The BMW S 1000 RR continues its winning streak – Lussiana extends lead in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy rankings.
Wins and podiums for privateer BMW Motorrad riders in the SUPERBIKE*IDM in Germany, in the AARR in Hungary and the MT1GP in Brazil – Number of participants in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy rises to 77, with Matthieu Lussiana extending his lead and Markus Reiterberger improving to second.
Munich (DE), 3rd June 2015. Last weekend, privateer BMW Motorrad riders claimed more wins and podium finishes in various countries and continents. Markus Reiterberger (DE) claimed his fifth win of the season and a runner-up position in the SUPERBIKE*IDM races at the Lausitzring (DE). In the Superstock class, Lucy Glöckner (DE) stepped onto the podium for the first time this year. Roland Resch (AT) dominated the Hungarian round of the Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship with wins in both races. His fellow BMW riders in the championship claimed several podium positions. In Brazil, Matthieu Lussiana (FR) was victorious with his BMW S 1000 RR in the Moto 1000 GP championship. BMW Motorrad riders have also been in action in Japan and the US. In the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy rankings, Lussiana extended his lead, with Reiterberger and Resch storming towards the front.
2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy.
The number of participants in the 2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy has further increased. To date, 77 privateer BMW Motorrad riders from 54 different teams and 19 different nations have registered. With his win in the Brazilian Moto 1000 GP championship, Matthieu Lussiana (FR) has extended his lead again after he came under pressure last week. Lussiana now has 177.78 points to his tally. SUPERBIKE*IDM rider and last year’s BMW Motorrad Race Trophy winner Markus Reiterberger (DE) improved to second with 133.81 points. Roberto Tamburini (IT / STK1000) is currently third with 130.00 points and Roland Resch (AT / AARR SBK), who has just registered, entered the Race Trophy in fourth place with 126.67 points (see full rankings below).
SUPERBIKE*IDM at the Lausitzring, Germany.
The third round of the SUPERBIKE*IDM / International German Championship (IDM) was held at Germany’s Lausitzring last weekend. After claiming all four wins at the two first events of the season, Markus Reiterberger (DE) had to load a performance weight of an extra four kilogrammes onto his BMW S 1000 RR. Despite that, the Van Zon-Remeha-BMW rider continued his success story and extended his lead in the championship. In Saturday’s Superpole, he claimed his first pole-position of the season. In race one on Saturday afternoon he finished runner-up. For Sunday’s second race, Reiterberger, his team and the experts from BMW Motorrad Motorsport further fine-tuned the settings of the RR and improved, among other things, tyre life. Reiterberger dropped back momentarily at the start, but soon regained the lead and kept it until the finish line to celebrate his fifth win of the season. In the SUPERBIKE*IDM rankings, he now has 145 points and has extended his lead to 44 points. The second BMW S 1000 RR in the Superbike class (IDM SBK) is the one of Matej Smrz (Wilbers BMW Racing Team). The Czech rider took the chequered flag in 11th and seventh overall (both times sixth place in the Superbike class).
His team-mate Lucy Glöckner (DE) celebrated her first podium finish of the year in the Superstock class (IDM STK). While she had to settle for 15th in the class (24th overall) in the first race after she went off the track, Glöckner put in a strong catch-up with her Wilbers BMW S 1000 RR in race two. She crossed the line in third in the class and ninth overall. Dominik Vincon (DE / BMW Stilgenbauer) was eighth and fourth (16th and tenth overall). Dutchman Pepijn Bijsterbosch (Van Zon-Remeha-BMW) finished ninth and seventh in the Superstock class (17th and 14th overall).
Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship at Pannonia-Ring, Hungary.
Roland Resch (AT) was the man to beat at the second round of the Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship (AARR) at Pannonia-Ring in Hungary. He secured pole-position for both races of the Superbike class (AARR SBK) with his Reitwagen BMW S 1000 RR and celebrated a double win. In race one, also positions four to seven went to privateer BMW Motorrad riders. Race two saw the RR occupying the top four positions. Next to winner Resch, Lukáš Pešek (CZ / IV Racing) and Janez Prosenik (SI / BMW AMD TREBNJE) stepped onto the podium. Ireneusz Sikora (PL / BMW Sikora Motorsport) completed the top-four.
