22_4_VIR_TWN_Q1_res
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MotoAmerica: Alexander Matches Lap Record In Stock 1000 Q1 At VIR
Editorial Note: The current Stock 1000 All-Time Lap Record for VIR is 1:26.283, which was set by Jake Lewis in 2021.
22_4_VIR_STK_Q1_res
MotoAmerica: Gagne Leads Tight Top Five In Superbike Q1 At VIR
22_4_VIR_SBK_Q1_res
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Gagne Leads Day One At VIR, Half A Second Covers Top Five In Medallia Superbike
It’s Oh-So Close At The Top On Opening Day At VIRginia International Raceway In All Classes
IRVINE, CA (May 20, 2022) – With two pole positions from two races in his pocket already in 2022, Jake Gagne went out and put his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha on provisional pole on a smoking-hot day at VIRginia International Raceway on Friday.
Gagne lapped at a best of 1:24.371 in Q1 and that was just .031 of a second ahead of Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, .105 faster than Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Danilo Petrucci, .357 of a second ahead of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis and .584 of a second clear of his teammate Cameron Petersen as the top five were covered by a scant half a second.
The lap record at VIR is a 1:23.594, set in Q2 last year by Gagne who went on to dominate both races with his biggest margin of victories of his 17 race wins in 2022.
But thus far, this year’s two races promise to be much closer than that. At least if Friday is any indication.
“I still expected that,” Gagne said of the top five being ultra-close. “Especially at this track. It’s tight, it’s technical, it’s kinda short, but it’s close out there. It’s going to be a brutal race. Twenty laps in the heat like that. We just have to focus and do our job. We’ve got another qualifier in the morning, so we’ll see what happens. Just try to put it up there on the grid and go race in the heat. This track gets to a point where it starts to be pretty greasy in the heat, tire temps, tire pressures go up. We’re gonna have to have a smart race and understand what these tires are gonna do in the afternoon tomorrow. We’ll go for it and have some fun.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante ended the day sixth, just barely ahead of the first of the BMWs ridden by Tytlers Cycle Racing’s PJ Jacobsen. Scheibe Racing BMW’s Ashton Yates was eighth with Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera and Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim rounding out the top 10.
Class rookie Tyler Scott rode his Vison Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 to the fastest lap of the day in the Supersport class, his 1:27.898 besting his teammate Sam Lochoff by just .068 of a second. Landers Racing’s Rocco Landers ended up third with four-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes fourth on the Squid Hunter Yamaha YZF-R6. Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Josh Herrin rounded out the top five in Q1 and was just .252 of a second off Scott’s best.
Bicknese Racing’s Hayden Bicknese put his Kawasaki Ninja 400 on provisional pole in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup, besting SportbikeTrackGear.com’s championship points leader Max Van and his teammate Joseph LiMandri Jr. The top three were covered by just .082 of a second and the top seven were within a second of each other.
The first of two Stock 1000 qualifying sessions went the way of Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Cory Alexander, the New Yorker lapping at a best of 1:26.289 to lead Cycle World/Octane/Chuckwalla Racing’s Michael Gilbert by just .102 of a second. Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim filled the provisional front row, just .180 of a second ahead of VisionWheel/DiscountTire/KWS’s Geoff May.
Veloce Racing’s Twins Cup Championship leader Jody Barry put his Aprilia RS 660 on provisional pole with a 1:31.016 lap of VIR, just .205 of a second ahead of Cycle Tech’s Hayden Schultz with Robem Engineering’s Teagg Hobbs filling the provisional front row.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Danilo Petrucci Up to Speed at VIRginia International Raceway
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Star Petrucci On Pace at VIR Friday
Sunnyvale, Calif., May 20, 2022 – Heading into round three of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at VIRginia International Raceway, Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) had only one practice session at the Alton, Va., track—and that was in the wet.
