CLEAN SWEEP FOR YOSHIMURA SUZUKI IN NEW JERSEY
Hayden and Elias Split Wins in MotoAmerica Season Finale
Chino, CA – The 2016 MotoAmerica AMA Superbike season came to an end Sunday at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, and Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing ended the year with a bang, victorious in both races. Roger Hayden raced to a thrilling victory in race one. Then it was Toni Elias and Hayden finishing one-two in the final race of the season giving Yoshimura Suzuki a clean sweep on the season finale.
Hayden grabbed the victory in race one aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike by just .104 of a second. It marked his second win of the season. Elias was a hard-charging third after qualifying eighth and starting from the third row.
“I’ve really been working hard on the last 10 laps of the races – where I’m always there, but I can’t close them out,” Hayden said after winning race one. “The last lap I didn’t know if I was going to make turn one because I had the thing locked up. After I got through there I kind of knew some places where I needed to block, but I didn’t want to over block and kill my speed. So I’m just happy for the team, happy for myself. We all work hard.”
The second race on Sunday came down to a battle between teammates as Hayden and Elias were just inches apart on the final lap. This time Elias, again moving up from his third-row start, was able to hold on at the line to take the nail-biting victory.
I felt very comfortable since the beginning,” said Elias, who scored six wins in his first season in MotoAmerica. “I could arrive quickly to the top of the race. I would like to fight more for the championship, but 35 points was a lot. I still think (back on) the rain race we had here in April because I lost 47 points in one day and said, maybe this will be the key of the championship. And finally it’s like this. Anyway I led a lot. We had great battles. We work with Suzuki with my team hard to improve this bike. Here we make a step. We will try to make more steps for the next season. We will see. Thank you, everybody, my team to give me this opportunity, the MotoAmerica staff and all the people of this paddock because everybody treat me really well. I feel like home.”
Elias finished the season ranked third in the final standings, only seven points back to champion Cameron Beaubier. Hayden was ranked fourth.
Yoshimura Suzuki won eight races in all during the 2016 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, adding to the legacy of the team and the legendary Suzuki GSX-R1000.
Team Yoshimura Suzuki is grateful for the support of their sponsors: Yoshimura R&D, Suzuki Motor of America, Motorex, Dunlop, Parts Unlimited, Shorai, Sunstar, K&N Performance Filters, NGK Spark Plugs, RK Racing Chain, Kushitani, Zeta and Chicken Hawk Racing.
About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com.
About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. SMAI’s supplier, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles and Outboard Motors. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has 147 distributors in 201 countries. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki:
The 2016 MotoAmerica Championships came to a close this weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, and it was Suzuki coming out on top with victories for Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Roger Hayden and Toni Elias, as Suzuki swept the season finale.
Yoshimura Suzuki took victory in both rounds of the MotoAmerica AMA Superbike races in New Jersey, with Roger Hayden winning race one and Toni Elias nipping Hayden in race two, giving the squad a 1-2 finish in the season finale.
Hayden Gillim scored a pair of top-10 finishes aboard his Cycle World Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the MotoAmerica finale.
M4 SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki’s Valentin Debise raced his Suzuki GSX-R600 to a pair of podium finishes in the final two MotoAmerica Supersport rounds of 2016.
Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Maverick Viñales continued his strong season, finishing fifth in the MotoGP race in Misano, Italy on his Suzuki GSX-RR.
Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing ended the year with a bang, taking victories in both MotoAmerica Superbike races in New Jersey. Roger Hayden raced to a thrilling victory in race one aboard his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Toni Elias then grabbed the win in race two, with Hayden finishing second for a Suzuki one-two in the final race of the season.
Elias scored six wins on the season and finished a very close third in the championship, just seven points out of first.
“I’ve really been working hard on the last 10 laps of the races – where I’m always there, but I can’t close them out,” Hayden said after winning race one. “The last lap I didn’t know if I was going to make turn one because I had the thing locked up. After I got through there I kind of knew some places where I needed to block, but I didn’t want to over block and kill my speed. So I’m just happy for the team, happy for myself. We all work hard.”
I felt very comfortable since the beginning,” Elias said. “I could arrive quickly to the top of the race. I would like to fight more for the championship, but 35 points was a lot. I still think (back on) the rain race we had here in April because I lost 47 points in one day and said, ‘maybe this will be the key of the championship.’ And finally it’s like this. Anyway I led a lot. We had great battles. We work with Suzuki with my team hard to improve this bike. Here we make a step. We will try to make more steps for the next season. We will see. Thank you, everybody, my team to give me this opportunity, the MotoAmerica staff and all the people of this paddock because everybody treat me really well. I feel like home.”
M4 SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki’s Valentin Debise successfully completed his mission to score a podium result at every single round of the 2016 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship Sunday at the New Jersey Motorsports Park season finale. The Frenchman concluded his remarkable maiden season in the States with two more third-place finishes in the MotoAmerica Supersport class, upping his final season tally to eleven. That consistent excellence — punctuated by a spectacular victory at Road America — also secured Debise a final championship ranking of third on his Suzuki GSX-R600.
