Wyman battles adversity to match season-best 6th place finish on his Genuine Broaster Chicken Ducati
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 4) — Kyle Wyman posted up a season-best 6th place finish Sunday after bouncing back from a Saturday crash at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Wyman rode his Genuine Broaster Chicken/SC Project Ducati Panigale V4 R to what was an impressive result.
The KWR team has been hard at work this season developing the new bike for competition, and this most recent result is a sign of good things to come for the small team. After a tough Friday qualifying day, where Wyman missed Superpole for the first time all season, the Broaster Chicken-sponsored team made some massive changes to the bike to get Wyman more comfortable.
After a terrible start in Saturday’s race one, Wyman battled through from the back of the grid to run in the lead group, running lap times the same as the leaders for the first three laps of the race. Wyman made a mistake on lap four, was late to the brakes in turn one and ran off track. In an effort to slow the bike, he crashed in the gravel trap just short of the tire wall. The crash ended the bid for a season-best result on Saturday, but with big promise for Sunday.
“Saturday’s race for me was just really weird,” Wyman said. “I think I was just flustered from the moment I woke up that morning. After missing Superpole I was frustrated and felt like I was on the back foot all weekend. I got a terrible start in the race, ran off in turn 5 on the first lap, then worked my way back up into the lead group only to run off again and crash. It was hectic and not a race I’m proud of. Too many mistakes. It’s a real shame because the bike felt the best it has been all year long.”
Sunday was a new day, and Wyman went out in the morning warm-up session with some additional changes to the chassis on the Panigale. The bike began to overheat after 5 laps into the session and the KWR team was tasked with their biggest challenge of the year.
“It turned out that in the crash from Saturday we punctured a tiny hole in the new radiator,” Wyman added. “We only had one of the new H2O radiators from Italy and no spares, so we took it to a local shop to get fixed. They couldn’t fix it, and we were in a mad scramble to put together the bike with a stock radiator for the race. My guys got the bike back together just in time for the sighting lap.”
Wyman left for the sighting lap straight from the truck, with more big changes to the chassis for race two. After an excellent start from the fourth row, Wyman found himself in a race-long battle for 6th place with fellow riders Jake Gagne, Cam Peterson and Jake Lewis. Wyman passed Gagne on the final lap and held on for 6th, matching his best finish of the season.
“Race two was awesome, and so much fun,” Wyman said. “There’s nothing I love more than a big battle at Road America and coming out on top of it. My bike was the best it’s ever been, so I think we’ve finally found a good setup on the Panigale V4 R and the top speed of the Ducati was good enough to hold off the BMW to the line – and we still have a completely stock motor. After all the drama of almost missing the race, it feels amazing to have come away with a solid result to get us back on track.”
“After such a long, tough year last year it’s an amazing feeling to be back in the battle for some respectable positions. My goal was to cut our gap to the front in half, and we accomplished that this weekend. The Ducati adventure just grabbed a gear and I couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come the rest of the season. I want to extend a huge thank you to Genuine Broaster Chicken for their title support at Road America, SC Project USA and the loyal KW Army for continuing to support me no matter where we finish. Looking forward to Utah in a couple weeks.”
Wyman holds down 10th overall in series standings leaving Road America.
The 2019 MotoAmerica Series continues June 15-16 for round five, at Utah Motorsports Campus in Grantsville, UT.
Visit www.kylewymanracing.com for more news and updates.
More, from a press release issued by Rodio Racing:
Another Top 10 for Gus Rodio at Road America
Setting the second fastest trap speed (over 120 mph), and a personal best lap time, Gus Rodio brought home a ninth place finish in the Liqui Moly Junior Cup series at Road America this past weekend.
The weekend had its share of drama as weather threatened race one. Leaning on experience from VIR, the Rodio Racing team took a gamble and went out on Dunlop’s wet tires. “We took a chance and it didn’t pay off” Rodio said. “We destroyed that tire, but made it to the checkers in 15th place.”
Race two saw conditions clear up dramatically, and Rodio enjoyed a race long battle with a pack of riders fighting for seventh place. “Artie Meeker spins wrenches for us, and I have no doubt my bike can run with any in the class. It’s great having the confidence and support of my team and the bike to go head to head with the rest of these guys” Rodio said. His personal best in race two was over 1.5 seconds faster than qualifying.
