Josh Herrin crushes the field to win Race Two at Road America

Sunnyvale, Calif. — The third round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship marked the best one of the season to date for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team with Josh Herrin taking a resounding victory in race two and teammate Loris Baz having an excellent ride by taking fourth.

The race weekend didn’t start as it finished. The heavens opened for race one, drenching the 4.05-mile layout with torrential rain that made staying on the track difficult as the 220-plus horsepower machines aquaplaned their way around it.

Baz led the Ducati charge in race one, taking his first podium of the season in third, with Herrin in ninth at the flag.

Race two, however, was all Herrin. Under perfect blue skies, the number 2 rocketed off the line into turn one and slammed the hammer down, setting a metronomic pace in the lead as the rest struggled to keep up.

Herrin was so far out in front that he was able to cruise around on the final lap, eventually coming home nine seconds clear of Bobby Fong. Baz just missed out on a second podium of the weekend in fourth.

It marked a turning point for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team, which is now brimming with confidence heading into round four at Brainerd in two weeks.

2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship After Round Three

P1 – Jake Gagne 113

P2 – Cameron Beaubier 95

P3 – Bobby Fong 88

P4 – Cameron Petersen 83

P5 – Sean Dylan Kelly 83

P6 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 79

P7 – Loris Baz (Ducati) 72

 

 

 

Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)

“It was a super good weekend,” Herrin enthused after race two. “The race in the rain didn’t go how I wanted, but Baz got third, so that was great for him and the team. We knew we’d be up there if the second race was dry. We got off the line well, built up a good lead early, and cruised at the end. The team did a great job setting up the Panigale V4 R—it’s always a fast bike at this track—and we’ve got a lot of good tracks for our bike coming up, but I’m going to savor this victory and get a positive snowball going for the next few rounds.”

 

 

Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)

“Overall, it was a good weekend,” Baz said. “I wanted to do a little better coming here, but my first podium in the rain was great. They were crazy conditions, and the bike worked really well. In the dry we were missing a bit with the set-up, but we made a huge improvement in the warm-up session. In the second race, I was doing my qualifying pace all race long, which helped me get back into the podium fight. I couldn’t get the podium in that one, but I’m really happy for Josh and the team to have two podiums in two races at this track. I’ll do everything to be up there with him at the next round.”

The fourth round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship sees the series head northwest to Brainerd in Minnesota over the July 12-14 weekend.

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.:

Gagne Strengthens Championship Lead at Road America

Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne expands MotoAmerica Superbike Championship lead with a top-five finish in Race 2

MARIETTA, Ga. –  June 3, 2024 – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne made further championship gains at MotoAmerica Superbike Round 3, finishing the weekend with a top-five finish in Race 2. His 2-5 score at Road America has him leaving Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, with an 18-point lead in the title chase. Unfortunately, Cameron Petersen’s race ended early with a technical issue before the halfway mark.

In Sunday’s dry race two, Gagne got a good start from the front row of the grid in third but was shuffled back to sixth. The defending three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion rode his own race and advanced a spot on the final lap to cross the line fifth, further expanding his points lead on a challenging day at the four-mile track.

On the heels of his second win of the season, it was also a tough race two for Petersen. The South African got another good start from the third row of the grid into the top five but was shuffled back in the early laps. He was riding in seventh when unfortunately he had to withdraw from the race with a technical issue on Lap 7. Petersen leaves Road America tied for fourth in the championship and 30 points from his teammate at the top spot. 

Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing heads to Brainerd, Minnesota, in two weeks’ time for Round 4 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Brainerd International Raceway on June 14-16.

Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager

“It was a good weekend overall. We still leave with the championship lead and with a little bit of a bump because of the competitors who didn’t finish well or didn’t finish at all yesterday. So it was kind of a mulligan for them. I think we made a bad tire choice today. We were banking on the temperature coming up and it never did, and then it was too late to change it. So that hurt our pace there, and then we had a technical issue with the #45, but we’ll correct that for Brainerd.”

 

 

Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #1

“It was a good race yesterday, and the bike was awesome in the wet. We knew this track would be kind of tough. Obviously, we’re still having arm issues and that doesn’t make it easy, but I think we’re a little off on setup. I think we’ve just got to kind of reset and we’ll reset at Brainerd. The team was awesome as always. We’re still in this thing, and on a tough weekend we were able to get some good points and leave with the championship lead.”

 

 

Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45

“Honestly, it was a tough weekend. We were struggling in the dry. It seems like every time I’ve brought myself back up in the championship, something happens, so it just sucks to finish the weekend off like that, but that’s racing. Taking the positives away from it, it was nice getting the win yesterday. We definitely have some work to do and we’ll come back stronger at the next race.”

 

About Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.

Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars [sold, serviced, and distributed by Yamaha Golf-Car Company], Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.