In the Superstock class (AARR STK), the RR was even more successful. In race one, the top eight places all went to BMW riders. Victory went to Michal Prášek (CZ / Rohac and Fejta Motoracing Team), who was joined on the podium by Michal Šembera (CZ / WILLI Race Team) and Bartlomiej Wiczynski (PL / BMW Sikora Motorsport). Race two saw a one-two for BMW, with Šembera winning and Prášek being runner-up. In total eight BMW riders crossed the line within the top ten.
Moto 1000 GP in Cascavel, Brazil.
In the second race of the Brazilian Moto 1000 GP series (MT1GP) in Cascavel (BR), French BMW Motorrad privateer Matthieu Lussiana celebrated his second win of the year. Starting fourth on the grid, the BMW Motorrad Petronas Racing rider defied tricky track conditions with damp patches, and soon took control of the race. Lussiana took the lead entering lap two and kept it until the finish line. On his way to victory he also set the fastest race lap. With his success, Lussiana extended his lead in the championship as well as in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy. His team-mate Sebastian Porto (AR) finished fourth. Victor Moura (BR/ M2B Racing) crossed the line in 12th overall and took second on the podium in the EVO rankings.
MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Race Championship in Motegi, Japan.
The Twin Ring at Motegi (JP) hosted the third race of the 2015 MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Race Championship (MFJ). No less than eight privateer BMW Motorrad riders took to the track on this occasion. The best result was achieved by Daisaku Sakai (JP / CONFIA Flex Motorrad39) who finished 13th. His team-mate Shinya Takeishi (JP) came home 18th on his BMW S 1000 RR. Hayato Takada (JP), a regular rider in the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC), and Yuuta Kodama (JP / Team Tras135HP) also saw the chequered flag, finishing 21st and 22nd respectively.
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series in Elkhart Lake, US.
The famous Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake (US) was the venue for the fourth round of the new MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series (AMA). This time, it was German privateer Stefan Dolipski, who represented the colours of BMW Motorrad Motorsport. New to the series, he improved session by session, but unfortunately retired in both races.
2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy – Current Standings.
In 2015, the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy comprises a total of 19 international and national championships. Registration is possible until 30th June 2015. Participants in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy can once again compete in multiple championships in 2015. However, the points scored in the different championships are not added together, but are calculated separately for each individual race series. The current standings only include points from the race series in which the participant has scored the most Race Trophy points. You can find all the information on the 2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy, including the regulations and registration form, online at the BMW Motorrad Motorsport website: www.bmw-motorrad-motorsport.com
Status: 3rd June 2015
Pos. Name (Nat.) Series / Class Points
1 Matthieu Lussiana (FR) MT1GP STK GP 177.78
2 Markus Reiterberger (DE) IDM SBK 133.81
3 Roberto Tamburini (IT) STK1000 130.00
4 Roland Resch (AT) AARR SBK 126.67
5 Michel Amalric (FR) FR EU 119.38
5 Florian Brunet-Lugardon (FR) FR EU 119.38
5 Emeric Jonchière (FR) FSBK STK 119.38
8 Michal Prášek (CZ) AARR STK 107.22
9 Cyril Brunet-Lugardon (FR) FR EU 104.62
10 Alastair Seeley (GB) BSB STK 98.91
11 Michal Šembera (CZ) AARR STK 97.78
12 Lance Isaacs (ZA) RSA SBK GP 96.86
13 Madjid Idres (FR) FR EU 82.46
14 Janez Prosenik (SI) AARR SBK 77.33
15 Dominik Vincon (DE) IDM STK 68.57
