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MotoAmerica: Medallia Superbike Race Two Results From Ridge (Updated)

David Swarts
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MotoAmerica: Medallia Superbike Race Two Results From Ridge (Updated)
22_6_RIDGE_SBK_R2_res_REVISED
 22_6_RIDGE_SBK_PTS_points
 22_6_RIDGE_SBK_PTS_sbcpts

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Gagne Completes Perfect Weekend At Ridge Motorsports Park

Jake Gagne Moves To Second In Championship With Fifth Win Of The Year

 

Jake Gagne (1) leads Cameron Petersen (45), Danilo Petrucci (9), and Mathew Scholtz (11) early in Superbike Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Jake Gagne (1) leads Cameron Petersen (45), Danilo Petrucci (9), and Mathew Scholtz (11) early in MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.

 

SHELTON, WA (June 26, 2022) – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne had a perfect weekend in the Pacific Northwest, the defending MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Champion breaking the lap record at Ridge Motorsports Park while qualifying on pole position, and then winning both Superbike races over the course of the Dynapac MotoAmerica Superbikes At The Ridge weekend.

If his rivals weren’t already worried, they should be now. Gagne looks to be on the verge of going on a roll like he did during his 17-victory, championship-winning season of 2021. Although a rough start to the 2022 season means Gagne only has six podium finishes in the 10 races held thus far, five of those podiums have been victories.

With five rounds (10 races) in the books, Gagne has now closed to within 11 points of championship leader Danilo Petrucci, the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 R-mounted Italian earning his second podium of the weekend on Sunday at Ridge with a second-place finish to Gagne.

Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen also had a solid weekend with two podium finishes, the South African splitting second- and third-place finishes with Petrucci.

In typical Gagne fashion, the Colorado resident stormed off to a flying start, put his head down for the first five laps to open a gap on his pursuers and then maintained that lead for the duration of the 16-lap race. At the finish line, Gagne was 4.578 seconds clear of Petrucci, who in turn was just a second ahead of Petersen. The win was the 22nd AMA Superbike victory of Gagne’s career, all of which have come in the MotoAmerica era.

Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz matched his fourth-place finish from Saturday with another fourth on Sunday, the South African losing his hold on second in the title chase to Gagne after holding it for the first nine races.

Fifth for the second day in a row was Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera, the Spaniard beating Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante by just .171 of a second. Those two were well clear of Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim who barely got the better of his Yuasa Stock 1000 Championship rival Corey Alexander and his Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing BMW M 1000 RR.

Tytlers Cycle’s PJ Jacobsen was a lonely ninth with David Anthony riding the injured Jake Lewis’s Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki to 10th.

For the first time all year, Aftercare Hayes Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates failed to score a point with the Georgian crashing out of the race for his first DNF. Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Travis Wyman was another who crashed out of the race.

Petrucci leads Gagne by 11, 176-165, after 10 races. Scholtz is third with 159 points, 20 better than Petersen. Barbera rounds out the top five in the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike point standings with 101 points.

Jake Gagne – Winner

“It was a good weekend. I’ve always liked this track. It’s really technical, lots of ups and downs. We’ve had a lot of great weekends, but this is one of those tracks that really suits the Yamaha, for sure. After yesterday and all those red flags, it was kind of crazy, got off to a bunch of good starts. Today I knew these guys… everybody stepped it up and had a little more pace in them today than yesterday. So, I knew if I could lead into turn one, I had to push as hard as I could for four or five laps and see if I could have a gap or not. Luckily, I was able to have some clean laps and kind of get a gap. It was a fun race. Kind of flew by pretty quick. I knew those guys were probably battling hard back there. I’m happy to be back on track. I think the first couple races were tough on us. There were some things that we finally figured out with the front end of the motorcycle that I finally feel comfortable on now. So, just hats off to the crew because they just don’t stop working hard. We keep making progress. We know we’ve got to because these guys are making progress every weekend as well.”

Danilo Petrucci – Second Place

“I can be happy, for sure. I hoped before the race to have a better start and stay with Jake (Gagne), but I had a quite good start, but Jake and Cameron (Petersen) were better than me. I tried my best. At the beginning I was not really good. Then I tried to manage all the chattering, all the issues with the bike. For sure, it’s been really, really tough weekend. It started quite good in FP1, but at the end of FP1, our problems began. We miss a lot of confidence because we have these kinds of issues with the electronics side that cover my feeling. We are investigating why. But it’s not an excuse. Jake today was unbelievably fast, another level. Big congrats to him and also to Cam. I passed him (Petersen) and I knew I wasn’t able to close the gap with Jake, so I tried to defend my position. Happy to go away with two podiums. Cannot wait to go to Laguna, even if my last time was 2013 with MotoGP. Like another era. Happy to be here.”

Cameron Petersen – Third Place

“It was a rough race, honestly. I could tell Jake (Gagne), even getting ready in the riders’ lounge and stuff, I knew he was going to drop the hammer and have something a little bit different for us today. So, I tried the first few laps, but, honestly, he was just on another level. It was a really tough race. Not making excuses or anything, but about six or seven laps into the race I developed a chatter that I haven’t had all weekend. So, tried to ride around that. I was just really struggling to get into corners and turn the bike through some of the longer stuff. But regardless, we’re walking away from the Ridge with two podiums, a second and third, so I’ll take it. Honestly, I believe it’s only up from here. Just doing good work with the team. I’m learning so much from Jake. I’m having so much fun. Looking forward to the rest of the season.”

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:

Danilo Petrucci Puts It On The Box In The Sweltering Washington Heat

Petrucci keeps his championship lead after carding a third and second on the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 SBK

 

Danilo Petrucci (9). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Danilo Petrucci (9). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.

 

Sunnyvale, Calif., June 26, 2022 – Despite several setbacks in the boiling heat of Washington State, Danilo Petrucci showed his mettle by staying on top of the points standings for the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship after taking a third and second place finishes.

On the Italian’s first visit to the undulating 2.5-mile circuit nestled between the pine trees of Shelton, Washington, Petrucci’s third place in race one came after two red flag disruptions. Given Petrucci suffered a technical issue on Friday which curtailed much of his riding for the day, he and the team were happy with the race one result and went into Sunday’s race two determined to close the gap to the factory Yamahas.

A race-long battle with Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen ensued, Petrucci eventually getting the better of the South African to take second place.

With a week off before the next round at Laguna Seca on July 8-10, Petrucci will take rest and come back strong, determined to build on his now 11-point championship lead over Gagne.

2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Top Five

P1 – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 176

P2 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 165

P3 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 159

P4 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha) 139

P5 – Hector Barbera (BMW) 101

Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9): “It has been a tough weekend,” Petrucci said. “I am happy I am still leading the championship but for sure, we need to focus because now we start from zero (at Laguna Seca) as we are more or less the same points as Jake, who is riding very well. It’s a long time ago that I last won a race in Road Atlanta, and we need to recover that speed so we can continue to fight for the championship.”

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:

Two Fours For The Double-One At Ridge Motorsports Park

 

Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.

 

Shelton, WA – June 26, 2022 – Mathew Scholtz, rider of the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, followed up his fourth-place finish in Saturday’s MotoAmerica Superbike race one with another fourth-place result in Sunday’s race two.

Finishing just off the podium in both races would be considered a pretty good weekend for most MotoAmerica Superbike teams, but it was cold comfort for Mathew and Westby Racing. They came into the weekend in second place and just 10 points behind the championship leader, but they leave the Pacific Northwest in third place and now 17 points behind the championship leader.

For whatever reason, Ridge Motorsports Park has always been a tough track for Mathew. In the three years that MotoAmerica has been going there, he’s finished second once, fourth a total of four times, and fifth once. All top-five results, but for a rider and team of Mathew’s and Westby Racing’s caliber, Ridge has been an annual challenge.

On Sunday, Mathew got a good jump off the line from fifth position, in the middle of the second row, and he overtook Hector Barbera and slotted into fourth behind Danilo Petrucci in short fashion. As the laps wound down, Mathew’s race pace closed the gap on the frontrunners, but there just weren’t enough laps left for him to improve his position.

“Another fourth place obviously wasn’t what we were looking for,” Mathew lamented. “But Ridge has always been the worst track for us as a team and for me as a rider. Yesterday’s race, we got fourth, but we weren’t even close. Today, we were fourth again, but we improved our race pace by almost a second every lap. We managed to close in on the battle for second in the latter half of the race. Overall, I think you could call it a positive day, but two fourths are not what we want or need. We most certainly have the package to be battling up front. If you had told me at the beginning of the season that, at Ridge, we would get two fourths, I would have taken it. But, considering how well everything has gone so far this year, it’s obviously a disappointment. We’ve got Vitto (Bolognesi) as our data person now, and this is our first race weekend with him, so we need to give him time to figure things out. Overall, it puts us in a really good spot for the rest of the season. The tracks we go to for the second half of the season really suit me, so I’m looking forward to those. Thank you to my Westby Racing team for working hard this weekend, and let’s get ready for Laguna.”

The Westby Racing team will be back in action for round six of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which takes place at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, on July 8 through 10.
 

MotoAmerica Superbike Standings

1. Danilo Petrucci – Ducati – 176

2. Jake Gagne – Yamaha – 165

3. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 159

4. Cameron Petersen – Yamaha – 139

5. Hector Barbera – BMW – 101

For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com

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

MotoAmerica: Supersport Race Two Results From Ridge (Updated)

David Swarts
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MotoAmerica: Supersport Race Two Results From Ridge (Updated)
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More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Kayla Yaakov Makes History With Victory At Ridge Motorsports Park

15-Year-Old Yaakov Becomes First Female To Win A MotoAmerica Race
 

SHELTON, WA (June 26, 2022) – Anthony Mazziotto, Josh Herrin and Corey Alexander completed perfect weekends at Ridge Motorsports Park on Sunday with victories in Twins Cup, Supersport and Yuasa Stock 1000, respectively, but it was Kayla Yaakov who made history on a scorching hot day in the Pacific Northwest.

Yaakov became the first female racer to win a MotoAmerica race on Sunday when she stormed to victory in the SporbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race, leading the majority of the laps, including the only one that really mattered. The victory came just days after the Pennsylvanian celebrated her 15th birthday and it was a popular victory that was embraced by everyone in the MotoAmerica paddock.

Yuasa Stock 1000 – Alexander Perfect

 

The grid at the start of Stock 1000 Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
The grid at the start of Stock 1000 Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.

