MotoAmerica Championship Of Alabama
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
Barber Motorsports Park
Birmingham, Alabama
September 22, 2018
Motul Superbike Race One Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Toni Elias (Suz GSX-R1000), 21 laps, Total Race Time 30:14.675, Best Lap Time 1:25.630
2. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R1), -7.340 seconds, 1:25.762
3. Mathew Scholtz (Yam YZF-R1), -12.563, 1:26.209
4. Roger Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), -14.239, 1:26.013
5. Jake Lewis (Suz GSX-R1000), -15.454, 1:26.061
6. Danny Eslick (BMW S1000RR), -24.280, 1:26.280
7. Garrett Gerloff (Yam YZF-R1), -27.093, ran off track, 1:26.423
8. Bobby Fong (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -30.645, 1:26.995
9. Cameron Petersen (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -31.241, 1:26.980
10. Kyle Wyman (Yam YZF-R1), -48.969, 1:27.589
11. David Anthony (Kaw ZX-10RR), -52.151, 1:27.999
12. Geoff May (BMW S1000RR), -59.677, 1:27.876
13. Ben Young (BMW S1000RR), -61.755, 1:28.435
14. Max Flinders (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, 1:29.388
15. Bruno Silva (Kaw ZX-10R), -1 lap, 1:30.695
16. Sam Verderico (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, 1:30.860
17. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), -8 laps, DNF, crash, 1:25.529
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Elias Takes Barber Race One
Parrish Earns Inaugural Twins Cup Title
Toni Elias (1) leading Josh Herrin (2) and Cameron Beaubier (6) during Motul Superbike Race One.
BIRMINGHAM, AL (September 22, 2018) – Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias may not have successfully defended his MotoAmerica Superbike title, but he’s hell-bent on making sure he ends up with the most victories. On a sunny and hot Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, Elias took one step towards that as he won his eighth race of the year, a win that moves him into a tie with newly crowned champion Cameron Beaubier. The two now have eight victories apiece heading into tomorrow’s season finale in the Championship of Alabama.
While Elias was able to win his eighth race of the year, his rival Beaubier was down and out, the three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion crashing out of what was a three-way fight for victory on the 14th of 21 laps. Bruised and beaten, Beaubier will be back on the Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing YZF-R1 tomorrow to try and win his ninth race of his championship season.
“Of course,” Elias said when asked if his goal was to win the most races. “That’s why my mind was in the championship in the second position, but my goal when I arrive here is win more races than Cameron (Beaubier). I’m not going to have the number one because the championship is long (gone) and I did many mistakes, but I will try to go home in that way.”
The win was not only Elias’ eighth of the season, but it was the 24th of his MotoAmerica career.
“After the mistake in Pittsburgh, I was a little bit worried about it because this guy’s fast in wet, he’s fast in dry,” Elias said of Herrin. “So, my second place in the championship was not safe. One part of my mind was on that, and another part was on trying to win this race. I really wanted to. We worked so good yesterday. New setup works perfectly for this tire and this heat. We found something like we didn’t find before. I was pretty confident. Finally, the result confirms what we found. At the beginning from seventh position, I had some troubles. I did some mistakes trying to overtake some riders. I was risking too much. I had false neutrals. It was pretty difficult at the end. At the beginning, I calmed down a little bit, step by step, taking confidence, overtake some riders. Then I catch Josh (Herrin). He was so strong. The more laps we had was a little bit more easy for me, and at the end we could win this race. He was pretty beat up, so congratulations for the second place and also for Mathew’s (Scholtz) podium. Tomorrow let’s try to finish this championship if it’s possible with another win. Yamaha guys will be a little bit more tough. They used the green tires, but when we saw before the race they used reds it was like, ‘wow, this is a big mistake.’ I knew that from Friday it was impossible. After five laps was so soft, and the green tire was the right choice.”
Second place on Saturday went to early race leader Josh Herrin on the Attack Performance/Herrin Compound Yamaha, the Georgian dropping out of the lead and 7.3 seconds behind Elias at the finish after his back issue from the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca round reared its ugly head.
“Yeah, I think I had to kind of go off at Laguna,” Herrin said of his back pain. “It’s my lower back. Just with the amount of riding that we were doing and all the stuff that I was having to put my back through that weekend. It’s been fine all year, and then here I think because of the long rights and having to manage the tire and kind of move your body in a different way… it just kind of flared up today. I just didn’t want to make it any worse. I saw that I had a big gap to second, and I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to keep up with Toni (Elias). So I just kind of tried to keep up with him as much as I could without making it any worse. Luckily, we were able to hold onto second. It’s a bummer because I think tomorrow the Graves guys are going to smart up a little bit and run the green tires, so today was a good opportunity to get out and beat down on them a little bit. So, tomorrow will be tougher, but I’ll be more prepared for tomorrow’s race. Hopefully, we can battle for a win, so we can end the season strong.”
Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz finished third, the South African coming out on top of his battle with Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden after the two came together in the closing laps. It was Scholtz’ eighth podium of the season.
“I wouldn’t say tough,” Scholtz said. “He followed me in and passed me on the second last lap. His bike is the fastest bike again. I came from so far back. There was nothing else that I could really do. I made a move. It was hard, but none of us crashed. I’m sorry that he got pushed wide. I finished third and I’m just thankful to be able to race with you guys. Thank you to everyone that has supported me.”
Hayden held on for fourth, some two seconds behind Scholtz and 1.2 seconds ahead of fellow Kentuckian Jake Lewis on the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki.
Scheibe Racing BMW’s Danny Eslick was sixth, 2.8 seconds ahead of Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Garrett Gerloff. Bobby Fong got the better of teammate Cameron Petersen on the intrateam Genuine Broaster Chicken Honda battle for eighth.
KWR’s Kyle Wyman rounded out the top 10.
Going into tomorrow’s final race of the year, Beaubier leads Elias by 56 points with the Spaniard 41 points ahead of Herrin. Scholtz is secure in fourth, 18 points ahead of Gerloff who in turn is 12 points ahead of Lewis.
Supersport – Gillim Wins – In The Dry!
In Supersport, Rickdiculous Racing’s Hayden Gillim, who has been developing somewhat of a reputation as a “rain rider” this season, with his two previous wins occurring in wet weather, showed his prowess on a dry track when he got the victory over Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha’s JD Beach, who finished second in Saturday’s race after already clinching the class championship in New Jersey. M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Valentin Debise returned to form after recovering from his crash in Pittsburgh two rounds ago, and he finished third.
“It’s really good to get a win in the dry,” Gillim said. “It’s been, like, five years. So, it’s really good to get back up here, and to have to earn it. It’s incredible. We had a really good race. The red flags were obviously a little weird. I was concerned about that because, going full pace and then stopping, going full pace, stopping, going full pace, stopping. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do on that. Then I was worried about my clutch a little bit. I know I’ve had some issues there doing the starts. So, three starts on one clutch and it wasn’t acting up. It was really good. The whole Rickdiculous team gave me a really good bike this year, and especially this weekend. I felt good. We’ve got some stuff to work on. It’s going to be another great race tomorrow.”
Liqui Moly Junior Cup – Dumas Again
In Liqui Moly Junior Cup, Alex Dumas, who clinched the 2018 class championship at New Jersey, led from the pole and, despite the race being red-flagged twice, the KTM Orange Brigade/JP43 Training rider notched his ninth victory of the season with another dominant performance where he was never headed. MP13 Racing’s Cory Ventura finished second aboard his Yamaha, while Quarterley Racing’s Renzo Ferreira finished third aboard his Kawasaki to complete the balanced, three-brand podium.
“I got pole this morning and I was really happy about it,” Dumas said. “I just wanted to have a good start, which I did. Unfortunately, Ashton (Yates) crashed in the first lap. I had a one-row gap on the other guys for the start, so I took advantage of that and got a good start. I tried my best to put my head down and do some fast laps. The track was really slick. It’s hard, mentally, to ride on it, but I’m really happy about the race. I hope to win tomorrow again.”
Twins Cup – Parrish Crowned
In the Twins Cup class, Saturday’s race was the final one of the 2018 season, and it decided the championship between Ghetto Customs Suzuki rider Chris Parrish and Syndicate/AP MotoArts Yamaha’s Jason Madama. The two riders were separated by just two points going into the finale and Parrish finished eighth, while Madama finished ninth. The outcome was that Parrish won the title by a scant three points. Meanwhile, back at the race, Robert McLendon III was the victor aboard his Altus Motorsports Yamaha in his first-ever MotoAmerica race; Turner’s Cycle Racing’s Kris Turner was second on his Suzuki; and RBoM 180 Racing’s Curtis Murray was third on another Suzuki.
