Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Beaubier Claims Second Superbike Podium in Virginia
Beach Goes Two-For-Two in Supersport Action at VIR
Alton, Virginia – Following a hard-fought second-place finish in Saturday’s Superbike Race 1 at VIRginia International Raceway, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Cameron Beaubier duplicated his efforts in Race 2 on Sunday, adding valuable points to his 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship chase.
Led by JD Beach, who swept the competition aboard his Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha R6 with dual Supersport victories, Yamaha bLU cRU riders topped off the Championship of Virginia weekend with a total of six podium finishes on Sunday.
Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Superbike Team
When the green flag waved for the start of Superbike Race 2, Beaubier found himself in second place and began applying early pressure on race leader Tony Elias. Beaubier had company, though, in the form of Yamaha bLU cRU riders Mathew Scholtz and Josh Herrin, who swapped positions with the two-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion several times throughout the middle of the race. Beaubier emerged from the battle with the second-place position, and began his quest to reel in race leader Elias. Riding with enough intensity to make the last lap of the race his fastest, Beaubier positioned himself within striking distance of the win. Charging hard and giving it his all in the final moments of the race, he crossed the finish line in second place, a scant 0.546 seconds from the top spot of the podium.
Unfortunately, Sunday’s racing action was devoid of Garrett Gerloff, who was involved in a crash on the opening lap of Saturday’s Superbike Race 1 that ultimately sidelined him for the entire weekend in Virginia. Gerloff made a trip to the hospital on Saturday for evaluation, and it was later determined that he would not be on the grid for Sunday’s Race 2.
Cameron Beaubier – #6 YZF-R1
“I’m happy that I at least stayed on the track there in the last few laps. Yesterday, I was struggling pretty bad with grip at the end of the race, I felt like I pretty much used up the tire on the right side as much as I could and I was spinning pretty bad, so we went into today with a little different tactic. We made a couple changes to the bike, mainly on the electronics side, and I just tried to ride a little more patient race at the beginning. I felt pretty good with ten laps to go and I started trying to make my way forward. I did everything I could on the last lap to make a charge and win the race but I was struggling really hard getting by Tony. I’m happy to come away with two second-place finishes this weekend and we’re going to some tracks that are good for our bike and tracks that I love, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Garrett Gerloff – #31 YZF-R1
“It was definitely not the way that I wanted to end my weekend, and I’m really sorry to the team and everyone supporting me. I felt great all weekend and really felt connected to my R1. But unfortunately, I didn’t have the rear end grip on lap 1 and ended upon my head. When I first hit the gorund, I was hurting pretty bad but no more than any other high side I’ve ever had. Luckily, nothing felt broken and my head felt fine thanks to the top of the line gear I wear. I was coughing up blood and couldn’t breathe well on the side of the track, so I had a CT scan at the hospital that showed that I had some blood building up around my lungs, and that I had a pulmonary contusion.
I feel really good today, I’m breathing really well, and honestly feel like I could have been on the bike for Race 2 if I didn’t have the lung stuff going on. The good news is I will be 100 percent and ready to go for Road America in a few weeks’ time!”
Tom Halverson – Team Manager
“We missed Garrett today, but we are glad he is OK and looking forward to the next round at Road America. Cameron rode a great race with a strategy that was a bit different from yesterday, but he came up short after running wide in a turn late in the race and took another close second-place finish. It’s frustrating because we know Cameron has what it takes to win, but we’ll have to wait until Road America to prove it.”
2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings – Race 6 of 20 Completed
Pos.RiderPoints
1 Tony Elias – Suzuki 113
2 Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha 103
3 Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha 103
4 Josh Herrin – Yamaha 75
5 Jake Lewis – Suzuki 55
6 Kyle Wyman – Yamaha 52
7 Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha 48
Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha Supersport Team
JD Beach went two-for-two in the Supersport class, riding his Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha R6 to back-to-back victories in Virginia. Beach got off to a great start in Race 2 on Sunday, and immediately put a gap between himself and the rest of the field. The two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion rode impeccably to finish 28 seconds ahead of Tuned Racing’s Braeden Ortt, who also placed his Yamaha R6 on the podium with a second-place finish.
JD Beach – #95 YZF-R6
“My Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha Team gave me a great bike today. I think, for me, the race was won in the first five laps or so because I was able to get a little bit of a gap on Hayden. Once I got that gap, he was doing the same so I was really having to push and then he went down on lap 12 or so. It sucks to see that because he’s riding so well and for sure it’s made me a better rider because of it. My mission this year is to win as much as I can and I want to go faster than we did last year at all the tracks. I want a Superbike ride bad and I’m just working toward the future to make that happen.”
Chuck Graves – Team Owner
“In Race 2 on Sunday, JD continued right where he left off on Saturday, getting the hole shot and laying down a string of laps to gap the competition for another convincing win and increasing his point gap in the championship. I’m very proud of him and the team for their performance this weekend.”
