MotoAmerica Honda Superbike Challenge
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
Road Atlanta
Braselton, Georgia
April 19, 2015
Provisional Superbike Race One Results (wet conditions, all on Dunlop tires):
1. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), 14 laps
2. Jake Lewis (Suz GSX-R1000), -3.789 seconds
3. Bernat Martinz (Yam YZF-R1),
4. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000),
5. Stefano Mesa (Hon CBR1000RR),
6. Elena Myers (Suz GSX-R1000),
7. Huntley Nash (Duc 1199 Panigale S), -10 laps, DNF, retired
8. Roger Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), -11 laps, DNF, crash
9. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), -14 laps, DNF, crash
Provisional Superstock 1000cc Race Two Results (wet conditions, all on Dunlop tires):
1. Jake Gagne (Yam YZF-R1), 14 laps
2. Tyler O’Hara (Yam YZF-R1), -5.045 seconds
3. Taylor Knapp (Yam YZF-R1)
4. Mark Heckles (Yam YZF-R1)
5. Dustin Dominguez (Apr RSV4 Factory)
6. Shane Narbonne (Yam YZF-R1)
7. Devon McDonough (Apr RSV4 Factory)
8. Brad Burns (Suz GSX-R1000)
9. Marcel Irnie (BMW S1000RR)
10. Barrett Long (Duc 1199 Panigale R), -7 laps, DNF, retired
11. Joshua Day (Yam YZF-R1), -14 laps, DNF, crash
12. Gene Burcham (Yam YZF-R1), DNS
13. Scott Harwell (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS
14. Billy Ethridge (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Beaubier Doubles In Road Atlanta Superbike
Garrett Gerloff takes Supersport, Joshua Day and Jake Gagne split Superstock 1000
BRASELTON, GA, APR. 19 – Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier had a perfect day in imperfect conditions at Road Atlanta, the Californian having it all his way in the Honda Superbike Challenge of Road Atlanta on a day when his main rivals in the championship faltered.
Beaubier topped his teammate Josh Hayes by 4.699 seconds in the first of two wet races on a day of horrible weather in Georgia. Then he and the rest of the racers had to endure a lengthy wait as the MotoAmerica and Road Atlanta crews were forced to wait out a storm before getting the flooded track race-ready again for what turned out to be a race time of close to 5 p.m.
In race two it was Beaubier again taking victory as he watched both of the men considered to be his fiercest competition for this year’s title – Hayes and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden (with his second race fall of the day) – crash out of the race. With those two out, it left Beaubier to move past fast starter Jake Lewis, on the second Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, to take victory by 3.789 seconds. Lewis ended up second, pairing that with his first-race third, and giving the 19-year-old Kentuckian the first two podiums of his Superbike career in just his third and fourth Superbike races.
With Lewis finishing third behind the two factory Yamahas in race one, fourth went to Yamaha Blumaz’s Bernat Martinez with the Spaniard bettering his fourth in race one by one spot to earn the first AMA Superbike podium of his career in race two.
But this day was all about Beaubier who earned the fifth and sixth Superbike race wins of his young career.
“I struggled a lot in the wet in the few outings we had last year,” Beaubier said after sweeping the doubleheader for the first time in what is his sophomore season of Superbike racing. “To get two wins in the wet, sketchy conditions today was good for my confidence. In the first race Josh [Hayes] and Roger [Hayden] were riding really good and it was a bummer to see Rog go down. I put my head down and started clicking off laps. I just kept going, kept going. I had a good feel in the wet. I didn’t want to throw it down, but I just kept clicking off laps.
“I was pretty timid in race two in turn one. I didn’t know if there was any standing water or not and then Jake [Lewis] got me. Jake was riding awesome and I saw Rog out front just pounding out laps. I was like, ‘Oh, man, he’s gone.’ I was struggling a little bit with grip. I saw Rog crash, I saw Josh [Hayes] crash. It was a bummer. I want to race those guys to the finish. I just kept trucking along.”
Beaubier leaves Georgia with a 30-point lead over Hayes in the title chase after the first two rounds (four races), 95-65. Lewis is third with 60 points and Martinez is fourth with 51. Elena Myers, by virtue of her two sixth-place finishes today, is fifth in the title chase with 38 points.
The series resumes in four weeks at Virginia International Raceway in Danville, Virginia, May 15-17.
