MONTEREY, Calif. (July 12, 2016) — It was another mixed weekend for Riders Discount/Tuned Racing at the Honda Superbike Showdown of California. Rider Bryce Prince took the top spot on the podium for the Superstock 600 race. Prince secured the 2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship title at the previous round in Utah.
“We had a great weekend at Laguna Seca,” said Prince. “We were able to lead both practice sessions and qualify on pole position for the race! We got off to a great start and I was able to battle with the Supersport riders, running inside the top five overall, while being able to gap the rest of the Superstock 600 pack. We were able to bring home another win, and I couldn’t be happier to have all of my friends and family there supporting me at our local race! I cannot thank the Tuned Racing, Riders Discount, Quicksilver Powersports Lubricants crew enough for all their hard work and dedication!”
Unfortunately, Jason Aguilar had a highside in the corkscrew during Sunday’s warm-up and was not able to race. Aguilar suffered a concussion and severe bruising in addition to opening the stitches on the foot he had surgery on last week. Despite a difficult weekend, Aguilar is focusing on healing so he can race in September for the final round of the series.
“Laguna Seca definitely didn’t treat us well this time around,” said Aguilar. “We struggled with bike setup pretty much all weekend, but I was able to put in a good lap to qualify third. I was very hopeful to fight for second place in the race after the bike changes we made for morning warm-up and the race. All of that ended shortly as I had a bad highside out of nowhere coming down the corkscrew in morning warm-up. I don’t remember much of it, but according to my teammate I hit the painted rumble strip on the downhill right part, and as soon as I rolled on the gas the bike pitched me off. I had to get stretchered off the track and I don’t remember the ride to the medical center or the emergency room. I ended up with a bad concussion, a bruised and very sore neck and back, and ripped the stitches open on my broken foot which caused a lot of bleeding. Fortunately, the plate held in my foot and didn’t damage the broken bones any more than they already were. I’m super bummed I didn’t get to race this weekend; my team put together such a good package for me in the race and I can’t thank them enough for working so hard. I’ll do everything I can to heal back up and be 100 percent ready to go in New Jersey.”
2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship Point Standings as of 7/10/16:
1. Bryce Prince, 287 points (2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion)
2. Travis Wyman 161 points
3. Richie Escalante, 155 points
4. Dakota Mamola, 148 points
5. JC Camacho, 138 points
About Riders Discount: Riders Discount (www.ridersdiscount.com) is an online retailer of quality powersports gear, apparel and accessories. A company founded by racers, Riders Discount offers equipment for every riding style to customers worldwide, backed by a knowledgeable sales team and excellent customer service.About Quicksilver: Since 1950, discriminating customers have depended on the Quicksilver brand for premium quality marine parts, accessories, and engine care products. Quicksilver is one of the most trusted brands in the markets we serve. It has earned a loyal following by providing the highest quality products for more than 60 years. Quicksilver is a brand of Mercury Marine and Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC).
More, from a press release issued by Jimmy Winters Motorsports:
MAZZIOTTO ON THE PODIUM AGAIN AT LAGUNA SECA
Jimmy Winters Motorsports’ Anthony Mazziotto III raced to his 10th podium result of the 2016 KTM RC 390 Cup season at Laguna Seca but still left California twice rueful over what might have been.
After lighting up the leaderboards with the fastest time in the opening practice, the 16-year-old secured a spot on the front row for the weekend’s solitary KTM RC Cup contest by qualifying third at 1:43.322.
As the race kicked off, Anthony appeared destined to seize control of the championship as the championship leader was collected in a multi-rider incident on the race’s opening lap. However, a red flag was quickly waved and a complete restart called for.
After the restart, the 2014 AMA Horizon Award winner battled back and forth in a three-man scrap for victory. On the race’s final lap, Mazziotto jumped out to a advantage and appeared destined to claim victory.