 

In Sunday’s Yuasa Stock 1000 race two, Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing BMW rider Corey Alexander followed up his Saturday race one victory with another win. In fact, Corey is undefeated at Ridge. The New Yorker has won every Stock 1000 race at the Pacific Northwest track since MotoAmerica started racing at Ridge in 2020.

Alexander withstood a challenge from Hayden Gillim, who made an attempt to overtake Alexander, but ran out of track and had to take to the grass, which ruined his chance at a podium. Instead, it was a 1-2 finish for Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing BMW with Alexander’s teammate Travis Wyman. Local rider Andy DiBrino finished third, the Precision Iron Works/DiBrino Racing Kawasaki rider notching his second MotoAmerica podium in as many days.

“Unfortunately, it’s a bummer that (Gillim) ran off like that, but it is good for us in the points standings,” Alexander said. “I’m honestly trying not to focus too much on that. Two rounds ago I’m like, ‘I’m out of this thing. I’m just going to go out and have fun and try to win races.’ That’s literally all we focused on, and we’re back in the points lead, which is pretty surreal. Moving forward, I just want to keep doing the same thing. I just want to keep pushing the envelope and trying to win more races. If we win more races, then the championship will come. Really excited to be up here with Travis again. That’s our goal. We want to be one and two every weekend, whether it’s him or I. Everyone puts a lot of effort into this team. It’s a big structure, for sure.”

Twins Cup – Mazziotto Perfecto

 

Anthony Mazziotto (516) won the Twins Cup final for the second day in a row with a victory over Hayden Schultz (49) and Cody Wyman (34). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Anthony Mazziotto (516) won the Twins Cup final for the second day in a row with a victory over Hayden Schultz (49) and Cody Wyman (34). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.

 

Rodio Racing/HSBK Racing Aprilia rider Anthony Mazziotto is from New Jersey, but his weekend in the Pacific Northwest couldn’t have gone better. First, he earned the pole position and the high-dollar timepiece that came from Wilbur Watch Company for being the fastest qualifier in the Twins Cup class. He then followed that up with a win in Saturday’s race one and capped things off with the win on Sunday, as well. Second place went to Cycle Tech Yamaha rider Hayden Schultz, who improved by one position from his third-place result on Saturday. Third on Sunday went to Alpha Omega rider Cody Wyman.

“I knew the last lap was the lap that I wanted to make the pass on, I just wasn’t sure what corner I wanted to do it in,” said Mazziotto. “I got a good run-on Hayden coming up the blind kink coming into that real sharp left-hander. He covered that really tight, and I couldn’t get in there. Chopped my wheel off a little bit, so I had to slam on the binders a little hard. But then I knew coming out of that corner it was either up in the corkscrew or that was it. That was my last shot. He actually pulled a little bit of a gap on me since I got a bad drive out of that corner that he cut my nose off on. I just hammered down the throttle and just went really, really deep into that corkscrew. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I was going to get it stopped. I started folding the front there at the apex and almost went up onto the curb. I heard him coming around the outside of me, so I knew I just had to keep it tight through the last two corners and maybe I was going to have it at the line. It turned out that way. Couldn’t get the drive out of the last corner, and we were able to hold onto it.”

SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup – Yaakov Makes History

 

Kayla Yaakov (31) became the first female to win a MotoAmerica race when she took victory in Sunday's SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Kayla Yaakov (31) became the first female to win a MotoAmerica race when she took victory in Sunday’s SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.

 

History was made in Sunday’s SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race as Altus Motorsports Kawasaki rider Kayla Yaakov became the first female rider in history to win a MotoAmerica race. Yaakov, who turned just 15 years old on Friday, had been knocking on the door of a victory for the past few rounds, and she had recorded four third place finishes so far this season. And then, in Sunday’s race two, after leading the morning warmup, Yaakov got her breakthrough win.

Second place went to SportbikeTrackGear.com Kawasaki rider Joseph LiMandri Jr., who was battling a respiratory infection but managed to get through the weekend and notched two podium finishes in the process. Rodio Racing/HSBK Racing Kawasaki rider Gus Rodio finished third as a follow-up to his win on Sunday.

“Since Atlanta, it’s been a big thing, even before Atlanta, even before I started really racing, this is where I wanted to be.” Said Yaakov. “To do it is really cool. This is crazy. It’s actually really cool to be up here with these guys because I’ve raced with them both. We all started around the same time, and it’s really cool.”

Supersport – Herrin Again

 

Josh Herrin (2) leads Tyler Scott (70), Sam Lochoff (44), and Kevin Olmedo (16) in the Supersport race on Sunday at Ridge. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Josh Herrin (2) leads Tyler Scott (70), Sam Lochoff (44), and Kevin Olmedo (16) in the Supersport race on Sunday at Ridge. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.

 

Like Corey Alexander in Stock 1000 and Anthony Mazziotto in Twins Cup, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider Josh Herrin also had a perfect weekend at Ridge. Herrin earned the pole, won Saturday’s race one and also won Sunday’s race two. It was a dominant victory for Herrin, who crossed the finish line more than six seconds ahead of second-place finisher Tyler Scott aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki. N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha rider Kevin Olmedo finished third for his first podium result so far this season.

“It’s pretty unbelievable how good this bike is,” Herrin said. “We’ve never turned any laps at any of these tracks on this motorcycle. The guys work really hard behind the scenes, even at Ducati Corse over in Italy just trying to compare V4 data from last year to this year to try and help us with gearing choices and things like that. It’s huge. We have guys from Ducati Corse flying in every weekend from Italy, which is insane. Just a huge shout out to those guys. It obviously wouldn’t work without them and the rest of my crew really working hard. I’m just happy to be able to get these wins. Road America, we knew going into it, it was a really tough weekend. We knew we were going to struggle there. These next two coming up are tracks that I really like and also tracks that I think will favor the V2. I’m really excited to go to Laguna. We’re doing a special livery for Medallia there, so it will be a really cool all-black bike that weekend. Just having fun. Like I said at the beginning of the year, this team has really allowed me to be myself, which is huge in my opinion for anybody. It’s hard going up to do your job, especially when there’s as much pressure as there is on all these guys to perform well, and they do a really good job at making me feel like I’m just spinning laps at a cart track or something. Just a huge shout out to everybody. Looking forward to going to Laguna and seeing a bunch of friends and family.”

North American Talent Cup – Di Mario Doubles

The North America Talent Cup was in action this weekend, and they had race two races, with one on Saturday and the second one on Sunday. The spec race series features young road racers aboard identically prepared Aprilia RS250 motorcycles.

Both races were won by B&M American Racing team’s Alessandro Di Mario, who dominated each event by more than three seconds over his closest competition. Second place in race one went to Mini Cup by Motul Championship regular Chris Clark, while fellow Mini Cupper Logan Cunnison was third.

Second place in race two went to Jesse James Shedden, who is also a Mini Cup veteran, and once again, Cunnison was third.

 

 

 

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

TYLER SCOTT AND VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI SCORE ANOTHER PODIUM IN WASHINGTON

The GSX-R750 Continues to Add Trophies to this Season

BREA, Calif., June 26, 2022 — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer closed out the Ridge Motorsports Park weekend of the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season by adding another podium to its season tally.

While it was Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sam Lochoff who did the honors on Saturday, 16-year-old Tyler Scott took his turn in the spotlight in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Supersport contest.

Scott leaped to an early lead aboard his Suzuki GSX-R750 before settling into a race-long defense of second position. Despite facing heavy pressure on his rear wheel throughout the race, Scott kept his head and protected his racing line like a crafty veteran.

 

With another podium for Tyler Scott (70), he is looking to carry the momentum to Laguna Seca. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
With another podium for Tyler Scott (70), he is looking to carry
the momentum to Laguna Seca. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.

 

Demonstrating racecraft beyond his years, Scott managed to keep his rival corralled behind him to the checkered flag. The runner-up result was the rising star’s fourth podium finish of his rookie Supersport season.

Scott said, “All weekend we’ve been challenged with some handling issues, but we finally figured it out on the last day and made it count for the podium. I knew I had an aggressive rider on my back wheel. If I gave him an opportunity, he would have put a pass in there. The last five laps, I just put my head down and tried to keep 100% the best pace I could go.”

 

After a tough Race 2, Sam Lochoff (44) is ready to heal up before the upcoming round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
After a tough Race 2, Sam Lochoff (44) is ready to heal up before
the upcoming round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.

 

Unfortunately, the day wasn’t nearly so kind to Lochoff. The South African, already suffering from a painful broken ankle, crashed while running in fifth early. He remounted and returned to the pits for a quick check and adjustment before returning to the fray. Lochoff was awarded a championship point for his gritty effort with a 15th-place result.

 

Liam Grant (90) continues to gain confidence on his GSX-R750 with a career-best sixth place. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Liam Grant (90) continues to gain confidence on his GSX-R750
with a career-best sixth place. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.

 

Third Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Supersport ace Liam Grant stepped up to fill the void. The up-and-coming rider earned sixth – his best Supersport result yet – as he continues to build confidence and speed in his rookie campaign.

Meanwhile, the squad’s MotoAmerica Superbike duo scooped a pair of top-ten finishes aboard their GSX-R1000Rs as well on Sunday. Richie Escalante made good on his impressive pace at the undulating circuit with a solid sixth-place performance. The premier-class rookie made a bid for a top-five, but ultimately fell just 0.171 seconds short at the flag.

Escalante said, “To be honest, I am very happy with this weekend. Road America was very difficult for me, but I trained hard and was eager to get back on the bike at the Ridge, which I feel is easier for me to get up to speed.

 

After a sixth-place finish, Richie Escalante (54) is continuing to make strides aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
After a sixth-place finish, Richie Escalante (54) is continuing to make strides
aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.

 

“I felt strong on Friday and was going well on Saturday until I had the crash. Thankfully, my body was okay and the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team worked hard to get me back in the race and we were able to get tenth. The race on Sunday felt great; I was in a competitive fight for position throughout, and I feel like we made a lot of progress. I know the areas where I need to improve and I am looking forward to Laguna Seca.”

With Jake Lewis unable to ride after suffering a broken thumb, bruised hip, and banged up elbow in Saturday’s fall, Team Hammer test rider David Anthony filled in as a substitute. The Australian proceeded to put forth a steady effort to collect a tenth-place finish for the team.

Team Hammer will next head to Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California on
July 8-10.

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 340 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 Ducati North America:

Double Delight For Josh Herrin at The Ridge

The man in red put the torch to the opposition between the pine trees in MotoAmerica Supersport

 

Josh Herrin (2) leads Tyler Scott (70), Sam Lochoff (44), and Kevin Olmedo (16) during Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Josh Herrin (2) leads Tyler Scott (70), Sam Lochoff (44), and Kevin Olmedo (16) during Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.

