From previous round reflections to big opportunities and plenty more, there was plenty to get stuck into before action commences in Portugal
The next chapter of the 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is upon us, and it comes from the Circuito Estoril, just half an hour from Lisbon, Portugal. The historic venue welcomes WorldSBK for a third consecutive year and now the fallout of Assen has had time to settle, we caught up with the main stars to talk about the dramatic collision in the Netherlands, their feelings coming to Estoril and, for one rider, the huge opportunity to test a MotoGP™ bike.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “One of the best moments, not just in WorldSBK, but my career”
“I think both Jonny and Toprak are very aggressive, and we saw many battles in the past. Fortunately, nothing happened like it did in Assen. I think they have to be calmer in the battle, especially because if they start battling in the races, they go more and more aggressive with each pass. For me, for sure it’s not a problem; they can fight all they want! We’ll see more battles between them, and I hope to be there fighting for good positions. At the moment, I’m enjoying this Championship a lot; I feel so strong, physically and mentally. I think this is one of the best moments, not just in WorldSBK, but in my career. I feel stronger than ever and more ambitious than before.”
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “There could’ve been more care on both sides”
“Unfortunately, we came together; I don’t want to be a diva and start placing blame or creating animosity about it. It happened, but it didn’t need to happen. There could’ve been a bit more care on both sides but we’re racers, I understand that. I actually saw Toprak just before this interview. I have no ill feeling with him, he’s a super good guy and I can park that. But I can also put my helmet on and race him bar-to-bar at all the circuits around the world. It’s unfortunate we both went down; it was a racing accident and of course, there’s a difference of opinion. I respect his, but it probably didn’t need to happen. Last year here, we were able to improve, and I felt good with the ZX-10RR, so I’m excited to see what we can do this weekend.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK): “We have a Yamaha MotoGP™ test”
“I’m very happy we are here again after a long break. Like last year, I try my best again because I love this track. For Yamaha, it’s very good. I try again fighting for the win. At this track, normally we are fast but this year I think we are faster. We will see because the race is always different. I forget now about Assen. This is a race crash. First it was my mistake, I went a little bit wide but not off the track, but Jonny normally looks at me. He has a bit more space on the track but he’s not using the space, and we crash. There’s been no contact. We are now focused on the race, also he’s focused. We have a Yamaha MotoGP™ test and for me this is very important because I understand whether I like the bike or not, because it’s completely different to the Superbike.”
Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “The test was quite successful; I feel like it’s my bike”
“The test in Portimao was good. We had great weather so very fortunate for that. The weather is better now so we could maximise the hours at the circuit which was very good. We had some new parts to test. Different wheels to upgrade on, different things with chassis setup, electronics and the test was quite successful. I felt quite good and every time I feel more like it’s my bike and I start to enjoy riding it more. The test was good to get back on a motorcycle after some weeks off. There’s some stuff we can use here but it’s mainly setup things. We know in Assen we didn’t do a bad job, we were a little bit closer, but we suffered with tyre wear so this is something we need to pay attention to.”
Iker Lecuona (Team HRC): “The objective is the same, to finish fifth or sixth”
“The last race with third and a pretty amazing weekend in general at Assen. However, now we have arrived at a new completely new track for me; this is my first time at Estoril. I tried to study it a little bit when the Spanish Superbike championship came here last weekend. I tried to study the line a little bit, but it will be completely different compared to watching it on TV. I need to say that we had luck for the podium at Assen, but we were up there all weekend, inside the top five. We need to stay calm. The objective is the same, to finish fifth or sixth, because for us it’s like a small victory as we know we don’t have the potential to finish in the top three for now.”
Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I’m feeling a lot of better”
“I’m really happy we are back. I think the best thing was we had some time off between Assen and this round, and I’m feeling a lot better. Still not walking really fast. Luckily, last week, we had a test and I felt so much better on the bike so at least now I know what to expect when I get onto the bike. It was mainly to get back on the bike and see how I felt. I’m really happy we got the chance to test. We had some new parts to try but there’s always something to try.”
Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW): “I want to fight for the podium”
“I want to fight for the podium, I want to put the BMW and Bonovo team on the podium. I think all four BMW riders have that target. I’m just trying to do my best every time I go on the bike. It’s the only thing you can do as a rider to improve. At the moment, I’m just trying to be on the limit as much as I can to make a step forward and we’ll see if we can make those steps a little bit quicker.”
MotoAmerica notified its teams and competitors today via a competitor bulletin that series title sponsor Auto Parts 4 Less/AutoParts4Less.com is no longer a sponsor of the series.
Earlier this year, Auto Parts 4 Less, a Nevada-based online platform for buyers and sellers of automobile parts, was announced as title sponsor of the series for 2022 and 2023, but that is no longer the case according to MotoAmerica Chief Operating Officer and KRAVE Group partner Chuck Aksland.
“The whole thing is just unfortunate,” Aksland exclusively told Roadracingworld.com. “I think everybody went into it with the best intentions. We were proud to have a title sponsor for the series come on board, but there were things that are being discussed now that unfortunately saw the demise of the situation. There’s not a lot I can say about it.”
Aksland said the whole matter is now being handled by MotoAmerica’s legal representation.
The competitor bulletin informed riders and teams that they are no longer required to display Auto Parts 4 Less branding on their motorcycles or uniforms and that wherever possible such branding should be removed and replaced with standard MotoAmerica logos or obscured/covered.
We will report more on this situation as new information becomes available.
GYTR GRT YAMAHA WORLDSBK TEAM APPROACHES ROUND THREE AT ESTORIL
Three weeks after its last outing, the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team is eager to be back in action for the third round of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship at Circuito do Estoril.
Last time out in Assen, Garrett Gerloff proved his speed with a fine qualifying performance, going on to score eighth and seventh in Race 1 and the Superpole Race. Unfortunately, the American’s chances of fighting closer to the front were ended after light contact on the opening lap.
He heads into the weekend with fond memories of the Estoril circuit, having scored a pair of podiums here in 2020, while he just missed out in fourth last year.
On the other side of the box, Kohta Nozane was quick in the Netherlands, but unfortunate circumstances denied him his first points of the season. The Japanese ace was close on Saturday, while a heavy fall in Race 2 after sustaining contact at Turn 1 left him with a fifth metatarsal bone fracture on his right foot. Thankfully, the 26-year-old is fit and ready to race this weekend in Portugal.
After the Friday practice sessions and Superpole qualifier, Race 1 will get underway at 14:00 local time (UTC+1) on Saturday, with Race 2 starting exactly 24 hours later on Sunday, following the SPRC at 11:00.
Garrett Gerloff #31
“I cannot wait for Estoril. I have such good memories there and the Yamaha R1 should suit this circuit really well. In Assen, we proved to be fast once again but got quite unlucky in the races. We want a good weekend, where our hard work is rewarded with strong results. I’m looking forward to it, and we’ll push as much as we can from Friday.”
Kohta Nozane #3
“First of all, I’m glad to say I’ll race in Portugal after the crash I had in Assen. My right foot is OK and I’m ready to go. I cannot wait to be in Estoril, it’s one of my favorite tracks, so I’m looking forward to racing again. We made good improvements at the last round, but unfortunate incidents denied me points. I hope we could improve even more during this weekend and have some good races.”
Editorial Note: The PDF results provided by Bagger Racing League have a column labeled “Total Time,” but for most of the races this column contains riders’ best lap time. To better see all pages of the results use the scroll and zoom tools in the bottom left corner of the PDF viewer.
PanAmSBK made their debut at Carolina Motorsports Park on May 14th and 15th for Round Five of the PanAmerican Superbike 2022 championship.