But this didn’t prevent the former MotoGP rider from getting up to speed Friday during the opening sessions ahead of this week’s double-header at the 3.27-mile circuit. Under sweltering conditions, the Italian completed 29 laps aboard his Panigale V4 R Friday. During the opening practice, he completed 15 laps, posting the third quickest time, a 1:25.411, 1.072 seconds behind Yamaha’s Jake Gagne.
He got nearly a second faster during Qualifying 1, completing 14 laps with a best of 1:24.476. That was once again third fastest and 0.105 of a second behind Gagne. The results were impressive for Petrucci, who has limited track time at VIR.
Qualifying 1 Results—Top 5
P1 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 1:24.371
P2 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 1:24.402
P3 – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 1:24.476
P4 – Jake Lewis (Suzuki) 1:24.728
P5 – Cameron Petersen 1:24.955
Petrucci, who won three out of four races in two rounds, enters this weekend’s race with a 15-point lead over Scholtz.
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9)
“It’s unbelievable hot weather here in Virginia. It’s like Malaysia, and I’m sweating like crazy, which takes its toll on the body while riding at pace. With minimal time here, I’m not so used to this track with this different type of tarmac that’s super greasy. The bike is still not perfect, but we did get it close to the top, although we need to tweak a few things. Qualifying and racing will be tough Saturday with this hotter weather. We need to use a softer tire option which means I must manage tire wear more. It’s going to be a tough weekend of racing, but we will do whatever is needed to get the Panigale V4 R on top once again.”
Qualifying 2 will be held on Saturday, May 21 at 10:15 a.m. EDT.
WorldSBK: Razgatlioglu P1, Gerloff P4 In FP2 At Estoril (Updated)
SBK FP2
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WorldSBK Press Office:
Toprak Razgatlioglu fastest on the opening day of the Estoril Round
Setting a time of 1’36.463 in FP2, the reigning World Champion lead Bautista and Gerloff
Friday highlights – WorldSBK
P1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 1’36.290
After being second in FP1, Razgatlioglu set his fastest time in the afternoon session. The reigning World Champion was using plenty of “new stuff” on his bike including some brake cooling ducts, due to the demand on braking with Toprak’s style.
“Normally, MotorLand and Assen are not really strong for Yamaha. Jonny is also always strong. This year, I am trying for a good position. Bautista is very fast. We are very strong at this track and I am, again, fighting for the win. We will see because every race I am fighting for a good position. After Assen, for one week I didn’t ride a bike. After I started a really good training and riding in Turkey. Now I am fully ready and ready to race. Races are always different.”
P2 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’36.463
Bautista improved his FP1 time to set his best time in the afternoon session. He is in second, 0.173s behind Razgatlioglu.
“I think it has been a very positive day for us. In the morning, I just did some laps to have a reference with this bike. We made some small adjustments, typical adjustments when you go from one track to another. In the afternoon, we made some bigger changes on the bike and it was definitely better for me. It was easier to ride and more comfortable. We tried the front tyre, both specifications, and I didn’t find a big difference so it will be difficult to choose one for the race tomorrow. In any case, it has been very positive and I’m happy with the feeling I have riding my bike. Let’s see tomorrow if we can make some small changes to improve my pace and also the lap time.”
P3 – Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 1’36.572
Gerloff’s best time came in FP1, whilst he was the only rider not improving in the afternoon session. He finished 0.109s behind Bautista and only 0.023s ahead of Rea.
“I’m feeling really good. I do really enjoy this track. It has a nice layout, a nice flow to it and it suits the Yamaha R1. All in all, we showed up with the bike kind of set up like last year and I felt good right away. This afternoon, I was working on a long run, I used a new tyre for sure but I just did not put everything together, we could have been closer I guess but I was more focussed to be more consistent in a longer run.”
P4 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’36.595 “the position does not really reflect the progress we made between FP1 and FP2…”
Rea has been more competitive in the afternoon session to end Friday in fourth 0.305s behind Razgatlioglu.