16. Lee Johnston (GB/BMW RRC/67.56), 17. Florian Drouin (FR/FR EU/61.54), 18. Pekka Päivärinta/Kirsi Kainulainen (FI/SWC/61.33), 19. Gareth Jones (AU/EWC SBK/60.00), 19. Pedro Vallcaneras (ES/EWC SBK/60.00), 21. Krasen Kanchev (BG/AARR STK/55.56), 22. Eeki Kuparinen (FI/CEV AM/52.80), 23. Pepijn Bijsterbosch (NL/IDM STK/52.57), 24. Sebastian Porto (AR/MT1GP STK GP/51.56), 25. Martin Choy (BG/AARR SBK/50.67), 26. Stephen Mercer (GB/EWC STK/48.00), 26. Marco Nekvasil (AT/EWC STK/48.00), 26. Hayato Takada (JP/EWC STK/48.00), 29. Marek Szkopek (PL/AARR STK/44.56), 30. Nicholas Kershaw (ZA/RSA SBK GP/42.19), 31. Iván Silva (ES/CEV PR/41.60), 32. Lukas Pešek (CZ/AARR SBK/41.33), 33. Tommy Bridewell (GB/BSB SBK/40.38), 34. Laurent Aymonin (FR/FR EU/39.38), 35. Bartlomiej Wiczynski (PL/AARR STK/38.67), 36. Léon Benichou (FR/FR EU/34.46), 37. Mike Roscher/Anna Burkard (DE/SWC/32.13), 38. Luca Oppedisano (IT/CIV/32.00), 39. Michal Fojtik (CZ/AARR STK/31.89), 40. Michael Laverty (GB/BSB SBK/31.24), 41. Ireneusz Sikora (PL/AARR SBK/30.67), 42. Ryuichi Kiyonari (JP/BSB SBK/29.71), 43. Marcel Irnie (CA/AMA STK/24.42), 44. Barry Burrell (GB/EWC STK/24.00), 44. Stefan Capella (GB/EWC STK/24.00), 44. Gary Mason (GB/EWC STK/24.00), 47. Wojciech Wrobel (PL/AARR STK/22.67), 48. Emilien Jaillet (FR/FSBK STK/22.15), 49. Uwe Gürck/Manfred Wechselberger (DE/AT/SWC/20.80), 50. Peter Hickman (GB/BSB SBK/19.81), 51. Camille Hedelin (FR/FSBK STK/19.69), 52. Milos Cihak (CZ/AARR SBK/18.67), 53. Nicolas Pouhair (FR/FSBK STK/18.46), 54. Daisaku Sakai (JP/MFJ/18.00), 55. Jeremy Cook (US/AMA STK/13.33), 56. Marc Neumann (DE/IDM STK/11.43), 56. Lee Jackson (GB/BSB SBK/11.43), 58. Jean Foray (FR/FR EU/9.85), 59. Chris Schmid (DE/IDM STK/9.14), 60. Thomas Hainthaler (DE/IDM STK/6.86), 61. Richard Balcar (CZ/AARR SBK/6.67), 61. Mike Wohner (AT/AARR SBK/6.67), 63. Yuuta Kodama (JP/MFJ/6.00), 63. Koji Teramoto (JP/MFJ/6.00), 63. Fabio Marchionni (IT/STK1000/6.00), 66. Sabine Holbrook (DE/AARR SBK/4.00), 66. Shinya Takeishi (JP/MFJ/4.00), 68. Michael Truchot (FR/FR EU/3.69), 69. Pawel Gorka (PL/AARR SBK/2.67), 69. Bartlomiej Lewandowski (PL/AARR SBK/2.67), 71. Noriyuki Tsujimoto (JP/MFJ/2.00), 71. Eric Vionnet (CH/STK1000/2.00), 73. Wolfgang Gammer (AT/AARR SBK/0.00), 73. Mika Höglund (FI/CEV AM/0.00), 73. Jordan Szoke (CA/CSBK PR/0.00), 73. Tatsuya Noda (JP/EWC SBK/0.00), 73. Federico D’Annunzio (IT/STK1000/0.00)
More, from a press release isued by Yamaha Racing:
Team Yamaha MGM Celebrates First Superbike*IDM Win at the Lausitzring
Team Yamaha MGM’s Max Neukirchner brought home the first Superbike*IDM International German Championship win of the 2015 season aboard his new YZF-R1M at the third round at the Lausitzring. Teammate Damian Cudlin consistently improved his pace throughout the weekend and collected valuable points with two solid top-five results.
As this weekend’s races formed a part of the Deutsche Tourenwagen-Masters (DTM) schedule, the Lausitzring saw a different layout in comparison to the first round held at the same track when Neukirchner and Cudlin impressed with some strong results.
Clearly liking the German circuit, Neukirchner showed a solid pace on Saturday afternoon. He secured second spot on the grid and looking confident for the first race, which took place only a few hours after the Superpole.
The German got a good start off the line at the beginning of the 21-lap sprint, but dropped back to fourth position after a small mistake on the brakes in the first corner. The 32 year old quickly fought his way back to second place before getting caught up in a hard fight with Markus Reiterberger for the lead. The pair swapped positions numerous times before Neukirchner took over at the front and made it stick at lap ten. With clear track in front of him he put the hammer down and was able to break away from his rival. Unchallenged for the remaining laps he delighted his team with the first race win of the 2015 season with a convincing lead of 6.245 seconds.