While this track was a new experience for many of the PanAmSBK paddock, Christian Miranda found himself back on familiar grounds, the top of the podium. After missing round 4 due to injury from his infamous highside on the Daytona banking, Christian found success in his return with three race wins in the SuperStock 600 Grande Corsa, Sunoco SuperBike 600 Grande Corsa, and Sunoco SuperBike 600 Sprint races. Bruno Silva was able to prevent Christian from sweeping the 600 class races by beating him to the finish line by 0.175 second in the SuperStock 600 Sprint.
In a weekend of many firsts, Chyler Weatherford had a breakthrough round with his first win as an Expert. Chyler took the holeshot off the start and was able to fight off all challenges from Alejandro Nieves lap after lap. At the checker, Chyle was able to hold off Alejandro by 0.298 for his first race win as an Expert [in SuperBike 1000].
The 600’s and 1000’s were not the only one able to put on an exciting show [for] the audience. The SuperStreet 300 sprint race found the top three Amateur racers battling from the start to the finish. On the starting grid, Eduardo Aguayo was in grid spot three, Isaac Woodward was in grid spot five, and Sasha Riguard was in grid spot seven. By the end of the first lap, these three were racing nose to tail, with Isaac leading the trio. While the three racers were trading positions all around the track, Isaac seemed to have the best drive out of the last corner and used that draft to lead into Turn One. On the final lap, Isaac was leading the trio into the final corner. Eduardo had a great drive in the previous corner that allowed him to take the lead, but he went just slightly wide. This opened the door for Isaac to take with win by 0.419 seconds with only 0.714 seconds separating first and third place.
Next month, PanAmerican SuperBike makes their return to Roebling Road Raceway on June 18th & 19th.
For more racing information visit: www.PanAmSbk.com
Media, PA – May 2022 – N2 Track Days is proud to announce that its 2022 Airfence fundraiser to benefit the Roadracing World Action Fund (RWAF) will take place Saturday, June 18 at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace). The fundraiser will be held on Saturday evening in the middle of a two-day track day event both in-person and online. N2 Track Days has been holding these fundraiser events since 2014 and they have been wildly successful, generating more than $114,000 to purchase life-saving Airfence soft barriers. We are currently looking for partners, companies, sponsors, and individuals willing to donate products and services for the auction.
N2 Racing’s Kevin Olmedo (16) streaking past Roadracing World Action Fund-supplied soft barriers during a MotoAmerica event at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy N2 Track Days.
N2 CEO Jim Curtis explains, “The Roadracing World Action Fund has been helping improve rider safety for decades, and we are happy to be a part of it. These efforts are a way to bring together the two-wheeled community, increase awareness, and directly contribute to rider safety through the purchase of Airfence. These fundraising events are not only to promote and increase rider safety, they are also an opportunity to honor the memory of friends and family that we have lost.”
The Roadracing World Action Fund is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that has helped educate organizations, tracks, riders, and the general public to the importance of using soft barriers at racetracks to improve safety for racers as well as for recreational users at track days and on-track riding schools. As part of that educational program, RWAF raises funds to facilitate soft barrier deployment.
Racetracks used for motorcycles require a greater degree of safety as compared to those that support only automobiles. For example, tracks that are inherently suitable for motorcycles have larger run-off areas and few-to-no hard barriers. These areas are often fronted with forms of gravel traps to help decrease the speed of moving vehicles. This, in turn, helps prevent impact with hard barriers such as tire walls, steel Armco barriers, etc. As you can imagine, impact against any such barriers on a motorcycle can result in serious injury or be fatal.
While the best way to maintain maximum safety is to have no walls and extra run-off in all locations, this is sometimes not feasible. To improve these areas and make them safer, soft barriers (modular, pre-inflated airbags) are deployed in front of hard barriers that cannot be otherwise moved. The deployment of soft barriers has saved many lives and has prevented many injuries.
The online auction will begin the week before the June 18-19 N2 event at PittRace with bidding ending at 8:00 p.m. (EDT) Saturday, June 18 during an after-event gathering. Bidding will once again be held online.
If you or your company would like to donate items, services, or memorabilia to be auctioned for this amazing cause, please contact Chip Spalding at [email protected]
Additional details and auction items will be announced beginning next week.
About N2:
N2 – Ride, Race, Learn.
Founded in 2014, N2’s mission is to build a sustainable motorcycle community through safe, structured motorcycle track days, advanced rider training programs based on Yamaha Champions Riding School teaching methods, with a strong affinity for motorcycle road racing. N2 successfully resurrected Motorcycle Endurance Racing in America by partnering with WERA Roadracing and creating the N2/WERA National Endurance Series by Dunlop. N2 is a premier participant in the MotoAmerica Pro Racing Series with a multi-rider team competing in several classes. N2 is also a major contributor to the Roadracing World Action Fund through fundraising efforts and support from its large member base.
N2 Track Days is proudly sponsored by: Dunlop Motorcycle Tire, Yamaha Motor Corporation USA, Dainese, KYT Helmets USA, Armour Bodies, Chicken Hawk Racing, Impact SafeT Armor, Renthal, Woodcraft, WERA Road Racing, Innovative Motorsports, R.E.B Graphics, Rise Moto, Ghetto Customs, JE Pistons, Wiseco Pistons, Yamaha Power Products, Boxo USA and Yamaha Champions Riding School.
Petrucci Leads The MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Pack To VIR
With Three Wins In Four Races, Danilo Petrucci Leads The Title Chase
IRVINE, CA (May 18, 2022) – For the first three MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike races of the season, the storyline was all about Danilo Petrucci and Mathew Scholtz. Those two had blitzed the field in the opening three races, the two at Circuit of The Americas and race one Road Atlanta, with Petrucci and his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 R winning all three while Scholtz and his Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 was second in the three. Combine that with the fact that defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne had two DNFs and his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha teammate Cameron Petersen had one non-finish in the first three races, and you could see things slipping away for anyone not named Petrucci or Scholtz.
But in the fourth race of the season, that all changed.
Petrucci’s Ducati had a mechanical failure on the opening lap at Road Atlanta and Scholtz crashed out early while battling with Petersen for second. Meanwhile, Gagne would take his first victory of the season, Petersen was second, and the top two in the championship had failed to score a point. And just like that the series heads to VIRginia International Raceway for round three with a championship that’s once again anyone’s for the taking.
Petrucci, though, still has a firm grip on things with the former MotoGP star from Italy heading the title chase from Scholtz by 15 points, 75-60. Most believed that Petrucci would struggle to learn a tricky Road Atlanta racetrack. He didn’t. He qualified second, just .060 of a second behind Gagne, and he won race one, taking over at the front when Gagne crashed out on the sixth lap. From there he battled the heat and dehydration to hold Scholtz at bay by 1.4 seconds to win his third MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike race in his first three MotoAmerica starts. Impressive.
Things flipped in race two with Petrucci pulling in after just one lap with a mechanical failure, but it did little to take away from the fact that he’s going to be in this championship fight for the duration.
Scholtz may have suffered the most with his race-two crash. If the South African had finished third in the second race at Road Atlanta, he’d be leading the championship by one point heading into Virginia. But, as always, hindsight is 20/20.
Petersen may also end up regretting his race-one crash in Georgia, but he rebounded to finish second to Gagne in race two and he sits third in the championship, 26 points in arears of Petrucci, with two podiums in the first four races.
Hector Barbera is off to a solid start in the title chase with the Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW-mounted Spaniard the first rider in the championship battle to finish each of the first four races. Barbera, with two fourth-place finishes at Road Atlanta, is fourth in the point standings with 46 – just three behind Petersen.