Despite the early progress and successes, Rodio Racing considers this a development season. “We haven’t been to most of the tracks we’re racing, and the schedule is packed so track time is limited to learn the lines”, Kevin Rodio, team owner and Gus’ father commented. “Still, we’re proud of the effort the rider is putting in, getting up to speed quickly and happy with the results.“
Rodio Racing will take a short break as the series moves far west for the next few rounds and resume racing with MotoAmerica at Pittsburgh on 8/23.
Rodio Racing is sponsored by: N2 Racing, EvolveGT Track Days, Bell Powersports, K-Tech Suspension, Innovative Motorcycle Research, NJMiniGP, Vortex Racing, Motool, Spellcaster Productions, Kathedral Event Center, Category 5 Racing and Jonco Collision.
More, from a press release issued by Weir Everywhere Racing BMW:
Travis Wyman scores fourth place finish, battles with front runners at MotoAmerica Dunlop Championship at Road America
Weir Everywhere Racing BMW rider maintains fourth place in Stock 1000 Class championship standings
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — It was a weekend of close racing and tough luck for Weir Everywhere BMW rider Travis Wyman at the MotoAmerica Dunlop Championship at Road America.
The 2018 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Class runner up and Las Vegas resident entered the weekend hoping to score his first win of the 2019 season at the class’ first doubleheader event May 31-June 2 at Road America. Two of Wyman’s five career MotoAmerica victories have taken place on the historic 4.048-mile circuit, and Wyman scored the first-ever Stock 1000 pole position at the track in 2018.
The team started the weekend off strong as Wyman claimed a front row starting position. In Saturday’s Race 1, Wyman got a good start aboard the team’s BMW S 1000 RR but got separated from the leading two riders early in the race. He then found himself in a close battle for third place and missed out on a podium finish by 0.112 seconds. In Sunday’s Race 2, Wyman was in the leading group of three riders from the start. He was making a move for the lead on the last lap when he lost traction on his front tire and crashed out of the race. While a race win eluded him, Wyman left Road America having maintained fourth place in the Stock 1000 championship standings.
The next round of the MotoAmerica series takes place on a new track layout at Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah (formerly known as Miller Motorsports Park). For 2019, all MotoAmerica classes will race on the 2.2-mile East Course. Wyman has ample experience at the facility as a motorcycle road racer and as an instructor for the Ford Performance School, which should help the team get its BMW package dialed in quickly.
Travis Wyman / #24
“It ended up being a tough weekend for us, but we did collect some valuable championship points and are still in the battle for the class title. Everyone on our team really stepped up their game this weekend and we had two good qualifying sessions that put our BMW S 1000 RR on the front row. I had a great battle with another rider in Race 1 and just came up a little short drafting him to the finish line. We made some changes after Race 1, and it was great battling for the lead in Race 2. I made an aggressive move that unfortunately didn’t work out on the last lap, but that’s how racing goes sometimes. While everyone on the team expected stronger race results this weekend, we found a really good setup for Race 2 and will take what we learned to the next round. I have a lot of experience at UMC and expect to be right back at the front there.”
More, from a press release issued by Quarterley Racing/On Track Development:
Daniels Podiums Twice, Barnes Narrows Points Gap
In the third complete round of MotoAmerica racing for 2019, Quarterley Racing On Track Development rider Dallas Daniels picked up two more podiums in the LIQUI MOLY Junior Cup series while Michael Barnes narrowed his points gap in the Twins Cup. Daniels’ teammates Teagg Hobbs and Jamie Astudillo also showed major improvements in Wisconsin.
Dallas Daniels took home a second and a third place finish in the LIQUI MOLY Junior Cup races on a Quarterley On Track Development Kawasaki Ninja 400.
After qualifying second, Daniels launched into the lead off the front row in race one, leading for three laps. From there, he fought a tight battle with another rider, only to come up less than a tenth of a second short of the win at the line.
Race two turned out to be a three-way battle, with each rider within a few fractions of a second of the others. At the line Daniels came in third, the top three riders separated by 15 hundredths of a second.
“I thought I was in the perfect position to draft and pass for the win in race two, but it turns out I was a little too close to the rear wheel of the rider in front of me for that to work. I know I have the speed and I know where I need to work on my racecraft for the win.”
