Editorial Note: Results for the second round of MotoAmerica Mini Cup by Motul races had not been issued by MotoAmerica as of 8:45 p.m. local time.

Editorial Notes:

Danilo Petrucci was given a five-second penalty for a jump start, i.e. moving while the start lights were on. Without the penalty he would have finished third.

Unofficially, if Petrucci wins Race Two, Jake Gagne can clinch the 2022 MotoAmerica Medallia Championship by finishing seventh or better.

Update: 

Petrucci’s Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC team appealed his jump-start penalty and MotoAmerica ruled in Petrucci’s favor, reversing the penalty, awarding him third place, and demoting PJ Jacobsen to fourth place.

Based on the new Race One results, if Petrucci wins Race Two Gagne must finish fourth or better to win the Championship.

Original Race Results:

Revised Race Results:

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Gagne Plus 13 Points With One Round To Go For MotoAmerica Superbike Title

Gagne Wins His 12th Race Of The Season, Petrucci Third. Title To Be Decided Tomorrow

BIRMINGHAM, AL (September 24, 2022) – All season long, Jake Gagne hasn’t wanted to talk about championship points. Today, at Barber Motorsports Park, he didn’t seem to mind. It’s amazing what a 13-point lead going into the final race of the year will do.

After earning pole position this morning with a new lap record, Gagne did what Gagne does in the race. He took off at the start and was never headed, flanked initially by his wingman on the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha team Cameron Petersen and ultimately followed home by Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz.

At the end of 20 laps of the 2.38-mile Barber Motorsports Park, Gagne had his 12th win of the season and the 29th of his AMA Superbike career by 5.43 seconds over Scholtz. Scholtz had been on the move early, chasing Petersen until his fellow South African crashed on the sixth lap. From there, Scholtz went into points-scoring mode as those two will battle for third in the championship in tomorrow’s finale with only four points separating them. Petersen, meanwhile, remounted and scored seven valuable points for finishing ninth.

Gagne’s run to the championship tomorrow was originally made easier with Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Danilo Petrucci struggling with a fourth-place finish after being stung with a jump-start penalty of five seconds. The penalty, however, was later overturned on appeal by Petrucci’s team and overturned at roughly 6:30 p.m., giving Petrucci third on the day.

Tytlers Cycle Racing’s PJ Jacobsen was originally credited with third place but the change in the official results moved him back a spot to fourth.

While Gagne pocketed 25 points for winning, Petrucci earned 16 points for finishing third. That gives Gagne a 13-point advantage going into Sunday’s final race of the year.

Fifth place on Saturday went to Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera, giving the BMW team two riders in the top five. Barbera was some nine seconds ahead of the Hayden Gillim/Jake Lewis scrap for sixth.

That spot went to Disrupt Racing’s Gillim over fellow Kentuckian Lewis and his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki by just .059 of a second.

Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander, Petersen and ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony rounded out the top-five finishers.

After 19 of 20 Medallia Superbike races, Gagne leads Petrucci, 356-343, with Petersen third on 279 points. Scholtz is four points behind with 275 and Barbera rounds out the top five with 184 points.

With just one round remaining in the Superbike Cup for racers using Stock 1000-spec motorcycles in the Superbike races, Danilo Lewis leads Altus Motorsports’ Brandon Paasch by six points with Paasch winning today’s race-within-a-race while Lewis finished second.

Superbike Race One

1. Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
2. Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha)
3. Danilo Petrucci (Ducati)
4. PJ Jacobsen (BMW)
5. Hector Barbera (BMW)
6. Hayden Gillim (Suzuki)
7. Jake Lewis (Suzuki)
8. Corey Alexander (BMW)
9. Cameron Petersen (Yamaha)
10. David Anthony (Suzuki)

Jake Gagne – Winner

“It did (go to plan). Obviously, I keep saying it, but I knew if we could get a win today – I knew these Yamahas were going good. I knew PJ (Jacobsen) was going good. I knew if we could get a little bit of a points spread, everybody would sleep a little bit easier tonight. I’m glad. I think you mentioned, we got a 16-point lead going into tomorrow, so that makes life a little easier. But anything can still happen. It’s still racing. But I got off to a good start. Made one big mistake up over the hill. Almost ran off the track. Then I could see my pit board and I knew Cam (Petersen) was in second. Then he kind of charged back to me. Then all of a sudden, I had that two-second gap, so I saw that he wasn’t on the big screen anymore so he must have went down, which was a bummer. Hats off to Mat (Scholtz) and PJ. These guys both did me a little bit of a favor today and got me some points. Like I said, I think we’ll sleep a little easier tonight knowing we’ve got 16 points (now 13 points). But anything can still happen. It could rain. It’s motorcycle racing. We’ve just got to try to do the same thing tomorrow and get off to a good start, avoid any drama and try to bring this thing home for the team.”