“I think the position does not really reflect the progress we made between FP1 and FP2. I felt quite good with the bike, and we were able to be quite consistent in our run. I was enjoying the track but of course, we need to improve our lap time. Something we need to be working on this season, especially in Superpole, is in one lap, trying to extract the best potential from the Pirelli rear tyre when the tyre is new. It’s more difficult for us than in the past. “
P5 – Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’37.189
Rinaldi improved his lap time in FP2 after having focussed on continuing the work from a private test last week at Mugello. He ended Friday 0.899s behind the fastest rider.
“It was a strange Friday for us. Last week, we were in Mugello, and we tested some different things. We decided to keep that base in FP1 to connect the data as we’re in a different track. From the FP2, we started to work for the race weekend. We made a big step and I’m quite happy about that because we kept the positive things of Mugello for here. Now we have to focus on tomorrow. We need to keep improving the set up and the electronics, so the normal job of a race weekend.”
P6 – Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 1’37.201
Locatelli finished sixth on Friday and was only 0.012s behind Rinaldi.
“I’m happy about today. We worked very well from the FP1. It’s important to work tonight to prepare tomorrow but we have lots of data and I have a good feeling, so we are confident for tomorrow. Also, I’ve been working on a long run to understand if the bike is working well for tomorrow.”
To note:
Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) was seventh in the combined timings for his best result on a Friday since he joined the category.
Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) crashed at Turn 10 in the early stages of Free Practice 1 and has then been declared unfit for the rest of the event after sustaining a fracture of the right femur neck. He had made his season debut in the previous round, at Assen, following a leg fracture he suffered in training.
Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) will also miss the remainder of Estoril Round after fracturing his right collar bone in a crash during FP2.
WorldSBK action resumes on Saturday from 09:00 (Local Time), followed by Tissot Superpole at 11:10 and Race 1 at 14:00.
MotoAmerica: Barry On Twins Cup Provisional Pole At VIR
MotoAmerica: Alexander Matches Lap Record In Stock 1000 Q1 At VIR
Editorial Note: The current Stock 1000 All-Time Lap Record for VIR is 1:26.283, which was set by Jake Lewis in 2021.
22_4_VIR_STK_Q1_res
MotoAmerica: Gagne Leads Tight Top Five In Superbike Q1 At VIR
22_4_VIR_SBK_Q1_res
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Gagne Leads Day One At VIR, Half A Second Covers Top Five In Medallia Superbike
It’s Oh-So Close At The Top On Opening Day At VIRginia International Raceway In All Classes
IRVINE, CA (May 20, 2022) – With two pole positions from two races in his pocket already in 2022, Jake Gagne went out and put his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha on provisional pole on a smoking-hot day at VIRginia International Raceway on Friday.
Gagne lapped at a best of 1:24.371 in Q1 and that was just .031 of a second ahead of Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, .105 faster than Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Danilo Petrucci, .357 of a second ahead of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis and .584 of a second clear of his teammate Cameron Petersen as the top five were covered by a scant half a second.
The lap record at VIR is a 1:23.594, set in Q2 last year by Gagne who went on to dominate both races with his biggest margin of victories of his 17 race wins in 2022.
But thus far, this year’s two races promise to be much closer than that. At least if Friday is any indication.
“I still expected that,” Gagne said of the top five being ultra-close. “Especially at this track. It’s tight, it’s technical, it’s kinda short, but it’s close out there. It’s going to be a brutal race. Twenty laps in the heat like that. We just have to focus and do our job. We’ve got another qualifier in the morning, so we’ll see what happens. Just try to put it up there on the grid and go race in the heat. This track gets to a point where it starts to be pretty greasy in the heat, tire temps, tire pressures go up. We’re gonna have to have a smart race and understand what these tires are gonna do in the afternoon tomorrow. We’ll go for it and have some fun.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante ended the day sixth, just barely ahead of the first of the BMWs ridden by Tytlers Cycle Racing’s PJ Jacobsen. Scheibe Racing BMW’s Ashton Yates was eighth with Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera and Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim rounding out the top 10.