2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings – Race 4 of 18 Completed
Pos.RiderPoints
1 JD Beach – Yamaha 95
2 Hayden Gillim – Yamaha 65
3 Cory West – Suzuki 37
4 Braeden Ortt – Yamaha 42
Additional Yamaha bLU cRU Rider Notes
Mathew Scholtz once again placed his Yamalube/Westby Racing R1 on the Superbike podium in Race 2 with perhaps his best performance yet in the series. Scholtz grabbed a top-five start and worked his way into the battle for second, where he settled in behind Beaubier on the way to claiming his fifth podium finish of the season.
Josh Herrin was the first rider to challenge Beaubier early in the second race as he vaulted his Attack Performance/Herrin Compound/Yamaha R1 into second-place by lap three. Herrin held off the hard-charging duo of Beaubier and Scholtz for eight laps before ultimately finding himself in the fourth-place position at the end of Superbike Race 2.
With Rickdiculous Racing’s Hayden Gillim crashing out of second-place on lap 12, it was Yamaha bLU cRU rider Braden Ortt who stepped up to battle for the runner-up position in Supersport Race 2. After swapping the second-place position several times throughout the race, Ortt finally made it stick and put his Tuned Racing R6 on the Supersport podium for the first time in his career.
Although MotoAmerica provided new technical guidelines for the Junior Cup class only seven days prior to the race weekend, the Graves Motorsports crew developed and delivered a new spec package for the Graves/Yamaha R3 Support Program riders and teams. Chuck Graves and bLU cRU Rider Coach Josh Hayes were also on site to provide assistance and guidance to the riders and their teams, and the results proved to be impressive.
Attack Performance/Herrin Compound’s Gavin Anthony had a consistent weekend as he rode his R3 to a second-straight podium appearance in the Junior Cup class with a second-place finish in Race 2. AGVSPORT America/MonkeyMoto R3-mounted Kevin Olmedo earned his first podium of the season with third, while his teammate, Jay Newton, finished fourth on his R3.
When asked about his thoughts regarding the action in the Junior Cup, Chuck Graves commented, “The Graves/Yamaha Supported R3 riders rode hard-fought races all weekend, and I’m really proud of how this program is progressing.”
The Yamaha bLU cRU riders will return to action June 1-3 for Round 4 of the 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship series at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. For complete schedule details, visit: http://motoamerica.com/.
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.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Release:
ELIAS & YOSHIMURA SUZUKI DOMINATE VIRGINIA MOTOAMERICA
Toni Elias – Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 – 1-1
Roger Hayden – Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 – DNF-DNF
Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Toni Elias and his GSX-R1000 dominated the doubleheader race weekend of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Virginia International Raceway in the USA at the weekend to mark his second clean sweep of the season.
Elias, who also took the double win at Road Atlanta last month, reached his milestone 20th MotoAmerica victory in Saturday’s Race One. He earned the distinction of reaching 20 wins faster than any other rider in series history, then continued adding to his tally with Sunday’s 21st-career victory. That also marked Suzuki’s 199th win in MotoAmerica/ AMA Superbike history, putting them just one away from a historic 200th win.
Suzuki is the all-time wins leader among manufacturers in the 42-year history of the MotoAmerica/ AMA Superbike Championship.
Elias found two different paths to victory at VIR. In Saturday’s race, he trailed most of the way before making his move with two laps to go. In Sunday’s race, Elias controlled the pace from the front, officially leading all 23 laps. Both races were epic battles with Elias defeating rival Cameron Beaubier by just 0.114 seconds on Saturday and 0.546 on Sunday.
With five wins in six races, Elias has stretched his championship points lead to 35.
Yoshimura Suzuki team-mate Roger Hayden had a tough-luck weekend: He got caught up in a chain-reaction crash in Saturday’s race ending in a spectacular endo at speed. Hayden attempted to race Sunday. He ran as high as fourth in the early going but began experiencing dizziness and decided the best action was to pull out of the race.
For Elias, the VIR sweep came as somewhat of a surprise. He said: “VIR has not always been the best track for me. In yesterday’s race I just tried to stay close to Cameron [Beaubier] and in the end I was able to find a way to pass. Today I was leading all the way. It was a different strategy, but it worked, and we were able to win again and most importantly build on our points lead. This was again credit to my Yoshimura Suzuki crew. Everyone worked so hard to improve our performance at this track and it worked perfectly.
“It is Mom’s Day in Spain and I want to dedicate my victories this weekend to her.”
With a three-week break until the next round at Road America, Hayden hopes to be fully recovered and ready to race by then.
Said Hayden: “In the first race a rider in front of us crashed and a couple of us went off track to avoid him. I ended up having a pretty big crash and hit my head pretty hard. I tried to ride today, but I was still feeling the effects of yesterday’s hit to the head. I got pretty dizzy on the bike, so I just brought it in to be safe. We’ve got three weeks to Road America. I plan on coming out strong there. It’s a good track for our bike.”
