MotoAmerica Subway AMA/FIMNA Superbike Doubleheader
Road America
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
May 30, 2015
Superbike/Superstock 1000 Qualifying Results (all on Dunlop tires):
Superpole One Results (wet conditions, top two advance to Superpole Two):
1. Bernat Martinez (Yamaha), Superbike, 2:37.622
2. Mark Heckles (Yamaha), Superstock, 2:38.634
3. Tyler O’Hara (Yamaha), Superstock, 2:39.256
4. Sheridan Morais (Aprilia), Superstock, 2:39.304
5. Chris Fillmore (KTM), Superbike, 2:39.858, ran off track
6. Elena Myers (Suzuki), Superbike, 2:47.460
7. Frankie Babuska (Suzuki), Superstock, 2:55.797
8. Devon McDonough (Aprilia), Superstock, no time recorded, crash
9. Stefano Mesa (Honda), Superbike, no time recorded, crash
10. Huntley Nash (Ducati), Superbike, no time recorded
Superpole Two Results (wet conditions):
1. Josh Hayes (Yamaha), Superbike, 2:31.079
2. Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha), Superbike, 2:31.293
3. Jake Lewis (Suzuki), Superbike, 2:32.766
4. Jake Gagne (Yamaha), Superstock, 2:33.623
5. Bernat Martinez (Yamaha), Superbike, 2:33.922
6. Taylor Knapp (Yamaha), Superstock, 2:36.352
7. Josh Day (Yamaha), Superstock, 2:36.868
8. Shane Narbonne (Yamaha), Superstock, 2:36.922
9. Roger Hayden (Suzuki), Superbike, 2:38.909, crash
10. Chris Ulrich (Suzuki), Superbike, 2:39.085
11. Danny Eslick (Honda), Superbike, 2:42.260, crash
12. Mark Heckles (Yamaha), Superstock, no time recorded
More, from a press release issued by Geiger Media Global:
Best qualifying spot of season has GEICO Suzuki’s Chris Ulrich feeling optimistic
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (May 30) — It was cold and rainy at historic Road America during Saturday’s qualifying round for the MotoAmerica (AMA/FIM) Superbike Challenge, but GEICO Suzuki rider Chris Ulrich was feeling nothing but warm and fuzzy after securing his best starting slot of the 2015 season.
Ulrich peeled off a final lap of 2:39.085 in the elite Superpole 2 session to lock up the No. 10 position in the field, placing him inside of Row 4 for both of Sunday’s races, scheduled for 12:30 and 4 p.m. Central time starts.
“I’m really excited about race day,” Ulrich said. “We’re starting higher up than we have all year and our drive base is good, which should bode well when we line up and get after it. We’ll start a few rows ahead of where we’ve been in the first three rounds so hopefully we’ll move away from the traffic we’ve been in early each race and latch onto the front group.
“This is the progression we’ve been working towards, and even though it’s only been a couple of years since we were last racing a Suzuki, a lot has changed so it took some time to get to this point. I’m really happy with the work and effort the team has collectively put into this project, and to finally start seeing some of the fruits of our labor is cool.”
Qualifying in the Superpole 2 session instead of the Superpole 1 was the result of Ulrich’s first practice session Friday morning, which was run before the rain arrived. Riders that post one of the top 10 times in practice automatically advance to Superpole 2, guaranteeing them a better grid slot.
“I can’t stress the importance of having a quick start,” Ulrich said. “We were fast right out of the trailer Friday morning and logged a top-10 lap time in that first practice session, so that allowed us to work on other things in preparation for race day.
“Moving straight to Superpole 2 was our top goal this weekend so it feels good to get it done. Now we’ll regroup for tomorrow and get ready to race. I’ll be super happy of we can post a pair of top-five finishes and a top-five overall ranking. Maybe we can even sneak onto the podium. That’s the next step for us.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamalube/Westby Racing:
Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Josh Day Qualifies Third In Superstock 1000 Superpole Qualifying At Road America
Elkhart Lake, WI – May 30, 2015 – Amidst difficult conditions brought about by rain and cold temperatures at Road America, Josh Day qualified the #00 Yamalube/Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 third in MotoAmerica’s Superstock 1000 class. For the combined Superbike/Superstock 1000 grid, Josh will start in seventh position overall for Sunday’s two races.
“With all the rain today, we used Superpole to work some more on our setup for tomorrow,” Josh said. “We’re still building our confidence because we haven’t run enough dry laps here to really feel comfortable yet. Grip in the wet is pretty decent, and the new paved sections seem really good. I like Road America quite a lot, and I’ll like it even more (on Sunday) when it’s supposed to be dry. It resembles a European-type track with long straightaways and hard braking, which suits my style. It also suits the all-new R1. The bike’s got a lot a power, and it also handles really well.”
MotoAmerica Superbike/Superstock 1000 will race twice on Sunday at Road America. Race 1 goes green tomorrow at 12:30 PM CST, and Race 2 starts at 4:00 PM CST. Go to www.MotoAmerica.com, click on “Streaming” under the “LIVE” header in the top-left corner of the page, and then click on “WATCH SUPERSTOCK 1000” to see the races live online.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Taylor Knapp Qualifies The #44 TOBC Racing R1 Second In Superstock 1000 At Road America
Elkhart Lake, WI – May 30, 2015 – Copious amounts of rain and cold air temperatures challenged the MotoAmerica Superstock riders at Road America, but TOBC racing’s Taylor Knapp seemed to take the adverse conditions all in stride as he qualified his #44 Yamaha YZF-R1 second in MotoAmerica’s Superstock 1000 class. Since the Superbike and Superstock 1000 classes run concurrently on the track, Taylor will start in sixth position on the grid for Sunday’s two races.
“We started Superpole with the setup that we ran in the dry,” Taylor commented. “My plan was to just ride smooth and run consistent laps since the track was so wet. It started to dry a little bit near the end. I checked the laptimes, and saw that I was down a little bit in the order. There were only a couple of minutes left in the session, so I knew I needed to pick up the pace. I moved up quite a few positions right there at the end, so I was happy about that.
“I live in Michigan, so Road America is close to home for me. We’ll work on the setup tomorrow morning, and it’s supposed to be dry all day. I’m hoping for a good result for the TOBC racing team, especially at a track that’s right in my backyard.”
MotoAmerica Superbike/Superstock 1000 will race twice on Sunday at Road America. Race 1 goes green tomorrow at 12:30 PM CST, and Race 2 starts at 4:00 PM CST. Go to www.MotoAmerica.com , click on “Streaming” under the “LIVE” header in the top-left corner of the page, and then click on “WATCH SUPERSTOCK 1000” to see the races live online.
New TOBC Racing Teammate Gabe Miller Debuts In MotoAmerica RC Cup
TOBC racing’s newest rider Gabe Miller made his debut in MotoAmerica’s RC Cup spec-racing class, and the Michigan native had an eventful day. In morning qualifying, Gabe secured himself a front-row start for Saturday’s and Sunday’s races when he was the third-fastest rider out of 28 entrants in the brand-new racing class. In Saturday’s race, the rain and tricky track conditions conspired against Gabe, and he suffered a tipover on the opening lap, putting him out of the race, but thankfully, unhurt. He’ll regroup and line up third on the grid again on Sunday for the RC Cup’s second race, scheduled to go green at 11:30 AM CST.