Richie Escalante is fifth after four races, the Superbike rookie also scoring quality points while adjusting to life in the Medallia Superbike class on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki. Escalante has three fifth-place finishes and a seventh in the first four races.
One point behind Escalante is Gagne, the defending champion heading to VIR with high hopes of emulating his results from Virginia a year ago. The two races at VIR in 2021 were a highlight reel for Gagne as he not only beat his rivals, he beat them badly. Gagne topped Schultz in race one at VIR by 11.849 seconds and came back the next day to beat Loris Baz by 13.933 seconds. A double owie.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis found himself on the podium in race one at Road Atlanta, but the momentum gained from that was thrown away in the second race with a non-finish. Lewis heads to VIR sixth in the championship, five points behind Gagne and six behind his teammate Escalante.
Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander, his teammate Travis Wyman and Travis’ brother Kyle round out the top 10 in the series standings going into the VIR round. Kyle Wyman earned all his points with an impressive third-place finish in his one-off, fill-in ride for PJ Jacobsen on the Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR at Road Atlanta. Jacobsen will be back on the bike in Virginia.
VIR Superbike Notes…
Looking Back: Four-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes won the two Superbike races in MotoAmerica’s first visit to VIRginia International Raceway in 2015. Other winners over the course of the weekend in 2015 are also familiar names with Taylor Knapp (a Mission King Of The Baggers racer and Dunlop tire tester) and Jake Gagne (the defending MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Champion) winning the two Superstock 1000 races; Josh Herrin (the leader in the 2022 Supersport Championship and JD Beach (a top-level flat track racer and two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion) scoring victories in the Supersport class; and Joe Roberts (currently sixth in the Moto2 World Championship) and Richie Escalante (the 2020 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion) coming away with wins in Superstock 600.
The first-ever AMA Superbike race at VIRginia International Raceway in 2001 was won by the late Nicky Hayden, the 2002 AMA Superbike Champion and 2006 MotoGP World Champion backing that up with a second victory at VIR in 2002.
Jake Gagne qualified on pole position for last year’s two MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike races and broke the lap record in the process. Gagne lapped at 1:23.594 in Q2 a year ago to set the record and followed that up with a new race record of 1:23.834 in race one.
Gagne topped Mathew Scholtz and Josh Herrin in Medallia Superbike race one last year and came back the next day to beat Loris Baz and Scholtz in race two.
Gagne’s win in race two at Road Atlanta was his 18th career victory in the AMA Superbike Championship, which places him eighth on the all-time Superbike win list. If Gagne were to sweep to victories this weekend at VIR, he would jump up into a tie with Fred Merkel for seventh on the all-time list. Australian Mat Mladin sits atop that list with 82 AMA Superbike victories – 21 more than Josh Hayes, who is second all-time.
Danilo Petrucci’s three Medallia Superbike wins thus far this season were the 46th, 47th and 48th for Ducati in AMA Superbike racing and the second, third and fourth in the MotoAmerica era. Suzuki is the all-time leader in AMA Superbike victories with 216, Yamaha is second with 164, Honda is third with 116 and Kawasaki is fourth with 57, nine more than Ducati. Neither Honda nor Kawasaki has won a Superbike race in the MotoAmerica era, which dates back to 2015.
Entries are on the rise in 2022. The number of total entries for the 2022 MotoAmerica round at VIR are 169, not including the 15 in the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race program that didn’t race at VIR last year. That’s 33 more entries than a season ago at the same venue. The entries break down as follows: 38 Medallia Superbike (28 in 2021); 44 Yuasa Stock 1000 (36 in 2021); 26 Supersport (26 in 2021); 42 Twins Cup (28 in 2021); and 19 SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup (18 in 2021).
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Mathew Scholtz And Westby Racing Filled With Vim And Vigor For VIR This Weekend
Matthew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Tulsa, OK – May 18, 2022 – Round three of the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship starts this Friday at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. Rider Mathew Scholtz, along with the entire Westby Racing team, are rolling into the weekend with a firm grip on second place in the championship and a solid plan to come away with two wins at one of Mathew’s favorite tracks.
It’s been a month since the previous round at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, and Mathew has been working hard on his training, while the team has been working equally as hard to improve the #11 Yamaha YZF-R1 even more.
Last year at VIR, Mathew and the team came away with two podium finishes—a runner-up result in race one and a third-place finish in race two. But, as always, victories are the goal, and to get a double win this year would make a strong statement about Mathew’s and the team’s place in the Championship chase this season.
“We’ve had quite a long break, so I’m really looking forward to the Virginia round,” Mathew said. “I am eager to get back out on the track and continue with the improvements we’ve made. We have one or two new bits that we’re excited to try. I’ve really been thinking hard about the Atlanta round, and the two mistakes I made on Sunday, and I just want to get back out there and make up for it. I think we’re considered to be one of the teams to win races. Virginia has always been really positive for me. In fact, the layout really suits me being that I am a bigger guy. The weather looks like it’s going to be pretty hot, so we’ll take it as it comes. I can’t wait to get back with my Westby crew so we can continue working towards our goals.”
Superbike final qualifying is on Saturday morning at 10:15 a.m. ET, Superbike race one will go green on Saturday afternoon at 3:10 p.m. ET, and Superbike Race 2 is on Sunday afternoon also at 3:10 p.m. ET. Both races will be broadcast on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) this weekend, with race one airing Saturday night at 10 p.m. ET and race two airing on Sunday night also at 10 p.m. ET.
For all the action from VIRginia International Raceway, as it happens, subscribe to MotoAmerica Live+, which is MotoAmerica’s live streaming and on-demand service.
Meet Mathew, Get An Autographed Poster, And More
Mathew will be available for autographs during the Dunlop Hot Pit Walk & Autograph Session, scheduled for 11 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday on pit lane at VIR. He and the team will be handing out free posters and T-shirts, so don’t miss it.
Check Out The Westby Racing Sponsor Showcase
GBRacing and Capit Performance are the featured team sponsors on display in the Westby Racing paddock area this race weekend, so be sure to stop by to say hello and learn about some of the companies that support the team.
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
MotoAmerica Round 3 – Petrucci Ready For Redemption At VIR
Danilo Petrucci Leads The Way In Points As MotoAmerica Superbike Heads To VIR
Sunnyvale, Calif., May 18, 2022—The 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship heads to VIRginia International Raceway this weekend for round three of 10 with America’s quickest SBK riders chasing the ultimate Italian duo: Danilo Petrucci and his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 R.
Petrucci swept the opening round of Superbike competition at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, but had mixed results during round two at Road Atlanta. Petrucci started quickly as always and took the race-one win in Georgia. But after his engine overheated during an extended period on the grid caused a DNF before of the opening lap of the second restart of race two.
Regardless, Petrucci has the reigns tight on the SBK field as he holds a 15-point lead over Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz.
This will be Petrucci’s second visit to the 3.27-mile VIR, America’s first permanent road-racing circuit that opened its gates in Alton, Va., in 1957. The 31-year-old former MotoGP pilot has only one practice under his leathers at VIR—and that session was in the wet.
With his signature smile and the high performance of the V4 R, Petrucci is ready to impress the American Ducatisti as he seeks additional wins and extend his lead to deliver Ducati the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike title.
Danilo Petrucci (9). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9)
“Finally, we’re coming back to the races, and at a unique circuit. I’ve been to VIR just one time for a day of testing in the wet aboard a production Panigale V4. I had just 40 laps of experience, which is better than nothing. At least I know the track’s layout. I’m happy to come back to the races and score some more points.”
Round three of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will be held at VIRginia International Raceway on May 20-22, 2022.