Round four of 10 on the MotoAmerica schedule takes place at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, on June 1-3rd, and Suzuki is hoping to reach and perhaps even eclipse the 200-win plateau that weekend.
More, from a press release issued by RiCKdiculous Racing:
RiCKdiculous Racing’s Hayden Gillim Retains 2nd in the Championship at Virginia International Raceway
The RiCKdiculous Racing Team came in to the third round of the MotoAmerica Championship at Virginia International Raceway tied for first in the points for the Supersport 600 Championship. After a hard fought weekend, and, despite a crash on Sunday, Hayden was able to keep a hold of 2nd in the Championship after a 2nd place finish on Saturday. Jason Aguilar and Gauge Rees both made tremendous strides and moved up in the points after solid rides over the weekend.
After securing the first Pole Position for RiCKdiculous Racing, Hayden set himself up for another great battle with close friend and roommate JD Beach. After taking the holeshot, JD never let up despite some amazing riding by Hayden. Hayden finished in 2nd behind JD but secured some important points for the championship. Race 2 proved to be challenging as JD got off the line in front of Hayden and started firing off consistent blistering laps right out of the gate. As Hayden started pulling time off the gap, he had an unfortunate crash in turn 4 and was not able to get his bike going again. Despite his crash, Hayden is still 2nd in the points and excited to get back on his #69 RiCKdiculous Racing R6 at Road America. Hayden commented, “This weekend started off fantastic running fastest in all three of the first sessions. Had a great Race one going until I made a few mistakes and allowed JD Beach to get away. Race two was lonely chasing JD until I lost the front and ended our weekend. Thanks to the whole crew for giving me a great bike and I’m looking forward to some training and then Road America!”
RiCKdiculous Racing’s other Supersport 600 rider, Jason Aguilar, ran an amazing first race after a struggle in Qualifying. After starting P12, Jason kept his head down and raced extremely well, catching up with the second group and securing a 6th position at the finish line. After amazing improvement in Race 1, Jason set his sights on a podium after running P3 lap times in the first race. After a hard fought race, Jason climbed himself towards the front and finished in 7th crossing the finish line. With improvements all around, Jason looks to improve on his results as the team heads to Road America for round 4. “Overall I’m satisfied but not happy with the weekend. We struggled in qualifying and had the pace for the podium in both races but ran out of time catching the front group. We learned a lot and we’ll bring that into the next round. Thanks to my crew and the whole team for working hard this weekend. Can’t wait for Road America!”, said Aguilar.
Gauge Rees, piloting his RiCKdiculous Racing Yamaha Graves R3, made massive strides over the weekend. After struggling in qualifying, Gauge started his race in P14. After avoiding incidents in turn 1, Gauge dropped back to 18th, but kept fighting and battled his way all the way up to 8th! Like Jason, Gauge looked to use his momentum from Race 1 to improve in Race 2. In a last lap battle that saw several passes, Gauge had a mechanical that disabled the bike in the final corner. In a brave attempt to score points he mustered up the willpower and dedication to push his bike all the way down the front straight and past the finish line. His demonstration of sheer grit earned him applause from everyone at Virginia, and the RiCKs could not be more proud of Gauge and his weekend. Gauge Rees states, “The weekend at VIR actually went really well despite some things that were out of our control. I’m really starting to feel comfortable on the R3 and I’m confident that with the support from my team and Graves, I’ll be up fighting for those top positions soon. I’m really looking forward to the next round at Road America and also doing some training with the whole RiCK family soon!”
Ken Hill states, “The results from day 2 really don’t tell the story of how successful the weekend was for the Rick team. Sure Hayden set pole and JD won both races, but the real story was behind the scenes. Gauge stepped up his game with the R3 and I really think this is the start of new found pace for him. Jason also had a massive step with his riding and bike setup and for sure he is going to be a podium threat very soon. I couldn’t be happier with the riders and the team and look forward to Road America in a few weeks.”
Team Co-Owner Josh Bronfman said, “I could not be more proud of our team after a hard fought weekend. All the riders improved and gained confidence going in to Road America. The crew did a fantastic job supporting our riders and giving them immaculately prepared motorcycles. Despite some of the setbacks, our riders did a tremendous job keeping their heads up and using the hard times as learning experiences to carry through to future rounds.”
Team Manager Kelly Rees said, “That was a roller coaster of a weekend. We still have some things to sort out on the Jr. Cup bike with the new rules package. I’m pretty happy with what MotoAmerica did with that but theres still a little room to improve. My riders worked hard and made good progress even with some adversity thrown at them. We have built an amazing crew that I would put up against anyone else in the paddock. Rick Matheny has been an important part of our success this year. Robert Ward, Shawn Keene and Chad Clickner have been doing an amazing job on Haydens machine. We brought in 2 new crew, Chris Tullock and Tony Pogue to work with Jason Paredez on Aguilars bike and that worked out well. Blair Ramey has been a huge help on the Jr. Cup bike. Ken Hill has been continually upping our riders game. I believe we have built a Championship winning package.”
