Suzuki ECSTAR Championship At Road Atlanta
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
Road Atlanta
Braselton, Georgia
April 29, 2017
Supersport/Superstock 600 Restarted Race One Combined Results (All on Dunlop tires):
1. Garrett Gerloff (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, 8 laps, Total Race Time 11:54.484, Best Lap Time 1:28.610
2. Valentin Debise (Suz GSX-R600), Supersport, -0.179 second, 1:28.790
3. JD Beach (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, -6.739 seconds, ran off track, 1:28.450
4. Benny Solis, Jr. (Hon CBR600RR), Supersport, -9.088, 1:29.657
5. Brandon Paasch (Suz GSX-R600), Supersport, -14.022, 1:30.104
6. Nick McFadden (Suz GSX-R600), Superstock 600, -17.162, 1:30.255
7. Jason Aguilar (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -20.198, 1:30.923
8. Michael Gilbert (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -20.434, 1:31.154
9. Daytona Anderson (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, -21.745, 1:31.018
10. Conner Blevins (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -22.398, 1:31.401
11. Shane Richardson (Kaw ZX-6R), Superstock 600, -24.636, 1:31.474
12. Braeden Ortt (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -32.549, 1:32.092
13. Rafael DaSilva (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -32.833, 1:32.229
14. JC Camacho (Suz GSX-R600), Superstock 600, -35.639, 1:31.520
15. Jody Barry (Kaw ZX-6R), Supersport, -39.273, 1:32.504
16. Brandon Cleland (Suz GSX-R600), Superstock 600, -41.676, 1:33.550
17. Ryan Christian (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -46.909, 1:34.026
18. Ashton Yates (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -52.035, 1:34.763
19. Gauge Rees (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -58.437, 1:35.622
20. Xavier Zayat (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -8 laps, DNF, crashed in first portion of race
21. Anthony Mazziotto III (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, DNF, crashed in first portion of race
Superstock 600 Race One Results (All on Dunlop tires):
1. Nick McFadden (Suz GSX-R600), 8 laps, Total Race Time 12:11.646, Best Lap Time 1:30.255
2. Jason Aguilar (Yam YZF-R6), -3.036 seconds, 1:30.923
3. Michael Gilbert (Yam YZF-R6), -3.272, 1:31.154
4. Conner Blevins (Yam YZF-R6), -5.236, 1:31.401
5. Shane Richardson (Kaw ZX-6R), -7.474, 1:31.474
6. Braeden Ortt (Yam YZF-R6), -15.387, 1:32.092
7. Rafael DaSilva (Yam YZF-R6), -15.671, 1:32.229
8. JC Camacho (Suz GSX-R600), -18.477, 1:31.520
9. Brandon Cleland (Suz GSX-R600), -24.514, 1:33.550
10. Ryan Christian (Yam YZF-R6), -29.747, 1:34.026
11. Ashton Yates (Yam YZF-R6), -34.873, 1:34.763
12. Gauge Rees (Yam YZF-R6), -41.275, 1:35.622
13. Xavier Zayat (Yam YZF-R6), DNF, crash
14. Anthony Mazziotto III (Yam YZF-R6), DNF, crash
More, from a press release issued by Team Hammer:
Team Hammer came into the Suzuki ECSTAR Championship at Road Atlanta riding high following an impressive MotoAmerica opener last weekend in Texas at the Circuit of the Americas. The team then proceeded to elevate its game to the next level on Saturday in Georgia, stacking up 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-place finishes, with another top-five finish to go along with the podium performances.
M4 medAge Suzuki’s Nick McFadden bounced back from a Saturday morning crash to claim a dominant victory in the MotoAmerica Superstock 600 season opener.
The Kentuckian twice pushed hard to keep pace with the Supersport contenders in the early going of the once red-flagged/restarted race. That strategy allowed him to break free and then manage the gap at the front aboard his GSX-R600. In the end, he took the checkered flag with over three seconds to spare.
McFadden, who was also credited with sixth place on the combined Supersport/Superstock 600 order, said, “It feels awesome. The whole M4 medAge Suzuki crew did a great job putting my bike together after a little tip-over this morning. We put that behind us and focused on the race and came away with the win.
“The first couple of laps I put my head down and tried to get away with the Supersport guys. After that I ran a consistent pace, pulled away, and managed the gap at the end of the race.”
Reflecting on his strong 2017 form, McFadden said, “I’ve been working Dr. Laura Ellis and the medAge crew on nutrition and the mental side of things, and also Ken Hill on cleaning up and perfecting my riding techniques. I’ve been training hard at home and the work is really paying off.”
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Valentin Debise picked up his second consecutive MotoAmerica Supersport runner-up result. The Frenchman entered the contest as the race favorite after storming to pole with a blistering 1:27.917 lap, nearly a half-second better than his nearest adversary.
However, the red flag at mid-distance reshuffled the deck and ultimately foiled Debise’s escape plan. Despite a spectacular showcase of late braking and tight lines, he wasn’t quite in position to execute the heroics required to steal away the win on the final lap.
Debise finished in second, just 0.179 seconds away from victory.
“We got my GSX-R600 turning into the corners really well at Austin, so we didn’t touch anything after arriving here in Atlanta, “Debise said. “I felt the bike was ready to go, and it was up to me to do the rest.
“I believe if the red flag didn’t happen, I could have gotten a gap and pulled away. But after the red flag it was a little bit different story. I had a plan for the last lap to pass after the bottom of the hill, but he was just too far away, and I didn’t want to do anything stupid and risk crashing us both. Second is fine for today, but we’ll have a new approach ready for tomorrow to try to get the win.”
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis completed the day’s trophy haul with a third-place showing in the Superstock 1000 race. The result is already the Kentuckian’s second podium finish on the all-new 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000.
Lewis, who came home eighth in the combined Superbike/Superstock 1000 classification, said, “I lined myself up for a good race by earning a spot on Row 3 in Superpole. I got a really good start and was right up behind the Superbike guys early on which is where I needed to be. The pace was pretty fast. I was fighting in second and third and we broke away from the guys behind us. A little past halfway I started struggling a little bit and had a pretty big moment. I had to slow down after that, but I was able to salvage third. I’m pretty happy about that.
“Obviously, I want to win, and we have the equipment to win. It’s just a matter of getting everything working the way it need to. We’ve had a few setbacks during the weekend, but the team just keeps fighting. It was a good first race, and we’re looking forward to tomorrow.”
16-year-old Brandon Paasch continued to impress with his rapid adaptation to the Supersport class and his M4 The 22 Project Suzuki GSX-R600. The reigning KTM RC 390 Cup champion collected fifth place in what was just his second MotoAmerica Supersport outing.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Cleland secured one final Saturday top-ten for Team Hammer, completing the Superstock 600 contest in 9th position.
Team Hammer expects to battle for additional victories and podiums on Sunday as the Suzuki ECSTAR Championship at Road Atlanta comes to a conclusion.
About Team Hammer
The 2017 season will mark Team Hammer’s 37th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 62 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 158 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.