Honda Championship of Alabama Presented by Broaster Chicken
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Road Racing Series
Barber Motorsports Park
Birmingham, Alabama
September 16, 2017
Provisional Supersport/Superstock 600 Combined Race One Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. JD Beach (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, 19 laps, Total Race Time 27:59.262, Best Lap Time 1:27.624
2. Valentin Debise (Suz GSX-R600), Supersport, -9.869 seconds, 1:28.045
3. Garrett Gerloff (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, -10.918, ran off track, 1:27.474
4. Benny Solis, Jr. (Hon CBR600RR), Supersport, -12.724, 1:28.033
5. Jason Aguilar (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -32.035, 1:29.219
6. Nick McFadden (Suz GSX-R600), Superstock 600, -38.867, 1:29.645
7. Braeden Ortt (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -46.062, 1:29.847
8. Daytona Anderson (Suz GSX-R600), Supersport, -46.124, 1:29.726
9. Conner Blevins (Kaw ZX-6R), Superstock 600, -46.725, 1:29.959
10. Michael Gilbert (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -51.658, 1:30.258
11. Anthony Mazziotto III (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -58.638, 1:30.000
12. Miles Thornton (Suz GSX-R600), Superstock 600, -66.856, 1:30.277
13. Lucas Silva (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -75.383, 1:31.308
14. Andrew Lee (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -65.472, 1:31.183
15. Joseph Giannotto (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, -77.723, 1:31.454
16. Brandon Cleland (Suz GSX-R600), Superstock 600, -82.070, 1:31.816
17. Nolan Lamkin (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -88.820, 1:31.956
18. Steven Dietz (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:32.129
19. Nick Doolan (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:32.750
20. Robert Pierce (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:33.456
21. Jaret Nassaney (Suz GSX-R600), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:33.821
22. Gauge Rees (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:33.761
23. Mauricio Roque (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:35.026
24. Jamie Bishop (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:35.745
25. Mark Rhoades (Kaw ZX-6R), Supersport, -1 lap, 1:35.397
26. Kaleb De Keyrel (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, DNF, 1:30.129
27. Daniel Paine (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, DNF, 1:32.733
28. Tomas Casas (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, DNF, crash, 1:32.526
29. Max Angles Fernandez (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, DNF, 1:32.570
30. Jody Barry (Kaw ZX-6R), Supersport, DNF, 1:30.172
31. Shane Richardson (Kaw ZX-6R), Superstock 600, DNS
Provisional Superstock 600 Race One Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Jason Aguilar (Yam YZF-R6), 19 laps, Total Race Time 28:31.297, Best Lap Time 1:29.219
2. Nick McFadden (Suz GSX-R600), -6.832 seconds, 1:29.645
3. Braeden Ortt (Yam YZF-R6), -14.027, 1:29.847
4. Conner Blevins (Kaw ZX-6R), -14.690, 1:29.959
5. Michael Gilbert (Yam YZF-R6), -19.623, 1:30.258
6. Anthony Mazziotto III (Yam YZF-R6), -26.603, 1:30.000
7. Miles Thornton (Suz GSX-R600), -34.821, 1:30.277
8. Lucas Silva (Yam YZF-R6), -43.348, 1:31.308
9. Andrew Lee (Yam YZF-R6), -43.437, 1:31.183
10. Brandon Cleland (Suz GSX-R600), -50.035, 1:31.816
11. Nolan Lamkin (Yam YZF-R6), -56.785, 1:31.956
12. Steven Dietz (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap, 1:32.129
13. Nick Doolan (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap, 1:32.750
14. Robert Pierce (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap, 1:33.456
15. Jaret Nassaney (Suz GSX-R600), -1 lap, 1:33.821
16. Gauge Rees (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap, 1:33.761
17. Mauricio Roque (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap, 1:35.026
18. Jamie Bishop (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap, 1:35.745
19. Daniel Paine (Yam YZF-R6), DNF, 1:32.733
20. Tomas Casas (Yam YZF-R6), DNF, crash, 1:32.526
21. Max Angles Fernandez (Yam YZF-R6), DNF, 1:32.570
22. Shane Richardson (Kaw ZX-6R), DNF, 1:30.172
Supersport Championship Point Standings (after 17 of 18 races):
1. Gerloff, 362 points (clinched Championship)
2. Beach, 325
3. Debise, 252
4. Solis, 218
5. Aguilar, 136
6. Gilbert, 129
7. McFadden, 123
8. Blevins, 102
9. Ortt, 93
10. Anderson, 92
11. Richardson, 89
12. Brandon Paasch, 79
13. Mazziotto, 75
14. Camacho, 60
15. TIE, Jayson Uribe/Lee, 37
17. Barry, 35
18. Deion Campbell, 15
19. TIE, Ashton Yates/Caroline Olsen, 14
Superstock 600 Championship Point Standings (after 16 of 17 races):
1. Aguilar, 275 points
2. Gilbert, 258
3. McFadden, 227
4. Blevins, 202
5. Ortt, 193
6. Richardson, 173
7. Mazziotto, 155
8. Camacho, 117
9. Lee, 98
10. Cleland, 74
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
At Barber, Gerloff Wins Second Consecutive Supersport Championship, Beach Wins Supersport Race 1, and Herrin Finishes Second In Superbike Race 1
Birmingham, AL – September 16, 2017 – 2016 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion Garrett Gerloff has successfully defended his title, with a back-to-back Championship won on the penultimate day of the 2017 Championship.
For Garrett, his third-place finish in Saturday’s Supersport Race 1 at Barber Motorsports Park was not without drama. He earned the pole position in Saturday morning qualifying, but in the afternoon’s race, it was his Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha teammate JD Beach–himself the 2015 MotoAmerica Champion–who got the holeshot, with Garrett slotting in second.
