Powersports personality Jacqui Van Ham hosts live stream of AHRMA event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
(Elora, Tennessee) – Jacqui Van Ham, a nationally-recognized powersports announcer and brand expert, will host a live stream of the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) Classic MotoFestTM of Monterey July 16 and 17 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Van Ham is a powersports announcer and video host who has represented the biggest brands in motorcycling and announced for some of the most exciting racing in the country including American Flat Track, Super Hooligan, Flat Out Friday, Sons of Speed and FITE.TV.
“I’m thrilled to be going back to Laguna Seca with AHRMA for their second Classic MotoFestTM of Monterey,” said Van Ham. “This was a highlight of my calendar last year. It brings racers from across America and is guaranteed great racing in a picture-perfect setting with gorgeous machines, both vintage and new. What more could you ask for?”
The live stream will be hosted on the AHRMA Facebook page (Facebook.com/ahrma.historic.motorcycle.racing/live) and YouTube channel (AHRMAvideos) on Saturday, July 16th and Sunday, July 17th.
In addition to motorcycle and sidecar road racing, the event will feature vintage and post vintage motocross, observed trials, cross country and dirt track racing.
Off the track, motorcycle and racing fans will enjoy a vintage bike swap meet and vintage motorcycle show sponsored by Hagerty Insurance. A Family Fun Zone will include the Strider Bike Adventure, “Mimi and Moto, The Motorcycle Monkeys” children’s books and Santa Claus will be onsite Saturday from noon till two to go over the naughty and nice lists.
Additional event activities include Pacific Motorcycle Training’s rider training, Motul’s Moto Museum and California Motorcycle Safety Program’s “Slow Race” in which spectators can participate.
The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to competing on fantastic classic and true vintage along with a wide range of modern motorcycles. With about 3,300 members, AHRMA is the largest vintage racing group in North America and one of the biggest in the world. The association has grown steadily over the years, reflecting the increasing interest in classic bikes.
Triumph TE-1 Prototype Testing Completed: “This Has Been About A Bigger Ambition…”
by Michael Gougis
It’s not just one of the best-looking electric motorcycles to date. Triumph’s TE-1 is fast, powerful, and pushes the bar for electric motorcycles forward, with a charging time half that of the quickest charging electric motorcycles on the market.
Triumph’s TE-1 electric prototype was styled after the company’s Street Triple machines. Although a prototype, it has a nearly full lighting system and is “not a million miles away” from homologation status, company officials say. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
Triumph has wrapped up the development of its electric motorcycle prototype, the TE-1, and the company says the partnerships created during the process and the lessons learned have given it a clear path to the electric motorcycles it will be bringing to market.
While Triumph is more than satisfied with the prototype’s performance, “This has been about a bigger ambition,” said Miles Perkins, Triumph Head of Brand Management, in an international teleconference introducing the final version of the prototype TE-1.
The TE-1 project was designed to push Triumph’s knowledge of how to build an electric motorcycle, and to incorporate the knowledge of others in the field who have know-how that is applicable to the future of electric bikes. Williams Advanced Engineering, a spinoff of the longstanding Formula One company, provided technical support that is absolutely at the cutting edge of electric vehicle technology – the company makes the batteries for the Formula E, Extreme E and ETCR electric racing vehicles.
Triumph’s track shakedown was designed to finalize the functional parameters of systems like traction control, ABS, etc. Two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch demonstrates the power of the TE-1 at Oulton Park. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
With the TE-1’s track testing by two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch used to finalize settings and specifications, the company’s final prototype looks like this:
– Weight: 220 kg (485 lbs.)
– Range: 100 miles (160 km)
– Power: 175 bhp, 80 lbs.-ft. torque
– Four riding modes, lean angle sensitive traction control and ABS, wheelie control, adjustable rear wheel braking regeneration and reverse.
Triumph chose to go with a 15 kWh battery, made up of 900 cells in eight different modules. While this battery capacity is smaller than some of the more upscale models on the market currently, it is in line with the mid-range electric motorcycles. The downside is the more limited range; the upside is the speed of recharging and the lighter weight. The TE-1 is nearly 100 pounds lighter than the Energica Ego that forms the basis of the current MotoE racing machines.
Note the layout of the battery pack on the Triumph TE-1 electric motorcycle. The components have been arranged to place the center of gravity in the same place as it is found on the company’s Speed Triple internal-combustion machine. Image courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
It is unusual in its configuration, which has batteries in a tapered stack where a conventional motorcycle’s engine would be, and also in a nearly horizontal line along the centerline of the machine, through the area where an airbox would be found and under the seat. The tapered shape narrows the machine at the bottom for cornering clearance and the overall configuration of battery, inverter and motor leaves the center of gravity exactly where it is on the firm’s Speed Triple.
The company chose to go with a Williams-derived 50 kw DC charger, which can take the battery pack from zero to 80 percent charged in 20 minutes, the company claims. In addition, because the machine’s two independent cooling systems – one for the motor and inverter, the other for the batteries – keep the battery pack at optimum temperature, recharging can begin immediately after a ride.
Triumph says the TE-1 can be charged from 0 to 80 percent capacity in 20 minutes. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
The 175 bhp motor, developed with Williams for the machine, spins to 17,500 rpm, and is lighter than other units in its output category, the company says. The motor and inverter combined weigh only 15 kilograms, says Steve Sargent, Chief Product Officer for Triumph.
“Williams have gained a lot of knowledge in getting a lot of power out of a small package,” he says.
The running gear – suspension, brakes, etc. comes from the company’s gas-powered Speed Triple, although the machine’s aesthetics are derived from its Street Triple lineup. The physical similarities to the Speed Triple sped the development process, because algorithms for vehicle dynamic management systems like ABS transferred directly to the TE-1.
Running gear, including the Ohlins suspension, comes from the company’s Speed Triple. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
The TE-1 is equipped with a lighting system, although it does not have turn indicators. While it is not homologated for street use, “it’s not a million miles away,” Sargent says. And while the lessons learned here will drive the development direction of Triumph’s production electric motorcycles, the biggest challenge is economic. Building the machine at a price point that customers will find acceptable remains a difficulty, Sargent says.
Triumph says the TE-1 weighs in at just over 485 pounds. While that would make it one of the lighter electric bikes on the street, it does not have the larger battery capacity of the street-going Energica machines or the upcoming Ducati MotoE racebike. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
Riding Triumph’s Electric Prototype – And Making The List With Evel Knievel
by Michael Gougis
Winning the Daytona 200 for the second time, this time on a Triumph, helped Brandon Paasch land a track test riding gig on the company’s electric prototype machine. And while he was in England for the evaluation, he found himself immortalized on the company’s Avenue of Legends, on the list with some of the world’s most well-known motorcyclists – including stuntman Evel Knievel.
Two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch tested the Triumph TE-1 electric prototype at Oulton Park. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
What Paasch found was a machine that hid its weight well, he says. “I think it’ll be a really cool bike,” Paasch told Roadracing World.
The story began shortly after Paasch had earned the second of his back-to-back wins at Daytona, this time on a Triumph Street Triple 765 in race trim. (Paasch actually owns one of the company’s Daytona 765 Moto2 machines, which was not eligible for the race as it is a limited-edition model.)
The company wanted to do something to honor the accomplishment, and Paasch wanted to expand his involvement with the company beyond racing. So the visit to Triumph HQ for the unveiling of his plaque was scheduled along with the test of the TE-1 electric prototype.
Paasch’s plaque is next to those of Peter Hickman, who took Triumph’s latest victory at the Isle of Man, and Alex Marquez, who won the first Moto2 World Championship contested with Triumph’s 765cc three-cylinder engines. The Triumph Avenue of Legends includes names that are icons in the sport, he noted, with racers like Gary Nixon and perhaps the original stunter Evel Knievel represented. (While Knievel may be most well-known for riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles, the infamous failed Caesar’s Palace jump of 1967 took place on a Triumph T120 TT Special 650.)
“There were some pretty cool people there, and I was on that list!” Paasch says.
Shortly afterward, Paasch showed up for filming duties on the dyno on the TE-1, and then spent the day testing the prototype at Oulton Park.
Brandon Paasch on the Triumph electric prototype. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
“It was interesting going through all the briefings – what to do if it breaks, what to do if it catches on fire. I haven’t been to school for a while, so keeping that stuff in my head was a challenge at first,” Paasch says.
Paasch’s prior experience with electric bikes was limited to a dirtbike that he nearly looped when he grabbed a handful of throttle, so he approached the TE-1 with a little more restraint.
“I thought I’ve be a little more careful,” he says. “It’s super torquey. It doesn’t feel heavy when you ride it. They did a really good job with that. It doesn’t feel like a heavy electric bike. It feels like a nimble Street Triple.”
Paasch liked one other thing in particular about the TE-1 – the styling. The belt drive, the single-sided swingarm – all added up to a unique and positive visual impression, Paasch says.
Read more in an official press release issued by Triumph:
TRIUMPH TE-1
PROJECT COMPLETION WITH FINAL PROTOTYPE TESTING RESULTS
Triumph announces the official completion of the TE-1 electric development project, with the release of the final prototype test results which exceed the project objectives and demonstrate the incredible success of this unique collaboration.
· 100 Mile Range
Significantly exceeding the real-world range of the equivalent electric motorcycles available today, with a category-leading 100-mile (161 km) range, based on live
testing and official projections
· 175 HP Peak Power (130 kW / 177PS)
The TE-1 prototype delivers an incredible standard of acceleration, achieving
3.6 seconds 0-60mph, and an outstanding 6.2 seconds 0-100mph
· 20-minute charge time (0-80%)
A game-changing outcome, faster than today’s equivalent electric motorcycles
· 485 lbs, with an incredible power-to-weight ratio
Up to 25% lighter than comparable electric motorcycles currently available
· Stunning final prototype that demonstrates Triumph’s class-leading USPs and hints at the exciting future to come for Triumph fans across the world
o Pure, unique, and characterful new electric-Triumph soundtrack that builds to a hair-raising crescendo
o The ergonomics, geometry, and weight distribution of a Speed Triple, with the scale and visual impact of a Street Triple
o Triumph’s signature thrilling feel and neutral handling, with the throttle and torque delivery map equivalent to a Speed Triple 1200 RS
o A style and presence that is 100% Triumph, with signature design DNA
The unique collaboration between Triumph Motorcycles, Williams Advanced Engineering, Integral Powertrain Ltd, and WMG, University of Warwick, funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles through Innovate UK, was set up to create ground-breaking developments in specialist electric motorcycle engineering and innovative integrated technology design.
The extensive live testing program, which involved numerous assessments of the bike’s performance on the rolling road, as well as on track, provided vital direction into the final set-up and calibration of the TE-1 prototype demonstrator, which has now delivered on all its targets and objectives.
Now officially complete, the live testing phase of the Triumph TE-1 project has seen the prototype demonstrator exceed expectations and achieve some incredible outcomes, delivering on all project objectives of accelerating electric motorcycle development and innovation, setting new standards for the sector overall, including final battery and range performance. The expertise and capabilities developed throughout the project now pave the way for the exciting electric future to come from Triumph Motorcycles.
Category-leading 100 Mile range
Exceeding the real-world range of the equivalent electric motorcycles available today, the Triumph TE-1 prototype has achieved all project targets with regards to the energy capacity of the Williams TE-1 project developed battery, with an incredible 100-mile (161 km) range, based on official testing and projections.
Regenerative braking has been successfully implemented for TE-1, with scope for further optimization, as well as greater efficiencies in the motor generator unit and transmission, which could improve the range further for the future of Triumph electric motorcycles.
Performance that matches the Speed Triple 1200, with an even faster 0-100mph
With a level of performance similar to the current Speed Triple 1200, the TE-1 prototype delivers an impressive 175 hp (130kW / 177PS) peak power, as well as peak torque of 80 lbft (109Nm), for instant responsiveness, smooth controlled power all the way up through the rev range, and a completely exhilarating ride.
The TE-1 has also achieved an incredible standing start acceleration official test result of 3.6 seconds 0-60mph and 6.2 seconds 0-100mph.
With further refinement of the electronics, including the traction control system and front wheel lift control, the team responsible for delivering the TE-1 project anticipate that performance could be enhanced further, harnessing the full torque potential to enable even quicker standing start acceleration.
Daytona 200 Champion Brandon Paasch participated in the final testing phase, both in engine performance evaluation and with the final set-up of the prototype through track testing.
“The throttle response on the TE-1 is kind of incredible, it’s very torquey and when you first touch the throttle it’s instant power, which is obviously what I love as a motorcycle racer – I love when it’s super-torquey and picks up right away, so for me it was a really great experience”, said Brandon. “I got to peg this thing all the way from zero to 100% throttle and it’s unbelievably quick, it pulls like crazy.”
Game-changing 20-minute charge time
Advances in battery and charging technologies that have been developed as part of the Triumph TE-1 project, in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE), have resulted in a game-changing 20-minute charge time (0-80%), successfully delivering against the ambitious targets laid out by Innovate UK, the government’s research and innovation agency that supports business led R&D funding and UK business growth.
485lb overall weight
With an overall weight of 485lb (220kg), the TE-1 prototype is lighter than the equivalent electric bikes available currently, by up to 25%, giving it an incredible power-to-weight ratio. Having a physical size and scale comparable to a Street Triple, but with the ergonomics, geometry and weight distribution of a Speed Triple, the TE-1 delivers a completely thrilling ride, while being confidence-inspiring, nimble, and compact.
“I wish I’d had this at Daytona, that acceleration in this chassis, and how it corners – wow!” said Brandon Paasch. “I think this would be a really nice motorcycle to ride on the street, just based on how nimble and agile it is, and how light it feels.”
Triumph’s signature thrilling feel and neutral, confidence-inspiring handling
With a throttle action and torque delivery map directly engineered from a Speed Triple 1200 RS, the track testing and dynamic rider assessments on the TE-1 prototype demonstrator deliver a level of handling that matches Triumph’s current triple cylinder internal combustion sports performance motorcycles.
The TE-1’s exhilarating level of performance and acceleration, combined with its engaging and dynamic riding package, result in a bike that delivers all of Triumph’s signature feel, and world-renowned neutral handling – a smooth, predictable ride, that is agile and nimble, great in the corners, with a controllable power that incites confidence and guarantees fun.
A pure, unique, and characterful new electric-Triumph soundtrack that builds to a hair-raising crescendo
Distinctive and thrilling soundtrack, building to the most spine-tingling crescendo – the Triumph TE-1 prototype’s pure and characterful sound is considered to be more appealing and exciting than any of the equivalent electric motorcycles currently available, thanks to its unique helical gear pair primary transmission.
With noise levels tested at Mira’s external noise measurement facility, the TE-1 successfully achieved all noise standards set by the R41 homologation tests for wide open throttle, cruising and urban.
A style and presence that is 100% Triumph, with signature design DNA
Instantly recognizable as a Triumph, the TE-1 prototype’s muscular presence utilizes signature design cues from the brand’s iconic modern history of performance motorcycles, while clearly being a bike of the future. Now updated with its final body panels and paint scheme, the prototype demonstrator brings a style and presence that is 100% Triumph, with all the brand’s signature design DNA, from its aluminum frame to its distinctive twin headlights and head-down focused stance and poise.
Project TE-1 Completion
“We have already seen an incredibly positive reaction to the TE-1 prototype from motorcyclists all around the world, where many people are telling us that for the first time, they are seeing an electric motorcycle as desirable, and something that they would genuinely want to own. Being the first step in our journey towards developing our future approach to electric powertrain technology, the TE-1 prototype and the incredible results it has achieved in its intensive testing program has provided crucial insights and capabilities that will ultimately guide our future development. Of course, the final production motorcycle will not be exactly what you see here today, but rest assured, the models we do develop will encompass all its learnings and its exciting dynamic spirit.” – Steve Sargent, Chief Product Officer, Triumph Motorcycles.
Overall, the key objective of the TE-1 project has always been focused on developing electric motorcycle capability, to provide an input into Triumph’s future electric motorcycle offering, driving innovation, capability, and new intellectual property, and enhancing the credibility and profile of British industry and design.
The achievements in the live testing phase, exceeding current benchmarks and targets, provide a platform with great potential for future development in electric motorcycle performance.
“We are incredibly proud to be able to share such positive outcomes from the completion of Project Triumph TE‑1, where the prototype demonstrator has exceeded many of our initial targets and expectations. Everyone on the team is thrilled with the results we have achieved with our partners, and how the outcomes of the project will feed into the electric future to come from Triumph.” – Nick Bloor, CEO, Triumph Motorcycles.
Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE)
“WAE are delighted to have been involved in this exciting program to deliver the TE-1 prototype. Since its conception in 2018, all the partners have worked with collaboration, innovation, and passion to bring the boundary breaking prototype to life. It is pleasing to hear positive rider comments which confirm that the dynamics of the bike are aligned with Triumph’s DNA. This has been underpinned by the class leading Battery and Control System that WAE has produced within a lightweight and integrated package. This core WAE technology has allowed us to exceed performance and charging targets for the battery which we look forward to seeing in future powertrains.” – Dyrr Ardash, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Williams Advanced Engineering.
Integral Powertrain Ltd.’s E-Drive Division
“We’re delighted to see the final TE-1 motorcycle testing phase completed and with that, further validation of the performance and efficiency of our Scalable Ultra-Integrated Motor and Inverter.
For the TE-1 application, the motor has achieved peak and continuous power densities of 13kW/kg and 9kW/kg respectively; 60% higher than APC technology roadmap targets for 2025. All this has been achieved using materials and processes compatible with volume automotive production and on a length scalable motor platform. The motor scalability concept deployed on TE-1 has provided a springboard for a new scalable motor architecture, to be announced later this year, which will provide similar performance levels but much greater manufacturing scale than previously.
The ultra-integrated inverter concept, also scalable such that the number of Silicon-Carbide power stages increases for larger diameter motors has really delivered on performance (capable of >500kW) and gives us the opportunity to optimize for production or meet much higher power requirements.
We’re really proud to have been a key part of this exciting project which has been a landmark for electric motorcycles and British industry.” – Andrew Cross, Chief Technology Manager, Integral Powertrain Ltd.
WMG, University of Warwick
“To meet our ambitious emission reduction targets in the UK we will have to rethink the way we travel, not only transitioning from ICE to electric propulsion vehicles, but also encouraging a modal shift away from private cars. Electric two wheelers have a pivotal role to play in the transport revolution as a zero-tailpipe emission option.
In our partnership with Triumph, WMG used our research experience in electrification to demonstrate manufacturers can deliver products with a lower emission burden as well as outstanding performance-offering customers an EV that is great fun to ride.” – Prof. David Greenwood, CEO, WMG centre High Value Manufacturing Catapult, University of Warwick
KYLE WYMAN LEADS HARLEY-DAVIDSON SWEEP OF KING OF THE BAGGERS PODIUM AT LAGUNA SECA
Kyle Wyman Wins; Travis Wyman Second; James Rispoli Third; Championship Battle Tightens to a Single Point
MILWAUKEE, WI – Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory rider Kyle Wyman led his brother and factory teammate Travis Wyman, and Vance & Hines racer James “Hogspoli” Rispoli to a sweep of the podium positions in the MotoAmerica Mission Foods King of the Baggers race on Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA. Kyle passed early leader Tyler O’Hara on the second lap of race and crossed the finish line 3.063 seconds ahead of Travis. Rispoli finished third, a half-second ahead of O’Hara’s factory Indian Challenger. Six of the top 10 finishers were aboard Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Travis Wyman was the fast qualifier on Saturday, setting a new class record of 1:29.748 on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course. But it was Kyle Wyman who won the King of the Baggers Mission Challenge 3-lap sprint race and winner-take-all $5,000 purse immediately following Q2. Both factory Harley-Davidson riders started from the front row along with Rispoli.
In the 8-lap King of the Baggers feature race, O’Hara jumped out into the lead from the second row of the grid. But Kyle Wyman kept the pressure on him with inside and outside moves at several points around the course and then passed him cleanly in turn 9 on the second lap. From that point, Kyle broke away and was never challenged for the lead.
“It was really greasy out there today, and I was cautious with how the edge grip was,” said Kyle Wyman. “O’Hara lost the rear coming out of turn nine and that allowed me to go by. I was happy to get clear and run my own race and manage the gap to the finish. It’s just great to get a 1-2-3 for Harley-Davidson and to reward the entire Harley-Davidson factory team who made this possible.”
“To come home second to Kyle is pretty amazing,” said Travis Wyman. “We did it the other way around at Road America. And now we’re tied in points. So these last two rounds are going to be pretty awesome for the fans.”
MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers race winner Kyle Wyman (center), his brother and the runner-up Travis Wyman (left), and third-place finisher James Rispoli (right) on the podium at Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Harley-Davidson.
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® Twin-Cooled Milwaukee-Eight® 131 Performance Crate Engines.
After five of seven rounds on the 2022 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Kyle and Travis Wyman are tied for second in the series standings with 86 points. O’Hara leads by one point with 87. The Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory team returns to the track July 29-31 at the MotoAmerica Superbikes in Minnesota at Brainerd International Raceway.
MotoAmerica King of the Bagger Race Results – Laguna Seca
Zack Nation (H-D) Zack Nation Racing Revolution Performance
Eric Stahl (H-D) Jiffy Tune Racing
More, from a press release issued by Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing:
Four consecutive Stock 1000 wins for Tytlers Cycle Racing powered by #RideHVMC
It was another lights to flag win for Corey Alexander and the Tytlers Cycle Racing #RideHVMC squad in the latest round of the MotoAmerica Stock1000 race at Laguna Seca on Saturday. After storming to the Pole Position the #23 hit the front from the off and was never headed, taking a convincing 4.7s win at the end of the fourteen-lap encounter.
Travis Wyman kept his championship hopes alive with a fighting fourth place finish, missing a podium after a race long fight in the early stages. After losing touch with the leading trio, he eventually finished in a solid P4.
Zac Schumacher, on his first visit to Laguna Seca, finished twenty-sixth.
The next round of the championship sees the riders head to the Brainerd International Raceway at the end of July.
Corey Alexander (center), after beating runner-up Bryce Prince (left), and third-place finisher Hayden Gillim (right) in the lone Stock 1000 race at Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytler Cycle/RideHVMC Racing.
Corey Alexander: “Overall it was a positive weekend. Initially we took a bit of time to get going, everyone was going pretty fast, and I needed to find a bit more with the set-up of the bike. The team worked hard, and we found a good direction and that was enough to take pole and the win. It was an uneventful race, and we were able to take another twenty-five points. We will keep plugging away and look ahead to Brainerd.”
Travis Wyman (10). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing.
Travis Wyman: “It was a good race. I couldn’t quite hang with the leaders and ended up finishing fourth which wasn’t too bad which I am pretty happy with considering the small issues we had.”
Zac Schumacher (90). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing.
Zac Schumacher: “The race didn’t go as well as I had hoped. It was my first time at Laguna and it’s a pretty challenging track and I just struggled to find a setting that I was comfortable enough with. The team supported me the entire weekend and I want to thank them for that. The next round is Brainerd and I’ve been there before and so I am looking forward to being back in the mix with a much better result.”
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA LLC:
SCOTT CONTINUES PODIUM STAND FOR VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI
The GSX-R750 Class of the Field in New Generation Supersport Series
BREA, Calif., July 11, 2022 — Suzuki and Team Hammer closed out an encouraging weekend of MotoAmerica competition at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday with their rookie aces once again leading the charge.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott continued his successful upward progress, adding another MotoAmerica Supersport runner-up result along with fast lap honors to a weekend that had already seen him collect pole position and a second-place podium on Saturday.
The 16-year-old was embroiled in a six-rider charge for the lead early aboard his next-generation Suzuki GSX-R750 that also included the team’s talented substitute rider, Cory Ventura.
Ventura slotted into third early. He then took advantage of Scott’s back-and-forth battle for first to slip into second and then, momentarily, the lead as the hectic race continued to change shape in the early laps.
Tyler Scott (70) continues to impress with his sixth podium in his rookie season in the Supersport class aboard the GSX-R750. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Scott pulled off a remarkable save on lap 3 after hitting a bump on the track but was shuffled down to fourth in the aftermath. The youngster then set about the difficult task of clawing back up the order as Ventura settled into sixth.
During his charge, Scott ripped off the fastest lap of the race – a 1.26.985-second lap that ultimately proved more than a half-second quicker than any other rider could manage. He leveraged that pace to slash back up into second and then proceeded to defend the position to the checkered flag.
The result was the rookie’s sixth podium of the year and the fifth occasion where Scott finished in either first or second position. He said, “The Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki worked great in the first part of the race, but I got bottled up and shuffled back. I had to get my pace back and then hold onto second while battling grip issues,” stated Scott.
“We’re improving every round – both with my riding and with the bike set-up. I definitely think we’ll be on the podium a lot more and hopefully get some more wins.”
A top five for Cory Ventura (24) in Race Two to cap off a great first weekend aboard the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Ventura gained a position on the race’s final lap to move into fifth, earning the squad two top-five finishes in a single Supersport race for the fourth time this year.
Ventura said, “I got the call to ride for the team last Friday, and I knew I had to do it. I’ve been training hard for this moment for a long, long time. Early in the weekend, it was a little hard to transition to the Supersport bike, but slowly we improved throughout the weekend to where we were able to run up front for a couple of laps today. We’re still learning… I wish we had just one more day and one more race tomorrow!”
Liam Grant (90). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Young gun Liam Grant missed the race due to a concussion. He crashed in qualifying on Saturday. The GSX-R750 proves to be a front runner in the new generation Supersport class with 45% of the top ten this weekend being Suzuki’s.
Meanwhile, Richie Escalante put the finishing touches on his best weekend yet as a Superbike pilot, backing up Saturday’s career-best fourth-place finish with yet another fourth on Sunday.
Back-to-back fourth-place finishes for Richie Escalante (54) aboard the GSX-R1000R and he is looking to gain even more speed in the second half of the season. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Escalante powered into fifth early aboard the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R and then slipped up the inside of a pair of veteran Superbike stars to move into third on lap 2. He then maintained the position until being displaced on lap 4 of 20.
Escalante was overtaken by another competitor on lap 6 but regained the position on lap 11, which he controlled to the contest’s conclusion.
Escalante declared, “For today, the team tried to improve the bike for the later laps when the tire goes off. The bike’s handling was more calm and it was easier to do consistent laps. I got a strong start and also was able to use our great starting position. We were happy to battle for the podium early in the race, and I was happy with the pace today. In the end, we were 17 seconds behind the leader again at the checkered flag, but I think we made many steps forward.”
“Thanks to the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team and my crew for doing a great job. We need to find a half-second a lap to be fighting for the podium every time, but we are much closer than we were earlier in the season. I like Brainerd. It is a cool track and super-fast. Hopefully, we will be able to continue improving.
The super-sub Kyle Wyman (33) collected a top 10 on Sunday at the iconic Laguna Seca circuit. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Kyle Wyman bettered his strong Saturday with an eighth-place result in substitute duty aboard the second Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R, collecting a seventh-place finish on Sunday. Wyman steadily picked up his pace as he gained seat time aboard the bike, posting the best lap nearly six-tenths quicker in Race 2 compared with Race 1.
Team Hammer will return to action in three weeks, as the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season continues on July 29-31 at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2022 season marks Team Hammer’s 42nd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 342 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.
ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
More, from a press release issued by Robem Engineering:
Robem Engineering Aprilia rider Gloddy nets fourth-place finish Saturday in MotoAmerica Twins Cup race at Laguna Seca
Hobbs claims sixth top-10 Twins Cup finish of the 2022 season
MONTEREY, Calif. — Ben Gloddy was hoping to be back to his usual front running form in MotoAmerica’s Twins Cup after enduring a tough weekend two weeks ago at The Ridge Motorsports Park. And that’s exactly what the Robem Engineering Aprilia rider delivered Saturday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca when he qualified third and finished fourth in the event’s lone Twins Cup race.
Though Gloddy and his teammate, Teagg Hobbs, weren’t at the top of the time sheets during Friday practice and qualifying, Gloddy’s gritty Saturday performance helped move him up from ninth to eighth in the Twins Cup points standings. Hobbs – who is still recovering a broken collarbone he suffered at the Road America round in June – persevered to score his sixth top-10 finish of the 2022 season and hold onto sixth place in the standings.
Both riders were a little off the pace at the start of the weekend. Gloddy was the faster of the two riders in Friday practice, as he finished the session 10th-fastest with best lap time of 1:32.890. Hobbs finished practice in 12th with a 1:33.410. Later Friday, Gloddy and Hobbs improved their pace to the rest of the field, as Gloddy finished Qualifying 1 in eighth place and Hobbs 11th. It all came together for Gloddy in Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2, as he moved up five places to secure third on the starting grid. Hobbs qualified 11th.
The Twins Cup race got underway late Saturday afternoon, and Gloddy got a phenomenal jump off the line. He nearly got the holeshot and was running in second place for the majority of Lap 1. Though he lost touch with the leading group on Laps 2 and 3, Gloddy was back in the leading group on Laps 4-6. Unfortunately, another rider crashed at the exit of Turn 2 on Lap 7, and Gloddy was among the riders who had to run off track to avoid the down rider. Gloddy rejoined the race quickly but had fallen to sixth place at the end of Lap 7. With six laps remaining in the 13-lap race, Gloddy put his head down and battled with several other riders to score a hard-fought fourth-place finish. Hobbs moved up two positions to finish Lap 1 in ninth place and ran the remaining 12 laps in ninth- or tenth-place before finishing tenth.
The MotoAmerica series goes on a three weekend break until the next round, which is scheduled for July 29-31 at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn.
Ben Gloddy (72). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Robem Engineering.
Ben Gloddy / No. 72
“I think we had a good race. I got a really good start and put myself in a good spot for about half the race. Then another rider high-sided in front of me, which caused me to run off the track. I came back on track in seventh or eighth place, then was able to make my way back to fourth on the second to last lap. Another rider tried to pass me at the last corner, but he ran wide and I was able to get my Aprilia turned and got a good run to the checkered flag.”
Teagg Hobbs (79). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Robem Engineering.
Teagg Hobbs / No. 79
“Laguna Seca was an up and down weekend, and the team and I gave it everything we had. Unfortunately, the results don’t reflect that effort. We know what needs to be done for the next round, so all we can do is move on and prepare for Brainerd. Thank you to Robem Engineering for all the hard work this weekend, and I’m looking forward to some better results at the next round.”
Robem Engineering’s technical partners for 2022 include Aprilia Racing, Piaggio Group Americas, The Center for Plastic Surgery, Synchrony, Velocity Calibrations, Bitubo Suspension, Dunlop, Woodcraft Technologies, Dymag, Vesrah, Sprint Filter, DID, Magura USA, Sara Chappell Photos, NGK/NTK, Blud Lubricants, Millennium Technologies, Motovation USA and SC-Project.
More, from a press release issued by Luke Power Racing:
P6 on track, winner off it… Luke Power shines on his Laguna Seca debut
Luke Power (68). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy 3D Motorsports LLC.
A strong opening day paved the way for an even stronger Saturday with Luke Power qualifying a strong seventh before storming to sixth in Race 1 after getting the better of a total mic battle with Cory Ventura in the early stages of the nineteen-lap encounter. Once clear of his rival Power’s pace was as fast as the lead group, the #68 reducing an almost six second deficit to the guys ahead to a mere 0.2s at the flag. He crossed the line to secure another ten championship points, closing the gap to the top five in the overall standings.
Sunday saw improvements in terms of lap time in morning up but sadly Race 2 was short lived. Luke, who was running in the leading pack, crashed out of the podium battle in the early stages. Unhurt, he is now focused on the next round of the series at Brainerd International Raceway at the end of July.
One of the highlights of the weekend was Saturday’s ‘Party at the Podium’ which is a now annual affair at the iconic Laguna Seca circuit. Along with 3D Motorsports team manager Dustin Dominguez, Luke took part in the fan party at the end of the opening day of race action, the pair’s rendition of the classic song ‘Tequila’ earning them the MotoAmerica’s Got Talent winner’s trophy.
Luke Power: “Race 1 was not a bad race. I got held up a little at the start but recovered well and had good race pace, especially on used tyres. Race 2 started well, and I was running inside the top six and in touch with the leaders. I made a small mistake overtaking into the corkscrew and unfortunately, I went down. It goes like that sometimes, but it certainly wasn’t in the plan. I am sorry to the team and to everyone that supports me, we will try to come back stronger at Brainerd. Outside of the racing I had a blast at Laguna Seca. We were invited to the Party at the Podium on Saturday night, and we decided to enter the talent contest. There were so many fans, and it was great to be part of it. We went with the iconic song Tequila but went all in with matching watermelon outfits. I was so much fun and hopefully we can defend our crown next year. I want to say a big thanks to Jason Aguilar’s father Bob, and his sister Alyssa who presented us with some of his memorabilia – it will be displayed proudly.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
KALEB DE KEYREL SCORES POLE, PODIUM FINISH IN MOTOAMERICA TWINS CUP RACE AT LAGUNA SECA ABOARD VELOCE RACING APRILIA RS 660
FIVE APRILIA RIDERS FINISH IN THE TOP 10; JODY BARRY REMAINS ATOP POINTS STANDINGS
Kaleb De Keyrel (1). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Aprilia.