 

Sunnyvale, Calif., June 26, 2022 – Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) completed a near perfect weekend at the undulating 2.5-mile venue of The Ridge in Washington State, sweeping both races for the second time this year on the Ducati Panigale V2.

Herrin’s first race saw the Californian resident wrestle the lead on lap three from Suzuki’s Tyler Scott, easing away to a comfortable 2.5-second win over Yamaha’s Rocco Landers and Suzuki’s Sam Lochoff.

If that wasn’t enough, Herrin came back for seconds in the sweltering heat on Sunday by blasting the field to record a crushing 6.3-second victory over Scott and Yamaha’s Kevin Olmedo. Herrin at times looked like he was just out for a Sunday cruise, and his wins gave him a perfect 50 points to increase his lead at the top of the standings to a massive 69 points heading into the next round at Laguna Seca on July 8-10.

2022 MotoAmerica Supersport – Top 5

P1 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 174

P2 – Rocco Landers (Yamaha) 106

P3 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 103

P4 – Kevin Olmedo (Yamaha) 88

P5 – Samuel Lochoff (Suzuki) 83

Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC): “Two wins this weekend, so I’m super happy with how everything went,” Herrin said. “We had a feeling that the Ducati Panigale V2 would work well around this track, and we were right—it has been near perfect all weekend. Our race pace was fast, and we could get a gap in both races and pull away. This is something that hasn’t happened many times in my career, so I was happy to stay consistent and make the most of it. The team worked hard all weekend, so thanks to them and thank you also to Ducati for making this Panigale V2 such a fun bike to ride.”

Northern Talent Cup: Schneider Wins, Moor Crashes In Race 2 At Assen (Updated)

David Swarts
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Northern Talent Cup: Schneider Wins, Moor Crashes In Race 2 At Assen (Updated)
Session for NED NTC RAC2_220628_212342
 NTC_2022_NED_Race_2_Championship_Classification_after_Round_4

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Schneider claims debut win as Moor crashes on final lap

The title leader crashed unhurt at Turn 15 while battling for the win; Varga and Vincze stand on the rostrum

Dustin Schneider (Goblin Racing) is a Northern Talent Cup winner after coming out on top of another thriller at the TT Circuit Assen, as a last lap fight for victory saw Rossi Moor (Farium Next Generation Riders) crash unhurt at Turn 15 – the same corner he won Race 1 at 24 hours prior. Tibor Varga (Forty Racing) claimed P2 for his second podium of the weekend, as Martin Vincze (Chrobak Motorsport Egyesület) climbed onto the box for the first time this season.

Home heroes Jurrien van Crugten (BB64 Academy) and Loris Veneman (Team NL Open Line) started from pole and P2 once again and just as we saw in Race 1, we were treated to an absolute stunner. Moor took no take in taking the lead from P4 on the grid, but the lead was changing lap after lap in Assen, no one able to break clear of the slipstream.

Heading into the closing stages, the top 12 riders were split by little over a second. It was as close as it could possibly be but Moor, at the beginning of the final lap, had a bit of breathing space. 0.6s was the Hungarian’s advantage but that was soon gone. The run out of Turn 11 all the way through to the Geert Timmer Chicane was where it came down to, as drama unfolded.

Moor was on the outside line as both Schneider and Varga slipped up the inside. Moor touched the curb on the outside of Turn 15, and this caused the number 92 to crash out of contention. Thankfully the title leader was perfectly alright as we saw Schneider negotiate the final chicane and cross the line as a winner in the NTC for the first time, the German leading home Varga and Vincze.

Lenoxx Phommara (Team Phommara) finished fourth for the second time this weekend, 0.3s from the win, as Veneman bounced back from his Race 1 disappointment to claim P5 on home turf. Sixth went to van Crugten, as Valentino Herrlich (Busch und Wagner Racing Team), Matteo Masili (Farium Next Generation Riders), second in the Cup Kevin Farkas (Agria Racing Team) and Noa Cuypers (Junior Black Knights) completed the top 10.

Next up for the NTC riders and teams is a trip to the Czech Republic at the end of July, as they join the WorldSBK paddock in Most for Round 5 of the season.

MotoAmerica: SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Race Two Results From Ridge

David Swarts
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MotoAmerica: SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Race Two Results From Ridge
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MotoAmerica: Twins Cup Race Two Results From Ridge

David Swarts
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MotoAmerica: Twins Cup Race Two Results From Ridge
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MotoAmerica: Yuasa Stock 1000 Race Two Results From Ridge

David Swarts
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MotoAmerica: Yuasa Stock 1000 Race Two Results From Ridge
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MotoAmerica: Anthony To Replace Injured Lewis Sunday At Ridge

David Swarts
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MotoAmerica: Anthony To Replace Injured Lewis Sunday At Ridge

Veteran David Anthony will replace injured Jake Lewis on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000 in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two at Ridge Motorsports Park.

Lewis broke his left thumb and suffered other, less serious injuries when he crashed early in Medallia Superbike Race One Saturday.

Lewis’ full prognosis and recovery time was not known at post time.

We will post more information as it becomes available.

MotoGP: World Championship Race Results From Assen (Updated)

David Swarts
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MotoGP: World Championship Race Results From Assen (Updated)
MotoGP Race
 MotoGP Points

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by FIM and Dorna:

Incident between MotoGP™ riders #20 and #41

During the MotoGP™ race at the Motul TT Assen, an incident between #20 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and #41 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) saw rider #20 crash and make contact with #41 at Turn 5.

The FIM MotoGP™ Stewards panel deemed Quartararo was overly ambitious in attempting to overtake A Espargaro. #20 was not in a position to successfully complete the move and subsequently crashed, causing contact with #41 and forcing him to run wide.

The avoiding action undertaken by A Espargaro allowed him to avoid crashing and rejoin. Nevertheless, his race was severely impacted.

Quartararo has been given a Long Lap penalty to be served in the MotoGP™ race at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix.

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Game on: Bagnaia up, Quartararo down after Championship shift at Assen

Quartararo crashes, Aleix Espargaro fights back, Bezzecchi takes a maiden podium and Viñales returns to the rostrum behind a 25-point haul for Bagnaia

 

Francesco Baganaia (63) leads Marco Bezzecchi (72) to the checkered flag at Assen. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Francesco Baganaia (63) leads Marco Bezzecchi (72) to the checkered flag at Assen. Photo courtesy Dorna.

 

Sunday, 26 June 2022

Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia blasted back into serious MotoGP™ title contention with victory in a wild Motul TT Assen. World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) clashed with his nearest rival in the points table, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), early on and crashed out – and the incident also left Espargaro down in P15 and facing a fight back. But fight back he did and that as Quartararo crashed again later in the race, the Frenchman ultimately taking home a nil points and a Long Lap penalty for the Monster Energy British Grand Prix after summer break for the overly ambitious move.

Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) put in a stunner to follow Bagnaia home with some breathing space and take his first premier class podium, with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) shooting up from P11 on the grid to third, visiting parc ferme with Aprilia for the first time. And did we mention Aleix Espargaro’s 2-for-1 on Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) at the final chicane for fourth?!

Rewinding to before all that, Bagnaia launched well and led the field into the first corner, while Quartararo briefly dropped back to fourth when he ran wide as he tried to go with the pole-sitter. He quickly re-passed Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and also went down the inside of Espargaro at De Strubben, but then couldn’t keep the RS-GP behind him when they ran up the back straight.

Bagnaia had 0.7 in hand at the end of the first lap, by which time Bezzecchi had passed Miller for fifth, and the rookie was into fourth when he overtook Martin at the start of Lap 3. Miller then dropped from sixth to 10th on Lap 4 when he served his Long Lap Penalty for irresponsible riding in Q2, facing his own comeback.

On Lap 5 though, it was high drama at Turn 5 as the top two in the World Championship came together. Quartararo looked to make a move on Espargaro but dropped his Yamaha and slid into the Aprilia, no saving it. The Frenchman was last by the time he had remounted, and while Espargaro did well to stay upright and avoid a crash, he still plummeted to 15th and was facing one serious Sunday fight back from the gravel.

That left Bezzecchi in second, with Bagnaia’s advantage over the field out to 1.3 seconds and Martin holding third ahead of Binder. The South African was back to fifth when he was overtaken by Viñales as they ran through the Ossebroeken complex on Lap 10, however, with the number 12 on a charge.

A few laps later, De Strubben then bit Quartararo again – hard. The Frenchman had already dropped off the lead lap after a visit to the pits before he fell off for a second time once back out, highsiding on the exit of the slow left-hander. Thankfully, Quartararo got onto his feet and was given the all clear, having adding no injury to the insult of two crashes.

Meanwhile, Bagnaia continued to lead as Espargaro mounted his fightback. The Spaniard was already closing in on the battle for ninth between Zarco and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) when, a couple of positions ahead, Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was then given a Long Lap Penalty for exceeding track limits, promoting #41 to the top ten. And there was plenty more to come.

Virtually the only thing that hadn’t happened by that stage was rain, but it soon started falling as well. Rain flags and then the white flag, signalling that riders were allowed to change bikes, started to wave, but it never got heavy enough to force them to do so. Still, it made for a tricky period in the race, as Viñales passed Martin for third at the Geert Timmer Chicane on Lap 17, then both Binder and Miller overtook the Pramac rider on the next lap.

For the second weekend in a row, Miller was doing an admirable job of recovering from a Long Lap Penalty, passing Binder for fourth at the start of Lap 21 and wasting little time in closing up to Viñales as he sought consecutive podiums. He looked to have made the move at the Timmer Chicane at the end of Lap 25, but was in a bit too hot and had to bail out of it, which put him back under pressure from Binder.

Up ahead and free of all the mayhem, however, Bagnaia cruised to victory. He eased off at the end, with the winning margin officially only 0.444 seconds after 26 remarkable laps, but it never seriously looked in doubt. Bezzecchi sent the VR46 team into raptures with his first premier class podium, and Viñales was less than a second further back in third after escaping the clutches of Miller.

Aleix Espargaro, meanwhile, wasn’t done. The Aprilia rider had risen to sixth and that looked like an admirable salvage job, but then he divebombed Miller and Binder as they ran into the Timmer Chicane for the final time – and pulled it off with such perfection it’s a contender for move of the year, decade or maybe more.

Fourth snatched away, Brad Binder would take fifth, ahead of Miller, Martin, and Mir. Mir had a couple of close brushes after contact with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as they lined up on the grid before a clash with Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) once the race had actually started. Oliveira shed bodywork in that incident but still finished ninth, ahead of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Nakagami, Zarco, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) in the final points position.

Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) retired with arm pump, while Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) made it three YZR-M1 riders who crashed out of the contest as Yamaha leave the Cathedral pointless, echoing Honda at the Sachsenring.

Now though, the MotoGP™ paddock now has the summer break to catch its breath before Round 12. The Monster Energy British Grand Prix descends on Silverstone from the 5th to the 7th of August, and there’s absolutely everything to play for. Join us for more as MotoGP™ returns at full throttle!

MotoGP™ PODIUM

1 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – 40’25.205

2 Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – Ducati – +0.444

3 Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – +1.209

Francesco Bagnaia: “It felt long, very long. The first time I looked at how many laps were remaining, it was 24, so I’d just done two laps and it was too long. In any case, I’m so happy; so happy after two difficult races, when we were always competitive but without any results, so it’s incredible. I’m so happy, we did an incredible job. It wasn’t easy because, halfway through the race, it started raining a bit, and it was very scary, but finally I won here. That means to me that we are very good, we are strong.”

 

Augusto Fernandez (37). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Augusto Fernandez (37). Photo courtesy Dorna.

 

Fernandez takes vintage Assen victory ahead of Ogura and Dixon

146 Vietti, 146 Fernandez, 145 Ogura: the Moto2™ title fight tightens up ahead of summer break

The Moto2™ World Championship sits on a knife edge going into the summer break after Augusto Fernandez picked up his second win in a row, coming out on top in a true classic at the Motul TT Assen. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider is now equal on points with Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), who finished fourth, although the Italian leads as it stands thanks to more wins so far this season.

Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), meanwhile, sits just a point further back after hauling his way back from as low as 16th to claim second on the day, with polesitter Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) completing the podium.

It was as you were when the race got underway as far as the top two was concerned, with Dixon leading Inde GASGAS Aspar team-mate Albert Arenas into the first corner, but drama hit early for Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) as he ran well wide. Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyers Speed Up), however, had launched well from fifth on the grid before passing Arenas for second at De Strubben and then Dixon for first at Stekkenwal. Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) moved into third when he passed Arenas at the Geert Timmer Chicane on Lap 4, in what was something of a breakaway quartet at the head of the field.

However, Fernandez reeled them in and he gladly took fourth position when Arenas made a small error at De Strubben on Lap 5. Then, just up the road at De Bult, Schrötter picked off Dixon to move into second position and Arenas got back ahead of Fernandez, as home hero Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) lurked in sixth spot.

Arenas got back into the podium places when he overtook Dixon at the Timmer Chicane on Lap 7, before Schrötter hit the front for the first time when he got past Lopez as they ran down the back straight on Lap 8. Fernandez passed Dixon for fourth at De Strubben on Lap 9, before Lopez ceded second position to Arenas and third to Fernandez on a ragged 10th lap of the race.

Schrötter looked like he might finally break through for his first Grand Prix victory until disaster struck for the German on Lap 12, when he crashed out at De Strubben and handed the lead to Arenas. On Lap 13, Lopez re-passed Fernandez at the Timmer Chicane, but the German GP winner prised second position back from the man on the Boscoscuro on Lap 15.

Meanwhile, Vietti and Ogura, who started the race as the top two in the Championship, were closing in on the lead group as they battled over eighth position. Both were on a comeback after tough starts to the race, Vietti having only qualified 11th before finding himself even further away from the top 10 in the opening corners, and Ogura having two big rear end moments within the first handful of laps which had dumped the Japanese rider as far back as 16th.

Lopez dropped three positions to sixth when he ran wide exiting Haarbocht on Lap 16, promoting Dixon to the podium places again, as Vietti received a track limits warning. What would turn out to be the decisive lead change came on Lap 17 when Fernandez went underneath Arenas at De Strubben, while Bendsneyder sent the Dutch crowd wild when he passed Dixon for third just behind them. Unfortunately for the rider from Rotterdam, he undid his good work with a slow run off the Timmer Chicane at the end of the lap. He was picked off by not only Dixon, but also Cameron Beaubier (American Racing), who got ahead of both of them.

Dixon re-passed Beaubier moments later at De Strubben, and signalled to the American that they should work together to catch the top two of Fernandez and Arenas, who had taken advantage of the battle for third place to skip several tenths of a second clear. They did just that, as Ogura finally moved back into the top five with a pass on Bendsneyder at the start of Lap 19, which opened the door for Vietti to follow him through.

Ogura’s progress continued when he got through on Beaubier at De Strubben on Lap 20, while Dixon took second place from Arenas at the Timmer Chicane on that same lap. At the start of Lap 21, Beaubier crashed out of fifth position as he came under big pressure from Vietti, and Ogura was then into the top three – 13 positions higher than he had been when he nearly got chucked off his bike for the second time – by passing Arenas.

The Japanese rider went down the inside of Dixon for second position as they turned into Haarbocht on Lap 22, and Arenas got back in front of the Briton at the Timmer Chicane. Dixon got him back at the start of Lap 23, though, and Arenas was out of the race altogether when he dropped it at De Bult. That crash promoted Vietti to fourth, behind a top three of Fernandez, Ogura, and Dixon, and that is how they would finish – all within a second of each other – after an astonishing Dutch GP for the Moto2™ field.

Bendsneyder claimed fifth on home soil and Lopez, who had started to become somewhat ragged, got home in sixth, ahead of Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team), and Filip Salac (Gresini Racing Moto2™).

Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up), Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40), Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Jeremy Alcoba (Liwui Moly Intact GP), and Barry Baltus (RW Racing GP) completed the points. Lowes was notable among the non-finishers, crashing out altogether on only Lap 4.

That’s it for another thrilling Assen weekend for the Moto2™ field. After the summer break, we’re back in action at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix, so join us at Silverstone for more!

Moto2™ PODIUM

1 Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – Kalex – 39’07.133

2 Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) – Kalex – +0.660

3 Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) – Kalex – +0.725

Augusto Fernandez: “It was a really hard race, I really enjoyed that one but it was tough at the beginning to overtake those guys, we were a big group and it was very difficult to pull away, so I decided to stay in the group and wait for my moment to come, and yeah, in the end, step-by-step I was overtaking rider-by-rider, without getting any stress and in the end when I found myself in first position I tried to make my pace. I made a couple mistakes in the first laps when I was leading. There was some wind in sector 4 so it was easy to make mistakes, but once I knew the pace I could do I put some good laps in a row and it was enough!”

 

Ayumu Sasaki (71) won the Moto3 race at Assen. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Ayumu Sasaki (71) won the Moto3 race at Assen. Photo courtesy Dorna.

 

Sasaki becomes a Grand Prix winner with Assen masterclass

The Japanese rider takes to the top step for the first time as Guevara and Garcia complete the podium to tighten the standings even further

Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) is now a Grand Prix winner! The Japanese rider put in an impressive performance to come out on top in a classic Moto3™ showdown at the Motul TT Assen, taking the win ahead of Izan Guevara (GASGAS Aspar Team) and Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Aspar Team). Some drama hit for Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) as he crashed out, and Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) likewise after the number 5 suffered contact on the final lap.

Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) nabbed the holeshot ahead of a fast-starting David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports), only just edging the Spaniard out into Turn 1. But Sasaki was quick to take back over at the front and Guevara quick to follow into second as the classic Moto3™ freight train began. However, a smaller group was initially able to break away – and then the first drama hit for Foggia as he was given a Long Lap for a shortcut at the final chicane.

That dropped him back into the chasing group, where Garcia was already tucked in trying to push forward, along with John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max). And the Brit and his fellow veterans got the job done, bridging the gap to make another freight train. That created another classic fight at the front, and then the second drama hit for Foggia. A brush with Muñoz sent the Leopard rider wide, and he was unsettled on the kerb before crashing out.

The chopping and changing continued, but Sasaki led onto the last lap, with Suzuki shadowing and Masia into third as Guevara got shuffled back. Suzuki struck briefly but the number 71 hit back, but then huge drama hit the final lap. Muñoz went for an optimistic for a move on Masia and instead, skittled the number 5 out – earning himself a Long Lap for Silverstone – and McPhee crashed just behind in his own incident.

At the front, Sasaki was clear as Guevara and Suzuki went toe-to-toe, with Garcia able to close up too. By the final chicane, Sasaki had just enough room to cross the line for his first Grand Prix win, and Guevara muscled through on Suzuki. Garcia then attacked the Japanese rider to gas it past on the left, the Championship leader retaining that moniker by just 0.007.

Sasaki becomes a Grand Prix winner, Guevara cuts the gap to just three points off the top and Garcia takes yet another podium under increasing pressure, with Suzuki just left out of the party.

Xavier Artigas (CFMoto PrüstelGP) completed the top five with a slightly under the radar but impressive ride, the last rider in the front group who saw the flag after the last lap drama.

Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) overcame a Long Lap given for crashing under yellows in practice to take sixth, just heading the second group ahead of Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team). There were a few more tenths back to Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI), who just beat Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power). With ninth, Öncü retains his record as the only rider in Moto3™ to score in every race so far this year.

Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) and Lorenzo Fellon (SIC58 Squadra Corse) were next up, ahead of Carlos Tatay (CFMoto PrüstelGP) classified 14th after two Long Laps from Germany and a three-second penalty for track limits. Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) completed the points after a Long Lap and a double Long Lap after failing to comply with the first.

It’s just three points in it as Moto3™ heads into the summer break and then Silverstone, with the GASGAS duo looking like they’re going to remain the riders to beat. But can Sasaki continue his form at the British GP? We’ll find out in a few weeks!

Moto3™ PODIUM

1 Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) – Husqvarna – 37’28.371

2 Izan Guevara (GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – +0.314

3 Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – +0.392

Ayumu Sasaki: “It took a long time, a lot of time training. Every day sacrificing and finally I get to win the race, it’s amazing. This year has been difficult with injury but we came back very strong. The bike was very good, everything was perfect today. I saved my tyre very well today behind Izan and the last three laps I tried to go in the front because I had great pace.

“Finally to win the race is unbelievable. I want to say thanks to everyone ho supports me, to my family, I haven’t seen them in a while, my family, and now I can bring back the winning trophy with me so it’s good. Now into the summer break and hopefully second part of the season will be better than the first part of the season.”