YMUS has a corporate office in California, three corporate offices in Georgia, as well as facilities in Wisconsin, Alabama, and Florida. YMUS subsidiaries Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America (YMMC), based in Georgia, and Yamaha Jet Boat Manufacturing U.S.A. (YJBM) based in Tennessee, each assemble and manufacture selected Yamaha brand products. YMUS owns Skeeter Boats [Texas] with its division G3 Boats [Missouri]. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company, Inc. (YMSC) with subsidiary Siren Marine [Rhode Island] and divisions Bennett Marine [Florida], Yamaha Marine Rotational Molders [Wisconsin] and Yamaha Precision Propeller Inc. [Indiana].

Yamaha Motor Finance Corporation, USA, dba Yamaha Financial Services, is an affiliate of Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA offering financing solutions to support Yamaha Dealers and loyal Yamaha Customers nationwide.

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA:

SUZUKI, TY SCOTT, AND ROCCO LANDERS WIN BIG AT ROAD AMERICA

Suzuki GSX-8Rs and the GSX-R750 Capture Multiple Podiums

Brea, CA, (June 3, 2024) — Suzuki Motor USA (Suzuki) and its premier MotoAmerica teams – Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, and RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki – emerged from a weekend of varied weather conditions at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, with podiums in both the wet and dry, headlined by spectacular last-lap victories courtesy of Tyler Scott aboard the Suzuki GSX-R750 in Supersport and Rocco Landers on the Suzuki GSX-8R in Twins Cup competition.

Race Highlights

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki

Supersport

Tyler Scott was strong all weekend long, regardless of conditions, ending things on a high note with a 0.001-second victory.

Teagg Hobbs twice finished inside the top ten.

Joel Ohman took his best finish yet with the team.

Twins Cup

Rossi Moor narrowly missed out on the podium on Saturday, but came through to finish third thanks to last-lap heroics of his own on Sunday.

Superbike

Brandon Paasch earned a top five and a seventh in the premier-class.

Xavi Forés demonstrated podium speed as he continued to demonstrate his world-class skills in substitute duty.

RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki

Twins Cup

Rocco Landers backed up a third-place podium in the wet with a thrilling last-lap win in Sunday’s dry race rematch aboard the GSX-8R.

 

 

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Tyler Scott (70) was strong aboard the team’s next-generation GSX-R750 all weekend long, regardless of conditions. Scott earned a spot on the Supersport front row and led Saturday’s wet race before ultimately earning a solid fourth-place finish. That merely set the stage for Sunday’s showdown, in which he executed a perfectly timed double draft to claim the victory at the checkered flag by an impossibly tight 0.001-second margin.

 

 

“It was a great race,” Scott said. “The plan going into the weekend was to stay in the pack and fight for the win in the end. We tried to lead races earlier in the season, and it didn’t quite work out in our favor. I was very comfortable in the race until the last two or three laps where I tried to get in as many passes as I could. Thanks to the whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team for preparing a beautiful GSX-R750 this weekend, as they have all season. I can’t thank the team, Suzuki, and everyone enough.”
 

 

 

Supersport sophomore Teagg Hobbs (79) returned to his more typical form after struggling at Barber Motorsports Park. Hobbs was back in the top ten after qualifying on Row 2 on his GSX-R750, claiming ninth on Saturday, and eighth on Sunday.

Hobbs said, “The first starts before the red flags were great, and I was battling in the top five where I want to be. In the last one, I didn’t get a great start and made a couple of mistakes. There weren’t enough laps to get back into it. We had the pace to do good things, so it was frustrating. My Suzuki was strong all weekend without many changes. I’m trying as hard as I can, and will keep at it.”

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s third Supersport runner, Joel Ohman (92), earned his best finish yet with the team, picking up ten positions from his starting spot on Saturday ,and following that up with more progress on Sunday.

“We went faster than I thought and had some good battles,” Ohman said. “In the rain, we had more grip than expected, so we were able to go quicker. Things were going well in the dry, but I overheated the front tire and wasn’t able to get the bike stopped like I needed to. Overall, I learned a lot and it was a good weekend.”
 

 

 

RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki star Rocco Landers (97) and his Suzuki GSX-8R were in outstanding form again at the high-speed Road America circuit. First, Landers edged fellow Suzuki ace Rossi Moor by 0.157 seconds to claim third in Saturday’s wet contest. Then Landers came back on a sunny Sunday to run the leader down from multiple seconds back and execute a final-lap pass to secure the victory in Race 2. As a result of his double podium weekend, Landers leaves Wisconsin as the Twins Cup series points leader as he continues to demonstrate the GSX-8R’s competitive promise.
 

 

 

Landers said, “We made a bit of a tire gamble, and it worked out in our favor. I was pushing so hard, and the whole RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki team and Suzuki have worked so hard developing the GSX-8R. This bike’s handling is incredible. It’s one of my favorite bikes I’ve ever ridden. I’m stoked with the progress we continue to make, and I’m excited about what’s to come. It’s great to come out of here with the points lead, and I can’t wait to get back to it.”
 