Class rookie Tyler Scott rode his Vison Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 to the fastest lap of the day in the Supersport class, his 1:27.898 besting his teammate Sam Lochoff by just .068 of a second. Landers Racing’s Rocco Landers ended up third with four-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes fourth on the Squid Hunter Yamaha YZF-R6. Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Josh Herrin rounded out the top five in Q1 and was just .252 of a second off Scott’s best.
Bicknese Racing’s Hayden Bicknese put his Kawasaki Ninja 400 on provisional pole in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup, besting SportbikeTrackGear.com’s championship points leader Max Van and his teammate Joseph LiMandri Jr. The top three were covered by just .082 of a second and the top seven were within a second of each other.
The first of two Stock 1000 qualifying sessions went the way of Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Cory Alexander, the New Yorker lapping at a best of 1:26.289 to lead Cycle World/Octane/Chuckwalla Racing’s Michael Gilbert by just .102 of a second. Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim filled the provisional front row, just .180 of a second ahead of VisionWheel/DiscountTire/KWS’s Geoff May.
Veloce Racing’s Twins Cup Championship leader Jody Barry put his Aprilia RS 660 on provisional pole with a 1:31.016 lap of VIR, just .205 of a second ahead of Cycle Tech’s Hayden Schultz with Robem Engineering’s Teagg Hobbs filling the provisional front row.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Danilo Petrucci Up to Speed at VIRginia International Raceway
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Star Petrucci On Pace at VIR Friday
Sunnyvale, Calif., May 20, 2022 – Heading into round three of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at VIRginia International Raceway, Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) had only one practice session at the Alton, Va., track—and that was in the wet.
But this didn’t prevent the former MotoGP rider from getting up to speed Friday during the opening sessions ahead of this week’s double-header at the 3.27-mile circuit. Under sweltering conditions, the Italian completed 29 laps aboard his Panigale V4 R Friday. During the opening practice, he completed 15 laps, posting the third quickest time, a 1:25.411, 1.072 seconds behind Yamaha’s Jake Gagne.
He got nearly a second faster during Qualifying 1, completing 14 laps with a best of 1:24.476. That was once again third fastest and 0.105 of a second behind Gagne. The results were impressive for Petrucci, who has limited track time at VIR.
Qualifying 1 Results—Top 5
P1 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 1:24.371
P2 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 1:24.402
P3 – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 1:24.476
P4 – Jake Lewis (Suzuki) 1:24.728
P5 – Cameron Petersen 1:24.955
Petrucci, who won three out of four races in two rounds, enters this weekend’s race with a 15-point lead over Scholtz.
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9)
“It’s unbelievable hot weather here in Virginia. It’s like Malaysia, and I’m sweating like crazy, which takes its toll on the body while riding at pace. With minimal time here, I’m not so used to this track with this different type of tarmac that’s super greasy. The bike is still not perfect, but we did get it close to the top, although we need to tweak a few things. Qualifying and racing will be tough Saturday with this hotter weather. We need to use a softer tire option which means I must manage tire wear more. It’s going to be a tough weekend of racing, but we will do whatever is needed to get the Panigale V4 R on top once again.”
Qualifying 2 will be held on Saturday, May 21 at 10:15 a.m. EDT.
MotoAmerica: Scott Takes Supersport Provisional Pole At VIR
MotoAmerica: Bicknese On Junior Cup Provisional Pole At VIR
World Supersport: Aegerter Under Race Lap Record In FP2 At Estoril
WorldSBK: Razgatlioglu P1, Gerloff P4 In FP2 At Estoril (Updated)
SBK FP2
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WorldSBK Press Office:
Toprak Razgatlioglu fastest on the opening day of the Estoril Round
Setting a time of 1’36.463 in FP2, the reigning World Champion lead Bautista and Gerloff
Friday highlights – WorldSBK
P1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 1’36.290
After being second in FP1, Razgatlioglu set his fastest time in the afternoon session. The reigning World Champion was using plenty of “new stuff” on his bike including some brake cooling ducts, due to the demand on braking with Toprak’s style.