Moto2: World Championship Race Results From Assen

David Swarts
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Moto2: World Championship Race Results From Assen
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 Moto2 Points

Moto3: World Championship Race Results From Assen

David Swarts
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Moto3: World Championship Race Results From Assen
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MotoAmerica: Medallia Superbike Race Two Results From Ridge (Updated)

Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by David Swarts.
Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by David Swarts.
22_6_RIDGE_SBK_R2_res_REVISED
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More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Gagne Completes Perfect Weekend At Ridge Motorsports Park

Jake Gagne Moves To Second In Championship With Fifth Win Of The Year

 

Jake Gagne (1) leads Cameron Petersen (45), Danilo Petrucci (9), and Mathew Scholtz (11) early in Superbike Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Jake Gagne (1) leads Cameron Petersen (45), Danilo Petrucci (9), and Mathew Scholtz (11) early in MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.

 

SHELTON, WA (June 26, 2022) – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne had a perfect weekend in the Pacific Northwest, the defending MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Champion breaking the lap record at Ridge Motorsports Park while qualifying on pole position, and then winning both Superbike races over the course of the Dynapac MotoAmerica Superbikes At The Ridge weekend.

If his rivals weren’t already worried, they should be now. Gagne looks to be on the verge of going on a roll like he did during his 17-victory, championship-winning season of 2021. Although a rough start to the 2022 season means Gagne only has six podium finishes in the 10 races held thus far, five of those podiums have been victories.

With five rounds (10 races) in the books, Gagne has now closed to within 11 points of championship leader Danilo Petrucci, the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 R-mounted Italian earning his second podium of the weekend on Sunday at Ridge with a second-place finish to Gagne.

Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen also had a solid weekend with two podium finishes, the South African splitting second- and third-place finishes with Petrucci.

In typical Gagne fashion, the Colorado resident stormed off to a flying start, put his head down for the first five laps to open a gap on his pursuers and then maintained that lead for the duration of the 16-lap race. At the finish line, Gagne was 4.578 seconds clear of Petrucci, who in turn was just a second ahead of Petersen. The win was the 22nd AMA Superbike victory of Gagne’s career, all of which have come in the MotoAmerica era.

Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz matched his fourth-place finish from Saturday with another fourth on Sunday, the South African losing his hold on second in the title chase to Gagne after holding it for the first nine races.

Fifth for the second day in a row was Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera, the Spaniard beating Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante by just .171 of a second. Those two were well clear of Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim who barely got the better of his Yuasa Stock 1000 Championship rival Corey Alexander and his Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing BMW M 1000 RR.

Tytlers Cycle’s PJ Jacobsen was a lonely ninth with David Anthony riding the injured Jake Lewis’s Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki to 10th.

For the first time all year, Aftercare Hayes Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates failed to score a point with the Georgian crashing out of the race for his first DNF. Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Travis Wyman was another who crashed out of the race.

Petrucci leads Gagne by 11, 176-165, after 10 races. Scholtz is third with 159 points, 20 better than Petersen. Barbera rounds out the top five in the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike point standings with 101 points.

Jake Gagne – Winner

“It was a good weekend. I’ve always liked this track. It’s really technical, lots of ups and downs. We’ve had a lot of great weekends, but this is one of those tracks that really suits the Yamaha, for sure. After yesterday and all those red flags, it was kind of crazy, got off to a bunch of good starts. Today I knew these guys… everybody stepped it up and had a little more pace in them today than yesterday. So, I knew if I could lead into turn one, I had to push as hard as I could for four or five laps and see if I could have a gap or not. Luckily, I was able to have some clean laps and kind of get a gap. It was a fun race. Kind of flew by pretty quick. I knew those guys were probably battling hard back there. I’m happy to be back on track. I think the first couple races were tough on us. There were some things that we finally figured out with the front end of the motorcycle that I finally feel comfortable on now. So, just hats off to the crew because they just don’t stop working hard. We keep making progress. We know we’ve got to because these guys are making progress every weekend as well.”

Danilo Petrucci – Second Place

“I can be happy, for sure. I hoped before the race to have a better start and stay with Jake (Gagne), but I had a quite good start, but Jake and Cameron (Petersen) were better than me. I tried my best. At the beginning I was not really good. Then I tried to manage all the chattering, all the issues with the bike. For sure, it’s been really, really tough weekend. It started quite good in FP1, but at the end of FP1, our problems began. We miss a lot of confidence because we have these kinds of issues with the electronics side that cover my feeling. We are investigating why. But it’s not an excuse. Jake today was unbelievably fast, another level. Big congrats to him and also to Cam. I passed him (Petersen) and I knew I wasn’t able to close the gap with Jake, so I tried to defend my position. Happy to go away with two podiums. Cannot wait to go to Laguna, even if my last time was 2013 with MotoGP. Like another era. Happy to be here.”

Cameron Petersen – Third Place

“It was a rough race, honestly. I could tell Jake (Gagne), even getting ready in the riders’ lounge and stuff, I knew he was going to drop the hammer and have something a little bit different for us today. So, I tried the first few laps, but, honestly, he was just on another level. It was a really tough race. Not making excuses or anything, but about six or seven laps into the race I developed a chatter that I haven’t had all weekend. So, tried to ride around that. I was just really struggling to get into corners and turn the bike through some of the longer stuff. But regardless, we’re walking away from the Ridge with two podiums, a second and third, so I’ll take it. Honestly, I believe it’s only up from here. Just doing good work with the team. I’m learning so much from Jake. I’m having so much fun. Looking forward to the rest of the season.”

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:

Danilo Petrucci Puts It On The Box In The Sweltering Washington Heat

Petrucci keeps his championship lead after carding a third and second on the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 SBK

 

Danilo Petrucci (9). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Danilo Petrucci (9). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.

 

Sunnyvale, Calif., June 26, 2022 – Despite several setbacks in the boiling heat of Washington State, Danilo Petrucci showed his mettle by staying on top of the points standings for the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship after taking a third and second place finishes.

On the Italian’s first visit to the undulating 2.5-mile circuit nestled between the pine trees of Shelton, Washington, Petrucci’s third place in race one came after two red flag disruptions. Given Petrucci suffered a technical issue on Friday which curtailed much of his riding for the day, he and the team were happy with the race one result and went into Sunday’s race two determined to close the gap to the factory Yamahas.

A race-long battle with Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen ensued, Petrucci eventually getting the better of the South African to take second place.

With a week off before the next round at Laguna Seca on July 8-10, Petrucci will take rest and come back strong, determined to build on his now 11-point championship lead over Gagne.

2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Top Five

P1 – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 176

P2 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 165

P3 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 159

P4 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha) 139

P5 – Hector Barbera (BMW) 101

Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9): “It has been a tough weekend,” Petrucci said. “I am happy I am still leading the championship but for sure, we need to focus because now we start from zero (at Laguna Seca) as we are more or less the same points as Jake, who is riding very well. It’s a long time ago that I last won a race in Road Atlanta, and we need to recover that speed so we can continue to fight for the championship.”

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:

Two Fours For The Double-One At Ridge Motorsports Park

 

Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.

 

Shelton, WA – June 26, 2022 – Mathew Scholtz, rider of the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, followed up his fourth-place finish in Saturday’s MotoAmerica Superbike race one with another fourth-place result in Sunday’s race two.

Finishing just off the podium in both races would be considered a pretty good weekend for most MotoAmerica Superbike teams, but it was cold comfort for Mathew and Westby Racing. They came into the weekend in second place and just 10 points behind the championship leader, but they leave the Pacific Northwest in third place and now 17 points behind the championship leader.

For whatever reason, Ridge Motorsports Park has always been a tough track for Mathew. In the three years that MotoAmerica has been going there, he’s finished second once, fourth a total of four times, and fifth once. All top-five results, but for a rider and team of Mathew’s and Westby Racing’s caliber, Ridge has been an annual challenge.

On Sunday, Mathew got a good jump off the line from fifth position, in the middle of the second row, and he overtook Hector Barbera and slotted into fourth behind Danilo Petrucci in short fashion. As the laps wound down, Mathew’s race pace closed the gap on the frontrunners, but there just weren’t enough laps left for him to improve his position.

“Another fourth place obviously wasn’t what we were looking for,” Mathew lamented. “But Ridge has always been the worst track for us as a team and for me as a rider. Yesterday’s race, we got fourth, but we weren’t even close. Today, we were fourth again, but we improved our race pace by almost a second every lap. We managed to close in on the battle for second in the latter half of the race. Overall, I think you could call it a positive day, but two fourths are not what we want or need. We most certainly have the package to be battling up front. If you had told me at the beginning of the season that, at Ridge, we would get two fourths, I would have taken it. But, considering how well everything has gone so far this year, it’s obviously a disappointment. We’ve got Vitto (Bolognesi) as our data person now, and this is our first race weekend with him, so we need to give him time to figure things out. Overall, it puts us in a really good spot for the rest of the season. The tracks we go to for the second half of the season really suit me, so I’m looking forward to those. Thank you to my Westby Racing team for working hard this weekend, and let’s get ready for Laguna.”

The Westby Racing team will be back in action for round six of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which takes place at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, on July 8 through 10.
 

MotoAmerica Superbike Standings

1. Danilo Petrucci – Ducati – 176

2. Jake Gagne – Yamaha – 165

3. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 159

4. Cameron Petersen – Yamaha – 139

5. Hector Barbera – BMW – 101

For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com

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

MotoAmerica: Supersport Race Two Results From Ridge (Updated)

Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by David Swarts.
Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by David Swarts.
22_6_RIDGE_SSP_R2_res
 22_6_RIDGE_SSP_PTS_points

 

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Kayla Yaakov Makes History With Victory At Ridge Motorsports Park

15-Year-Old Yaakov Becomes First Female To Win A MotoAmerica Race
 

SHELTON, WA (June 26, 2022) – Anthony Mazziotto, Josh Herrin and Corey Alexander completed perfect weekends at Ridge Motorsports Park on Sunday with victories in Twins Cup, Supersport and Yuasa Stock 1000, respectively, but it was Kayla Yaakov who made history on a scorching hot day in the Pacific Northwest.

Yaakov became the first female racer to win a MotoAmerica race on Sunday when she stormed to victory in the SporbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race, leading the majority of the laps, including the only one that really mattered. The victory came just days after the Pennsylvanian celebrated her 15th birthday and it was a popular victory that was embraced by everyone in the MotoAmerica paddock.

Yuasa Stock 1000 – Alexander Perfect

 

The grid at the start of Stock 1000 Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
The grid at the start of Stock 1000 Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.

 

In Sunday’s Yuasa Stock 1000 race two, Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing BMW rider Corey Alexander followed up his Saturday race one victory with another win. In fact, Corey is undefeated at Ridge. The New Yorker has won every Stock 1000 race at the Pacific Northwest track since MotoAmerica started racing at Ridge in 2020.

