Westby Racing Heads West As Mathew Scholtz Will Ride East In Utah
Tulsa, OK – June 13, 2019 – Round five of the 2019 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship is this Saturday at Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah, as the Westby Racing team begins the first leg of a three-round Western U.S. MotoAmerica swing.
This year’s sojourn in the Salt Lake City area is different than it’s been in past years, as it’s a two-day event and, also, UMC’s East Course will be utilized for the first time in MotoAmerica’s history. The tight and twisty 2.2-mile, 15-turn layout favors a razor-sharp-handling Superbike and a rider with the muscle to maneuver the machine through the rapid changes in direction. Mathew and his #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 are both perfectly suited for the task.
“Utah was my first race with the Westby team back in 2016, so I have very fond memories of the place,” Mathew said. “This year, we’ll be doing the East Course, and half of the course will be different for everybody, which I think kind of suits us. The other teams won’t have any data collected, so it evens things out with everyone kind of on the same level and us not having to play a catch-up game since this is our first year with the Superbike electronics.
“At Road America, we made quite a drastic change with the electronics, and we think we’re headed in the right direction with that. Also, I’ve kind of figured out where I need to work on my own riding to suit the taller rear tire. It’s no secret that I’ve struggled ever since we changed to that tire. We’ve figured out where to make the bike better, and I’ve been working on not charging the corners too much and just rolling through them. I’m looking forward to getting back out there on the bike because I’m confident we’re in a good place and are ready to challenge for those podiums and be part of the front group every single race.”
Superbike Race 1 will go green on Saturday at 3 PM Mountain Time, and Superbike Race 2 is on Sunday also at 3 PM Mountain Time. Both races will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 2 (FS2), and streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
Meet Mathew, Get An Autographed Poster, And More
The Dunlop Hot Pit Walk & Autograph Session, on Sunday from 11:45 AM to 12:30 PM on pit lane at UMC, is a great opportunity to meet Mathew. He’ll be handing out free, autographed posters and other team items, and you can also get your picture taken with him, as well as with Lacy Contreras, the Westby Racing brand ambassador.
Check Out The Westby Racing Sponsor Showcase
Bell Helmets, BrakeTech USA, SE Moto, and Spidi will be the featured team sponsors on display in the Westby Racing paddock area, so be sure to stop by, say hello, and find out more about some of the companies that support the team.
For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit https://www.WestbyRacing.com
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
More, from a press release issued by Quarterley Racing On Track Development:
Ben Gloddy to Join Quarterley Racing On Track Development at Utah Motorsports Campus
Loudon Road Race Series racer Ben Gloddy will be joining co-riders Dallas Daniels, Teagg Hobbs and Jamie Astudillo on the Quarterley On Track Racing Development team in the MotoAmerica LIQUI MOLY Junior Cup races at the Utah Motorsports Campus this weekend. Gloddy, the Rookie of the Year and youngest person ever to get an expert license in the LRRS, will be eligible for competition in MotoAmerica after his fourteenth birthday the Friday before the event. On the same weekend, veteran racer Michael Barnes will be competing in the Twins Cup on a Ducati Monster 797 sponsored by Quarterley Racing On Track Development with additional help from Ducati North America and Moto Corse Performance.
Ben Gloddy:
“I’m a little nervous because this will be my first MotoAmerica race, but I’m more excited than nervous. I’ve been watching some videos from the track and talking to Dale about it. It does help knowing that many of the other riders have not ridden on this configuration of the track. It takes the pressure off because everyone has to learn the course at the same pace with limited practice time in the two-day format. I’ll be flying in on Thursday and doing a track walk and I have my new riders’ meeting on Friday after helping the team set up. I’m looking forward to seeing how the team works at MotoAmerica races and I’m hoping for a top-five finish in both races. If I could start off my season with a podium this weekend that would be a real confidence-booster for the rest of the year. I’ve ridden my MotoAmerica bike a couple of times on race days at Homestead and practice at Jennings. I would say that it’s 90% ready to go. I will just be making the usual setup changes for the track and the conditions to get comfortable on the bike. I’m just so grateful for my family, friends and sponsors that helped me get to this point.”
Dallas Daniels:
“I’ve never been to the Utah Motorsports Campus, and it will be challenging with the two-day format, but I don’t expect any less of myself because of it. They’re running the short course and none of the other racers in my class have run this track, so that’s kind of an advantage. I looked up some car videos of the short course and the tight track will be good for me personally. Right now I’m 21 points out of first place so I just need to go in and win. This race is important because we can’t lose any more points if we want to get back up to the top of the points. I’m looking forward to Ben Gloddy making his debut with the team. I’ve ridden with Ben a lot and he does a lot of dirt track like me. It will be good to have another person on the team for more input. He’s pretty fast and I expect him to be right at the front.”
