McGraw Powersports Racing Myers Secures Two Top-Ten Superbike Finishes
(MONTEREY, CA) – McGraw Powersports Racing/Team21Motosport Superbike pilot Elena Myers, battled through a tough and tumultuous weekend at the seventh round of the MotoAmerica Superbike series to score two solid finishes. Continuing to chip away and move forward, Myers still maintains her current standing of 6th in the Superbike class with an eighth place finish in race one and a hard fought sixth place finish in race two.
“Heading into Laguna, I was really excited to be coming back to my favorite track on our tour. I had a lot of confidence after running well at Miller Motorsports Park and right from the start the team and I got down to business. My lap times continued to drop through the course of the weekend all the way up through qualifying, but we definitely had our struggles,” said Elena.
Greeted with weather conditions that went from sunny and mild to thunderous rain and lightning, the riders had their hands full with very limited wet setup or track time.
“Sunday’s morning warm up was definitely different for us all as I can’t think of the last time it’s rained at Laguna during a race weekend. I went out and felt really good in the wet after a handful of laps. We were up into 4th at one point, right before my bike lost power with several minute to go. I felt comfortable and was actually hoping for a wet race. We got one, at least the start was, anyway. I gambled and gridded up with rains on the bike and ultimately it was the wrong decision. After about 5 laps on a fast drying track my rear tire was smoked and I had to come in for a tire swap. We changed the rear out for a slick but by that time, I was way down the order and just brought it home to salvage some points. It was a real bummer because I had a great start.
Race 2 was dry and I got off to another good start and found myself right outside the top ten. Unfortunately by the time we were into turn five, the red flag came out. I really didn’t see what had caused it but we all knew it looked pretty bad when we arrived back at our pits. For the restart I got going again but just didn’t seem to have the pace I showed earlier in qualifying. I ended up 6th in class and brought home more valuable points towards the championship.”
Myers’ Crew Chief, Joe Capelli, had this to say; “Spent the weekend searching for better rear grip, and then it rained! Elena was up to speed immediately in the wet warmup, so we looked forward to a wet race, and gambled on full rain tires. Lost that bet, had to pit for tires. Race two was back to dry and she rode a great race start to finish, more progress and lessons learned!”
After the conclusion of the race weekend, the team learned of the severity of the horrific red flag incident which involved several riders, and the sobering news of the passing of Bernat Martinez and Daniel Rivas. Team21Motosport would like to send our most heartfelt thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of all who were involved.
Team21Motosport would like to thank the following partners for supporting us during the 2015 season: McGraw Powersports, Suzuki, Woodcraft CFM, Armour Bodies, Yoshimura, Maxima Racing Oils, DynoJet, SpeedCell, Spiegler, Arai Helmets, GiMoto, NPMoto, and Freewheeling Suzuki.
More, from a press release issued by Tuned Racing:
Bryce Prince Caps A Solid Weekend For Tuned Racing With The Team’s 5th Consecutive Superstock 600 Podium
The Superstock 600 Race on Saturday was the first race of the World Superbike/MotoAmerica races at Laguna Seca. With qualifying positions 3 and 4 for Bryce Prince and Jason Aguilar, expectations were running high. The start of the race saw Bryce battling for 1st with Joe Roberts and Jason battling for 3rd. As the race progressed, Jason opened a gap of 1.5 seconds over the 4th place rider. Halfway through the race, Bryce was still right behind Joe, but Michael Gilbert was slowly reeling Jason in. Finally, Michael got by Jason in the corkscrew, but Jason was keeping Michael close. However, the Tuned Racing riders were not able to advance their positions, finishing in 2nd and 4th place.
Bryce commented: “Going into Laguna, I was very excited as it is one of my favorite tracks. On Thursday, I had to install a fresh engine and we were ready to go for practice. I was determined to get out there quickly due to the limited track time we have with WSBK. On the first day, we just got the setup dialed in running in the top 3 the entire time. Come Saturday morning, it was final qualifying, and I was able to end up P3. I knew I had a lot more speed, I just couldn’t get a clean lap in qualifying, so I was confident for the race. We made a small suspension change which made the bike corner a little tighter for the race. I got a great start, running P3 on lap one right behind Joe Roberts. We started to gap the riders behind us, leaving the lead battle for just me and Joe. I was stalking Joe and could see he was struggling with grip. I planned on waiting till the last lap to make a pass coming down the corkscrew, but a lapped rider ruined my chances. He got a good drive to the line and I had no way to make the move. It was a great race, and I cannot thank my whole Tuned Racing crew enough. We now have 4 podiums in a row, and I am looking forward to being able to race at Indy with the Supersport Class!”