Mathew Scholtz – Second Place

“I think it was coming to corner two. I think Cam (Petersen) was just maybe charging in slightly harder than he had been and just lost the front. I had a very similar moment in the second-to-last corner. I think it was just so hot out there on the track that the front tire was just skidding. It just didn’t seem to want to hook up and turn. It was kind of pushing the front. I felt in the first two or three laps, I must have folded the front at almost every single corner. I was at my limit trying to hold onto Jake (Gagne) and Cam. Once I saw Cameron crash out, it seemed like a pretty small crash. I hope he’s doing good. But I know that I’m battling Cam for third in the championship. I was only about 20 points back, so from then, I kind of knew that if I wanted to try to catch up to Jake I would have had to ride over my head and I just wasn’t willing to do that, knowing the circumstance that Cam had crashed out and I could maybe clinch third in the championship still. So, just kind of went into salvation mode from there. One more time, hats off to Jake. He’s fighting for a championship, and he was out there flying in the first couple laps, showing us how to do things. All the credit goes to him. Well done to PJ. I know that bike is a handful to ride, and he’s doing great. Hopefully tomorrow just try to be up on the box one more time.”

PJ Jacobsen – Third Place (prior to the overturned penalty)

“I really didn’t know (that Danilo Petrucci had been penalized). I saw they had a board out, and I thought I saw nine (Danilo Petrucci). I couldn’t really tell. I didn’t really know, to be honest with you. Then at the end of the race when I looked up at the board, I saw my number was third. I made a huge mistake in the beginning of the race and almost highsided myself in the museum corner. Went almost to the inside of the grass. It just cost me the race to be in front of him fair (and square). I think I could have maybe beat him. But it is what it is. It’s racing and that’s how it is. I’m really happy for my team to get another podium and stand up here for the last MotoAmerica weekend.”

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Gagne Extends Championship Lead with Emphatic Race 1 Victory at Barber

Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne stood on the top step of the podium for the 12th time this season, scoring a dominant win in today’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 at the Barber Motorsports Park. His decisive victory bolstered his title defense in the premier class, giving him a 13-point lead heading into tomorrow’s final race of the season. Cameron Petersen made an impressive comeback from last to ninth after a crash in the challenging conditions.

It was a perfect day for Gagne at the 2.38-mile track in Birmingham, Alabama. He took another track record in qualifying, edging out his teammate to secure his eighth pole position in 10 tries this season. The defending champion then grabbed the holeshot and, on the second lap, set another track record with the fastest race lap. Gagne kept a hot pace to remain unchallenged and finish 5.4 seconds clear of the competition. His 29th career superbike victory gives him a 13-point advantage heading into tomorrow’s final showdown.

Petersen was also on top form aboard his Attack Performance Yamaha R1. He broke the track record yesterday afternoon in the first qualifying session and finished just .288 seconds shy of Gagne in the combined times. The South African got off to a great start behind his teammate and was holding down the runner-up spot with fellow Yamaha rider Mathew Scholtz on his heels. Unfortunately, Petersen made an error in the greasy conditions on Lap 6 and crashed in Turn 2. He remounted and charged his way forward from the back of the field to break the top 10 in the final laps of the 20-lap race, finishing ninth to score valuable points and maintain the third spot in the standings.

The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing team lines up again tomorrow for MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday, September 25.

Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager

“The Yamaha R1 loves Barber, and so do our riders. After seeing our pace in all of the sessions, we felt both riders had the opportunity to win and could do so without compromising the championship. Jake did what had to be done by winning the race and stretching the points gap to second. Cameron showed great pace all weekend and was poised to challenge Jake for the win. Unfortunately, a low-side crash pushed him back to last, but he recovered to a ninth-place finish. Our goal tomorrow is to cap off the season with another 1-2 finish!”

Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing

“Today was an important day for a win, and we made it happen. These R1s are working great here at Barber, especially in the hotter conditions this afternoon. I’m looking forward to the finale tomorrow and bringing the championship home for the team.”

Cameron Petersen – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing

“Going into Turn 2, I got in there a little bit hot and tucked the front. So just a mistake on my part, which is unfortunate because I felt so good all weekend and wanted to be the team player. At least it worked out for Jake in the end, but having one more bike would have helped him even more. I’m sorry to let the team down, but we’ve got tomorrow, and we’re going to bounce back.”

More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:

Scholtz’s Saturday Runner-Up Superbike Finish In Alabama Marks His 11th Podium Of The Season 

Birmingham, AL – September 24, 2022 – For Mathew Scholtz, rider of the Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike with the big number 11’s on the front and sides, Saturday’s runner-up result in Superbike race one at Barber Motorsports marked his—there’s that number again—11th podium finish of the 2022 MotoAmerica season.

Continuing with the numbers theme, it was also Mathew’s fifth consecutive podium finish and his second runner-up result in the row, making it eight runner-up finishes so far this season with one more race left in the season Sunday afternoon.

Starting from the outside of the front row on the grid, Mathew immediately gave chase to fellow Yamaha riders Jake Gagne and Cameron Petersen. On lap six, Petersen had a tipover, and Mathew took over second place where he went to work on trying to catch Gagne in the lead. As the laps wound down, Mathew decided to stabilize his position as runner-up in the race, which now puts him just four points behind Petersen for third in the championship points standings.

“I think Cam was just maybe charging in slightly harder than he had been and just lost the front,” Mathew said. “I had a very similar moment in the second-to-last corner. I think it was just so hot out there on the track that the front tire was just skidding. It just didn’t seem to want to hook up and turn. It was kind of pushing the front. I felt in the first two or three laps, I must have folded the front at almost every single corner. I was at my limit trying to hold onto Jake and Cam. Once I saw Cam crash out, it seemed like a pretty small crash. I hope he’s doing good. But I know that I’m battling him for third in the championship. I was only about 20 points back, so from then, I kind of knew that if I wanted to try to catch up to Jake, I would have had to ride over my head, and I just wasn’t willing to do that, knowing the circumstance that Cam had crashed out and I could maybe clinch third in the championship still. So, I just kind of went into salvation mode from there. Hopefully, tomorrow, I’ll be up on the box one more time.”

Sunday’s Superbike race two starts at 3:10 p.m. CT and will be broadcast via tape delay on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) at 9 p.m. ET.

For all the action from Barber Motorsports Park, as it happens, subscribe to MotoAmerica Live+, which is MotoAmerica’s live streaming and on-demand service.

Meet Mathew, Get An Autographed Poster, And More 

Mathew will be available for autographs during the Dunlop Hot Pit Walk & Autograph Session, scheduled for 11 to 11:40 a.m. Sunday on pit lane at Barber Motorsports Park. He and the team will be handing out free posters and T-shirts, so don’t miss it.

Check Out The Westby Racing Sponsor Showcase

Attack Performance and Puig USA are the featured team sponsors on display in the Westby Racing paddock area this race weekend, so be sure to stop by to say hello and learn about some of the companies that support the team.

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

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

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Two Support Class Titles Still Up For Grabs At Barber Motorsports Park

Tomorrow Will Bring A Close To The 2022 MotoAmerica Championship

BIRMINGHAM, AL (September 24, 2022) – With the championships in both Stock 1000 and Supersport already having been decided at New Jersey Motorsports Park two weekends ago, the championship chase in SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup was in the spotlight on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park.

Alpha Omega Kawasaki rider Cody Wyman had a 20-point lead coming into the weekend and is still the odds-on favorite to clinch the title, but it didn’t happen based on the result of the penultimate race of the season for MotoAmerica’s entry-level riders. Wyman’s fourth-place finish was countered by a race victory from Altus Motorsports Kawasaki’s Kayla Yaakov and podium finishes from Bauce Racing/JL62 Team’s Joseph LiMandri Jr. and Rodio Racing Kawasaki’s Kevin Rodio. Yaakov and Rodio are still in the hunt for the title, and there is just one more race on Sunday to decide it all.