 

 

After Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s rising star Rossi Moor (92) was edged for the podium by Landers in the wet on Saturday, he responded with a last-lap overtake of his own aboard his GSX-8R to finish third in the dry in the Sunday rematch, further building on the GSX-8R’s multiple podiums for the weekend.

“That was a difficult race,” Moor said after Sunday’s battle. “The whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki crew worked extremely hard to get this bike up front. It was good, hard racing, and I’m so happy to be up on the podium after some bad luck in the first two rounds. I want to thank my crew, Suzuki, and everyone else who helped me get up here.”

 

 

Superbike pilot Brandon Paasch (96)  enjoyed his strongest weekend of the 2024 season, piloting the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R to a fifth-place finish on Saturday; and then holding off teammate Xavi Forés (34) to win their battle for seventh on Sunday.

“Solid weekend for us, dipping back into the top five in the wet conditions on Saturday,” said Paasch. “It was nice to run with the front boys some more and chip away at the gap to the front. Sunday, I rode hard to finish seventh battling with Xavi for the entire race, and finishing as the top Suzuki Superbike. I’m looking forward to Brainerd in two weeks.”

 

 

Reigning Supersport class champion Forés again showed big-time potential on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R Superbike, battling for a premier-class podium in the wet before a minor miscue cost Forés that opportunity. He rebounded to challenge Paasch for seventh throughout Sunday’s contest, coming up just 0.013 seconds short at the flag.

Forés said, “It was a tough weekend with some ups and downs, but we showed good progress. I wanted that podium on Saturday so badly. I had some good splits, but I made a small mistake – I braked like one meter too deep – and tucked the front. It was a shame, because we could have fought for the podium. We were also strong in the dry, and are still looking for a little extra to get up front. But we have to enjoy the progress made, and say thanks for this opportunity. Now we move on to Brainerd where I aim to have a better weekend.”

Both Suzuki teams will be back in action in two weeks’ time when the 2024 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship season arrives at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota, on June 14-16.

For Suzuki road racing news, results, and team updates, visit suzukicycles.com/racing/road-racing. For more information and updates on Team Hammer, visit teamhammer.com.

ABOUT TEAM HAMMER

The 2024 season marks Team Hammer’s 44th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won over 130 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums over 360 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport). The team has also won over 130 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.

ABOUT VISION WHEEL

Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation.  For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia USA:

DI MARIO PUTS APRILIA RS 660 ON MOTOAMERICA TWINS CUP POLE, TAKES TWO RUNNER-UP FINISHES AT ROAD AMERICA

CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER, GUS RODIO, GIVES APRILIA THREE PODIUM FINISHERS AT MAY 17-19 EVENT, AS HE MAINTAINS LEAD IN CLASS STANDINGS

ELKHART LAKE, WI — 3 JUNE 2024 — If you didn’t know Alessandro Di Mario was a rookie in MotoAmerica’s Twins Cup, it would be easy to be fooled from the results the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering has achieved so far this year. The 2022 Nicky Hayden AMA Road Race Horizon Award winner put in arguably his most stellar performance of the season on May 31 – June 2 at Road America, where he rode an Aprilia RS 660 to pole position and scored second-place finishes in both wet and dry conditions at the historic Wisconsin circuit.

Though two other Aprilia frontrunners for the year’s championship, Di Mario’s Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering teammate Gus Rodio, and TopPro Racing Team’s Avery Dreher, both endured setbacks, while one of the bright spots of the event was the Twins Cup debut of reigning MotoAmerica Build. Train. Race. champion Mikayla Moore, also on a Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering-prepped Aprilia RS 660. Moore was only able to take part in one of the weekend’s two Twins Cup contests, but she finished that race in ninth place after qualifying 10th.

Four Aprilia RS 660 riders finished among the top 10 fastest riders in Friday morning practice. The duo of Di Mario and Rodio were the fourth and fifth-fastest riders in that session. Dreher was seventh and Moore showed speed right out of the gate when she wrapped up the session in 10th. Later Friday, Di Mario showed his true dry weather pace as he reset the Twins Cup lap record at Road America with a best time of 2:24.625. Rodio provisionally qualified third, Dreher sixth and Moore ninth.

Qualifying concluded Saturday morning with Di Mario lowering his record-setting pace by more than a second to claim his second-consecutive Twins Cup pole position. Rodio remained in third place – giving Aprilia two riders on the front row of the starting grid. Dreher qualified seventh and Moore 10th.

Unfortunately for Moore, an injury from a crash early in Qualifying 2 did not allow her to set a lap time during that session or take part in the Saturday afternoon Race 1.