“It was an absolutely awesome race,” McLendon said. “First time on the bike, first time with that team. Hats off to these guys right here. We went and got a brand-spanking-new bike for me. This is like my home track. I’ve got four kids and I can still say that’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on, ever. The race itself was pretty awesome. I wanted to get a good start and try and check out, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Kris (Turner) rode awesome. I was saving that move for the last lap. I’m so glad you did the same exact thing, man, because I was giggling. I saw I was getting side by side. I was like, ‘well, I got the inside. So it’s about to be really, really awesome. There’s going to be a bunch of parts laying on the gravel track because I’m going for it.’ ”
Motul Superbike
1.Toni Elias (Suzuki)
2.Josh Herrin (Yamaha)
3.Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha)
4.Roger Hayden (Suzuki)
5.Jake Lewis (Suzuki)
Supersport
1.Hayden Gillim (Yamaha)
2.JD Beach (Yamaha)
3.Valentin Debise (Suzuki)
4.Braeden Ortt (Yamaha)
5.Bryce Prince (Yamaha)
Liqui Moly Junior Cup
1.Alex Dumas (KTM)
2.Cory Ventura (Yamaha)
3.Renzo Ferreira (Kawasaki)
4.Jay Newton (Yamaha)
5.Gavin Anthony (Yamaha)
Twins Cup
1.Robert McLendon III (Yamaha)
2.Kris Turner (Suzuki)
3.Curtis Murray (Suzuki)
4.Justin Filice (Suzuki)
5.Darrell Ricks (Suzuki)
More, from a press release issued by Yamalube/Westby Racing:
Mathew Scholtz Podiums At Barber Motorsports Park With A Third-Place Finish In Saturday’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race
Birmingham, AL – September 22, 2018 – After qualifying third in Superpole earlier on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, Mathew Scholtz equaled that result with a third-place finish in the penultimate MotoAmerica Superbike race of the season on Saturday afternoon.
It was the eighth podium of the season for Mathew aboard the #11 Yamalube/Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike, but it definitely didn’t come easily for the South African. As the 21-lap feature drew to a close, Mathew got into a battle with Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Roger Hayden. The two riders diced back-and-forth and even came together briefly, but Mathew ultimately prevailed to take third on the day.
“(Roger Hayden) followed me in and passed me on the second to the last lap,” Mathew said. “His bike is the fastest bike again. I came from so far back. There was nothing else that I could really do. I made a move. It was hard, but none of us crashed. I’m sorry that he got pushed wide. I finished third, and I’m just thankful to everyone who has supported me.”
Superbike Race 2, the final race of the 2018 MotoAmerica season, is set to go green at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday at 3:30 PM Eastern Time.
For more updates about Yamalube/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 Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.:
Yamaha bLU cRU Riders Claim Podium Finishes in Every Class at Barber Motorsports Park During Saturday Racing Action
MotoAmerica Championship Finale in Birmingham Provides Excitement
Birmingham, Ala. – September 22, 2018 – The tenth and final round of the 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship provided plenty of action on Saturday at the iconic Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Despite hot temperatures and some incidents that caused red flags and race restarts, Yamaha bLU cRU riders prevailed to claim podium finishes in every one of Saturday’s races.
Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Superbike Team
Saturday’s on-track action began on a positive note for the newly-crowned 2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion, Cameron Beaubier, who claimed pole-position with a course record-setting lap time of 1:23.514.
When the green flag waived to start Superbike Race 1, Beaubier launched his Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing R1 from the grid into a quick pace behind hard-charging fellow Yamaha bLU cRU rider Josh Herrin. Beaubier stayed within striking distance of Herrin, but slipped into third place on lap six. From there, Beaubier rode strong to keep the pace for the lead position, but on lap 14, he suffered a hard crash entering the transition between turns six and seven that ultimately ended his day.
Garrett Gerloff grabbed a top-five start aboard his Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing R1 and eventually settled into the seventh-place position early on. After battling his way between the seventh and eighth-place positions throughout the race, Gerloff recaptured seventh place on lap 14 and charged hard to hold the position to the finish line.
Cameron Beaubier – #6 YZF-R1
“I felt good going into the race after a solid morning, but we chose the wrong tire for the race. I was trying to hang on to the back of Josh [Herrin] and Toni [Elias] and ended up going down pretty bad. But we have tomorrow, and I plan to be ready to go on my R1.”
Garrett Gerloff – #31 YZF-R1
“It was a really tough day. We had some problems that we weren’t expecting and it really cost us. But we know what to fix and how we’re going to make the bike set-up better tomorrow, so that’s a plus! Tomorrow is the last race of the year, and I’m giving it all I have. I’m ready to finish the first year on my R1 strong!
Tom Halverson – Team Manager
“Congratulations to Josh Herrin and Mathew Scholtz for their solid podium finishes on their Yamaha R1’s today. Unfortunately, Cameron had a big crash, but he is okay and from all indications he will be okay to ride in the morning. Garrett had a mechanical issue that was holding him back today, so we are expecting much better results for him tomorrow.”
Superbike Race 2 will go green tomorrow (Sunday) at 3:30 p.m. CST.