MONTEREY, CA – JULY 11, 2022 – Reigning MotoAmerica Twins Cup champion Kaleb De Keyrel was back to his frontrunning form Friday and Saturday. The Veloce Racing rider put his Aprilia RS 660 on pole for the weekend’s lone MotoAmerica Twins Cup race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and claimed his second podium finish of the 2022 season.
De Keyrel was joined in the top five by Robem Engineering rider Ben Gloddy, who finished in fourth after starting the race from third.
When racing got underway late Saturday afternoon, De Keyrel led the field through the first corner, with Gloddy right on his tail. De Keyrel and Gloddy finished the first lap first and fourth, respectively, and De Keyrel was part of the small group of riders battling for the lead on Laps 2-6. Gloddy had fallen back to fifth on Laps 2-3 but had made his way to the tail end of the leading group just as a rider crashed hard at the exit of Turn 2. Unfortunately, several Aprilia riders – including De Keyrel and Gloddy – had to take evasive action to avoid the down rider, which caused them to lose touch with the front runners.
Not one to give up, De Keyrel showed great pace to quickly catch up to the race leaders from a distant third place. He was back to vying for the lead for the closing laps of the race and had to settle for a third-place finish. Gloddy came out on top in a battle for fourth place that went down to the last corner.
The other Aprilia RS 660 riders who finished in the top 10 are Rodio Racing/Warhorse HSBK Racing rider Anthony Mazziotto in sixth, Veloce Racing’s Edoardo Mazzuoli in ninth and Robem Engineering rider Teagg Hobbs in 10th.
De Keyrel’s other Veloce Racing teammate, Jody Barry, suffered an unfortunate crash on the last corner of the first lap. Thanks to the four wins he reeled off earlier in the season, Barry continues to lead the Twins Cup points standings. Barry now has a four-point lead over Mazziotto, and half of the riders in the top 10 in the points standings compete aboard Aprilia RS 660s.
The Laguna Seca round started off well for several Aprilia riders on Friday. Four of the top 10 riders in Friday morning’s practice session were on Aprilias. The top Aprilia rider was De Keyrel, who finished the session third fastest. Points leader Barry was seventh-fastest.
Later Friday, it was De Keyrel who paced the field in Qualifying 1 while improving his best lap time by more than a second. There were again four Aprilia riders in the top 10 for the session, including Mazziotto in fourth, Gloddy in eighth and Barry in 10th.
The second and final Twins Cup qualifying session took place Saturday morning, which saw De Keyrel improve his best lap time by another about four-tenths of a second to claim pole position. Gloddy shot up the time sheets to third, giving Aprilia two riders on the front row of the starting grid.
Of the 34 riders entered for the Twins Cup race at Laguna Seca, 14 were riding Aprilia RS 660s.
The MotoAmerica Twins Cup will be back in action in three weeks’ time when the series heads to its second-ever event at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn., on July 29-31.
More, from a press release issued by Pure Attitude Racing:
Solid weekend in the sunshine state for Chase, Liam and Trevor
The Pure Attitude Racing team kickstarted the second half of the 2022 MotoAmerica championship at Laguna Seca this past weekend with riders Chase Black, Liam MacDonald, and Trevor Standish once again on track.
After receiving further technical support for the event from Yoshimura, who already supply the team with exhausts, the Twins Cup program was given a real boost as the series entered its second half.
Both Trevor and Liam continued their run of form, the pair qualifying well before contesting for the top ten in the early stages of the Twins Cup race on Saturday. Liam ultimately crossed the line in twelfth whilst Trevor was forced to retire with a broken gear linkage.
In Junior Cup teenager Chase Black also qualified strongly and showed podium pace in both races. A spill in Saturday’s opener after posting the fastest lap at the time was unfortunate but the youngster showed real determination on Sunday. A shortened five lap sprint following an earlier red flag saw the #14 once again close to the podium – he finished seventh but showed pace throughout.
Liam MacDonald (37). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Pure Attitude Racing.
Liam MacDonald: “I am a little bit disappointed to miss the top ten but overall, I am happy. I had grip issues towards the end of the race, but I dug deep and was able to score another four championship points. I was involved in a good race with Trevor and a few other guys, and we were closer again to the front. It was great to be back at Laguna Seca and a ton of fun to party with the fans on Saturday night.”
Trevor Standish (16). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Pure Attitude Racing.
Trevor Standish: “I got a great start and was in the top ten immediately which gave me so much confidence. I was able to hang with them for a few laps and I think was running eighth or ninth but unfortunately, I had to retire when the gear linkage broke. I had crashed in Q2, and the team did a great job to fix the bike so we could race but the part that broke was not visible and it kind of sucked to miss out on a top ten as we should have had one in both races on the west coast. That’s how it goes sometimes. I will take it on the chin and head to Brainerd ready to fight.”
Chase Black (14). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Pure Attitude Racing.
Chase Black: “Race 1 was going well. I was in the lead group and had set the fastest lap when I went down. We could have had the podium but that’s racing. I was pushing hard and so on one hand I am disappointed, but I am happy with how I was riding. Race 2 was red flagged which for me was a good thing as it gave me time to reset and, in the restart, I was with the front group throughout. Perhaps if I was a little bit more aggressive, I could have finished higher than seventh, but I think we have shown that we are getting closer to being a front runner every race and that’s exciting for the rest of the season.”
Dean Standish – Team Owner: “It was a couple of rough rounds on the West Coast but nevertheless we made progress and achieved our best results of the season. It was very humbling to have so many people help us out after the issues we had with Trevor’s bike at the Ridge. Yoshimura, who we are proud partners of, saved the day ahead of Laguna by providing us a motor for Trevor and helped us throughout the weekend with set-up advice. We were able to field a strong package with both of our Twins Cup bikes with Liam scoring points again. Unfortunately, Trevor had to retire due to a broken gear linkage. Despite this it was pleasing to see him and Liam fighting confidently for the top ten, something I am confident we can continue to improve on in the next few races. I am very happy with the job that Chase did. He cannot be disappointed with what he showed. Despite the crash he had when he was fighting for the podium he continues to develop and improve every race and he put in a very strong second race. Liam’s P12 means he has now moved up in the overall standings and has a real shot of the top ten.”
Due to low participation at WERA West events the past few years and with the costs of racing and travel getting higher this season we have had to make a very hard decision and have decided to cancel the three remaining WERA West events for this season. Those events were scheduled for 8/25 at Auto Club Speedway, 9/17-18 at Las Vegas Classic Course, and 11/12-13 at Willow Springs.
We want to thank all the racers who made the effort to support us and to all the wonderful officials who helped make the WERA West events run smoothly each and every time. It is too soon to look ahead but we will always do our best to give our racers good, safe, and smoothly run events.
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was founded in 1973 and remains the foremost place to develop talent in the sport of motorcycle road racing. The legacy of Pro Riders on a National and World level is legendary. All events are run by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing with a co-sanction by the AMA and they go coast to coast offering entry level racing with the WERA Sportsman Series as well as a Pro-Am Series which is the Pirelli/WERA National Challenge Series. WERA also offers Vintage Racing and hosts the Concours de ’Competition and Concours d’ Elegance in July at Barber Motorsports Park. Endurance Racing is also on the menu with our partner N2 and runs 4-5 events a year with a Big Bike Endurance and an Ultralightweight Endurance. WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was voted the 2017 AMA Track Organizer of the year.
For more information on WERA Motorcycle Roadracing please check out our web site at wera.com.
Featured In the July 2022 issue of Roadracing World:
“When I was growing up in the UK, any time NSU was mentioned, I thought of mopeds, specifically the NSU model called the Quickly! Little was I aware of what a rich racing history NSU has until I started researching the Sportmax.
“The company even entered the first TT in 1907 and finished fifth in the single-cylinder class. NSU management realized that to capture attention and sales the brand needed to race and attempt to set world speed records…”
—Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1955 NSU Sportmax, by Mick Ofield
While dominating the 250cc GP class in the early 1950s, NSU engineers were designing the Sportmax, a single-cylinder SOHC racebike to be sold to qualified racers. It featured a clamshell-pressed metal frame, stamped metal swingarm, and stamped metal leading-link forks! Read the details of this remarkable and unique machine in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology is THE definitive source for motorcycle racing, riding, and tech information.
Ducati Panigale V4 2023: electronic updates improve performance and comfort
Ducati continues the annual update of the supersport bike par excellence of its range, exactly the same as with the Ducati Corse prototypes: the bike is already available in dealerships
The new Engine Brake Control EVO 2 software, a brand-new strategy for Ducati Quick Shift and refinements for Ducati Traction Control and Ride by Wire make the Panigale V4 even easier and more intuitive for riders of all levels
A new cooling fan control strategy offers improved operating temperature management and better thermal comfort
The Panigale family will be protagonist at World Ducati Week 2022 with 21 Ducati riders competing in the “Lenovo Race of Champions” aboard the Panigale V4 and Panigale V2
Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 11 July 2022 – Ducati Panigale V4 continues its evolution for Model Year 2023 with the introduction of a series of electronic improvements that make the bike even easier and more intuitive for riders of all levels.
A 2023-model Ducati Panigale V4 S at speed. Photo courtesy Ducati.
The Panigale family is the maximum expression of the continuous exchange of information and technologies from the world of racing to production motorcycles and with the 2023 version of the Panigale V4 continues on its annual improvement path, exactly the same as with the Ducati Corse prototypes.
The Panigale V4 project fully represents the uniqueness of a brand that works to ensure that everything designed for racing can then be transferred to motorcycles intended for enthusiasts.
With the 2022 model, the Panigale V4 has made the most significant evolution since the year of its launch with improvements that affects every aspect of the bike: aerodynamics, ergonomics, engine, chassis and electronics.
On the 2023 versions of the Panigale V4, Panigale V4 S and Panigale V4 SP2, the step forward takes the form of the adoption of an updated electronic package, capable of further increasing the riding feeling and performances on the racetrack.
To improve stability, precision and directionality during braking and cornering, and to allow the rider to define with greater precision the best electronic set-up on each circuit, the Panigale V4 2023 receives the new Engine Brake Control (EBC) EVO 2 software , which features a different gear-by-gear calibration on each of the three selectable levels. The new strategy has been developed to optimize engine brake intensity according to the load on the rear wheel. In the first stage of braking, when there is little load on the rear tyre, the EBC EVO 2 provides less engine brake, which increases as you approach the centre of the curve: the moment in which the intervention of the engine brake contributes the most to slowing down the bike and tightening the line. Thanks to this strategy, which ensures a more balanced intervention of engine brake control in any riding phase, the system reduces rear wheel lockup in the most demanding braking situations, thus improving stability and precision in the cornering phase.
The Panigale V4 2023 also receives a new strategy for the Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) , improving gearshift fluidity at every degree of throttle opening, both partial and full, handling the two different situations differently.
When shifting at partial gas, where the system previously cut the injection, now the effect is pursued by retarding the ignition timing, thus smoothing out the shifting in road use thanks to the absence of any engine cut-off. When shifting with a completely open throttle, a situation typical of the racetrack, the strategy continues to employ an injection cut, but the torque restitution phase has been refined, guaranteeing more stability to the bike and a more homogeneous and therefore more efficient thrust, benefitting lap time.
In addition to these changes there is a new strategy for the cooling fan , capable of offering better management of operating temperatures and greater thermal comfort for the rider already at speeds typical of road use. This latest update also reduces the typical heat build-up at the end of track sessions.
The updates for 2023 are complemented by a refinement of the Ducati Traction Control (DTC) and Ride by Wire strategies. The former has evolved to make the action of traction control even more accurate as a function of lean angle, while the latter improves the connection between the torque requested by the rider and the torque actually delivered. These improvements follow the Ducati philosophy of constant product development, ensuring regular evolution to always offer the best level of performance, usability and comfort.
These updates, available on all Panigale V4, V4 S and V4 SP2 2023 models, will also be available to all owners of Panigale V4, Panigale V4 S and Panigale V4 SP2 2022 by means of a simple intervention that can be performed at a Ducati Service starting from the end of July 2022.
The Panigale V4 is a bike that performs just as well in the hands of professionals as it is rewarding for amateurs and is frequently used by Ducati Corse riders during their training sessions. It is no coincidence that this bike will be the protagonist together with the Panigale V2 of the “Lenovo Race of Champions”, which will be held on Saturday 23 July as part of the World Ducati Week 2022 and will see 21 Ducati riders from the MotoGP and Superbike championships compete at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
To check out the entire World Ducati Week program and purchase tickets, you can visit the dedicated page of the website.
More, from a press release issued by CSBK/Professional Motorsports Productions:
Dumas wins again, cuts title deficit to one point in race two at Calabogie
Liqui Moly-sponsored defending Canadian Superbike Champion Alex Dumas with a Liqui Moly-branded helicopter at Calabogie Motorsports Park. Photo courtesy Francois Dumas.
Calabogie, ON – The gap atop the Canadian Superbike Championship all but evaporated on Sunday, as Alex Dumas continued his perfect run at Calabogie Motorsports Park to pull within a single point of rival Ben Young in the feature Pro Superbike class.
Dumas entered with a five-race unbeaten streak on the line around Calabogie, though he was immediately met with his biggest challenge yet as Young grabbed the holeshot for the second day in a row. Unlike Saturday, though, Young maintained that lead for the first half of the race, denying a handful of pass attempts as he threatened to end Dumas’ perfect run around his home track.
The defending champion had other plans on lap seven, however, finally getting a move to stick in turn five and eventually peeling away, as the Liqui Moly/Fast School Suzuki rider will head to round three within a single point of the title lead.
“I tried the pass a few times, but Ben just kept slamming the door. It was really fun battling out there, but I’m happy to pick up another win for the championship,” Dumas said. “I’ve never been to Shubenacadie, so I’m looking forward to battling again at round three there in two weeks.”
Despite another runner-up finish to his championship rival, Young will likely be pleased with his weekend overall, as he maintains his championship lead exiting the first four races – albeit in the finest of margins.
“I had another great launch like yesterday – the new ‘M’ BMW gets off the line really well – but Alex was a demon off the line as well which allowed him to stay with me,” said the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider. “I knew it would be tough to win here, but we’re really looking forward to round three where we can hopefully build the gap back up in the championship.”
Joining the duo on the podium was Trevor Daley, who made up for a massive Saturday crash to run a comfortable race in third. The OneSpeed Suzuki rider remained slightly off the pace of the front two but continued to close the gap, while also climbing back into third in the overall championship.
“It was a bit of a lonely ride out there, but I was hoping I could just stay with them and pick up the pieces if they beat each other up a bit,” Daley said. “I still think we’re a lot closer than the gap will show, and it’s another good step forward so now we just turn our focus to round three in AMP.”
The double-podium for Suzuki will help trim their deficit to BMW to just six points in the Constructors Championship, but the German manufacturer will retain their lead thanks to a strong fifth-place charge from Samuel Guerin aboard his EFC Group machine.
Guerin was unable to get the better of Sebastien Tremblay, however, as the Turcotte Performance Kawasaki rider held on to fourth in the race and jumps to fourth in the overall standings in the process, while helping Kawasaki to third in the Constructors table.
David MacKay reversed his championship fortunes after a difficult race one, winning on Sunday after a dramatic three-way battle with rivals Trevor Dion and Elliot Vieira.
All three riders swapped places multiple times throughout, with Dion leading across the line onto the final lap before MacKay launched a thrilling overtake in the final corners to seal his second victory of the season.
“These doubleheaders are working well for me,” MacKay joked, referencing his race two win in Grand Bend after a race one crash. “Yesterday wasn’t the best day for us, but we were able to learn so much which helped us today, and this one is huge for the championship.”
Dion will ultimately see a win slip through his hands on the final lap for a second day in a row, but the LDS Consultants Kawasaki rider still held on for another runner-up finish and thus will retain a 13-point advantage over Vieira with MacKay a further two points back.
The trio will entrench themselves as the three championship contenders at the halfway point of the season, though MacKay will have experience on his side when the Fast Company Kawasaki rider returns to Shubenacadie in two weeks.
Julien Lafortune extended a sizeable advantage atop the AIM Insurance Amateur Superbike standings, winning for a second time after leading every lap on Sunday.
The Kawasaki rider will open up a 23-point lead over John Fraser, who finished second for Yamaha, a gap Lafortune will need as they head to Fraser’s stomping ground in round three on the east coast.
Paul Etienne Courtois will take over the championship lead in the Amateur Sport Bike class, as the first-year Amateur runner won his first national Sport Bike race after a close battle with hometown rider Guillaume Lavallee.
Courtois will carry a five-point lead over round one winner Sebastian Hothaza, who could only manage ninth in his second national appearance.
National debutant Andrew Cooney capped off a stellar weekend with a pair of victories in the Super Sonic Race School Lightweight class, winning both contests in dramatic fashion in just his third ever race weekend at any level.
Despite the double-victory, it was a successful weekend for championship leader Evan Moriarity, who exits with a 30-point lead atop the standings over Cooney in second.