Alexander withstood a challenge from Hayden Gillim, who made an attempt to overtake Alexander, but ran out of track and had to take to the grass, which ruined his chance at a podium. Instead, it was a 1-2 finish for Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing BMW with Alexander’s teammate Travis Wyman. Local rider Andy DiBrino finished third, the Precision Iron Works/DiBrino Racing Kawasaki rider notching his second MotoAmerica podium in as many days.

“Unfortunately, it’s a bummer that (Gillim) ran off like that, but it is good for us in the points standings,” Alexander said. “I’m honestly trying not to focus too much on that. Two rounds ago I’m like, ‘I’m out of this thing. I’m just going to go out and have fun and try to win races.’ That’s literally all we focused on, and we’re back in the points lead, which is pretty surreal. Moving forward, I just want to keep doing the same thing. I just want to keep pushing the envelope and trying to win more races. If we win more races, then the championship will come. Really excited to be up here with Travis again. That’s our goal. We want to be one and two every weekend, whether it’s him or I. Everyone puts a lot of effort into this team. It’s a big structure, for sure.”

Twins Cup – Mazziotto Perfecto

 

Anthony Mazziotto (516) won the Twins Cup final for the second day in a row with a victory over Hayden Schultz (49) and Cody Wyman (34). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Anthony Mazziotto (516) won the Twins Cup final for the second day in a row with a victory over Hayden Schultz (49) and Cody Wyman (34). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.

 

Rodio Racing/HSBK Racing Aprilia rider Anthony Mazziotto is from New Jersey, but his weekend in the Pacific Northwest couldn’t have gone better. First, he earned the pole position and the high-dollar timepiece that came from Wilbur Watch Company for being the fastest qualifier in the Twins Cup class. He then followed that up with a win in Saturday’s race one and capped things off with the win on Sunday, as well. Second place went to Cycle Tech Yamaha rider Hayden Schultz, who improved by one position from his third-place result on Saturday. Third on Sunday went to Alpha Omega rider Cody Wyman.

“I knew the last lap was the lap that I wanted to make the pass on, I just wasn’t sure what corner I wanted to do it in,” said Mazziotto. “I got a good run-on Hayden coming up the blind kink coming into that real sharp left-hander. He covered that really tight, and I couldn’t get in there. Chopped my wheel off a little bit, so I had to slam on the binders a little hard. But then I knew coming out of that corner it was either up in the corkscrew or that was it. That was my last shot. He actually pulled a little bit of a gap on me since I got a bad drive out of that corner that he cut my nose off on. I just hammered down the throttle and just went really, really deep into that corkscrew. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I was going to get it stopped. I started folding the front there at the apex and almost went up onto the curb. I heard him coming around the outside of me, so I knew I just had to keep it tight through the last two corners and maybe I was going to have it at the line. It turned out that way. Couldn’t get the drive out of the last corner, and we were able to hold onto it.”

SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup – Yaakov Makes History

 

Kayla Yaakov (31) became the first female to win a MotoAmerica race when she took victory in Sunday's SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Kayla Yaakov (31) became the first female to win a MotoAmerica race when she took victory in Sunday’s SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.

 

History was made in Sunday’s SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race as Altus Motorsports Kawasaki rider Kayla Yaakov became the first female rider in history to win a MotoAmerica race. Yaakov, who turned just 15 years old on Friday, had been knocking on the door of a victory for the past few rounds, and she had recorded four third place finishes so far this season. And then, in Sunday’s race two, after leading the morning warmup, Yaakov got her breakthrough win.

Second place went to SportbikeTrackGear.com Kawasaki rider Joseph LiMandri Jr., who was battling a respiratory infection but managed to get through the weekend and notched two podium finishes in the process. Rodio Racing/HSBK Racing Kawasaki rider Gus Rodio finished third as a follow-up to his win on Sunday.

“Since Atlanta, it’s been a big thing, even before Atlanta, even before I started really racing, this is where I wanted to be.” Said Yaakov. “To do it is really cool. This is crazy. It’s actually really cool to be up here with these guys because I’ve raced with them both. We all started around the same time, and it’s really cool.”

Supersport – Herrin Again

 

Josh Herrin (2) leads Tyler Scott (70), Sam Lochoff (44), and Kevin Olmedo (16) in the Supersport race on Sunday at Ridge. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Josh Herrin (2) leads Tyler Scott (70), Sam Lochoff (44), and Kevin Olmedo (16) in the Supersport race on Sunday at Ridge. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.

 

Like Corey Alexander in Stock 1000 and Anthony Mazziotto in Twins Cup, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider Josh Herrin also had a perfect weekend at Ridge. Herrin earned the pole, won Saturday’s race one and also won Sunday’s race two. It was a dominant victory for Herrin, who crossed the finish line more than six seconds ahead of second-place finisher Tyler Scott aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki. N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha rider Kevin Olmedo finished third for his first podium result so far this season.

“It’s pretty unbelievable how good this bike is,” Herrin said. “We’ve never turned any laps at any of these tracks on this motorcycle. The guys work really hard behind the scenes, even at Ducati Corse over in Italy just trying to compare V4 data from last year to this year to try and help us with gearing choices and things like that. It’s huge. We have guys from Ducati Corse flying in every weekend from Italy, which is insane. Just a huge shout out to those guys. It obviously wouldn’t work without them and the rest of my crew really working hard. I’m just happy to be able to get these wins. Road America, we knew going into it, it was a really tough weekend. We knew we were going to struggle there. These next two coming up are tracks that I really like and also tracks that I think will favor the V2. I’m really excited to go to Laguna. We’re doing a special livery for Medallia there, so it will be a really cool all-black bike that weekend. Just having fun. Like I said at the beginning of the year, this team has really allowed me to be myself, which is huge in my opinion for anybody. It’s hard going up to do your job, especially when there’s as much pressure as there is on all these guys to perform well, and they do a really good job at making me feel like I’m just spinning laps at a cart track or something. Just a huge shout out to everybody. Looking forward to going to Laguna and seeing a bunch of friends and family.”

North American Talent Cup – Di Mario Doubles

The North America Talent Cup was in action this weekend, and they had race two races, with one on Saturday and the second one on Sunday. The spec race series features young road racers aboard identically prepared Aprilia RS250 motorcycles.

Both races were won by B&M American Racing team’s Alessandro Di Mario, who dominated each event by more than three seconds over his closest competition. Second place in race one went to Mini Cup by Motul Championship regular Chris Clark, while fellow Mini Cupper Logan Cunnison was third.

Second place in race two went to Jesse James Shedden, who is also a Mini Cup veteran, and once again, Cunnison was third.

 

 

 

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

TYLER SCOTT AND VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI SCORE ANOTHER PODIUM IN WASHINGTON

The GSX-R750 Continues to Add Trophies to this Season

BREA, Calif., June 26, 2022 — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer closed out the Ridge Motorsports Park weekend of the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season by adding another podium to its season tally.

While it was Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sam Lochoff who did the honors on Saturday, 16-year-old Tyler Scott took his turn in the spotlight in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Supersport contest.

Scott leaped to an early lead aboard his Suzuki GSX-R750 before settling into a race-long defense of second position. Despite facing heavy pressure on his rear wheel throughout the race, Scott kept his head and protected his racing line like a crafty veteran.

 

With another podium for Tyler Scott (70), he is looking to carry the momentum to Laguna Seca. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
With another podium for Tyler Scott (70), he is looking to carry
the momentum to Laguna Seca. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.

 

Demonstrating racecraft beyond his years, Scott managed to keep his rival corralled behind him to the checkered flag. The runner-up result was the rising star’s fourth podium finish of his rookie Supersport season.

Scott said, “All weekend we’ve been challenged with some handling issues, but we finally figured it out on the last day and made it count for the podium. I knew I had an aggressive rider on my back wheel. If I gave him an opportunity, he would have put a pass in there. The last five laps, I just put my head down and tried to keep 100% the best pace I could go.”

 

After a tough Race 2, Sam Lochoff (44) is ready to heal up before the upcoming round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
After a tough Race 2, Sam Lochoff (44) is ready to heal up before
the upcoming round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.

 

Unfortunately, the day wasn’t nearly so kind to Lochoff. The South African, already suffering from a painful broken ankle, crashed while running in fifth early. He remounted and returned to the pits for a quick check and adjustment before returning to the fray. Lochoff was awarded a championship point for his gritty effort with a 15th-place result.

 

Liam Grant (90) continues to gain confidence on his GSX-R750 with a career-best sixth place. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Liam Grant (90) continues to gain confidence on his GSX-R750
with a career-best sixth place. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.

 

Third Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Supersport ace Liam Grant stepped up to fill the void. The up-and-coming rider earned sixth – his best Supersport result yet – as he continues to build confidence and speed in his rookie campaign.

Meanwhile, the squad’s MotoAmerica Superbike duo scooped a pair of top-ten finishes aboard their GSX-R1000Rs as well on Sunday. Richie Escalante made good on his impressive pace at the undulating circuit with a solid sixth-place performance. The premier-class rookie made a bid for a top-five, but ultimately fell just 0.171 seconds short at the flag.

Escalante said, “To be honest, I am very happy with this weekend. Road America was very difficult for me, but I trained hard and was eager to get back on the bike at the Ridge, which I feel is easier for me to get up to speed.

 

After a sixth-place finish, Richie Escalante (54) is continuing to make strides aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
After a sixth-place finish, Richie Escalante (54) is continuing to make strides
aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.

 

“I felt strong on Friday and was going well on Saturday until I had the crash. Thankfully, my body was okay and the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team worked hard to get me back in the race and we were able to get tenth. The race on Sunday felt great; I was in a competitive fight for position throughout, and I feel like we made a lot of progress. I know the areas where I need to improve and I am looking forward to Laguna Seca.”

With Jake Lewis unable to ride after suffering a broken thumb, bruised hip, and banged up elbow in Saturday’s fall, Team Hammer test rider David Anthony filled in as a substitute. The Australian proceeded to put forth a steady effort to collect a tenth-place finish for the team.

Team Hammer will next head to Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California on
July 8-10.

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 340 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 Ducati North America:

Double Delight For Josh Herrin at The Ridge

The man in red put the torch to the opposition between the pine trees in MotoAmerica Supersport

 

Josh Herrin (2) leads Tyler Scott (70), Sam Lochoff (44), and Kevin Olmedo (16) during Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Josh Herrin (2) leads Tyler Scott (70), Sam Lochoff (44), and Kevin Olmedo (16) during Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.

 

Sunnyvale, Calif., June 26, 2022 – Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) completed a near perfect weekend at the undulating 2.5-mile venue of The Ridge in Washington State, sweeping both races for the second time this year on the Ducati Panigale V2.