Yuasa Stock 1000 – All Gillim

Yuasa Stock 1000 started off the day, and it was the final race of the year for MotoAmerica’s literbike riders. With the championship already decided in Corey Alexander’s favor two weekends ago at New Jersey Motorsports Park, this race was all about just taking the checkered flag and standing on the top of the podium with a win.

That win went to Disrupt Racing Suzuki’s Hayden Gillim, which was his fifth victory of the season. Gillim, who started from the pole position, got the holeshot and was never headed. At the checkered flag, the Kentuckian had stretched out his lead to more than eight-and-a-half seconds. Second place went to Vision Wheel/Discount Tire/KWS Honda rider Geoff May who withstood a near highside on the way to his runner-up result. Cycle World/Octane/Chuckwalla Racing Andrew Lee completed the podium in third aboard his Suzuki.

“It was a really good year,” Gillim said. “We had a couple little things that kind of kept us from really fighting for it until the end, but over the past two years, I haven’t raced full-time. Last year, I did Baggers three rounds and then the year before that the only thing I did was the one Bagger race at Laguna at the end of the season. So, it was really good to come back into it and be able to do what we were able to do as a team. Myself, I came back after two years away. Disrupt Racing team member Mark Junge came back after being out for ten years or nine years or something like that. Saw him pull out of retirement. It took us a little while to get our feet under us. It took me a little while to get my head up to speed and be able to process what was going on with the bike and being able to relay that to the guys. That’s something that you lose, being away for a little bit. The past three rounds, everything started clicking. I was able to start feeling things with the bike that I haven’t felt in a long time. Being able to relay that to them and then being able to turn it into a great bike underneath me has been a lot of fun. Getting to do so many laps in Stock 1000 and Superbike has been a freaking blast. It helps me every weekend having that many laps under my belt. This week on Monday, my son turns one year old. The wife has been crying about that. She’s upset we’ve got a big boy now. The team got me a little tribute helmet to it, a little tribute to Nicky (Hayden) and then got some pictures of me and (wife) Summer and (son) Stone at Virginia on the podium. A little picture of me and Stone on there. So, it’s pretty cool for them to do that. It’s been a really good year. I’m glad that they were able to bring me on board.”

Supersport – Landers Gets His Fourth

The 2022 Supersport Championship was also decided at New Jersey Motorsports Park, with Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider Josh Herrin clinching the title, so the final two races of the Supersport season were also all about pride.

In race one, Herrin started from the pole and chose softer-compound Dunlop tires than Landers Racing Yamaha’s Rocco Landers did. With better grip than Landers had at the beginning of the race, Herrin was in the lead and looked to be headed for a dominant win. However, Landers’ strategy paid off. As Herrin’s tires wore and lost some of their grip, Landers closed the gap and overtook him for the lead. Herrin hung tight to Landers, however, and Mesa37 Racing Kawasaki’s Stefano Mesa also joined the battle for the win. At the checkered flag, it was Landers who got the win over Herrin by just .364 of a second. Mesa finished third, but only .061 of a second behind Herrin.

“I definitely made a gamble, that’s for sure,” Landers said. “It definitely paid off. If you asked me an hour ago if I thought I’d win the race, there’s a slim chance, I felt like. But it worked. Josh (Herrin) is one of the toughest people I’ve ever raced against, and whenever I throw a shot, he immediately takes a stab back. It’s actually really fun. I enjoy it. Same with Stefano (Mesa). Just love racing with these guys. They’re super-aggressive. It’s super-awesome.”

SportbikeTrackGear.Com Junior Cup – Yaakov Does It Again

SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup is down to its final two races of the season, and Saturday’s race one ensured that the championship will be decided in race two tomorrow at Barber Motorsports Park.

Championship leader Cody Wyman started from the pole, but his lead was short-lived as Rodio Racing’s Gus Rodio overtook Wyman on the opening lap. Rodio was then overtaken by Altus Motorsports Kawasaki rider Kayla Yaakov, and the battle for the lead was on between Rodio and Yaakov. And then, as seems to happen in most of the Junior Cup races, especially this season, “the shuffle” was on among the lead riders. Yaakov made a strategic and gutsy pass for the lead on the final lap, and at the finish line, the Pennsylvanian prevailed by half a bike length over Bauce Racing/JL62 Team’s Joe LiMandri Jr. who stalked the leaders until the end of the final lap, then put himself in the runner-up position over third-place Rodio and very nearly won the race.