The start of Race 1 took place under very wet conditions after the Twins Cup race was delayed from its original early afternoon start. After riders were given a short extra practice session to test out the wet conditions, Rodio’s day started going from bad to worse. He missed getting out of the pit lane in time for the warm-up lap and ended up not taking part in the race due to a technical problem during that lap.

 

 

A few riders got by Di Mario when the lights went out for Race 1, but he got a couple of those positions back on the brakes into Turn 1 and slotted into third place as the field exited that corner. Di Mario and Dreher both moved up the running order early in Lap 1, with Di Mario taking over second place with a pass at Turn 5. Dreher had moved up to fifth place after starting seventh but suffered a crash at Turn 7 that knocked him out of contention for a podium finish. Di Mario ran the remaining laps of the shortened
five-lap race in a relatively lonely second place but still secured his fourth podium  appearance of the year. Other Aprilia riders who finished in the top 10 included Ghetto Customs’ Chris Parrish in eighth.

Race 2 took place under dry conditions, and Moore had recovered enough from her crash on Saturday to take part in her first Twins Cup race. Di Mario again lost at couple positions at the initial start, but he was not to be denied on the brakes going into Turn 1 and led the field through the holeshot. Rodio maintained third place through Turn 1 and made the move up to second at Turn 5. Unfortunately for Rodio, he crashed on the next lap at Turn 5 and rejoined the race at the back of the field. Rodio’s crash promoted Dreher from sixth to fifth place, and a last-lap crash for another front-running rider allowed Dreher to finish in fourth place. Di Mario’s early race pace was stellar, but the soft rear tire he chose for the race began to lose grip as the eight-lap race went on. He was overtaken on the last lap and had to settle for a close second place. Though he came oh-so-close to a victory, his second runner-up finish on the weekend helped him move up from third to second in the Twins Cup points standings. Other Aprilia riders who finished in the top 10 include Parrish in eighth, Moore in ninth and Team JBR’s Josef Bittner in 10th.

 

 

With four races remaining in the 2024 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season, Di Mario is just nine points behind the championship leader with Rodio fourth in the standings and Dreher sixth.

Thirty-seven riders were registered to race in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup at the Road America round, and about half of them (17) were registered as Aprilia RS 660 riders.

The MotoAmerica Twins Cup will be back in action in two weeks’ time at the next round, which is scheduled for June 14-16 at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota.

 

 

Alessandro Di Mario / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering

“On Saturday, the race went pretty well. It was my first podium in the rain, and I was excited to see how things would be under dry conditions on Sunday. We picked the wrong tire today, but I had a lot of fun. I can’t wait for the next round at Brainerd but am also really happy with the two podium finishes this weekend.”

 

 

Mikayla Moore / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering

“This weekend was a rollercoaster of emotions and achievements, and I’m super happy with how it all went. I was excited to take on double duty with racing in Twins Cup and Build. Train. Race., and I felt really confident when I was riding the Twins Cup bike. I had a successful test on it last weekend at a club race, and practice and Qualifying 1 went very smoothly. Securing a top-10 spot felt fantastic. I had a pretty gnarly high-side in Qualifying 2 that resulted in a right thigh contusion and didn’t allow me to race on Saturday. I bounced back on Sunday though in Race 2 and was thrilled to finish in ninth. A huge thanks to the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team for this incredible opportunity
and the support they showed me. This weekend was a learning experience, but I’m happy with how it went overall

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering:

Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Di Mario on pole, on MotoAmerica Twins Cup podium twice this past weekend at Road America

Team welcomes reigning MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Champion Mikayla Moore to its ranks for her Twins Cup debut

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – It was another superb weekend for MotoAmerica Twins Cup rookie Alessandro Di Mario at Road America. The Kentuckian followed up claiming his second straight pole position on Saturday with a pair of runner-up finishes in both wet and dry conditions on Saturday and Sunday. And he moved into a close second place in the points standings with just four races remaining.

The team welcomed a new rider to its fold for the Road America round, as current MotoAmerica Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race champion and current championship leader Mikayla Moore got her first taste of Twins Cup competition on one of the team’s Aprilia RS 660s. A Saturday crash kept Moore out of one race, but she scored a top-nine finish in her Twins Cup race debut after clinching a top-10 spot in qualifying.

Though the team’s second full-time rider, Gus Rodio, had his weekend soured by a technical problem and a tip-off, he and Di Mario are both very much still in contention for the 2024 Twins Cup title.

All three Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders showed good pace at the start of the weekend. Di Mario, Rodio and Moore finished Friday morning practice fourth-, fifth- and 10th-fastest, respectively. Things got even better for all three riders in Friday afternoon’s Qualifying 1 session, where Di Mario reset the Twins Cup lap record at Road America and Rodio and Moore wrapped up that session third and ninth in the provisional qualifying order.

In Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2 Di Mario lowered his best lap time by more than a second to claim his second-consecutive pole, while Rodio qualified third – giving the team two riders on the front row. It was an unfortunate session for Moore, who crashed early in the session and wasn’t able to take part in either of the two races she was slated to compete in Saturday afternoon. Her best time from Qualifying 1 was still enough to secure her 10th on the grid for when she did get back to racing on Sunday.

It was a hectic – and delayed – start to Race 1 due to the onset of wet conditions. The race’s start time was moved to later in the afternoon, and – like at Barber – the field was given a wet-weather practice session to assess the soaked track conditions. The race was shortened from eight laps to five, and Rodio missed the start of the warm-up lap, then pulled into the pits at the end of that lap with a technical issue. Unfortunately for Rodio, it was an engine problem that did not allow him to take part in the race.

When racing did finally take place, Di Mario made up for a mediocre jump off the line with a strong performance on the brakes into the first turn and was running in third place early in Lap 1. Di Mario moved up to second place with a pass a few corners later at Turn 5, but wasn’t able to catch up with the race leader and had to settle for a second place result.

Sunday’s Race 2 saw all three Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660s take the start, and Di Mario again made up for a not-so-great launch with a lunge on the brakes into Turn 1. He led the field through the first corner, and Rodio quickly moved into second place behind his teammate at Turn 5. Rodio’s fortunes, however, turned bitter a lap later when he crashed going into Turn 5 and had to return to the pits after getting his Aprilia running again. While Di Mario built a gap at the front of the field, Moore – who was promoted to ninth on the grid due to another rider not taking part in the race – ran as low as 10th and as high as eighth before finishing ninth. Di Mario’s big lead quickly shrank in the closing stages of the race as his softer-compound rear tire began loosing grip. He led every lap of the eight-lap race except the last one, but still scored his fifth podium appearance and first double-podium performance of the season.

Di Mario’s consistency at Road America gave him enough points to move up to second in the class standings – just nine points behind the championship leader. Rodio’s early-season successes have limited the damage from a downer weekend, as he sits fourth in the points standings.

The Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering will be back in action at the next MotoAmerica round, which takes place at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn., on June 14-16.

 

 
Alessandro Di Mario / No. 27

“On Saturday, the race went pretty well. It was my first podium in the rain, and I was excited to see how things would be under dry conditions on Sunday. We picked the wrong tire today, but I had a lot of fun. I can’t wait for the next round at Brainerd but am also really happy with the two podium finishes this weekend.”

 

 
Mikayla Moore / No. 78

“This weekend was a rollercoaster of emotions and achievements, and I’m super happy with how it all went. I was excited to take on double duty with racing in Twins Cup and Build. Train. Race., and I felt really confident when I was riding the Twins Cup bike. I had a successful test on it last weekend at a club race, and practice and Qualifying 1 went very smoothly. Securing a top-10 spot felt fantastic. I had a pretty gnarly high-side in Qualifying 2 that resulted in a right thigh contusion and didn’t allow me to race on Saturday. I bounced back on Sunday though in Race 2 and was thrilled to finish in ninth. A huge thanks to the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team for this incredible opportunity and the support they showed me. This weekend was a learning experience, but I’m happy with how it went overall.”

Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s technical partners for the 2024 season include Spellcaster Productions, Luxestar VIP, Geoscape Solar, MAR Contractors, Blud Lubricants, Spiegler Performance, Woodcraft Technologies, Dymag Performance Wheels, Millennium Technologies, Sprint Filter, Dunlop, SC Project, MVR Endeavor, GRG Designs, REB Graphics, NGK Spark Plugs, EvolveGT, Bitubo Suspension and N2 Racing.

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:

HARLEY-DAVIDSON FACTORY RACER KYLE WYMAN SETS A NEW KING OF THE BAGGERS TRACK RECORD AND WINS RACE TWO AT ROAD AMERICA

Rispoli Places Fourth on Sunday in an Intense Three Bike Battle for Third Place

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing rider Kyle Wyman used his masterful race craft and Harley-Davidson horsepower to score a dramatic victory on Sunday in MotoAmerica® Mission King of the Baggers action at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Wyman executed a perfect draft pass to beat Factory Indian rider, Troy Herfoss, across the finish line by 0.039 seconds and claim his fourth victory of the season.

On a double-header weekend, Wyman, aboard his race-prepared 2024 Road Glide® motorcycle, finished second in a rain-soaked race on Saturday and set a new Mission King of the Baggers track record in Friday qualifying. Wyman has finished on the podium in seven of eight races so far this season and sits second in championship points. Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing rider, James Rispoli, bounced back from a scary crash out of second place in the wet on Saturday to finish a close fourth on Sunday, narrowly missing the podium by 0.047 seconds. Wyman and Rispoli both debuted special livery on their race motorcycles in the Raven Metallic and Golden White Pearl colors respectively of the 2024 CVO™ Road Glide® ST .

 

 

“What a great battle we had out there today,” said Wyman following Sunday’s victory. “The team considered this a must-win race and we got it done. I love a one-on-one race and there were spots on the track where we both had the pace. That came down to sheer willpower and horsepower at the end. My Road Glide was outstanding today and I’ve got to say this is the most fun I’ve had in my racing career and I love this rivalry. It’s really special to get a win at Road America, so close to Harley headquarters in Milwaukee and with Willie G. Davidson and so many Harley employees and fans at the track. Let’s keep it going!”

 

 

“I’m so thankful I was able to walk away unhurt from that crash on Saturday, and keep building on the momentum we have going,” said Rispoli. “I was feeling super inspired today with the Davidsons here. It was an absolute scrap in the race today and I left everything on the track. I’m proud of Kyle and this team for putting H-D on the top step. Can’t wait for the next round at Brainerd.”

Wyman started both races on the pole after posting a track-record lap time of 2:19.135 in dry conditions during the first round of qualifying on Friday. A pouring rain on Saturday made for very challenging conditions. Herfoss led from the start with Rispoli and Wyman chasing in second and third place. Rispoli lost traction under braking approaching turn 1 and slid off the track at high speed as the leaders started the fourth of five laps on the 4.050-mile 14-turn Road America course. Herfoss won by 5.254 seconds as Wyman brought his Factory Road Glide safely across the line in second. Factory Indian rider, Tyler O’Hara, finished third just ahead of a surging Jake Lewis on the Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Road Glide.

Sunny and dry conditions on Sunday allowed tighter racing with the full performance potential of the Mission King of the Baggers bikes on display. RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider, Hayden Gillim, jumped out to an early lead with Wyman, Rispoli, and Herfoss in close pursuit. Wyman passed for the lead on lap 3 with Herfoss getting around Gillim and into second place. Herfoss then passed Wyman entering turn 1 to start lap 4 as the leaders opened a gap on Rispoli and Gillim. On the final lap Wyman passed Herfoss in Canada Corner (turn 12) only to see Herfoss get by in turn 14, the final turn before the long uphill straight to the finish line. Wyman tucked into the draft and pulled past as the pair crossed the line. O’Hara finished third, just ahead of Rispoli and Gillim.

After eight of 18 rounds in the 2024 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Herfoss leads the championship with 180 points. Wyman is second with 171 points, followed by O’Hara with 111 points, Rispoli with 92 points, and Gillim with 85 points.

Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing returns to action June 14-16 at Brainerd International Speedway in Brainerd, Minn. during the MotoAmerica Superbikes at Minnesota event.

The Mission King of the Baggers series features race-prepared American V-Twin touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing Road Glide® motorcycles are powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle® Milwaukee-Eight® 131 Performance Crate Engines. The team bikes also feature upgraded suspension components, including Screamin’ Eagle/Öhlins Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks, plus competition exhaust, race tires and lightweight bodywork.

Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing is sponsored by Mission® Foods, Rockford Fosgate®, Brembo®, Öhlins®, Protolabs®, SYN3® lubricants, and Screamin’ Eagle® Performance Parts and Accessories.

MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Road America Race 1

1. Troy Herfoss (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
2. Kyle Wyman (H-D) Harley-Davidson Factory Racing
3. Tyler O’Hara (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
4. Jake Lewis (H-D) Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson
5. Cory West (H-D) Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson
6. Max Flinders (Ind) Mad Monkey Motorsports
7. Bobby Fong (Ind) SDI/Roland Sands Racing
8. Rocco Landers (H-D) RevZilla/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson
    

MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Road America Race 2

1. Kyle Wyman (H-D) Harley-Davidson Factory Racing
2. Troy Herfoss (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
3. Tyler O’Hara (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
4. James Rispoli (H-D) Harley-Davidson Factory Racing
5. Hayden Gillim (H-D) RevZilla/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson
6. Max Flinders (Ind) Mad Monkey Motorsports
7. Cory West (H-D) Saddleman/Harley-Davidson
8. Jake Lewis (H-D) Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson
9. Travis Wyman (H-D) Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:

Indian Motorcycle Factory Rider Troy Herfoss Goes 1-2 at Road America, Leads King of The Baggers Championship Standings

Three-Time Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss Continues Remarkable Performance Aboard S&S Indian Challenger, Secures Fourth Victory of Season

 

 

MINNEAPOLIS, MN. – What started as a wet weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, turned into another successful doubleheader for Indian Motorcycle factory rider and King of the Baggers (KOTB) rookie Troy Herfoss. Making his return to Road America after 17 years, Herfoss continued his remarkable performance aboard his S&S Indian Challenger, winning Race 1 and taking second in Race 2.

Starting the weekend off hot, Herfoss won the Mission Foods Challenge and its $5,000 prize, edging out Harley-Davidson rider James Rispoli by 0.04 seconds. After Qualifying, Herfoss and teammate Tyler O’Hara each earned a spot on the front row for Race 1 and Race 2. Despite consistent rainfall during Race 1, Herfoss quickly took the lead and navigated the wet track to a comfortable win. The following day, Herfoss was met at the front of the pack of Race 2, as he and Harley-Davidson rider Kyle Wyman battled for the win. Ultimately, Herfoss missed the mark by a mere .39 seconds. O’Hara, who is finding his groove on the S&S Indian Challenger, secured back-to-back third-place finishes. 

“Congrats to Troy, Tyler and the entire S&S team on another successful race weekend,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing and Service for Indian Motorcycle. “As we hit the halfway point of the season, the team is really hitting its stride. S&S has the Indian Challenger dialed in like never before, and Troy and Tyler are comfortable and confident as we stay on the gas and push to bring the KOTB championship home in 2024.”

To start his KOTB career, Herfoss has never missed a podium, securing four wins and four second-place finishes – earning 180 total points and a nine-point lead at the top of the championship leaderboard. O’Hara, the former 2022 KOTB Champion, has found his stride in the 2024 season, having secured a second-place finish, and back-to-back third place finishes the last three races. O’Hara is firmly planted in third place of the season leaderboard with 111 points.

MotoAmerica’s Mission King of the Baggers season continues at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota June 14-16.

The S&S Indian Challenger race team is sponsored by S&S, Progressive, Mission Foods, Drag Specialties, Parts Unlimited, and Performance Finance.

For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, X and Instagram.

ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®

Indian Motorcycle Company is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.

INDIAN and INDIAN MOTORCYCLE are registered trademarks of Indian Motorcycle International, LLC.  Always wear a helmet, protective clothing and eyewear and insist your passenger does the same.  Ride within the limits of the law and your own abilities.  Read, understand and follow your owner’s manual. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

ABOUT S&S® CYCLE

S&S® Cycle was born from a passion for racing and has spent over six decades building performance for the powersports market. Their unwavering focus on quality, reliability and top shelf power has made S&S® Cycle the absolute leader in high performance on the street and track.

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports:

MotoAmerica: Altus Motorsports Results from Road America

 

 

(Elkhart Lake, WI) The MotoAmerica round at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin was a wild mix of weather conditions.  Saturday’s races were full wet and then Sunday was dry and sunny.  The results for the Altus team were also a wild mix of ups and downs.

Both of the Road America Supersport races were shortened due to red flags. The Saturday race was clipped to 6 laps and Sunday’s to 7. 

Jake Lewis qualified 8th fastest and started both races from the middle of the third row.  In the wet race on Saturday, he showed his experience and moved quickly up into third place and held that position until the checkered flag. On Sunday, he finished the race in 10th.

While the results may not show it, the Road America round was Jaret Nassaney’s best of the 2024 season.  On Saturday in the rain, he fought his way up to 5th. Unfortunately, on the last lap, he was making a move to take 4th when he crashed.  In the 2nd Supersport race of the weekend, Jaret finished 13th.

 

 

Jaret Nassaney: “Yeah pretty disappointed to not get the result to show how well I was riding. Made it up to the battle for 4th in Race 1, but had a crash in turn 7 on the final lap!  Unfortunately, that’s how the rain is sometimes. I’m happy with my riding though. Race 2 was hectic with the two red flags and then the race getting pushed back in the schedule.  We were just missing a little something to run with that front group, but had a good battle for 11th the whole race.  Ended up p13 happy to just leave with some points”

Road America is another new circuit for Torin Collins, but it didn’t take him long to get up to speed. By the completion of the first practice, he was already 10th fastest.  In Race 1, he finished 7th place.  Impressive for his first time at the track and in the rain.  During the Sunday race, Collins’ GSX-R750 suffered an inexplicable engine failure. Because of a red flag and delayed restart, the team was able to swap the motor. Unfortunately, he was not allowed to compete in the race.

 

 

Torin Collins: “Yeah first time at Road America so I had my hands full.  Overall the team worked really hard this weekend and we are making huge steps in the right direction. I feel that we are close to reaching what’s possible. Race 1 was difficult.  Still trying to learn the track and the bike while also riding in such sketchy wet conditions was challenging. I was honestly just glad to finish the race in 7th. Race 2 was super upsetting. Getting a decent launch and clinging onto the huge group that was battling for the win. Feeling ready to make my way up the group and then the engine went kapoof. From an outsider’s perspective, it’s hard to understand what’s been going on with all these mechanicals but I just know the team and I have been working so hard to get to where we want. I can smell it. The results are coming”