Neukirchner had another decent start in the second race and was following Reiterberger and Xavi Forés in third place at the end of the first lap. After sizing his rivals up for a couple of laps, he made his move to take second position. He gave all he had to reduce the two-second gap to Reiterberger and gradually inched close, but in the end he came a bit more than a second short. He finished the weekend with a second place and a double podium, which saw him move up to second place in the overall standings with 101 points.
Teammate Cudlin had a more challenging weekend. He fell back from fifth to eight position at the start of the first race and lost valuable time as he tried to make up ground. He bravely fought his way back to fifth place and was able to defend this position to the line.
The Australian and his crew spend the Saturday evening fine-tuning settings of his Yamaha YZF-R1M and the work paid off; Cudlin had a much better feeling in the second race and held fifth position after the opening lap. Two laps later he was able to pass Lanzi for the fourth place, but had to give the position back at the end of the race. His two top five results keep him seventh in the overall standings with a 46 points total.
Team Yamaha MGM team will be back in action in two weeks time (June 12 to 14) at the fourth round of the Superbike*IDM staged at the famous Nürburgring.
Max Neukirchner
Race 1 – 1st, Race 2 – 2nd
“We really did a fantastic job, the first win for Yamaha in Germany. I couldn’t be happier. Two rivals passed me at the start and I was pushed back to the fourth position. I was able to pass Lanzi pretty quickly and followed Fores until he made a mistake some laps later in the first corner and I got through. From this point I pushed like crazy to catch up with Reiterberger. The gap got smaller, but in the end it didn’t really work out. I’m happy anyway; a win, a second place and 45 points this weekend, I think I can really be pleased.”
Damian Cudlin
Race 1 – 5th, Race 2 – 5th
“It’s a good day for our team because Max took the first victory and he did a really great job, so I’m happy for him and the team. Obviously I would like also to be joining him on the podium, but today we weren’t quite strong enough. We made a small improvement today. The position was the same, but it was a lot closer this time. At least this time I was able to catch and pass Lanzi at one point and had a good speed. It was really just the last part of the race where I started to suffer from loss of grip and I started to lose a lot of time at the end. Lanzi was a little bit stronger, so he was able to pass me back and I couldn’t do anything about it. It wasn’t the big improvement I was hoping to make, but it’s a step and I think we’re going in the right direction. I really hope that we will be able to continue our progress at the next round at the Nürburgring.”
Race 1 – 21 laps
1. Max Neukirchner, Yamaha YZF-R1M, 27:50.524
2. Markus Reiterberger, BMW S 1000 RR, +6.245
3. Xavi Forés, Ducati 1199 Panigale R, +10.386
4. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 1199 Panigale R, +10.621
5. Damian Cudlin, Yamaha YZF-R1M, +34.138
6. Mathieu Gines, Yamaha YZF-R1M, +40.779
7. Roman Stamm, Kawasaki ZX-10R, +42.015
8. Lucas Trautmann, Kawasaki ZX-10R, +44.306
9. Max Fritzsch, Kawasaki ZX-10R, +47.825
10. Matej Smrz, BMW S 1000 RR, +48.078
Race 2 – 21 laps
1. Markus Reiterberger, BMW S 1000 RR, 27:52.822
2. Max Neukirchner, Yamaha YZF-R1M, +1.777
3. Xavi Forés, Ducati 1199 Panigale R, +13.539
4. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 1199 Panigale R, +18.691
5. Damian Cudlin, Yamaha YZF-R1M, +21.086
6. Mathieu Gines, Yamaha YZF-R1M, +39.318
7. Matej Smrz, BMW S 1000 RR, 43.557
8. Roman Stamm, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 45.353
9. Lucy Glöckner, BMW S 1000 RR, +45.965
10. Dominik Vincon, BMW S 1000 RR, 48.467
Championship Standings – Superbike
1. Markus Reiterberger, Van Zon-Remeha-BMW, 145
2. Max Neukirchner, Team Yamaha MGM, 101
3. Xavi Forés, 3C-Racing Team, 100
4. Lorenzo Lanzi, 3C-Racing Team, 83
5. Matej Smrz, Wilbers-BMW-Racing Team, 64
6. Jan Halbich, Holzhauer Racing Promotion, 52
7. Damian Cudlin, Team Yamaha MGM, 46
8. Erwan Nigon, HPC-Power Suzuki Racing, 40
9. Gareth Jones, Weber-Diener Racing Team, 37
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
FIRST IDM WIN FOR STANGE AT LAUSITZRING SUPERSPORT
Suzuki’s Christian Stange celebrated his maiden victory in the German IDM Supersport category at the weekend’s third round at Lausitzring as fellow GSX-R600 rider Tatu Lauslehto made the podium to hold-on to his championship lead.