Wanting to lead, Garrett attempted a pass on JD going into Charlotte’s Web (turn five), but he missed his brake-marker and failed to negotiate the turn, running off the track and through the gravel run-off, but keeping his #1 Yamaha YZF-R6 upright. He rejoined the race in 16th place and immediately went to work moving through the pack. Meanwhile, JD was in full command at the front, and he rode a flawless race all the way to the checkers.
Garrett ultimately raced his way all the way up to third place, which put both him and JD on the podium, with Kentuckian JD celebrating the victory and Texan Garrett–with the Lone Star Flag draped over his shoulders and replica six-guns holstered around his waist–clinching the season title.
After his race win, JD said, “It’s never easy to win a race against these guys. When I saw Garrett fly by me, I didn’t think there was any way that he was going to make that corner. But, I still thought he’d be coming up through the pack, so I just kept my focus on running fast laps. (My crewchief) Mike Canfield and (my mechanic) Woo (Dave Presler) solved a couple of issues that we’ve been having, and it really paid off today.”
“The nice thing about coming in here is that I didn’t have any pressure on me to win,” commented Garrett, “But I still wanted to, and I made a big mistake. I was glad that I didn’t go down, and it was fun making a run up through the pack, doing some decent laps, and making it up on the podium. And, to win my second Championship in a row, it couldn’t be any sweeter. I have to thank my guys Olly (Hutchinson, crewchief) and Keaton (Hendrickson, mechanic), and, of course, Yamaha for my super-fast R6.
The final Supersport race of the season will go green from Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday at 2:25 PM Central.
In Saturday’s Superbike Race 1, which had two red-flagged incidents, the first one unfortunately involved Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Josh Hayes, who had a tipover in turn two, and his #4 YZF-R1 Superbike was too damaged to make the restart.
Hayes’ teammate Josh Herrin was then the lone Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory rider, and he raced in the lead pack, ultimately bringing his #2 R1 home in second for his second podium finish of the season. Herrin recorded the fastest lap of the race on lap two of the contest, and he also had a miraculous save on the second-to-the-last lap to keep his #2 R1 Superbike upright.
“I can’t thank the guys on my team enough for getting me comfortable on the bike,” said Herrin. “Bryce (Eikelberger, mechanic) and Mitch (Leonard, mechanic) have worked super-hard to get the bike ready for me this weekend. It was a crazy race. We were slipping and sliding around everywhere, but it was consistent throughout the race. On the second restart, Toni (Elias) got another great start, but I was able to get by him. I tucked the front twice, and thought I was going down, but somehow I saved it, and I’m very happy to finish second today.”
About his off-track excursion, Hayes said, “We made a pretty big change for the race, and it was very unfortunate that my crash occurred in an area of the racetrack where I had hoped the change in setup would help. I had a lot of grip, but the change kind of had the opposite effect (to what I was hoping). The riders in front of me had gained some time on me, and I was trying to correct that situation, but the setup change caught me out. I feel bad that I caused my team a lot of extra work tonight to get the bike ready for tomorrow. But, they’re the best, and we will be ready to line up and race for the win tomorrow.”
Superbike Race 2 is on Sunday at 3:15 PM Central.
More, from a press release issued by Team Hammer:
DEBISE SECOND IN ALABAMA
Team Hammer continued its MotoAmerica podium streak with a pair of top-three finishes on Saturday afternoon at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Valentin Debise finished as the runner-up in today’s MotoAmerica Supersport contest to secure his eighth finish of second or better on the season. His second-place result also marked his 13th podium finish of the year aboard the squad’s Supersport-spec GSX-R600.
The Frenchmen fended off a determined challenge for the position en route to his second-place finish. After the race he said, “There was a lot of pressure — every time I went into a corner I could hear a bike behind me, but I knew I just needed to be consistent. Fortunately, my lap times were quite good and consistent.
“If we find a little more we can fight for the win tomorrow. Thanks again to my M4 ECSTAR Suzuki crew who did an awesome job for me as usual.”
M4 medAge Suzuki’s Nick McFadden continued to roll as well, finishing second in the Superstock 600 race (6th on the combined Supersport/STK600 order). It was the Kentuckian’s second straight runner-up and his third in the last five races.
McFadden now boasts nine podiums on the season and is in good position to lock down third in the STK600 championship on Sunday.
He said, “Today’s race went well for us. We had the same game plan that worked for us in New Jersey … we got away strong at the beginning of the race and didn’t get sucked into the big pack that always forms in Superstock. We actually led the first couple of laps and then tagged along in second after that, which allowed us to pull away from the rest of the field. Once the tires started falling off, we just managed our gap and came away with another second place today.”
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis came home in fourth (seventh overall in Superbike/Superstock 1000) aboard the team’s Superstock 1000-spec GSX-R1000. Lewis was just 0.734-second off the podium.
The Kentucky native has racked up 14 podiums this season and carries an 11-point advantage on his nearest competitor in his quest to finish as the STK1000 championship runner-up tomorrow.
M4 Rickdiculous Racing Suzuki’s Daytona Anderson finished eighth in today’s Supersport contest, taking the stripe as the fifth rider aboard dedicated Supersport-spec equipment. He continues to hold down a top-10 championship ranking despite missing multiple races due to injury and illness and is just a single point removed from ninth heading into Sunday’s finale.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Cleland finished 10th in STK600 (16th overall). Today’s result was the Texan’s eighth top-10 of the season as he continues to hold down 10th in the Superstock 600 points race.
Team Hammer will put the final touches on an extraordinarily successful MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park.
About Team Hammer
The 2017 season marks Team Hammer’s 37th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 68 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 190 times and have won five AMA Pro National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships. The team has also won 134 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.