Rickdiculous Racing would like to thank their Sponsors and Partners: Graves Motorsports, Yamaha Racing, Yamalube, Dainese, MotionPro, Galfer Brakes, Renthal, Superbike Unlimited, Dunlop, FTECU, Ohlins, Moto Station and bLU cRU.
More, from a press release issued by Quicksilver/Lexin Moto/Hudson Motorcycles Racing:
Quicksilver / Lexin Moto / Hudson Motorcycles’ riders endure tough battles and tough luck at VIRginia International Raceway
Rider Richie Escalante scores podium, top five finish in MotoAmerica’s Supersport class, while Superbike rider Bobby Fong rides through race 1 injuries to a top-10 finish in race 2
ALTON, Va. — It was a tale of two weekends for the Quicksilver / Lexin Moto / Hudson Motorcycle riders at MotoAmerica’s second standalone event of the 2018 season. For Supersport rider Richie Escalante, the class’ two races at VIRginia International Raceway featured tough battles, close finishes, and positive results. For Superbike rider Bobby Fong, it was a weekend of overcoming bad luck and injuries to secure valuable championship points and continue developing the team’s Yamaha YZF-R1 superbike.
Escalante showed good pace from the start of the weekend and was able to secure a top-five qualifying position. For Saturday afternoon’s Supersport race, Escalante found himself locked in a tight battle with several over riders for the last podium position. In the end, Escalante triumphed over his competitors to secure his first podium of the 2018 season. In Sunday’s Supersport race, Escalante found himself in an even tighter, more intense battle. Although he did not make the podium, Escalante rode his Yamaha to a top-five finish and was able to move himself up from 10th-place to seventh-place in the class’ championship standings.
For Fong, the weekend at VIR was one to forget. Fong qualified on the second row in Saturday’s Superpole session and got a good start in race 1. Unfortunately, a rider ahead of Fong suffered a severe crash, and Fong was forced to take evasive action. Fong then went down on the grass outside turn 4 and sustained an injury to his ribs. Fong returned to action on Sunday and was fourth-fastest in Sunday morning’s 15-minute warm-up session. In Sunday’s race 2, Fong started from fifth on the grid but faded in the race due to discomfort from Saturday’s injuries. Fong regrouped near the end of the race and was able to bring his R1 home in eighth-place.
MotoAmerica’s next event will be at the Road America circuit June 1-3. The team will be looking to continue working with Escalante to make him a regular on the Supersport class podium, while the team will take the valuable data they gleaned from Fong’s race Sunday and continue working to improve their R1 on the Wisconsin track’s long straights and iconic corners.
Bobby Fong / #50, Superbike
“We had great pace in our R1 right from the start of the weekend. We had good qualifying sessions, and I was able to finish Superpole in sixth-place. I got a great start, but one of the riders ahead of me on track had a big crash and I went down in the grass while trying to avoid it. I smacked my ribs pretty good, which hindered my performance for the rest of the weekend. I got back on the bike Sunday to salvage some points from this weekend, and we were able to do that. I want to give a big shout out to my crew for getting my bike back together and having me ready to go Sunday morning. We made big steps with the bike this weekend. Road America is not a favorite track of mine, but I think it will be valuable for developing our R1 package, and I am looking forward to being back to full fitness by then.”
Richie Escalante / #54, Supersport
“It was a challenging weekend for us. We did a lot of work on our R6 on Friday. Saturday’s race was a lot of fun. It’s always great getting to battle out on track, and I was able to win the battle and make it onto the podium Saturday. For Sunday’s race, I got into an even more intense battle, and it was not possible to make a move for the podium at the end. I was still able to get my team good points, and I was happy to reward my team for the hard work they put in this weekend. I like VIR, but Road America is my favorite track on the MotoAmerica schedule. We go there next and I am really looking forward to doing well there.”
More, from a press release issued by Kyle Wyman Racing:
6D Helmets riders Wyman and Prince fight for top spots at Virginia International Raceway
ALTON, Va. — 6D Helmets/KWR riders Kyle Wyman and Bryce Prince fought hard in their respective classes at Virginia International Raceway this past weekend for the third round of the MotoAmerica Championship. Wyman finished 7th/6th in Superbike races, while Prince brought home 10th/8th place finishes in Supersport races one and two, respectively.
Wyman’s weekend started off on a rough note when rogue back pain issues arose on Thursday during set-up day for the teams. Wyman spent three hours at a nearby chiropractic clinic in Danville, Va. while the KWR team set up the paddock area and prepped motorcycles.
“Thursday at the track I was in so much pain that I was using one of our Motion Pro paddock chairs as a walker around our pit area,” Wyman said. “If I had to ride in that condition, I don’t think I would have been able to safely. I decided to find a chiropractor nearby to help sort my back out. He said it would get worse before it got better, and he was right. Thursday night was miserable but at least I was on the right path.”
Wyman pushed through Friday practice, posting the 9th fastest combined time of the day, but not without seeing the MotoAmerica track doctors in between sessions for ultrasound and massage treatment to mend the back pain.
