INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING SWEEPS THE PODIUM AT I-70 HALF-MILE WITH JARED MEES TAKING HIS SECOND VICTORY OF THE SEASON AND SECURING CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS LEAD
Mees Edges Out Factory Teammate Briar Bauman to Capture the Win, with Bauman Finishing Second and Brandon Robinson Rounding out the Podium in Third
Minneapolis, MN. (April 25, 2022) – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, had a stellar showing at round three of the 2022 American Flat Track series in Odessa, MO for the inaugural I-70 Half-Mile, with Jared Mees scoring his second consecutive victory of the season, moving him into the championship lead with a four-point advantage. Factory teammate Briar Bauman took second, while Brandon Robinson rounded out the top three aboard his Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750, giving Indian Motorcycle Racing an impressive podium sweep.
Coming off his dominant performance at the Texas Half-Mile, Mees looked to keep his momentum going and make a strong statement that he is the rider to beat in 2022, which is exactly what he did. While Bauman got a strong jump off the line to take the early lead, Mees started in third and swiftly moved towards the front by overtaking JD Beach on the opening lap. On lap three, Mees had closed in on the back of Bauman before sneaking his FTR750 to the inside and propelling himself into the lead. This time, Mees couldn’t run away with the win and spent much of the 25-lap race fending off advances from his teammate. It was a fight to the finish as Bauman put together a late-race charge to try and overtake the reigning champion. Mees was able to maintain his position, taking the checkered flag and win by a mere 0.116-seconds.
Brandon Robinson moved into third in the early portions of the race and despite his attempts to make it a three-way battle for the lead, he ultimately settled into position and took the checkered flag in third. This marked his first podium finish of the 2022 season.
“This was a solid showing for the whole Indian Motorcycle team, coming away with a podium sweep,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Service & Technology for Indian Motorcycle. “Although this win didn’t come as easy for Jared [Mees], with Briar [Bauman] right on his rear throughout the entire race, it was still an important win as he’s now leading in the championship standings. There is still a lot of racing left this season, but I think it’s going to be a battle to the finish between these two.”
“What a day,” Mees said. “Mother Nature actually played a good hand for the racetrack for us. Thankfully we got the racing in before the next storm came in. These races that are quick with just one round of qualifying and right into a Main Event are hectic. You’ve got to be on point from word go. What a hectic Main Event with Briar. I felt him breathing down my neck the entire time. A track like this makes for a lot of tiny little mistakes, but everybody has their fair share of them, and we stuck it out and got to the checkered flag first.”
After three rounds, factory Wrecking Crew riders sit 1-2 in the championship chase, with Mees having 64-points and Bauman sitting at 60-points. Both riders have a small cushion heading into rounds four and five, as third sits at 51-points.
The 2022 American Flat Track season continues on May 28 and 29 for the Red Mile Doubleheader in Lexington, KY.
Sponsors for Indian Motorcycle Racing’s American Flat Track efforts include Progressive Insurance, S&S®, Indian Motorcycle Oil, Mission Foods, Bell Helmets, Drag Specialties and Parts Unlimited.
For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing:
KOPP AND WHALE TAKE RED BULL KTM TO THE TOP OF THE AFT SINGLES PODIUM AT I-70 HALF-MILE
Round 3 – American Flat Track Championship
ODESSA, Mo. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kody Kopp returned to the center of the podium at Round 3 of the American Flat Track Championship, where he edged out teammate Max Whale in a tight battle across the finish. With less-than-ideal weather conditions in Odessa, Missouri, both Red Bull KTM riders maintained their composure and came out on top of the podium with an impressive 1-2 sweep in the AFT Singles class.
In addition to consistent 20-40 mph winds over the weekend, riders were faced with rainfall at the start of race day on Saturday. With rain forecasted to hit again in the evening, the decision was made to condense the racing program to go from practice/qualifying straight into the Main Event, removing the Semis altogether.
Sitting pole for the Main Event, Kopp got off the line in fourth and he quickly made up two spots out of the first turn. He pressured the race leader for the first six laps before launching his KTM 450 SX-F into the lead just before the halfway point. Setting the fastest race-lap of any class all day, the young rider was able to pull a comfortable gap on the rest of the field early on but his teammate, Whale, came on strong in in the second half of racing. Despite a valiant late-race charge by Whale, Kopp was able to hold strong for a slim victory at Round 3.
Kody Kopp (12). Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Kody Kopp: “I’m feeling really comfortable on my motorcycle as of late. Hats off to my entire Red Bull KTM team. We put a ton of work in this offseason and I feel like we are showcasing exactly that. With the rushed program due to weather, I knew I had to make every session count. We had very clean racing in the Main Event and I couldn’t be happier to pull off my second win. Going to get back to work and start preparing for the double header in Kentucky next month!”
Whale, last round’s pole-sitter, earned a front-row start in the Main Event with third in qualifying and he powered his KTM 450 SX-F to a third-place spot off the line. Quickly slotting into second through turn one, Whale was passed early on by his teammate and he shuffled into third on the opening lap. It took a few laps for the Aussie to get back into a rhythm and that’s when he began his climb toward the front. Overtaking second halfway through the race, Whale put his head down and made a late-race charge to close the gap on his teammate in the final stretch. Despite a hard-fought effort, Whale came up just short as he crossed the line only 0.754 seconds away from his first win of the season.
Max Whale (18). Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Max Whale: “This round had a different vibe and it was really tough. We had some more rain so it was really hard to go from qualifying to the Main Event without kind of getting those pre-race jitters out in the Semi. I had a good enough qualifying time for a front row start in the main and the first lap is really what made me lose the race. I fought back hard in the last half of the race and ended up second but it was too little, too late.”
After three rounds, Kopp and Whale sit first and second overall, respectively, in the AFT Single Championship standings.
Next Race: Red Mile (Double Header) – Lexington, Kentucky – May 28-29, 2022
Round 3 Results – I-70 Half-Mile
AFT Singles Main Event
1. Kody Kopp, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
2. Max Whale, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
3. Morgen Mischler, Honda
OTHER
5. James Ott, KTM
12. Travis Petton IV, KTM
16. Ryan Wells, KTM
AFT Singles Point Standings (After Round 3)
1. Kody Kopp, 70 points
2. Max Whale, 57
3. Morgen Mischler, 56
OTHER
13. Ryan Wells, 18
15. Hunter Bauer, 12
16. Tanner Dean, 11
More, from a press release issued by Royal Enfield North America:
FIRST OFFICIAL BTR FLAT TRACK FULL-GRID, JOHNNY LEWIS DEBUTS NEW CHASSIS AT I-70 HALF-MILE
Jaycee Jones fires first shot of 2022 BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. Flat Track, Moto Anatomy X takes next step in Royal Enfield Twins FT evolution
The Odessa, Missouri round marked the first time the full 15-rider BTR Flat Track field took to the racetrack. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
Milwaukee, WI (Monday, April 25, 2022) – The Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Flat Track program held its first full-grid race of the 2022 season at I-70 Motorsports Park in Odessa, Missouri, where seven returning riders and eight new faces took to the track. The larger field of racers combined with a new American Flat Track venue and some wild weather conditions created a whole new race dynamic, but in the end, there was a familiar face atop the podium—Jaycee Jones topped the first 2022 BTR Flat Track race featuring the full roster, storming to victory ahead of newcomer Zaria Martens and BTR veteran Jillian Deschenes.
The women of BTR Flat Track were looking forward to a test day I-70 Motorsports Park as a final test-and-tune session ahead of the season. But due to strong winds and track equipment issues, the program was abbreviated, only leaving the women with two test sessions. From there it was trial by fire as the BTR Flat Track field took to the grid for the first official round of the season (following the “BTR Select” exhibition at the Volusia Half Mile).
Jaycee Jones led the way from start to finish, never relinquishing control of the eight-lap race. Behind her, the battle to watch was between Zaria Martens and Jillian Deschenes. The two dueled throughout the race, much to the Missouri crowd’s delight, with 18-year-old Martens besting veteran BTR racer Deschenes at the checkered flag.
“It was flawless racing by all 15 BTR Flat Track women, and a great start to the season,” said Breeann Poland, Marketing and Communications Lead – Royal Enfield Americas. “Despite limited track time and the ladies not being able to get ample time on their bikes, they supported each other, offered each other advice and feedback, and went out there and put on a great race. Having 15 women from various backgrounds and personalities all under one canopy, working together with a shared competitive spirit is what we’ve always strived for.”
Through the combination of seasoned veterans and newcomers, and an overall faster field of riders, the night proved to be particularly challenging for Gabrielle Hughes, who was faced with the challenge of improving her lap times in order to line up for the main event. Through teamwork and perseverance, Hughes summoned the fortitude to slash several seconds off her lap times to card her best-ever performance.
(From left) Zaria Martens, Jaycee Jones and Jillian Deschenes share the first “full-grid” BTR Flat Track podium of 2022. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
“It was a rollercoaster of emotions for me,” Hughes said. “Our seven-session practice the day before the race but cut short after only two. The racetrack was a completely different beast the next day and the rough track terrified me. But Jillian and Zaria helped me get my head straight, and Bree lit a fire under my butt. My awesome team wouldn’t leave me behind and I went out and beat two girls. I am hungry to keep pushing forward, and each race I am going to come back stronger this season.”
JOHNNY LEWIS DEBUTS ALL-NEW CHASSIS
The I-70 Half-Mile also marked a first for Johnny Lewis and the Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield Team, as they debuted an all-new Harris Performance-designed chassis in the Twins FT motorcycle. Lewis is taking on the full 2022 season in the Production Twins class of American Flat Track, where he and the team continue to make progress on the Twins FT.
Johnny Lewis debuted an all-new Harris Performance-built chassis at the I-70 Half Mile–a major step in the Royal Enfield Twins FT evolution. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
“This all-new chassis is a clean-slate design, and is the culmination of two years of race testing and feedback from Johnny Lewis,” said Breeann Poland. “Together with the world championship-winning expertise of Harris Performance, this new chassis is much improved, and ready to take on a full season in American Flat Track racing.”
The I-70 Half-Mile turned into the proving grounds for the new chassis, and although the test sessions that were originally slated to take place at the Odessa, Missouri venue were abbreviated due to weather and complications with track equipment, Lewis and the Moto Anatomy X Team were able to put the new chassis to the test.
“We were able to extensively test the new chassis for the first time at I-70,” Lewis said. “Although we had very limited track time due to weather, we did what we could in that time. We were able to find some areas to improve on between now and our next race, the Red Mile, which happens to be the first Mile for Royal Enfield in AFT. We’re feeling pretty excited and confident heading into uncharted territory in Lexington, Kentucky.”
Lewis put in solid laps during the Production Twins main event, where he finished sixth in order to maintain a solid top-five position in the championship. Johnny and the team look forward to taking an important step at the following round—the first Mile race of the season—the Red Mile Doubleheader in Lexington, Kentucky taking place May 28-29.
The battle to watch was between Zaria Martens (08) and Jillian Deschenes (31). Ultimately, Martens would edge out Deschenes for the runner-up position. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
The oldest motorcycle company in continuous production in the world, Royal Enfield made its first motorcycle in 1901. A division of Eicher Motors Limited, Royal Enfield has created the midsize motorcycle segment in India with its unique and distinctive modern classic motorcycles. With its manufacturing base in Chennai, India, Royal Enfield has been able to grow its production rapidly against a surge in demand for its motorcycles. Royal Enfield is a leading player in the global middleweight motorcycle market.
Royal Enfield North America (RENA) is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is developing a growing network of more than 150 dealers in North America, including the contiguous U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. RENA currently offers the all-new Classic 350, Meteor 350, Himalayan and the 650 Twins (INT 650 and Continental GT 650) motorcycles, along with a range of Genuine Motorcycle Accessories and apparel.
For more information on Royal Enfield North America, visit www.RoyalEnfield.com/us/en/, www.Instagram.com/RoyalEnfield_NA, www.Facebook.com/RoyalEnfieldNorthAmerica.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON HOMECOMING EVENT AND 2023 DATES ANNOUNCED
Four-Day Festival in Milwaukee Celebrates Harley-Davidson’s 120th Anniversary and Kicks Off the Annual Homecoming Event
MILWAUKEE, WI (April 25, 2022) – Harley-Davidson® will celebrate its 120th Anniversary by launching the Harley-Davidson® Homecoming™ event, an annual four-day festival filled with music, food and moto-culture. The inaugural event will take place at multiple venues throughout the Milwaukee area on July 13-16, 2023, and welcomes riders, enthusiasts, and fans to meet in Milwaukee for a huge celebration.
“We invite everyone, riders, non-riders and fans around the world, to join us in Milwaukee next summer for the Harley-Davidson Homecoming where we will celebrate 120 years of our incredible brand,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO of Harley-Davidson. “This will be the first in a series of unforgettable annual events in Milwaukee. Stay tuned for more details in coming months, and we look forward to celebrating with you in 2023.”
Harley-Davidson recently launched “The Road to Harley-Davidson Homecoming Challenge” where riders and non-riders alike can participate in chances to earn virtual badges, win daily and monthly prizes and enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a grand prize trip to Milwaukee to participate in the Homecoming event. For sweepstakes Official Rules, program and prize details and more information regarding The Road to Harley-Davidson Homecoming Challenge, download the Harley-Davidson App, or visit H-D.com/ride.
Despite A Sunday Setback, Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz Retains Second Place In Superbike Championship
Braselton, GA – After going fifth-fastest in Sunday morning warmup, Westby Racing Superbike rider Mathew Scholtz was poised for a spot on the podium in the afternoon’s Superbike race. Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan, and he was unable to finish the race aboard his Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike.
Mathew Scholtz (11), after crashing out of Superbike Race Two Sunday at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
After two red flags, the race was re-started, and Mathew got off the line well. He slotted into third on the opening lap, but on the second lap, he unfortunately had a tipover. He re-mounted, re-joined the race in 20th position, and began moving through the field with a plan to salvage as many points as he could. Mathew made it forward to 16th, but he ultimately had to return to the pits on lap 11 and retire from the race.
All in all, it was a tough way to end the weekend at his home track, especially after finishing second in Saturday’s race one. One consolation, however, is that, despite the DNF on Sunday, Mathew is still second in the championship point standings.
The Westby Racing team will be back in action for round three of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which takes place at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, on May 20 through 22.
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Race One Victory Starts Weekend on High
Danilo Petrucci (9) leads a group of riders early in a MotoAmerica Superbike race at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Sunnyvale, Calif. – Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) rode the emotional roller-coaster at Road Atlanta this weekend, taking a resounding three victories in a row with race one but suffering the heartache of a mechanical DNF while starting second in race two.
On the Italian’s first visit to the world-famous racing venue, Petrucci took the first race win over Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) after Jake Gagne (Yamaha) crashed out of the lead, perching him on a perfect 75 points in the championship.
That was to be the high point of the weekend as race two saw a series of delays, first caused by a rider crashing and causing a red flag. The long delays on the grid provided the perfect conditions for a mechanical problem, and Petrucci was out of the race on lap two with a DNF.
Despite the DNF, luck still smiled on Petrucci and the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC team as Scholtz also failed to finish, meaning Petrucci still leads the championship heading into round three at VIRginia International Raceway in three weeks’ time.
2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship Standing – Top 5
P1 – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 75
P2 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 60
P3 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha) 49
P4 – Hector Barbera (Ducati) 46
P5 – Richie Escalante (Suzuki) 42
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9): “It was a disappointing Sunday,” Petrucci said after race two. “I did the best lap time in the warm-up, and I was ready to race but because of delays we idled the engine for too long and suffered a terminal engine problem. It’s quite sad to lose a race this way.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Hammer:
DOUBLE PODIUM FOR VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI’S LEWIS & LOCHOFF AT ROAD ATLANTA
Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer earned their first two trophies of the young season as the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship resumed action at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike pilot Jake Lewis arguably served as the headliner, scoring his first premier-class podium finish in four seasons.
The lanky Kentuckian emerged from a chaotic opening handful of laps in third position and then spent the bulk of the contest defending the position aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000R Superbike. The gap behind him closed perilously with around five laps to run, but Lewis responded brilliantly to the pressure. Rather than fold, he re-upped his pace to ultimately secure third at the checkered flag.
Jake Lewis (85) charged to his first Superbike podium in years on Saturday at Road Atlanta. Photo by JR Howell.
He said, “It’s always nice to be up here. It’s been since 2018 that I was last on a Superbike podium. We’re getting back up to speed with the pace of these guys. I’m getting more comfortable on the bike – this bike is a lot different than the stock bike I rode last year. I had a decent pace and I just kept pushing and pushing and managing the board. It’s obviously nice to be up here for all the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki guys. They’ve been working so hard for me, and we’ll keep working away and build up speed as the year goes on.”
Lewis’ teammate, Richie Escalante, had an even more eventful day; The class newcomer made a fast start from the second row, but ran off track early and dropped outside of the top 20 positions as a result.
The former Supersport champ charged his way forward for the remainder of the race, at last landing in fifth to give the team a double top-five result to celebrate on top of Lewis’ return to the box.
Meanwhile, MotoAmerica Supersport title contender Samuel Lochoff guided the squad’s new GSX-R750 racebike to its first class podium result with a runner-up result.
Lochoff’s 16-year-old rookie Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate, Tyler Scott, after qualifying in fourth position, got away even better but a chain reaction from when another rider hit his kill switch caused Scott to crash on the race’s second lap, bringing out a red flag.