However, on the race’s final corner, he ran just inches wide and touched the gravel while seeking the best possible launch to the checkered flag. The minor miscue destroyed his drive, allowing the other two contenders to squeak past at the stripe. As a result, Mazziotto was relegated to third, 0.265 seconds off the win.
“I came into the race having qualified third, which isn’t bad; a front-row start is what we’re after,” he said. “Race one was a little upsetting. I thought I was going to make up a lot of points in the championship but then I saw the red flag. After that, it was a big battle between the three of us. I put together an incredible last lap but I just blew that last turn.
“That was disappointing, but we tried as hard as we possibly could. I have to thank Jimmy and the entire Jimmy Winters Motorsports team for giving me a bike capable of winning. I’d also like to thank my mom and dad, Arai helmets, Markbilt Racebikes, RS Taichi, Yamaha Champions Riding School, Jonathan Cornwell at Ohlins, and everyone else who backs our program.”
Mazziotto will head into the finale ranked second and 19 points back of the championship lead with 247 points. However, he’ll have to wait to put in his final bid for the crown as the MotoAmerica New Jersey Motorsports Park season finale won’t arrive until September 9-11.
He said, “We’re just looking for wins now — that’s all we can do. Between now and September, I’m going to ride my road bike a lot. I’m going to make sure I’m as physically and mentally prepared as I can possibly be.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamalube/Westby Racing:
Yamalube/Westby Racing’s “Quick Study” Mathew Scholtz Notches Two More Runner-Up Results In MotoAmerica Superstock 1000, At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Tulsa, OK – July 12, 2016 – In just two rounds of the 2016 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Motorcycle Road Racing Championship, 23-year-old South African rider Mathew Scholtz has already clearly proven that he is a fast study…in more ways than one.
Just like at Utah Motorsports Campus a little more than two weeks ago, Mathew had never turned a wheel–or even stepped foot, for that matter–on Monterey, California’s legendary 2.238-mile, 11-turn Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca race course. And, while that would seem to present a disadvantage for most riders, it wasn’t that way for Mathew. Not aboard the proven #720 Yamalube/Westby Racing/Yamaha YZF-R1.
On Friday, the team’s skillful technicians Nathan Raptis and Dustin “Double Duty” Meador–under the expert guidance of team manager Chuck Giacchetto and crew chief Ed Sullivan–immediately went to work in getting Mathew comfortable and up to speed on the team’s gold-and-black liveried R1 Superstock 1000 machine. And, it wasn’t long before things clicked–both figuratively and literally–for Mathew and the team. A front fork adjustment here and a couple of clicks of the rear shock there, and Mathew was negotiating Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s famed “Corkscrew” like a rider who’d lapped the undulating course hundreds of times.
When Superpole rolled around, Mathew and the team had the bike set up well for the qualifying session’s double allotment of super-soft Dunlop qualifying tires. At the end of Superpole, Mathew put the #720 R1 on the third row of the combined Superbike/Superstock 1000 starting grid, and he was the second-fastest Superstock 1000 rider in the field.
In Sunday’s two 23-lap races, Mathew mixed it up with both the Superbike and Superstock riders, and he enjoyed a lot of close racing with a group of four highly talented riders. With positions being swapped back and forth in both main events, Mathew used his special combination of courage and skill to record two second-place finishes in the Superstock 1000 class, which were his third- and fourth-consecutive podium finishes since joining the Yamalube/Westby Racing team.
After hoisting two runner-up trophies and spraying champagne twice on the podium, Mathew talked about his Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca weekend and said, “Friday was my first time on the track at Laguna Seca, and after the first two practice sessions, we made one or two changes to the bike overnight. On Saturday, in the third practice session, we picked up the pace by 1.3 seconds, which is massive here. Qualifying started off well, and we were able to advance to Superpole 2 and run with the Superbikes where we qualified seventh overall.
