MotoAmerica: Even More From WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

MotoAmerica: Even More From WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

© 2022, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. From a press release issued By Tytlers Cycle Racing:

More solid results on the west coast races for Tytlers Cycle Racing

The Tytlers Cycle Racing team expanded from two to three in the recent round of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship with Larry Pegram joining series regulars PJ Jacobsen and Hector Barbera aboard a third BMW M1000 RR machine.

Solid rides in qualifying by all three set the scene for a strong weekend at the 2.2-mile iconic Laguna Seca Raceway.

Saturday’s opening twenty lap encounter saw Hector finish sixth with PJ seventh, the pair running consistent pace throughout. Larry just missed a top ten finish after a race long battle with five other riders. He crossed the line eleventh.

A faster pace by all three riders than twenty-four hours earlier saw them closer to the front at the flag after another exciting race that saw Hector race to fifth ahead of PJ who took P6. Just as he was a day earlier Larry was involved in another race long battle with a bunch of riders, eventually picking up four championship points in twelfth.

Sunday saw the team’s Stock1000 regulars Travis Wyman and Corey Alexander secure eighth and ninth places, respectively. Travis had finished tenth in Saturday’s opening race, ensuring a double top ten for him as the series heads to Brainerd International Raceway in a couple of weeks.

In terms of the overall championship standings Hector and PJ are fifth and seventh respectively with Travis P10 and Corey P11.

 

Hector Barbera (80). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.
Hector Barbera (80). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.

 

Hector Barbera: “Saturday was disappointing. I thought after qualifying that we could fight for a podium, but I knew after five laps that I didn’t have a good feeling and I was struggling a lot for grip. I honestly think it’s the track condition and not anything that we could solve once the race started. I tried changing mapping, but I was limited on corner exit. Sunday’s race was a bit better but honestly, I am not happy. I finished fifth but I want to be fighting for the podium. We were faster than Saturday but it’s not enough. The team worked well all weekend, but at the moment we have a limit, and we need to understand what to do to allow us to be closer to the front. The gap in qualifying is much closer and sure we are coming more to the front, but I want more. We hope that in Brainerd we will be more competitive.”

 

PJ Jacobsen (66). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.
PJ Jacobsen (66). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Tytlers Cycle Racing.

 

PJ Jacobsen: “It was a difficult opening race. I thought we had good race pace after the opening few sessions on Friday but unfortunately, I was unable to run closer to the front and we took seventh. Race 2 was another difficult one for me. It was more or less the same story from race one where I struggled with grip. I took sixth but I want to be closer to the front. The next tracks should suit us, and I am looking forward to seeing what we can do at Brainerd and for the rest of the season. I want to thank the whole team for their work. We will keep plugging away and the results will come”

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by SportbikeTrackGear.com:

Limandri Bags Second Win at Laguna

 

Joe LiMandri (62) and Max Van (48) in action at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Joe LiMandri (62) and Max Van (48) in action at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

 

Despite it being his first visit to iconic Laguna Seca Raceway, Joseph Limandri Jr. was able to pick up his second professional win in Race 1 of the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup this past weekend.

The race was red flagged after a dramatic entanglement between team mate Max Van and another rider entering turn 5.  With Max spinning wildly down the track and into the dirt, he was quickly on his feet and rushed to aid the other fallen rider.

“Glad we’re both OK, that could have been a lot worse.  I’m not going to lie, when I got up my butt felt like it was on fire from that Alpinestars Kevlar heating up during the slide,” Max said.  “But I escaped relatively unscathed, that suit did it’s job so I’m thankful.  I’m a little bummed because I felt confident after qualifying second in both sessions, but that’s racing.”

“I’ve been working with Jason Pridmore this weekend and I wanted to lead as many laps as I could because getting pushed back makes it so much harder to get to the front” Joe said.  “Thankfully that plan worked so I was leading when the red flag came out.  I didn’t see it, but I’m glad everyone is OK from the crash.”

Race 2 was a different story entirely.  While the race was red flagged on lap 7 due to another crasher in the world-famous Corkscrew, the restart saw an intense battle at the front between 6 riders within tenths of each other’s lap times.  Unfortunately while in 2nd place, Joe suffered a massive highside on the final lap, ending his race prematurely.

“I got a bad start after the red flag, so I wanted to make up some ground.  I tried to save it, but the data backs up exactly what I thought.  I just got a little trigger happy with the throttle trying to get to the front.”

As all the riders behind Joe scrambled, Max was able to compose himself enough through the dirt to bring home a 6th place and some valuable points.

“We felt good in warmup, and I had confidence in the bike after the previous days crash,” Max reflected.  “I got a good drive coming out of that corner, started to close the gap a bit, but then had to take it to the dirt to avoid Joe.  I’m glad he’s ok after that!”

As expected in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup, the championship chase is filled with unexpected events that seem to impact every team this season.  With four rounds to go, Joey and Max sit 3rd and 5th in the the title hunt.

Catch the team during the next MotoAmerica round at Brainerd International Raceway on July 29th.

As always thanks to:

All the SportbikeTrackGear.com customers, Helmet House, Bauce Racing, Cybersafe Solutions, Racing for a Reason, Vortex Racing, M4 Exhaust, REB Graphics, Armour Bodies, Woodcraft Technologies, Motul, Alpinestars, Shoei Helmets, RST, Arai Helmets, SportbikeTrackTime, Evolve GT Track Days, N2 Track Days, Gazebo Contracting, UTR/Torres Racing, Brake Tech USA, Ferodo Racing, Scott Powersports, Spiegler USA, Hanshaw Racing Engines, Precision Auto Works and Driven Racing.

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