Scott explained, “A rider in front of me had a bike issue, and l had to adjust my line and just got pinched off. Bad place at a bad time. On the bright side, the bike felt good. Tomorrow we’ll try to be in a better position and work our way to the front.”
Lochoff took maximum advantage of the second opportunity to get a strong start, jumping out second off the line and never looking back from there.
The South African said, “My Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team spent the last two days working on the bike. We came here with a bunch of unknowns and they did everything possible to put us in this position. The 750 is awesome. We’re going to keep working and we’re going to get there. I’m excited.”
Third Supersport pilot Liam Grant collected points in his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki debut, coming home in 14th position.
The promising combined results for the team on Saturday suggest the potential for another rewarding day on Sunday as the entire team continues to gain speed and confidence with each subsequent opportunity.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2022 season marks Team Hammer’s 42nd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 128 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 332 times and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport.) The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, LLC:
VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI COLLECTS THREE PODIUMS AT ROAD ATLANTA
Suzuki GSX-R750 Successfully Debuts in Supersport Class
BREA, Calif., April 25, 2022 — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer added three podium finishes for Saturday and Sunday to conclude an all-around strong performance at Road Atlanta, round two of the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship season.
Team Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike rider Jake Lewis emerged from a chaotic opening handful of laps in third position on Saturday then spent the bulk of the contest defending the position aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000R Superbike. The gap behind him closed perilously with around five laps to run, but Lewis responded brilliantly to the pressure. Rather than fold, he re-upped his pace to ultimately secure third at the checkered flag.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike pilot Jake Lewis (85) arguably served as the headliner, scoring his first premier-class podium finish in four seasons. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
He said, “It’s always nice to be up here. It’s been since 2018 that I was last on a Superbike podium. We’re getting back up to speed with the pace of these guys. I’m getting more comfortable on the bike – this bike is a lot different than the stock bike I rode last year. I had a decent pace and I just kept pushing and pushing and managing the board. It’s obviously nice to be up here for all the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki guys. They’ve been working so hard for me, and we’ll keep working away and build up speed as the year goes on.”
Lewis wasn’t so lucky in his follow-up to Saturday’s welcome return to the Superbike podium. The Kentuckian got away from the original start in fifth but was forced to line up for the restart from the back of the field after leaving pit lane just over a second late. Still, he managed to fight his way from last to seventh position before his race ended prematurely due to a mechanical issue.
Richie Escalante (54) pilots his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike into two top five finishes. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Lewis’ teammate, Richie Escalante, had an even more eventful Saturday; The class newcomer made a fast start from the second row, but ran off track early and dropped outside of the top 20 positions as a result.
The former Supersport champ charged his way forward for the remainder of the race, at last landing in fifth to give the team a double top-five result to celebrate on top of Lewis’ return to the box.
On Sunday, Escalante battled for the podium throughout the once-stopped-and-restarted affair aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R, coming home a close fifth after making a late push for the box.
“So far, so good,” Escalante said. “For sure, I’m learning every lap and that’s the most important thing. Two top fives are good for the championship. I need to learn more to understand the big bike better, but I’m super happy with the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team and my crew. I want to continue to fight for the podium, so we’ll keep working as we get ready for some of my favorite tracks.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki pilot Sam Lochoff (44) finishes with a pair of podiums for Race 1 and 2 in the Supersport class. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
MotoAmerica Supersport title contender Sam Lochoff guided the squad’s new GSX-R750 racebike to its first class podium result with a runner-up result in Saturday’s Race 1.
Lochoff took maximum advantage of the second opportunity to get a strong start, jumping out second off the line and never looking back from there.
The South African said, “My Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team spent the last two days working on the bike. We came here with a bunch of unknowns, and they did everything possible to put us in this position. The 750 is awesome. We’re going to keep working and we’re going to get there. I’m excited.”
On Sunday, Lochoff again demonstrated the speed to battle for wins aboard the new Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750. The South African battled his way up from the second row to quickly seize control of second and then made serious inroads on the race leader.
Lochoff’s charge was halted when a mishap through the esses cost him a couple seconds, but he kept his head, regrouped, and powered his way to a second runner-up finish this weekend.
After getting his race weekend on the GSX-R750 under his belt, Lochoff came away impressed and excited about its potential. He said, “I’m taking nothing but positives from the weekend. I’m extremely happy with the bike. We struggled with it a little bit in the first session, but we’ve been making constant progress.
“I want to thank Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki powered by Team Hammer. They’ve been working day and night to get this bike sorted. Last year, we finished third in the championship and so far, we haven’t finished worse than second, so I can’t wait to see how this season continues.”
After a tough Race 1, Tyler Scott (70) finished in the top five in Race 2 on his Vision Wheel M4 Suzuki debut. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Lochoff’s 16-year-old rookie Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate, Tyler Scott, after qualifying in fourth position, got away even better, but a chain reaction when another rider caused Scott to crash on the race’s second lap, bringing out a red flag.
Scott explained, “A rider in front of me had a bike issue, and l had to adjust my line and just got pinched off. Bad place at a bad time. On the bright side, the bike felt great.”
For Race 2, Tyler Scott demonstrated his mammoth potential, and this time earned the checkered flag. The Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rookie charged his way up to fourth and had third in his sights prior to a short off-track excursion. Like Lochoff, Scott managed the drama well and ultimately snared a top-five result in his Team Hammer debut.
Liam Grant (90) collected points on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki debut, coming home in 14th and 12th position. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Liam Grant collected points on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki debut with a 14th in Race 1 and picking up 12th in the rematch of Race 2.
Team Hammer will return to action in just under a month, as the ‘22 MotoAmerica slate resumes at Virginia International Raceway, in Alton, Virginia, on May 20-22.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2022 season marks Team Hammer’s 42nd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 128 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 332 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport.) The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
ABOUT SUZUKI
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More, from a press release issued by Robem Engineering:
Robem Engineering Aprilia riders Hobbs, Gloddy finish second, third Sunday in MotoAmerica Twins Cup race
New Hampshirites round out second all-Aprilia Twins Cup podium at Road Atlanta in two years
BRASELTON, Ga. — When the Aprilia RS 660 made its debut in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup last year at Road Atlanta, two Robem Engineering riders were part of an all-Aprilia podium in the motorcycle’s first race. This year’s MotoAmerica event at Road Atlanta featured similar results, as Robem Engineering Aprilia’s Teagg Hobbs and Ben Gloddy finished second and third Sunday in the round’s lone Twins Cup contest.
It was Hobbs’ second runner-up finish in three races with the Robem Engineering team, and he’s now just 3 points behind the class leader in the battle for the 2022 MotoAmerica Twins Cup title. Gloddy greatly improved his bid for the 2022 title at Road Atlanta, as he moved up from 12th to seventh in the points standings.
Hobbs showed excellent pace from the first on-track session of the event. He was the second fastest rider in Twins Cup Friday practice and missed out on the top spot in Qualifying 1 by 0.003 seconds. Gloddy finished practice ninth fastest but upped his pace for Qualifying 1. He wrapped up that session in fourth place and improved his best lap time by nearly three seconds.
Qualifying for the Twins Cup concluded Saturday morning with both riders finishing in the top four. Hobbs struggled through the early part of the session but missed out on pole position by a mere 0.025 seconds. Gloddy finished Qualifying 2 in fourth place and further improved his best lap time by about half a second.
Sunday’s race featured Hobbs locked in a race-long battle for the race lead, while Gloddy came out on top in a multi-bike battle for the last step on the podium. Both riders got good starts on Sunday when racing kicked off at about noontime, but the contest was stopped before one lap was completed due to a series of crashes.
When the race restarted, Hobbs and the race leader got good starts, and Gloddy slipped down the running order several positions on the first lap. As Hobbs and another Aprilia rider took turns leading the race, Gloddy kept his composure and worked his way to the front of the battle for third place. Hobbs made a valiant effort to hold onto the race lead but had to settle for a runner-up finish by a margin of 0.073 seconds. Gloddy was battling hard for third until the last lap and claimed his first MotoAmerica Twins Cup podium by 0.223 seconds.
The Robem Engineering team has three weeks to prepare for the next MotoAmerica round, which takes place May 20-22 at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Va.
Teagg Hobbs (79). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Robem Engineering.
Teagg Hobbs / No. 79
“The team really did their job this weekend. We made progress on our setup every session, and the Robem Engineering team had my Aprilia on point for today’s race. We did what we needed to do this weekend to get a bunch more valuable championship points. It’s still early in the season. We’re in this for long run, and finishes like this are just part of the process.”
Ben Gloddy (72). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Robem Engineering.
Ben Gloddy / No. 72
“We started the weekend with a pretty good setup on our Aprilia. We struggled with getting the bike to turn early in the weekend, but we got that sorted out in time for the race. I’m really happy to be on the podium here at Road Atlanta. If we keep working like this, I think we’ll be good to go for the rest of the season. We’ve found a good base setup that I think will transfer over to VIR nicely.”
Robem Engineering’s technical partners for 2022 include Aprilia Racing, Piaggio Group Americas, The Center for Plastic Surgery, Synchrony, Velocity Calibrations, Bitubo Suspension, Woodcraft Technologies, Dymag, Vesrah, Sprint Filter, DID, Magura USA, Sara Chappell Photos, NGK/NTK, Blud Lubricants, Millennium Technologies, Motovation USA and SC-Project.
More, from another press release issued by Ducati:
Shelina Moreda Takes Top Ducati Spot at Round Two of Super Hooligans 2022
The Californian Gelling Perfectly With Her Ducati Hypermotard 950 SP
Shelina Moreda (93). Photo courtesy Ducati.
Sunnyvale, Calif. – Shelina Moreda’s weekend at round two of the 2022 Roland Sands Design Super Hooligan National Championship at Road Atlanta went superbly, as the ultra-popular racer took the top Ducati honors and a pair of top 10 finishes.
It’s been a busy week for Moreda after a late split with the Nowasky Performance team saw her instead join forces with the Northern Californian-based Feel Like A Pro She’z Racing outfit, and at the undulating Georgian venue, she broke a few hearts by taking an impressive 10th from a back row start and improved to ninth in race two, taking top Ducati on both occasions.
The results from Road Atlanta sees Moreda leap up to eighth in the standings with one round to go at Laguna Seca on July 8-10.
2022 Roland Sands Design Super Hooligan National Championship—Top 5
P1 – Andy DiBrino (KTM) 61
P2 – Cory West (Indian) 58
P3 – Tyler O’Hara (Indian) 57
P4 – Nate Kern (BMW) 35
P5 – Jeremy McWilliams (Indian) 33
P8 – Shelina Moreda (Ducati) 21
Shelina Moreda (Feel Like A Pro She’z Racing – #93): “My race weekend was epic!” Moreda said. “I’m getting to know this Ducati well and it’s so much fun to ride. It’s great racing in the Super Hooligans class—one of the most enjoyable championships I’ve ever raced in. In race one I had a great start from the back of the grid and ended up 10th. Today my goal was another top 10 but in single digits and I got there so I’m very happy about that. I also dropped a full second off my times after some suspension changes with Ohlins and the bike was responding much better to my inputs. Thank you also to Ducati North America for putting me on this bike. I’m having such a blast on it and really enjoying these MotoAmerica events.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
RETURN TO ATLANTA DELIVERS ANOTHER APRILIA HAT TRICK IN TWINS CUP
THE APRILIA RS 660 WAS THE EXCLUSIVE MODEL OF PARC FERMÉ, WITH VELOCE RACING’S JODY BARRY VICTORIOUS, AND ROBEM ENGINEERING’S TEAGG HOBBS AND BEN GLODDY ROUNDING OUT THE PODIUM ON THEIR APRILIA MACHINES
MotoAmerica Twins Cup race winner Jody Barry. Photo courtesy Aprilia.
ATLANTA, GA – The Twins Cup championship arrived in Atlanta this weekend for round two of the MotoAmerica series, and though there were new faces within the series, history repeated and further proved the capability of the Aprilia RS 660, locking out the podium in Atlanta’s singular Twins Cup race for the 2022 round. The twin-cylinder Aprilia motorcycle is in defence of the 2021 championship title, with many new names arriving to the grid in Atlanta, totalling 13 riders aboard an RS 660.
A tough battle for the victory lasted the duration of the race, but when they crossed the line, it was returning Aprilia pilot and 2021 Road Atlanta podium finisher, Jody Barry, who edged out Teagg Hobbs in the last sector of the race. Benjamin Gloddy, who jumped up to Twins Cup from the Junior Cup championship for 2022 and earned his first podium of the series in a hard charge for third, bested the remainder of the field, which hosted 31 riders.
Jody Barry, Veloce Racing
“Overall, the race weekend was great. We topped almost every session and were happy to pull it off with a win today. We played our cards right in the race and couldn’t have been happier. I want to thank the team with Veloce Racing and Aprilia for giving me a great bike.”
Teagg Hobbs, Robem Engineering
“The bike this weekend was perfect. The team and I worked every session and can’t ask more out the team. We have a great platform to build on right now, and I think me, the Robem Engineering team, and this Aprilia RS 660 can do some good things. Looking forward to seeing how the year plays out and stay in the championship hunt.”
Benjamin Gloddy, Robem Engineering
“We had a good weekend overall, starting out trying to get the bike to handle the way I wanted, and got it figured out for Q2. I struggled a little with a new bike and new track, but other than that had a good weekend, got a bit of a battle in the race, but toward the end I was able to bridge a gap from those guys and get a clear run to the flag.”
The Aprilia RS 660 debuted at Road Atlanta in the 2021 season, going on to win the championship with Kaleb DeKeyrel, and continues to show its capability among the Twins Cup competition. The reduced weight and the exciting performance of the 100 HP twin-cylinder engine provides an optimized riding experience that proves to be as comfortable on track as it is on the street, a testament to its ethos “designed for racers, built for riders”.
With two rounds of the MotoAmerica Twins Cup championship completed, new participants continue to join the grid aboard the Aprilia RS 660. For the third round, MotoAmerica heads to Virginia International Raceway, May 20-22, where Twins Cup will have a two-race weekend. Championship Schedule, Competitor information, and Class Rules can be found at https://motoamerica.com/
More, from a press release issued by Pure Attitude Racing:
Points in every race for Pure Attitude Racing at their home race at Road Atlanta
Pure Attitude Racing were back on track this past weekend at Road Atlanta, their home race and all three riders – Chase Black, Trevor Standish and Liam MacDonald didn’t disappoint.
Point scoring results from all three cemented what was a solid MotoAmerica round for the squad who continue to work through their development program with their new Yamaha R7 machines in the Twins Cup, whilst at the same time welcome in their youngest rider Chase Black.
Teenager Black settled into his new team environment superbly, taking advice from his more experienced team mates and remaining calm and positive despite some technical issues that were out of his control. His reward? A double top ten finish of which the team are proud of.
Twins Cup in 2022 is fierce in terms of competition and after being on the back foot at the season opener in Daytona (due to supply chain issues outside of the team’s control), both Liam and Trevor were able to finally get some seat time with a much more competitive machine underneath them. The target for the pair was consistently improve throughout the weekend, which they did, and to bring home a double points finish for the team, which they also did.
The next round of the MotoAmerica series takes place at VIR where Pure Attitude Racing will bring further upgrades to both of their racing programs and look to put themselves back in the podium mix.
Chase Black (14). Photo courtesy Pure Attitude Racing.
Chase Black: “It was a pretty good first race. I finished tenth despite some issues which meant I couldn’t make the passes when I needed to after I made a bad start, but it was good to get the first race over with and score some points. In Sunday’s second race I also didn’t get the start that I wanted, and we still had bike issues. I am leaving Road Atlanta with a double top ten and solid points and so I have to be happy with that. We will fix the bike for VIR, and I am confident to go better there.”
Trevor Standish (16). Photo courtesy Pure Attitude Racing.
Trevor Standish: “I knew a needed a good start and after some changes between warm-up and the race I had a much better feeling. In the first start I passed a few people but there was a red flag. I made another good start in the restart and was aggressive into turn one. I was battling for twelfth but was able to finish eleventh and score my first points of the season. I did all I could, and it was a mental win to come out on top of my own personal battle. I am really looking forward to VIR, but nothing can compare with the home crowd who gave me such a positive lift all weekend.”
Liam MacDonald (37). Photo courtesy Pure Attitude Racing.
Liam MacDonald: “I am a little frustrated. The bike is heading in the right direction but off the start I almost hit the back of a guy ahead of me after he had an issue. Once things settled down, I was completely alone and had no draft so was losing a lot on speed. The team did a fantastic job compared to Daytona in terms of the bike’s performance, but we are still lacking a little here and there but overall, I am happy with how the weekend went. I am part of a great team, and we know we have top ten potential, we just have to put all the pieces together. I am looking forward to VIR and to making another step closer to the front.”
Roadracing World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed America had no new, up-and-coming young racers. This edition of the Roadracing World Young Gun Awards marks the 26th consecutive year of showcasing an abundance of new talent.
Roadracing World Young Guns have won:
FIM MotoGP and FIM Superbike races and World Championships;
MotoAmerica and AMA Pro races and Championships, including 11 AMA Pro Superbike Championships;
A KTM RC Cup World Final race;
The Daytona 200 (11 times);
WERA National Endurance Championships and WERA National Challenge Championships;
ASRA/Formula USA Grand National and CCS National Championships;
AMA Road Racing Grand Championships and Horizon Awards;
USGPRU National Championships;
Many regional and local titles.