The Superstock 1000 class was run with the Superbikes as is the norm and those races wins were split between Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Joshua Day and RoadRace Factory’s Jake Gagne, both armed with Yamaha YZF-R1. Day won race one in his return to U.S. road racing and Gagne, who crashed in race one, bounced back for the win in the second race. Day’s afternoon was a mirror image of Gagne’s as he crashed out of race two after winning race one.
Tyler O’Hara ended up second in both races on the Tyler O’Hara Racing Yamaha R1 with Taylor Knapp riding the FourFour Motorsports R1 to third in both races.
“It was kind of like a last-minute thing,” Day said of getting the ride on the Westby Racing Yamaha. “I was planning on going to Europe again this year and then things kind of fell through with that. I went to COTA for the first round just so I could be there in front of everybody’s face and they could see me in person and know that I was trying to look for something over here. They approached me and told me there might be an opportunity to race here. I ended up here this weekend and exceeded some of our expectations. They kept telling me that there were no expectations at all, but as a racer you always put things in your mind with what you want to do and try to accomplish. For myself, I think I was able to accomplish a little bit more than what I thought I could do.”
Gagne’s race-one crashed followed his crash in the morning practice session so he was pleased to get maximum points in the second race.
“Today was mostly me going down,” Gagne said. “I made a stupid little mistake and clipped the inside paint in warm-up. The paint here in the wet is a no-go. I had a pretty good crash. In the first race I was still feeling good in the wet, but I came out of five and got a little bit too excited again. I was running my dry bike. I just got caught off guard. To come back and race with these guys… it was a fun race and I’m glad to be back up here for sure.”
The second Supersport race of the weekend featured the exact same podium as Saturday’s race, but in a different order. Yamalube/Graves Yamaha’s Garrett Gerloff dominated today’s race to become the third different Supersport winner in the three-race old season. Gerloff beat Saturday’s winner Josh Herrin by 8.630 seconds. Gerloff’s teammate JD Beach finished third for the second straight day on his Yamaha R6.
The win was Gerloff’s first in the Supersport class after opening the season with two second-place finishes.
“It’s good to finally get one out of the way,” Gerloff said. “I know I can keep doing it whether it’s wet or dry. The race went really well. As soon as I got a little bit of a gap, I relaxed a lot. That was a big help. I just tried to ride my own race and monitor the gap. It feels awesome.”
Gerloff now leads the championship by eight points, 65-57, over Beach. Herrin moves to third with 54 points.
Wheels In Motion/Meen Motorsports’ Joe Roberts won the Superstock 600 race for the second day in a row in Sunday afternoon’s final event, topping Kyle Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman by 2.4 seconds. Wyatt Farris was third after finishing fourth in yesterday’s race.
“Yesterday was a tough race because I was pushing hard the whole time,” Roberts said after his perfect weekend. “It was a little hotter yesterday than today, but I think today was where I had the most pressure on me with the situation with the track drying out and us being on rain tires. You really had to keep your focus in that race so I think today was a little tougher than yesterday.”
SUPERBIKE RACE 1
Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha)
Josh Hayes (Yamaha)
Jake Lewis (Suzuki)
Bernat Martinez (Yamaha)
Chris Ulrich (Suzuki)
Elena Myers (Suzuki)
SUPERBIKE RACE 2
Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha)
Jake Lewis (Suzuki)
Bernat Martinez (Yamaha)
Chris Ulrich (Suzuki)
Stefano Mesa (Honda)
Elena Myers (Suzuki)
SUPERSTOCK RACE 1
Joshua Day (Yamaha)
Tyler O’Hara (Yamaha)
Taylor Knapp (Yamaha)
Mark Heckles (Yamaha)
Devon McDonough (Aprilia)
Brad Burns (Suzuki)
Shane Narbonne (Yamaha)
Dustin Dominguez (Aprilia)
Barrett Long (Ducati)
Marcel Irnie (Yamaha)
SUPERSTOCK RACE 2
Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
Tyler O’Hara (Yamaha)
Taylor Knapp (Yamaha)
Mark Heckles (Yamaha)
Dustin Dominguez (Aprilia)
Shane Narbonne (Yamaha)
Brad Burns (Suzuki)
Devon McDonough (Aprilia)
Marcel Irnie (BMW)
SUPERSPORT RACE 2
Garrett Gerloff (Yamaha)
Josh Herrin (Yamaha)
JD Beach (Yamaha)
Tomas Puerta (Yamaha)
David Anthony (Suzuki)
Cameron Petersen (Yamaha)
Ben Young (Yamaha)
Kyle Wyman (Yamaha)
Hayden Gillim (MV Agusta)
Javelin Broderick (Kawasaki)
SUPERSTOCK RACE 2
Joe Roberts (Yamaha)
Travis Wyman (Yamaha)
Wyatt Farris (Yamaha)
Richie Escalante (Yamaha)
Andy DiBrino (Yamaha)
Nick McFadden (Suzuki)
Ryan Jones (Honda)
Bryce Prince (Yamaha)
Michael Gilbert (Yamaha)
Gavin Elstad (Yamaha)
More, from a press release issued by LTD Racing:
SHIFTING FORTUNES: NASH’S BEST-YET SUPERBIKE WEEKEND FOILED BY FATE
Braselton, Ga (April 19, 2015) — Huntley Nash’s best Superbike weekend yet was a resounding positive but the results eluded him at Road Atlanta on Sunday. A shifter damaged in a morning crash failed in both races while Huntley was challenging near the front on his Ducati.