“In the first race, it started off well. We were able to get up front, but unfortunately, the guys I was racing with seemed more concerned with making passes than moving forward, and that allowed some of the guys behind us to catch up, which turned a four-rider battle into a seven-rider battle. I finished fourth, and I’d have liked to have been in one of the top three spots, considering that I led the race for 5, 6, 7 laps. But, afterwards, we found out that they penalized the first two riders, which bumped us up to second. You know, I don’t want to finish second just because a couple of guys were penalized but, you know, rules are rules, and I’ve had the same thing happen to me in my career, so it was good to finish second.
“In the second race, my start was absolutely terrible. I think I was down in 15th or 16th position in the beginning. So, I just worked and got up to fourth or fifth, and the front three guys had a pretty decent gap. I finally caught them, and unfortunately for them, Danny [Eslick] crashed and [Josh] Herrin ran off the track, so that helped me out. When I got up to second, I was catching [Claudio] Corti and, when we got to the last five or six laps, I’d used up all my tire while making my way up through the field. I was just slipping and sliding everywhere, and if I had tried to push it any more, I would have crashed. So, it was a little bit sad that I had to settle for second after such a strong showing but, you know, leaving this circuit with two second-place finishes, I couldn’t be happier.
“I’ve got to thank the Yamalube/Westby Racing guys. They’ve been brilliant. Every time I’ve struggled, I’ve told them, and Ed and the guys have changed something, and it’s worked. This team is absolutely brilliant. I cannot wait for what is yet to come.”
Following MotoAmerica’s mid-summer break, Mathew and the Yamalube/Westby Racing team will return to action for the final round of the Championship, which will take place on September 9-11 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ.
For more Yamalube/Westby Racing news, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com
Also, visit “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media site.
About Yamalube
Located in Kennesaw, GA, under Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.’s (YMUS) Customer Support Group (CSG), Yamalube formulates the only oil “built around” the unique demands, operating characteristics, and applications of the various motorsports engines produced. In 1967, after more than a decade of racing and countless wins, Yamaha set off to conquer a new arena–racing oil. Collaborating with Yamaha engine designers, Yamalube’s global oil engineers formulate each oil from scratch, to be engine- and application-specific. Yamalube also makes lubricants, quality care products, maintenance products, fork oils, fuel additives, and adhesives. To find out more, visit http://www.shopyamaha.com
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More, from a press release issued by Thrashed Bike Racing:
Moto America – Two top ten finishes at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Thrashed Bike Racing returned from round 8 of the MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 with two strong results with a 10th in race one and 9th in race two.
Following a good start in race one Max Flinders managed to stay with a group of Superbikes with a spectacular overtake through the infamous Corkscrew on the last lap. Race two was a lonely race as it took Max a few laps to get past and clear of some of the Superstock machines which gave the Superbikes in front a gap that he was not able to close.
Thrashed Bike Racing are heading back to California in a couple of week to compete in a classic dirt track race courtesy of Gary Swan before the final round of the MotoAmerica series at New Jersey Motorsports Park in September.
Consistent finishes at every race in MotoAmerica so far ensures that Thrashed Bike Racing and their rider Max Flinders are sitting in a good 8th place in the championship. The Thrashed Bike racing Yamaha R1 has been faultless thanks to the efforts of the small team sponsored by Arrow Aviation, CPL Systems, Barbra Conner Jewellery, Friendly Power Sports, Arai Helmets and Oxford Products.
Team Principal Tim Ivanoff stated: “The help received from our sponsors and some of the larger teams in the paddock has certainly helped this year, the Yamaha has been a very reliable machine and the team are getting more and more used to its characteristics and impressive potential with each round”
Rider 19-year-old Max Flinders from Slidell LA said: “Laguna was great fun with the R1, the track is a roller coaster and just being there is a great privilege. Thanks to the Thrashed Bike team for making this possible and putting up with the straight 38-hour return trip so that they can return to work! ”
Thrashed Bike racing is based in Louisiana and competing in the MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 championship on a Yamaha YZF-R1.