Saturday morning, with his back in relatively better shape, Wyman qualified 11th overall on his 6D Helmets/KWR Yamaha Superbike, his worst qualifying result of the year. In race one, an early red flag situation cut the race distance for Superbike and Wyman was gifted 3 laps, to make the race a 20-lap shortened event. He finished 7th after an initial three-way battle with fellow racers Cameron Peterson and Jake Lewis.
“Saturday’s race was mostly like a test for my body,” Wyman said. “I had only done 4 or 5 laps in a row for all of the practice and qualifying sessions, so I wasn’t sure how my back would react to 23 laps race distance. Luckily it got shortened a little bit. Honesty it was tougher to walk than to ride, but maybe that’s the adrenaline. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved to see the checkered flag.”
For the Sunday morning warm up, Gary Dean and the KWR crew made some changes to the chassis to get Wyman more comfortable on the bike, and they were able to post Wyman’s best ever time around the VIR circuit: 1:24.977. The lower back must have been feeling better.
A horrible start in race two made things tougher for Wyman, who was buried in 12th place into the first corner. He made quick work of Peterson, Bobby Fong and Danny Eslick, the third of which would follow Wyman all the way to the checkered flag.
“My back felt pretty good and I was moving forward in the beginning from my bad start,” Wyman said. “From then on I saw plus-zero on my pit board every lap, and I took a look over my shoulder half way through the race to see Danny right on my ass. He was pushing me hard and I was riding with everything I had. Fortunately I was able to remain mistake-free and kept the pace really consistent, and he wasn’t able to show me a wheel.”
Despite the physical challenges, Wyman is content with his results and the consequential overall championship points standings leaving Virginia, where he sits 6th overall in the series, just three points out of Jake lewis in 5th.
“This is by far my best start to the season from a points perspective, despite the issues we have faced the last few weeks,” Wyman added. “Race two for me was an amazing feeling, only because I had such a good battle with Danny where we were pushing ourselves to the absolute limit. When I crossed the line I was fully exerted, and I could see that he was too. It’s what this sport is all about and I can’t wait until I’m exerting myself at the front instead of over 6th place. The KWR team belongs up front.”
Bryce Prince shows his form in MotoAmerica Supersport
KWR Supersport rider Bryce Prince finished 10th and 8th in Virginia aboard his 6D Helmets-sponsored Yamaha YZF-R6 this past weekend, but the results don’t tell the story. Prince was in the podium fight in each of the Supersport races Saturday and Sunday.
“VIR was a very positive weekend for us,” Prince said. “After qualifying 4th overall I knew we had found the comfort I had been looking for. I was off to a great start in race one battling for the podium, and unfortunately hit the kill switch on my bike when I went to pull a tear off on my 6D Helmet. I lost a bunch of time and worked hard to catch up but I burned my tire up in the process.”
“For race two I had another great start and held 3rd place for the first ten laps or so,” Prince added. “My tire slowly degraded and I struggled to maintain the same pace throughout the race, there was a large pack of us and I fell to 8th to finish. Overall I am extremely happy with the progress we’ve made since Atlanta, and now that we have a month off to regroup before Road America I look forward to coming into our third round more prepared than ever. I know when we get our setup dialed in we will be fighting up front!”
The MotoAmerica series heads next to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin June 1-3, 2018. In the mean time, stay tuned for news and announcements in the coming weeks.
For more information about the revolutionary 6D ATS-1 Street Helmet, visit https://www.6dhelmets.com/ats-1/
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
Victories for BMW riders in the BSB, the Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship and the MotoAmerica.
•British Superbike Championship Superstock race: Keith Farmer wins, third place for Chrissy Rouse.
•Successful season-opener for BMW racers in the International Road Racing Championship and the Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship.
•Travis Wyman dominates the MotoAmerica Superstock class.
Munich. BMW racers have extended their 2018 success by four wins and a total of 12 podium finishes at the weekend. In the British Superbike Championship (BSB) Superstock race at Oulton Park (GBR), Keith Farmer (GBR) celebrated his first win of the season, Chrissy Rouse (GBR) was third. At the International Road Racing Championship (IRRC) season-opener at Dutch Hengelo, Danny Webb (GBR), Didier Grams (GER) and Erno Kostamo (FIN) raced onto the rostrum. The 2018 season in the Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship (AARR) kicked off with a double win for Michal Filla (CZE) and podium finishes for Arnaud Friedrich (GER) and Karel Hanika (CZE) at the Slovakiaring (SVK). In the MotoAmerica, Travis Wyman (USA) enjoyed a perfect weekend at the VIRginia International Raceway (USA).
British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park, Great Britain.
The first Monday in May is a public holiday in Great Britain – and thus the ideal day for Oulton Park (GBR) to host the British Superbike Championship (BSB). Race one of the Superbike class (BSB SBK) was dominated by a number of crashes. Unfortunately, BMW riders Michael Laverty (GBR / Tyco BMW Motorrad) and Peter Hickman (GBR / Smiths Racing) were among those to crash out. The best-placed BMW rider was Jakub Smrz (CZE) from the Lloyd & Jones Bowker Motorrad team.