Mikey Lou Sanchez is proving to be a front runner in the ESBK Moto4 class, with two successful finishes this past weekend [May 14-15] at Circuito do Estoril, in Portugal.
The weekend started off very challenging for Mikey in both free practices. He struggled to get his lap times down and qualified P12, but with the help of the team, Mikey was confident going into Race One on Saturday afternoon.
Race One was very close with nine riders all fighting in one group for a podium finish! At the finish line all nine riders were practically side-by-side coming across the finish line. Mikey chose the line up against the inside wall and was able to grab a solid seventh place finish.
In Race Two the fighting continued on the first few laps, but the group was split up by of a crash between two riders. Mikey ended up in the second group, battling it out with seven riders, only this time they were fighting for fourth place.
On the last lap, Mikey led the group for the entire lap and was able to hold them off and prevent them from drafting him at the finish line to take a hard-fought fourth place!
Mikey said, “I was going to go with the front group and try to get on the podium, but one kid highsided in front of me and I lost touch with them. On the last lap in the last turn I knew I had to keep them from drafting me across the finish line, so used a move that Max Toth taught me last month, and it worked!”
With eight races to go in the ESBK Moto4 Championship, Mikey is seventh in the point standings.
The next race is June 25-26 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Follow Mikey on Instagram and Facebook @mikeylousanchez
Thank you to everyone who supports us and makes this possible, especially Shawn Knoche, Roadway Traffic Control, Fondu, San Marcos Iron Doors, Texas Motorcycle Academy, Harris Hill Flattrackers, Moto Liberty, and Niemi Fine Art.
The thrill of Estoril: WorldSBK’s fierce tussle arrives in Portugal
The 2022 season readies for an intense third round as rivalries are set to reignite in the title fight
Dramatic from the start, talking points aplenty and one of the Championship’s fiercest rivalries, the 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s opening two rounds have already seen plenty of action. It’s almost certain to continue as the Estoril Round from the Circuito Estoril in Portugal welcomes WorldSBK, the third round of a titanic season. Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) leads the way with an 18-point lead over Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), whilst reigning Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) is 45 behind heading to a circuit where’s he’s the most successful out of anyone on the grid.
DUCATI IN CONTROL: Bautista heads the standings
It’s been a sublime return to Ducati so far for Bautista, with three victories going his way and yet to finish off the podium. At Assen, when Razgatlioglu and Rea crashed, he avoided the chaos and picked up the pieces, retaking the lead in the Championship with a gap of 18 points. However, Bautista arrives to Estoril, a circuit he has historically gone well at in the MotoGP™ World Championship paddock, on a Ducati for the first time. A blank canvas and no reference to 2019 may be useful as he has no comparison, but it may well take him longer to come to the fore compared to the others. Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi chases a first podium of 2021, something he needs to assert himself as a contender early on in the year.
RAZGATLIOGLU VS REA: what can we expect in Estoril?
A mixed Motul Dutch Round sees Jonathan Rea eager to return to the top step at Estoril; two wins but a costly DNF at Assen mean he is in an unfamiliar position after two rounds. However, he was a double race winner at Estoril in 2021, notably coming from behind in Race 2. With gains in the braking areas made over winter, expect to see Rea right at the front once again at Estoril, as he goes in search of retaking the Championship lead. With his rivalry with Razgatlioglu at one of the hottest since it began, Estoril will showcase a true duel between them. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) has only finished in three out of the six races at Estoril, with a best of fourth last year, as he aims for his first podium of the year and at the circuit.
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s start to 2022 hasn’t been quite the domination he ended 2021 with. The reigning World Champion is third in the standings and 45 points adrift of Championship leader Bautista, following his clash with Rea at Assen. However, the Turk didn’t start winning until round three last year at Misano, although he was never this far behind. Razgatlioglu is one of the favourites at Estoril, with two wins back in 2020 and a podium in all six of his starts, he’s the form rider at the track. A first win must come soon with a sizeable gap already. Teammate Andrea Locatelli heads to Estoril after a career-best second place at Assen in Race 2, and he’ll likewise have his eyes on the podium prize again in Portugal – an outside bet to bridge the gap to the titanic trio?
LECUONA FLIES HIGH FOR HONDA: a new challenge in Portugal
In one of the biggest success stories of the year so far, Spanish rookie Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) arrives to Estoril coming from his first podium in WorldSBK, with the 22-year-old taking third in Race 2 at Assen. Profiting from the clash in front but still with solid top five pace right from the green flag on Friday, Lecuona’s been a revelation. The last rookie to take his first two podiums with Honda in consecutive fashion was Michael van der Mark with third in both Assen races in 2015, a tough ask for Lecuona to repeat as he’s never been to Estoril. For teammate Xavi Vierge, he aims to be 100% fit after fractured ribs have kept him out of the top fight during the opening two rounds.
STEP BY STEP: BMW’s Assen gains bring hope for Estoril
In the BMW camp, a step was made last time out for Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), as he took the manufacturer to the top five for the first time this season in Race 2. Redding was a race winner at Estoril last year aboard Ducati machinery and will hope that a more positive Assen carries momentum into Portugal for Round 3. On the other side of the garage, Michael van der Mark will be a fitter than he was at Assen, when he made his return after missing the opening round at Aragon due to a fractured leg. Van der Mark took a heroic eighth at Assen and was in the top six in Race 2 at Estoril last year. Could BMW’s season really kick into gear in Portugal?
BATTLE FOR INDEPENDENT SUPREMACY: Bassani and Baz lead the way
As for the Independents, Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) charge to the podium fight at Assen sees him lead the way in seventh overall on the combined standings. Two 11th place finishes at Estoril last year, he’s hoping to be inside the top ten; he’s only five points ahead of Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) in the standings. Baz was sixth twice at Assen and he’ll be keen to break into the top five for the first time this season. Next up, Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), twice a podium finisher at Estoril in 2020 and a podium contender last year. He’ll be keen to return to the rostrum scrap again. Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) is next after his seventh place in Assen’s Race 1, whilst Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) follows, after his first top ten of the year.
Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) hopes to be back to full fitness after missing Assen races after a Friday crash, whilst Roberto Tamburini (Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport – Yamaha) both fly the Yamaha flag in their quest for a first top ten of the year. Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) was back in the points at Assen and took his first World Championship podium at Estoril last year in WorldSSP, a happy hunting ground for the Sammarinese, whilst Argentine rider Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) aims for more points. Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team) and Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) all aim for first points of 2022. Nozane suffered a fifth metatarsal bone fracture on his right foot following a Lap 1-Turn 1 crash with Baz at Assen in Race 2. Isaac Viñales (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) will be aboard the Pedercini Kawasaki this weekend as he returns to WorldSBK.
Defending WorldSBK Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (left) and six-time WorldSBK Champion Jonathan Rea (right) at a pre-race media event at Estoril. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Fighting talk ahead of Estoril
From previous round reflections to big opportunities and plenty more, there was plenty to get stuck into before action commences in Portugal
The next chapter of the 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is upon us, and it comes from the Circuito Estoril, just half an hour from Lisbon, Portugal. The historic venue welcomes WorldSBK for a third consecutive year and now the fallout of Assen has had time to settle, we caught up with the main stars to talk about the dramatic collision in the Netherlands, their feelings coming to Estoril and, for one rider, the huge opportunity to test a MotoGP™ bike.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “One of the best moments, not just in WorldSBK, but my career”
“I think both Jonny and Toprak are very aggressive, and we saw many battles in the past. Fortunately, nothing happened like it did in Assen. I think they have to be calmer in the battle, especially because if they start battling in the races, they go more and more aggressive with each pass. For me, for sure it’s not a problem; they can fight all they want! We’ll see more battles between them, and I hope to be there fighting for good positions. At the moment, I’m enjoying this Championship a lot; I feel so strong, physically and mentally. I think this is one of the best moments, not just in WorldSBK, but in my career. I feel stronger than ever and more ambitious than before.”