The competition has continually become more intense as more – and younger—racers with higher levels of accomplishment are nominated, and the level of achievement required to make the grade keeps getting tougher.
We’ve spent the last several months accepting nominations and evaluating road racers between the ages of 10 and 18 (as of the start of the 2022 season) who have, at a minimum, won Expert-level road races and/or Championships or had outstanding results as an Amateur/Novice. Most of the riders included here have done far more than the minimum.
The young riders recognized here are the most promising young road racers in North America. All have earned the title of Roadracing World Young Gun.
We will feature one Young Gun per day, presenting them in alphabetical order.
Maxwell Toth. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Maxwell Toth
Age: 16.
Current home: Belmont, California.
Current height/weight: 6’0”/150 pounds.
Current school grade level: 10th grade.
Began riding at age: 4 years.
First road race: 2009, Stockton, California, Supermoto USA, PW Class, 2nd place.
Current racebikes: Yamaha YZF-R6, Aprilia RS 660.
Current tuners/mechanics: Team Toth Training (T3).
Sponsors: T3 Racing, Vircos Leathers, HJC, CT Racing.
Recent racing accomplishments: 2021 season, finished 2nd racing as a wild card in CIV Aprilia RS 660 Trofeo Cup race at Vallelunga, finished 9th in MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (only ran 12 races, 1 win, 4 total podiums), finished 13th in MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship (only ran 4 races, 2 podium finishes); 2020 season, qualified 4th and finished 5th in Race Two in MotoAmerica Junior Cup debut at Laguna Seca, tied for 19th in CIV (Italian) Moto3 National Championship (best race finish was 10th at Misano); 2019 season, placed 9th in CIV PreMoto3 Championship (1 podium finish at Mugello), won Pro Supermoto USA 250 race; 2018 season, won all races he entered in Z & F Grand Prix School (mini Grand Prix series in France).
2022 racing goals: Fight for CIV Aprilia Cup Championship, finish in top-5 in RFME ESBK Superstock 600 Championship.
Racing career goal: Race in one of the World Championships.
Racing hero: Iker Lecuona.
Favorite track: Valencia.
Favorite hobby: Riding BMX.
If I wasn’t racing I would be…: A freelance graphic designer.
Gagne Bounces Back With Race-Two Victory At Road Atlanta
MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Champion Jake Gagne Gets His First Win Of The Season
Jake Gagne (1) leads his teammate Cameron Petersen (45), Danilo Petrucci (behind Petersen) and the rest of the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike class at Road Atlanta on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
BRASELTON, GA (April 24, 2022) – Going into the 2022 MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship, not many would have placed money on Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne not winning until the fourth race of the season. But that’s how it played out with the defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion finally notching his first victory of the 2022 season on Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Thus far in 2020, Gagne’s record looks like this: DNF (mechanical), third, DNF (crash), victory. Gagne’s start to his title defense was dismal: Saturday’s crash, combined with Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider Danilo Petrucci’s third-straight win, left Gagne 59 points behind the Italian.
But Gagne is Gagne and the ever-eternal positivity never wavered. Today he came out and did what he needed to do. He dominated from start to finish, despite two red flags (one for Jeremy Coffey’s crash on the opening lap and again when the TV truck lost power, forcing the race to be stopped) and ended up winning by 14.028 seconds over his teammate Cameron Petersen, the South African also bouncing back from a Saturday crash to bring smiles back to the Yamaha camp.
To make things even better for Gagne, the two riders at the top of the point standings both failed to finish. Petrucci’s Ducati Panigale V4 R blew up on the opening lap of the second restart and Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz crashed, remounted, pitted, and finally gave up on the 11th lap.
So, with his first win of the year and the 18th of his MotoAmerica Superbike career, Gagne now finds himself 34 points behind Petrucci and 26 behind Scholtz with the VIRginia International Raceway round a month away.
Third place today went to Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Kyle Wyman, who was riding the team’s BMW M 1000 RR as a replacement rider for PJ Jacobsen. Jacobsen failed a COVID-19 test on Thursday and Wyman, who was at Road Atlanta to ride his factory Harley-Davidson in the Mission King Of The Baggers race, was called on to replace his fellow New Yorker. He said yes and a few days later he had given the team its first-ever MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike podium.
Wyman’s teammate for the weekend Hector Barbera was fourth and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante fifth with those three fighting it out for the final podium spot for the duration of the race.
Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander came out on top of a battle with Aftercare Hayes Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates, and the two were separated by half a second at the finish. Alexander’s teammate Travis Wyman ended up eighth with ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony ninth and Vision Wheel/Discount Tire/KWS’s Geoff May rounding out the top 10 finishers.
After two rounds and four races, Petrucci leads Scholtz by 15 points, 75-60. Petersen is third with 49 points, three better than Barbera’s 46. Escalante is fifth with 42 points, and Gagne is a point behind him and 34 points behind Petrucci.
Jake Gagne – Winner
(When asked if panic was setting in) No. Quite the opposite. Especially after yesterday, we got a good start. I felt really good and really smooth running that pace, but just a little mistake, a surprising mistake. I was down before I even knew it. So, we went back. Like Cam (Petersen) said, the goal was we need to bring this bike home, no matter what. But at the same time, I knew even that pace we were at yesterday was comfortable for me. I just had to avoid a little brain fart like that. But I got off to really great starts today, really, really good. That was good. Felt kind of like last year. To me, I’m comfortable. Like Cam said, I feel good right out of the gate, so I want to try to push the pace right away and at least thin the herd if possible, and whoever wants to come with, come with. I knew there was drama. We even saw the Ducati, (Danilo) Petrucci smoking a little bit on the sighting lap. So, that was in my mind. Like, I wonder if that thing is going to finish? It’s been a rough year, man. A really rough year so far. I know we’re only four races in, but it’s been a rough year. I feel like luck kind of got on our side today. I was able to get a win, and not only just get a win but kind of get some points with those guys DNF’ing today, which was unfortunate for them. But that’s racing. We’ve still got 16 races to go in this championship. There’s a long way to go.”
Cameron Petersen – Second
I tried in the beginning, especially in the first start before the red flag. Danilo (Petrucci) came past me. I kind of latched onto him for a lap. I felt like I could run the pace and then after the red flag came out, Jake’s (Gagne) first lap is just on another level. It’s going to take me some time to figure that out. Once Matty (Scholtz) came past me, I think he kind of saw Jake riding away from me and kind of got a little bit desperate. He had some pace for sure. I was pretty late on the brakes into 10. He lunged up my inside and, unfortunately, I knew he was carrying so much speed going in there. I knew he was either going to run off or something was going to happen. We were both hot into there. So, once Matty crashed trying to pass me, I honestly just backed it off so much. I kind of got the gap up to about 10 or 11 seconds and I just started cruising around doing mid-25s, 26s the whole race. I knew it was super important to bring these bikes home for the team after the weekend we’ve had. It’s been a rough couple weekends. COTA wasn’t the greatest either. Honestly, at the end of the day, I’m not too happy with the way I rode, but I’ll take it. It’s a second. The team finished one and two. It’s not fun riding around all timid and scared the whole time. It was just one of those things. We’re going to go back to work, and I think Virginia is going to be a different story. Once I build up that confidence again, I think I’ll be good.
“Congrats to these two guys next to me. Honestly, it’s awesome seeing Kyle (Wyman) up here. That’s pretty badass for him to come here and beat his teammate, Hector, and get the first podium for the team. And to my boy JG (Gagne), this is where he belongs. Like I said, it’s been a tough few rounds, so to see him back up on the box in P1 is pretty cool, and to be there right next to him is even better. Massive shout-out to the whole Fresh N Lean, Progressive, Attack Yamaha team. I can’t thank them enough for all the work they’ve done. I’ve got a lot of work to do. Looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Kyle Wyman – Third
(When asked if he was surprised to finish third) “That’s an understatement. 14th on the grid. Got a wicked start. The launch control on the BMW is amazing. I think I passed two rows every time we started. We had two starts today. It’s been kind of a whirlwind. I had to work for that one. We definitely had some attrition in that race. That obviously plays into this podium result, but I definitely had to work for it, too. My teammate Hector (Barbera) and Richie (Escalante), were right there. I had to bridge a gap to those guys the first half of the race. They were a couple seconds up the road. I kind of sat there for a couple laps. Felt like I had pace to lead it. I don’t remember where I passed the guys, honestly. But I picked them off one lap and then the next lap. Pretty much held a .3 to .5 (second) gap the rest of the race. The bike was working way better today than yesterday. Scotty (Jensen) made some great changes for me. Peter, the electronics guy, is amazing. The bike is really good; it’s really fast. Feels great to get the team’s first podium. It’s a young team and this is a real boost for them.”
ASBK ’22: Jones takes the round, Maxwell back in the hunt
Twas a foggy start to the day and there was some talk of a delay to the start of the warmup sessions. But again, the Racing Gods were kind and proceedings kicked off at 9 am for the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul as the OJC headed out on track for their warmup. By 10 am the sun was out, the fog cleared, and we settled in for what would be a great day of racing…
Alpinestars Superbike
Ordinarily, the morning warm-up would pass with barely a mention. But Wayne Maxwell had noted at the Saturday evening press conference that the Boost Mobile with K tech team would be returning to previous settings, so interest was piqued. The #1 plate was up by a lot on the Friday and just conceded ground in every session from then on. In the warmup it was that Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) from Maxwell with Cru Halliday third.
Notable news from the warmup were crashes from both Lachlan Epis and Broc Pearson- in Pearson’s case, the Racesafe Medical team were dispatched to attend to him. Shortly after the session concluded, Race Direction sent out a bulletin indicating that Pearson was to be transferred to the hospital for further investigation and would play no further part in the day’s proceedings.
As they say, once the flag drops, the BS stops and it was Wayne Maxwell who took the lead into turn one, showing the Yamaha Racing Team pair of Jones and Halliday the way around the 2.2km Wakefield Park Raceway.
It remained thus: Maxwell, Jones and Halliday. Local lad, the much-improved Troy Herfoss, worked his way up to fourth and when Halliday had a small glitch early in the race, Herfoss found himself in contention for a podium spot.
At the front, Jones was probing and poking the bear that is Wayne Maxwell. While Maxwell was not only in P1 and had nailed the fastest lap of the race, he was somehow not riding away. Smooth, yes, alone; no. A .3 of a second lead was the most he could manage and as ASBK Commentator Phil Harlum would note “that’s a Wakefield zero”.
Behind the leading quartet, Bryan Staring found himself in no man’s land while Sissis, Waters, Allerton, Falzon and Epis all fought for position. Marcus Chiodo was having a solid dice with this second group until a crash at turn one ended his race and turned his bike into a collection of spare parts. He walked away, seemingly uninjured, but an ankle injury would see him out for the day.
At the front, it remained tense. At half distance, Maxwell and Jones remained locked in an immoveable arm wrestle. Every fast Maxwell lap saw Jones follow suit. The gap between the two sat at less than .2 of a second and the pundits wondered aloud if Jones was just content to stay where he was and wait for the final act.
While Halliday had fallen into Herfoss’ clutches for a time, he just put his head down and worked his way back into contention, but with six laps to go, he sat just a tantalising .8 off the back of the leading pair. Herfoss had been unable to stay with Halliday and a four-second gap opened.
Jones stopped biding his time with three to go and showed Maxwell a wheel at every opportunity and finally put a pass on the 2021 champion to take the lead into turn three- much to the surprise of onlookers and riders alike.
It was as unexpected as it was brilliant, and Maxwell seemed to have no answer. Immediately, Jones pushed his Yamaha R1 ahead and opened a seemingly unbeatable .6 gap to Maxwell’s familiar Boost Mobile Ducati.
Jones would hit the finish line by 1.118 seconds to take a tactically perfect victory and increase his lead in the Alpinestars Superbike Championship.
Halliday would finish third with the top ten made up of Herfoss, Staring, Sissis, Allerton, Waters, Falzon and West.
In race two, Jones got the good start he needed, and a motivated and aggressive Cru Halliday held on for second with Wayne Maxwell similarly aggressive. These two came together as they came onto the straight and set the tone for the rest of the 20 lap journey.
Halliday would get shuffled back to fourth by Bryan Staring as Jones again tried to get away from the pursuing pack. Maxwell- who lead the first race- now found himself as the hunter and settled happily into second place.
Meanwhile, fifth-placed Troy Herfoss stayed in contention behind Halliday. Up front, Maxwell was all over Jones but these two had now opened a one-second gap to the riders behind. Arthur Sissis showed he’s realising his huge potential by sitting in sixth with a German triumvirate of BMWs behind him in the form of Waters, Allerton and Epis.
Out front, Maxwell seemed to be playing the numbers and saving his tyres. While Jones happily – in Maxwell’s words “did the donkey work”, the 2021 champion did the same thing Jones did in race one; observed, poked and prodded.
Halliday got past Staring in an important championship-points situation. Staring’s tyre woes appeared to have struck as Herfoss also put a pass on the Western Australian’s DesmoSport Panigale.
At the halfway point it was Jones and Maxwell out front with Maxwell “shadowing Jones perfectly” according to ASBK commentator Steve Martin. The tactic also seemed to suit Maxwell physically who had complained of arm pump in race one.
Herfoss and Halliday were trading lap times in third and fourth, but neither was able to set off after the leaders, while Staring was clearly struggling with his Ducati.’s rear grip.
On lap 14, Maxwell ran out of patience- or saw an opportunity- and took the race lead into the last turn. Immediately he did the expected thing and banged out a fast lap. But he might as well have been actually towing Jones around as the blue R1 stayed glued to his tailpipe.
Meanwhile, Herfoss was as brave as he was confident, and tried to get around Halliday, only to run wide and let Halliday get away.
At the pointy end, the tables were turned, with Jones now in hot pursuit. Maxwell was riding 10/10ths and while there were only a few laps left, it was far from over.
Maxwell got out to a .3 second lap, but for all that effort, Jones reeled him in again with a lap to go to get back on terms. For all his efforts, Jones seemed to be losing some drive and Maxwell was clearly hungry for the win.
Maxwell played the last lap to perfection and drove the Ducati to the line to take the win to put himself well into the championship contention in terms of points and perhaps even more importantly, put himself psychologically back in the game.
Sean Condon stepped in for the absent Tom Edwards and there were murmurs in the paddock about how a retired rider with a seven-year absence from racing could turn up and take pole.
The talk was not suspicion about Condon’s pace, but rather the lack of it from the rest of the field who, once the flag dropped for Race One, needed to show that season-long racers would beat a one-off guest rider.
Almost immediately after the race started, Tom Drane had an excursion at turn two and that brought out the red flag. Drane remounted and returned to the track. Sean Condon was one of the few riders pleased to see the red flag after he literally missed the start. While being interviewed by Kate Peck for ASBK TV, he admitted that he not only missed the start, but he also wasn’t even sure about how the light sequence worked.
At the restart, Condon repeated his poor start and immediately dropped to fourth, with Lytras, Lynch and Nicholson ahead.
On lap two, all hell broke loose with Bramich, Nicholson and Mahon all crashing in the space of 30 seconds. Nicholson would remount but go a lap down.
Out front, Lytras and Lynch diced for the lead, trading places while Condon looked on. The leading trio would push out to a 6+ second lead. Lytras tried to push hard in the middle part of the race to get a gap, but Lynch and Condon gave him nothing. Condon seemed to be checking out potential passing points while biding his time.
With two laps to go, the lap times dropped under one minute and Condon tried to push past Lynch, but could not find a gap.
Lytras lead them into the final lap and ground out a small, but handy lead. Meanwhile, Condon finally took second place from Lynch, while Lytras saluted for the win.
Mitch Kuhne and Jake Farnsworth were fourth and fifth while Scott Nicholson salvaged some championship points by finishing 10th.
For the post-lunch break race two, the light rain that had threatened to derail everyone’s best-laid plans did the honourable thing and disappeared with some cloud and sun setting up a tantalising battle.
Polesitter Sean Condon had- courtesy of a restart in race one- two race starts and both were ugly. Race two was no different as the bike reared up briefly and he gifted the lead to John Lytras with Ty Lynch and Scott Nicholson filling the top three.
Lytras took the lead and immediately got down to business, pressing home the advantage out to 7/10th of a second while the following trio of Lynch, Nicholson and Condon tried to stay in touch.
Things would remain that way for much of the early and middle part of the race and while Lytras was keen to get away, the pursuers still had him in sight and were not letting go.
In the final third of the race, the leading foursome split into two pairs of Lytras and Lynch and then Nicholson and Condon.
Mitch Kuhne ran out of luck after several heart in mouth moments and crashed, remounting in 12th place.
With two to go, Condon got past Nicholson and set off after the leading pair. Lytras and Lynch started the last lap nose to tail, and it became clear that only they could take the top spot on the podium.
Lytras again showed his determination and stamped not only his authority on the race, but showed he is capable of taking the 2022 title, winning by .520 from Ty Lynch, with Sean Condon on the podium some 1.7 behind.
Scott Nicholson and Tom Bramich were fourth and fifth.
Lytras now ascends to the seemingly cursed leadership of the Michelin Supersport in a season where there have already been three leaders (and nominal leaders) by round three.
At the start of race one, the question was whether Dunker could sneak off and not tow anyone around for the 10 lap journey.
