BOBBY FONG AND SEAN DYLAN KELLY FINISH 1-2 IN SUPERSPORT ON SUNDAY AT ROAD AMERICA!

Team Hammer scored a spectacular 1-2 in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Supersport race at Road America and also earned second place in the Twins Cup race.

M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Bobby Fong and Sean Dylan Kelly monopolized the lead, with nobody else managing to get to the front of the thrilling 11-lap Supersport race.

Fong and Kelly swapped the first two positions back and forth for the opening half of the race. At that point, Fong moved to control the pace at the front while Kelly hung back in third in the close, three-rider shootout for the win.

Fong never put a wheel wrong despite heavy pressure from behind. He took full advantage of his Suzuki GSX-R600’s outstanding acceleration and top speed to hold his position on the four-mile circuit’s long straightaways. Fong earned the checkered flag with 0.357-second to spare.

Kelly struck on the race’s final lap, putting himself in position for a last-gasp sting in the sprint to the flag. The 17-year-old turned the quickest lap of the race (2:19.041) on the last lap, with an ideal launch out of the final corner. He then slipstreamed past an opponent to steal second at the line by a 0.022-second.

The win was Fong’s second of the season. “I’m excited to be up on top of the box,” Fong said. “It was a great battle. I was just trying to hit my marks and run a smooth race. It’s been a hard few races for me with the crashes last time. I’m so thankful to be up front; we need the points for the championship. I’ve never won a championship before but I have the right team behind me to do it this year. I’m just going to keep plugging away.”

Kelly said, “I tried to work with Bobby in the beginning. We actually did a pretty good job pulling away so there wasn’t a big group like yesterday. I decided to save my tires because that’s something I messed up yesterday. It worked out. I had a little bit extra on that last lap. It wasn’t enough to reach Bobby. He did a really good job and he was very consistent, but it was enough to get the fastest lap, which is important to me as I continue to make steps forward.”

Up-and-coming Canadian Alex Dumas impressed throughout the Twins Cup race on the Roadracing World Young Guns Suzuki SV650. After claiming a grid spot on the inside of Row 2 in the morning’s qualifying session, Dumas traded positions back and forth in the multi-rider fight.

Dumas utilized late-braking heroics in Turn 5 and Canada Corner to secure his runner-up finish on the race’s final lap, just 0.319-second off the win.

“I hoped to be up there with the guys,” Dumas said, “I wasn’t too bad in qualifying, so I expected to fight for the podium. I really had fun battling with all those guys. It’s my first podium this year, and I’m ready to get more at the upcoming races.”

Autovest Suzuki’s Joseph Blasius finished less than a quarter-of-a-second outside the top 10 in 11th.

M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis improved on his Saturday result in Sunday’s second Superbike race; the lanky Kentuckian finished eighth after scrapping for sixth to the checkered flag.

M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Felipe MacLean also fared better on Sunday, finishing 10th in the Stock 1000 race.

Team Hammer will be back in action in two weeks as the 2019 MotoAmerica series travels to Utah Motorsports Campus on June 15-16.

About Team Hammer

The 2019 season marks Team Hammer’s 39th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 72 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 213 times and have won five AMA Pro National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships. The team has also won 135 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.

More, from a press release issued by Attack Performance/Estenson Racing:

Solid Top-Five Finish for Beach at Road America

After a tough start to the weekend at round four of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Road America, JD Beach and his Attack Performance Estenson Racing team continued to make forward progress forward, finishing fourth in race two on Sunday, June 2.

Qualifying on a Superbike at Road America for the first time since 2011 was a challenge for Beach, but he and his team had a good showing when it came time to race until bad luck struck with a technical issue late in race one.

Although disappointing, the dirt track/road racer saw the positive gains made and went into race two looking for improvement. He got a good start from seventh on the grid and ran a solid fifth for most of the race. The factory four were able to pull a gap on the 4.05- mile track, so Beach and fellow privateer rider Mathew Scholtz combined forces to try to catch the leaders. When it became clear that strategy wasn’t going to work, the pair battled for position, with Beach ultimately finishing fourth after an error by one of the factory riders caused them to crash out of the race.

(Above) JD Beach (95) leading Mathew Scholtz (11) during Superbike Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy of Attack Performance/Estenson Racing.