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “There could’ve been more care on both sides”
“Unfortunately, we came together; I don’t want to be a diva and start placing blame or creating animosity about it. It happened, but it didn’t need to happen. There could’ve been a bit more care on both sides but we’re racers, I understand that. I actually saw Toprak just before this interview. I have no ill feeling with him, he’s a super good guy and I can park that. But I can also put my helmet on and race him bar-to-bar at all the circuits around the world. It’s unfortunate we both went down; it was a racing accident and of course, there’s a difference of opinion. I respect his, but it probably didn’t need to happen. Last year here, we were able to improve, and I felt good with the ZX-10RR, so I’m excited to see what we can do this weekend.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK): “We have a Yamaha MotoGP™ test”
“I’m very happy we are here again after a long break. Like last year, I try my best again because I love this track. For Yamaha, it’s very good. I try again fighting for the win. At this track, normally we are fast but this year I think we are faster. We will see because the race is always different. I forget now about Assen. This is a race crash. First it was my mistake, I went a little bit wide but not off the track, but Jonny normally looks at me. He has a bit more space on the track but he’s not using the space, and we crash. There’s been no contact. We are now focused on the race, also he’s focused. We have a Yamaha MotoGP™ test and for me this is very important because I understand whether I like the bike or not, because it’s completely different to the Superbike.”
Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “The test was quite successful; I feel like it’s my bike”
“The test in Portimao was good. We had great weather so very fortunate for that. The weather is better now so we could maximise the hours at the circuit which was very good. We had some new parts to test. Different wheels to upgrade on, different things with chassis setup, electronics and the test was quite successful. I felt quite good and every time I feel more like it’s my bike and I start to enjoy riding it more. The test was good to get back on a motorcycle after some weeks off. There’s some stuff we can use here but it’s mainly setup things. We know in Assen we didn’t do a bad job, we were a little bit closer, but we suffered with tyre wear so this is something we need to pay attention to.”
Iker Lecuona (Team HRC): “The objective is the same, to finish fifth or sixth”
“The last race with third and a pretty amazing weekend in general at Assen. However, now we have arrived at a new completely new track for me; this is my first time at Estoril. I tried to study it a little bit when the Spanish Superbike championship came here last weekend. I tried to study the line a little bit, but it will be completely different compared to watching it on TV. I need to say that we had luck for the podium at Assen, but we were up there all weekend, inside the top five. We need to stay calm. The objective is the same, to finish fifth or sixth, because for us it’s like a small victory as we know we don’t have the potential to finish in the top three for now.”
Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I’m feeling a lot of better”
“I’m really happy we are back. I think the best thing was we had some time off between Assen and this round, and I’m feeling a lot better. Still not walking really fast. Luckily, last week, we had a test and I felt so much better on the bike so at least now I know what to expect when I get onto the bike. It was mainly to get back on the bike and see how I felt. I’m really happy we got the chance to test. We had some new parts to try but there’s always something to try.”
Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW): “I want to fight for the podium”
“I want to fight for the podium, I want to put the BMW and Bonovo team on the podium. I think all four BMW riders have that target. I’m just trying to do my best every time I go on the bike. It’s the only thing you can do as a rider to improve. At the moment, I’m just trying to be on the limit as much as I can to make a step forward and we’ll see if we can make those steps a little bit quicker.”
MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two winner Danilo Petrucci (center), runner-up Mathew Scholtz (left), and third-place finisher Jake Gagne (right) on the podium at COTA with Auto Parts 4 Less logos displayed prominently on the podium backdrop. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
MotoAmerica notified its teams and competitors today via a competitor bulletin that series title sponsor Auto Parts 4 Less/AutoParts4Less.com is no longer a sponsor of the series.
Earlier this year, Auto Parts 4 Less, a Nevada-based online platform for buyers and sellers of automobile parts, was announced as title sponsor of the series for 2022 and 2023, but that is no longer the case according to MotoAmerica Chief Operating Officer and KRAVE Group partner Chuck Aksland.
“The whole thing is just unfortunate,” Aksland exclusively told Roadracingworld.com. “I think everybody went into it with the best intentions. We were proud to have a title sponsor for the series come on board, but there were things that are being discussed now that unfortunately saw the demise of the situation. There’s not a lot I can say about it.”
Aksland said the whole matter is now being handled by MotoAmerica’s legal representation.
The competitor bulletin informed riders and teams that they are no longer required to display Auto Parts 4 Less branding on their motorcycles or uniforms and that wherever possible such branding should be removed and replaced with standard MotoAmerica logos or obscured/covered.
We will report more on this situation as new information becomes available.
Jake Gagne (32) leads Mathew Scholtz (11), Bobby Fong (50), Josh Herrin (2), and Cameron Petersen (45) during MotoAmerica Superbike Race One at VIR in 2021. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
MotoAmerica: How To Watch MotoAmerica Superbikes at Virginia
It’s All Here: How To Not Miss A Bit Of The Action
Everything you need to know to watch the MotoAmerica Superbikes at Virginia!
American Garrett Gerloff (31) leading Michael Rinaldi (21) and Axel Bassani (47) during a race at Assen. Photo courtesy GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team.
GYTR GRT YAMAHA WORLDSBK TEAM APPROACHES ROUND THREE AT ESTORIL
Three weeks after its last outing, the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team is eager to be back in action for the third round of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship at Circuito do Estoril.
Last time out in Assen, Garrett Gerloff proved his speed with a fine qualifying performance, going on to score eighth and seventh in Race 1 and the Superpole Race. Unfortunately, the American’s chances of fighting closer to the front were ended after light contact on the opening lap.
He heads into the weekend with fond memories of the Estoril circuit, having scored a pair of podiums here in 2020, while he just missed out in fourth last year.
On the other side of the box, Kohta Nozane was quick in the Netherlands, but unfortunate circumstances denied him his first points of the season. The Japanese ace was close on Saturday, while a heavy fall in Race 2 after sustaining contact at Turn 1 left him with a fifth metatarsal bone fracture on his right foot. Thankfully, the 26-year-old is fit and ready to race this weekend in Portugal.
After the Friday practice sessions and Superpole qualifier, Race 1 will get underway at 14:00 local time (UTC+1) on Saturday, with Race 2 starting exactly 24 hours later on Sunday, following the SPRC at 11:00.
Garrett Gerloff #31
“I cannot wait for Estoril. I have such good memories there and the Yamaha R1 should suit this circuit really well. In Assen, we proved to be fast once again but got quite unlucky in the races. We want a good weekend, where our hard work is rewarded with strong results. I’m looking forward to it, and we’ll push as much as we can from Friday.”
Kohta Nozane #3
“First of all, I’m glad to say I’ll race in Portugal after the crash I had in Assen. My right foot is OK and I’m ready to go. I cannot wait to be in Estoril, it’s one of my favorite tracks, so I’m looking forward to racing again. We made good improvements at the last round, but unfortunate incidents denied me points. I hope we could improve even more during this weekend and have some good races.”
Shane Narbonne (1) leads Ben Bostrom (155) and Hawk Mazzotta (behind Bostrom) during the BRL Bagger GP race in Utah. Photo courtesy TRASK Performance.
Editorial Note: The PDF results provided by Bagger Racing League have a column labeled “Total Time,” but for most of the races this column contains riders’ best lap time. To better see all pages of the results use the scroll and zoom tools in the bottom left corner of the PDF viewer.
