Beaubier Victorious as 2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion After Rain-Soaked Race 2 Win
Yamaha bLU cRU Riders Sweep the Supersport and Junior Cup Podiums at New Jersey Motorsports Park
Millville, N.J. – Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Cameron Beaubier became a three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion on Sunday after wrapping up the 2018 title with a confident victory amid a rainy, wet and slick Race 2 at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
The battle for the 2018 Superbike Championship was all about momentum, and Beaubier found his groove at just the right time. After working through some challenges to earn a consistent string of podium finishes in the first three rounds of the series, he dropped the hammer at Round 4 to earn a pair of significant victories that ignited his successful run for the 2018 title. Moving on to tally a four-race winning-streak, Beaubier built a points lead and gained confidence to ride at a level that proved hard to beat in the second half of the season.
Overall, Beaubier captured eight wins, eight podium-finishes and five Superpoles to earn the prestigious title of 2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion while bringing home a ninth Superbike title for Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA.
Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Superbike Team
Severe weather conditions called for some changes to Sunday’s race schedule, including earlier start times and shortened race lengths. Nonetheless, Cameron Beaubier remained focused, starting the day calm and collected. When the green flag waved to start Superbike Race 2, he launched his R1 from the grid and settled into the second-place position before assessing the extreme track conditions and making his move to the front of the pack. From there, Beaubier confidently set the pace on his Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing R1 as rain continued to pour down over New Jersey Motorsports Park. After leading all 18 laps of Race 2, Beaubier brought home the 2018 Superbike Championship title to cap a very memorable weekend of racing in New Jersey.
Meanwhile, his teammate, Garrett Gerloff, was hard at work battling for a podium position. Gerloff got a great start and positioned himself inside the top five early on. Despite the wet and challenging track conditions, the Superbike rookie fought to keep himself within striking distance of a podium position. After increasing his pace in the final laps, Gerloff finished in fourth place, only a few seconds away from a podium position.
Cameron Beaubier – #6 YZF-R1
“To wrap up the Championship with a win on my R1 is the cherry on top. I wasn’t too confident going into the race with this weather, but it turned out good. I’m over the moon! I can’t thank everyone enough who helped us accomplish this. Like I said yesterday, we never quit even when we were struggling. Feels great to bring that number one plate home for Yamaha!”
Garrett Gerloff – #31 YZF-R1
“I was happy with my R1 and my start, but between practice this morning and the race, a lot of things seemed to change and we lost the good feeling that we had. I rode the best I could, but a fourth-place [finish] was all we had. I’m ready to come back for the last round at Barber.”
Tom Halverson – Team Manager
“It felt incredibly good to bring home Yamaha’s ninth Superbike Championship today, and we are so proud of Cam! This season he had incredible focus and speed, as well as the ability to make the best of a rough day. Congratulations to our entire team, including our YMUS [Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA] team members who are not at the race track but provide us with critical support that we need to win. Thanks, and congratulations to all our sponsors, especially Monster Energy, Yamalube, Yamaha Financial Services and Graves Motorsports!”
2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings – 18 of 20 Series Races Completed
Pos.Rider Points
1Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha 370
2 Toni Elias – Suzuki 289
3 Josh Herrin – Yamaha 253
4 Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha 210
5 Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha 199
Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha Supersport Team
After clinching the 2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship on Saturday, JD Beach was ready for another win. Beach quickly maneuvered his Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha R6 into the second-place position at the start of Race 2, but the newly crowned Supersport Champion rode cautiously through the opening laps due to rainy and slick track conditions. On lap four, he capitalized on a mistake by race leader Hayden Gillim and moved to the front of the pack. From there, Beach maintained a solid pace in the unpredictable conditions to ride his R6 to victory for the eleventh time this season.
JD Beach – #95 YZF-R6
“Today was another tricky race. The conditions were tougher than yesterday with more rain and colder temps. We got another rocket start with my R6 and I felt pretty good. Hayden passed me quick and I knew he was going to want to try and break away. I wanted to try and pressure him as much as possible. He made just a small mistake and tipped over, but I knew he would get going again. From there I just tried to be smooth for the last 12 laps. Any wrong move could catch you out. At the end of the day, I was able to bring the Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha R6 home with another win and no mud on it. Now the crew and I have our heads down looking forward to Barber.”
Chuck Graves – Team Owner
“JD rode a smart race today, managing the difficult conditions. I am proud of him for his patience and accuracy throughout the 16-lap wet race, ultimately taking the win for the Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha Team.”
2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings – 15 of 17 Series Races Completed
Pos.RiderPoints
1JD Beach – Yamaha348
2 Hayden Gillim – Yamaha 250
3 Valentin Debise – Suzuki 150
4 Bryce Prince – Yamaha 150
Additional Yamaha bLU cRU Rider Notes
In Supersport action, pole-sitter and Race 1 winner Hayden Gillim propelled his Rickdiculous Racing R6 into the lead from the start of Sunday’s Race 2. Gillim led the first three laps before going down, but the slick conditions allowed his bike to slide across the ground without major damage, enabling him to quickly remount and continue charging. Gillim then fought his way through the field to finish with an impressive second-place. YCRS/Motorcycle Mall’s Anthony Mazziotto III rounded out an all-Yamaha bLU cRU podium with a standout performance on his R6, earning his first Supersport podium of the season in his home state of New Jersey.
Yamaha bLU cRU rider Tawfik Khalil prevailed through the tough conditions on Sunday to pilot his Khalil Racing International R1 to a season-first victory in the Stock 1000 class. Ohare Motorsports’ Ricky O’Hare also raced his R1 to a season-first podium, finishing with an impressive third in New Jersey.
The Graves/Yamaha R3 Support Program riders proved to be on top of their game this weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Following a podium sweep for the R3 in Saturday’s Junior Cup Race 1, MonkeyMoto/AGVSPORT’s Jay Newton was victorious while leading another Yamaha bLU cRU sweep in Sunday’s Race 2. Yamaha R3 riders claimed the top four positions in the class, with MP13 Racing’s Cory Ventura in second, Tuned Racing’s Joseph Blasius with his first podium appearance of the season in third, and Riderzlaw Racing’s Jackson Blackmon securing fourth-place in the toughest of conditions in New Jersey.
“The Junior Cup race was very exciting today,” commented Chuck Graves. “The Yamaha R3 was dominate in the tricky weather conditions, sweeping the podium again. A big congratulations to Jay Newton, Cory Ventura, and Joseph Blasius for the one-two-three punch!”
The Yamaha bLU cRU riders will head to Birmingham, Alabama Sept. 21-23 for the final round of the 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship series at Barber Motorsports Park. For complete schedule details, visit http://motoamerica.com/.
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