Jared Walker continued his perfect run in the Pro division of the Pro/Am class, winning for a fourth consecutive time to extend his title grasp. Cooney would wind up the winner on both occasions in the Amateur ranks, with Bryce DeBoer grabbing a pair of second-place finishes to enter a tie for the championship lead.
The full results from Sunday’s racing can be found on the series’ official website at csbk.ca.
Gagne Perfect In Monterey, Takes Over MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Points Lead
For The First Time All Season, Jake Gagne Leads The Superbike Championship He Is Defending
Sunday’s MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike race gets underway with pole-sitter Mathew Scholtz (11), Danilo Petrucci (9) and Jake Gagne (1) dropping the hammer. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
MONTEREY, CA (July 10, 2022) – If you would have bet that Jake Gagne wouldn’t lead the 2022 MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship until the sixth round (and 12th race) of the series, you’d be a bit richer today than you were yesterday.
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Gagne completed a sweep of the two Medallia Superbike races in the GEICO Motorcycle MotoAmerica Speedfest at Monterey on Sunday, the defending series champion taking over the lead of the 2022 title chase for the first time all season in the process.
Gagne nailed the holeshot from third on the front row, put his head down and gapped the field. From there it was just a matter of putting in quick laps, getting the lead to four seconds, then maintaining a fast pace to the finish. Gagne crossed the finish line after 20 laps of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. It was a signature Gagne race.
The win was Gagne’s fourth in a row and seventh this year as he’s kicked his season into high gear heading into the second half of the series. He now leads the championship by three points.
Although the podium was the same as in yesterday’s race one, the results were different with Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Danilo Petrucci turning the tables on Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen in race two, the pair finishing second and third, respectively.
Although he went one better than yesterday, Petrucci’s runner-up finish wasn’t enough to keep Gagne at bay and the Yamaha man now leads the championship by three points, 215-212, marking the first time since the season began in Texas that Petrucci isn’t the championship leader.
For the second day in a row, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Superbike rookie Richie Escalante showed why he was picked by Suzuki to make the move to Superbike. Escalante ran third for a few laps before giving way to Petersen and Westby Racing Mathew Scholtz, his pace impressing both riders. When Scholtz crashed out of the race, Escalante inherited fourth and held it to the finish for the second straight day. He finished 17.9 seconds behind Gagne a day after finishing 17.5 seconds behind Gagne, but the race winner’s pace was faster in race two (28:17.534 to 28:19.887). An impressive weekend for the former MotoAmerica Supersport Champion.
With Scholtz a non-finisher, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera improved by a position over yesterday’s sixth place with the Spaniard ending up fifth on Sunday. He was some eight seconds ahead of his teammate PJ Jacobsen at the finish.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Kyle Wyman was eighth in his fill-in ride for the injured Jake Lewis, the New Yorker beating his brother Travis to the finish line by some four seconds.
Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander was ninth, shadowing his teammate Travis Wyman to the end and losing out by just .247 of a second. ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony finished 10th after beating Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim to the checkered flag.
So, with 12 races in the books, Gagne leads Petrucci by three points, 215-212. Petersen’s third-place finish combined with Scholtz’s non-finish swaps the two South Africans with Petersen now third with 175 points to Scholtz’s 170. Barbera is fifth with 122 points.
Jake Gagne (1) leads the field down the Corkscrew at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The new championship point leader was never headed in leading the race from start to finish. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Jake Gagne – Winner
“Getting a holeshot makes life easy. These Yamahas are really getting off the grid good. Especially today, I was really expecting to see a front wheel come up the inside. I wanted to do everything I could to at least push the pace, try to get a few laps in and see where we’re all at. In a way, I was a little bit surprised. We made some changes this morning. We went out in warmup and kind of just rolled around and tried not to do anything crazy. The bike was better today. We got more life out of the tire. Our fastest laps were faster today. Running those 24s was a lot easier for me today. In a way, yesterday’s race was a lot more of a struggle than today. So, I’m just stoked that we made that headway. Even if we win, we’re still learning. We still need to go faster because these guys are coming. That being said, I think that is what I was stoked on, that we made progress. The bike felt good. I had a ton of fun riding around there, sliding around at this place. Even before the year, this has never been my best track. I’ve never felt like I’ve had any secrets at this place, so I kind of owe it all to the team and owe it all to this bike getting better and better and these guys working so damn hard. This is the one track I’ve always been a little nervous about. Last year the Ducati was really, really strong here. Almost beat us. We’re already halfway through the year. I’m not thinking about points. Just try to keep winning races. No matter what, all these guys deserve to be up here. Hats off to Cam (Petersen) and Danilo (Petrucci) putting on a show. Yesterday I saw that corkscrew once I got back to the hotel last night. That was wild. Hats off to everybody. It’s good to see a great turnout here too.”
Danilo Petrucci – Second Place
“Today I have just a small mistake. I think in the middle of the race I went a little bit wide in turn two. I tried to follow Jake (Gagne) the first lap, but at the beginning I don’t have so much feeling on the front. My rear tire has grip, and the front is shaking. I cannot really trust the bike. Then after a few laps I have no traction and I just can manage. I tried to stay with Jake, but he was simply faster than me and truly deserves the championship lead because in the last races he has been really, really fast. We are trying. We definitely need more traction. What can I say? I just managed to stay up because cannot really push as I want, but at least I was able to stay in front of Cam (Petersen). I knew watching the race from yesterday, he was really, really fast out of the corner. I tried to defend myself on braking because it’s the only strong point I have at the moment. But anyway, I don’t have any excuses. Jake is faster at the moment, and also Cam is really, really fast. We need to improve our performance. We need to find a bit of traction. A good weekend. It’s always nice to race Laguna.
Cameron Petersen – Third Place
“I think it was lap two or three, just going into two I got in there deep. For some reason today, I was really struggling to get into turn two. I had a couple moments even straight up and down where the front felt like it wanted to tuck underneath me. I got stuck behind Richie (Escalante) for about two laps. I wouldn’t say I got stuck behind him. He had some good pace going. Then I was able to make the pass and just tried to do consistent laps. It took a while for me to close that gap to Danilo (Petrucci). Towards the end of the race, I think everybody was in the same boat, struggling for rear grip. I just wasn’t able to get the drive out of any of the corners. Danilo is really strong on the brakes. I was trying to see if anywhere would be possible. I had an idea. I was really good through turn 10 going into turn eleven. I thought I might be able to do something the last lap, but a little mistake over the Corkscrew. He was able to get that little bit of a gap, and that was it. Like you said, turned the season around. We were on a little bit of a roll. Once again, Jake is just doing Jake things, so we’ve got to close that gap to him. But all in all, a positive weekend. Jake taking over the points lead. I think I went up to third. Great positive weekend. Learned a bunch. Looking forward to the rest of the season. Congrats to the two guys next to me. It was a fun weekend racing with them. I look forward to the rest of the season.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Petrucci Doubles Up on Podiums at Laguna Seca
Two steps to the podium for the Italian stallion and his factory Ducati Panigale V4 SBK
Danilo Petrucci (9). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Sunnyvale, Calif., July 10, 2022 – Danilo Petrucci put on a showing at the cathedral of Californian speed at Laguna Seca, taking a pair of podiums on the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 SBK.
Petrucci fought tooth and nail with Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen in both encounters, finishing an ultra-close third in race one after the two tangled in the world-famous Corkscrew, before bettering that result with a second in race two behind the double winner, Yamaha’s Jake Gagne.
The result puts Petrucci within three points of Gagne in the series standings, 215-212, as the series heads to Brainerd and Minnesota on July 29-31.
2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings
P1 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 215
P2 – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 212
P3 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha) 175
P4 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 170
P5 – Richie Escalante (Suzuki) 104
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 SBK #9): We cannot say it was a good weekend because we scored another third and second, and Gagne took the lead in the championship. We are trying to improve our performance, but we’re missing a bit of speed, and our problem is the traction out of the corners. We are working hard to fix this and let the bike work as best as possible.
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
A Rare Crash Takes Mathew Scholtz Out Of Contention In Sunday’s Superbike Race At Laguna Seca
Mathew Scholtz (11) cruising to the pits after crashing his Westby Racing Yamaha in Superbike Race Two. He was uninjured. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Monterey, CA – July 10, 2022 – After finishing fifth in Saturday’s Superbike race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca due to a technical issue, Mathew Scholtz, rider of the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, was looking forward to a better result in Sunday’s race. Unfortunately, the result that he and the team were looking for ended up in a cloud of dust when he tucked the front of his Yamaha Superbike on lap 10 of the 20-lap race.
Sunday morning warmup brought promise for the Westby squad when Mathew was fourth in the session, and he and the team felt confident in the bike setup for the afternoon’s race.
Starting from the pole, Mathew got shuffled back to third off the line, then dropped to fourth on the opening lap and fifth on lap two where he maintained his position. He moved back into fourth on lap seven, which he held for three laps until lowsiding his Yamaha at the halfway point of the race.
Mathew remounted and returned to the pits, but the damage to the bike was too extensive for him to safely continue.
The Westby Racing team will regroup and be back in action for round seven of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which takes place at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota, on July 29 through 31.
Wyman Brothers Come Up Big At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
First And Second In Mission King Of The Baggers, Victory In SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup For The Three Wymans
MONTEREY, CA (July 10, 2022) – Sunday was a very good day to have the surname of Wyman if you happened to be racing motorcycles on the Monterey Peninsula.
Kyle Wyman beat Travis Wyman to win the MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers race at WeatherTechRaceway Laguna Seca on the final day of the GEICO Motorcycle MotoAmerica Speedfest at Monterey and less than 45 minutes later, Cody Wyman took victory in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race. Later in the day, Kyle and Travis finished seventh and ninth, respectively, in the Medallia Superbike race.
Roland Sands Design’s Super Hooligan National Championship – O’Hara Crowned
Tyler O’Hara (2) won the Roland Sands Design (RSD) Super Hooligan National Championship with his win at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Sunday’s races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca started in a big way with the final race in Roland Sands Design’s Super Hooligan National Championship. Their event featured an entertaining grid of naked motorcycles from several brands, including two electric bike manufacturers.
The victory went to Roland Sands Design Indian rider Tyler O’Hara, who also clinched the Hooligan Championship with his win. O’Hara had a good battle with his teammate Jeremy McWilliams, who finished second despite giving O’Hara all he had. Saddlemen/Lloyd’z Garage rider Cory West finished third to make it an all-Indian podium.
Mission King Of The Baggers – Wyman, Wyman!
The Mission King Of The Baggers race gets rolling at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Mission King Of The Baggers had one race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and MotoAmerica’s Big Twin pilots brought the excitement. It was an especially good day for Harley-Davidson’s teams, who swept the podium.
Defending class champion Kyle Wyman got the win aboard his H-D Screamin’ Eagle Road Glide Special and closed the gap to current championship leader Tyler O’Hara, who started from the pole but ultimately finished fourth. Kyle Wyman’s brother Travis Wyman finished second, a little more than three seconds behind Kyle. The two brothers are now tied for second, with both of them just one point behind O’Hara. Vance & Hines Racing’s James Rispoli brought his Harley home third.
“(Tyler O’Hara) was visibly struggling with the rear,” Kyle Wyman said. “I knew as the tire went off, that wasn’t going to get any better. He was going at a good enough pace where I felt like I wasn’t really in danger of getting passed from behind. I was kind of content to sit there and let something happen. On the second or third lap, he lost the rear pretty big out of nine coming down Rainey (Curve). Opened up the door for me to get under him in ten. From there, I think I put a 29.4 down and then I saw 1.3 on the board. So, put a couple more low 30s, maybe a high 29 after that, and just kind of managed the gap. Travis was right. The gap came down a little bit, like two or three tenths at one point. So, I just kind of stayed consistent and focused. It was really greasy out there. I was actually really cautious with how the edge grip was. Just happy I could get clear and kind of run my own race and get another one-two (for our team), and a one-two-three for Harley.”
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup – And Another Wyman
Cody Wyman (34) leads Joe LiMandri (62), Kayla Yaakov (31), Gus Rodio (96), Max Van (behind Rodio), and Daniel Lanuza (75) en route to victory in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
In SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup, Alpha Omega Kawasaki rider Cody Wyman notched his fourth win of the season, took over the championship lead and now has an 18-point gap over Gus Rodio in second.
Meanwhile, Rodio finished as runner-up aboard his Rodio Racing/HSBK Racing Kawasaki. Third place went to T3 Racing Kawasaki’s Daniel Lanuza, the California competing in his first-ever MotoAmerica weekend. The race was red-flagged due to crashed riders and shortened to five laps.
“Definitely good to be in the front couple bikes,” Wyman said. “I had a feeling that I might have been out front and had a little gap, maybe something happened. Things can get pretty wild in this class, but the racing is awesome. It’s usually pretty clean. The talent level is pretty promising for all these guys and girls. Stoked for a second (in yesterday’s) and a first (today). I like Brainerd. I’ve got to figure out the bike for the last two rounds because I missed those rounds last year. Looking forward to moving on.”
Supersport – All Herrin
Josh Herrin (2) leads Tyler Scott (70), Cory Ventura (24) and the rest of the Supersport pack through the Corkscrew on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Supersport race two was a repeat of the same podium as race one on Saturday. Once again, championship leader Josh Herrin prevailed with the win aboard his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V2. Herrin overtook polesitter Tyler Scott on the opening lap and maintained his position at the front all the way to the checkered flag.
Aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, Scott hung tight with Herrin for a while, but the gap widened as the laps wound down, and Scott ultimately crossed the finish line about two and a half seconds behind Herrin. Once again, Rocco Landers put his Landers Racing Yamaha on the podium in third.
“I was nervous going into the race today, a lot more than I was yesterday,” Herrin said. “That crash yesterday, I didn’t feel it yesterday and then this morning, like I predicted, I woke up and was not pumped to come to the track today. This morning in warmup, I was stressed because Tyler was going really fast. I had a little pep talk with Eraldo Ferracci, and he got me fired up before the race and it seemed to work. I didn’t have the pace in the beginning. Tyler was quicker than me. I don’t know if yesterday maybe they were on the harder tire because they couldn’t make that one last. It seemed like today he was very quick at the beginning and wanted to try and get out. So, maybe the softer tire was good for a few laps for them. Mine seemed to be pretty good the whole race. It was greasy for sure, but it was about the same the entire race. I was able to do consistent 27’s. We had a really good battle at the beginning. I don’t know how many lead changes there were right there at the beginning, but it was cool. Got my heart rate going and got me fired up. A little bit of contact one time coming out of turn four. Just had fun the rest of the race. Just tried to put my head down. Really happy about the weekend. Huge shout-out to Medallia for title sponsoring this weekend. It’s cool having outside industry sponsors like that, not only to sponsor the series but be a big sponsor for us. It’s very rare that you have a company that huge where Leslie, the owner, comes to the races. Very excited to have them on board.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Make Josh’s a Double!
Herrin goes 1-1 at his happy hunting ground of Laguna Seca
Josh Herrin (2). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Sunnyvale, Calif., July 10, 2022 – Josh Herrin’s (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) season in MotoAmerica Supersport 2022 keeps improving as the Californian went 1-1 at Laguna Seca for the fifth round of the championship.
In front of Ducati Corse Sporting Director, Paolo Ciabatti, Herrin’s speed under the Laguna Seca sunshine was absolute, taking a hard-fought win in races one and two more comfortably. Second and third in both races went to Suzuki’s Tyler Scott and Yamaha’s Rocco Landers.
The result means Herrin is now a massive 81 points clear in the standings over Scott, with Landers third, 86 points adrift.
The sixth round of MotoAmerica Supersport 2022 will be held at Brainerd in Minnesota on July 29-31, 2022.
2022 MotoAmerica Supersport—Top 5
P1 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 224
P2 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 143
P3 – Rocco Landers (Yamaha) 138
P4 – Kevin Olmedo (Yamaha) 114
P5 – Sam Lochoff (Suzuki) 83
Josh Herrin’s (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC #2): “It’s a great weekend here at Laguna!”, Herrin enthused. “We got the double, right in front of the big boss and the new Medallia sponsors, and that makes four race wins in a row. I’m just having so much fun on my Panigale V2 and this thing is incredible to ride, I’m happy to do some victory wheelies on it for all the fans that turned up. I’m not going to stop now. It’s time to keep pushing on for the title!”
Jacqui Van Ham. Photo by Dominik Miles, courtesy AHRMA.
Powersports personality Jacqui Van Ham hosts live stream of AHRMA event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
(Elora, Tennessee) – Jacqui Van Ham, a nationally-recognized powersports announcer and brand expert, will host a live stream of the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) Classic MotoFestTM of Monterey July 16 and 17 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Van Ham is a powersports announcer and video host who has represented the biggest brands in motorcycling and announced for some of the most exciting racing in the country including American Flat Track, Super Hooligan, Flat Out Friday, Sons of Speed and FITE.TV.
