MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship
Circuit of The Americas
Austin, Texas
April 12, 2015
Provisional Superbike Race Two Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), 12 laps
2. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), -0.445 second
3. Roger Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), -7.300 seconds
4. Jake Lewis (Suz GSX-R1000), -21.631
5. Chris Fillmore (KTM RC8R), -28.580
6. Elena Myers (Suz GSX-R1000), -72.284
7. Bernat Martinez (Yam YZF-R1), -95.063
8. Aaron Hersh (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap
9. Ricky Orlando (Kaw ZX-10R), -1 lap, jump start/ride-through penalty
10. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), -5 laps, DNF, mechanical
11. Mathew Orange (BMW S1000RR), -9 laps, DNF
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Beaubier Takes Race Two Superbike Win At COTA
Beaubier wins Superbike, Gagne takes Superstock 1000 victory in Texas
AUSTIN, TX, APR. 12 – Cameron Beaubier turned the tables on his Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha teammate Josh Hayes today at the Circuit of The Americas, the 22-year-old Californian beating Hayes by .445 of a second in a thrilling race two of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship of Texas, the opening round of the 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Superbike Championship.
Hayes, who won Saturday’s rain-sodden race one, pushed Beaubier for the full 12 laps with the battle coming down to the final corner. That’s when Hayes tried to put his Yamaha YZF-R1 where there simply wasn’t room. Beaubier held his line as Hayes tried to stuff it up the inside, the pair coming together with Beaubier sprinting off to the checkered flag for his fourth career AMA Superbike win. Hayes, meanwhile, gathered himself up to still finish a close second.
The pair now head to Road Atlanta with a win apiece and an identical points tally of 45 points.
For the second day in a row, Yoshimura Roger Hayden finished third with the Suzuki rider much more competitive in the dry than he was in Saturday’s wet race. The Kentuckian led some laps early, despite getting his GSX-R1000 completely sideways through the esses on the opening lap. Hayden eventually lost touch with the lead duo and fell into a battle with RoadRace Factory’s Jake Gagne. Hayden prevailed for his second third-place finish in a row with Gagne holding on for fourth overall and a runaway victory in the Superstock 1000 class, which runs with the Superbikes but is scored separately.
Aprilia HSBK Racing’s Dustin Dominguez finished second in the Superstock 1000 class for the second time on the weekend, the Texan ending up 36.7 seconds behind Gagne on his RSV4. Taylor Knapp improved to finish third in today’s Superstock final on the FourFour Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R1.
“Going into today we made a little front-end change, raised it up a little bit just to try it,” Beaubier said. “We’ve been struggling a little bit getting off some off some of the tighter corners yesterday. I was actually struggling pretty good in the beginning. Roger [Hayden] and Josh [Hayes] had some pace on me. I slowly started connecting the corners a little bit better and getting some more confidence. I finally got by those guys. I put my head down the last few laps and I knew Josh was right there.”
Beaubier was expecting Hayes to try something in the final corner and he was ready for it.
“I saw him coming in to the last corner and I was like, ‘No, this is my frickin race.’ It was pretty cool to get it done today. I looked back to make sure he was up and then looked at my leg and there was some rubber there. But it’s a lot of fun racing these guys. I feel like we have respect for each other, but at the same time we can lean on each other pretty hard. I’m looking forward to this year.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Beaubier Wins The Monster Bash As He And Teammate Hayes Finish 1-2 In MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 At Circuit of The Americas
Austin, TX – April 12, 2015 – Cameron Beaubier and Josh Hayes are not only teammates, but they’re also very close friends. In Sunday’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at the Circuit of The Americas, they’ve never been closer. On the final turn of the race’s final lap, with Cameron in the lead, four-time and defending Superbike Champion Josh made a daring attempt to pass his teammate. Not willing to concede the victory, Cameron shut the door on Josh’s maneuver and took the checkered flag none the worse for wear despite a few scuffs on his leathers from Josh’s front tire.
It was an exciting finish for the Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha tandem that enjoyed their battle just as much as the fans did.
After being presented with the first-place trophy, Cameron said, “Going into today, we made a change to the front of the bike. I was struggling a little bit in the beginning of the race, but I started to connect the corners a little bit better towards the halfway point, and with a dry track today, I felt more comfortable on the bike than I did yesterday when I finished second. I got into the lead, and I was determined to not give it up to Josh or anyone else. It was fun racing with Josh today, and it was close, which is also great for the fans.”
Josh, who won yesterday’s Superbike Race 1 and is currently tied for the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship lead with Cameron, said, “There were some areas of the track where Cam was better, and other areas where I felt like I was better. I had a few ideas on what I wanted to do, and I had a plan to try to pass him on the final turn. Well, things weren’t really working out for me a couple of turns before that final turn, and there just wasn’t room to get by him. We both wanted to win the race. It’s good fun being able to race together like that and have it be so close in the final corner. It sounded like the fans enjoyed it.”
In MotoAmerica’s Superstock 1000 Race 2, run at the same time as the Superbike race, Jake Gagne, rider of the RoadRace Factory/Yamaha YZF-R1, followed up his Saturday win with another victory on Sunday. Mirroring the double-podium Yamaha R1 finish in Superbike, Taylor Knapp finished third to Jake aboard his Taylor Knapp Racing R1.
All in all, Yamaha couldn’t ask for a more successful debut for the brand-new R1, taking two Superbike wins and two second-place Superbike finishes, along with two Superstock 1000 victories and two Superstock 1000 third-place finishes.
The Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha team will now travel east for next weekend’s Road Atlanta Superbike Challenge in Braselton, Georgia.
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.