Nash’s first race was a short one. The Georgian got a great start, rising up to third place before Superbike champion Josh Hayes retook the spot. Before the end of the lap, Nash had to raise his hand to signal to the other riders the LTD Racing Ducati had shifting difficulties.
The team tried to repair the issue during a red flag but shifter issues returned for the hard charger in the second leg.
In race two, Nash got another good start and was in line for a podium finish in the day’s second damp race when the shift rod snapped for good before halfway.
“I feel we were close to hitting the goal this weekend but on the third day we had some bad luck. It was my fault,” said Nash. “I crashed in the warm-up and that messed up our shifter. The crew had to come up with something so we could give it a shot in the races and we did our best. I’d really like to thank our mechanic Jon Schiereck for working hard all weekend.”
LTD Racing’s new Ducati project showed speed, especially in the tricky wet conditions. “Stuff happens and at least we were near the front, up fighting for the top three at one point. I think we did well and it’s cool to be in a race where you’re up front and Josh Hayes makes a move on you. For me, it is about being competitive. I think I showed I can still ride after a year away. I am pretty happy with how things went and glad I could be out here and we’re going to keep it going.”
Nash and LTD Racing will return to MotoAmerica competition at VIR in May.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Beaubier Doubles At Road Atlanta, Wins Third Consecutive MotoAmerica Superbike Race Aboard His New Yamaha YZF-R1
Braselton, GA – April 19, 2015 – The first time Cameron Beaubier sat on the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1, he knew that the bike suited him well because it reminded him a lot of the Yamaha YZF-R6 on which he dominantly won the 2013 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Championship…except for one big difference: the R1’s 1000cc crossplane crankshaft engine.
On Sunday at Road Atlanta, Cameron used the prodigious power of his #6 Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha R1 Superbike to notch his second MotoAmerica win of the day and third victory in a row. With the track wet, but starting to dry out, Cameron passed early race leader Jake Lewis and rode smoothly all the way to the checkers.
Cameron’s teammate Josh Hayes, who is the four-time and defending AMA Superbike Champion, didn’t fare nearly as well after his second-place finish in Superbike Race 1. The rider of the #1 Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha R1 suffered a rare tipover on the opening lap. He was thankfully unhurt but unable to continue due to a mechanical issue with his bike.
“It was great to get my first double in the Superbike class,” Cameron said. “And it was really good for my confidence to get two wins here in the wet. I felt good on the new R1 all weekend long–in practice, qualifying, Superpole, and in both races. I’m really happy, especially for my Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha crew, that I was able to win both races today.”
Josh commented, “I had a pretty decent race going in the first one today. I got a lap in the lead. I was riding around pretty comfortable, and I think Cam had a little more confidence in the wet than me. In Race 2, I got off the line pretty good, and I don’t really know what happened. It was a very slow crash. It’s typical in the wet because you don’t have much room for error. I was OK, but the bike hit the curb, and I wasn’t able to continue.
“I’m really glad that we were able to get both races in, and MotoAmerica did a good job working around the weather to help us give the fans a good show.”
With four races and two MotoAmerica rounds completed, Cameron currently leads the Superbike Championship with 95 points. Josh is 30 points back of Cameron, and in second place in the points standings.
The Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha riders and crew will be back in action for round three of the MotoAmerica series, which will take place at Virginia International Raceway in Danville, VA, on May 15 through 17.
Watch Round 2 Of The MotoAmerica Championship on CBS Sports
MotoAmerica Round 2 from Road Atlanta will air on Sunday, April 26, at 5:00 PM with a replay on Sunday, April 27 at 2:00 AM EST.
For more Yamaha racing news, results, photos, and videos, visit http://www.YamahaMotorsports.com/Racing. Also, check out “YamahaMotorUSA” on your favorite social media site.
More, from a press release issued by Yamalube/Westby Racing:
Josh Day Finishes Tenth In MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Race 2 At Road Atlanta Aboard The #00 Yamalube/Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1
Braselton, GA – April 19, 2015 – After winning the MotoAmerica Superstock pole and getting a joyous victory for the Yamalube/Westby Racing team in Race 1–which earned team owner Tryg Westby a trophy of his own–things were looking good for Josh Day to score a double win and complete a perfect first weekend for the team.
In Race 2, things didn’t quite go according to plan, although Josh did get off to a good start in the race and looked poised to get on the Superstock 1000 podium again, if not win his second race of the day. On the opening lap, however, the wet track conspired to dampen his day (in more ways than one), and he unfortunately suffered his first tipover of the weekend. The rider was OK, but the #00 Yamalube/West Racing Yamaha R1 was unable to continue, so Josh had to call it a day.
All in all, it was a successful weekend for the 25-year-old Floridian and his entire crew.
Watch Round 2 Of The MotoAmerica Championship on CBS Sports
MotoAmerica Round 2 from Road Atlanta will air on Sunday, April 26, at 5:00 PM with a replay on Sunday, April 27 at 2:00 AM EST.
More, from a press release issued by Geiger Media Global on behalf of GEICO:
Pair of top-fives has GEICO’s Chris Ulrich excited about Superbike future
BRASELTON, Ga. (April 19) — GEICO Suzuki rider Chris Ulrich rebounded from a difficult start to the weekend to post a pair of top-five finishes in the Superbike portion of the MotoAmerica Superbike Challenge on Sunday at Road Atlanta.
Ulrich, who changed manufacturers for the 2015 season, struggled in qualifying on Saturday as conditions at Road Atlanta varied because of rain. Plus, electronics gremlins stymied his pace, but the team continued to work on the setup, and he bounced back to run well in Sunday’s races.
“We worked on it, kept chipping away, kept working on it, working on it,” Ulrich said. “We put in two decent races, and I’ll take it and move on to Virginia International Raceway and we’ll make everything better.
“Changing OEMs isn’t easy. This whole process isn’t easy, and you’re fighting against a lot of really good guys. It’s definitely difficult in challenging conditions, but we made it through and improved our position from qualifying a lot.”
During Friday practice, Ulrich was fifth in Superbike and ninth overall in Superbike/Superstock 1,000cc. Wet conditions slowed Saturday practice, as Ulrich was seventh in Superbike and 14th overall.
“The same gremlin that caused us to DNF at Austin came back,” Ulrich said. “We felt like we had the problem fixed, but I went down the back straight and it shut down. The bike was being a little finicky on us.”
The team made big changes on its second bike, which was set up for rain, but he just missed advancing to Superpole session No. 2.
“One more lap and we would’ve been good,” Ulrich said.
He was sixth-quickest in Superbike but had a tough start in the first Superbike race Sunday.
“The first start wasn’t that good,” Ulrich said. “I got together with another rider and it pushed me wide in Turn 1, but luckily we had a reboot there.”
The race was red-flagged and restarted, and Ulrich was better the second time around.
“The guys told me, ‘You’ve got to trust the launch control,’ ” Ulrich said. “So I did and got a good start. We made some changes during the red flag, because the first setting we had come up with for morning warm-up didn’t work.
“So we made some changes and went out there and went pretty quick. We worked our way into the top 10 overall, and we were fifth in Superbike.”
Ulrich had a better start in the second race but still needed to fight back.
“We recovered pretty well in that race,” Ulrich said. “The start was pretty good. I made a big mistake off the end of the back straight and lost a few positions. We recovered from that, moved forward, and just barely missed the Superbike podium.
“That’s forward progress and something we really, really needed. This weekend has been difficult for us with the settings and the rain and the problems we’ve had with electronics. So to have some light at the end of the tunnel has been good.”