The event was held in conjunction with the DTM Touring Car series for the second time and bikes got the opportunity to showcase in front of a huge and enthusiastic crowd in Eastern Germany, close to the borders of Poland and the Czech Republic.
HPC Power Suzuki’s Stange delivered a determined outing in race one, taking command on lap eight and never looking back. The German kept his cool in the final stages when lapped-riders made things tricky. He said: “Everything went perfectly. It’s a fantastic feeling to climb on the top-step of the podium!”
The second race was a different story though: Stange rode with the lead-group at first but fell victim to a high-sider and had to come into the pits with a damaged bike.
Lauslehto didn´t make the very best choice in qualifying. The Finn concentrated on the set-up of his suspension during the first qualification practice, aiming to turn his fast-laps in the second session, but his plan was ruined by rain. The Scandinavian Team Suzuki Stoneline Mayer rider started the race from sixth position on the grid, remained positive and it showed when he placed fifth in moto one. The second race saw further improvement as he raced to a podium to maintain his championship lead.
Sarah Heide (Team Suzuki Laux ADAC Sachsen) scored a 12th place finish in race one, then the 27 year old bettered her performance in race two with fifth as Kjel Karthin (Team Karthin MSB Suzuki) repeated his dominant performance from the previous round, again winning both races in the SuperNaked class.
The next IDM round will be held at the Nürburgring on June 13-14th.
Race 1: 1. Christian Stange (D, HPC Power Suzuki Racing), 2. Konstatin Pisarev (UA, Yamaha) 3. Jan Bühn (D, Yamaha), 4. Christian von Gunten (CH, Kawasaki) 5. Tatu Lauslehto (FIN, Team Suzuki Stoneline Mayer).
Race 2: 1. Christian von Gunten (CH, Kawasaki), 2. Jasha Huber (CH, Kawasaki), 3. Tatu Lauslehto (FIN, Team Suzuki Stoneline Mayer), 4. Jan Bühn (D, Yamaha), 5. Sarah Heide (D, Team Suzuki Laux ADAC Sachsen).
Championship Standings: 1. Tatu Lauslehto (FIN, Team Suzuki Stoneline Mayer), 115 points, 2. Jan Bühn (D, Yamaha), 99, 3. Christian Stange (D, HPC Power Suzuki Racing), 97, 4. Christian von Gunten (CH, Kawasaki), 96, 5. Jasha Huber (CH, Kawasaki), 81.
More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:
Italian MotoGP™ debrief with Masao Azuma
Bridgestone slick compounds: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard; Rear: Soft, Medium (Asymmetric) & Hard (Symmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds: Hard (Main) & Soft (Alternative)
The Italian Grand Prix was won by Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo who secured a third successive MotoGP victory at Mugello ahead of Ducati Team’s Andrea Iannone and fellow factory Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi who finished in second and third place respectively.
Conditions were fine and sunny for the entire race weekend, with track temperatures reaching their maximum during the twenty-three lap race on Sunday, when a recording of 49°C was made. During qualifying on Saturday, Iannone was able to set a new Mugello Circuit Best Lap record of 1’46.489, beating the old record by over half a second.
Q&A with Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
The Italian Grand Prix was the first race since Argentina when weather conditions were stable over the entire race weekend. Did this have an effect on the riders’ ability to get maximum performance from the tyres?
“Yes we had reasonably stable conditions at Mugello, we saw at both Jerez and Le Mans that the track temperature on race day was considerably different to the previous days, which compromised some riders’ race setup. Throughout the whole weekend the pace was not only quick but extremely competitive and our revised tyre allocation this year helped achieve this. Four out of the six slick compound options we brought to Mugello were used during the race, which indicates that there were enough options for the riders to comfortably negotiate this technically challenging circuit. It was good to set yet another qualifying lap record, however it seems the grip available on the circuit wasn’t good on Sunday as it was on Friday and Saturday as we narrowly missed out on setting a new race lap record as well.”