“I’m thrilled to be going back to Laguna Seca with AHRMA for their second Classic MotoFestTM of Monterey,” said Van Ham. “This was a highlight of my calendar last year. It brings racers from across America and is guaranteed great racing in a picture-perfect setting with gorgeous machines, both vintage and new. What more could you ask for?”
The live stream will be hosted on the AHRMA Facebook page (Facebook.com/ahrma.historic.motorcycle.racing/live) and YouTube channel (AHRMAvideos) on Saturday, July 16th and Sunday, July 17th.
In addition to motorcycle and sidecar road racing, the event will feature vintage and post vintage motocross, observed trials, cross country and dirt track racing.
Off the track, motorcycle and racing fans will enjoy a vintage bike swap meet and vintage motorcycle show sponsored by Hagerty Insurance. A Family Fun Zone will include the Strider Bike Adventure, “Mimi and Moto, The Motorcycle Monkeys” children’s books and Santa Claus will be onsite Saturday from noon till two to go over the naughty and nice lists.
Additional event activities include Pacific Motorcycle Training’s rider training, Motul’s Moto Museum and California Motorcycle Safety Program’s “Slow Race” in which spectators can participate.
The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to competing on fantastic classic and true vintage along with a wide range of modern motorcycles. With about 3,300 members, AHRMA is the largest vintage racing group in North America and one of the biggest in the world. The association has grown steadily over the years, reflecting the increasing interest in classic bikes.
American Brandon Paasch, who won the 2022 Daytona 200 on a Triumph Street Triple RS 765, helped Triumph do on-track testing with its TE-1 electric prototype. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
Triumph TE-1 Prototype Testing Completed: “This Has Been About A Bigger Ambition…”
by Michael Gougis
It’s not just one of the best-looking electric motorcycles to date. Triumph’s TE-1 is fast, powerful, and pushes the bar for electric motorcycles forward, with a charging time half that of the quickest charging electric motorcycles on the market.
Triumph’s TE-1 electric prototype was styled after the company’s Street Triple machines. Although a prototype, it has a nearly full lighting system and is “not a million miles away” from homologation status, company officials say. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
Triumph has wrapped up the development of its electric motorcycle prototype, the TE-1, and the company says the partnerships created during the process and the lessons learned have given it a clear path to the electric motorcycles it will be bringing to market.
While Triumph is more than satisfied with the prototype’s performance, “This has been about a bigger ambition,” said Miles Perkins, Triumph Head of Brand Management, in an international teleconference introducing the final version of the prototype TE-1.
The TE-1 project was designed to push Triumph’s knowledge of how to build an electric motorcycle, and to incorporate the knowledge of others in the field who have know-how that is applicable to the future of electric bikes. Williams Advanced Engineering, a spinoff of the longstanding Formula One company, provided technical support that is absolutely at the cutting edge of electric vehicle technology – the company makes the batteries for the Formula E, Extreme E and ETCR electric racing vehicles.
Triumph’s track shakedown was designed to finalize the functional parameters of systems like traction control, ABS, etc. Two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch demonstrates the power of the TE-1 at Oulton Park. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
With the TE-1’s track testing by two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch used to finalize settings and specifications, the company’s final prototype looks like this:
– Weight: 220 kg (485 lbs.)
– Range: 100 miles (160 km)
– Power: 175 bhp, 80 lbs.-ft. torque
– Four riding modes, lean angle sensitive traction control and ABS, wheelie control, adjustable rear wheel braking regeneration and reverse.
Triumph chose to go with a 15 kWh battery, made up of 900 cells in eight different modules. While this battery capacity is smaller than some of the more upscale models on the market currently, it is in line with the mid-range electric motorcycles. The downside is the more limited range; the upside is the speed of recharging and the lighter weight. The TE-1 is nearly 100 pounds lighter than the Energica Ego that forms the basis of the current MotoE racing machines.
Note the layout of the battery pack on the Triumph TE-1 electric motorcycle. The components have been arranged to place the center of gravity in the same place as it is found on the company’s Speed Triple internal-combustion machine. Image courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
It is unusual in its configuration, which has batteries in a tapered stack where a conventional motorcycle’s engine would be, and also in a nearly horizontal line along the centerline of the machine, through the area where an airbox would be found and under the seat. The tapered shape narrows the machine at the bottom for cornering clearance and the overall configuration of battery, inverter and motor leaves the center of gravity exactly where it is on the firm’s Speed Triple.
The company chose to go with a Williams-derived 50 kw DC charger, which can take the battery pack from zero to 80 percent charged in 20 minutes, the company claims. In addition, because the machine’s two independent cooling systems – one for the motor and inverter, the other for the batteries – keep the battery pack at optimum temperature, recharging can begin immediately after a ride.
Triumph says the TE-1 can be charged from 0 to 80 percent capacity in 20 minutes. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
The 175 bhp motor, developed with Williams for the machine, spins to 17,500 rpm, and is lighter than other units in its output category, the company says. The motor and inverter combined weigh only 15 kilograms, says Steve Sargent, Chief Product Officer for Triumph.
“Williams have gained a lot of knowledge in getting a lot of power out of a small package,” he says.
The running gear – suspension, brakes, etc. comes from the company’s gas-powered Speed Triple, although the machine’s aesthetics are derived from its Street Triple lineup. The physical similarities to the Speed Triple sped the development process, because algorithms for vehicle dynamic management systems like ABS transferred directly to the TE-1.
Running gear, including the Ohlins suspension, comes from the company’s Speed Triple. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
The TE-1 is equipped with a lighting system, although it does not have turn indicators. While it is not homologated for street use, “it’s not a million miles away,” Sargent says. And while the lessons learned here will drive the development direction of Triumph’s production electric motorcycles, the biggest challenge is economic. Building the machine at a price point that customers will find acceptable remains a difficulty, Sargent says.
Triumph says the TE-1 weighs in at just over 485 pounds. While that would make it one of the lighter electric bikes on the street, it does not have the larger battery capacity of the street-going Energica machines or the upcoming Ducati MotoE racebike. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
Riding Triumph’s Electric Prototype – And Making The List With Evel Knievel
by Michael Gougis
Winning the Daytona 200 for the second time, this time on a Triumph, helped Brandon Paasch land a track test riding gig on the company’s electric prototype machine. And while he was in England for the evaluation, he found himself immortalized on the company’s Avenue of Legends, on the list with some of the world’s most well-known motorcyclists – including stuntman Evel Knievel.
Two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch tested the Triumph TE-1 electric prototype at Oulton Park. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
What Paasch found was a machine that hid its weight well, he says. “I think it’ll be a really cool bike,” Paasch told Roadracing World.
The story began shortly after Paasch had earned the second of his back-to-back wins at Daytona, this time on a Triumph Street Triple 765 in race trim. (Paasch actually owns one of the company’s Daytona 765 Moto2 machines, which was not eligible for the race as it is a limited-edition model.)
The company wanted to do something to honor the accomplishment, and Paasch wanted to expand his involvement with the company beyond racing. So the visit to Triumph HQ for the unveiling of his plaque was scheduled along with the test of the TE-1 electric prototype.
Paasch’s plaque is next to those of Peter Hickman, who took Triumph’s latest victory at the Isle of Man, and Alex Marquez, who won the first Moto2 World Championship contested with Triumph’s 765cc three-cylinder engines. The Triumph Avenue of Legends includes names that are icons in the sport, he noted, with racers like Gary Nixon and perhaps the original stunter Evel Knievel represented. (While Knievel may be most well-known for riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles, the infamous failed Caesar’s Palace jump of 1967 took place on a Triumph T120 TT Special 650.)
“There were some pretty cool people there, and I was on that list!” Paasch says.
Shortly afterward, Paasch showed up for filming duties on the dyno on the TE-1, and then spent the day testing the prototype at Oulton Park.
Brandon Paasch on the Triumph electric prototype. Photo courtesy Triumph Motorcycles.
“It was interesting going through all the briefings – what to do if it breaks, what to do if it catches on fire. I haven’t been to school for a while, so keeping that stuff in my head was a challenge at first,” Paasch says.
Paasch’s prior experience with electric bikes was limited to a dirtbike that he nearly looped when he grabbed a handful of throttle, so he approached the TE-1 with a little more restraint.
“I thought I’ve be a little more careful,” he says. “It’s super torquey. It doesn’t feel heavy when you ride it. They did a really good job with that. It doesn’t feel like a heavy electric bike. It feels like a nimble Street Triple.”
Paasch liked one other thing in particular about the TE-1 – the styling. The belt drive, the single-sided swingarm – all added up to a unique and positive visual impression, Paasch says.
Read more in an official press release issued by Triumph:
TRIUMPH TE-1
PROJECT COMPLETION WITH FINAL PROTOTYPE TESTING RESULTS
Triumph announces the official completion of the TE-1 electric development project, with the release of the final prototype test results which exceed the project objectives and demonstrate the incredible success of this unique collaboration.
· 100 Mile Range
Significantly exceeding the real-world range of the equivalent electric motorcycles available today, with a category-leading 100-mile (161 km) range, based on live
testing and official projections
· 175 HP Peak Power (130 kW / 177PS)
The TE-1 prototype delivers an incredible standard of acceleration, achieving
3.6 seconds 0-60mph, and an outstanding 6.2 seconds 0-100mph
· 20-minute charge time (0-80%)
A game-changing outcome, faster than today’s equivalent electric motorcycles
· 485 lbs, with an incredible power-to-weight ratio
Up to 25% lighter than comparable electric motorcycles currently available
· Stunning final prototype that demonstrates Triumph’s class-leading USPs and hints at the exciting future to come for Triumph fans across the world
o Pure, unique, and characterful new electric-Triumph soundtrack that builds to a hair-raising crescendo
o The ergonomics, geometry, and weight distribution of a Speed Triple, with the scale and visual impact of a Street Triple
o Triumph’s signature thrilling feel and neutral handling, with the throttle and torque delivery map equivalent to a Speed Triple 1200 RS
o A style and presence that is 100% Triumph, with signature design DNA
The unique collaboration between Triumph Motorcycles, Williams Advanced Engineering, Integral Powertrain Ltd, and WMG, University of Warwick, funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles through Innovate UK, was set up to create ground-breaking developments in specialist electric motorcycle engineering and innovative integrated technology design.
The extensive live testing program, which involved numerous assessments of the bike’s performance on the rolling road, as well as on track, provided vital direction into the final set-up and calibration of the TE-1 prototype demonstrator, which has now delivered on all its targets and objectives.
Now officially complete, the live testing phase of the Triumph TE-1 project has seen the prototype demonstrator exceed expectations and achieve some incredible outcomes, delivering on all project objectives of accelerating electric motorcycle development and innovation, setting new standards for the sector overall, including final battery and range performance. The expertise and capabilities developed throughout the project now pave the way for the exciting electric future to come from Triumph Motorcycles.
Category-leading 100 Mile range
Exceeding the real-world range of the equivalent electric motorcycles available today, the Triumph TE-1 prototype has achieved all project targets with regards to the energy capacity of the Williams TE-1 project developed battery, with an incredible 100-mile (161 km) range, based on official testing and projections.
Regenerative braking has been successfully implemented for TE-1, with scope for further optimization, as well as greater efficiencies in the motor generator unit and transmission, which could improve the range further for the future of Triumph electric motorcycles.
Performance that matches the Speed Triple 1200, with an even faster 0-100mph
With a level of performance similar to the current Speed Triple 1200, the TE-1 prototype delivers an impressive 175 hp (130kW / 177PS) peak power, as well as peak torque of 80 lbft (109Nm), for instant responsiveness, smooth controlled power all the way up through the rev range, and a completely exhilarating ride.
The TE-1 has also achieved an incredible standing start acceleration official test result of 3.6 seconds 0-60mph and 6.2 seconds 0-100mph.
With further refinement of the electronics, including the traction control system and front wheel lift control, the team responsible for delivering the TE-1 project anticipate that performance could be enhanced further, harnessing the full torque potential to enable even quicker standing start acceleration.
Daytona 200 Champion Brandon Paasch participated in the final testing phase, both in engine performance evaluation and with the final set-up of the prototype through track testing.
“The throttle response on the TE-1 is kind of incredible, it’s very torquey and when you first touch the throttle it’s instant power, which is obviously what I love as a motorcycle racer – I love when it’s super-torquey and picks up right away, so for me it was a really great experience”, said Brandon. “I got to peg this thing all the way from zero to 100% throttle and it’s unbelievably quick, it pulls like crazy.”
Game-changing 20-minute charge time
Advances in battery and charging technologies that have been developed as part of the Triumph TE-1 project, in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE), have resulted in a game-changing 20-minute charge time (0-80%), successfully delivering against the ambitious targets laid out by Innovate UK, the government’s research and innovation agency that supports business led R&D funding and UK business growth.
485lb overall weight
With an overall weight of 485lb (220kg), the TE-1 prototype is lighter than the equivalent electric bikes available currently, by up to 25%, giving it an incredible power-to-weight ratio. Having a physical size and scale comparable to a Street Triple, but with the ergonomics, geometry and weight distribution of a Speed Triple, the TE-1 delivers a completely thrilling ride, while being confidence-inspiring, nimble, and compact.
“I wish I’d had this at Daytona, that acceleration in this chassis, and how it corners – wow!” said Brandon Paasch. “I think this would be a really nice motorcycle to ride on the street, just based on how nimble and agile it is, and how light it feels.”
Triumph’s signature thrilling feel and neutral, confidence-inspiring handling
With a throttle action and torque delivery map directly engineered from a Speed Triple 1200 RS, the track testing and dynamic rider assessments on the TE-1 prototype demonstrator deliver a level of handling that matches Triumph’s current triple cylinder internal combustion sports performance motorcycles.
The TE-1’s exhilarating level of performance and acceleration, combined with its engaging and dynamic riding package, result in a bike that delivers all of Triumph’s signature feel, and world-renowned neutral handling – a smooth, predictable ride, that is agile and nimble, great in the corners, with a controllable power that incites confidence and guarantees fun.
A pure, unique, and characterful new electric-Triumph soundtrack that builds to a hair-raising crescendo
Distinctive and thrilling soundtrack, building to the most spine-tingling crescendo – the Triumph TE-1 prototype’s pure and characterful sound is considered to be more appealing and exciting than any of the equivalent electric motorcycles currently available, thanks to its unique helical gear pair primary transmission.
With noise levels tested at Mira’s external noise measurement facility, the TE-1 successfully achieved all noise standards set by the R41 homologation tests for wide open throttle, cruising and urban.
A style and presence that is 100% Triumph, with signature design DNA
Instantly recognizable as a Triumph, the TE-1 prototype’s muscular presence utilizes signature design cues from the brand’s iconic modern history of performance motorcycles, while clearly being a bike of the future. Now updated with its final body panels and paint scheme, the prototype demonstrator brings a style and presence that is 100% Triumph, with all the brand’s signature design DNA, from its aluminum frame to its distinctive twin headlights and head-down focused stance and poise.
Project TE-1 Completion
“We have already seen an incredibly positive reaction to the TE-1 prototype from motorcyclists all around the world, where many people are telling us that for the first time, they are seeing an electric motorcycle as desirable, and something that they would genuinely want to own. Being the first step in our journey towards developing our future approach to electric powertrain technology, the TE-1 prototype and the incredible results it has achieved in its intensive testing program has provided crucial insights and capabilities that will ultimately guide our future development. Of course, the final production motorcycle will not be exactly what you see here today, but rest assured, the models we do develop will encompass all its learnings and its exciting dynamic spirit.” – Steve Sargent, Chief Product Officer, Triumph Motorcycles.
Overall, the key objective of the TE-1 project has always been focused on developing electric motorcycle capability, to provide an input into Triumph’s future electric motorcycle offering, driving innovation, capability, and new intellectual property, and enhancing the credibility and profile of British industry and design.
The achievements in the live testing phase, exceeding current benchmarks and targets, provide a platform with great potential for future development in electric motorcycle performance.
“We are incredibly proud to be able to share such positive outcomes from the completion of Project Triumph TE‑1, where the prototype demonstrator has exceeded many of our initial targets and expectations. Everyone on the team is thrilled with the results we have achieved with our partners, and how the outcomes of the project will feed into the electric future to come from Triumph.” – Nick Bloor, CEO, Triumph Motorcycles.
Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE)
“WAE are delighted to have been involved in this exciting program to deliver the TE-1 prototype. Since its conception in 2018, all the partners have worked with collaboration, innovation, and passion to bring the boundary breaking prototype to life. It is pleasing to hear positive rider comments which confirm that the dynamics of the bike are aligned with Triumph’s DNA. This has been underpinned by the class leading Battery and Control System that WAE has produced within a lightweight and integrated package. This core WAE technology has allowed us to exceed performance and charging targets for the battery which we look forward to seeing in future powertrains.” – Dyrr Ardash, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Williams Advanced Engineering.
