Yamaha Road Racers Bat A Thousand In MotoAmerica Spring Training At Circuit of The Americas
Cypress, CA – March 21, 2015 – Yamaha motorcycles, riders, and teams turned out in large numbers at MotoAmerica’s first “spring training” camp at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin TX, and the bLU cRU hit for the cycle, recording the overall fastest laptimes in all four MotoAmerica racing classes–Superbike, Superstock 1000, Supersport, and Superstock 600. The Yamaha YZF-R1 and YZF-R6 were the fastest bikes on the 3.426-mile, 20-turn COTA road course.
“It was a very successful test for our Yamaha riders and teams,” commented Keith McCarty, Motorsports Racing Division Manager for Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. “Our Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha team continues to make great progress in developing the brand-new R1 Superbike, and we debuted the bike in full team livery at the COTA test.
“It was great to see a couple of the teams who are racing the R1 in MotoAmerica’s Superstock 1000 class on track at COTA, and their bikes performed extremely well, as did the Yamaha riders and teams who came to COTA to test their R6 machines in Supersport and Superstock 600. The bLU cRU was well-represented, and the results were very positive.”
Yamaha R1: Superbike and Superstock 1000
Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha rider Josh Hayes, who is the four-time and defending AMA Superbike Champion, and his teammate Cameron Beaubier got valuable seat time at COTA aboard their brand-new R1 Superbikes. In the early going of the test, Josh and Cameron were the only two riders able to record laptimes in the 2:11 range. Both riders improved their laptimes even more, and at the end of the test, Cameron was the only rider to break into the 2:10s, while Josh ended up second-fastest to his second-year teammate.
“This was another step forward for our new R1, my Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha team, and me,” Cameron commented. “I’m super-happy with how the test went. I love this track, and I think we’re pretty much ready to come back here and race.”
In Superstock 1000, Red Bull/RoadRace Factory/Yamaha rider Jake Gagne was fastest in his class after the first day of the test, but on day two, Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Dane Westby dropped his laptimes significantly and shot to the top of the charts with a Superbike-comparable time in the 2:11s. Later on the second day, Jake also put his #32 R1 into the 2:11s, but Dane’s 2:11.580 held up to make him and his #00 R1 the fastest Superstock 1000 rider and bike of the test. Dane and Jake were fourth- and fifth-fastest, respectively, out of all riders at the test, in any class, and they were also faster than a number of non-Yamaha Superbikes who participated.
Yamaha R6: Supersport and Superstock 600
In middleweight racing, it’s no secret that the Yamaha R6 is the motorcycle of choice for many riders and teams. The bike’s racing success is well-documented, and the Official MotoAmerica Test at COTA was further proof of its pedigree.
In Supersport testing, Yamalube/Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha rider Garrett Gerloff led the majority of the sessions aboard his #31 R6, and he ended up the fastest 600 rider overall. Wheels In Motion/MotoSport.com/Meen Yamaha rider Josh Herrin was second-fastest at the test aboard his #2 R6. Garrett’s teammate and rider of the #95 R6, JD Beach, was fourth-fastest overall.
“We tried a few different things at this test but, for the most part, my laptimes were pretty consistent,” Garrett said. “In the last session, we went back to some of our earlier settings, and it felt a lot better. I’m really happy to be come out on top at this test, and I’m looking forward to coming back here in a couple of weeks to start the season.”
Wheels In Motion/MotoSport.com/Meen Yamaha rider Joe Roberts, who is competing in MotoAmerica’s Superstock 600 class aboard the #27 R6, recorded the fastest time in his class and the fifth-fastest overall in both middleweight classes. It was a very good test for Joe, who is Yamaha-mounted for the first time in his racing career.
The 2015 MotoAmerica season debuts on April 10-12 when the stars of U.S motorcycle road racing return to COTA to join the MotoGP stars at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas.
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.