“Normally, MotorLand and Assen are not really strong for Yamaha. Jonny is also always strong. This year, I am trying for a good position. Bautista is very fast. We are very strong at this track and I am, again, fighting for the win. We will see because every race I am fighting for a good position. After Assen, for one week I didn’t ride a bike. After I started a really good training and riding in Turkey. Now I am fully ready and ready to race. Races are always different.”
P2 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’36.463
Bautista improved his FP1 time to set his best time in the afternoon session. He is in second, 0.173s behind Razgatlioglu.
“I think it has been a very positive day for us. In the morning, I just did some laps to have a reference with this bike. We made some small adjustments, typical adjustments when you go from one track to another. In the afternoon, we made some bigger changes on the bike and it was definitely better for me. It was easier to ride and more comfortable. We tried the front tyre, both specifications, and I didn’t find a big difference so it will be difficult to choose one for the race tomorrow. In any case, it has been very positive and I’m happy with the feeling I have riding my bike. Let’s see tomorrow if we can make some small changes to improve my pace and also the lap time.”
P3 – Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 1’36.572
Gerloff’s best time came in FP1, whilst he was the only rider not improving in the afternoon session. He finished 0.109s behind Bautista and only 0.023s ahead of Rea.
“I’m feeling really good. I do really enjoy this track. It has a nice layout, a nice flow to it and it suits the Yamaha R1. All in all, we showed up with the bike kind of set up like last year and I felt good right away. This afternoon, I was working on a long run, I used a new tyre for sure but I just did not put everything together, we could have been closer I guess but I was more focussed to be more consistent in a longer run.”
P4 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’36.595 “the position does not really reflect the progress we made between FP1 and FP2…”
Rea has been more competitive in the afternoon session to end Friday in fourth 0.305s behind Razgatlioglu.
“I think the position does not really reflect the progress we made between FP1 and FP2. I felt quite good with the bike, and we were able to be quite consistent in our run. I was enjoying the track but of course, we need to improve our lap time. Something we need to be working on this season, especially in Superpole, is in one lap, trying to extract the best potential from the Pirelli rear tyre when the tyre is new. It’s more difficult for us than in the past. “
P5 – Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’37.189
Rinaldi improved his lap time in FP2 after having focussed on continuing the work from a private test last week at Mugello. He ended Friday 0.899s behind the fastest rider.
“It was a strange Friday for us. Last week, we were in Mugello, and we tested some different things. We decided to keep that base in FP1 to connect the data as we’re in a different track. From the FP2, we started to work for the race weekend. We made a big step and I’m quite happy about that because we kept the positive things of Mugello for here. Now we have to focus on tomorrow. We need to keep improving the set up and the electronics, so the normal job of a race weekend.”
P6 – Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 1’37.201
Locatelli finished sixth on Friday and was only 0.012s behind Rinaldi.
“I’m happy about today. We worked very well from the FP1. It’s important to work tonight to prepare tomorrow but we have lots of data and I have a good feeling, so we are confident for tomorrow. Also, I’ve been working on a long run to understand if the bike is working well for tomorrow.”
To note:
Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) was seventh in the combined timings for his best result on a Friday since he joined the category.
Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) crashed at Turn 10 in the early stages of Free Practice 1 and has then been declared unfit for the rest of the event after sustaining a fracture of the right femur neck. He had made his season debut in the previous round, at Assen, following a leg fracture he suffered in training.
Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) will also miss the remainder of Estoril Round after fracturing his right collar bone in a crash during FP2.
WorldSBK action resumes on Saturday from 09:00 (Local Time), followed by Tissot Superpole at 11:10 and Race 1 at 14:00.
MotoAmerica: Buyck Best In Royal Enfield BTR FP1 At VIR
MotoAmerica: Gilbert Fastest In Stock 1000 FP1 At VIR
MotoAmerica: Gagne Quickest In Superbike FP1 At VIR