Integral Powertrain Ltd.’s E-Drive Division
“We’re delighted to see the final TE-1 motorcycle testing phase completed and with that, further validation of the performance and efficiency of our Scalable Ultra-Integrated Motor and Inverter.
For the TE-1 application, the motor has achieved peak and continuous power densities of 13kW/kg and 9kW/kg respectively; 60% higher than APC technology roadmap targets for 2025. All this has been achieved using materials and processes compatible with volume automotive production and on a length scalable motor platform. The motor scalability concept deployed on TE-1 has provided a springboard for a new scalable motor architecture, to be announced later this year, which will provide similar performance levels but much greater manufacturing scale than previously.
The ultra-integrated inverter concept, also scalable such that the number of Silicon-Carbide power stages increases for larger diameter motors has really delivered on performance (capable of >500kW) and gives us the opportunity to optimize for production or meet much higher power requirements.
We’re really proud to have been a key part of this exciting project which has been a landmark for electric motorcycles and British industry.” – Andrew Cross, Chief Technology Manager, Integral Powertrain Ltd.
WMG, University of Warwick
“To meet our ambitious emission reduction targets in the UK we will have to rethink the way we travel, not only transitioning from ICE to electric propulsion vehicles, but also encouraging a modal shift away from private cars. Electric two wheelers have a pivotal role to play in the transport revolution as a zero-tailpipe emission option.
In our partnership with Triumph, WMG used our research experience in electrification to demonstrate manufacturers can deliver products with a lower emission burden as well as outstanding performance-offering customers an EV that is great fun to ride.” – Prof. David Greenwood, CEO, WMG centre High Value Manufacturing Catapult, University of Warwick
Kyle Wyman (1) on his Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson Road Glide at Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Harley-Davidson.
KYLE WYMAN LEADS HARLEY-DAVIDSON SWEEP OF KING OF THE BAGGERS PODIUM AT LAGUNA SECA
Kyle Wyman Wins; Travis Wyman Second; James Rispoli Third; Championship Battle Tightens to a Single Point
MILWAUKEE, WI – Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory rider Kyle Wyman led his brother and factory teammate Travis Wyman, and Vance & Hines racer James “Hogspoli” Rispoli to a sweep of the podium positions in the MotoAmerica Mission Foods King of the Baggers race on Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA. Kyle passed early leader Tyler O’Hara on the second lap of race and crossed the finish line 3.063 seconds ahead of Travis. Rispoli finished third, a half-second ahead of O’Hara’s factory Indian Challenger. Six of the top 10 finishers were aboard Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Travis Wyman was the fast qualifier on Saturday, setting a new class record of 1:29.748 on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course. But it was Kyle Wyman who won the King of the Baggers Mission Challenge 3-lap sprint race and winner-take-all $5,000 purse immediately following Q2. Both factory Harley-Davidson riders started from the front row along with Rispoli.
In the 8-lap King of the Baggers feature race, O’Hara jumped out into the lead from the second row of the grid. But Kyle Wyman kept the pressure on him with inside and outside moves at several points around the course and then passed him cleanly in turn 9 on the second lap. From that point, Kyle broke away and was never challenged for the lead.
“It was really greasy out there today, and I was cautious with how the edge grip was,” said Kyle Wyman. “O’Hara lost the rear coming out of turn nine and that allowed me to go by. I was happy to get clear and run my own race and manage the gap to the finish. It’s just great to get a 1-2-3 for Harley-Davidson and to reward the entire Harley-Davidson factory team who made this possible.”
“To come home second to Kyle is pretty amazing,” said Travis Wyman. “We did it the other way around at Road America. And now we’re tied in points. So these last two rounds are going to be pretty awesome for the fans.”
MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers race winner Kyle Wyman (center), his brother and the runner-up Travis Wyman (left), and third-place finisher James Rispoli (right) on the podium at Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Harley-Davidson.
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® Twin-Cooled Milwaukee-Eight® 131 Performance Crate Engines.
After five of seven rounds on the 2022 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Kyle and Travis Wyman are tied for second in the series standings with 86 points. O’Hara leads by one point with 87. The Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory team returns to the track July 29-31 at the MotoAmerica Superbikes in Minnesota at Brainerd International Raceway.
MotoAmerica King of the Bagger Race Results – Laguna Seca
Zack Nation (H-D) Zack Nation Racing Revolution Performance
Eric Stahl (H-D) Jiffy Tune Racing
More, from a press release issued by Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing:
Four consecutive Stock 1000 wins for Tytlers Cycle Racing powered by #RideHVMC
It was another lights to flag win for Corey Alexander and the Tytlers Cycle Racing #RideHVMC squad in the latest round of the MotoAmerica Stock1000 race at Laguna Seca on Saturday. After storming to the Pole Position the #23 hit the front from the off and was never headed, taking a convincing 4.7s win at the end of the fourteen-lap encounter.
Travis Wyman kept his championship hopes alive with a fighting fourth place finish, missing a podium after a race long fight in the early stages. After losing touch with the leading trio, he eventually finished in a solid P4.
Zac Schumacher, on his first visit to Laguna Seca, finished twenty-sixth.
The next round of the championship sees the riders head to the Brainerd International Raceway at the end of July.
Corey Alexander (center), after beating runner-up Bryce Prince (left), and third-place finisher Hayden Gillim (right) in the lone Stock 1000 race at Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytler Cycle/RideHVMC Racing.
Corey Alexander: “Overall it was a positive weekend. Initially we took a bit of time to get going, everyone was going pretty fast, and I needed to find a bit more with the set-up of the bike. The team worked hard, and we found a good direction and that was enough to take pole and the win. It was an uneventful race, and we were able to take another twenty-five points. We will keep plugging away and look ahead to Brainerd.”
Travis Wyman (10). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing.
Travis Wyman: “It was a good race. I couldn’t quite hang with the leaders and ended up finishing fourth which wasn’t too bad which I am pretty happy with considering the small issues we had.”
Zac Schumacher (90). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing.
Zac Schumacher: “The race didn’t go as well as I had hoped. It was my first time at Laguna and it’s a pretty challenging track and I just struggled to find a setting that I was comfortable enough with. The team supported me the entire weekend and I want to thank them for that. The next round is Brainerd and I’ve been there before and so I am looking forward to being back in the mix with a much better result.”
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA LLC:
SCOTT CONTINUES PODIUM STAND FOR VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI
The GSX-R750 Class of the Field in New Generation Supersport Series
BREA, Calif., July 11, 2022 — Suzuki and Team Hammer closed out an encouraging weekend of MotoAmerica competition at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday with their rookie aces once again leading the charge.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott continued his successful upward progress, adding another MotoAmerica Supersport runner-up result along with fast lap honors to a weekend that had already seen him collect pole position and a second-place podium on Saturday.
The 16-year-old was embroiled in a six-rider charge for the lead early aboard his next-generation Suzuki GSX-R750 that also included the team’s talented substitute rider, Cory Ventura.
Ventura slotted into third early. He then took advantage of Scott’s back-and-forth battle for first to slip into second and then, momentarily, the lead as the hectic race continued to change shape in the early laps.
Tyler Scott (70) continues to impress with his sixth podium in his rookie season in the Supersport class aboard the GSX-R750. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Scott pulled off a remarkable save on lap 3 after hitting a bump on the track but was shuffled down to fourth in the aftermath. The youngster then set about the difficult task of clawing back up the order as Ventura settled into sixth.
During his charge, Scott ripped off the fastest lap of the race – a 1.26.985-second lap that ultimately proved more than a half-second quicker than any other rider could manage. He leveraged that pace to slash back up into second and then proceeded to defend the position to the checkered flag.
The result was the rookie’s sixth podium of the year and the fifth occasion where Scott finished in either first or second position. He said, “The Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki worked great in the first part of the race, but I got bottled up and shuffled back. I had to get my pace back and then hold onto second while battling grip issues,” stated Scott.
“We’re improving every round – both with my riding and with the bike set-up. I definitely think we’ll be on the podium a lot more and hopefully get some more wins.”
A top five for Cory Ventura (24) in Race Two to cap off a great first weekend aboard the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Ventura gained a position on the race’s final lap to move into fifth, earning the squad two top-five finishes in a single Supersport race for the fourth time this year.
Ventura said, “I got the call to ride for the team last Friday, and I knew I had to do it. I’ve been training hard for this moment for a long, long time. Early in the weekend, it was a little hard to transition to the Supersport bike, but slowly we improved throughout the weekend to where we were able to run up front for a couple of laps today. We’re still learning… I wish we had just one more day and one more race tomorrow!”
Liam Grant (90). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Young gun Liam Grant missed the race due to a concussion. He crashed in qualifying on Saturday. The GSX-R750 proves to be a front runner in the new generation Supersport class with 45% of the top ten this weekend being Suzuki’s.
Meanwhile, Richie Escalante put the finishing touches on his best weekend yet as a Superbike pilot, backing up Saturday’s career-best fourth-place finish with yet another fourth on Sunday.
Back-to-back fourth-place finishes for Richie Escalante (54) aboard the GSX-R1000R and he is looking to gain even more speed in the second half of the season. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Escalante powered into fifth early aboard the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R and then slipped up the inside of a pair of veteran Superbike stars to move into third on lap 2. He then maintained the position until being displaced on lap 4 of 20.
Escalante was overtaken by another competitor on lap 6 but regained the position on lap 11, which he controlled to the contest’s conclusion.
Escalante declared, “For today, the team tried to improve the bike for the later laps when the tire goes off. The bike’s handling was more calm and it was easier to do consistent laps. I got a strong start and also was able to use our great starting position. We were happy to battle for the podium early in the race, and I was happy with the pace today. In the end, we were 17 seconds behind the leader again at the checkered flag, but I think we made many steps forward.”
“Thanks to the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team and my crew for doing a great job. We need to find a half-second a lap to be fighting for the podium every time, but we are much closer than we were earlier in the season. I like Brainerd. It is a cool track and super-fast. Hopefully, we will be able to continue improving.
The super-sub Kyle Wyman (33) collected a top 10 on Sunday at the iconic Laguna Seca circuit. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Kyle Wyman bettered his strong Saturday with an eighth-place result in substitute duty aboard the second Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R, collecting a seventh-place finish on Sunday. Wyman steadily picked up his pace as he gained seat time aboard the bike, posting the best lap nearly six-tenths quicker in Race 2 compared with Race 1.
Team Hammer will return to action in three weeks, as the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season continues on July 29-31 at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2022 season marks Team Hammer’s 42nd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 342 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.
ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
More, from a press release issued by Robem Engineering:
Robem Engineering Aprilia rider Gloddy nets fourth-place finish Saturday in MotoAmerica Twins Cup race at Laguna Seca
Hobbs claims sixth top-10 Twins Cup finish of the 2022 season
MONTEREY, Calif. — Ben Gloddy was hoping to be back to his usual front running form in MotoAmerica’s Twins Cup after enduring a tough weekend two weeks ago at The Ridge Motorsports Park. And that’s exactly what the Robem Engineering Aprilia rider delivered Saturday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca when he qualified third and finished fourth in the event’s lone Twins Cup race.
Though Gloddy and his teammate, Teagg Hobbs, weren’t at the top of the time sheets during Friday practice and qualifying, Gloddy’s gritty Saturday performance helped move him up from ninth to eighth in the Twins Cup points standings. Hobbs – who is still recovering a broken collarbone he suffered at the Road America round in June – persevered to score his sixth top-10 finish of the 2022 season and hold onto sixth place in the standings.
Both riders were a little off the pace at the start of the weekend. Gloddy was the faster of the two riders in Friday practice, as he finished the session 10th-fastest with best lap time of 1:32.890. Hobbs finished practice in 12th with a 1:33.410. Later Friday, Gloddy and Hobbs improved their pace to the rest of the field, as Gloddy finished Qualifying 1 in eighth place and Hobbs 11th. It all came together for Gloddy in Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2, as he moved up five places to secure third on the starting grid. Hobbs qualified 11th.
The Twins Cup race got underway late Saturday afternoon, and Gloddy got a phenomenal jump off the line. He nearly got the holeshot and was running in second place for the majority of Lap 1. Though he lost touch with the leading group on Laps 2 and 3, Gloddy was back in the leading group on Laps 4-6. Unfortunately, another rider crashed at the exit of Turn 2 on Lap 7, and Gloddy was among the riders who had to run off track to avoid the down rider. Gloddy rejoined the race quickly but had fallen to sixth place at the end of Lap 7. With six laps remaining in the 13-lap race, Gloddy put his head down and battled with several other riders to score a hard-fought fourth-place finish. Hobbs moved up two positions to finish Lap 1 in ninth place and ran the remaining 12 laps in ninth- or tenth-place before finishing tenth.
The MotoAmerica series goes on a three weekend break until the next round, which is scheduled for July 29-31 at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn.
Ben Gloddy (72). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Robem Engineering.
Ben Gloddy / No. 72
“I think we had a good race. I got a really good start and put myself in a good spot for about half the race. Then another rider high-sided in front of me, which caused me to run off the track. I came back on track in seventh or eighth place, then was able to make my way back to fourth on the second to last lap. Another rider tried to pass me at the last corner, but he ran wide and I was able to get my Aprilia turned and got a good run to the checkered flag.”
Teagg Hobbs (79). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Robem Engineering.
Teagg Hobbs / No. 79
“Laguna Seca was an up and down weekend, and the team and I gave it everything we had. Unfortunately, the results don’t reflect that effort. We know what needs to be done for the next round, so all we can do is move on and prepare for Brainerd. Thank you to Robem Engineering for all the hard work this weekend, and I’m looking forward to some better results at the next round.”
Robem Engineering’s technical partners for 2022 include Aprilia Racing, Piaggio Group Americas, The Center for Plastic Surgery, Synchrony, Velocity Calibrations, Bitubo Suspension, Dunlop, Woodcraft Technologies, Dymag, Vesrah, Sprint Filter, DID, Magura USA, Sara Chappell Photos, NGK/NTK, Blud Lubricants, Millennium Technologies, Motovation USA and SC-Project.
More, from a press release issued by Luke Power Racing:
P6 on track, winner off it… Luke Power shines on his Laguna Seca debut
Luke Power (68). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy 3D Motorsports LLC.
A strong opening day paved the way for an even stronger Saturday with Luke Power qualifying a strong seventh before storming to sixth in Race 1 after getting the better of a total mic battle with Cory Ventura in the early stages of the nineteen-lap encounter. Once clear of his rival Power’s pace was as fast as the lead group, the #68 reducing an almost six second deficit to the guys ahead to a mere 0.2s at the flag. He crossed the line to secure another ten championship points, closing the gap to the top five in the overall standings.
Sunday saw improvements in terms of lap time in morning up but sadly Race 2 was short lived. Luke, who was running in the leading pack, crashed out of the podium battle in the early stages. Unhurt, he is now focused on the next round of the series at Brainerd International Raceway at the end of July.
One of the highlights of the weekend was Saturday’s ‘Party at the Podium’ which is a now annual affair at the iconic Laguna Seca circuit. Along with 3D Motorsports team manager Dustin Dominguez, Luke took part in the fan party at the end of the opening day of race action, the pair’s rendition of the classic song ‘Tequila’ earning them the MotoAmerica’s Got Talent winner’s trophy.
Luke Power: “Race 1 was not a bad race. I got held up a little at the start but recovered well and had good race pace, especially on used tyres. Race 2 started well, and I was running inside the top six and in touch with the leaders. I made a small mistake overtaking into the corkscrew and unfortunately, I went down. It goes like that sometimes, but it certainly wasn’t in the plan. I am sorry to the team and to everyone that supports me, we will try to come back stronger at Brainerd. Outside of the racing I had a blast at Laguna Seca. We were invited to the Party at the Podium on Saturday night, and we decided to enter the talent contest. There were so many fans, and it was great to be part of it. We went with the iconic song Tequila but went all in with matching watermelon outfits. I was so much fun and hopefully we can defend our crown next year. I want to say a big thanks to Jason Aguilar’s father Bob, and his sister Alyssa who presented us with some of his memorabilia – it will be displayed proudly.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
KALEB DE KEYREL SCORES POLE, PODIUM FINISH IN MOTOAMERICA TWINS CUP RACE AT LAGUNA SECA ABOARD VELOCE RACING APRILIA RS 660
FIVE APRILIA RIDERS FINISH IN THE TOP 10; JODY BARRY REMAINS ATOP POINTS STANDINGS
Kaleb De Keyrel (1). Photo by Sara Chappell Photo, courtesy Aprilia.
MONTEREY, CA – JULY 11, 2022 – Reigning MotoAmerica Twins Cup champion Kaleb De Keyrel was back to his frontrunning form Friday and Saturday. The Veloce Racing rider put his Aprilia RS 660 on pole for the weekend’s lone MotoAmerica Twins Cup race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and claimed his second podium finish of the 2022 season.