But it was not to be, as Dunker fluffed the start, dropped back to fourth and gifted Jonathan Nahlous, Hayden Nelson and Taiyo Aksu the top three spots.
But Dunker had been the fastest 300 rider all weekend and would not be denied. With less than three laps completed, he was back in the lead. The pressure that Dunker created took its toll immediately, with Nahlous trail braking too far into the final turn and folding the front end to crash out of the race.
Dunker now put his head down and tried to eke out a lead. While he would stretch the rubber band between him and the chasing pack, the main straight would see them re-attach to the Dunker freight train.
It was now a race of packs. The lead group of Dunker, Hayden Nelson, Akso and Glenn Nelson had a 6 second lead over pack two of Jacobs, Waters, Nikolis, Swain, Gawith and Championship leader Snell.
With just a few laps to go the leading quartet swapped turns and leadership with Dunker as far down at fourth – but also often leading,
Of course, it would come down to the final corner. Dunker desperately strove for the line with Aksu breaking out from the slipstream to also dive for the finish. It would be Dunker by 9/1000th of a second to Aksu, Hayden Nelson and Glenn Nelson.
The final race of the weekend for the Dunlop Supersport 300s again saw a hotly contested start with Dunker taking the holeshot, in the absence of an apparently injured Jonathan Nahlous who was due to start from P2.
Dunker again tried a magic trick in an attempt to disappear from view and got out to a .4 lead early in the race. Glenn Nelson sensed danger and pushed hard on lap two to get back on terms with Dunker and dragged Taiyo Aksu and Hayden Nelson with him.
The leading four gapped the field with a lonely James Jacobs on the lone Kawasaki caught between two groups.
Thanks to his diminutive stature, Dunker was able to maintain a highly aerodynamic profile that prevented- for a time- any riders from being able to get a solid draft behind him for the overtake.
At half race distance, Glenn Nelson slipped by and lit up the back half of the race. Dunker realised he was not going to be able to sneak off the front and began to dice for lead, taking it back from Glenn Nelson and then giving it back in what can only be described as a “classic Supersport 300 situation”. The lead changed too many times to mention, but the riders were just marking time to position themselves for the finale.
Taiyo Akso showed he wanted to get involved and took the lead while Dunker was shuffled down to fourth and was lucky just to stay on the bike. There were just two laps to go and while the literal gloves were on, the metaphorical ones were off.
Dunker pushed hard to get back into second place on the last lap with Aksu in the lead. Dunker had a look at Aksu here and there, but the assembled crowd were watching for the last turn where Dunker finally took the lead again.
Dunker did all he could to prevent the pursuing riders from making use of the slipstream and he did exactly that, taking the win by .051 from Taiyo Aksu in second and Hayden Nelson in third.
Glenn Nelson – who was in the lead for a time- finished fourth with a four-second gap to James Jacobs in fifth, Liam Waters (6th), Cameron Swain (7th), former championship leader Henry Snell (8th), Brodie Gawith (9th) and Marianos Nikolis (10th).
Yamaha Finance R3 Cup
The baby-faced assassin that is Cameron Dunker took his familiar pole position for the opening Sunday race for the Yamaha Finance R3 Cup and while the pack tried to swamp him into turn one, Dunker’s flouro yellow Yamaha still exited the opening turn in first position.
As the race settled in, Dunker naturally tried to check out of the race, the track and his hotel, but second-placed Hayden Nelson stayed in touch with Glenn Nelson on the move, lapping one second faster than the leading pair as he reeled them in.
Soon it was a train of six: Dunker, Hayden Nelson, Glenn Nelson, Cameron Swain and Taiyo Aksu.
And, as is almost always the case, once you have that many R3’s in close proximity, the lead started to change hands regularly. Dunker found himself down as low as third with the (unrelated) Nelsons at the front.
Into the last lap, Dunker played all of his aces, taking the lead and absolutely riding on the limit “A pretty impressive move” noted former ASBK champion and official commentator Steve Martin.
As always, it was the last corner and the drag to the line and it was Glenn Nelson who played it to perfection, slipstreaming and pulling alongside Dunker to record a cosy 7/1000th of a second win at the line from polesitter Cameron Dunker with Hayden Nelson rounding out the podium.
In the final race, Dunker would again take the holeshot, but this time 2021 OJC champion Cameron Swain would find himself second with Glenn Nelson in third.
After a day of separated pack racing, this final race settled into classic R3 conditions- a long, long train of ten riders all in contention.
Dunker and Glenn Nelson traded places several times and between them created a small gap to Liam Waters in third.
With two laps to go, there was still nothing between them. Liam Waters lead for a time while Dunker and others tried to position themselves for the final salvo.
Into the last lap and the inevitable R3 shenanigans really kicked off. Dunker found himself down in fourth, but as always, not out of the running. He moved into the lead by the last corner, but was now the hunted.
The ol’ run to the line saw a deserving Liam Waters take the slipstream win by the biggest margin of the day – .050! Second was Cameron Dunker followed by Glenn Nelson to round out the podium.
The top ten was made up of Hayden Nelson, Brodie Gawith, Cameron Swain, Taiyo Aksu, Marcus Hamod, Henry Snell and Sam Pezzeta.
It was an unusually subdued and cautious bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup field that made its way to the start line for their first race of the Sunday. A mist/light rain had descended upon the Wakefield circuit and as the riders gridded up on slick tyres the field, families, fans and officials all looked skyward for answers.
Mercifully the track was warm enough to dry the rain before it had a chance to cause carnage. From the get-go, most of the riders rode with care, maturity and the sort of mindfulness that Garry McCoy has been teaching all season.
The race itself saw Hudson Thompson and Harrison Watts aggressively break away from the rest of the riders who – for a change- were not hunting in packs but were rather in a single file with oddly sensible gaps between them.
As the laps wound down, Hudson Thompson seemed to have all he needed in terms of pace to take the win. Watts was close and of course, this being the OJC, being close means you’re still well in the hunt.
The riders chasing Thompson and Watts started to form into a chase group but they did not have enough laps remaining to mount a serious challenge. The stage was set: Thompson v Watts for the win.
Then Hudson Thompson made a mistake he will probably never make again, saluting for the win while actually greeting the one-lap-to-go board. Realising his mistake, he put his head down again to chase after Harrison Watts.
Thompson was able to immediately get on terms with Watts, but at the line, the commentators couldn’t call the win and this time neither rider celebrated. Official timing providers Computime gave the win to Watts by a tiny 2/1000th of a second, with Thompson second and a gap back to Marcus Hamod in third.
It would not end there. After the race, Thompson and Watts were penalised one place each for – in the words of the Clerk of the Course – “…breaching the safety of other competitors”. This was a serious situation and as younger riders in a development series, this was a necessary penalty for weaving over the white line while racing down the start-finish straight.
This elevated third-placed rider Levi Russo to the race win with Watts and Thompson in second and third respectively.
The final race started out in typical manner, but it was Hamod and Rende who joined Thompson at the front as part of a group of six: Thompson, Hamod, Watts, Rende, Russo and Drane.
Thompson managed to get out to a .4 second lead and was hoping to remove the drafting option for those following.
At the halfway point, just four riders remained in contention for the podium and the win: Thompson, Hamod, Watts and Rende. The lead group were mindful of each other as they traded spots, with all four taking a turn at the front.
The final lap beckoned and once again it was 14 (Watts) and 41 (Thompson) at the front as they went into the last corner. And there, a lot happened; Rende made a lunge up the inside for the lead from third, Thompson took the lead from Watts, Watts went back to fourth and Hamod was just happy to be in the hunt in second.
..and there they would finish. Hunter Thompson, Marcus Hamod, Harrison Watts and Cameron Rende in fourth.
Altus Motorsports’ Kayla Yaakov, age 14, made some great moves under braking on the last lap and crossed the finish line first, apparently winning MotoAmerica Junior Cup Race Two and becoming the first female to win a MotoAmerica race.
Before the podium ceremony, however, MotoAmerica officials ruled that Yaakov, and others, had passed under yellow flag conditions. Yaakov was docked two positions, dropping her to third and elevating Max Van to first place, giving him his career-first MotoAmerica race win.
The penalties assessed are not noted on the results sheet below.
Herrin Stays Perfect In MotoAmerica Supersport At Road Atlanta
Kyle Wyman Bounces Back To Win Mission King Of The Baggers
BRASELTON, GA (April 24, 2022) – Only one racer during the MotoAmerica round at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta was perfect and that was Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Josh Herrin, the 2013 AMA Superbike Champion winning both MotoAmerica Supersport races in Georgia.
While Herrin was perfect, the rest of the races featured a lot of parity.
Twins Cup – Barry Wins A Close One
Jody Barry (11) battled Teagg Hobbs (79) throughout the Twins Cup race with Barry ultimately taking the victory. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
The day started with the 12-lap Twins Cup race, which was red-flagged on the first lap due to a group of riders who crashed out unhurt, and the race was restarted with a seven-lap sprint to the finish line. Polesitter Jody Barry got the holeshot and led the first four laps aboard his Veloce Racing Aprilia, but Robem Engineering’s Teagg Hobbs was in hot pursuit. Hobbs overtook Barry on lap five and held the lead until the seventh and final lap when Barry got around Hobbs and held off the New Hampshirite’s strong challenge to take the checkered flag by just seven one-hundredths of a second.
Hobbs’ Robem Engineering Aprilia teammate had his own battle with Jackson Blackmon Racing Yamaha rider Jackson Blackmon, but he managed to get around Blackmon on lap four and maintain his third-place position all the way to the checkers.
When asked about the brave move that Hobbs tried to put on Barry on the final lap, Barry said, “I definitely expected him to try to make something happen. I would have done the exact same thing. I guess I broke late enough to the point where he couldn’t make it stick. Just after that, I tried to hit my markers and finish a clean lap, but don’t kill my drive on the front straight or anything. Everything worked out pretty good.”
Mission King Of The Baggers – The Champ Fights Back
Kyle Wyman (1) held off the advances of James Rispoli (43) to win the Mission King Of The Baggers race at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
In the eight-lap Mission King Of The Baggers race, defending class champion Kyle Wyman returned to form after a tough day on Saturday, in which he crashed out of the three-lap King Of The Baggers Challenge. Ironically, Challenge winner Bobby Fong, who earned the pole for today’s race based on his victory in the Challenge, mimicked Wyman and crashed his Roland Sands Design Indian. That opened the door for Wyman, who went on to get the win. Second place went to Vance & Hines Racing Harley-Davidson’s James Rispoli, the two-time AMA SuperSport Champion returning to MotoAmerica after an eight-year hiatus. Mission Foods/S&S Cycle/Indian Challenger Team’s Tyler O’Hara rounded out the podium in third.
“It’s been a tough weekend,” Wyman said. “I took an opportunity on a Superbike on Thursday night, so it’s been a busy weekend and that has kind of played into going back and forth on the bikes, trying to just be more focused than ever. Honestly, I think if I didn’t crash yesterday and learned that lesson, I might have crashed out today because it was way greasier. I had to exercise some patience today that I didn’t yesterday. I decked out on the cases just flicking it into 10B and lifted both tires off the ground. Had to remind myself that thing is not quite there yet where I can just pancake it on the side of the tire that quick. Today, I tried to exercise a little bit of patience, be there at the end. If I can get a clean run through the esses, I know I can get away. That was my game plan. Yesterday was tough. A tough pill to swallow being sixth on the grid the way the challenge sets the grid, even though you have the track record. It’s kind of weird. I’m really happy just to redeem ourselves from Daytona. The long off-season that these guys have been developing this bike, it’s truly an arms race that’s just still on such a steep incline. It’s crazy. I think 31.7 in the race. Does that sound right? That’s what I saw. That’s five seconds faster than last year. It’s just silly what we’re doing on these things. I think we’ve still got some big chunks to take out of them.”
Supersport – It’s Herrin Time Again
Josh Herrin (2) put his head down and gapped the Supersport field on the opening lap en route to his second victory of the weekend at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
The only double win of the weekend was delivered by Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider Josh Herrin, who followed up his dominant win in Saturday’s Supersport race with another dominant win is Sunday’s race. Starting from the pole, just like yesterday, the former Superbike Champion got another great jump off the line and led the 18-lap race from start to finish, stretching his lead our to nearly five seconds by the time he took the checkers.
Finishing second and also holding his position for the entirety of the race was Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Sam Lochoff, who was aboard the only GSX-R750 in the field. Third place went to Landers Racing’s Rocco Landers, the young, but talented rider notching his 50th podium in MotoAmerica competition.
“To be honest, from the beginning of the race, I’m just doing what I always do and just push as hard as I can,” said Herrin. I’ve never been one for strategies. It just so happened the last two days, it worked out that way. But I’m just putting my head down and riding as hard as I can. I was a little nervous. The start yesterday and today, just a full load of fuel, the thing is all the way to the max to make sure that we make it the distance. I was a little nervous at first with it, but it was good. I’m happy with the results.
“Bobby, the team owner, has been calling me fat all weekend so it’s been giving me a little bit of motivation. I have a little dad bod going on this off-season. A lot of late nights with the baby, a lot of snacking. It’s time to go to work. The Georgia heat beat me up this weekend, that’s for sure. Hayes has been telling me all weekend he’s coming for us at VIR, so I need to step it up and be ready for him because I know when he gets here, it’s going to go up another level. Just having fun. I’m excited to be on this team, the whole Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC. Our team is a lot of fun to be around. I’m just enjoying myself. It’s awesome having (son) Griffin here, and (wife) Rachel here, and my whole family here from the Herrin Compound. Thank you, everybody, for coming out and all the fans for coming out. I’m looking forward to going to VIR.”
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup – Van Gets His First
Max Van (48) leads the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup class en route to his first MotoAmerica victory on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
The 11-lap SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race two got off to its usual rousing start, with nearly 20 of MotoAmerica’s youngest riders racing in close formation aboard their lightweight 400cc motorcycles. But it was the ending of the race that brought the most attention. After the race concluded, the podium result ended up being changed due to a MotoAmerica rule about passing in a corner where there is a standing yellow flag. As a result, Altus Motorsports Kawasaki rider Kayla Yaakov unfortunately rode an emotional roller coaster where she went from the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat as her race win was nullified and she was moved from first to third. That handed the victory to SportbikeTrackGear.com’s Max Van, with second place going to Calishine Racing’s Aden Thao, and aforementioned Yaakov completing the podium.
Also adding to the drama of the final lap was the fact that a couple of riders crashed out just before the final run to the finish line.
“Today, I don’t really feel like I deserve this win, but I’m really sorry to Kayla,” said Van. “She rode a great race and, honestly, I feel like she deserves this. But I’ll take the points and I’ll take them into VIR with a lot of confidence. I just hope everybody is okay in that wreckage in the last corner. Levi, I think something happened. I feel like he highsided, and he landed into me. I have marks all on my boot. I really hope everybody is okay, including my teammate (Joe LiMandri) and (BARTCON Racing’s) Levi (Badie). I hope you guys are well soon.”
Roland Sands Design Super Hooligan – O’Hara Wins The Fight
Tyler O’Hara (2) leads Jeremy McWilliams (99), Cory West (13) and Andy DiBrino (behind West) in Roland Sands Design (RSD) Super Hooligan Race Two on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
The MotoAmerica race weekend at Road Atlanta concluded with Roland Sands Design’s Super Hooligan race two. The series features naked bikes with up to 125 horsepower, which include everything from Harley-Davidsons and Indians, to KTMs, Ducatis and a BMW. Roland Sand Design Indian rider Tyler O’Hara won the eight-lap event over his teammate Jeremy McWilliams, who passed for the lead on lap six, but couldn’t make it stick.
JLC Concrete/KTM/DiBrino Racing’s Andy DiBrino stalked Saturday’s Hooligan race winner Cory West, who was in third place until the final lap. DiBrino finally made his move and overtook West to snatch the final spot on the podium.
“It was such a blast,” O’Hara said. “To be able to start up front where we belong and be able to go with the boys and really kind of let the race unfold. Got a few clean laps out front and Jeremy came around me in turn one early in the race, and it was a great pass. I knew I needed to clean up turn one and get that figured out. Then he passed me again going back into 10 like I was standing still. Obviously, I was going in there soft. He went around me like a MotoGP rider. He took me to school. I figured out what I needed to work on. I think, with two to go, he was on the opposite side of me going up into turn one again, and we played chicken all the way up into turn three. We both went off the track, but it was fun. I ended up coming out of the deal. Just so fun riding these FTR1200 Indians. Just such a beautiful motorcycle and so much fun to ride. We’re still developing it, really. Just, every session, we’re figuring them out and getting more comfortable. We still have a ways to go. I think there are some big chunks still to get more comfortable. The whole Mission Foods support and Roland Sands Design and shout out to Patricia Fernandez for basically loaning us her motor. We lost a motor, and she had crashed and totaled her bike, so we took her motor yesterday in-between sessions. Big hats off to her. It was super fun with my teammate and (Andy) DiBrino. It’s just a fun class. It’s the Super Hooligan class. It’s supposed to be fun.”
Jared Mees (1) and his Progressive Insurance Indian teammate Briar Bauman (3) in action at the I-70 Half-Mile. Photo courtesy Indian Motorcycle.