In race two, Hickman was the best BMW rider, finishing 11th. Laverty fought his way up to 13th after starting from 27th on the grid and secured important championship points. Laverty’s teammate, Christian Iddon (GBR), was unable to take part in the races following a big crash in practice, in which he fractured his hand in several places.
Peter Hickman: “The bike’s good and we’ve got good pace in practice and qualifying but when it comes to race day, nothing seems to be coming together at the same time. I’ve had two crashes this weekend, which isn’t like me, and neither were my fault, but they’ve obviously knocked my confidence. It was affecting me in the second race and I had a few slides which saw me drop back but I kept plugging away and put in my fastest lap towards the end to at least salvage a result from the weekend.”
In the Superstock (BSB STK) race, Tyco BMW Motorrad rider Keith Farmer claimed his first win of the season. He had started from pole position and emerged victorious from a thrilling three-way battle to take the top spot on the podium. Chrissy Rouse (GBR / Quinnstheprinters.com BMW) came home third, just 0.9 seconds behind Farmer. Alex Olsen (GBR / ASTRO – JJR Racing) was fourth.
Keith Farmer: “It was great to get pole position in qualifying but after a small mistake on the start we dropped back a bit, but I had a good pace and was enjoying riding the bike. I managed to get to the front and take our first race win of the season. Hopefully we can fire off more wins. A massive thank you to the whole Tyco BMW team – from the mechanics to the hospitality. I’m mega happy with the whole weekend.”
International Road Racing Championship at Hengelo, Netherlands.
The International Road Racing Championship (IRRC) kicked off the 2018 season at Hengelo, in the Netherlands. Over the course of the two races, the BMW riders claimed a total of four podium finishes and twelve top-ten results. Danny Webb (GBR) finished runner-up in both races on his BMW S 1000 RR, run by the Wepol Racing by Penz 13 team. As the two victories went to guest starter Nigel Walraven (NED), who is not competing in the championship, Webb picked up the maximum 25 points towards the overall standings both times.
Didier Grams (GER / G&G Motorsport by BMW Motorrad) finished third in race one to join Webb on the podium. Marek Cervený (CZE / Wepol Racing by Penz 13) came home fourth, ahead of Erno Kostamo (FIN / Markka Racing) in fifth. They were followed home in seventh and eighth place by Jamie Coward (GBR / Wepol Racing by Penz 13) and Kamil Holan (CZE / Mc Race). In race two, Kostamo took third place with Cervený once again just outside the podium positions in fourth. Coward was sixth this time, while Holan finished eighth and Grams tenth.
Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship at the Slovakiaring, Slovakia.
The Slovakiaring near Bratislava (SVK) hosted the opening round of the 2018 Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship (AARR). The Superbike class (AARR SBK) produced one podium finish for the BMW S 1000 RR: Karel Hanika (CZE) from the Mercury Racing team finished runner-up in race two. He also set the fastest race lap. The Czech rider had previously finished fourth in the opening race. The next-best BMW racer in the Superbike class was Christopher Kemmer (AUT / Bertl K. Racing Team), who came home sixth and fifth. Hanika’s team-mate Matej Smrz (CZE) was eighth in both races.
In the Superstock class (AARR STK), BMW rider Michal Filla (CZE / BMW Sikora Motorsport) and Arnaud Friedrich (GER / Team LRP Poland) twice made it a BMW one-two. Filla won both races, setting the fastest lap time in each. Friedrich, who is contesting his first season in the AARR, twice finished as runner-up. Defending champion Michal Prášek (CZE / Rohac and Fejta Motoracing Team) came home fourth in both races.
Italian Superbike Championship at Mugello, Italy.
The Italian Superbike Championship (CIV) was at Mugello (ITA), in Tuscany, at the weekend. The best-placed BMW rider was Luca Vitali (ITA / DMR Racing), who finished both races in fifth place. His team-mate Axel Bassani (ITA) was eighth and sixth. Christian Gamarino (ITA / Tutapista Corse) twice finished seventh.
Italian National Trophy 1000 at Mugello, Italy.
Mugello (ITA) also hosted round two of the 2018 Italian National Trophy 1000 (INT). After a one-two on the opening weekend, the BMW S 1000 RR was back on the podium in third place, courtesy of Luca Salvadori (ITA). Federico D’Annunzio (ITA) who finished fourth, just 0.187 seconds outside the podium places.
MotoAmerica at the VIRginia International Raceway, USA.
BMW rider Travis Wyman (USA / Weir Everywhere Racing) claimed his second Superstock win of the season in race two of this season’s MotoAmerica series (MA STK). Wyman enjoyed a perfect weekend at the VIRginia International Raceway (USA) by securing pole position, setting the fastest lap time, and winning the race with a lead of over ten seconds. Timothy Bermisderfer (USA / Big’un Motorsports) finished sixth.
