This weekend’s results are brought to you by 6D Helmets.
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Beaubier Takes Race One At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Perfect Race For Five-Time Champ As Elias Grabs Second
MONTEREY, CA (October 24, 2020) – If this is the last weekend in Cameron Beaubier’s MotoAmerica career then he seems determined to make it one he won’t soon forget. Beaubier got his weekend off to a bang on Saturday, the five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion turning in a perfect 20 laps to take victory in the first of three HONOS Superbike races at the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Speedfest at Monterey.
Beaubier demolished the competition, leading from pole position over the hill and into turn two with the lead and he never looked back. The Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha rider slowed in the final corner, did a stand-up wheelie over the finish line and still won by 10.734 seconds for his 14th win of the season – just a day after announcing that he will be leaving the MotoAmerica Series to pursue the Moto2 World Championship.
“To be honest, when I was sitting on the grid all that stuff kind of goes away,” Beaubier said. “You’re just thinking about in the moment and you just want to go do the best you can in the race. Yesterday started off the weekend knowing that my time has come to an end with Yamaha here in the States and I’m starting a new adventure next year. Obviously, everything was going through my head. I’m nervous, excitement, just all this stuff. I’m glad I could give my guys a win today. My bike has been so good all weekend so far. Like I’ve kind of said all year, it’s just pretty exciting going to all these tracks because, yeah, I’ve been riding the R1 for the past five years or whatever, but it feels like I have a new bike every track we go to because of the electronics system, the way Richard (Stanboli, his team owner and crew chief) runs it. It’s so advanced. My bike’s just working so good. I’m just having pure fun on this thing. I’m just going to enjoy the rest of the weekend and hope to put in some strong racing again tomorrow.”
Beaubier topped the man he has battled for most of his Superbike career – Toni Elias. Elias, who announced this week that he will not race a Suzuki in next year’s championship, battled through after a rough start to finish second for just his second podium of the season.
“We are getting closer, but I can’t change the situation,” Elias said. “It is what it is. It’s not good, but in this case, I was struggling when we were battling. I’m very happy. I struggle a lot the first 10 laps. Then I saw Bobby (Fong) and Jake (Gagne) slow down little by little. Then, there was still seven laps. I just try for the last few laps. I could pass him (Gagne), but I didn’t want to. Tomorrow is going to be another two races.”
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York’s Lorenzo Zanetti also struggled in the opening laps in his first race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, but once the tires came in, he moved forward, passing Beaubier’s teammate Jake Gagne in the closing stages to finish third. Gagne looked to have second in the bag after M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong crashed out of their battle. But Gagne ran into fueling issues that ultimately dropped him to fourth.
“Obviously, the podium is unexpected today,” Zanetti said. “I come from the first row so it’s not bad, but the base is not really consistent. So, it’s difficult for me to be at the front. Yesterday I just see Cameron (Beaubier) and I think I learn some trick, but honestly the pace of Cameron is too fast.”
Gagne held on for fourth place, some four seconds clear of Ducati Richmond/KWR Ducati’s Kyle Wyman, with Wyman barely beating Westby Racing stand-in rider Niccolo Canepa at the finish line by just .054 of a second.
Scheibe Racing BMW’s Josh Herrin bested Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen, the South African wrapping up the MotoAmerica Superbike Cup with his eighth-place finish and will earn $25,000 for his efforts.
Rock and Sons Racing’s Jayson Uribe rode his Honda CBR1000RR to ninth with Ride HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander rounding out the top 10.
The final two HONOS Superbike races will take place tomorrow at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. If Beaubier were to win both, he would match the 16-win season record set previously by his former teammate Josh Hayes.
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Westby Racing’s Canepa and Wyman Take “Route 66” On Saturday At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Monterey, CA – October 24, 2020 – On the penultimate day of the 2020 MotoAmerica season, Westby Racing’s pair of riders—Niccolò Canepa aboard the #11 Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike and Cody Wyman aboard the #34 Yamaha YZF-R3 Junior Cup machine—got their kicks on Route 66 when they each finished sixth in their respective races.
For Niccolò, Saturday’s race was a big learning experience, especially because he usually races and tests on a different brand of tires in Europe. Going a full race distance on the Dunlop tires gave him and the team a lot of information that they can use to their advantage in tomorrow’s two season-ending races.
Starting from seventh on the grid based on Friday’s qualifying results, Niccolò knew that launching from the third row was going to be a challenge. He lost a couple of positions in the opening laps, but then, he regrouped and started moving forward. Battling with Kyle Wyman for pretty much the entire race, Niccolò took the checkered flag in sixth to improve by one position over where he started the 20-lap race.