De Keyrel was joined in the top five by Robem Engineering rider Ben Gloddy, who finished in fourth after starting the race from third.
When racing got underway late Saturday afternoon, De Keyrel led the field through the first corner, with Gloddy right on his tail. De Keyrel and Gloddy finished the first lap first and fourth, respectively, and De Keyrel was part of the small group of riders battling for the lead on Laps 2-6. Gloddy had fallen back to fifth on Laps 2-3 but had made his way to the tail end of the leading group just as a rider crashed hard at the exit of Turn 2. Unfortunately, several Aprilia riders – including De Keyrel and Gloddy – had to take evasive action to avoid the down rider, which caused them to lose touch with the front runners.
Not one to give up, De Keyrel showed great pace to quickly catch up to the race leaders from a distant third place. He was back to vying for the lead for the closing laps of the race and had to settle for a third-place finish. Gloddy came out on top in a battle for fourth place that went down to the last corner.
The other Aprilia RS 660 riders who finished in the top 10 are Rodio Racing/Warhorse HSBK Racing rider Anthony Mazziotto in sixth, Veloce Racing’s Edoardo Mazzuoli in ninth and Robem Engineering rider Teagg Hobbs in 10th.
De Keyrel’s other Veloce Racing teammate, Jody Barry, suffered an unfortunate crash on the last corner of the first lap. Thanks to the four wins he reeled off earlier in the season, Barry continues to lead the Twins Cup points standings. Barry now has a four-point lead over Mazziotto, and half of the riders in the top 10 in the points standings compete aboard Aprilia RS 660s.
The Laguna Seca round started off well for several Aprilia riders on Friday. Four of the top 10 riders in Friday morning’s practice session were on Aprilias. The top Aprilia rider was De Keyrel, who finished the session third fastest. Points leader Barry was seventh-fastest.
Later Friday, it was De Keyrel who paced the field in Qualifying 1 while improving his best lap time by more than a second. There were again four Aprilia riders in the top 10 for the session, including Mazziotto in fourth, Gloddy in eighth and Barry in 10th.
The second and final Twins Cup qualifying session took place Saturday morning, which saw De Keyrel improve his best lap time by another about four-tenths of a second to claim pole position. Gloddy shot up the time sheets to third, giving Aprilia two riders on the front row of the starting grid.
Of the 34 riders entered for the Twins Cup race at Laguna Seca, 14 were riding Aprilia RS 660s.
The MotoAmerica Twins Cup will be back in action in three weeks’ time when the series heads to its second-ever event at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn., on July 29-31.
More, from a press release issued by Pure Attitude Racing:
Solid weekend in the sunshine state for Chase, Liam and Trevor
The Pure Attitude Racing team kickstarted the second half of the 2022 MotoAmerica championship at Laguna Seca this past weekend with riders Chase Black, Liam MacDonald, and Trevor Standish once again on track.
After receiving further technical support for the event from Yoshimura, who already supply the team with exhausts, the Twins Cup program was given a real boost as the series entered its second half.
Both Trevor and Liam continued their run of form, the pair qualifying well before contesting for the top ten in the early stages of the Twins Cup race on Saturday. Liam ultimately crossed the line in twelfth whilst Trevor was forced to retire with a broken gear linkage.
In Junior Cup teenager Chase Black also qualified strongly and showed podium pace in both races. A spill in Saturday’s opener after posting the fastest lap at the time was unfortunate but the youngster showed real determination on Sunday. A shortened five lap sprint following an earlier red flag saw the #14 once again close to the podium – he finished seventh but showed pace throughout.
Liam MacDonald (37). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Pure Attitude Racing.
Liam MacDonald: “I am a little bit disappointed to miss the top ten but overall, I am happy. I had grip issues towards the end of the race, but I dug deep and was able to score another four championship points. I was involved in a good race with Trevor and a few other guys, and we were closer again to the front. It was great to be back at Laguna Seca and a ton of fun to party with the fans on Saturday night.”
Trevor Standish (16). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Pure Attitude Racing.
Trevor Standish: “I got a great start and was in the top ten immediately which gave me so much confidence. I was able to hang with them for a few laps and I think was running eighth or ninth but unfortunately, I had to retire when the gear linkage broke. I had crashed in Q2, and the team did a great job to fix the bike so we could race but the part that broke was not visible and it kind of sucked to miss out on a top ten as we should have had one in both races on the west coast. That’s how it goes sometimes. I will take it on the chin and head to Brainerd ready to fight.”
Chase Black (14). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Pure Attitude Racing.
Chase Black: “Race 1 was going well. I was in the lead group and had set the fastest lap when I went down. We could have had the podium but that’s racing. I was pushing hard and so on one hand I am disappointed, but I am happy with how I was riding. Race 2 was red flagged which for me was a good thing as it gave me time to reset and, in the restart, I was with the front group throughout. Perhaps if I was a little bit more aggressive, I could have finished higher than seventh, but I think we have shown that we are getting closer to being a front runner every race and that’s exciting for the rest of the season.”
Dean Standish – Team Owner: “It was a couple of rough rounds on the West Coast but nevertheless we made progress and achieved our best results of the season. It was very humbling to have so many people help us out after the issues we had with Trevor’s bike at the Ridge. Yoshimura, who we are proud partners of, saved the day ahead of Laguna by providing us a motor for Trevor and helped us throughout the weekend with set-up advice. We were able to field a strong package with both of our Twins Cup bikes with Liam scoring points again. Unfortunately, Trevor had to retire due to a broken gear linkage. Despite this it was pleasing to see him and Liam fighting confidently for the top ten, something I am confident we can continue to improve on in the next few races. I am very happy with the job that Chase did. He cannot be disappointed with what he showed. Despite the crash he had when he was fighting for the podium he continues to develop and improve every race and he put in a very strong second race. Liam’s P12 means he has now moved up in the overall standings and has a real shot of the top ten.”
David Price (13) leads Chris Duran (27) during a WERA West Formula One race at Willow Springs International Raceway in 2021. Photo by Michael Gougis.
TOUGH TIMES RESULT IN TOUGH DECISIONS
Due to low participation at WERA West events the past few years and with the costs of racing and travel getting higher this season we have had to make a very hard decision and have decided to cancel the three remaining WERA West events for this season. Those events were scheduled for 8/25 at Auto Club Speedway, 9/17-18 at Las Vegas Classic Course, and 11/12-13 at Willow Springs.
We want to thank all the racers who made the effort to support us and to all the wonderful officials who helped make the WERA West events run smoothly each and every time. It is too soon to look ahead but we will always do our best to give our racers good, safe, and smoothly run events.
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was founded in 1973 and remains the foremost place to develop talent in the sport of motorcycle road racing. The legacy of Pro Riders on a National and World level is legendary. All events are run by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing with a co-sanction by the AMA and they go coast to coast offering entry level racing with the WERA Sportsman Series as well as a Pro-Am Series which is the Pirelli/WERA National Challenge Series. WERA also offers Vintage Racing and hosts the Concours de ’Competition and Concours d’ Elegance in July at Barber Motorsports Park. Endurance Racing is also on the menu with our partner N2 and runs 4-5 events a year with a Big Bike Endurance and an Ultralightweight Endurance. WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was voted the 2017 AMA Track Organizer of the year.
For more information on WERA Motorcycle Roadracing please check out our web site at wera.com.
The 1955 NSU Sportmax, seen above, as illustrated by Mick Ofield
Featured In the July 2022 issue of Roadracing World:
“When I was growing up in the UK, any time NSU was mentioned, I thought of mopeds, specifically the NSU model called the Quickly! Little was I aware of what a rich racing history NSU has until I started researching the Sportmax.
“The company even entered the first TT in 1907 and finished fifth in the single-cylinder class. NSU management realized that to capture attention and sales the brand needed to race and attempt to set world speed records…”
—Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1955 NSU Sportmax, by Mick Ofield
While dominating the 250cc GP class in the early 1950s, NSU engineers were designing the Sportmax, a single-cylinder SOHC racebike to be sold to qualified racers. It featured a clamshell-pressed metal frame, stamped metal swingarm, and stamped metal leading-link forks! Read the details of this remarkable and unique machine in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology is THE definitive source for motorcycle racing, riding, and tech information.
A 2023-model Ducati Panigale V4 S at rest. Photo courtesy Ducati.
Ducati Panigale V4 2023: electronic updates improve performance and comfort
Ducati continues the annual update of the supersport bike par excellence of its range, exactly the same as with the Ducati Corse prototypes: the bike is already available in dealerships
The new Engine Brake Control EVO 2 software, a brand-new strategy for Ducati Quick Shift and refinements for Ducati Traction Control and Ride by Wire make the Panigale V4 even easier and more intuitive for riders of all levels
A new cooling fan control strategy offers improved operating temperature management and better thermal comfort
The Panigale family will be protagonist at World Ducati Week 2022 with 21 Ducati riders competing in the “Lenovo Race of Champions” aboard the Panigale V4 and Panigale V2
Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 11 July 2022 – Ducati Panigale V4 continues its evolution for Model Year 2023 with the introduction of a series of electronic improvements that make the bike even easier and more intuitive for riders of all levels.
A 2023-model Ducati Panigale V4 S at speed. Photo courtesy Ducati.
The Panigale family is the maximum expression of the continuous exchange of information and technologies from the world of racing to production motorcycles and with the 2023 version of the Panigale V4 continues on its annual improvement path, exactly the same as with the Ducati Corse prototypes.
The Panigale V4 project fully represents the uniqueness of a brand that works to ensure that everything designed for racing can then be transferred to motorcycles intended for enthusiasts.
With the 2022 model, the Panigale V4 has made the most significant evolution since the year of its launch with improvements that affects every aspect of the bike: aerodynamics, ergonomics, engine, chassis and electronics.
On the 2023 versions of the Panigale V4, Panigale V4 S and Panigale V4 SP2, the step forward takes the form of the adoption of an updated electronic package, capable of further increasing the riding feeling and performances on the racetrack.
To improve stability, precision and directionality during braking and cornering, and to allow the rider to define with greater precision the best electronic set-up on each circuit, the Panigale V4 2023 receives the new Engine Brake Control (EBC) EVO 2 software , which features a different gear-by-gear calibration on each of the three selectable levels. The new strategy has been developed to optimize engine brake intensity according to the load on the rear wheel. In the first stage of braking, when there is little load on the rear tyre, the EBC EVO 2 provides less engine brake, which increases as you approach the centre of the curve: the moment in which the intervention of the engine brake contributes the most to slowing down the bike and tightening the line. Thanks to this strategy, which ensures a more balanced intervention of engine brake control in any riding phase, the system reduces rear wheel lockup in the most demanding braking situations, thus improving stability and precision in the cornering phase.
The Panigale V4 2023 also receives a new strategy for the Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) , improving gearshift fluidity at every degree of throttle opening, both partial and full, handling the two different situations differently.
When shifting at partial gas, where the system previously cut the injection, now the effect is pursued by retarding the ignition timing, thus smoothing out the shifting in road use thanks to the absence of any engine cut-off. When shifting with a completely open throttle, a situation typical of the racetrack, the strategy continues to employ an injection cut, but the torque restitution phase has been refined, guaranteeing more stability to the bike and a more homogeneous and therefore more efficient thrust, benefitting lap time.
In addition to these changes there is a new strategy for the cooling fan , capable of offering better management of operating temperatures and greater thermal comfort for the rider already at speeds typical of road use. This latest update also reduces the typical heat build-up at the end of track sessions.
The updates for 2023 are complemented by a refinement of the Ducati Traction Control (DTC) and Ride by Wire strategies. The former has evolved to make the action of traction control even more accurate as a function of lean angle, while the latter improves the connection between the torque requested by the rider and the torque actually delivered. These improvements follow the Ducati philosophy of constant product development, ensuring regular evolution to always offer the best level of performance, usability and comfort.
These updates, available on all Panigale V4, V4 S and V4 SP2 2023 models, will also be available to all owners of Panigale V4, Panigale V4 S and Panigale V4 SP2 2022 by means of a simple intervention that can be performed at a Ducati Service starting from the end of July 2022.
The Panigale V4 is a bike that performs just as well in the hands of professionals as it is rewarding for amateurs and is frequently used by Ducati Corse riders during their training sessions. It is no coincidence that this bike will be the protagonist together with the Panigale V2 of the “Lenovo Race of Champions”, which will be held on Saturday 23 July as part of the World Ducati Week 2022 and will see 21 Ducati riders from the MotoGP and Superbike championships compete at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
To check out the entire World Ducati Week program and purchase tickets, you can visit the dedicated page of the website.
Ben Young (86) leads the opening lap of Pro Superbike Race Two at Calabogie Motorsports Park over eventual race winner Alex Dumas (1) and the rest of the field. Young would go on to finish second ahead of Trevor Daley (hidden behind Dumas) in third. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK/PMP.
More, from a press release issued by CSBK/Professional Motorsports Productions:
Dumas wins again, cuts title deficit to one point in race two at Calabogie
Liqui Moly-sponsored defending Canadian Superbike Champion Alex Dumas with a Liqui Moly-branded helicopter at Calabogie Motorsports Park. Photo courtesy Francois Dumas.
Calabogie, ON – The gap atop the Canadian Superbike Championship all but evaporated on Sunday, as Alex Dumas continued his perfect run at Calabogie Motorsports Park to pull within a single point of rival Ben Young in the feature Pro Superbike class.
Dumas entered with a five-race unbeaten streak on the line around Calabogie, though he was immediately met with his biggest challenge yet as Young grabbed the holeshot for the second day in a row. Unlike Saturday, though, Young maintained that lead for the first half of the race, denying a handful of pass attempts as he threatened to end Dumas’ perfect run around his home track.
The defending champion had other plans on lap seven, however, finally getting a move to stick in turn five and eventually peeling away, as the Liqui Moly/Fast School Suzuki rider will head to round three within a single point of the title lead.
“I tried the pass a few times, but Ben just kept slamming the door. It was really fun battling out there, but I’m happy to pick up another win for the championship,” Dumas said. “I’ve never been to Shubenacadie, so I’m looking forward to battling again at round three there in two weeks.”
Despite another runner-up finish to his championship rival, Young will likely be pleased with his weekend overall, as he maintains his championship lead exiting the first four races – albeit in the finest of margins.
“I had another great launch like yesterday – the new ‘M’ BMW gets off the line really well – but Alex was a demon off the line as well which allowed him to stay with me,” said the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider. “I knew it would be tough to win here, but we’re really looking forward to round three where we can hopefully build the gap back up in the championship.”
Joining the duo on the podium was Trevor Daley, who made up for a massive Saturday crash to run a comfortable race in third. The OneSpeed Suzuki rider remained slightly off the pace of the front two but continued to close the gap, while also climbing back into third in the overall championship.
“It was a bit of a lonely ride out there, but I was hoping I could just stay with them and pick up the pieces if they beat each other up a bit,” Daley said. “I still think we’re a lot closer than the gap will show, and it’s another good step forward so now we just turn our focus to round three in AMP.”
The double-podium for Suzuki will help trim their deficit to BMW to just six points in the Constructors Championship, but the German manufacturer will retain their lead thanks to a strong fifth-place charge from Samuel Guerin aboard his EFC Group machine.
Guerin was unable to get the better of Sebastien Tremblay, however, as the Turcotte Performance Kawasaki rider held on to fourth in the race and jumps to fourth in the overall standings in the process, while helping Kawasaki to third in the Constructors table.
David MacKay reversed his championship fortunes after a difficult race one, winning on Sunday after a dramatic three-way battle with rivals Trevor Dion and Elliot Vieira.
All three riders swapped places multiple times throughout, with Dion leading across the line onto the final lap before MacKay launched a thrilling overtake in the final corners to seal his second victory of the season.
“These doubleheaders are working well for me,” MacKay joked, referencing his race two win in Grand Bend after a race one crash. “Yesterday wasn’t the best day for us, but we were able to learn so much which helped us today, and this one is huge for the championship.”
Dion will ultimately see a win slip through his hands on the final lap for a second day in a row, but the LDS Consultants Kawasaki rider still held on for another runner-up finish and thus will retain a 13-point advantage over Vieira with MacKay a further two points back.
The trio will entrench themselves as the three championship contenders at the halfway point of the season, though MacKay will have experience on his side when the Fast Company Kawasaki rider returns to Shubenacadie in two weeks.
Julien Lafortune extended a sizeable advantage atop the AIM Insurance Amateur Superbike standings, winning for a second time after leading every lap on Sunday.
The Kawasaki rider will open up a 23-point lead over John Fraser, who finished second for Yamaha, a gap Lafortune will need as they head to Fraser’s stomping ground in round three on the east coast.
Paul Etienne Courtois will take over the championship lead in the Amateur Sport Bike class, as the first-year Amateur runner won his first national Sport Bike race after a close battle with hometown rider Guillaume Lavallee.