Jason added: “Had a decent weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for MotoAmerica round 6. Started off with a good qualifying Saturday morning, putting me 4th place on the grid. I got a great start in the race and was running a solid 3rd place for most of the race. Then, towards about halfway, I started making mistakes like running wide in turns 2 and 5 almost every lap, and rear-end traction started fading fast. I knew we didn’t get the bike setup right, so I was trying to ride around the problems but that just made it worse. Eventually, I got passed and was back in 4th place. I stayed on third place for a while but on the second to last lap I got tangled with some lappers and that was the end of my podium shot. A little disappointed with how the result went but I have a plan for next race to make myself and the bike better. Thanks to my team, all the fans that came out to support us, and all of my sponsors for all their support! Can’t wait for next round!”
The Supersport race ran late Sunday afternoon. Cory Alexander started from 10th, and quickly moved up while battling for 7th place with 2 other riders. Corey eventually finished 8th in a very tight battle.
Corey stated: “Laguna Seca is one of my favorite tracks to ride at simply because there is nowhere else like it in the world. With that said, I was very excited to ride here again! We started off the weekend quite well and closer to the front than we’ve been all year. Unfortunately, I got bumped to the back of a very tight top ten for qualifying which hurt us a bit at the race start. I am happy to say we have found a set up that works well for me with the R6. In the race I struggled with a few issues but got into a good battle for 7th place with some fellow riders. It made the race interesting, though I think we had the potential to run in the top five. We are still making baby steps towards the front group which is frustrating because as I said, I think we can race with those top 5 guys. Coming onto a new bike and new team this season I’m happy with our progress thus far, and it leaves me very excited to head to Indy followed by my home round at Jersey where I think we will really make a statement. My lead mechanic had to step into more of a crew chief role this weekend acting as a 1 man crew so I have to give a huge thanks to him; Thanks Tim for doing a great job as always! I also have to give a huge thanks to the team for working hard back at the shop and at the track to give me a great bike. I’m struggling to come to terms with the fact that I may just be a little bit too big for a 600, but they keep working harder and harder to give me a better bike. Also, big thanks to all of my personal sponsors and the team sponsors!
Team Owner Mike Pond summed it up: “It was great seeing all of the familiar faces at Laguna Seca. We had a great time at our home track with lots of friends and family, and new fans in attendance. All of the Tuned Racing riders rode well and represented the team with class. My superstock riders Bryce Prince and Jason Aguilar are on fire! They have been riding hard, and putting us in the top 4 on a regular basis. Bryce came into this round with the most confidence I have ever seen, and it showed, putting us on the podium for the fourth time in a row. That’s right for the last 5 races we have been on the podium 5 times! I could not be more proud. Coming into this weekend I was a little worried because we had some staff cancel on us last minute, but the team pulled together and made it happen.”
Tuned Racing thanks all of its sponsors:
Tuned Industries, Dunlop Motorcycle Road Racing Tires USA, EFSigns.com, PSR-USA, SBKPaint.com, Galfer Brakes, Arai, Dynojet, Big Gun Exhaust, Thousand Oaks Powersports, SuperLite Sprockets, EK 3D Chains, SpeedAngle, FT ECU, Shorai Batteries, Torco Advanced Lubricants, Optimal Racing Bodywork, Fly Street, Scott’s Plumbing, Lets Ride Trackdays, Motoyard.com, ACT Racing, and Solarmax Technology.
Corey Alexander thanks his personal sponsors:
MJRS Freeman Racing, Spidi Leathers, XPD Boots, Arai Helmets, Boxed Water Is Better, RideHVMC, Defy All Odds Apparel, Lapizta Watches, Ammo NYC, and Saddlemen Seats.
Jason Aguilar thanks his personal sponsors:
RS Taichi, Moto-Liberty, Scorpion USA, Sidi, CH1 ProTraining, and Impact Safe-T Armor.
More, from a press release issued by Team China:
Learning Curve Continues For Su At Catalunya
Hunter Su continues to develop his skills after the most recent round of the CMV – Copa Honda 250R Challenge saw him contest the races held at the Catalunya MotoGP circuit in Barcelona.
The Team China rider, the only non-Spaniard in the series qualified16th for the weekend’s two races, both held on Sunday 19th July.
Su who has been a regular point scorer in the series found himself riding in a group of slower riders in the latter part of qualifying, preventing any further improvement before crashing out of race 1, failing to finishing despite making it back to the pit lane in an attempt for some minor fixes.
Race 2 gave another opportunity to challenge for additional points to add to his already impressive rookie tally and after an encouraging start and equally impressive opening couple of laps things were looking good as Hunter began moving forward through the pack. His early pace however wasn’t to last as his Honda CBR250R began to cut out as the gear lever worked itself loose, possibly due to the earlier race 1 incident. He eventually finished 17th.