“I can’t thank my team enough for the entire year,” Debise said. “M4 SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki really supported me through the entire season and I’m very grateful for the opportunity they gave me. I also want to thank all the American fans who treated me so well. I would love to return to MotoAmerica again in 2017.”
A week after scoring a dominating MotoGP victory at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, Team Suzuki Ecstar scored yet another top-five result Sunday in Italy. Viñales, who started from the front row for the fourth time this season at the World Misano Circuit Marco Simoncelli in San Marino, was able to finish the race in fifth place.
More, from a press release issued by Witchkraft Racing:
WITCHKRAFT RACING TOP FIVE IN MOTOAMERICA DEBUT AT NJMP
Shelby Twp., MI – Witchkraft Racing’s Taylor Knapp competed at the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship finale held at New Jersey Motorsports Park this past weekend. Starting outside the top ten from Saturday’s combined Superstock and Superbike qualifying, Taylor rebounded with a 4th and 5th place finish in Sunday’s two Superstock races, respectively.
“Jersey was a solid weekend,” commented Taylor. “I had to fight my way up from a poor qualifying position, but I was happy to move through the field in both races to fight for the podium. I fell just short, but I was glad to bring home two solid top five finishes on the Witchkraft Yamaha R1. It’s a really good way to finish the season.”
“The weekend was a challenge, but I felt we were ready for it,” stated Eddie Kraft. “Taylor is a very talented rider and it’s been great to work with him. We’ve enjoyed returning to the pro paddock and maybe should have tried MotoAmerica a bit sooner than we did. It’s been a great experience and I feel we fit in well, even with the incredibly deep field of talented riders in the class.”
About Honda East Yamaha: As a family owned and operated Ohio motorcycle dealer, Honda East’s philosophy is to treat each customer like a family member, every visit. Our award-winning sales staff will strive to meet and exceed your expectations, whether you are purchasing a new vehicle, calling with a question, picking up a part, or just looking in our shop.
Located in Northwest Ohio, Honda East is the #1 ranked dealership in both Ohio and Michigan; offering a full line of sport bikes, cruisers, dirt bikes, ATVs, scooters, watercraft and snowmobiles not only by Honda, but Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Aprilia, Indian, Sea-Doo, Ski-Doo, Can-Am, Kymco, Bombardier, Polaris and Artic Cat. Honda East prides themselves on the best out the door deal, period. No games, no hassles.
Witchkraft Racing would like to thank Honda East Yamaha Toledo, MotoEverything, Yoshimura, GoPro, Hoffer Performance, Motul, RS Taichi, Arai Helmets, Chicken Hawk Racing, NGK, Evol Technology, Ballistic Performance Components, Motion Pro, Millennium Technologies, Spiegler, Yamaha Motor Corp. USA, N2 Track Days, Worldwide Bearings, K-Tech, Performance Cycleworx, Pit Bull, Sharkskinz, Hammer Nutrition, Fast Frank Racing, Vesrah, PopShadow Decals, Spider Grips, Troy Lee Designs and M.C. Designs.
For more information on Honda East Yamaha, visit hondaeast.com. For information on the race team, please visit witchkraftracing.com.
More, from a press release issued by KTM North America:
BRANDON PAASCH IS CROWNED 2016 KTM RC CUP CHAMPION AT MOTOAMERICA SERIES FINALE
Round 8 – MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup
MILLVILLE, N.J. – The 2016 KTM RC Cup concluded its 8-round series over the weekend in conjunction with the AMA MotoAmerica Championship Series finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park. With the title chase coming down to the final round, it was 15-year-old Brandon Paasch who emerged victorious after capturing his sixth victory of the season in Race 1 aboard a KTM RC CUP bike.
Anthony Mazziotto III, who also came into the final round with a chance to win the championship, began the weekend in a favorable way as he qualified in pole position just ahead of his biggest rival, Paasch. In Race 1, Mazziotto jumped out to the early lead with Paasch, Jody Barry and Ashton Yates close behind.
It was Barry who established dominance early on until he was joined by Benjamin Smith for an exciting lead battle. Smith led the way for the first time this season as he swapped the lead position with Barry several times throughout the 13-lap race. It was an exciting battle to the finish as Barry led an eager group of young racers into the last corner. However, Paasch made a last-minute move on Barry to overtake the lead as they exited the wide open corner side-by-side. Paasch maintained his composure ahead of Barry to finish less than one second ahead of the 2nd place rider.
As a result of his Race 1 victory, along with a mistake by the championship runner-up Mazziotto to finish 7th, Paasch was able to clinch his first-ever KTM RC Cup Championship with one race left to go.
