Tulsa, OK – June 9, 2016 – With team rider Josh Day at home in Orlando, Florida, recuperating from injuries sustained in a crash during MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 practice this past Saturday at Road America in Wisconsin, veteran rider and current MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 competitor Taylor Knapp will race the Yamalube/Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superstock 1000 machine this weekend at round 6 of the 2016 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Motorcycle Road Racing Championship. The announcement was made by Tryg Westby, team owner of Yamalube/Westby Racing.
Taylor, who is currently ranked sixth in the Superstock 1000 Championship points standings, will race at Barber for Yamalube/Westby Racing with his trademark #44 competition number emblazoned on the team’s iconic gold-and-black R1.
In 2015, aboard a TOBC racing Yamaha R1, Taylor notched one race victory and reached the podium in 13 of the 18 Superstock 1000 races on the season, including a pair of podium finishes at Barber last year, on his way to being runner-up in the 2015 MotoAmerica Superstock Championship. So far this season, the Michigander has notched two podium finishes–a second-place result at Road Atlanta and a third at VIRginia International Raceway.
Chuck Giacchetto, team manager of Yamalube/Westby Racing commented, “After Josh got injured at Road America last weekend, our team had to make one of our most difficult decisions to date. With Barber coming up in less than a week, we owed it to our loyal sponsors and team partners to have our bike on track. We love and respect Josh so much that we didn’t want to do a disservice to him. We spoke to Taylor last week, and the timing was right for him to be able to race for us at Barber. He’s an excellent rider and a really good person, so we’re pleased to be able to put this deal together. It’s a positive step for both Taylor and for us.”
Taylor commented, “I’m really excited to join Yamalube/Westby Racing for this weekend’s MotoAmerica event at Barber Motorsports. They’re one of the best-run teams in motorcycle road racing, and it’s going to be great to work with them. Hopefully, I can give them the results that they deserve, and I’m certainly looking forward to racing that beautiful gold-and-black Yamalube/Westby Racing R1. It’s an honor to have my #44 on that bike and continue the legacy that Dane and Tryg began.”
Taylor and the Yamalube/Westby Racing team will be on track at Barber beginning this Friday, June 10, starting with Superbike/Superstock 1000 practice at 11:50 AM CST. Superbike Superpole (Qualifying) begins on Saturday at 2:00 PM CST. Superbike Race 1 will go green on Sunday at 12:30 PM CST, and Superbike Race 2 is later on Sunday at 4:00 PM CST.
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Located in Kennesaw, GA, under Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.’s (YMUS) Customer Support Group (CSG), Yamalube formulates the only oil “built around” the unique demands, operating characteristics, and applications of the various motorsports engines produced. In 1967, after more than a decade of racing and countless wins, Yamaha set off to conquer a new arena–racing oil. Collaborating with Yamaha engine designers, Yamalube’s global oil engineers formulate each oil from scratch, to be engine- and application-specific. Yamalube also makes lubricants, quality care products, maintenance products, fork oils, fuel additives, and adhesives. To find out more, visit http://www.shopyamaha.com
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