Some riders say that even if track temperatures are similar on race day, the grip level of the circuit during the race can be quite different to earlier on the weekend. Can you explain why this phenomenon occurs?
“There are a few factors as to why grip levels can change on race day, although it is difficult to understand all the reasons why. One of the reasons is perhaps down to the bikes themselves, as with a full fuel load and the riders pushing 100% in the early laps, the front end of the bike can be placed under huge loads which can result in understeer and other undesirable handling characteristics. Another factor could be that after the Moto3 and Moto2 race, there is a large amount of rubber laid on the tarmac on the racing line. This large amount of rubber on some types of tarmac can perhaps cause variable grip levels. When this does happen, it isn’t a major problem however, as most riders can adapt to the situation quite quickly. Also, our front tyres are developed to provide good grip levels over a wide range of conditions, so the riders have enough control to manage this change in track behaviour.”
The majority of riders selected the medium compound front slick for the race, but some riders were able to produce some impressive lap times using the hard compound front. What different advantages did these two compound options provide to the riders?
“Mugello has two distinct features that influence front tyre choice. It features some extremely severe braking zones, particularly into turn one, and also several high speed corners and changes of direction. For the heavy braking zones, the extra stability of the hard compound front slick makes it an attractive option, and it also offers more consistent performance over race distance. For outright cornering performance, the medium compound has the advantage due to its slightly better edge grip. What ultimately decided which front tyre each rider used on Sunday was how the particular strengths of that tyre option complemented the riding style and machine setting of each individual. Both front tyre options featured in the top five so either one was well suited to the demands of the Mugello circuit.”
More, from a press release issued by RoadRace Factory:
Double Podium with Puerta and Young while Rookie Petersen leads first ever US race.
This year’s pilgrimage to the scenic Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin proved to be something akin to going to a black tie ball when suddenly a drunken brawl breaks out, the string quartet is reduced to a banjo and a washboard, someone sets fire to the table cloths setting off the sprinklers and after the police and fire department leave you’re still expected to be nicely dressed and finish the dance. You’re tired, cold, soaked and confused, yet you solider on and get back to the business of dancing… or racing… wait, what are we talking about here? Oh Yeah, this year’s Road America was crazy!
It was known that the weather was going to be a factor this year. It always is. Friday morning came and the rain never fully materialized. As the first session was getting underway, the sun was out and it was around 70º. Tomy, Ben and Cam were excited to get going and finally get a chance to really open up their Yamaha R6’s. Road America is a 4 Mile, 14 turn track with 3 flat out sections that test a rider’s bravery. For Tomy and Ben, this was a return to a track where they have done well in the past. For Cameron, it was to be another learning opportunity. As has been the case so far this season, Cam is quick to learn the tracks and by the end of the day (one practice session and qualifying session one), he had placed himself in provisional P4 in conditions that were beginning to deteriorate. Tomy was right behind him in P5 as he struggled a little with set-up. Ben ended the day by taking the P10 spot.
Saturday is where it all went dark. The rain came in the middle of the night and it brought along its friends, “Wind” and “Cold”. It wasn’t the big kind of rain we had at Road Atlanta or COTA. It was an English rain, a steady heavy mist that when combined with close to freezing temps and high wind gusts made for a very uncomfortable day. But this isn’t tennis. This is motorcycle racing and in this sport the riders are warriors who do battle in any conditions. Tomy, Cam and Ben suited up and took to the track for the second qualifying session. The expectation is that the second session is used to find more speed and increase your grid position. On Saturday, there was no chance of anyone going faster than they had on Friday. The key purpose of this session was to find the best wet set-up and to shake down the bike before the afternoon’s race one.
By the time Saturday afternoon’s race was to be gridded, the temperature somehow got colder. As Cam, Ben and Tomy tried to find as much warmth as possible, the horns sounded and the riders needed to take their positions. Lining up on the grid, the crews draped jackets or anything available on their riders to their keep core temps up. Tomy was already visibly shivering, Ben seemed mildly uncomfortable and Cam must’ve been reconsidering his great American adventure. The time came however for all that to be put aside and get to the racing. Riders struggled to see the lights go out through fogged visors, but off the pack went and with adrenaline pumping they charged towards the fast Turn One.