“Most of the race I hung back in 4th or 5th and with three laps to go I started moving to the front,” Paasch said. “I worked through the last lap, made a pass in the last corner and I was able to hold him off to the line. We weren’t paying too much attention [to what place Mazziotto was in]; I was just riding my own race and it just so happened to work out for me.”
Following a breakout performance in Race 1, Benjamin Smith made his first-career podium appearance with a 3rd place finish behind Jody Barry. Yates finished close behind in 4th, while Jackson Blackmon rounded out the top five.
In race two, Blackmon got off to a great start where he went on to battle back and forth with Yates and Paasch for the lead position. Barry moved his way through the pack as he joined Paasch once again for the top position. With Paasch at the helm, the duo raced into the last lap nose-to-tail but this time it was Barry who patiently waited until the final corner and jumped ahead of Paasch to claim the Race 2 victory.
“It was an awesome battle all weekend with awesome racers,” Barry commented. “It was a fun way to end the season for sure.”
Yates and Smith battled it out for the final podium position, where Yates was able to secure the 3rd place spot in Race 2. Smith earned a solid 4th place finish, while Blackmon once again rounded out the top five. Mazziotto finished 6th in Race 2, where he ultimately secured 2nd overall in the championship standings with four race wins behind him. Yates secured 3rd in the standings with three race-wins, where he will join Paasch and Mazziotto in representing North America at the KTM RC Cup World Final taking place Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 in Assen, Netherlands.
For more information on the KTM RC Cup, please visit www.ktmrccup.com.
Race 1 Results
1. Brandon Paasch
2. Jody Barry
3. Benjamin Smith
4. Ashton Yates
5. Jackson Blackmon
6. Renzo Ferreira
7. Anthony Mazziotto III
8. Cory Ventura
9. Sean Ungvarsky
10. Draik Beauchamp
Race 2 Results
1. Jody Barry
2. Brandon Paasch
3. Ashton Yates
4. Benjamin Smith
5. Jackson Blackmon
6. Anthony Mazziotto III
7. Renzo Ferreira
8. Dominic Doyle
9. Cory Ventura
10. Draik Beauchamp
Championship Point Standings
1. Brandon Paasch – 311
2. Anthony Mazziotto – 266
3. Ashton Yates – 239
4. Jody Barry – 195
5. Alejandro Gutierrez – 142
6. Josh Serne – 116
7. Jackson Blackmon – 113
8. Benjamin Smith – 90
9. Renzo Ferreira – 79
10. Brandon Altmeyer – 77
More, from a press release issued by Riders Discount/Tuned Racing:
MILLVILLE, N.J. (Sept. 13, 2016) — The 2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 season came to a close for Riders Discount/Tuned Racing at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Sunday. Rider Bryce Prince finished second in race one and took first in race two. Prince had an incredible season, taking a total of nine wins in addition to the championship title.
“New Jersey was a very up and down weekend for us,” said Prince. “I was able to secure the pole position but had a huge crash at the end of qualifying which really messed up the bike. We got the bike back together in time for race one on Saturday and were able to come home with second place. It was a tough race for me as I was a little banged up, but I was very happy to be on the podium. I felt much better Sunday for race two; we got a good start and I was first going into turn one. I was able to gap the field to win the last race of the season by five seconds. I am very pleased to finish the season on top of the podium, and I cannot thank my crew enough for all of their support this year. We are very excited to see what next year has in store! I want to give a special thanks to all of our sponsors, especially Tuned Racing, Riders Discount, Quicksilver Powersports Lubricants, Graves Motorsports, and everyone else for a great season!”
Rider Jason Aguilar did not finish either race due to mechanical issues. Despite a challenging season, Aguilar is focusing on recovering and looking forward to next year.
“It has been a season of great highs and pretty low lows,” said Aguilar. “We ended the season on a low after having bike issues in qualifying and the races. My foot also isn’t back to normal yet after the two surgeries. It hurt worse riding this weekend than the other weekends prior. I need to get myself healthy again for next season and we will be back strong. It has been great working with new sponsors this year and all of the ones that have supported us since the first pro season. I believe this is just the start of something great; we’ll see everyone in 2017!”
2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship Point Standings as of 9/11/16:
1. Bryce Prince, 332 points
2. Richie Escalante, 200 points
3. Travis Wyman, 185 points
4. Dakota Mamola, 177 points
5. JC Camacho, 159 points
About Riders Discount:
Riders Discount (www.ridersdiscount.com) is an online retailer of quality powersports gear, apparel and accessories. A company founded by racers, Riders Discount offers equipment for every riding style to customers worldwide, backed by a knowledgeable sales team and excellent customer service.
About Quicksilver:
Since 1950, discriminating customers have depended on the Quicksilver brand for premium quality marine parts, accessories, and engine care products. Quicksilver is one of the most trusted brands in the markets we serve. It has earned a loyal following by providing the highest quality products for more than 60 years. Quicksilver is a brand of Mercury Marine and Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC).