More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Petrucci Perfect In MotoAmerica Superbike Series Opener At COTA
Ducati Rider Wins The First Two Races Of His MotoAmerica Career In Texas
AUSTIN, TX (April 10, 2022) – Danilo Petrucci made his debut in the Auto Parts 4 Less MotoAmerica Championship a perfect one with his second victory of the weekend coming on a breezy Sunday afternoon at Circuit of The Americas in the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike class.
Petrucci won his first-ever MotoAmerica race on Saturday and came back on Sunday to match that performance. Although Sunday’s race featured a larger, 5.1-second margin of victory than Saturday’s race, it was actually the tougher of the two races for the Italian as it featured a heated battle early on with Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz. Petrucci and Scholtz traded the lead on several occasions until the South African started having moments sketchy enough for him to say enough was enough, and he opted to make certain of his second runner-up finish of the weekend in what was the season opener at COTA.
Behind the lead duo came defending MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Champion Jake Gagne, the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha rider finishing third to salvage 16 valuable championship points after a miserable weekend for the Gagne side of the Yamaha rig. Yesterday’s race one was a disaster for Gagne and crew with his bike failing to start the race with another engine failure. On Sunday, Gagne rode his backup bike but suffered from a lack of track time due to the mechanical ills that plagued them all weekend. He will take his third-place finish and move on to Road Atlanta in two weeks for round two of the championship.
Fortunately, the Cameron Petersen side of the team fared better with the South African finishing third on Saturday and fourth on Sunday. Petersen hounded Gagne for the duration, coming up just a 10th of a second behind his teammate at the finish.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante didn’t botch the start of today’s race as he did in Saturday’s 14-lapper, and it made for a much better result. Escalante turned the tables from yesterday on his teammate Jake Lewis, passing him toward the end of the race and holding on to finish fifth. Lewis, who was sixth on Saturday, ended up matching that with a second sixth-place finish.
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera was just off the back of Lewis and finished seventh, well clear of eighth-placed Hayden Gillim on Disrupt Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000.
Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Travis Wyman was ninth for the second straight day with Cycle World/Octane/Chuckwalla Racing’s Michael Gilbert rounding out the top 10, a day after the Californian crashed out of race one early on.
Petrucci’s perfect weekend puts him at the head of the championship point standings with 50 points, 10 more than Scholtz’s 40 points. Petersen is third with 29 points, nine better than the three riders tied for fourth with 20 points: Escalante, Lewis and Barbera. After his rough weekend, Gagne is seventh with 16 points.
Danilo Petrucci – Winner
“Definitely I have to be happy for this weekend. I didn’t know what would be my level. The only thing I knew was this track. Fortunately, our bike is really good on braking and on maximum speed. I can carry that speed in the corner. I need to brake hard and pick up the bike in the straight. Definitely have to say thanks to all my team because we had really quite few chances to ride and to make experience. The bike was better now. It was really great to fight with Mat (Scholtz). As I told you yesterday, we go to Atlanta, which is a completely new tack for me.
Mathew Scholtz – Second
“I think Danilo (Petrucci) on lap two or three, I could see I was a little bit stronger in the middle part of the track. I just tried to kind of pass him in the corner. I just tried to make sure that he couldn’t drive and get me back. I thought Cam (Petersen) and (Jake) Gagne were a lot closer to us. I think Danilo maybe passed me at the halfway point. I’m really, really happy to be back. Two second places, I couldn’t be happier. Both of these guys are extremely talented motorcycle riders and I’m honored to be up here on the podium with them.
Jake Gagne – Third
“Just hats off to the team. It wasn’t an easy weekend for them. After the warmup, we did a couple of sighting laps. The bike was running okay, but I knew the race would be tough. Figured out what I could to kind of roll in this. I’m just glad I got on the podium. It was a tough weekend. Good to get a couple points because these guys are going to be working. Keep the ball rolling.
“I kind of sat at my pace and just rode how I could. I could see those guys go back and forth. I’m like, ‘come on, let’s keep roughing these guys up, make it interesting.’ There was one of the laps I saw Danilo (Petrucci) started pulling away because he had the pace. Mat (Scholtz) was trying. Mat had some big moments. It was good to get out this weekend again. Just keep on fighting.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Danilo Petrucci Creates a Dream Debut in MotoAmerica
Two Wins From Two Starts Signal The Italian Stallion Has Arrived in MotoAmerica
Sunnyvale, Calif., April 10, 2022 – Danilo Petrucci and the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC team started the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike season at Circuit of The Americas in perfect style with two dominant victories on the factory-backed Ducati Panigale V4 SBK.
The former double MotoGP race winner was in fine form across the two days of competition, dominating in both races despite this being his first competition on the Panigale.
Petrucci also had to content with the Dunlop control tire used in MotoAmerica, but that didn’t stop him as the stunning red and white Panigale roared to the win in front of Petrucci’s MotoGP friends and family, the paddock he’s spent the last 10 years competing in.
The wins place Petrucci on a perfect 50 point haul to lead the championship from Scholtz on 40 points heading into round two of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Road Atlanta on April 22-24.
2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship Standing – Top 5
P1 – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 50
P2 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 40
P3 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha) 29
P4 – Richie Escalante (Suzuki) 20
P5 – Jake Lewis (Suzuki) 20
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9) : “It was a great day. We were concerned about the tire wear because we didn’t know which tire compound was better. Yesterday, we suffered a little with the rear tire but today we made a few changes on the set up because we didn’t have the chance to ride in the warm up, just straight into the race.”
Petrucci said after race two. “Mathew Scholtz was really hard on braking and I didn’t want to crash with him so I got in front, closed the door a bit and tried to push as hard as possible. I created a gap and it was so nice to make a double victory on my MotoAmerica debut. I want to say thanks to the whole Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC team. We did an amazing job and now it’s onto Road Atlanta.”
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz Notches A Runner-Up Two-fer In Texas
Austin, TX – April 10, 2022 – The Westby Racing team couldn’t have asked for a much better start to the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship than the one they had this weekend at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. Last year’s championship runner-up Mathew Scholtz notched two second-place finishes at COTA aboard the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, and he led each of the two races on the weekend.
Starting from second on the grid, Mathew got a decent start off the line, but was shuffled back one spot on the opening lap. He quickly went to work, however, moving back up to second, and then he overtook former MotoGP rider Danilo Petrucci for the lead. The two fierce riders battled back-and-forth and swapped positions several times, with Mathew asserting himself at the front on lap three and being credited with leading laps four, five, and six. A casualty of the fight, however, was Mathew’s tires, which began to lose grip as the laps wound down. Petrucci overtook Mathew on lap seven and didn’t relinquish it for the remainder of the 14-lap race. Mathew held strong to his position and took the checkered flag in second place for the second day in a row.
“I could see that Danilo was a little bit stronger than he was yesterday in the middle part of the track,” Mathew said. “So, I passed him in the corner and just tried to make sure that he couldn’t drive and get me back. I thought Cam Petersen and Jake Gagne were a lot closer to us than they were. I think Danilo maybe passed me around the halfway point of the race. I’m really, really happy to be back up here on the podium, though. Two second-place finishes. I couldn’t be happier. Both of these guys (Petrucci and Gagne) are extremely talented motorcycle riders. I’m honored to be up here on the podium with them.”
Mathew and the Westby Racing team will be back in action for round two of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which takes place at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, on April 22 through 24.
MotoAmerica Superbike Standings
1. Danilo Petrucci – Ducati – 50
2. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 40
3. Cameron Petersen – Yamaha – 29
4. Richie Escalante – Suzuki – 20
5. Jake Lewis – Suzuki – 20
For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com
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