“I’m quite happy about today’s race, but I’m not fully happy about the result because I wanted to be closer to the front,” Niccolò said. “It was very, very important to do the 20 laps in a row in order to understand about the tires and the bike, and when we have a drop in the tire, whether I have to change my riding style. We learned a lot and understand now how to ride the bike better with these (Dunlop) tires. Also, we understand what we need to do with the setting for tomorrow’s two races. So, we will change the bike for tomorrow, and I think I will change my riding style. Our results are going to be better, for sure. I saw (Lorenzo) Zanetti, and I think we can race with him. Cameron (Beaubier) is on another level this weekend. He’s doing great. But, I believe we can be closer to the front tomorrow, and I am ready for it. I enjoyed today’s race, especially the last few laps racing with (Kyle) Wyman. That was good fun, but tomorrow, I want to be more in front.”
Superbike race two starts on Sunday at 11 a.m. Pacific, and race three is also on Sunday, at 3 p.m. Pacific. Both races will be broadcast LIVE on FOX Sports 2 (FS2) and Eurosport in addition to being streamed live and also available on Video On Demand through MotoAmerica Live+.
In Saturday’s Junior Cup race, ironically, Cody also started on the third row in seventh position. But, unlike his teammate, he immediately went forward. At the end of the first lap, he moved all the way up to fourth. And then, at the end of lap two, he got shuffled back to sixth where he engaged in a race-long battle with Ben Gloddy. The pair shuffled back and forth between fifth and sixth, and across the finish line, Cody had to settle for sixth, just .054 of a second behind Gloddy in fifth.
“I got a great launch and made moves to get into fourth place on the opening lap. It felt pretty good to have the leaders right there for a few laps. Then, we lost touch, and I settled into a race for fifth place with Gloddy. Honestly, it felt pretty awesome to not be in a mess of a group, where riders are passing each other and slowing each other up. I was glad to get into the 37’s early in the race, and I just waited until the last lap and last corner to make a move. I tried to slow us both down at the apex, but I lost the drag race to the line and ended up sixth.
“Overall, it’s been a decent weekend so far. I got held up this morning in final qualifying, but I was happy to be able to battle through some other riders on my Yamaha. Now, it’s down to the final race of the season. I’m looking forward to trying some changes in the morning, and I can’t wait to grid up on Sunday. Let’s finish the 2020 season off strong.”
Sunday’s Junior Cup race two is at 2:10 p.m. Pacific, and it will be streamed on MotoAmerica Live+. FOX Sports 2 (FS2) will broadcast both of the weekend’s Junior Cup races via tape-delay on Tuesday, October 27th starting at 6 p.m. Pacific.
For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites. Also, visit https://www.WestbyRacing.com
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Beaubier Flawless in Race One at MotoAmerica Season Finale
Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Beaubier put on another dominant performance in Saturday’s Superbike race one of the MotoAmerica season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. His teammate Jake Gagne was battling for a podium position but unfortunately, a technical issue had him crossing the line in fourth.
Fresh off of securing his fifth MotoAmerica Superbike title, Beaubier hit the ground running, securing his seventh pole position in Friday’s afternoon qualifying session. When the lights went out, the Californian got off to a great start and grabbed the holeshot. He then went on to build a healthy gap, crossing the line over 10-seconds ahead of the competition for his 14th win this season.
Gagne also showed speed early, topping Friday’s practice session and lining up alongside his teammate on the front row of the grid. At the start, he slotted in behind Beaubier and was holding down second. Five laps into the race, the battle for second heated up. Gagne was able to hold off the competition for a while but was eventually passed in Turn 2 after going a bit wide. Around the halfway mark, he was able to reclaim the runner-up position after the rider ahead crashed out of the race. Unfortunately for Gagne, a technical issue made it difficult to hold off subsequent challengers and he was shuffled back to fourth in the final laps of the race.
The Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing team return to action for Sunday’s doubleheader at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca looking to finish the 2020 MotoAmerica season on a high note.
Richard Stanboli – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Our Yamaha’s have always worked really well at Laguna and with Cameron at the controls the combination is unstoppable. Even though it wasn’t the result we were looking for with Jake in race one, he is in a good position to capture second place in the championship in race two. To ultimately finish 1-2 in the championship would be a great accomplishment for the team.”
Cameron Beaubier – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“My bike is working so great around this place. I’m just having a lot of fun. The championship is behind us, so I’m just riding free and enjoying this weekend knowing that it is going to be my last one with Yamaha. Tomorrow’s going to be a tough one with two races, so I’m going to enjoy this one tonight and come back ready for it.”
Jake Gagne – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“Today’s race was a bit rough. I got off to a good start behind Cam and our first few laps we’re pretty good. Unfortunately, we ran into an issue that caused us to keep losing power. Luckily we were able to bring it home in fourth and salvage some points. The track heated up more than we had thought it would after a cold few days, but we were able to learn a bit about how the tires held up. I’m ready and excited for two races tomorrow and to finish off the year strong.”