JD Beach — MotoAmerica Superbike #95:

“Race two was better than the first race, but we kind of lost touch with the lead pack. I was running in fifth with [Mathew] Scholtz right behind me. I think we both rode a smart race and we weren’t really trying to pass each other. We started to close in on the lead guys a bit, then with about three laps to go, we kind of knew we weren’t going to get up with them. So then we started to have a good battle. It was fun, for sure. It was nice to bring the bike home in fourth. We for sure need to pick up the pace some, but I think we learned some things. I’m really looking forward to the next round in Utah.”

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Cameron Beaubier Closes Points Gap in MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Road America

(Above) Cameron Beaubier (1) and Garrett Gerloff (31) during Superbike Race Two at Road America.

Cameron Beaubier scored a pair of seconds this weekend at Road America to help close the points gap on the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship leader to just nine points. His teammate Garrett Gerloff crossed the line behind him in both races, making it the fourth double podium this season for the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team.

Saturday’s race one was met with varying conditions. Rain flags came out before the half-way mark, but it was not enough to come in to exchange slicks for rain tires. This closed the gap between the competition, making it both a challenge for position, as well as a challenge keeping it on two wheels. Ultimately the race came down to the wire with four riders left in the fight. After a competitor’s mistake, both Beaubier and Gerloff were able to advance to podium finishes. The reigning Superbike Champion wanted more though, and made one last push to draft up the hill for the lead, but unfortunately was .253 of a second short.

On Sunday, Mother Nature was more cooperative with sunny weather, which made for a hot pace. Both Beaubier and Gerloff were part of the four-rider lead group who were able to gap the field. The Texan made an attempt to move up towards the front, but ultimately was shuffled back to fourth. He then lost the draft and got dropped from the lead group.

Beaubier waited patiently, had a few attempts towards the front, but was unable to make it stick. In the heat of the battle on the final lap, his championship rival made an error that put him in the gravel, resulting in another double podium for Beaubier and Gerloff on their Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZF-R1s.

Up next on the schedule for the team is round five of MotoAmerica at Utah Motorsports Campus, June 15-16.

Tom Halverson

Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“This weekend we were very confident we could win. We just couldn’t find the speed at this fast circuit. Both riders fought very hard and were on the podium in both races, so we were very happy about that. With our main championship contender making a mistake, we now closed the gap to just nine points. We have a great opportunity to go to tracks we’re very strong at and challenge for the championship lead.”

Cameron Beaubier

Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing

“I was expecting more from this weekend based on the record that we’ve had here in the past, but all in all I’m happy with two second-place finishes because I gave everything I had both days. The championship is tightened back up and I’m looking forward to the west coast rounds.

Garrett Gerloff

Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing

“We made some changes to the bike today that I really liked in warm up and they also felt pretty good in the race today. I felt good in the beginning. I was right there battling it up. We were doing some good times. In the middle of the race the pace kind of slowed up a little bit, and then on lap nine they started to really drop the pace again. I was a little caught off guard, and made a few mistakes. Then they kind of pulled a little bit of a gap on the straightaway and I lost the draft. I tried to make that up and ended up making another little mistake.

“It’s really frustrating because I know that I can be right there until the end, but today just wasn’t the day. As far as the overall weekend, it wasn’t too bad. It’s a difficult track, this one. Sometimes it can be hard to be precise and find the right kind of setup, but I think we did a pretty decent job and considering all the weather conditions and changes and things like that. Two podiums, two thirds. Not necessarily what I want, but I’ll take it. We’ll move on to Utah which will be pretty exciting with a different layout. I’m looking forward to it.

More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura Suzuki:

Weekend Sweep for Yoshimura Suzuki at Road America

Elias Wins Saturday and Herrin Earns Victory on Sunday

(Above) Toni Elias (24) leads Josh Herrin (2), Cameron Beaubier (1), and Garrett Gerloff (31) at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy of Yoshimura Suzuki.

Elkhart Lake, WI — It was a weekend of winning for Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing in MotoAmerica Superbike action at the scenic Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Toni Elias overcame a tough last-lap battle to take victory in Saturday’s race one. Then it was Josh Herrin’s turn on Sunday, racing to the checkered flag for his second victory of the season, giving Yoshimura Suzuki a sweep of both Road America rounds.

Unfortunately for Elias, the weekend ended with a crash on the final lap of Sunday’s race while battling for the lead. The good news for the 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion, is that he had a big enough lead in the standings, that in spite of the tumble, he still leaves Wisconsin with a nine-point series lead -151-142 -over rival Cameron Beaubier after four of 10 doubleheader weekends.

Herrin’s win put him in a much better position in the championship. The 2013 AMA Superbike Champion is now fifth in the standings, but only eight points out of third.