When asked about her pass for the lead on the final lap, Yaakov said, “I honestly didn’t think it was going to work. I saw when I was sandwiched in-between them, I knew Joe (LiMandri) was either going to drift out and try to kind of block pass me in, or Gus (Rodio) was going to close on me, or Joe was going to hold it and square it up for the next corner, which I think he was trying to do because I saw him right next to me. I went up on the curbing coming out of the chicane, and I knew I had a good run. That’s what I was setting up for from the beginning of the museum (turn). I knew if I got a good run out of there, I was going to try to be able to make a good lunge, either going into 11, or if I had to, the last corner. We made it happen. I’m really happy with it. Going to the finish line, I hadn’t really been in a position behind anyone for too long coming out of the last corner. When I was behind Gus going into the last corner, I made some small mistakes on the curbing. So, I was just planning if someone got a perfect drive and they wanted to go on one side, just to try to break the draft a little bit. Obviously, in the end, I saw he went on the other side, but either way, it worked out.”

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

VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI’S TYLER SCOTT EARNS ANOTHER TOP FIVE AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK

Suzuki Powered Machines Show Competitiveness in all Classes

BREA, Calif., September 24, 2022 — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer flashed front-running form as they opened the race action of the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season finale at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday afternoon.

MotoAmerica Supersport sensation Tyler Scott notched the eleventh top-five result of his maiden Supersport season and was in contention for much more than that deep into the 19-lap contest.

The 16-year-old blasted off the middle of the front row aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 to lead into the race’s opening corner before quickly settling into second. Scott was in stellar form during the race’s opening half, reeling the race leader back into his sights and then proceeding to challenge him for several laps.

On lap 11, however, Scott began to suffer from grip issues and was unable to persist in his assault for the race win. He eventually lost three positions, salvaging a fifth-place finish in the end.

“The first half of the race felt really strong,” said Scott. “I felt great and was comfortable battling for the lead. Unfortunately, the tire lost grip about halfway so I had to manage that and get as many points as I could. We’ll make a change for tomorrow, either a different compound or with tire pressure. Hopefully the rain holds off.”

Things were even more difficult for the still-mending Sam Lochoff, who was collected in a multi-rider incident that knocked him onto the ground and out of the race on Lap 2. While the South African was ruled out early, the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s second Supersport rookie, Liam Grant, stepped up to battle well inside the top ten.

In the end, Grant scooped up the second-best result of his debut Supersport season with an eighth-place result.

“I got a strong launch and passed two riders right at the start,” said Grant. “Getting a fast first lap set me up for the race. It put me in a position to avoid drama. This year has been a nice experience learning how to work with the team and we’ve found a great setup for the bike that works for me. I have a lot of confidence in this setup and was able to make some moves in Turn 5. We have really gelled lately and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

A very promising Superbike race took a disappointing turn with less than two laps remaining. Premier-class rookie Richie Escalante rediscovered his midseason feel and confidence, vaulting back into podium contention aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R.

Escalante picked up a couple positions early after starting on the outside of Row 2 and then sat locked onto the rear-wheel of third place in the middle of the fight.

Escalante seemed at least a sure bet to equal his career-best Superbike finish of fourth late in the race. Unfortunately, he suffered a crash on the penultimate lap and was unable to properly celebrate his return to form.

“The mentality was to push and try to finish on the podium and I lost the front,” said Escalante. “It was a small crash in Turn 2. This weekend has been much, much better and my confidence is back. I had a fast pace all weekend and qualified on the second row. I am very happy with the GSX-R and the team, and feel very optimistic about trying to finish on the podium in the next race.”

Superbike vet Jake Lewis fought in seventh for much of the race before finally taking the checkered flag in eighth position.

Congrats to Hayden Gillim aboard his GSX-R1000R for taking the victory in Race 1 in the Stock 1000 class. Across all MotoAmerica classes, Suzuki’s showing their competitive edge.

Team Hammer will complete the 2022 season in tomorrow’s season finale at Barber Motorsports Park.

ABOUT TEAM HAMMER

The 2022 season marks Team Hammer’s 42nd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 344 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.