Herrin’s first race saw the Californian resident wrestle the lead on lap three from Suzuki’s Tyler Scott, easing away to a comfortable 2.5-second win over Yamaha’s Rocco Landers and Suzuki’s Sam Lochoff.

If that wasn’t enough, Herrin came back for seconds in the sweltering heat on Sunday by blasting the field to record a crushing 6.3-second victory over Scott and Yamaha’s Kevin Olmedo. Herrin at times looked like he was just out for a Sunday cruise, and his wins gave him a perfect 50 points to increase his lead at the top of the standings to a massive 69 points heading into the next round at Laguna Seca on July 8-10.

2022 MotoAmerica Supersport – Top 5

P1 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 174

P2 – Rocco Landers (Yamaha) 106

P3 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 103

P4 – Kevin Olmedo (Yamaha) 88

P5 – Samuel Lochoff (Suzuki) 83

Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC): “Two wins this weekend, so I’m super happy with how everything went,” Herrin said. “We had a feeling that the Ducati Panigale V2 would work well around this track, and we were right—it has been near perfect all weekend. Our race pace was fast, and we could get a gap in both races and pull away. This is something that hasn’t happened many times in my career, so I was happy to stay consistent and make the most of it. The team worked hard all weekend, so thanks to them and thank you also to Ducati for making this Panigale V2 such a fun bike to ride.”

Northern Talent Cup: Schneider Wins, Moor Crashes In Race 2 At Assen (Updated)

The start of Northern Talent Cup Race Two at Assen. Photo courtesy Dorna.
The start of Northern Talent Cup Race Two at Assen in 2022. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Session for NED NTC RAC2_220628_212342
 NTC_2022_NED_Race_2_Championship_Classification_after_Round_4

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Schneider claims debut win as Moor crashes on final lap

The title leader crashed unhurt at Turn 15 while battling for the win; Varga and Vincze stand on the rostrum

Dustin Schneider (Goblin Racing) is a Northern Talent Cup winner after coming out on top of another thriller at the TT Circuit Assen, as a last lap fight for victory saw Rossi Moor (Farium Next Generation Riders) crash unhurt at Turn 15 – the same corner he won Race 1 at 24 hours prior. Tibor Varga (Forty Racing) claimed P2 for his second podium of the weekend, as Martin Vincze (Chrobak Motorsport Egyesület) climbed onto the box for the first time this season.

Home heroes Jurrien van Crugten (BB64 Academy) and Loris Veneman (Team NL Open Line) started from pole and P2 once again and just as we saw in Race 1, we were treated to an absolute stunner. Moor took no take in taking the lead from P4 on the grid, but the lead was changing lap after lap in Assen, no one able to break clear of the slipstream.

Heading into the closing stages, the top 12 riders were split by little over a second. It was as close as it could possibly be but Moor, at the beginning of the final lap, had a bit of breathing space. 0.6s was the Hungarian’s advantage but that was soon gone. The run out of Turn 11 all the way through to the Geert Timmer Chicane was where it came down to, as drama unfolded.

Moor was on the outside line as both Schneider and Varga slipped up the inside. Moor touched the curb on the outside of Turn 15, and this caused the number 92 to crash out of contention. Thankfully the title leader was perfectly alright as we saw Schneider negotiate the final chicane and cross the line as a winner in the NTC for the first time, the German leading home Varga and Vincze.

Lenoxx Phommara (Team Phommara) finished fourth for the second time this weekend, 0.3s from the win, as Veneman bounced back from his Race 1 disappointment to claim P5 on home turf. Sixth went to van Crugten, as Valentino Herrlich (Busch und Wagner Racing Team), Matteo Masili (Farium Next Generation Riders), second in the Cup Kevin Farkas (Agria Racing Team) and Noa Cuypers (Junior Black Knights) completed the top 10.

Next up for the NTC riders and teams is a trip to the Czech Republic at the end of July, as they join the WorldSBK paddock in Most for Round 5 of the season.

MotoAmerica: SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Race Two Results From Ridge

Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by David Swarts.
Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by David Swarts.
22_6_RIDGE_JRC_R2_res
 22_6_RIDGE_JRC_PTS_points

MotoAmerica: Twins Cup Race Two Results From Ridge

Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by David Swarts.
Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by David Swarts.
22_6_RIDGE_TWN_R2_res
 22_6_RIDGE_TWN_PTS_points

MotoAmerica: Yuasa Stock 1000 Race Two Results From Ridge

Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by David Swarts.
Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by David Swarts.
22_6_RIDGE_STK_R2_res
 22_6_RIDGE_STK_PTS_points

MotoAmerica: Anthony To Replace Injured Lewis Sunday At Ridge

Jake Lewis (85). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Jake Lewis (85). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Veteran David Anthony will replace injured Jake Lewis on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000 in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two at Ridge Motorsports Park.

Lewis broke his left thumb and suffered other, less serious injuries when he crashed early in Medallia Superbike Race One Saturday.

Lewis’ full prognosis and recovery time was not known at post time.

We will post more information as it becomes available.

MotoGP: World Championship Race Results From Assen (Updated)

TT Circuit Assen. Photo courtesy Michelin.
TT Circuit Assen. Photo courtesy Michelin.
MotoGP Race
 MotoGP Points

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by FIM and Dorna:

Incident between MotoGP™ riders #20 and #41

During the MotoGP™ race at the Motul TT Assen, an incident between #20 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and #41 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) saw rider #20 crash and make contact with #41 at Turn 5.

The FIM MotoGP™ Stewards panel deemed Quartararo was overly ambitious in attempting to overtake A Espargaro. #20 was not in a position to successfully complete the move and subsequently crashed, causing contact with #41 and forcing him to run wide.

The avoiding action undertaken by A Espargaro allowed him to avoid crashing and rejoin. Nevertheless, his race was severely impacted.

Quartararo has been given a Long Lap penalty to be served in the MotoGP™ race at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix.

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Game on: Bagnaia up, Quartararo down after Championship shift at Assen

Quartararo crashes, Aleix Espargaro fights back, Bezzecchi takes a maiden podium and Viñales returns to the rostrum behind a 25-point haul for Bagnaia

 

Francesco Baganaia (63) leads Marco Bezzecchi (72) to the checkered flag at Assen. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Francesco Baganaia (63) leads Marco Bezzecchi (72) to the checkered flag at Assen. Photo courtesy Dorna.

 

Sunday, 26 June 2022

Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia blasted back into serious MotoGP™ title contention with victory in a wild Motul TT Assen. World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) clashed with his nearest rival in the points table, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), early on and crashed out – and the incident also left Espargaro down in P15 and facing a fight back. But fight back he did and that as Quartararo crashed again later in the race, the Frenchman ultimately taking home a nil points and a Long Lap penalty for the Monster Energy British Grand Prix after summer break for the overly ambitious move.

Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) put in a stunner to follow Bagnaia home with some breathing space and take his first premier class podium, with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) shooting up from P11 on the grid to third, visiting parc ferme with Aprilia for the first time. And did we mention Aleix Espargaro’s 2-for-1 on Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) at the final chicane for fourth?!

Rewinding to before all that, Bagnaia launched well and led the field into the first corner, while Quartararo briefly dropped back to fourth when he ran wide as he tried to go with the pole-sitter. He quickly re-passed Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and also went down the inside of Espargaro at De Strubben, but then couldn’t keep the RS-GP behind him when they ran up the back straight.

Bagnaia had 0.7 in hand at the end of the first lap, by which time Bezzecchi had passed Miller for fifth, and the rookie was into fourth when he overtook Martin at the start of Lap 3. Miller then dropped from sixth to 10th on Lap 4 when he served his Long Lap Penalty for irresponsible riding in Q2, facing his own comeback.

On Lap 5 though, it was high drama at Turn 5 as the top two in the World Championship came together. Quartararo looked to make a move on Espargaro but dropped his Yamaha and slid into the Aprilia, no saving it. The Frenchman was last by the time he had remounted, and while Espargaro did well to stay upright and avoid a crash, he still plummeted to 15th and was facing one serious Sunday fight back from the gravel.

That left Bezzecchi in second, with Bagnaia’s advantage over the field out to 1.3 seconds and Martin holding third ahead of Binder. The South African was back to fifth when he was overtaken by Viñales as they ran through the Ossebroeken complex on Lap 10, however, with the number 12 on a charge.

A few laps later, De Strubben then bit Quartararo again – hard. The Frenchman had already dropped off the lead lap after a visit to the pits before he fell off for a second time once back out, highsiding on the exit of the slow left-hander. Thankfully, Quartararo got onto his feet and was given the all clear, having adding no injury to the insult of two crashes.

Meanwhile, Bagnaia continued to lead as Espargaro mounted his fightback. The Spaniard was already closing in on the battle for ninth between Zarco and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) when, a couple of positions ahead, Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was then given a Long Lap Penalty for exceeding track limits, promoting #41 to the top ten. And there was plenty more to come.

Virtually the only thing that hadn’t happened by that stage was rain, but it soon started falling as well. Rain flags and then the white flag, signalling that riders were allowed to change bikes, started to wave, but it never got heavy enough to force them to do so. Still, it made for a tricky period in the race, as Viñales passed Martin for third at the Geert Timmer Chicane on Lap 17, then both Binder and Miller overtook the Pramac rider on the next lap.

For the second weekend in a row, Miller was doing an admirable job of recovering from a Long Lap Penalty, passing Binder for fourth at the start of Lap 21 and wasting little time in closing up to Viñales as he sought consecutive podiums. He looked to have made the move at the Timmer Chicane at the end of Lap 25, but was in a bit too hot and had to bail out of it, which put him back under pressure from Binder.

Up ahead and free of all the mayhem, however, Bagnaia cruised to victory. He eased off at the end, with the winning margin officially only 0.444 seconds after 26 remarkable laps, but it never seriously looked in doubt. Bezzecchi sent the VR46 team into raptures with his first premier class podium, and Viñales was less than a second further back in third after escaping the clutches of Miller.

Aleix Espargaro, meanwhile, wasn’t done. The Aprilia rider had risen to sixth and that looked like an admirable salvage job, but then he divebombed Miller and Binder as they ran into the Timmer Chicane for the final time – and pulled it off with such perfection it’s a contender for move of the year, decade or maybe more.

Fourth snatched away, Brad Binder would take fifth, ahead of Miller, Martin, and Mir. Mir had a couple of close brushes after contact with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as they lined up on the grid before a clash with Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) once the race had actually started. Oliveira shed bodywork in that incident but still finished ninth, ahead of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Nakagami, Zarco, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) in the final points position.

Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) retired with arm pump, while Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) made it three YZR-M1 riders who crashed out of the contest as Yamaha leave the Cathedral pointless, echoing Honda at the Sachsenring.

Now though, the MotoGP™ paddock now has the summer break to catch its breath before Round 12. The Monster Energy British Grand Prix descends on Silverstone from the 5th to the 7th of August, and there’s absolutely everything to play for. Join us for more as MotoGP™ returns at full throttle!

MotoGP™ PODIUM

1 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – 40’25.205

2 Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – Ducati – +0.444

3 Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – +1.209

Francesco Bagnaia: “It felt long, very long. The first time I looked at how many laps were remaining, it was 24, so I’d just done two laps and it was too long. In any case, I’m so happy; so happy after two difficult races, when we were always competitive but without any results, so it’s incredible. I’m so happy, we did an incredible job. It wasn’t easy because, halfway through the race, it started raining a bit, and it was very scary, but finally I won here. That means to me that we are very good, we are strong.”

 

Augusto Fernandez (37). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Augusto Fernandez (37). Photo courtesy Dorna.

 

Fernandez takes vintage Assen victory ahead of Ogura and Dixon

146 Vietti, 146 Fernandez, 145 Ogura: the Moto2™ title fight tightens up ahead of summer break

The Moto2™ World Championship sits on a knife edge going into the summer break after Augusto Fernandez picked up his second win in a row, coming out on top in a true classic at the Motul TT Assen. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider is now equal on points with Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), who finished fourth, although the Italian leads as it stands thanks to more wins so far this season.

Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), meanwhile, sits just a point further back after hauling his way back from as low as 16th to claim second on the day, with polesitter Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) completing the podium.

It was as you were when the race got underway as far as the top two was concerned, with Dixon leading Inde GASGAS Aspar team-mate Albert Arenas into the first corner, but drama hit early for Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) as he ran well wide. Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyers Speed Up), however, had launched well from fifth on the grid before passing Arenas for second at De Strubben and then Dixon for first at Stekkenwal. Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) moved into third when he passed Arenas at the Geert Timmer Chicane on Lap 4, in what was something of a breakaway quartet at the head of the field.

However, Fernandez reeled them in and he gladly took fourth position when Arenas made a small error at De Strubben on Lap 5. Then, just up the road at De Bult, Schrötter picked off Dixon to move into second position and Arenas got back ahead of Fernandez, as home hero Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) lurked in sixth spot.

Arenas got back into the podium places when he overtook Dixon at the Timmer Chicane on Lap 7, before Schrötter hit the front for the first time when he got past Lopez as they ran down the back straight on Lap 8. Fernandez passed Dixon for fourth at De Strubben on Lap 9, before Lopez ceded second position to Arenas and third to Fernandez on a ragged 10th lap of the race.

Schrötter looked like he might finally break through for his first Grand Prix victory until disaster struck for the German on Lap 12, when he crashed out at De Strubben and handed the lead to Arenas. On Lap 13, Lopez re-passed Fernandez at the Timmer Chicane, but the German GP winner prised second position back from the man on the Boscoscuro on Lap 15.

Meanwhile, Vietti and Ogura, who started the race as the top two in the Championship, were closing in on the lead group as they battled over eighth position. Both were on a comeback after tough starts to the race, Vietti having only qualified 11th before finding himself even further away from the top 10 in the opening corners, and Ogura having two big rear end moments within the first handful of laps which had dumped the Japanese rider as far back as 16th.

Lopez dropped three positions to sixth when he ran wide exiting Haarbocht on Lap 16, promoting Dixon to the podium places again, as Vietti received a track limits warning. What would turn out to be the decisive lead change came on Lap 17 when Fernandez went underneath Arenas at De Strubben, while Bendsneyder sent the Dutch crowd wild when he passed Dixon for third just behind them. Unfortunately for the rider from Rotterdam, he undid his good work with a slow run off the Timmer Chicane at the end of the lap. He was picked off by not only Dixon, but also Cameron Beaubier (American Racing), who got ahead of both of them.

Dixon re-passed Beaubier moments later at De Strubben, and signalled to the American that they should work together to catch the top two of Fernandez and Arenas, who had taken advantage of the battle for third place to skip several tenths of a second clear. They did just that, as Ogura finally moved back into the top five with a pass on Bendsneyder at the start of Lap 19, which opened the door for Vietti to follow him through.

Ogura’s progress continued when he got through on Beaubier at De Strubben on Lap 20, while Dixon took second place from Arenas at the Timmer Chicane on that same lap. At the start of Lap 21, Beaubier crashed out of fifth position as he came under big pressure from Vietti, and Ogura was then into the top three – 13 positions higher than he had been when he nearly got chucked off his bike for the second time – by passing Arenas.

The Japanese rider went down the inside of Dixon for second position as they turned into Haarbocht on Lap 22, and Arenas got back in front of the Briton at the Timmer Chicane. Dixon got him back at the start of Lap 23, though, and Arenas was out of the race altogether when he dropped it at De Bult. That crash promoted Vietti to fourth, behind a top three of Fernandez, Ogura, and Dixon, and that is how they would finish – all within a second of each other – after an astonishing Dutch GP for the Moto2™ field.

Bendsneyder claimed fifth on home soil and Lopez, who had started to become somewhat ragged, got home in sixth, ahead of Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team), and Filip Salac (Gresini Racing Moto2™).

Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up), Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40), Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Jeremy Alcoba (Liwui Moly Intact GP), and Barry Baltus (RW Racing GP) completed the points. Lowes was notable among the non-finishers, crashing out altogether on only Lap 4.

That’s it for another thrilling Assen weekend for the Moto2™ field. After the summer break, we’re back in action at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix, so join us at Silverstone for more!

Moto2™ PODIUM

1 Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – Kalex – 39’07.133

2 Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) – Kalex – +0.660

3 Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) – Kalex – +0.725

Augusto Fernandez: “It was a really hard race, I really enjoyed that one but it was tough at the beginning to overtake those guys, we were a big group and it was very difficult to pull away, so I decided to stay in the group and wait for my moment to come, and yeah, in the end, step-by-step I was overtaking rider-by-rider, without getting any stress and in the end when I found myself in first position I tried to make my pace. I made a couple mistakes in the first laps when I was leading. There was some wind in sector 4 so it was easy to make mistakes, but once I knew the pace I could do I put some good laps in a row and it was enough!”

 

Ayumu Sasaki (71) won the Moto3 race at Assen. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Ayumu Sasaki (71) won the Moto3 race at Assen. Photo courtesy Dorna.

 

Sasaki becomes a Grand Prix winner with Assen masterclass

The Japanese rider takes to the top step for the first time as Guevara and Garcia complete the podium to tighten the standings even further

Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) is now a Grand Prix winner! The Japanese rider put in an impressive performance to come out on top in a classic Moto3™ showdown at the Motul TT Assen, taking the win ahead of Izan Guevara (GASGAS Aspar Team) and Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Aspar Team). Some drama hit for Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) as he crashed out, and Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) likewise after the number 5 suffered contact on the final lap.

Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) nabbed the holeshot ahead of a fast-starting David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports), only just edging the Spaniard out into Turn 1. But Sasaki was quick to take back over at the front and Guevara quick to follow into second as the classic Moto3™ freight train began. However, a smaller group was initially able to break away – and then the first drama hit for Foggia as he was given a Long Lap for a shortcut at the final chicane.

That dropped him back into the chasing group, where Garcia was already tucked in trying to push forward, along with John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max). And the Brit and his fellow veterans got the job done, bridging the gap to make another freight train. That created another classic fight at the front, and then the second drama hit for Foggia. A brush with Muñoz sent the Leopard rider wide, and he was unsettled on the kerb before crashing out.

The chopping and changing continued, but Sasaki led onto the last lap, with Suzuki shadowing and Masia into third as Guevara got shuffled back. Suzuki struck briefly but the number 71 hit back, but then huge drama hit the final lap. Muñoz went for an optimistic for a move on Masia and instead, skittled the number 5 out – earning himself a Long Lap for Silverstone – and McPhee crashed just behind in his own incident.

At the front, Sasaki was clear as Guevara and Suzuki went toe-to-toe, with Garcia able to close up too. By the final chicane, Sasaki had just enough room to cross the line for his first Grand Prix win, and Guevara muscled through on Suzuki. Garcia then attacked the Japanese rider to gas it past on the left, the Championship leader retaining that moniker by just 0.007.

Sasaki becomes a Grand Prix winner, Guevara cuts the gap to just three points off the top and Garcia takes yet another podium under increasing pressure, with Suzuki just left out of the party.

Xavier Artigas (CFMoto PrüstelGP) completed the top five with a slightly under the radar but impressive ride, the last rider in the front group who saw the flag after the last lap drama.

Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) overcame a Long Lap given for crashing under yellows in practice to take sixth, just heading the second group ahead of Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team). There were a few more tenths back to Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI), who just beat Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power). With ninth, Öncü retains his record as the only rider in Moto3™ to score in every race so far this year.

Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) and Lorenzo Fellon (SIC58 Squadra Corse) were next up, ahead of Carlos Tatay (CFMoto PrüstelGP) classified 14th after two Long Laps from Germany and a three-second penalty for track limits. Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) completed the points after a Long Lap and a double Long Lap after failing to comply with the first.

It’s just three points in it as Moto3™ heads into the summer break and then Silverstone, with the GASGAS duo looking like they’re going to remain the riders to beat. But can Sasaki continue his form at the British GP? We’ll find out in a few weeks!

Moto3™ PODIUM

1 Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) – Husqvarna – 37’28.371

2 Izan Guevara (GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – +0.314

3 Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – +0.392

Ayumu Sasaki: “It took a long time, a lot of time training. Every day sacrificing and finally I get to win the race, it’s amazing. This year has been difficult with injury but we came back very strong. The bike was very good, everything was perfect today. I saved my tyre very well today behind Izan and the last three laps I tried to go in the front because I had great pace.

“Finally to win the race is unbelievable. I want to say thanks to everyone ho supports me, to my family, I haven’t seen them in a while, my family, and now I can bring back the winning trophy with me so it’s good. Now into the summer break and hopefully second part of the season will be better than the first part of the season.”

Moto2: World Championship Race Results From Assen

TT Circuit Assen. Photo courtesy Michelin.
TT Circuit Assen. Photo courtesy Michelin.
moto2 race
 Moto2 Points

Moto3: World Championship Race Results From Assen

TT Circuit Assen. Photo courtesy Michelin.
TT Circuit Assen. Photo courtesy Michelin.
Moto3 Race
 Moto3 Points
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