Christian Miranda (413), as seen in action at a PanAmerican Superbike event in 2022. Photo by Matt Dexter, courtesy PanAmerican Superbike.
PanAmerican Superbike
Carolina Motorsports Park
May 14, 15 2022
PanAmSBK made their debut at Carolina Motorsports Park on May 14th and 15th for Round Five of the PanAmerican Superbike 2022 championship.
While this track was a new experience for many of the PanAmSBK paddock, Christian Miranda found himself back on familiar grounds, the top of the podium. After missing round 4 due to injury from his infamous highside on the Daytona banking, Christian found success in his return with three race wins in the SuperStock 600 Grande Corsa, Sunoco SuperBike 600 Grande Corsa, and Sunoco SuperBike 600 Sprint races. Bruno Silva was able to prevent Christian from sweeping the 600 class races by beating him to the finish line by 0.175 second in the SuperStock 600 Sprint.
In a weekend of many firsts, Chyler Weatherford had a breakthrough round with his first win as an Expert. Chyler took the holeshot off the start and was able to fight off all challenges from Alejandro Nieves lap after lap. At the checker, Chyle was able to hold off Alejandro by 0.298 for his first race win as an Expert [in SuperBike 1000].
The 600’s and 1000’s were not the only one able to put on an exciting show [for] the audience. The SuperStreet 300 sprint race found the top three Amateur racers battling from the start to the finish. On the starting grid, Eduardo Aguayo was in grid spot three, Isaac Woodward was in grid spot five, and Sasha Riguard was in grid spot seven. By the end of the first lap, these three were racing nose to tail, with Isaac leading the trio. While the three racers were trading positions all around the track, Isaac seemed to have the best drive out of the last corner and used that draft to lead into Turn One. On the final lap, Isaac was leading the trio into the final corner. Eduardo had a great drive in the previous corner that allowed him to take the lead, but he went just slightly wide. This opened the door for Isaac to take with win by 0.419 seconds with only 0.714 seconds separating first and third place.
Next month, PanAmerican SuperBike makes their return to Roebling Road Raceway on June 18th & 19th.
For more racing information visit: www.PanAmSbk.com
A rider at speed in front of Airfence Bike soft barriers purchased with funds from a previous N2 Track Days fundraiser for the Roadracing World Action Fund. Photo by Apex Pro Photo, courtesy N2 Track Days.
N2 Track Days Announces 2022 Airfence Fundraiser
Media, PA – May 2022 – N2 Track Days is proud to announce that its 2022 Airfence fundraiser to benefit the Roadracing World Action Fund (RWAF) will take place Saturday, June 18 at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (a.k.a. PittRace). The fundraiser will be held on Saturday evening in the middle of a two-day track day event both in-person and online. N2 Track Days has been holding these fundraiser events since 2014 and they have been wildly successful, generating more than $114,000 to purchase life-saving Airfence soft barriers. We are currently looking for partners, companies, sponsors, and individuals willing to donate products and services for the auction.
N2 Racing’s Kevin Olmedo (16) streaking past Roadracing World Action Fund-supplied soft barriers during a MotoAmerica event at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy N2 Track Days.
N2 CEO Jim Curtis explains, “The Roadracing World Action Fund has been helping improve rider safety for decades, and we are happy to be a part of it. These efforts are a way to bring together the two-wheeled community, increase awareness, and directly contribute to rider safety through the purchase of Airfence. These fundraising events are not only to promote and increase rider safety, they are also an opportunity to honor the memory of friends and family that we have lost.”
The Roadracing World Action Fund is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that has helped educate organizations, tracks, riders, and the general public to the importance of using soft barriers at racetracks to improve safety for racers as well as for recreational users at track days and on-track riding schools. As part of that educational program, RWAF raises funds to facilitate soft barrier deployment.
Racetracks used for motorcycles require a greater degree of safety as compared to those that support only automobiles. For example, tracks that are inherently suitable for motorcycles have larger run-off areas and few-to-no hard barriers. These areas are often fronted with forms of gravel traps to help decrease the speed of moving vehicles. This, in turn, helps prevent impact with hard barriers such as tire walls, steel Armco barriers, etc. As you can imagine, impact against any such barriers on a motorcycle can result in serious injury or be fatal.
While the best way to maintain maximum safety is to have no walls and extra run-off in all locations, this is sometimes not feasible. To improve these areas and make them safer, soft barriers (modular, pre-inflated airbags) are deployed in front of hard barriers that cannot be otherwise moved. The deployment of soft barriers has saved many lives and has prevented many injuries.
The online auction will begin the week before the June 18-19 N2 event at PittRace with bidding ending at 8:00 p.m. (EDT) Saturday, June 18 during an after-event gathering. Bidding will once again be held online.
If you or your company would like to donate items, services, or memorabilia to be auctioned for this amazing cause, please contact Chip Spalding at [email protected]
Additional details and auction items will be announced beginning next week.
About N2:
N2 – Ride, Race, Learn.
Founded in 2014, N2’s mission is to build a sustainable motorcycle community through safe, structured motorcycle track days, advanced rider training programs based on Yamaha Champions Riding School teaching methods, with a strong affinity for motorcycle road racing. N2 successfully resurrected Motorcycle Endurance Racing in America by partnering with WERA Roadracing and creating the N2/WERA National Endurance Series by Dunlop. N2 is a premier participant in the MotoAmerica Pro Racing Series with a multi-rider team competing in several classes. N2 is also a major contributor to the Roadracing World Action Fund through fundraising efforts and support from its large member base.
N2 Track Days is proudly sponsored by: Dunlop Motorcycle Tire, Yamaha Motor Corporation USA, Dainese, KYT Helmets USA, Armour Bodies, Chicken Hawk Racing, Impact SafeT Armor, Renthal, Woodcraft, WERA Road Racing, Innovative Motorsports, R.E.B Graphics, Rise Moto, Ghetto Customs, JE Pistons, Wiseco Pistons, Yamaha Power Products, Boxo USA and Yamaha Champions Riding School.
Danilo Petrucci (9) leads a group of riders early in MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race One at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Petrucci Leads The MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Pack To VIR
With Three Wins In Four Races, Danilo Petrucci Leads The Title Chase
IRVINE, CA (May 18, 2022) – For the first three MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike races of the season, the storyline was all about Danilo Petrucci and Mathew Scholtz. Those two had blitzed the field in the opening three races, the two at Circuit of The Americas and race one Road Atlanta, with Petrucci and his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 R winning all three while Scholtz and his Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 was second in the three. Combine that with the fact that defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne had two DNFs and his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha teammate Cameron Petersen had one non-finish in the first three races, and you could see things slipping away for anyone not named Petrucci or Scholtz.
But in the fourth race of the season, that all changed.
Petrucci’s Ducati had a mechanical failure on the opening lap at Road Atlanta and Scholtz crashed out early while battling with Petersen for second. Meanwhile, Gagne would take his first victory of the season, Petersen was second, and the top two in the championship had failed to score a point. And just like that the series heads to VIRginia International Raceway for round three with a championship that’s once again anyone’s for the taking.
Petrucci, though, still has a firm grip on things with the former MotoGP star from Italy heading the title chase from Scholtz by 15 points, 75-60. Most believed that Petrucci would struggle to learn a tricky Road Atlanta racetrack. He didn’t. He qualified second, just .060 of a second behind Gagne, and he won race one, taking over at the front when Gagne crashed out on the sixth lap. From there he battled the heat and dehydration to hold Scholtz at bay by 1.4 seconds to win his third MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike race in his first three MotoAmerica starts. Impressive.
Things flipped in race two with Petrucci pulling in after just one lap with a mechanical failure, but it did little to take away from the fact that he’s going to be in this championship fight for the duration.