2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings – 19 of 20 Series Races Completed
Pos.Rider Points
1 Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha 370
2 Toni Elias – Suzuki 314
3 Josh Herrin – Yamaha 273
4 Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha 226
5 Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha 208
Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha Supersport Team
In Supersport Race 1, JD Beach got off to a great start aboard his Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha R6 as he raced to the front of the pack. The newly-crowned Supersport Champion led the first five minutes of racing action before a red flag stopped the race due to a two-rider crash that required assistance from safety vehicles and personnel. On restart number two, Beach launched his R6 to the lead position once again, but the race was soon halted with another red flag due to a second two-rider collision that left debris spread across the track.
After the third restart, Beach slotted into second place as he began the final ten-lap stint in a close battle for the lead position with his fellow bLU cRU rider, Hayden Gillim. Beach applied pressure to Gillim late in the race as the duo battled to the checkered flag, where Beach narrowly missed victory by 0.0098 of a second.
JD Beach – #95 YZF-R6
“Today was a crazy race with lots of red flags. By the time we had finished the race we had 27 laps on the tires. First off, I hope all the downed riders are okay.
Once we finally got going it was a ten-lap sprint and Hayden [Gillim] was riding great. We had a ton of pressure from behind with Valentin [Debise] giving me no breathing room. I made a big mistake going into the museum turn and got into the dirt and almost lost the front. Hayden was able to get a gap on me but we could run him back down. We ran our fastest lap on the last lap and learned some lines, so Race 2 should be exciting!”
Chuck Graves – Team Owner
“It was another great day for the R6. Although JD [Beach] finished second by less than one-tenth of a second to Hayden Gillim on his R6, the icing on the cake for me is that both of the Yamaha R6’s they were riding are outfitted with the Graves Titanium ElectricK bLUE exhaust system.”
2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings – 16 of 17 Series Races Completed
Pos.RiderPoints
1JD Beach – Yamaha 368
2 Hayden Gillim – Yamaha 275
3 Valentin Debise – Suzuki 166
4 Bryce Prince – Yamaha 161
Supersport Race 2 will go green tomorrow (Sunday) at 2:30 p.m. CST.
Additional Yamaha bLU cRU Rider Notes
In Superbike Race 1, Attack Performance/Herrin Compound/Yamaha’s Josh Herrin led the first 11 laps of the race with an outstanding start on his R1. Just after the halfway point, Herrin began to experience pains from a previous back injury that caused him to drop into second-place. Determined to hold on, Herrin claimed his eleventh podium finish of the season with second-place.
Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz had an eventful race on Saturday as he rode his R1 from sixth to third place in Race 1. Scholtz began the race in fourth, taking part in several close battles throughout the 21-lap race. He was able to climb back to third place in the final laps of the race to claim his eighth podium appearance with his R1 this season.
In Supersport action, pole-sitter Hayden Gillim earned his third victory of the season after prevailing through chaotic conditions in Race 1. Gillim put his Rickdiculous Racing R6 into second-place early on, battling with fellow Yamaha bLU cRU rider JD Beach. After two red flags, Gillim positioned himself in the lead following the third restart, and held off Beach to claim his first victory of the season in dry racing conditions.
In Saturday’s final race of the 2018 Twins Cup Championship, Yamaha bLU cRU rider Robert McLendon III rode his Altus Motorsports-backed MT-07 to a season-first victory. After nine races in the series, Syndicate/AP Motoarts rider Jason Madama finished second in the inaugural championship, only three points away from victory with five podium finishes aboard his MT-07.
Graves/Yamaha R3 Support Program rider Cory Ventura placed his MP13 Racing R3 on the podium for the seventh time in the 2018 Junior Cup Championship, claiming a solid second-place performance in Race 1. Yamaha bLU cRU riders also dominated the top-ten places in the class, claiming fourth through tenth place in Race 1. With Chuck Graves assisting with technical settings, and Yamaha bLU cRU Riding Coach Josh Hayes providing on-track guidance, the Graves/Yamaha R3 Support Program riders will strive for the top of the podium in Sunday’s Race 2.
“The Graves Yamaha YZF-R3 Junior Cup racers continued to improve their skills in practice and qualifying sessions in preparation for today’s race,” commented Chuck Graves. “After multiple red flags, Cory Ventura once again took the top honors for the group with a second place podium finish.”
The Yamaha bLU cRU riders return on Sunday for day two of racing in Birmingham, Alabama for Round 10 of the 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship series at Barber Motorsports Park. For complete schedule details, visit http://motoamerica.com/.
For more Yamaha racing news, results, photos, and videos, visit http://www.YamahaMotorsports.com/Racing
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