.594
The Superpole Race here in Assen was held over a shortened distance of 8 laps, due to oil on the track in the Warm Up Lap. Even more difficult to recover for Philipp, starting from fourteenth place. The first lap, which was decisive in these sprint races, was rather complicated, then lap after lap he improved and came back a few positions, fighting above all with Petrucci, finishing in front of him at the chequered flag. No points taken, but the awareness of being able to think about the Top Ten in Race 2.
Superpole Race:
P 1 A. Bautista 12’37.045
P 2 J. Rea + 0.916
P 3 T. Razgatlioglu + 1.757
…
P 14 P. Oettl + 12.037
At the start of Race 2 Philipp managed to get off to a good start, defending his position, then suffering a couple of attacks in the first and second sectors. Unfortunately, the race was “lost” in the first six laps, when he was in the fight with slower riders, the group in front, battling for the Top Ten, took a clear advantage. In the second half of the race he was faster than Rinaldi, Redding and Lowes, closing the gap by almost half a second per lap, managing to slip behind the Ducati rider. Eleventh position conquered, a step forward compared to yesterday, but there is still a lot to work on.
Race 2:
P 1 A. Bautista 33’14.560
P 2 T. Razgatlioglu + 3.915
P 3 A. Locatelli + 7.416
…
P 11 P. Oettl + 21.645
This Round, held on a particular track like the TT-Circuit, highlighted the major problems affecting the results of the Italian team in this part of the season; all the riders are really close, just a few thousandths away, and a start from the rear, combined with a difficulty in dealing with overtaking relegates to a comeback race. A comeback that becomes difficult when all the riders lap with two, maximum three tenths of a difference. 21 seconds taken in Race 2 is not a lot, but 12 of which in the first seven laps highlight the area you need to focus on.
Now the WorldSBK circus moves to Barcelona, where last year Philipp finished in the top ten, a track where Ducati should perform very well. However, each year is unique, so Team Go Eleven will have to work and find the right set-up!
Philipp Oettl (Rider):
“Today we made a step in the right direction, starting from the Warm Up. The start and the first laps are our biggest problem at the moment, we don’t miss a lot to fight in the group, but we missed just two/three tenths to have a really good race. This weekend we choice the right tyre, I was quite confident with the front. I struggled to overtake, especially the BMWs, i lost a lot of seconds there with Baz. We are fast, but we know where to improve. Physically i feel really good, I had zero problem through the weekend, even if I came from Le Mans 24 hour. I will keep working in the same way and we will have better days in the future!”
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“Today we took a step forward but we lost too much time in the early stages of the race. It was difficult for Philipp to overtake Baz and with him we lost contact with the group that was fighting for sixth position. Everyone is riding very close here, the difference of performance among the riders is minimal, and nothing is enough to move from fifth to fifteenth, while still remaining “fast”. We have to take care of every detail and improve in the first half of the race. We are competitive even if we haven’t achieved the result that we want and this is what leaves a bitter taste in our mouth, it’s like smelling good food but not being able to eat it… it makes us want even more! Now we can only focus on ourselves and improve to be back to the top positions!”
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