Teagg Hobbs:
“This race will be something new for me because I’ve never been to any of the West Coast tracks before. I came back from Road America with Dale and we spent some time looking at videos from the track and some track maps, and Dale had some pointers for me. I’m looking at this round as a test, to see how well I can adapt to a new track in a short amount of time because this is one of the two-day events. There’s practice, qualifying and the first race all in one day. If I do well in Utah, it will be a confidence-booster going into Laguna Seca, which is another track I’ve never ridden. My goal for this year is to move forward at every single round. I can’t wait to get back on the bike. We made a ton of progress at Elkhart Lake and I’m looking forward to carrying that momentum on to Utah.”
Jamie Astudillo:
“I really like the track at Utah Motorsports Campus. I’ve been there twice before and last year I rode the best I did all year. Last year they used the long course, which is wide, super-fast and super fun. I’m looking forward to seeing what the shorter course is like. My goal this year is just to go out get the fun back into riding a motorcycle. I’ve had some challenges this year and I rode the cart track at New Jersey Motorsports Park on a Ninja 250 just to have some fun. The two-day format isn’t a big deal for me. On Sunday I’ll be on and off the bike three times in an hour and a half, and I like that. At this point in the season I’m going race-by-race. I’m not looking at the championship any more, but if I could finish in the top ten for the year, that would be great.”
Michael Barnes:
“I like the Utah track. I’ve ridden on the shorter course before and I’ve always gone well there. Even if we were on the same course as last year with the long straight, we wouldn’t be that far off the pace. The weather looks like it will be decent and I’m looking forward to regaining the points lead on the West Coast swing. The more technical course will suit us better. I’m only three points out of the lead so I’m just focusing on scoring points. I have to anticipate that the competition is going to be tight all the way to the end of the season. It’s not like I’m going to regain the points lead and continue winning. I’m seeing more consistency out of the rest of the riders and, at the same time, I was surprised not to see front runners closer to the lead at Elkhart Lake. But they’re going to regain their competitiveness and some of the other guys have new found confidence. Right now I’m focusing on trying to get to the remainder of the races. I’ve been instructed not to crash the bike, and I believe the need to be good with the equipment is going to contribute to my points total. We haven’t done any work on the bike except lowering the seat height. The original build was for a taller rider and I could barely get my feet on the ground on the grid. Now it’s tons better and I’ll be able to get off the line without losing my footing.”
Quarterley Racing On Track Development sponsors for 2019 include Inter-Tech Supplies, Fast By Ferracci, Inc, Yoshimura Research & Development of America, Inc., Wiseco Powersports, Motul USA., Regina Chain, BrakeTech USA, Inc., Ferodo Racing, Matt & Jesse, Scott Powersports, Inc., Defiance Lifestyle, Woodcraft Technologies, Dynojet Research Inc., Beta Tools of Italy – USA, RoadracingWorld.com, Drippinwet.com, MOTO-D Racing, Fast Bike Industries, VAN DYK Recycling Solutions, Earl’s Racing Team and Kiwi Classic Moto.
More, from a press release issued by Moto Pizza:
Moto Pizza Sponsors MotoAmerica Rookie Ben Gloddy
[Sandwich, MA, 13 June 2019] Moto Pizza is proud to announce a continued sponsorship agreement for rider Ben Gloddy’s rookie premiere in MotoAmerica Liqui Moly Junior Cup. Gloddy’s first race will be the day after his fourteenth birthday—the same date of his eligibility—at the Salt Lake City Utah Motorsports Campus on June 15th.
“This is an exciting time for my racing career! I would like to thank Moto Pizza for their continued support as I head into my first race in the MotoAmerica Junior Cup series. I am excited that they are along for the ride with me,” said Gloddy.
The relationship between rider and sponsor has some history. Moto Pizza is in its fourth year of business and has been following and sponsoring Gloddy’s amateur career throughout. Both the business and the rider are award-winning, growing talents and both call New England home; Gloddy is from nearby New Hampshire. Along with weekly Bike Nights where local riders gather, the pizzeria is tastefully themed with memorabilia and photos of motorcycle life on the walls: among these are autographed pictures from when Gloddy first started competing.
“This started as way to give back to our moto community as well as an early investment into a promising career,” says Dante DelGrosso, Moto Pizza’s General Partner. “But it feels like more than that now. Getting this business off the ground was likely just as intense as developing a racing career and our customers and crew are just as loyal to our brand as if we were a race team. So after having worked, struggled, and grown in parallel with Ben these last few years, getting the chance to root for our team on the national stage has a tremendous amount of meaning for us.”
Moto Pizza is Cape Cod’s friendliest, tastiest little pizza joint located in Sandwich, Massachusetts. They were consecutively awarded Best Pizza from Cape Cod Life Magazine for 2018 and 2019.