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING SWEEPS THE PODIUM AT I-70 HALF-MILE WITH JARED MEES TAKING HIS SECOND VICTORY OF THE SEASON AND SECURING CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS LEAD
Mees Edges Out Factory Teammate Briar Bauman to Capture the Win, with Bauman Finishing Second and Brandon Robinson Rounding out the Podium in Third
Minneapolis, MN. (April 25, 2022) – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, had a stellar showing at round three of the 2022 American Flat Track series in Odessa, MO for the inaugural I-70 Half-Mile, with Jared Mees scoring his second consecutive victory of the season, moving him into the championship lead with a four-point advantage. Factory teammate Briar Bauman took second, while Brandon Robinson rounded out the top three aboard his Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750, giving Indian Motorcycle Racing an impressive podium sweep.
Coming off his dominant performance at the Texas Half-Mile, Mees looked to keep his momentum going and make a strong statement that he is the rider to beat in 2022, which is exactly what he did. While Bauman got a strong jump off the line to take the early lead, Mees started in third and swiftly moved towards the front by overtaking JD Beach on the opening lap. On lap three, Mees had closed in on the back of Bauman before sneaking his FTR750 to the inside and propelling himself into the lead. This time, Mees couldn’t run away with the win and spent much of the 25-lap race fending off advances from his teammate. It was a fight to the finish as Bauman put together a late-race charge to try and overtake the reigning champion. Mees was able to maintain his position, taking the checkered flag and win by a mere 0.116-seconds.
Brandon Robinson moved into third in the early portions of the race and despite his attempts to make it a three-way battle for the lead, he ultimately settled into position and took the checkered flag in third. This marked his first podium finish of the 2022 season.
“This was a solid showing for the whole Indian Motorcycle team, coming away with a podium sweep,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Service & Technology for Indian Motorcycle. “Although this win didn’t come as easy for Jared [Mees], with Briar [Bauman] right on his rear throughout the entire race, it was still an important win as he’s now leading in the championship standings. There is still a lot of racing left this season, but I think it’s going to be a battle to the finish between these two.”
“What a day,” Mees said. “Mother Nature actually played a good hand for the racetrack for us. Thankfully we got the racing in before the next storm came in. These races that are quick with just one round of qualifying and right into a Main Event are hectic. You’ve got to be on point from word go. What a hectic Main Event with Briar. I felt him breathing down my neck the entire time. A track like this makes for a lot of tiny little mistakes, but everybody has their fair share of them, and we stuck it out and got to the checkered flag first.”
After three rounds, factory Wrecking Crew riders sit 1-2 in the championship chase, with Mees having 64-points and Bauman sitting at 60-points. Both riders have a small cushion heading into rounds four and five, as third sits at 51-points.
The 2022 American Flat Track season continues on May 28 and 29 for the Red Mile Doubleheader in Lexington, KY.
Sponsors for Indian Motorcycle Racing’s American Flat Track efforts include Progressive Insurance, S&S®, Indian Motorcycle Oil, Mission Foods, Bell Helmets, Drag Specialties and Parts Unlimited.
For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing:
KOPP AND WHALE TAKE RED BULL KTM TO THE TOP OF THE AFT SINGLES PODIUM AT I-70 HALF-MILE
Round 3 – American Flat Track Championship
ODESSA, Mo. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kody Kopp returned to the center of the podium at Round 3 of the American Flat Track Championship, where he edged out teammate Max Whale in a tight battle across the finish. With less-than-ideal weather conditions in Odessa, Missouri, both Red Bull KTM riders maintained their composure and came out on top of the podium with an impressive 1-2 sweep in the AFT Singles class.
In addition to consistent 20-40 mph winds over the weekend, riders were faced with rainfall at the start of race day on Saturday. With rain forecasted to hit again in the evening, the decision was made to condense the racing program to go from practice/qualifying straight into the Main Event, removing the Semis altogether.
Sitting pole for the Main Event, Kopp got off the line in fourth and he quickly made up two spots out of the first turn. He pressured the race leader for the first six laps before launching his KTM 450 SX-F into the lead just before the halfway point. Setting the fastest race-lap of any class all day, the young rider was able to pull a comfortable gap on the rest of the field early on but his teammate, Whale, came on strong in in the second half of racing. Despite a valiant late-race charge by Whale, Kopp was able to hold strong for a slim victory at Round 3.
Kody Kopp (12). Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Kody Kopp: “I’m feeling really comfortable on my motorcycle as of late. Hats off to my entire Red Bull KTM team. We put a ton of work in this offseason and I feel like we are showcasing exactly that. With the rushed program due to weather, I knew I had to make every session count. We had very clean racing in the Main Event and I couldn’t be happier to pull off my second win. Going to get back to work and start preparing for the double header in Kentucky next month!”
Whale, last round’s pole-sitter, earned a front-row start in the Main Event with third in qualifying and he powered his KTM 450 SX-F to a third-place spot off the line. Quickly slotting into second through turn one, Whale was passed early on by his teammate and he shuffled into third on the opening lap. It took a few laps for the Aussie to get back into a rhythm and that’s when he began his climb toward the front. Overtaking second halfway through the race, Whale put his head down and made a late-race charge to close the gap on his teammate in the final stretch. Despite a hard-fought effort, Whale came up just short as he crossed the line only 0.754 seconds away from his first win of the season.
Max Whale (18). Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Max Whale: “This round had a different vibe and it was really tough. We had some more rain so it was really hard to go from qualifying to the Main Event without kind of getting those pre-race jitters out in the Semi. I had a good enough qualifying time for a front row start in the main and the first lap is really what made me lose the race. I fought back hard in the last half of the race and ended up second but it was too little, too late.”
After three rounds, Kopp and Whale sit first and second overall, respectively, in the AFT Single Championship standings.
Next Race: Red Mile (Double Header) – Lexington, Kentucky – May 28-29, 2022
Round 3 Results – I-70 Half-Mile
AFT Singles Main Event
1. Kody Kopp, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
2. Max Whale, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
3. Morgen Mischler, Honda
OTHER
5. James Ott, KTM
12. Travis Petton IV, KTM
16. Ryan Wells, KTM
AFT Singles Point Standings (After Round 3)
1. Kody Kopp, 70 points
2. Max Whale, 57
3. Morgen Mischler, 56
OTHER
13. Ryan Wells, 18
15. Hunter Bauer, 12
16. Tanner Dean, 11
More, from a press release issued by Royal Enfield North America:
FIRST OFFICIAL BTR FLAT TRACK FULL-GRID, JOHNNY LEWIS DEBUTS NEW CHASSIS AT I-70 HALF-MILE
Jaycee Jones fires first shot of 2022 BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. Flat Track, Moto Anatomy X takes next step in Royal Enfield Twins FT evolution
The Odessa, Missouri round marked the first time the full 15-rider BTR Flat Track field took to the racetrack. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
Milwaukee, WI (Monday, April 25, 2022) – The Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Flat Track program held its first full-grid race of the 2022 season at I-70 Motorsports Park in Odessa, Missouri, where seven returning riders and eight new faces took to the track. The larger field of racers combined with a new American Flat Track venue and some wild weather conditions created a whole new race dynamic, but in the end, there was a familiar face atop the podium—Jaycee Jones topped the first 2022 BTR Flat Track race featuring the full roster, storming to victory ahead of newcomer Zaria Martens and BTR veteran Jillian Deschenes.
The women of BTR Flat Track were looking forward to a test day I-70 Motorsports Park as a final test-and-tune session ahead of the season. But due to strong winds and track equipment issues, the program was abbreviated, only leaving the women with two test sessions. From there it was trial by fire as the BTR Flat Track field took to the grid for the first official round of the season (following the “BTR Select” exhibition at the Volusia Half Mile).
Jaycee Jones led the way from start to finish, never relinquishing control of the eight-lap race. Behind her, the battle to watch was between Zaria Martens and Jillian Deschenes. The two dueled throughout the race, much to the Missouri crowd’s delight, with 18-year-old Martens besting veteran BTR racer Deschenes at the checkered flag.
“It was flawless racing by all 15 BTR Flat Track women, and a great start to the season,” said Breeann Poland, Marketing and Communications Lead – Royal Enfield Americas. “Despite limited track time and the ladies not being able to get ample time on their bikes, they supported each other, offered each other advice and feedback, and went out there and put on a great race. Having 15 women from various backgrounds and personalities all under one canopy, working together with a shared competitive spirit is what we’ve always strived for.”
Through the combination of seasoned veterans and newcomers, and an overall faster field of riders, the night proved to be particularly challenging for Gabrielle Hughes, who was faced with the challenge of improving her lap times in order to line up for the main event. Through teamwork and perseverance, Hughes summoned the fortitude to slash several seconds off her lap times to card her best-ever performance.
(From left) Zaria Martens, Jaycee Jones and Jillian Deschenes share the first “full-grid” BTR Flat Track podium of 2022. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
“It was a rollercoaster of emotions for me,” Hughes said. “Our seven-session practice the day before the race but cut short after only two. The racetrack was a completely different beast the next day and the rough track terrified me. But Jillian and Zaria helped me get my head straight, and Bree lit a fire under my butt. My awesome team wouldn’t leave me behind and I went out and beat two girls. I am hungry to keep pushing forward, and each race I am going to come back stronger this season.”
JOHNNY LEWIS DEBUTS ALL-NEW CHASSIS
The I-70 Half-Mile also marked a first for Johnny Lewis and the Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield Team, as they debuted an all-new Harris Performance-designed chassis in the Twins FT motorcycle. Lewis is taking on the full 2022 season in the Production Twins class of American Flat Track, where he and the team continue to make progress on the Twins FT.
Johnny Lewis debuted an all-new Harris Performance-built chassis at the I-70 Half Mile–a major step in the Royal Enfield Twins FT evolution. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
“This all-new chassis is a clean-slate design, and is the culmination of two years of race testing and feedback from Johnny Lewis,” said Breeann Poland. “Together with the world championship-winning expertise of Harris Performance, this new chassis is much improved, and ready to take on a full season in American Flat Track racing.”
The I-70 Half-Mile turned into the proving grounds for the new chassis, and although the test sessions that were originally slated to take place at the Odessa, Missouri venue were abbreviated due to weather and complications with track equipment, Lewis and the Moto Anatomy X Team were able to put the new chassis to the test.
“We were able to extensively test the new chassis for the first time at I-70,” Lewis said. “Although we had very limited track time due to weather, we did what we could in that time. We were able to find some areas to improve on between now and our next race, the Red Mile, which happens to be the first Mile for Royal Enfield in AFT. We’re feeling pretty excited and confident heading into uncharted territory in Lexington, Kentucky.”
Lewis put in solid laps during the Production Twins main event, where he finished sixth in order to maintain a solid top-five position in the championship. Johnny and the team look forward to taking an important step at the following round—the first Mile race of the season—the Red Mile Doubleheader in Lexington, Kentucky taking place May 28-29.
The battle to watch was between Zaria Martens (08) and Jillian Deschenes (31). Ultimately, Martens would edge out Deschenes for the runner-up position. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
The oldest motorcycle company in continuous production in the world, Royal Enfield made its first motorcycle in 1901. A division of Eicher Motors Limited, Royal Enfield has created the midsize motorcycle segment in India with its unique and distinctive modern classic motorcycles. With its manufacturing base in Chennai, India, Royal Enfield has been able to grow its production rapidly against a surge in demand for its motorcycles. Royal Enfield is a leading player in the global middleweight motorcycle market.
Royal Enfield North America (RENA) is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is developing a growing network of more than 150 dealers in North America, including the contiguous U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. RENA currently offers the all-new Classic 350, Meteor 350, Himalayan and the 650 Twins (INT 650 and Continental GT 650) motorcycles, along with a range of Genuine Motorcycle Accessories and apparel.
For more information on Royal Enfield North America, visit www.RoyalEnfield.com/us/en/, www.Instagram.com/RoyalEnfield_NA, www.Facebook.com/RoyalEnfieldNorthAmerica.
The Harley-Davidson Museum campus in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo by David Swarts.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON HOMECOMING EVENT AND 2023 DATES ANNOUNCED
Four-Day Festival in Milwaukee Celebrates Harley-Davidson’s 120th Anniversary and Kicks Off the Annual Homecoming Event
MILWAUKEE, WI (April 25, 2022) – Harley-Davidson® will celebrate its 120th Anniversary by launching the Harley-Davidson® Homecoming™ event, an annual four-day festival filled with music, food and moto-culture. The inaugural event will take place at multiple venues throughout the Milwaukee area on July 13-16, 2023, and welcomes riders, enthusiasts, and fans to meet in Milwaukee for a huge celebration.
“We invite everyone, riders, non-riders and fans around the world, to join us in Milwaukee next summer for the Harley-Davidson Homecoming where we will celebrate 120 years of our incredible brand,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO of Harley-Davidson. “This will be the first in a series of unforgettable annual events in Milwaukee. Stay tuned for more details in coming months, and we look forward to celebrating with you in 2023.”
Harley-Davidson recently launched “The Road to Harley-Davidson Homecoming Challenge” where riders and non-riders alike can participate in chances to earn virtual badges, win daily and monthly prizes and enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a grand prize trip to Milwaukee to participate in the Homecoming event. For sweepstakes Official Rules, program and prize details and more information regarding The Road to Harley-Davidson Homecoming Challenge, download the Harley-Davidson App, or visit H-D.com/ride.
Mathew Scholtz (11) leads Jake Lewis (85), Richie Escalante (54) and the rest of the MotoAmerica Superbike field at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Despite A Sunday Setback, Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz Retains Second Place In Superbike Championship
Braselton, GA – After going fifth-fastest in Sunday morning warmup, Westby Racing Superbike rider Mathew Scholtz was poised for a spot on the podium in the afternoon’s Superbike race. Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan, and he was unable to finish the race aboard his Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike.
Mathew Scholtz (11), after crashing out of Superbike Race Two Sunday at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
After two red flags, the race was re-started, and Mathew got off the line well. He slotted into third on the opening lap, but on the second lap, he unfortunately had a tipover. He re-mounted, re-joined the race in 20th position, and began moving through the field with a plan to salvage as many points as he could. Mathew made it forward to 16th, but he ultimately had to return to the pits on lap 11 and retire from the race.
All in all, it was a tough way to end the weekend at his home track, especially after finishing second in Saturday’s race one. One consolation, however, is that, despite the DNF on Sunday, Mathew is still second in the championship point standings.
The Westby Racing team will be back in action for round three of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which takes place at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, on May 20 through 22.
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Race One Victory Starts Weekend on High
Danilo Petrucci (9) leads a group of riders early in a MotoAmerica Superbike race at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Sunnyvale, Calif. – Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) rode the emotional roller-coaster at Road Atlanta this weekend, taking a resounding three victories in a row with race one but suffering the heartache of a mechanical DNF while starting second in race two.
On the Italian’s first visit to the world-famous racing venue, Petrucci took the first race win over Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) after Jake Gagne (Yamaha) crashed out of the lead, perching him on a perfect 75 points in the championship.
That was to be the high point of the weekend as race two saw a series of delays, first caused by a rider crashing and causing a red flag. The long delays on the grid provided the perfect conditions for a mechanical problem, and Petrucci was out of the race on lap two with a DNF.
Despite the DNF, luck still smiled on Petrucci and the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC team as Scholtz also failed to finish, meaning Petrucci still leads the championship heading into round three at VIRginia International Raceway in three weeks’ time.
2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship Standing – Top 5
P1 – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 75
P2 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 60
P3 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha) 49
P4 – Hector Barbera (Ducati) 46
P5 – Richie Escalante (Suzuki) 42
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9): “It was a disappointing Sunday,” Petrucci said after race two. “I did the best lap time in the warm-up, and I was ready to race but because of delays we idled the engine for too long and suffered a terminal engine problem. It’s quite sad to lose a race this way.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Hammer:
DOUBLE PODIUM FOR VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI’S LEWIS & LOCHOFF AT ROAD ATLANTA
Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer earned their first two trophies of the young season as the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship resumed action at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike pilot Jake Lewis arguably served as the headliner, scoring his first premier-class podium finish in four seasons.
The lanky Kentuckian emerged from a chaotic opening handful of laps in third position and then spent the bulk of the contest defending the position aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000R Superbike. The gap behind him closed perilously with around five laps to run, but Lewis responded brilliantly to the pressure. Rather than fold, he re-upped his pace to ultimately secure third at the checkered flag.
Jake Lewis (85) charged to his first Superbike podium in years on Saturday at Road Atlanta. Photo by JR Howell.
He said, “It’s always nice to be up here. It’s been since 2018 that I was last on a Superbike podium. We’re getting back up to speed with the pace of these guys. I’m getting more comfortable on the bike – this bike is a lot different than the stock bike I rode last year. I had a decent pace and I just kept pushing and pushing and managing the board. It’s obviously nice to be up here for all the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki guys. They’ve been working so hard for me, and we’ll keep working away and build up speed as the year goes on.”
Lewis’ teammate, Richie Escalante, had an even more eventful day; The class newcomer made a fast start from the second row, but ran off track early and dropped outside of the top 20 positions as a result.
The former Supersport champ charged his way forward for the remainder of the race, at last landing in fifth to give the team a double top-five result to celebrate on top of Lewis’ return to the box.
Meanwhile, MotoAmerica Supersport title contender Samuel Lochoff guided the squad’s new GSX-R750 racebike to its first class podium result with a runner-up result.
Lochoff’s 16-year-old rookie Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate, Tyler Scott, after qualifying in fourth position, got away even better but a chain reaction from when another rider hit his kill switch caused Scott to crash on the race’s second lap, bringing out a red flag.