Daniels maintained his second place in the points standings at Road America as the team heads west to the races at the Utah Motorsports Campus on June 15 and 16.
Michael Barnes finished third in the Twins Cups race at Road America on a Quarterley Racing Ducati Monster 797 with additional help from Ducati North America and Moto Corse Performance.
Michael Barnes:
“We sat out Saturday practice thinking the weather would be better on Sunday and it was. We dropped a bunch of time in qualifying Sunday morning, but I didn’t expect that many people to be that competitive in the race, although with all the drafting opportunities at Road America, I really wasn’t that surprised. I was able to stay with the lead group in the draft but I wasn’t able to pull out of the draft and make a pass. I was super strong in some areas, but only if I had a clear track ahead of me.
“The race was nuts at first. The leader was really strong on the brakes going into downhill turn five and I was losing some time there. If there is one area on our Ducati that could be improved, it would be on the brakes. It’s just a little too soft right now and the bike gets a little unstable if it’s too stiff. We’re dealing with a lack of testing. The bike is working well, so we haven’t been able to to make huge changes at the track with limited sessions.
“I’m looking forward to Utah and the more technical tracks where we can take advantage of the positives the Ducati has to offer. I was glad to hear that they’re going to use the shorter track at Utah, and Laguna Seca is also very technical. The advantage is more for me than the bike. These young kids in the class are learning more and more every round and they’re going to be even more competitive as the season goes on. I reduced my gap to first place in the points from 11 to three at Road America, but the points race behind me has tightened up at the same time.”
Teagg Hobbs:
“It was my first time at Road America. It was hard to focus on certain parts of the racetrack just because it’s so long, but I was dropping lap times every single lap. Unfortunately, I had a bad qualifying session and ended up eighteenth on the grid, so I knew I had a lot of work to do in the races. First race we thought we were going to have to come in for rain tires but it turned out to be a dry race. I was in the battle for eleventh and ended up twelfth. After the race the team and I knew what we had to do on Sunday. Even though it was really cold for race two, it was sunny and the track had a lot more grip and I went faster than race one. I was in thirteenth for the first half of race and worked my way up to the group that was battling for seventh. Because of the long straights, Road America is a huge drafting track. On the last lap I hit a false neutral going into the chicane and the pack I was in got a two second lead. I was thinking that I had to put in the best four corners of my life before the checkered flag. By the line I was half a bikelength from the last guy in the group racing for seventh. In three of the five sectors I was just as fast as the leaders, but the other two sectors put me back. In race two I was 3.5 seconds faster than race one, which was 3.5 seconds faster than my qualifying time. I’m working better with the team every race. I’ll be doing some testing this weekend and I’m confident I’ll be able to run at the front in Utah.”
Jamie Astudillo:
“It was my third time at Road America and I struggled all weekend. The first session I wasn’t too far off the pace, but I’ve got a lot going on in my mind with my past crashes and it was hard to go out and compete. I just have to stop thinking about riding and go out and ride the bike. I did make some improvements in technique, particularly with maintaining my line. The little things are getting better and Dale’s coaching has helped a lot. In the second race the clutch just didn’t have enough free play in it and the bike wouldn’t shift. I’m going to go the Virginia International Raceway this weekend for a track day on Friday and Championship Cup Series races on Saturday and Sunday. I’ll be riding the Kawasaki Ninja 400 that Dale built for the endurance race at Roebling Road. It’s just to have some fun riding. Hopefully that will kick start me for the next MotoAmerica round at the Utah Motorsports Campus this month.”
Quarterley Racing On Track Development sponsors for 2019 include Inter-Tech Supplies, Fast By Ferracci, Inc, Yoshimura Research & Development of America, Inc., Wiseco Powersports, Motul USA., Regina Chain, BrakeTech USA, Inc., Ferodo Racing, Matt & Jesse, Scott Powersports, Inc., Defiance Lifestyle, Woodcraft Technologies, Dynojet Research Inc., Beta Tools of Italy – USA, RoadracingWorld.com, Drippinwet.com, MOTO-D Racing, Fast Bike Industries, VAN DYK Recycling Solutions, Earl’s Racing Team and Kiwi Classic Moto