In what would be a race of patience versus bravado, patience would win the day. Tomy and Cam were sitting in P2 and P3 in the early stages as other riders made small but costly mistakes. Josh Herrin was leading when Cam decided it was time to make a move. Cameron would get past Tomy and within a lap move around Josh to lead his first ever race in the US. He was beginning to pull a gap when he lost the rear in the fast turn seven. This would leave Tomy to battle with Josh and Ben to deal with the recovering JD Beach for the remaining podium position. At the line, it was Josh Herrin over Tomy with Ben following to close out the first double podium for the team this season. After the race, it was all the guys could do to stop shivering during the trophy presentations.
Race two would be a vastly different experience. The sun was out and the sky was clear. Temps were still down but the riders were bolstered after a successful race one. Track conditions were not going to play a role in this race and with little dry time, the crews and riders hoped they had the right set-ups. The riders lined up in their grid positions and waited for the lights to go out. At the start of the race it was a close pack. The top ten would stay close to each other for the first several laps. Tomy was riding well in the top 5 battling it out with Bobby Fong and Garrett Gerloff. Cameron was running close behind Tomy fighting with David Anthony as they tried to chase the lead group down. Ben would circulate alone in P9. When the checkers fell, Tomy crossed the line in a solid 5th position with Cameron in 7th and Ben staying in 9th.
All in all, it was one of the best weekends for our Supersport trio. Now we focus on Barber Motorsports Park for Round 5.
Tomy Puerta
4th in Series Points
“This was a really good weekend for me. I felt really competitive in all the sessions and we were improving the bike every time. I felt good in the wet and was able to be with the front guys and even led the race a couple times. I rode smart and finished on my first podium of the year. I’m really happy to bring this result for the team. They’ve been supporting me a lot over the years and they deserved this!
On Sunday I had big expectations and went out on the warm up and secured P1 by trying different things on the bike. When the race started I was right there with the lead group 3/4 of the race and that felt good! We are moving forward and improving every time we go out. Evan and Logan have done an awesome job this season and we feel better and better the more we work together. I want to thank all the RoadRace Factory / Orion Team for their support: Mick, Danny Walker, Addict by Bosi, Cards for Caring, Indeportes Antioquia, Bell Helmets, Dainese and GeoCrash Photography!”
Ben Young
6th in Series Points
“We had a big struggle with a dry set up and I was still way off the pace in race 2 but I rode as hard as I could with the bike dancing and managed to still go faster than Q1 dry time. Still stoked on my podium but we still have lots of work to do in the dry. Getting after it hard at Barber”
Cameron Petersen
9th in Series Points
“Road America was a frustrating and disappointing weekend for me. After qualifying 4th, I felt confident for the races. In race one I got off to a good start, as the race went on I made my way to the front and led for a few laps. I was just starting to open up a gap on the guys and then crashed on lap 7, but had to put it behind me and focus on race two. I struggled in race two to keep up with the guys and fell back to 7th and that’s where I ended up. I was extremely uspet after the first race as I felt really good at the front. But I know sooner or later we will be fighting for a podium again and give the crew the results they deserve. Other than that, it was awesome to lead a race in the states for the first time.”
Danny Walker
Team Manager
“What more can I say than, ‘Holy Cow!’ You know, we’ve been making strides with our Supersport program. Race one was a bit of a confidence builder for our guys as they tasted success and hopefully that’s a motivator for the remainder of the season. I know Tomy was really excited to be back on the box and for Ben it was an emotional highpoint as his whole family was here watching. Cam led a race! Not only was he leading he was pulling a gap until his crash. For a guy who’s never ridden in the rain, he’s gotten more than his share of experience this season and he’s developing into a quite a rider. It looks as if we have a little ways to go still in the dry set-ups but we’ll get there. The crews are working well with their riders and like I said, we’re just making positive strides. We know that our guys are capable of results like we had this weekend and heading into Barber we are upping our expectations. We’re hoping to see our guys on the box more often.”
More, from another press release issued by RoadRace Factory:
Jake Gagne does the double in Wisconsin
Road America is a special place for Jake Gagne. It’s one of those places that just seems to click with him. Last year he pulled the double victory in the 600 class, but it wasn’t just winning… He dominated the class. By turn one, from the start, he was already 10 bike lengths ahead. Some surfing metaphor about soul chasing would come in nicely when describing Jake’s affinity for the Wisconsin circuit. This year it would be no different. Jake was going to show up, suit up and get to work putting everyone on notice that he’s out for the championship.