Scott explained, “A rider in front of me had a bike issue, and l had to adjust my line and just got pinched off. Bad place at a bad time. On the bright side, the bike felt good. Tomorrow we’ll try to be in a better position and work our way to the front.”
Lochoff took maximum advantage of the second opportunity to get a strong start, jumping out second off the line and never looking back from there.
The South African said, “My Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team spent the last two days working on the bike. We came here with a bunch of unknowns and they did everything possible to put us in this position. The 750 is awesome. We’re going to keep working and we’re going to get there. I’m excited.”
Third Supersport pilot Liam Grant collected points in his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki debut, coming home in 14th position.
The promising combined results for the team on Saturday suggest the potential for another rewarding day on Sunday as the entire team continues to gain speed and confidence with each subsequent opportunity.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2022 season marks Team Hammer’s 42nd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 128 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 332 times and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport.) The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, LLC:
VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI COLLECTS THREE PODIUMS AT ROAD ATLANTA
Suzuki GSX-R750 Successfully Debuts in Supersport Class
BREA, Calif., April 25, 2022 — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer added three podium finishes for Saturday and Sunday to conclude an all-around strong performance at Road Atlanta, round two of the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship season.
Team Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike rider Jake Lewis emerged from a chaotic opening handful of laps in third position on Saturday then spent the bulk of the contest defending the position aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000R Superbike. The gap behind him closed perilously with around five laps to run, but Lewis responded brilliantly to the pressure. Rather than fold, he re-upped his pace to ultimately secure third at the checkered flag.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike pilot Jake Lewis (85) arguably served as the headliner, scoring his first premier-class podium finish in four seasons. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
He said, “It’s always nice to be up here. It’s been since 2018 that I was last on a Superbike podium. We’re getting back up to speed with the pace of these guys. I’m getting more comfortable on the bike – this bike is a lot different than the stock bike I rode last year. I had a decent pace and I just kept pushing and pushing and managing the board. It’s obviously nice to be up here for all the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki guys. They’ve been working so hard for me, and we’ll keep working away and build up speed as the year goes on.”
Lewis wasn’t so lucky in his follow-up to Saturday’s welcome return to the Superbike podium. The Kentuckian got away from the original start in fifth but was forced to line up for the restart from the back of the field after leaving pit lane just over a second late. Still, he managed to fight his way from last to seventh position before his race ended prematurely due to a mechanical issue.
Richie Escalante (54) pilots his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike into two top five finishes. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Lewis’ teammate, Richie Escalante, had an even more eventful Saturday; The class newcomer made a fast start from the second row, but ran off track early and dropped outside of the top 20 positions as a result.
The former Supersport champ charged his way forward for the remainder of the race, at last landing in fifth to give the team a double top-five result to celebrate on top of Lewis’ return to the box.
On Sunday, Escalante battled for the podium throughout the once-stopped-and-restarted affair aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R, coming home a close fifth after making a late push for the box.
“So far, so good,” Escalante said. “For sure, I’m learning every lap and that’s the most important thing. Two top fives are good for the championship. I need to learn more to understand the big bike better, but I’m super happy with the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team and my crew. I want to continue to fight for the podium, so we’ll keep working as we get ready for some of my favorite tracks.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki pilot Sam Lochoff (44) finishes with a pair of podiums for Race 1 and 2 in the Supersport class. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
MotoAmerica Supersport title contender Sam Lochoff guided the squad’s new GSX-R750 racebike to its first class podium result with a runner-up result in Saturday’s Race 1.
Lochoff took maximum advantage of the second opportunity to get a strong start, jumping out second off the line and never looking back from there.
The South African said, “My Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team spent the last two days working on the bike. We came here with a bunch of unknowns, and they did everything possible to put us in this position. The 750 is awesome. We’re going to keep working and we’re going to get there. I’m excited.”
On Sunday, Lochoff again demonstrated the speed to battle for wins aboard the new Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750. The South African battled his way up from the second row to quickly seize control of second and then made serious inroads on the race leader.
Lochoff’s charge was halted when a mishap through the esses cost him a couple seconds, but he kept his head, regrouped, and powered his way to a second runner-up finish this weekend.
After getting his race weekend on the GSX-R750 under his belt, Lochoff came away impressed and excited about its potential. He said, “I’m taking nothing but positives from the weekend. I’m extremely happy with the bike. We struggled with it a little bit in the first session, but we’ve been making constant progress.
“I want to thank Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki powered by Team Hammer. They’ve been working day and night to get this bike sorted. Last year, we finished third in the championship and so far, we haven’t finished worse than second, so I can’t wait to see how this season continues.”
After a tough Race 1, Tyler Scott (70) finished in the top five in Race 2 on his Vision Wheel M4 Suzuki debut. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Lochoff’s 16-year-old rookie Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate, Tyler Scott, after qualifying in fourth position, got away even better, but a chain reaction when another rider caused Scott to crash on the race’s second lap, bringing out a red flag.
Scott explained, “A rider in front of me had a bike issue, and l had to adjust my line and just got pinched off. Bad place at a bad time. On the bright side, the bike felt great.”
For Race 2, Tyler Scott demonstrated his mammoth potential, and this time earned the checkered flag. The Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rookie charged his way up to fourth and had third in his sights prior to a short off-track excursion. Like Lochoff, Scott managed the drama well and ultimately snared a top-five result in his Team Hammer debut.
Liam Grant (90) collected points on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki debut, coming home in 14th and 12th position. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Liam Grant collected points on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki debut with a 14th in Race 1 and picking up 12th in the rematch of Race 2.
Team Hammer will return to action in just under a month, as the ‘22 MotoAmerica slate resumes at Virginia International Raceway, in Alton, Virginia, on May 20-22.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2022 season marks Team Hammer’s 42nd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 128 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 332 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport.) The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
More, from a press release issued by Robem Engineering:
Robem Engineering Aprilia riders Hobbs, Gloddy finish second, third Sunday in MotoAmerica Twins Cup race
New Hampshirites round out second all-Aprilia Twins Cup podium at Road Atlanta in two years
BRASELTON, Ga. — When the Aprilia RS 660 made its debut in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup last year at Road Atlanta, two Robem Engineering riders were part of an all-Aprilia podium in the motorcycle’s first race. This year’s MotoAmerica event at Road Atlanta featured similar results, as Robem Engineering Aprilia’s Teagg Hobbs and Ben Gloddy finished second and third Sunday in the round’s lone Twins Cup contest.
It was Hobbs’ second runner-up finish in three races with the Robem Engineering team, and he’s now just 3 points behind the class leader in the battle for the 2022 MotoAmerica Twins Cup title. Gloddy greatly improved his bid for the 2022 title at Road Atlanta, as he moved up from 12th to seventh in the points standings.
Hobbs showed excellent pace from the first on-track session of the event. He was the second fastest rider in Twins Cup Friday practice and missed out on the top spot in Qualifying 1 by 0.003 seconds. Gloddy finished practice ninth fastest but upped his pace for Qualifying 1. He wrapped up that session in fourth place and improved his best lap time by nearly three seconds.
Qualifying for the Twins Cup concluded Saturday morning with both riders finishing in the top four. Hobbs struggled through the early part of the session but missed out on pole position by a mere 0.025 seconds. Gloddy finished Qualifying 2 in fourth place and further improved his best lap time by about half a second.
Sunday’s race featured Hobbs locked in a race-long battle for the race lead, while Gloddy came out on top in a multi-bike battle for the last step on the podium. Both riders got good starts on Sunday when racing kicked off at about noontime, but the contest was stopped before one lap was completed due to a series of crashes.
When the race restarted, Hobbs and the race leader got good starts, and Gloddy slipped down the running order several positions on the first lap. As Hobbs and another Aprilia rider took turns leading the race, Gloddy kept his composure and worked his way to the front of the battle for third place. Hobbs made a valiant effort to hold onto the race lead but had to settle for a runner-up finish by a margin of 0.073 seconds. Gloddy was battling hard for third until the last lap and claimed his first MotoAmerica Twins Cup podium by 0.223 seconds.
The Robem Engineering team has three weeks to prepare for the next MotoAmerica round, which takes place May 20-22 at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Va.
Teagg Hobbs (79). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Robem Engineering.
Teagg Hobbs / No. 79
“The team really did their job this weekend. We made progress on our setup every session, and the Robem Engineering team had my Aprilia on point for today’s race. We did what we needed to do this weekend to get a bunch more valuable championship points. It’s still early in the season. We’re in this for long run, and finishes like this are just part of the process.”
Ben Gloddy (72). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Robem Engineering.
Ben Gloddy / No. 72
“We started the weekend with a pretty good setup on our Aprilia. We struggled with getting the bike to turn early in the weekend, but we got that sorted out in time for the race. I’m really happy to be on the podium here at Road Atlanta. If we keep working like this, I think we’ll be good to go for the rest of the season. We’ve found a good base setup that I think will transfer over to VIR nicely.”
Robem Engineering’s technical partners for 2022 include Aprilia Racing, Piaggio Group Americas, The Center for Plastic Surgery, Synchrony, Velocity Calibrations, Bitubo Suspension, Woodcraft Technologies, Dymag, Vesrah, Sprint Filter, DID, Magura USA, Sara Chappell Photos, NGK/NTK, Blud Lubricants, Millennium Technologies, Motovation USA and SC-Project.
More, from another press release issued by Ducati:
Shelina Moreda Takes Top Ducati Spot at Round Two of Super Hooligans 2022
The Californian Gelling Perfectly With Her Ducati Hypermotard 950 SP
Shelina Moreda (93). Photo courtesy Ducati.
Sunnyvale, Calif. – Shelina Moreda’s weekend at round two of the 2022 Roland Sands Design Super Hooligan National Championship at Road Atlanta went superbly, as the ultra-popular racer took the top Ducati honors and a pair of top 10 finishes.
It’s been a busy week for Moreda after a late split with the Nowasky Performance team saw her instead join forces with the Northern Californian-based Feel Like A Pro She’z Racing outfit, and at the undulating Georgian venue, she broke a few hearts by taking an impressive 10th from a back row start and improved to ninth in race two, taking top Ducati on both occasions.
The results from Road Atlanta sees Moreda leap up to eighth in the standings with one round to go at Laguna Seca on July 8-10.
2022 Roland Sands Design Super Hooligan National Championship—Top 5
P1 – Andy DiBrino (KTM) 61
P2 – Cory West (Indian) 58
P3 – Tyler O’Hara (Indian) 57
P4 – Nate Kern (BMW) 35
P5 – Jeremy McWilliams (Indian) 33
P8 – Shelina Moreda (Ducati) 21
Shelina Moreda (Feel Like A Pro She’z Racing – #93): “My race weekend was epic!” Moreda said. “I’m getting to know this Ducati well and it’s so much fun to ride. It’s great racing in the Super Hooligans class—one of the most enjoyable championships I’ve ever raced in. In race one I had a great start from the back of the grid and ended up 10th. Today my goal was another top 10 but in single digits and I got there so I’m very happy about that. I also dropped a full second off my times after some suspension changes with Ohlins and the bike was responding much better to my inputs. Thank you also to Ducati North America for putting me on this bike. I’m having such a blast on it and really enjoying these MotoAmerica events.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
RETURN TO ATLANTA DELIVERS ANOTHER APRILIA HAT TRICK IN TWINS CUP
THE APRILIA RS 660 WAS THE EXCLUSIVE MODEL OF PARC FERMÉ, WITH VELOCE RACING’S JODY BARRY VICTORIOUS, AND ROBEM ENGINEERING’S TEAGG HOBBS AND BEN GLODDY ROUNDING OUT THE PODIUM ON THEIR APRILIA MACHINES
MotoAmerica Twins Cup race winner Jody Barry. Photo courtesy Aprilia.
ATLANTA, GA – The Twins Cup championship arrived in Atlanta this weekend for round two of the MotoAmerica series, and though there were new faces within the series, history repeated and further proved the capability of the Aprilia RS 660, locking out the podium in Atlanta’s singular Twins Cup race for the 2022 round. The twin-cylinder Aprilia motorcycle is in defence of the 2021 championship title, with many new names arriving to the grid in Atlanta, totalling 13 riders aboard an RS 660.
A tough battle for the victory lasted the duration of the race, but when they crossed the line, it was returning Aprilia pilot and 2021 Road Atlanta podium finisher, Jody Barry, who edged out Teagg Hobbs in the last sector of the race. Benjamin Gloddy, who jumped up to Twins Cup from the Junior Cup championship for 2022 and earned his first podium of the series in a hard charge for third, bested the remainder of the field, which hosted 31 riders.
Jody Barry, Veloce Racing
“Overall, the race weekend was great. We topped almost every session and were happy to pull it off with a win today. We played our cards right in the race and couldn’t have been happier. I want to thank the team with Veloce Racing and Aprilia for giving me a great bike.”
Teagg Hobbs, Robem Engineering
“The bike this weekend was perfect. The team and I worked every session and can’t ask more out the team. We have a great platform to build on right now, and I think me, the Robem Engineering team, and this Aprilia RS 660 can do some good things. Looking forward to seeing how the year plays out and stay in the championship hunt.”
Benjamin Gloddy, Robem Engineering
“We had a good weekend overall, starting out trying to get the bike to handle the way I wanted, and got it figured out for Q2. I struggled a little with a new bike and new track, but other than that had a good weekend, got a bit of a battle in the race, but toward the end I was able to bridge a gap from those guys and get a clear run to the flag.”
The Aprilia RS 660 debuted at Road Atlanta in the 2021 season, going on to win the championship with Kaleb DeKeyrel, and continues to show its capability among the Twins Cup competition. The reduced weight and the exciting performance of the 100 HP twin-cylinder engine provides an optimized riding experience that proves to be as comfortable on track as it is on the street, a testament to its ethos “designed for racers, built for riders”.
With two rounds of the MotoAmerica Twins Cup championship completed, new participants continue to join the grid aboard the Aprilia RS 660. For the third round, MotoAmerica heads to Virginia International Raceway, May 20-22, where Twins Cup will have a two-race weekend. Championship Schedule, Competitor information, and Class Rules can be found at https://motoamerica.com/
More, from a press release issued by Pure Attitude Racing:
Points in every race for Pure Attitude Racing at their home race at Road Atlanta
Pure Attitude Racing were back on track this past weekend at Road Atlanta, their home race and all three riders – Chase Black, Trevor Standish and Liam MacDonald didn’t disappoint.
Point scoring results from all three cemented what was a solid MotoAmerica round for the squad who continue to work through their development program with their new Yamaha R7 machines in the Twins Cup, whilst at the same time welcome in their youngest rider Chase Black.
Teenager Black settled into his new team environment superbly, taking advice from his more experienced team mates and remaining calm and positive despite some technical issues that were out of his control. His reward? A double top ten finish of which the team are proud of.
Twins Cup in 2022 is fierce in terms of competition and after being on the back foot at the season opener in Daytona (due to supply chain issues outside of the team’s control), both Liam and Trevor were able to finally get some seat time with a much more competitive machine underneath them. The target for the pair was consistently improve throughout the weekend, which they did, and to bring home a double points finish for the team, which they also did.
The next round of the MotoAmerica series takes place at VIR where Pure Attitude Racing will bring further upgrades to both of their racing programs and look to put themselves back in the podium mix.
Chase Black (14). Photo courtesy Pure Attitude Racing.
Chase Black: “It was a pretty good first race. I finished tenth despite some issues which meant I couldn’t make the passes when I needed to after I made a bad start, but it was good to get the first race over with and score some points. In Sunday’s second race I also didn’t get the start that I wanted, and we still had bike issues. I am leaving Road Atlanta with a double top ten and solid points and so I have to be happy with that. We will fix the bike for VIR, and I am confident to go better there.”
Trevor Standish (16). Photo courtesy Pure Attitude Racing.
Trevor Standish: “I knew a needed a good start and after some changes between warm-up and the race I had a much better feeling. In the first start I passed a few people but there was a red flag. I made another good start in the restart and was aggressive into turn one. I was battling for twelfth but was able to finish eleventh and score my first points of the season. I did all I could, and it was a mental win to come out on top of my own personal battle. I am really looking forward to VIR, but nothing can compare with the home crowd who gave me such a positive lift all weekend.”
Liam MacDonald (37). Photo courtesy Pure Attitude Racing.
Liam MacDonald: “I am a little frustrated. The bike is heading in the right direction but off the start I almost hit the back of a guy ahead of me after he had an issue. Once things settled down, I was completely alone and had no draft so was losing a lot on speed. The team did a fantastic job compared to Daytona in terms of the bike’s performance, but we are still lacking a little here and there but overall, I am happy with how the weekend went. I am part of a great team, and we know we have top ten potential, we just have to put all the pieces together. I am looking forward to VIR and to making another step closer to the front.”
Maxwell Toth (58) at speed on an Aprilia RS 660 Twins Cup racebike during the 2021 season. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Roadracing World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed America had no new, up-and-coming young racers. This edition of the Roadracing World Young Gun Awards marks the 26th consecutive year of showcasing an abundance of new talent.
Roadracing World Young Guns have won:
FIM MotoGP and FIM Superbike races and World Championships;
MotoAmerica and AMA Pro races and Championships, including 11 AMA Pro Superbike Championships;
A KTM RC Cup World Final race;
The Daytona 200 (11 times);
WERA National Endurance Championships and WERA National Challenge Championships;
ASRA/Formula USA Grand National and CCS National Championships;
AMA Road Racing Grand Championships and Horizon Awards;
USGPRU National Championships;
Many regional and local titles.