Two Superbike races (MA SBK) were held at the weekend, with BMW rider Danny Eslick (USA / Scheibe Racing) finishing eighth and seventh.|
More, from a press release issued by CoxRacen:
Bailey Cox battles to claim his first points-paying finish of the 2018 MotoAmerica season
CoxRacen rider is top-finishing Kawasaki rider in both MotoAmerica Supersport class races at VIRginia International Raceway
ALTON, Va. — Bailey Cox was disappointed in his 18th-place finish in Saturday’s MotoAmerica Supersport race at VIRginia International Raceway and said he would look to improve in Sunday’s race. Cox stayed true to his word, finishing seven places ahead of his qualifying position to claim his first MotoAmerica championship point of the season on Sunday.
After Saturday’s race, the CoxRacen crew made a series of set-up changes to its Kawasaki ZX-6R. Cox had a small crash in Sunday’s morning warm-up but reported feeling more comfortable on the bike with the new set-up. The changes paid off and Cox was able to gradually work his way through a pack of other riders to finish in the points. Cox was the highest-placed Kawasaki rider in both of the weekend’s Supersport races.
Cox will take the next several months off of MotoAmerica competition to focus on defending his Championship Cup Series regional expert title. Cox is planning to return to MotoAmerica competition Aug. 24-26 when MotoAmerica makes its way to Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
Bailey Cox / #34, Supersport
“This morning I went out in morning warm-up to test out the changes we made overnight. I had a little get-off at turn 5, but felt really good with the new setting. In the race, I didn’t get the best of starts, but in today’s race I was in a pack and was able to better keep my focus. I battled with a few different riders as I worked my way through the midfield into the points, and was able to hold off the pack behind me to finish in 15th-place. Our next race will be the CCS round at Summit Point Motorsports Park over Memorial Day weekend, and I am planning on returning to MotoAmerica competition in August at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. We will take the next few months to find even more pace in our Kawasaki ZX-6R package, and hopefully be even more competitive at Pittsburgh.”
More, from a press release issued by Weir Everywhere Racing:
Travis Wyman dominates MotoAmerica Stock 1000 class field en route to second-consecutive win
Weir Everywhere Racing BMW rider uses teamwork, experience, and proven talent to extend his championship points lead
ALTON, Va. — Riders are often the focal point of motorcycle road racing. However, motorcycle road racing is a team sport. Riders are born with a very unique set of skills that allow them to ride powerful motorcycles to their limit. A rider’s team, however, is integral to allowing a rider to push their machine as hard as possible and demonstrate the true extent of their talent. Travis Wyman’s commanding win at the second round of the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 class championship at VIRginia International Raceway was not simply a result of Wyman’s already-proven talent. It was also a product of Wyman surrounding himself with a team that has allowed him to finally show the MotoAmerica paddock just how talented he is.
Wyman’s pace was evident throughout the weekend. After posting the fastest time in the class’ only practice session Saturday morning, Wyman rode a blistering lap in Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session that was over a second faster than the next fastest time. Wyman again set the pace in the Sunday morning’s qualifying session, leading the field by just under a second. Wyman was the only rider to post a lap time below 1:27 in the Stock 1000 class all weekend. In Sunday afternoon’s race, Wyman got a good start on his BMW S 1000 RR, got the holeshot, and quickly built an impressive gap. Wyman took the checkered flag over 9 seconds ahead of second-place to remain a perfect two-for-two in wins for the 2018 Stock 1000 class season. With his win at VIR, Wyman extends his championship points lead to 10. After the race, Wyman credited his team for giving him a great bike set-up at a track he really likes and has had previous success at.
The next round for the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 class will be at the Road America circuit June 1-3. Wyman has one of his now-five career American professional motorcycle road racing victories at the Elkhart Lake, Wis. circuit, and the team believes the circuit’s layout will suit its BMW package.
Travis Wyman / #24, Stock 1000
“The weekend started off kind of slow for us. I didn’t feel fully comfortable on the bike in practice. I worked with my team, and my crew chief Steve Weir and my suspension specialist Lenny Albin from K-Tech made some set-up changes that gave me a great motorcycle for Saturday’s qualifying session. I instantly felt comfortable on the bike and was able to set the pace in both qualifying sessions. I finally got a good start in Sunday’s race and just put my head down for the first few laps. I didn’t even look at my pit board for the first six laps and just pushed hard that whole time. I wasn’t sure what the rest of the field would have for me in the race, but when I saw I was building a gap I was able to back off a little and bring the Weir Everywhere Racing BMW S 1000 RR home for the win. I really want to thank my team for giving me such a great bike this weekend. We are continuing to grow as a team and I could not be happier with how well we all have been working together this year. This is the best team I have been a part of in my 10 year professional motorcycle road racing career, and I am looking forward to getting this BMW out on track at Road America. My three favorite tracks on the MotoAmerica calendar are the first three tracks we visit this season, and I will be looking for more of the same success and pace I showed here VIR at the next round.”