With the current MotoAmerica weekend schedule, Superstock gets three full sessions of what can best be described as practice before Superpole. The first two of these practice sessions are held on Friday and this year for Road America, the first session was held under beautiful conditions while the afternoon session became a little racy. Jake accomplished a weekend high of 13 laps and was 0.6 seconds behind Taylor Knapp. With Jake though you know he’s just going to continue to adapt and go faster. However, as it was mentioned earlier, faster wasn’t possible once the afternoon weather rolled in and the track became soaked once the bands of rain came. Due to the uncertainty of the weather for the weekend and only being alloted three sets of Dunlop rain tires, the 32 Crew decided to be conservative in the afternoon and only test basic set-up and not worry about times or laps. After 4 laps, they were satisfied that they had the information they needed and so called it a day.
On Saturday morning it became pretty clear that the next practice and Superpole were going to be wet. The temperature had plummeted 40 degress from Friday and the winds became a factor on the long exposed sections of track. Again, believing that prudence and conservation were critical to accomplish a Superpole in the best possible manner, the guys only did a handful of laps and waited for the session. That session is the Superpole and Jake’s time in the previous three sessions meant that we would be in the fast group competing for Pole Position. In the 15 minutes that he is given to grab the best possible starting position, the gamble that Jake and his crew made paid off with a P1 in his class and a P4 overall. Middle of the second row would be his start for Sunday’s two races.
On Sunday morning, the team arrived at the track under blue skies and sunshine. The temp was not going get over 50º but at least the rain was gone and that meant a dry set-up was going to be needed. Now the 32 Crew needed to utilize all the available track time during their 20 minute morning warm-up to dial their Yamaha R1 in. And dial it in they did! Jake went out and set a pace that was almost two seconds faster than his nearest rival. Inspired, the guys waited for Race One.
We know full well that Jake can go fast around this track, but what wasn’t really known was how would his Superstock Yamaha R1 stack up against the full factory supported superbikes. The Suzuki’s are top speed monsters, the Yamaha’s are razor sharp corner speed demons, but how would a Superstock fare against these two different machines? In previous rounds it’s been almost a fair fight. But Road America is where having long legs pays dividends lap after lap. Despite getting a great start in Race One, Jake would find himself riding alone for most of the race. The factory Superbikes just kept pulling a tenth here and a tenth there to eventually pull out a major gap. Jake would cross the line in P1 in Superstock and P4 overall.
Normally, there’s a whole new section detailing out the epic battles that Jake brought the riders in race two. However, this time it was an exact carbon copy of race one. Jake makes a phenomenal start to keep with the factory superbikes, but by 1/3 race distance he was losing sight of the lead group. Jake would continue to ride lap after lap as if he was being chased by hungry wolves. He would eventually repeat race one’s result (P1 in class) and secure the double victory for the weekend. More importantly, now he stands 30 points clear in the Championship Standings. Jake and the 32 Crew are now focusing on Barber in a few weeks time and hopefully a more level playing field will allow him to stalk the superbikes a little better.
Jake Gagne
1st in Superstock Points
“It’s been awesome having a few of these race weekends without too much time off in between, and I was especially looking forward to Road America. We didn’t get much dry time with the rain and cold looming on Friday and Saturday, but we managed to put in a solid qualifying in the wet. I had a blast riding the big R1 around this place and enjoyed every lap. Both the races were pretty lonely for me, but I just put my head down and did my laps and we ended up with the double win. I’m really looking forward to Barber, I think it’ll suit us a bit better and it’s a tough, challenging track. It’ll be great to have my teammate Cam coming out to stay with me until then, so we’ll be putting in a lot of motos and come out swinging in Alabama.”
Danny Walker
Team Manager
“This was another great weekend for Jake, Scotty and Danny. They put on another brilliant display this weekend and I couldn’t be happier. You know for Jake, race after race he just grows into this new bike and kinda melds with it. He’s just so smooth and can ride around the teething problems that surface from time to time. He pulled off the double here and it was awesome to see him on the podium with his dad. We still have room to grow with this program and I truly believe we haven’t seen the full potential of this combination of Jake and the R1. Road America is so fast that we knew we’d be down on speed versus the bigger bikes, but Barber is great place where speed advantages are minimized and I expect that we’ll see a Superstock in the top three overall”