The competition has continually become more intense as more – and younger—racers with higher levels of accomplishment are nominated, and the level of achievement required to make the grade keeps getting tougher.
We’ve spent the last several months accepting nominations and evaluating road racers between the ages of 10 and 18 (as of the start of the 2022 season) who have, at a minimum, won Expert-level road races and/or Championships or had outstanding results as an Amateur/Novice. Most of the riders included here have done far more than the minimum.
The young riders recognized here are the most promising young road racers in North America. All have earned the title of Roadracing World Young Gun.
We will feature one Young Gun per day, presenting them in alphabetical order.
Maxwell Toth. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Maxwell Toth
Age: 16.
Current home: Belmont, California.
Current height/weight: 6’0”/150 pounds.
Current school grade level: 10th grade.
Began riding at age: 4 years.
First road race: 2009, Stockton, California, Supermoto USA, PW Class, 2nd place.
Current racebikes: Yamaha YZF-R6, Aprilia RS 660.
Current tuners/mechanics: Team Toth Training (T3).
Sponsors: T3 Racing, Vircos Leathers, HJC, CT Racing.
Recent racing accomplishments: 2021 season, finished 2nd racing as a wild card in CIV Aprilia RS 660 Trofeo Cup race at Vallelunga, finished 9th in MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (only ran 12 races, 1 win, 4 total podiums), finished 13th in MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship (only ran 4 races, 2 podium finishes); 2020 season, qualified 4th and finished 5th in Race Two in MotoAmerica Junior Cup debut at Laguna Seca, tied for 19th in CIV (Italian) Moto3 National Championship (best race finish was 10th at Misano); 2019 season, placed 9th in CIV PreMoto3 Championship (1 podium finish at Mugello), won Pro Supermoto USA 250 race; 2018 season, won all races he entered in Z & F Grand Prix School (mini Grand Prix series in France).
2022 racing goals: Fight for CIV Aprilia Cup Championship, finish in top-5 in RFME ESBK Superstock 600 Championship.
Racing career goal: Race in one of the World Championships.
Racing hero: Iker Lecuona.
Favorite track: Valencia.
Favorite hobby: Riding BMX.
If I wasn’t racing I would be…: A freelance graphic designer.
Gagne Bounces Back With Race-Two Victory At Road Atlanta
MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Champion Jake Gagne Gets His First Win Of The Season
Jake Gagne (1) leads his teammate Cameron Petersen (45), Danilo Petrucci (behind Petersen) and the rest of the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike class at Road Atlanta on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
BRASELTON, GA (April 24, 2022) – Going into the 2022 MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship, not many would have placed money on Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne not winning until the fourth race of the season. But that’s how it played out with the defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion finally notching his first victory of the 2022 season on Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Thus far in 2020, Gagne’s record looks like this: DNF (mechanical), third, DNF (crash), victory. Gagne’s start to his title defense was dismal: Saturday’s crash, combined with Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider Danilo Petrucci’s third-straight win, left Gagne 59 points behind the Italian.
But Gagne is Gagne and the ever-eternal positivity never wavered. Today he came out and did what he needed to do. He dominated from start to finish, despite two red flags (one for Jeremy Coffey’s crash on the opening lap and again when the TV truck lost power, forcing the race to be stopped) and ended up winning by 14.028 seconds over his teammate Cameron Petersen, the South African also bouncing back from a Saturday crash to bring smiles back to the Yamaha camp.
To make things even better for Gagne, the two riders at the top of the point standings both failed to finish. Petrucci’s Ducati Panigale V4 R blew up on the opening lap of the second restart and Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz crashed, remounted, pitted, and finally gave up on the 11th lap.
So, with his first win of the year and the 18th of his MotoAmerica Superbike career, Gagne now finds himself 34 points behind Petrucci and 26 behind Scholtz with the VIRginia International Raceway round a month away.
Third place today went to Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Kyle Wyman, who was riding the team’s BMW M 1000 RR as a replacement rider for PJ Jacobsen. Jacobsen failed a COVID-19 test on Thursday and Wyman, who was at Road Atlanta to ride his factory Harley-Davidson in the Mission King Of The Baggers race, was called on to replace his fellow New Yorker. He said yes and a few days later he had given the team its first-ever MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike podium.
Wyman’s teammate for the weekend Hector Barbera was fourth and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante fifth with those three fighting it out for the final podium spot for the duration of the race.
Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander came out on top of a battle with Aftercare Hayes Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates, and the two were separated by half a second at the finish. Alexander’s teammate Travis Wyman ended up eighth with ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony ninth and Vision Wheel/Discount Tire/KWS’s Geoff May rounding out the top 10 finishers.
After two rounds and four races, Petrucci leads Scholtz by 15 points, 75-60. Petersen is third with 49 points, three better than Barbera’s 46. Escalante is fifth with 42 points, and Gagne is a point behind him and 34 points behind Petrucci.
Jake Gagne – Winner
(When asked if panic was setting in) No. Quite the opposite. Especially after yesterday, we got a good start. I felt really good and really smooth running that pace, but just a little mistake, a surprising mistake. I was down before I even knew it. So, we went back. Like Cam (Petersen) said, the goal was we need to bring this bike home, no matter what. But at the same time, I knew even that pace we were at yesterday was comfortable for me. I just had to avoid a little brain fart like that. But I got off to really great starts today, really, really good. That was good. Felt kind of like last year. To me, I’m comfortable. Like Cam said, I feel good right out of the gate, so I want to try to push the pace right away and at least thin the herd if possible, and whoever wants to come with, come with. I knew there was drama. We even saw the Ducati, (Danilo) Petrucci smoking a little bit on the sighting lap. So, that was in my mind. Like, I wonder if that thing is going to finish? It’s been a rough year, man. A really rough year so far. I know we’re only four races in, but it’s been a rough year. I feel like luck kind of got on our side today. I was able to get a win, and not only just get a win but kind of get some points with those guys DNF’ing today, which was unfortunate for them. But that’s racing. We’ve still got 16 races to go in this championship. There’s a long way to go.”
Cameron Petersen – Second
I tried in the beginning, especially in the first start before the red flag. Danilo (Petrucci) came past me. I kind of latched onto him for a lap. I felt like I could run the pace and then after the red flag came out, Jake’s (Gagne) first lap is just on another level. It’s going to take me some time to figure that out. Once Matty (Scholtz) came past me, I think he kind of saw Jake riding away from me and kind of got a little bit desperate. He had some pace for sure. I was pretty late on the brakes into 10. He lunged up my inside and, unfortunately, I knew he was carrying so much speed going in there. I knew he was either going to run off or something was going to happen. We were both hot into there. So, once Matty crashed trying to pass me, I honestly just backed it off so much. I kind of got the gap up to about 10 or 11 seconds and I just started cruising around doing mid-25s, 26s the whole race. I knew it was super important to bring these bikes home for the team after the weekend we’ve had. It’s been a rough couple weekends. COTA wasn’t the greatest either. Honestly, at the end of the day, I’m not too happy with the way I rode, but I’ll take it. It’s a second. The team finished one and two. It’s not fun riding around all timid and scared the whole time. It was just one of those things. We’re going to go back to work, and I think Virginia is going to be a different story. Once I build up that confidence again, I think I’ll be good.
“Congrats to these two guys next to me. Honestly, it’s awesome seeing Kyle (Wyman) up here. That’s pretty badass for him to come here and beat his teammate, Hector, and get the first podium for the team. And to my boy JG (Gagne), this is where he belongs. Like I said, it’s been a tough few rounds, so to see him back up on the box in P1 is pretty cool, and to be there right next to him is even better. Massive shout-out to the whole Fresh N Lean, Progressive, Attack Yamaha team. I can’t thank them enough for all the work they’ve done. I’ve got a lot of work to do. Looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Kyle Wyman – Third
(When asked if he was surprised to finish third) “That’s an understatement. 14th on the grid. Got a wicked start. The launch control on the BMW is amazing. I think I passed two rows every time we started. We had two starts today. It’s been kind of a whirlwind. I had to work for that one. We definitely had some attrition in that race. That obviously plays into this podium result, but I definitely had to work for it, too. My teammate Hector (Barbera) and Richie (Escalante), were right there. I had to bridge a gap to those guys the first half of the race. They were a couple seconds up the road. I kind of sat there for a couple laps. Felt like I had pace to lead it. I don’t remember where I passed the guys, honestly. But I picked them off one lap and then the next lap. Pretty much held a .3 to .5 (second) gap the rest of the race. The bike was working way better today than yesterday. Scotty (Jensen) made some great changes for me. Peter, the electronics guy, is amazing. The bike is really good; it’s really fast. Feels great to get the team’s first podium. It’s a young team and this is a real boost for them.”
Mike Jones (46) leads the start of Australian Superbike Race Two on Sunday at Wakefield Park Raceway. Photo by Karl Phillipson/optikalphoto, courtesy ASBK.
ASBK ’22: Jones takes the round, Maxwell back in the hunt
Twas a foggy start to the day and there was some talk of a delay to the start of the warmup sessions. But again, the Racing Gods were kind and proceedings kicked off at 9 am for the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul as the OJC headed out on track for their warmup. By 10 am the sun was out, the fog cleared, and we settled in for what would be a great day of racing…
Alpinestars Superbike
Ordinarily, the morning warm-up would pass with barely a mention. But Wayne Maxwell had noted at the Saturday evening press conference that the Boost Mobile with K tech team would be returning to previous settings, so interest was piqued. The #1 plate was up by a lot on the Friday and just conceded ground in every session from then on. In the warmup it was that Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) from Maxwell with Cru Halliday third.
Notable news from the warmup were crashes from both Lachlan Epis and Broc Pearson- in Pearson’s case, the Racesafe Medical team were dispatched to attend to him. Shortly after the session concluded, Race Direction sent out a bulletin indicating that Pearson was to be transferred to the hospital for further investigation and would play no further part in the day’s proceedings.
As they say, once the flag drops, the BS stops and it was Wayne Maxwell who took the lead into turn one, showing the Yamaha Racing Team pair of Jones and Halliday the way around the 2.2km Wakefield Park Raceway.
It remained thus: Maxwell, Jones and Halliday. Local lad, the much-improved Troy Herfoss, worked his way up to fourth and when Halliday had a small glitch early in the race, Herfoss found himself in contention for a podium spot.
At the front, Jones was probing and poking the bear that is Wayne Maxwell. While Maxwell was not only in P1 and had nailed the fastest lap of the race, he was somehow not riding away. Smooth, yes, alone; no. A .3 of a second lead was the most he could manage and as ASBK Commentator Phil Harlum would note “that’s a Wakefield zero”.
Behind the leading quartet, Bryan Staring found himself in no man’s land while Sissis, Waters, Allerton, Falzon and Epis all fought for position. Marcus Chiodo was having a solid dice with this second group until a crash at turn one ended his race and turned his bike into a collection of spare parts. He walked away, seemingly uninjured, but an ankle injury would see him out for the day.
At the front, it remained tense. At half distance, Maxwell and Jones remained locked in an immoveable arm wrestle. Every fast Maxwell lap saw Jones follow suit. The gap between the two sat at less than .2 of a second and the pundits wondered aloud if Jones was just content to stay where he was and wait for the final act.
While Halliday had fallen into Herfoss’ clutches for a time, he just put his head down and worked his way back into contention, but with six laps to go, he sat just a tantalising .8 off the back of the leading pair. Herfoss had been unable to stay with Halliday and a four-second gap opened.
Jones stopped biding his time with three to go and showed Maxwell a wheel at every opportunity and finally put a pass on the 2021 champion to take the lead into turn three- much to the surprise of onlookers and riders alike.
It was as unexpected as it was brilliant, and Maxwell seemed to have no answer. Immediately, Jones pushed his Yamaha R1 ahead and opened a seemingly unbeatable .6 gap to Maxwell’s familiar Boost Mobile Ducati.
Jones would hit the finish line by 1.118 seconds to take a tactically perfect victory and increase his lead in the Alpinestars Superbike Championship.
Halliday would finish third with the top ten made up of Herfoss, Staring, Sissis, Allerton, Waters, Falzon and West.
In race two, Jones got the good start he needed, and a motivated and aggressive Cru Halliday held on for second with Wayne Maxwell similarly aggressive. These two came together as they came onto the straight and set the tone for the rest of the 20 lap journey.
Halliday would get shuffled back to fourth by Bryan Staring as Jones again tried to get away from the pursuing pack. Maxwell- who lead the first race- now found himself as the hunter and settled happily into second place.
Meanwhile, fifth-placed Troy Herfoss stayed in contention behind Halliday. Up front, Maxwell was all over Jones but these two had now opened a one-second gap to the riders behind. Arthur Sissis showed he’s realising his huge potential by sitting in sixth with a German triumvirate of BMWs behind him in the form of Waters, Allerton and Epis.
Out front, Maxwell seemed to be playing the numbers and saving his tyres. While Jones happily – in Maxwell’s words “did the donkey work”, the 2021 champion did the same thing Jones did in race one; observed, poked and prodded.
Halliday got past Staring in an important championship-points situation. Staring’s tyre woes appeared to have struck as Herfoss also put a pass on the Western Australian’s DesmoSport Panigale.
At the halfway point it was Jones and Maxwell out front with Maxwell “shadowing Jones perfectly” according to ASBK commentator Steve Martin. The tactic also seemed to suit Maxwell physically who had complained of arm pump in race one.
Herfoss and Halliday were trading lap times in third and fourth, but neither was able to set off after the leaders, while Staring was clearly struggling with his Ducati.’s rear grip.
On lap 14, Maxwell ran out of patience- or saw an opportunity- and took the race lead into the last turn. Immediately he did the expected thing and banged out a fast lap. But he might as well have been actually towing Jones around as the blue R1 stayed glued to his tailpipe.
Meanwhile, Herfoss was as brave as he was confident, and tried to get around Halliday, only to run wide and let Halliday get away.
At the pointy end, the tables were turned, with Jones now in hot pursuit. Maxwell was riding 10/10ths and while there were only a few laps left, it was far from over.
Maxwell got out to a .3 second lap, but for all that effort, Jones reeled him in again with a lap to go to get back on terms. For all his efforts, Jones seemed to be losing some drive and Maxwell was clearly hungry for the win.
Maxwell played the last lap to perfection and drove the Ducati to the line to take the win to put himself well into the championship contention in terms of points and perhaps even more importantly, put himself psychologically back in the game.
Sean Condon stepped in for the absent Tom Edwards and there were murmurs in the paddock about how a retired rider with a seven-year absence from racing could turn up and take pole.
The talk was not suspicion about Condon’s pace, but rather the lack of it from the rest of the field who, once the flag dropped for Race One, needed to show that season-long racers would beat a one-off guest rider.
Almost immediately after the race started, Tom Drane had an excursion at turn two and that brought out the red flag. Drane remounted and returned to the track. Sean Condon was one of the few riders pleased to see the red flag after he literally missed the start. While being interviewed by Kate Peck for ASBK TV, he admitted that he not only missed the start, but he also wasn’t even sure about how the light sequence worked.
At the restart, Condon repeated his poor start and immediately dropped to fourth, with Lytras, Lynch and Nicholson ahead.
On lap two, all hell broke loose with Bramich, Nicholson and Mahon all crashing in the space of 30 seconds. Nicholson would remount but go a lap down.
Out front, Lytras and Lynch diced for the lead, trading places while Condon looked on. The leading trio would push out to a 6+ second lead. Lytras tried to push hard in the middle part of the race to get a gap, but Lynch and Condon gave him nothing. Condon seemed to be checking out potential passing points while biding his time.
With two laps to go, the lap times dropped under one minute and Condon tried to push past Lynch, but could not find a gap.
Lytras lead them into the final lap and ground out a small, but handy lead. Meanwhile, Condon finally took second place from Lynch, while Lytras saluted for the win.
Mitch Kuhne and Jake Farnsworth were fourth and fifth while Scott Nicholson salvaged some championship points by finishing 10th.
For the post-lunch break race two, the light rain that had threatened to derail everyone’s best-laid plans did the honourable thing and disappeared with some cloud and sun setting up a tantalising battle.
Polesitter Sean Condon had- courtesy of a restart in race one- two race starts and both were ugly. Race two was no different as the bike reared up briefly and he gifted the lead to John Lytras with Ty Lynch and Scott Nicholson filling the top three.
Lytras took the lead and immediately got down to business, pressing home the advantage out to 7/10th of a second while the following trio of Lynch, Nicholson and Condon tried to stay in touch.
Things would remain that way for much of the early and middle part of the race and while Lytras was keen to get away, the pursuers still had him in sight and were not letting go.
In the final third of the race, the leading foursome split into two pairs of Lytras and Lynch and then Nicholson and Condon.
Mitch Kuhne ran out of luck after several heart in mouth moments and crashed, remounting in 12th place.
With two to go, Condon got past Nicholson and set off after the leading pair. Lytras and Lynch started the last lap nose to tail, and it became clear that only they could take the top spot on the podium.
Lytras again showed his determination and stamped not only his authority on the race, but showed he is capable of taking the 2022 title, winning by .520 from Ty Lynch, with Sean Condon on the podium some 1.7 behind.