Steve Weir / Crew Chief
“Our perfect storm keeps raging, as the team really came together even more this weekend. I said at the beginning of the weekend we have been learning how to give Travis the bike and set-up he needs to be successful, and this weekend was a great example our ability to do just that. This BMW package in stock form at this track is so good, and this is a track that Travis really likes and has a lot of experience at. We knew coming into the weekend that we had a really good chance at being at the front all weekend. I continue to be impressed with Travis. His pace, work ethic, and ability to communicate with the team has been a huge part of us getting such great performance of our BMW S 1000 RR package. Road America is another track that should really suit the BMW, and I am looking forward to seeing what Travis can do with it there.”
More, from a press release issued by Attack Performance Herrin Compound Racing:
Gavin Anthony scores second-consecutive second-place in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Liqui Moly Junior Cup race
Attack Performance Herrin Compound rider is highest-finishing Yamaha rider in both Junior Cup races at VIRginia International Raceway
ALTON, Va. — In Saturday’s MotoAmerica Liqui Moly Junior Cup race, Gavin Anthony looked the fastest he has ever been in MotoAmerica competition. In Sunday’s race, Anthony looked even faster. The Hillard, Ohio native rode his Graves-prepped Attack Performance Herrin Compound Racing Yamaha YZF-R3 to his second second-place finish on the weekend at VIRginia International Raceway. With his two strong results, Anthony jumps up to fifth-place in the championship standings. Anthony also was the highest-finishing Yamaha R3 rider in both Saturday’s and Sunday’s Junior Cup races.
Like in Saturday’s race, Anthony got a great start Sunday, making up several positions on the first lap. Anthony worked his way through the battle behind the leading rider in the first half of the race, ultimately breaking away from the field. For the second half of the race, Anthony found himself locked in a great battle for the lead of the race. Unfortunately, Anthony missed a shift while downshifting and lost touch with the race leader. Anthony maintained his focus and brought his R3 home in second position, over two seconds ahead of third-place.
The MotoAmerica Liqui Moly Junior Cup will next visit the Road America June 1-3. Anthony scored the first podium finish of his MotoAmerica career at the Elkhart Lake, Wis. circuit, and will be looking to strengthen his bid to be the first-ever 2018 MotoAmerica Liqui Moly Junior Cup champion.
Gavin Anthony / #76, Junior Cup
“I got a better start in today’s race than I did in yesterday’s. I put my head down for the first few laps and made a charge for the front of the pack. My strategy paid off and I was able to get to the front and challenge for the lead of the race. The leader and I passed each other several times before I downshifted one too many times going into turn 7. I lost the draft and couldn’t keep with the race leader, but he and I had built a gap over the rest of the field and I was able to bring my Attack Performance Herrin Compound Yamaha R3 home in second-place. It was a bit slippery out there today with the hotter conditions, but we made some set-up changes before the race to help the bike work in these conditions. I am looking forward to the round at Road America. I had a great weekend there last year and am looking forward to continuing to develop our Graves-prepped R3 at a track I like.”
Josh Herrin / Team Manager/Coach
“I thought Gavin did very well again today. I thought he did a better job holding his ground today while he was battling through the field. He made a mistake which caused him to lose the draft of the leader. He’s already down on power a little bit so that ended his chances at taking the win. I very happy with how Gavin rode today, and I really feel like the team is continuing to gel around him. Gavin’s already had success at Road America in his young MotoAmerica career. I think if we can get a quick motor under him he’ll be battling for the win again for sure.”
More, from a press release issued by Ghetto Customs Racing:
Chris Parrish podiums again!
After a photo finish victory at Road Atlanta in round one Chris came to VIR determined to remain the MotoAmerica Twins Class points leader. After first practice the Ghetto Customs team knew they had a challenge ahead as they were off pace by 1.5 seconds. Q1 saw some improvement but a large gap to the pole sitter remained. The team wrapped up Friday encouraged as Chris managed to keep dropping time throughout the day even though he wasn’t on new tires.
Saturday morning saw several more changes to the settings and a gearing change that were the result of a discussion over dinner the evening before. Chris was faster in Q2 Saturday morning but still looking for more time. Practice ended with the team agreeing that new race tires were going to be the difference.
The start of the Twins Race went off as expected, a drag race into T1 where Chris got shuffled to 5th. After several entertaining laps Chris slotted into 2nd where he slowly built a cushion and tried to run down the leader. Unfortunately the gap was already too large so Chris then focused on maintaining the gap to 3rd and bringing home the Ghetto Customs Suzuki SV650 to a strong second place finish.
Chris wants to thank MotoAmerica, Dunlop, Shoei, M4, Hotbodies, Wingman’s Garage, RBoM Racing, Copoulos Built Motors, VO2 Leathers, Pit Bull Products and Rebel Gears for giving him (and all the Lightweight racers) the opportunity to finally come race his Suzuki SV650 in the MotoAmerica Series.