Saturday Elias came out on top of a battle that featured as many as seven riders at times and whittled down to four riders by the end. The race was run in tricky conditions with occasional light rain. At the finish line, Elias was .253 of a second ahead of his championship rival Beaubier. For Elias it marked his 28th-career MotoAmerica/AMA Superbike victory. That moved him into a tie with former Yoshimura Suzuki champion Ben Spies for fifth on the all-time MotoAmerica/AMA Superbike wins list.

Elias also used the speed of his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to win Superpole at Road America, his second pole of the season.

Afterwards Elias said, of the Road America weekend, “We are doing a great job, but everybody is so fast. It’s so competitive, so close, anything can happen. We had a great win on Saturday and then I had the crash today because I flinched in the final turn when Cameron came in. I could not finish because the handlebar broke off.

“I congratulate Josh for his win. He has worked hard and is very deserving of this. I am sorry to my team for my mistake, but we will come back and fight again to build back our lead.”

Herrin was ultra-competitive in both races. He was fighting for the lead on the final lap of Saturday’s race before he and Elias nearly came together in turn five and Herrin was forced to run wide, costing him a podium. He finished fourth. In Sunday’s race it was another showdown between the Yoshimura Suzuki teammates up front and this time Herrin emerged the victor.

“I wanted to pass Toni on the last lap in a place where he didn’t expect it,” Herrin explained. “The carousel seemed like a good spot. It was a little scary, but luckily, I was able to make it work. I’m super pumped to get this win today. We’ve found that comfortable spot with the bike and it’s a missile. I’m happy and ready to tackle the rest of the season.”

Herrin now has eight-career MotoAmerica/AMA Superbike victories.

The championship next travels west to Utah Motorsports Campus just west of Salt Lake City on June 15-16. The races are televised nationally on Fox Sports 2.

More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:

Westby Racing Wraps Up The Weekend At Road America With Fifth- And Seventh-Place Finishes

(Above) Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy of Westby Racing.

Elkhart Lake, WI – June 3, 2019 – For the Westby Racing team, round four of the 2019 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship came to a conclusion on Sunday at Road America with Mathew Scholtz backing up his fifth-place finish in Saturday’s Superbike race one with another fifth-place result in race two and Mathew’s teammate Sam Lochoff improving on his eighth-place result in Junior Cup race one on Saturday with a seventh-place finish in race two.

Aboard his #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike, Mathew got off to a good start from the second row of the grid and focused on chasing down the four factory riders. He and fellow Yamaha privateer JD Beach worked together to try to pull each other closer to the lead group, but as the laps wore down, the strategy changed when it became apparent that the more important task among the pair was for each of them to get the best result possible. JD got past Mathew, and one of the three factory riders crashed out of the race unhurt, which resulted in Mathew crossing the finish line in fifth.

Sam had a solid race aboard his #57 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R3. Despite having to start the race from 16th on the grid due to a disappointing qualifying result, he raced hard to get himself inside the top ten and eventually into seventh position by the time he took the checkers. It was Sam’s first-ever race weekend at Road America, and all in all, he acquitted himself well as he improved his lap times with each subsequent track session.

Westby Racing team manager Chuck Giacchetto wrapped up the weekend by saying, “At Road America, the cards can get stacked against you really easily because the track is so long, and you need to have a good plan with good people and execute that plan well. From the moment we stepped out of the truck, (crew chief) Ed Sullivan had our awesome crew and riders all headed in the right direction. Preparation is everything in racing, and I’m proud to say our team brings its ‘A’ game every race weekend. Lots of progress was made in every facet this weekend, from our Wing Warriors fan club all the way through Mathew’s final lap of Sunday’s Superbike race. I’m sure the team would agree that we are all happy to leave the event with valuable points, clean bikes, and most importantly, healthy riders. Special thanks goes to everyone on our team and most of all to Pop for his continued love and support. See you in Utah. It’s a dry heat. :-)”

Next up for Westby Racing is round five of the MotoAmerica Championship, which takes place at Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah, on June 15 and 16.

MotoAmerica Superbike Standings

1. Toni Elias – Suzuki – 151

2. Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha – 142

3. Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha – 104

6. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 80

MotoAmerica Junior Cup Standings

1. Rocco Landers – Kawasaki – 130

2. Dallas Daniels – Kawasaki – 109

3. Jackson Blackmon – Yamaha – 65

8. Sam Lochoff – Yamaha – 46

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