Courtois will carry a five-point lead over round one winner Sebastian Hothaza, who could only manage ninth in his second national appearance.
National debutant Andrew Cooney capped off a stellar weekend with a pair of victories in the Super Sonic Race School Lightweight class, winning both contests in dramatic fashion in just his third ever race weekend at any level.
Despite the double-victory, it was a successful weekend for championship leader Evan Moriarity, who exits with a 30-point lead atop the standings over Cooney in second.
Jared Walker continued his perfect run in the Pro division of the Pro/Am class, winning for a fourth consecutive time to extend his title grasp. Cooney would wind up the winner on both occasions in the Amateur ranks, with Bryce DeBoer grabbing a pair of second-place finishes to enter a tie for the championship lead.
The full results from Sunday’s racing can be found on the series’ official website at csbk.ca.
Gagne Perfect In Monterey, Takes Over MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Points Lead
For The First Time All Season, Jake Gagne Leads The Superbike Championship He Is Defending
Sunday’s MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike race gets underway with pole-sitter Mathew Scholtz (11), Danilo Petrucci (9) and Jake Gagne (1) dropping the hammer. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
MONTEREY, CA (July 10, 2022) – If you would have bet that Jake Gagne wouldn’t lead the 2022 MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship until the sixth round (and 12th race) of the series, you’d be a bit richer today than you were yesterday.
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Gagne completed a sweep of the two Medallia Superbike races in the GEICO Motorcycle MotoAmerica Speedfest at Monterey on Sunday, the defending series champion taking over the lead of the 2022 title chase for the first time all season in the process.
Gagne nailed the holeshot from third on the front row, put his head down and gapped the field. From there it was just a matter of putting in quick laps, getting the lead to four seconds, then maintaining a fast pace to the finish. Gagne crossed the finish line after 20 laps of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. It was a signature Gagne race.
The win was Gagne’s fourth in a row and seventh this year as he’s kicked his season into high gear heading into the second half of the series. He now leads the championship by three points.
Although the podium was the same as in yesterday’s race one, the results were different with Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Danilo Petrucci turning the tables on Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen in race two, the pair finishing second and third, respectively.
Although he went one better than yesterday, Petrucci’s runner-up finish wasn’t enough to keep Gagne at bay and the Yamaha man now leads the championship by three points, 215-212, marking the first time since the season began in Texas that Petrucci isn’t the championship leader.
For the second day in a row, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Superbike rookie Richie Escalante showed why he was picked by Suzuki to make the move to Superbike. Escalante ran third for a few laps before giving way to Petersen and Westby Racing Mathew Scholtz, his pace impressing both riders. When Scholtz crashed out of the race, Escalante inherited fourth and held it to the finish for the second straight day. He finished 17.9 seconds behind Gagne a day after finishing 17.5 seconds behind Gagne, but the race winner’s pace was faster in race two (28:17.534 to 28:19.887). An impressive weekend for the former MotoAmerica Supersport Champion.
With Scholtz a non-finisher, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera improved by a position over yesterday’s sixth place with the Spaniard ending up fifth on Sunday. He was some eight seconds ahead of his teammate PJ Jacobsen at the finish.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Kyle Wyman was eighth in his fill-in ride for the injured Jake Lewis, the New Yorker beating his brother Travis to the finish line by some four seconds.
Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander was ninth, shadowing his teammate Travis Wyman to the end and losing out by just .247 of a second. ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony finished 10th after beating Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim to the checkered flag.
So, with 12 races in the books, Gagne leads Petrucci by three points, 215-212. Petersen’s third-place finish combined with Scholtz’s non-finish swaps the two South Africans with Petersen now third with 175 points to Scholtz’s 170. Barbera is fifth with 122 points.
Jake Gagne (1) leads the field down the Corkscrew at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The new championship point leader was never headed in leading the race from start to finish. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Jake Gagne – Winner
“Getting a holeshot makes life easy. These Yamahas are really getting off the grid good. Especially today, I was really expecting to see a front wheel come up the inside. I wanted to do everything I could to at least push the pace, try to get a few laps in and see where we’re all at. In a way, I was a little bit surprised. We made some changes this morning. We went out in warmup and kind of just rolled around and tried not to do anything crazy. The bike was better today. We got more life out of the tire. Our fastest laps were faster today. Running those 24s was a lot easier for me today. In a way, yesterday’s race was a lot more of a struggle than today. So, I’m just stoked that we made that headway. Even if we win, we’re still learning. We still need to go faster because these guys are coming. That being said, I think that is what I was stoked on, that we made progress. The bike felt good. I had a ton of fun riding around there, sliding around at this place. Even before the year, this has never been my best track. I’ve never felt like I’ve had any secrets at this place, so I kind of owe it all to the team and owe it all to this bike getting better and better and these guys working so damn hard. This is the one track I’ve always been a little nervous about. Last year the Ducati was really, really strong here. Almost beat us. We’re already halfway through the year. I’m not thinking about points. Just try to keep winning races. No matter what, all these guys deserve to be up here. Hats off to Cam (Petersen) and Danilo (Petrucci) putting on a show. Yesterday I saw that corkscrew once I got back to the hotel last night. That was wild. Hats off to everybody. It’s good to see a great turnout here too.”
Danilo Petrucci – Second Place
“Today I have just a small mistake. I think in the middle of the race I went a little bit wide in turn two. I tried to follow Jake (Gagne) the first lap, but at the beginning I don’t have so much feeling on the front. My rear tire has grip, and the front is shaking. I cannot really trust the bike. Then after a few laps I have no traction and I just can manage. I tried to stay with Jake, but he was simply faster than me and truly deserves the championship lead because in the last races he has been really, really fast. We are trying. We definitely need more traction. What can I say? I just managed to stay up because cannot really push as I want, but at least I was able to stay in front of Cam (Petersen). I knew watching the race from yesterday, he was really, really fast out of the corner. I tried to defend myself on braking because it’s the only strong point I have at the moment. But anyway, I don’t have any excuses. Jake is faster at the moment, and also Cam is really, really fast. We need to improve our performance. We need to find a bit of traction. A good weekend. It’s always nice to race Laguna.
Cameron Petersen – Third Place
“I think it was lap two or three, just going into two I got in there deep. For some reason today, I was really struggling to get into turn two. I had a couple moments even straight up and down where the front felt like it wanted to tuck underneath me. I got stuck behind Richie (Escalante) for about two laps. I wouldn’t say I got stuck behind him. He had some good pace going. Then I was able to make the pass and just tried to do consistent laps. It took a while for me to close that gap to Danilo (Petrucci). Towards the end of the race, I think everybody was in the same boat, struggling for rear grip. I just wasn’t able to get the drive out of any of the corners. Danilo is really strong on the brakes. I was trying to see if anywhere would be possible. I had an idea. I was really good through turn 10 going into turn eleven. I thought I might be able to do something the last lap, but a little mistake over the Corkscrew. He was able to get that little bit of a gap, and that was it. Like you said, turned the season around. We were on a little bit of a roll. Once again, Jake is just doing Jake things, so we’ve got to close that gap to him. But all in all, a positive weekend. Jake taking over the points lead. I think I went up to third. Great positive weekend. Learned a bunch. Looking forward to the rest of the season. Congrats to the two guys next to me. It was a fun weekend racing with them. I look forward to the rest of the season.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Petrucci Doubles Up on Podiums at Laguna Seca
Two steps to the podium for the Italian stallion and his factory Ducati Panigale V4 SBK
Danilo Petrucci (9). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Sunnyvale, Calif., July 10, 2022 – Danilo Petrucci put on a showing at the cathedral of Californian speed at Laguna Seca, taking a pair of podiums on the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 SBK.
Petrucci fought tooth and nail with Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen in both encounters, finishing an ultra-close third in race one after the two tangled in the world-famous Corkscrew, before bettering that result with a second in race two behind the double winner, Yamaha’s Jake Gagne.
The result puts Petrucci within three points of Gagne in the series standings, 215-212, as the series heads to Brainerd and Minnesota on July 29-31.
2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings
P1 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 215
P2 – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 212
P3 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha) 175
P4 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 170
P5 – Richie Escalante (Suzuki) 104
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 SBK #9): We cannot say it was a good weekend because we scored another third and second, and Gagne took the lead in the championship. We are trying to improve our performance, but we’re missing a bit of speed, and our problem is the traction out of the corners. We are working hard to fix this and let the bike work as best as possible.
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
A Rare Crash Takes Mathew Scholtz Out Of Contention In Sunday’s Superbike Race At Laguna Seca
Mathew Scholtz (11) cruising to the pits after crashing his Westby Racing Yamaha in Superbike Race Two. He was uninjured. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Monterey, CA – July 10, 2022 – After finishing fifth in Saturday’s Superbike race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca due to a technical issue, Mathew Scholtz, rider of the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, was looking forward to a better result in Sunday’s race. Unfortunately, the result that he and the team were looking for ended up in a cloud of dust when he tucked the front of his Yamaha Superbike on lap 10 of the 20-lap race.
Sunday morning warmup brought promise for the Westby squad when Mathew was fourth in the session, and he and the team felt confident in the bike setup for the afternoon’s race.
Starting from the pole, Mathew got shuffled back to third off the line, then dropped to fourth on the opening lap and fifth on lap two where he maintained his position. He moved back into fourth on lap seven, which he held for three laps until lowsiding his Yamaha at the halfway point of the race.
Mathew remounted and returned to the pits, but the damage to the bike was too extensive for him to safely continue.
The Westby Racing team will regroup and be back in action for round seven of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which takes place at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota, on July 29 through 31.
Wyman Brothers Come Up Big At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
First And Second In Mission King Of The Baggers, Victory In SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup For The Three Wymans
MONTEREY, CA (July 10, 2022) – Sunday was a very good day to have the surname of Wyman if you happened to be racing motorcycles on the Monterey Peninsula.
Kyle Wyman beat Travis Wyman to win the MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers race at WeatherTechRaceway Laguna Seca on the final day of the GEICO Motorcycle MotoAmerica Speedfest at Monterey and less than 45 minutes later, Cody Wyman took victory in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race. Later in the day, Kyle and Travis finished seventh and ninth, respectively, in the Medallia Superbike race.
Roland Sands Design’s Super Hooligan National Championship – O’Hara Crowned
Tyler O’Hara (2) won the Roland Sands Design (RSD) Super Hooligan National Championship with his win at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Sunday’s races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca started in a big way with the final race in Roland Sands Design’s Super Hooligan National Championship. Their event featured an entertaining grid of naked motorcycles from several brands, including two electric bike manufacturers.
The victory went to Roland Sands Design Indian rider Tyler O’Hara, who also clinched the Hooligan Championship with his win. O’Hara had a good battle with his teammate Jeremy McWilliams, who finished second despite giving O’Hara all he had. Saddlemen/Lloyd’z Garage rider Cory West finished third to make it an all-Indian podium.
Mission King Of The Baggers – Wyman, Wyman!
The Mission King Of The Baggers race gets rolling at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Mission King Of The Baggers had one race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and MotoAmerica’s Big Twin pilots brought the excitement. It was an especially good day for Harley-Davidson’s teams, who swept the podium.
Defending class champion Kyle Wyman got the win aboard his H-D Screamin’ Eagle Road Glide Special and closed the gap to current championship leader Tyler O’Hara, who started from the pole but ultimately finished fourth. Kyle Wyman’s brother Travis Wyman finished second, a little more than three seconds behind Kyle. The two brothers are now tied for second, with both of them just one point behind O’Hara. Vance & Hines Racing’s James Rispoli brought his Harley home third.
“(Tyler O’Hara) was visibly struggling with the rear,” Kyle Wyman said. “I knew as the tire went off, that wasn’t going to get any better. He was going at a good enough pace where I felt like I wasn’t really in danger of getting passed from behind. I was kind of content to sit there and let something happen. On the second or third lap, he lost the rear pretty big out of nine coming down Rainey (Curve). Opened up the door for me to get under him in ten. From there, I think I put a 29.4 down and then I saw 1.3 on the board. So, put a couple more low 30s, maybe a high 29 after that, and just kind of managed the gap. Travis was right. The gap came down a little bit, like two or three tenths at one point. So, I just kind of stayed consistent and focused. It was really greasy out there. I was actually really cautious with how the edge grip was. Just happy I could get clear and kind of run my own race and get another one-two (for our team), and a one-two-three for Harley.”
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup – And Another Wyman
Cody Wyman (34) leads Joe LiMandri (62), Kayla Yaakov (31), Gus Rodio (96), Max Van (behind Rodio), and Daniel Lanuza (75) en route to victory in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
In SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup, Alpha Omega Kawasaki rider Cody Wyman notched his fourth win of the season, took over the championship lead and now has an 18-point gap over Gus Rodio in second.
Meanwhile, Rodio finished as runner-up aboard his Rodio Racing/HSBK Racing Kawasaki. Third place went to T3 Racing Kawasaki’s Daniel Lanuza, the California competing in his first-ever MotoAmerica weekend. The race was red-flagged due to crashed riders and shortened to five laps.
“Definitely good to be in the front couple bikes,” Wyman said. “I had a feeling that I might have been out front and had a little gap, maybe something happened. Things can get pretty wild in this class, but the racing is awesome. It’s usually pretty clean. The talent level is pretty promising for all these guys and girls. Stoked for a second (in yesterday’s) and a first (today). I like Brainerd. I’ve got to figure out the bike for the last two rounds because I missed those rounds last year. Looking forward to moving on.”
Supersport – All Herrin
Josh Herrin (2) leads Tyler Scott (70), Cory Ventura (24) and the rest of the Supersport pack through the Corkscrew on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Supersport race two was a repeat of the same podium as race one on Saturday. Once again, championship leader Josh Herrin prevailed with the win aboard his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V2. Herrin overtook polesitter Tyler Scott on the opening lap and maintained his position at the front all the way to the checkered flag.
Aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, Scott hung tight with Herrin for a while, but the gap widened as the laps wound down, and Scott ultimately crossed the finish line about two and a half seconds behind Herrin. Once again, Rocco Landers put his Landers Racing Yamaha on the podium in third.
“I was nervous going into the race today, a lot more than I was yesterday,” Herrin said. “That crash yesterday, I didn’t feel it yesterday and then this morning, like I predicted, I woke up and was not pumped to come to the track today. This morning in warmup, I was stressed because Tyler was going really fast. I had a little pep talk with Eraldo Ferracci, and he got me fired up before the race and it seemed to work. I didn’t have the pace in the beginning. Tyler was quicker than me. I don’t know if yesterday maybe they were on the harder tire because they couldn’t make that one last. It seemed like today he was very quick at the beginning and wanted to try and get out. So, maybe the softer tire was good for a few laps for them. Mine seemed to be pretty good the whole race. It was greasy for sure, but it was about the same the entire race. I was able to do consistent 27’s. We had a really good battle at the beginning. I don’t know how many lead changes there were right there at the beginning, but it was cool. Got my heart rate going and got me fired up. A little bit of contact one time coming out of turn four. Just had fun the rest of the race. Just tried to put my head down. Really happy about the weekend. Huge shout-out to Medallia for title sponsoring this weekend. It’s cool having outside industry sponsors like that, not only to sponsor the series but be a big sponsor for us. It’s very rare that you have a company that huge where Leslie, the owner, comes to the races. Very excited to have them on board.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Make Josh’s a Double!
Herrin goes 1-1 at his happy hunting ground of Laguna Seca
Josh Herrin (2). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Sunnyvale, Calif., July 10, 2022 – Josh Herrin’s (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) season in MotoAmerica Supersport 2022 keeps improving as the Californian went 1-1 at Laguna Seca for the fifth round of the championship.
In front of Ducati Corse Sporting Director, Paolo Ciabatti, Herrin’s speed under the Laguna Seca sunshine was absolute, taking a hard-fought win in races one and two more comfortably. Second and third in both races went to Suzuki’s Tyler Scott and Yamaha’s Rocco Landers.
The result means Herrin is now a massive 81 points clear in the standings over Scott, with Landers third, 86 points adrift.
The sixth round of MotoAmerica Supersport 2022 will be held at Brainerd in Minnesota on July 29-31, 2022.
2022 MotoAmerica Supersport—Top 5
P1 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 224
P2 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 143
P3 – Rocco Landers (Yamaha) 138
P4 – Kevin Olmedo (Yamaha) 114
P5 – Sam Lochoff (Suzuki) 83
Josh Herrin’s (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC #2): “It’s a great weekend here at Laguna!”, Herrin enthused. “We got the double, right in front of the big boss and the new Medallia sponsors, and that makes four race wins in a row. I’m just having so much fun on my Panigale V2 and this thing is incredible to ride, I’m happy to do some victory wheelies on it for all the fans that turned up. I’m not going to stop now. It’s time to keep pushing on for the title!”
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