George Nassaney: “Despite some setbacks, this was the best weekend of our 2024 season.  Jake was able to get on the box Saturday, Torin finished 7th at a track in the rain he had never rode at before, and my son Jaret was having a great race battling for 4th and 5th on the last lap, but unfortunately crashed out while trying overtake 4th.  Unfortunately Sunday was not as good.  I can’t say enough of how blessed we are to have surrounded ourselves with guys that work beyond the normal expectations.  This past weekend we had some16-17hr days to absolutely make sure our riders had the best Suzuki GSXR750’s to compete with.  After Torin’s engine failure on Sundays race 2, I spoke to race control and was given the green light to swap his engine and get him out for the new race 2 restart.  We only had about an hour and half to make it happen.  The team pulled together and was able to swap motors and get him out to start the race.  Unfortunately when Torin rode out MotoAmerica wanted to be extra cautious and look over the bike again even after tech said it was cleared to race.   They then decided not to allow him to race.  This was gut wrenching for all of us after all that hard work.  At the end of the day, I just want to say we are only becoming stronger and more determined to be the top Supersport team in the paddock.  I could not be more proud of this team.  We are looking forward to the next few rounds!  Big thanks to Hoban Brothers and Darkhorse Motor Company for allowing us to use their shop over the weekend and this week in preparation for the next round at Brainerd.”

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Tytlers Cycle Racing:

A rollercoaster of emotions for Tytlers Cycle Racing at Road America

Tytlers Cycle Racing endured an event of mixed emotions at Road America, the latest round of the MotoAmerica championship, last weekend. Title contender Cameron Beaubier suffered an injury that has put him out of action whilst on the other side of the Superbike garage JD Beach raced to his first podium of the season. Stefano Mesa made big steps forward in Supersport, battling for the podium in his third championship event of the year.
 
The weekend started well for Cam B. The former champion the man to beat after first qualifying. With Pole Position secured, the #6 was running strongly in the opening encounter and despite inclement weather conditions looked good as he fought for a top three finish. A strange crash at turn one mid-way into the race saw Beaubier helped away with the news coming later Saturday evening that he had suffered a broken heel. He took no further part in the weekend and the team will update on his condition in due course.
 
For JD Beach, the third round of the championship was his strongest to date. Qualifying on the third row the #95 looked comfortable in both the wet (Saturday) and dry (Sunday). Fifth at the flag in the opening encounter he romped to P3 and his first BMW podium of the year on Sunday to move into eighth overall in the championship standings.
 
Stefano Mesa’s Supersport season also continued to gather momentum at Road America. The #37 converted fifth on the grid into eighth and fifth positions in the two races. Leading on more than one occasion in Sunday’s race which was red flagged twice, Mesa is looking forward to further advancements towards the podium at Brainerd in a fortnight.

 

 
JD Beach: “This weekend I feel like we made some good progress with my feeling on the bike. The team has been working hard to get me comfortable and find that sweet spot. Race one was tough with the amount of rain we had. It made it hard to see and although the surface had good grip it would then let go with no warning. I felt good but had a couple of moments and just wanted to bring it home and snagged a P4. It was a bummer to see Cam go down. I hated to see that that for him and the team. In Race two I was feeling strong but struggled with front tyre grip under braking. If I broke too hard, I would lock the front tyre. I was in a battle for third but couldn’t do too much, but I felt ok sitting there. I was able to pick up the pieces when SDK made a mistake on the last lap. I am really happy to get my first podium with the Tytlers team and give them a little pay back for all their hard work. “

 

 
Cameron Beaubier: “The weekend at Road America started great with some good pace on Friday and Saturday morning. I felt great on my bike in the dry and then the rain came before Race one. I was struggling a lot with my engine braking in the rain but was able to free it up and get a flow going in the race despite running wide a few times. I ended up having a weird crash into turn one with a few laps to go, breaking my heel bone. I am pretty disappointed and this one stings bad to be honest. Everything has been going well this year up until this point. I will find out some more info on the plan for my heel this week.”

 

 
Stefano Mesa: “It was a better weekend for me and the Tytlers’ boys. We keep making progress, achieved some better results but it’s still not where we belong. We have been moving the added weight around and got the bike feeling the best it has all year. We are still struggling a little bit with the lower end power and getting the bike out of the corner to stay with the other bikes. We qualified strong in P5. Race one was very difficult. It was hard to see, and I was hydroplaning everywhere. I was glad to bring the bike back in one piece in a solid P8 for the team. We made some big changes for morning warm up and I really liked the direction we took. Race two was good for us. On the first two starts we were able to run with the front pack and make some good passes battling for podium positions. Unfortunately, we had two red flags and the race got moved until the end of the day. On the third start I also got a good launch and was able to go with the boys for about six laps. I tried making a few moves but couldn’t make them stick. I started to lose grip on the last lap and fell back a bit from the group, bringing it home fifth which is our best finish of the season so far. Thank you to my Tytlers Cycle team for all the hard work, we’ll keep chasing the box.”