Scholtz may have suffered the most with his race-two crash. If the South African had finished third in the second race at Road Atlanta, he’d be leading the championship by one point heading into Virginia. But, as always, hindsight is 20/20.
Petersen may also end up regretting his race-one crash in Georgia, but he rebounded to finish second to Gagne in race two and he sits third in the championship, 26 points in arears of Petrucci, with two podiums in the first four races.
Hector Barbera is off to a solid start in the title chase with the Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW-mounted Spaniard the first rider in the championship battle to finish each of the first four races. Barbera, with two fourth-place finishes at Road Atlanta, is fourth in the point standings with 46 – just three behind Petersen.
Richie Escalante is fifth after four races, the Superbike rookie also scoring quality points while adjusting to life in the Medallia Superbike class on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki. Escalante has three fifth-place finishes and a seventh in the first four races.
One point behind Escalante is Gagne, the defending champion heading to VIR with high hopes of emulating his results from Virginia a year ago. The two races at VIR in 2021 were a highlight reel for Gagne as he not only beat his rivals, he beat them badly. Gagne topped Schultz in race one at VIR by 11.849 seconds and came back the next day to beat Loris Baz by 13.933 seconds. A double owie.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis found himself on the podium in race one at Road Atlanta, but the momentum gained from that was thrown away in the second race with a non-finish. Lewis heads to VIR sixth in the championship, five points behind Gagne and six behind his teammate Escalante.
Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander, his teammate Travis Wyman and Travis’ brother Kyle round out the top 10 in the series standings going into the VIR round. Kyle Wyman earned all his points with an impressive third-place finish in his one-off, fill-in ride for PJ Jacobsen on the Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR at Road Atlanta. Jacobsen will be back on the bike in Virginia.
VIR Superbike Notes…
Looking Back: Four-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes won the two Superbike races in MotoAmerica’s first visit to VIRginia International Raceway in 2015. Other winners over the course of the weekend in 2015 are also familiar names with Taylor Knapp (a Mission King Of The Baggers racer and Dunlop tire tester) and Jake Gagne (the defending MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Champion) winning the two Superstock 1000 races; Josh Herrin (the leader in the 2022 Supersport Championship and JD Beach (a top-level flat track racer and two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion) scoring victories in the Supersport class; and Joe Roberts (currently sixth in the Moto2 World Championship) and Richie Escalante (the 2020 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion) coming away with wins in Superstock 600.
The first-ever AMA Superbike race at VIRginia International Raceway in 2001 was won by the late Nicky Hayden, the 2002 AMA Superbike Champion and 2006 MotoGP World Champion backing that up with a second victory at VIR in 2002.
Jake Gagne qualified on pole position for last year’s two MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike races and broke the lap record in the process. Gagne lapped at 1:23.594 in Q2 a year ago to set the record and followed that up with a new race record of 1:23.834 in race one.
Gagne topped Mathew Scholtz and Josh Herrin in Medallia Superbike race one last year and came back the next day to beat Loris Baz and Scholtz in race two.
Gagne’s win in race two at Road Atlanta was his 18th career victory in the AMA Superbike Championship, which places him eighth on the all-time Superbike win list. If Gagne were to sweep to victories this weekend at VIR, he would jump up into a tie with Fred Merkel for seventh on the all-time list. Australian Mat Mladin sits atop that list with 82 AMA Superbike victories – 21 more than Josh Hayes, who is second all-time.
Danilo Petrucci’s three Medallia Superbike wins thus far this season were the 46th, 47th and 48th for Ducati in AMA Superbike racing and the second, third and fourth in the MotoAmerica era. Suzuki is the all-time leader in AMA Superbike victories with 216, Yamaha is second with 164, Honda is third with 116 and Kawasaki is fourth with 57, nine more than Ducati. Neither Honda nor Kawasaki has won a Superbike race in the MotoAmerica era, which dates back to 2015.
Entries are on the rise in 2022. The number of total entries for the 2022 MotoAmerica round at VIR are 169, not including the 15 in the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race program that didn’t race at VIR last year. That’s 33 more entries than a season ago at the same venue. The entries break down as follows: 38 Medallia Superbike (28 in 2021); 44 Yuasa Stock 1000 (36 in 2021); 26 Supersport (26 in 2021); 42 Twins Cup (28 in 2021); and 19 SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup (18 in 2021).
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Mathew Scholtz And Westby Racing Filled With Vim And Vigor For VIR This Weekend
Matthew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Tulsa, OK – May 18, 2022 – Round three of the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship starts this Friday at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. Rider Mathew Scholtz, along with the entire Westby Racing team, are rolling into the weekend with a firm grip on second place in the championship and a solid plan to come away with two wins at one of Mathew’s favorite tracks.
It’s been a month since the previous round at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, and Mathew has been working hard on his training, while the team has been working equally as hard to improve the #11 Yamaha YZF-R1 even more.
Last year at VIR, Mathew and the team came away with two podium finishes—a runner-up result in race one and a third-place finish in race two. But, as always, victories are the goal, and to get a double win this year would make a strong statement about Mathew’s and the team’s place in the Championship chase this season.
“We’ve had quite a long break, so I’m really looking forward to the Virginia round,” Mathew said. “I am eager to get back out on the track and continue with the improvements we’ve made. We have one or two new bits that we’re excited to try. I’ve really been thinking hard about the Atlanta round, and the two mistakes I made on Sunday, and I just want to get back out there and make up for it. I think we’re considered to be one of the teams to win races. Virginia has always been really positive for me. In fact, the layout really suits me being that I am a bigger guy. The weather looks like it’s going to be pretty hot, so we’ll take it as it comes. I can’t wait to get back with my Westby crew so we can continue working towards our goals.”
Superbike final qualifying is on Saturday morning at 10:15 a.m. ET, Superbike race one will go green on Saturday afternoon at 3:10 p.m. ET, and Superbike Race 2 is on Sunday afternoon also at 3:10 p.m. ET. Both races will be broadcast on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) this weekend, with race one airing Saturday night at 10 p.m. ET and race two airing on Sunday night also at 10 p.m. ET.
For all the action from VIRginia International Raceway, as it happens, subscribe to MotoAmerica Live+, which is MotoAmerica’s live streaming and on-demand service.
Meet Mathew, Get An Autographed Poster, And More
Mathew will be available for autographs during the Dunlop Hot Pit Walk & Autograph Session, scheduled for 11 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday on pit lane at VIR. He and the team will be handing out free posters and T-shirts, so don’t miss it.
Check Out The Westby Racing Sponsor Showcase
GBRacing and Capit Performance are the featured team sponsors on display in the Westby Racing paddock area this race weekend, so be sure to stop by to say hello and learn about some of the companies that support the team.
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
MotoAmerica Round 3 – Petrucci Ready For Redemption At VIR
Danilo Petrucci Leads The Way In Points As MotoAmerica Superbike Heads To VIR
Sunnyvale, Calif., May 18, 2022—The 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship heads to VIRginia International Raceway this weekend for round three of 10 with America’s quickest SBK riders chasing the ultimate Italian duo: Danilo Petrucci and his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 R.
Petrucci swept the opening round of Superbike competition at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, but had mixed results during round two at Road Atlanta. Petrucci started quickly as always and took the race-one win in Georgia. But after his engine overheated during an extended period on the grid caused a DNF before of the opening lap of the second restart of race two.
Regardless, Petrucci has the reigns tight on the SBK field as he holds a 15-point lead over Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz.