Scott Nicholson and Tom Bramich were fourth and fifth.
Lytras now ascends to the seemingly cursed leadership of the Michelin Supersport in a season where there have already been three leaders (and nominal leaders) by round three.
At the start of race one, the question was whether Dunker could sneak off and not tow anyone around for the 10 lap journey.
But it was not to be, as Dunker fluffed the start, dropped back to fourth and gifted Jonathan Nahlous, Hayden Nelson and Taiyo Aksu the top three spots.
But Dunker had been the fastest 300 rider all weekend and would not be denied. With less than three laps completed, he was back in the lead. The pressure that Dunker created took its toll immediately, with Nahlous trail braking too far into the final turn and folding the front end to crash out of the race.
Dunker now put his head down and tried to eke out a lead. While he would stretch the rubber band between him and the chasing pack, the main straight would see them re-attach to the Dunker freight train.
It was now a race of packs. The lead group of Dunker, Hayden Nelson, Akso and Glenn Nelson had a 6 second lead over pack two of Jacobs, Waters, Nikolis, Swain, Gawith and Championship leader Snell.
With just a few laps to go the leading quartet swapped turns and leadership with Dunker as far down at fourth – but also often leading,
Of course, it would come down to the final corner. Dunker desperately strove for the line with Aksu breaking out from the slipstream to also dive for the finish. It would be Dunker by 9/1000th of a second to Aksu, Hayden Nelson and Glenn Nelson.
The final race of the weekend for the Dunlop Supersport 300s again saw a hotly contested start with Dunker taking the holeshot, in the absence of an apparently injured Jonathan Nahlous who was due to start from P2.
Dunker again tried a magic trick in an attempt to disappear from view and got out to a .4 lead early in the race. Glenn Nelson sensed danger and pushed hard on lap two to get back on terms with Dunker and dragged Taiyo Aksu and Hayden Nelson with him.
The leading four gapped the field with a lonely James Jacobs on the lone Kawasaki caught between two groups.
Thanks to his diminutive stature, Dunker was able to maintain a highly aerodynamic profile that prevented- for a time- any riders from being able to get a solid draft behind him for the overtake.
At half race distance, Glenn Nelson slipped by and lit up the back half of the race. Dunker realised he was not going to be able to sneak off the front and began to dice for lead, taking it back from Glenn Nelson and then giving it back in what can only be described as a “classic Supersport 300 situation”. The lead changed too many times to mention, but the riders were just marking time to position themselves for the finale.
Taiyo Akso showed he wanted to get involved and took the lead while Dunker was shuffled down to fourth and was lucky just to stay on the bike. There were just two laps to go and while the literal gloves were on, the metaphorical ones were off.
Dunker pushed hard to get back into second place on the last lap with Aksu in the lead. Dunker had a look at Aksu here and there, but the assembled crowd were watching for the last turn where Dunker finally took the lead again.
Dunker did all he could to prevent the pursuing riders from making use of the slipstream and he did exactly that, taking the win by .051 from Taiyo Aksu in second and Hayden Nelson in third.
Glenn Nelson – who was in the lead for a time- finished fourth with a four-second gap to James Jacobs in fifth, Liam Waters (6th), Cameron Swain (7th), former championship leader Henry Snell (8th), Brodie Gawith (9th) and Marianos Nikolis (10th).
Yamaha Finance R3 Cup
The baby-faced assassin that is Cameron Dunker took his familiar pole position for the opening Sunday race for the Yamaha Finance R3 Cup and while the pack tried to swamp him into turn one, Dunker’s flouro yellow Yamaha still exited the opening turn in first position.
As the race settled in, Dunker naturally tried to check out of the race, the track and his hotel, but second-placed Hayden Nelson stayed in touch with Glenn Nelson on the move, lapping one second faster than the leading pair as he reeled them in.
Soon it was a train of six: Dunker, Hayden Nelson, Glenn Nelson, Cameron Swain and Taiyo Aksu.
And, as is almost always the case, once you have that many R3’s in close proximity, the lead started to change hands regularly. Dunker found himself down as low as third with the (unrelated) Nelsons at the front.
Into the last lap, Dunker played all of his aces, taking the lead and absolutely riding on the limit “A pretty impressive move” noted former ASBK champion and official commentator Steve Martin.
As always, it was the last corner and the drag to the line and it was Glenn Nelson who played it to perfection, slipstreaming and pulling alongside Dunker to record a cosy 7/1000th of a second win at the line from polesitter Cameron Dunker with Hayden Nelson rounding out the podium.
In the final race, Dunker would again take the holeshot, but this time 2021 OJC champion Cameron Swain would find himself second with Glenn Nelson in third.
After a day of separated pack racing, this final race settled into classic R3 conditions- a long, long train of ten riders all in contention.
Dunker and Glenn Nelson traded places several times and between them created a small gap to Liam Waters in third.
With two laps to go, there was still nothing between them. Liam Waters lead for a time while Dunker and others tried to position themselves for the final salvo.
Into the last lap and the inevitable R3 shenanigans really kicked off. Dunker found himself down in fourth, but as always, not out of the running. He moved into the lead by the last corner, but was now the hunted.
The ol’ run to the line saw a deserving Liam Waters take the slipstream win by the biggest margin of the day – .050! Second was Cameron Dunker followed by Glenn Nelson to round out the podium.
The top ten was made up of Hayden Nelson, Brodie Gawith, Cameron Swain, Taiyo Aksu, Marcus Hamod, Henry Snell and Sam Pezzeta.
It was an unusually subdued and cautious bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup field that made its way to the start line for their first race of the Sunday. A mist/light rain had descended upon the Wakefield circuit and as the riders gridded up on slick tyres the field, families, fans and officials all looked skyward for answers.
Mercifully the track was warm enough to dry the rain before it had a chance to cause carnage. From the get-go, most of the riders rode with care, maturity and the sort of mindfulness that Garry McCoy has been teaching all season.
The race itself saw Hudson Thompson and Harrison Watts aggressively break away from the rest of the riders who – for a change- were not hunting in packs but were rather in a single file with oddly sensible gaps between them.
As the laps wound down, Hudson Thompson seemed to have all he needed in terms of pace to take the win. Watts was close and of course, this being the OJC, being close means you’re still well in the hunt.
The riders chasing Thompson and Watts started to form into a chase group but they did not have enough laps remaining to mount a serious challenge. The stage was set: Thompson v Watts for the win.
Then Hudson Thompson made a mistake he will probably never make again, saluting for the win while actually greeting the one-lap-to-go board. Realising his mistake, he put his head down again to chase after Harrison Watts.
Thompson was able to immediately get on terms with Watts, but at the line, the commentators couldn’t call the win and this time neither rider celebrated. Official timing providers Computime gave the win to Watts by a tiny 2/1000th of a second, with Thompson second and a gap back to Marcus Hamod in third.
It would not end there. After the race, Thompson and Watts were penalised one place each for – in the words of the Clerk of the Course – “…breaching the safety of other competitors”. This was a serious situation and as younger riders in a development series, this was a necessary penalty for weaving over the white line while racing down the start-finish straight.
This elevated third-placed rider Levi Russo to the race win with Watts and Thompson in second and third respectively.
The final race started out in typical manner, but it was Hamod and Rende who joined Thompson at the front as part of a group of six: Thompson, Hamod, Watts, Rende, Russo and Drane.
Thompson managed to get out to a .4 second lead and was hoping to remove the drafting option for those following.
At the halfway point, just four riders remained in contention for the podium and the win: Thompson, Hamod, Watts and Rende. The lead group were mindful of each other as they traded spots, with all four taking a turn at the front.
The final lap beckoned and once again it was 14 (Watts) and 41 (Thompson) at the front as they went into the last corner. And there, a lot happened; Rende made a lunge up the inside for the lead from third, Thompson took the lead from Watts, Watts went back to fourth and Hamod was just happy to be in the hunt in second.
..and there they would finish. Hunter Thompson, Marcus Hamod, Harrison Watts and Cameron Rende in fourth.
Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Photo by David Swarts.
Altus Motorsports’ Kayla Yaakov, age 14, made some great moves under braking on the last lap and crossed the finish line first, apparently winning MotoAmerica Junior Cup Race Two and becoming the first female to win a MotoAmerica race.
Before the podium ceremony, however, MotoAmerica officials ruled that Yaakov, and others, had passed under yellow flag conditions. Yaakov was docked two positions, dropping her to third and elevating Max Van to first place, giving him his career-first MotoAmerica race win.
The penalties assessed are not noted on the results sheet below.
Herrin Stays Perfect In MotoAmerica Supersport At Road Atlanta
Kyle Wyman Bounces Back To Win Mission King Of The Baggers
BRASELTON, GA (April 24, 2022) – Only one racer during the MotoAmerica round at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta was perfect and that was Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Josh Herrin, the 2013 AMA Superbike Champion winning both MotoAmerica Supersport races in Georgia.
While Herrin was perfect, the rest of the races featured a lot of parity.
Twins Cup – Barry Wins A Close One
Jody Barry (11) battled Teagg Hobbs (79) throughout the Twins Cup race with Barry ultimately taking the victory. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
The day started with the 12-lap Twins Cup race, which was red-flagged on the first lap due to a group of riders who crashed out unhurt, and the race was restarted with a seven-lap sprint to the finish line. Polesitter Jody Barry got the holeshot and led the first four laps aboard his Veloce Racing Aprilia, but Robem Engineering’s Teagg Hobbs was in hot pursuit. Hobbs overtook Barry on lap five and held the lead until the seventh and final lap when Barry got around Hobbs and held off the New Hampshirite’s strong challenge to take the checkered flag by just seven one-hundredths of a second.
Hobbs’ Robem Engineering Aprilia teammate had his own battle with Jackson Blackmon Racing Yamaha rider Jackson Blackmon, but he managed to get around Blackmon on lap four and maintain his third-place position all the way to the checkers.
When asked about the brave move that Hobbs tried to put on Barry on the final lap, Barry said, “I definitely expected him to try to make something happen. I would have done the exact same thing. I guess I broke late enough to the point where he couldn’t make it stick. Just after that, I tried to hit my markers and finish a clean lap, but don’t kill my drive on the front straight or anything. Everything worked out pretty good.”
Mission King Of The Baggers – The Champ Fights Back
Kyle Wyman (1) held off the advances of James Rispoli (43) to win the Mission King Of The Baggers race at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
In the eight-lap Mission King Of The Baggers race, defending class champion Kyle Wyman returned to form after a tough day on Saturday, in which he crashed out of the three-lap King Of The Baggers Challenge. Ironically, Challenge winner Bobby Fong, who earned the pole for today’s race based on his victory in the Challenge, mimicked Wyman and crashed his Roland Sands Design Indian. That opened the door for Wyman, who went on to get the win. Second place went to Vance & Hines Racing Harley-Davidson’s James Rispoli, the two-time AMA SuperSport Champion returning to MotoAmerica after an eight-year hiatus. Mission Foods/S&S Cycle/Indian Challenger Team’s Tyler O’Hara rounded out the podium in third.
“It’s been a tough weekend,” Wyman said. “I took an opportunity on a Superbike on Thursday night, so it’s been a busy weekend and that has kind of played into going back and forth on the bikes, trying to just be more focused than ever. Honestly, I think if I didn’t crash yesterday and learned that lesson, I might have crashed out today because it was way greasier. I had to exercise some patience today that I didn’t yesterday. I decked out on the cases just flicking it into 10B and lifted both tires off the ground. Had to remind myself that thing is not quite there yet where I can just pancake it on the side of the tire that quick. Today, I tried to exercise a little bit of patience, be there at the end. If I can get a clean run through the esses, I know I can get away. That was my game plan. Yesterday was tough. A tough pill to swallow being sixth on the grid the way the challenge sets the grid, even though you have the track record. It’s kind of weird. I’m really happy just to redeem ourselves from Daytona. The long off-season that these guys have been developing this bike, it’s truly an arms race that’s just still on such a steep incline. It’s crazy. I think 31.7 in the race. Does that sound right? That’s what I saw. That’s five seconds faster than last year. It’s just silly what we’re doing on these things. I think we’ve still got some big chunks to take out of them.”
Supersport – It’s Herrin Time Again
Josh Herrin (2) put his head down and gapped the Supersport field on the opening lap en route to his second victory of the weekend at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
The only double win of the weekend was delivered by Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider Josh Herrin, who followed up his dominant win in Saturday’s Supersport race with another dominant win is Sunday’s race. Starting from the pole, just like yesterday, the former Superbike Champion got another great jump off the line and led the 18-lap race from start to finish, stretching his lead our to nearly five seconds by the time he took the checkers.
Finishing second and also holding his position for the entirety of the race was Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Sam Lochoff, who was aboard the only GSX-R750 in the field. Third place went to Landers Racing’s Rocco Landers, the young, but talented rider notching his 50th podium in MotoAmerica competition.
“To be honest, from the beginning of the race, I’m just doing what I always do and just push as hard as I can,” said Herrin. I’ve never been one for strategies. It just so happened the last two days, it worked out that way. But I’m just putting my head down and riding as hard as I can. I was a little nervous. The start yesterday and today, just a full load of fuel, the thing is all the way to the max to make sure that we make it the distance. I was a little nervous at first with it, but it was good. I’m happy with the results.
“Bobby, the team owner, has been calling me fat all weekend so it’s been giving me a little bit of motivation. I have a little dad bod going on this off-season. A lot of late nights with the baby, a lot of snacking. It’s time to go to work. The Georgia heat beat me up this weekend, that’s for sure. Hayes has been telling me all weekend he’s coming for us at VIR, so I need to step it up and be ready for him because I know when he gets here, it’s going to go up another level. Just having fun. I’m excited to be on this team, the whole Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC. Our team is a lot of fun to be around. I’m just enjoying myself. It’s awesome having (son) Griffin here, and (wife) Rachel here, and my whole family here from the Herrin Compound. Thank you, everybody, for coming out and all the fans for coming out. I’m looking forward to going to VIR.”
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup – Van Gets His First
Max Van (48) leads the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup class en route to his first MotoAmerica victory on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
The 11-lap SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race two got off to its usual rousing start, with nearly 20 of MotoAmerica’s youngest riders racing in close formation aboard their lightweight 400cc motorcycles. But it was the ending of the race that brought the most attention. After the race concluded, the podium result ended up being changed due to a MotoAmerica rule about passing in a corner where there is a standing yellow flag. As a result, Altus Motorsports Kawasaki rider Kayla Yaakov unfortunately rode an emotional roller coaster where she went from the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat as her race win was nullified and she was moved from first to third. That handed the victory to SportbikeTrackGear.com’s Max Van, with second place going to Calishine Racing’s Aden Thao, and aforementioned Yaakov completing the podium.
Also adding to the drama of the final lap was the fact that a couple of riders crashed out just before the final run to the finish line.
“Today, I don’t really feel like I deserve this win, but I’m really sorry to Kayla,” said Van. “She rode a great race and, honestly, I feel like she deserves this. But I’ll take the points and I’ll take them into VIR with a lot of confidence. I just hope everybody is okay in that wreckage in the last corner. Levi, I think something happened. I feel like he highsided, and he landed into me. I have marks all on my boot. I really hope everybody is okay, including my teammate (Joe LiMandri) and (BARTCON Racing’s) Levi (Badie). I hope you guys are well soon.”
Roland Sands Design Super Hooligan – O’Hara Wins The Fight
Tyler O’Hara (2) leads Jeremy McWilliams (99), Cory West (13) and Andy DiBrino (behind West) in Roland Sands Design (RSD) Super Hooligan Race Two on Sunday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
The MotoAmerica race weekend at Road Atlanta concluded with Roland Sands Design’s Super Hooligan race two. The series features naked bikes with up to 125 horsepower, which include everything from Harley-Davidsons and Indians, to KTMs, Ducatis and a BMW. Roland Sand Design Indian rider Tyler O’Hara won the eight-lap event over his teammate Jeremy McWilliams, who passed for the lead on lap six, but couldn’t make it stick.
JLC Concrete/KTM/DiBrino Racing’s Andy DiBrino stalked Saturday’s Hooligan race winner Cory West, who was in third place until the final lap. DiBrino finally made his move and overtook West to snatch the final spot on the podium.
“It was such a blast,” O’Hara said. “To be able to start up front where we belong and be able to go with the boys and really kind of let the race unfold. Got a few clean laps out front and Jeremy came around me in turn one early in the race, and it was a great pass. I knew I needed to clean up turn one and get that figured out. Then he passed me again going back into 10 like I was standing still. Obviously, I was going in there soft. He went around me like a MotoGP rider. He took me to school. I figured out what I needed to work on. I think, with two to go, he was on the opposite side of me going up into turn one again, and we played chicken all the way up into turn three. We both went off the track, but it was fun. I ended up coming out of the deal. Just so fun riding these FTR1200 Indians. Just such a beautiful motorcycle and so much fun to ride. We’re still developing it, really. Just, every session, we’re figuring them out and getting more comfortable. We still have a ways to go. I think there are some big chunks still to get more comfortable. The whole Mission Foods support and Roland Sands Design and shout out to Patricia Fernandez for basically loaning us her motor. We lost a motor, and she had crashed and totaled her bike, so we took her motor yesterday in-between sessions. Big hats off to her. It was super fun with my teammate and (Andy) DiBrino. It’s just a fun class. It’s the Super Hooligan class. It’s supposed to be fun.”
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