Hunter Su – Team China: “The weekend started out pretty good during practice and with 3 sessions on Saturday, it was enough for me to get used to another new track and find a good bike set-up. I felt really refreshed and ready to push hard in qualifying on Sunday morning. After getting caught up in a bunch of riders I pushed hard at the end of the session and managed to qualify 16th. I knew I could go faster, so was optimistic for the races. I made a so so start in Race1, but was able to pass riders at every single comer in the first half lap, and before the ‘La Caixa’ corner, the front pack was not far from me anymore! After setting up for the next turn another rider went to the inside and took out both himself and the rider in front of me. With two bikes on the ground there was no way for me to avoid crashing. Fortunately didn’t hit the riders, just the bikes. I ran to the bike as fast as possible, thinking that I could possibly get back on and finish and maybe score a point but the shifter was stuck. I pulled in into the pits, my mechanics were 100% ready with the tools, but the crash pretty much destroyed the linkage so that was that. The start in race 2 was great, a little wheelie off of the line but I shot away like a bullet. Maybe I should do more wheelies next time! We think due to the crash from race one the bike keep cutting out as the race went on, so despite my great start eventually the pack caught up with me and I was not able to push how I wanted to. At the flag I was classified 17th. Not the best weekend, but for sure I’ve learned a lot again! I’m going back to China for August visiting the family and to train harder. I can’t wait for the next round at Motorland Aragon. It would be nice to be back in the points there!”
The next round of the championship takes place at MotorLand Aragon before which Hunter will return to China to visit family and friends.
More, from a press release issued by Team WD-40:
Back to Back Victories for MACKENZIE – More BSB points for JACK KENNEDY
Another great weekend for Sheffield based GR Motosport. Stauff Connect Academy rider Tarran Mackenzie took his second successive Superstock 600 win just a fortnight after picking up his first; while Team WD-40 Superbike #44 Jack Kennedy took his first double points haul of the season.
With the confidence of two podiums and a lap record already under his belt 19 year old Tarran was really looking forward to Brands Hatch, his performance throughout practice and qualifying was stunning to take 2nd on the grid just 0.057 of Pole
Tarran made a great start to get away with the leaders where unfortunately Ben Currie made a better start and started to pull away while Taz was battling with 3rd 4th and 5th place riders. Tarran made the brake and set off after the leader again breaking the lap record to catch up. The lead then seemed to swap on just about every corner with Tarran making the decisive move on the last lap to win by just 0.047 of a second moving ever closer to the leader in the final championship placing.
Team WD-40 Superbike stars Jack Kennedy and Taylor Mackenzie had slightly different practice, qualifying and races. Jack is starting to understand the big ZX10 and throughout practice was settled into the top 10. Taylor after some overnight planning with his crew made a great jump in practice on Saturday too. Moving into qualifying it went wrong for Taylor very early on when a small mistake cost him dearly leaving him in 25th. Jack had a good run into Q2 where the times were again so close finishing 18th.
Race 1 both riders got away with the pack but unfortunately the gremlins struck Taylor again forcing him out his luck is due for a change. Jack fought hard to get into the points for the second time this season and set himself up for the second race
Race 2 Jack made a tremendous start into a race long battle for top 10 and Taylor fought the whole way with factory riders Josh Waters and former Champion Kiyonari – with 2 laps to go Jack was in 9th and the last lap tussle just shuffled him into 12th for more points.
Jack Kennedy: “A solid weekend with good progress made and two points scoring finishes. I feel we are going in the right direction now and can keep building on this with the net traget of breaking into the top 10. Team WD-40 worked great over the weekend and I am really looking forward to the next round at Thruxton.. JK#44
Taylor Mackenzie: “I made a small mistake in qualifying losing the front at Druids meaning I had to start the race from 27th on the grid. Unfortunately my bike got too hot sat behind the saftey car in the first race and I had to pull in. Race 2 was a lot better and I spend the whole race with Josh Waters and Kiyo who are both former race winners and I was able to learn a lot from those guys, eventually coming home in 20th place. Not the position I want but I was glad to improve my riding and hopefully I can take to the next race at Thruxton in a couple of weeks…
Tarran Mackenzie: “So happy to get my second victory of the year! It was a very strong weekend for me and the Team as I finished in the top 2 of every session. The race came down to just me and Ben Currie and on the last lap I made the pass at the end of the back straight and defended to the line to take the win. I just can’t thank my team and sponsors enough, now I am really looking forward to Thruxton!”
Brent Gladwin “Another great BSB weekend for GR Motosport’s Team WD-40 Superbike and the Stauff Connect Academy. All 3 riders did a fantastic job with Tarran wining again and both Jack and Taylor making significant progress on the Superbikes. I have to say I personally really enjoyed this weekend the best so far this season. The Team, our racing family became closer and the sponsors and their guests really enjoyed the atmosphere this creates. We seem to have hit a sweet spot in results over the last few weeks where including Josh and Taz we have won 7 British Championship races, 2 further podiums, and 2 lap records. Sam Atkinson took his Championship lead and more points in Superbike. The Press and PR exposure continues to grow worldwide, this Thursday evening at 8pm UK time on Motors TV you can watch Josh winning and experience his first TV interview something I am personally looking forward to.. Next race of the MCE British Superbike Championships is in just over a week’s time at the super fast Thruxton circuit near Andover and we hope to see you there!.