This will be Petrucci’s second visit to the 3.27-mile VIR, America’s first permanent road-racing circuit that opened its gates in Alton, Va., in 1957. The 31-year-old former MotoGP pilot has only one practice under his leathers at VIR—and that session was in the wet.
With his signature smile and the high performance of the V4 R, Petrucci is ready to impress the American Ducatisti as he seeks additional wins and extend his lead to deliver Ducati the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike title.
Danilo Petrucci (9). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9)
“Finally, we’re coming back to the races, and at a unique circuit. I’ve been to VIR just one time for a day of testing in the wet aboard a production Panigale V4. I had just 40 laps of experience, which is better than nothing. At least I know the track’s layout. I’m happy to come back to the races and score some more points.”
Round three of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will be held at VIRginia International Raceway on May 20-22, 2022.
Mikey Lou Sanchez (55) in action at Estoril. Photo courtesy Sanchez Racing.
Mikey Lou Sanchez is proving to be a front runner in the ESBK Moto4 class, with two successful finishes this past weekend [May 14-15] at Circuito do Estoril, in Portugal.
The weekend started off very challenging for Mikey in both free practices. He struggled to get his lap times down and qualified P12, but with the help of the team, Mikey was confident going into Race One on Saturday afternoon.
Race One was very close with nine riders all fighting in one group for a podium finish! At the finish line all nine riders were practically side-by-side coming across the finish line. Mikey chose the line up against the inside wall and was able to grab a solid seventh place finish.
In Race Two the fighting continued on the first few laps, but the group was split up by of a crash between two riders. Mikey ended up in the second group, battling it out with seven riders, only this time they were fighting for fourth place.
On the last lap, Mikey led the group for the entire lap and was able to hold them off and prevent them from drafting him at the finish line to take a hard-fought fourth place!
Mikey said, “I was going to go with the front group and try to get on the podium, but one kid highsided in front of me and I lost touch with them. On the last lap in the last turn I knew I had to keep them from drafting me across the finish line, so used a move that Max Toth taught me last month, and it worked!”
With eight races to go in the ESBK Moto4 Championship, Mikey is seventh in the point standings.
The next race is June 25-26 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Follow Mikey on Instagram and Facebook @mikeylousanchez
Thank you to everyone who supports us and makes this possible, especially Shawn Knoche, Roadway Traffic Control, Fondu, San Marcos Iron Doors, Texas Motorcycle Academy, Harris Hill Flattrackers, Moto Liberty, and Niemi Fine Art.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (1), Alvaro Bautista (19), Jonathan Rea (65), Andrea Locatelli (55), and the rest of the WorldSBK field are heading to Magny-Cours, in France. Photo courtesy Dorna.
The thrill of Estoril: WorldSBK’s fierce tussle arrives in Portugal
The 2022 season readies for an intense third round as rivalries are set to reignite in the title fight
Dramatic from the start, talking points aplenty and one of the Championship’s fiercest rivalries, the 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s opening two rounds have already seen plenty of action. It’s almost certain to continue as the Estoril Round from the Circuito Estoril in Portugal welcomes WorldSBK, the third round of a titanic season. Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) leads the way with an 18-point lead over Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), whilst reigning Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) is 45 behind heading to a circuit where’s he’s the most successful out of anyone on the grid.
DUCATI IN CONTROL: Bautista heads the standings
It’s been a sublime return to Ducati so far for Bautista, with three victories going his way and yet to finish off the podium. At Assen, when Razgatlioglu and Rea crashed, he avoided the chaos and picked up the pieces, retaking the lead in the Championship with a gap of 18 points. However, Bautista arrives to Estoril, a circuit he has historically gone well at in the MotoGP™ World Championship paddock, on a Ducati for the first time. A blank canvas and no reference to 2019 may be useful as he has no comparison, but it may well take him longer to come to the fore compared to the others. Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi chases a first podium of 2021, something he needs to assert himself as a contender early on in the year.
RAZGATLIOGLU VS REA: what can we expect in Estoril?
A mixed Motul Dutch Round sees Jonathan Rea eager to return to the top step at Estoril; two wins but a costly DNF at Assen mean he is in an unfamiliar position after two rounds. However, he was a double race winner at Estoril in 2021, notably coming from behind in Race 2. With gains in the braking areas made over winter, expect to see Rea right at the front once again at Estoril, as he goes in search of retaking the Championship lead. With his rivalry with Razgatlioglu at one of the hottest since it began, Estoril will showcase a true duel between them. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) has only finished in three out of the six races at Estoril, with a best of fourth last year, as he aims for his first podium of the year and at the circuit.
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s start to 2022 hasn’t been quite the domination he ended 2021 with. The reigning World Champion is third in the standings and 45 points adrift of Championship leader Bautista, following his clash with Rea at Assen. However, the Turk didn’t start winning until round three last year at Misano, although he was never this far behind. Razgatlioglu is one of the favourites at Estoril, with two wins back in 2020 and a podium in all six of his starts, he’s the form rider at the track. A first win must come soon with a sizeable gap already. Teammate Andrea Locatelli heads to Estoril after a career-best second place at Assen in Race 2, and he’ll likewise have his eyes on the podium prize again in Portugal – an outside bet to bridge the gap to the titanic trio?
LECUONA FLIES HIGH FOR HONDA: a new challenge in Portugal
In one of the biggest success stories of the year so far, Spanish rookie Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) arrives to Estoril coming from his first podium in WorldSBK, with the 22-year-old taking third in Race 2 at Assen. Profiting from the clash in front but still with solid top five pace right from the green flag on Friday, Lecuona’s been a revelation. The last rookie to take his first two podiums with Honda in consecutive fashion was Michael van der Mark with third in both Assen races in 2015, a tough ask for Lecuona to repeat as he’s never been to Estoril. For teammate Xavi Vierge, he aims to be 100% fit after fractured ribs have kept him out of the top fight during the opening two rounds.
STEP BY STEP: BMW’s Assen gains bring hope for Estoril
In the BMW camp, a step was made last time out for Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), as he took the manufacturer to the top five for the first time this season in Race 2. Redding was a race winner at Estoril last year aboard Ducati machinery and will hope that a more positive Assen carries momentum into Portugal for Round 3. On the other side of the garage, Michael van der Mark will be a fitter than he was at Assen, when he made his return after missing the opening round at Aragon due to a fractured leg. Van der Mark took a heroic eighth at Assen and was in the top six in Race 2 at Estoril last year. Could BMW’s season really kick into gear in Portugal?
BATTLE FOR INDEPENDENT SUPREMACY: Bassani and Baz lead the way
As for the Independents, Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) charge to the podium fight at Assen sees him lead the way in seventh overall on the combined standings. Two 11th place finishes at Estoril last year, he’s hoping to be inside the top ten; he’s only five points ahead of Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) in the standings. Baz was sixth twice at Assen and he’ll be keen to break into the top five for the first time this season. Next up, Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), twice a podium finisher at Estoril in 2020 and a podium contender last year. He’ll be keen to return to the rostrum scrap again. Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) is next after his seventh place in Assen’s Race 1, whilst Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) follows, after his first top ten of the year.
Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) hopes to be back to full fitness after missing Assen races after a Friday crash, whilst Roberto Tamburini (Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport – Yamaha) both fly the Yamaha flag in their quest for a first top ten of the year. Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) was back in the points at Assen and took his first World Championship podium at Estoril last year in WorldSSP, a happy hunting ground for the Sammarinese, whilst Argentine rider Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) aims for more points. Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team) and Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) all aim for first points of 2022. Nozane suffered a fifth metatarsal bone fracture on his right foot following a Lap 1-Turn 1 crash with Baz at Assen in Race 2. Isaac Viñales (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) will be aboard the Pedercini Kawasaki this weekend as he returns to WorldSBK.
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