Hayes Wins & Beaubier Finishes Third In MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2, While Beach Wins & Gerloff Finishes Second In Supersport Race 2
Alton, VA – In Sunday’s MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport races at VIRginia International Raceway, Yamaha’s “Fast Four” captured the wins and dominated the podiums, as Josh Hayes notched the 61st Superbike victory of his storied career and teammate Cameron Beaubier also finished on the podium in third, while JD Beach won his second Supersport race of the season and his teammate Garrett Gerloff was runner-up.
Improving on the so-so starts that they got in Saturday’s Superbike Race 1, Josh and Cameron rocketed off the starting line aboard their Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory YZF-R1 machines in Sunday’s Superbike Race 2, with Josh getting the holeshot and Cameron slotting in right behind him in second. Cameron got around Josh, and started to stretch out a lead as Josh got busy fending off the tandem of Toni Elias and Roger Hayden.
A mistake by Cameron caused him to run off the track for the second day in a row, but he was able to quickly regain his composure and return to the pavement in eighth position. As he did yesterday, Cameron methodically passed rider after rider until he was in fourth place. Meanwhile, Josh ran fast, smooth laps and stretched out his lead at the front. Roger Hayden ran off the track, handing third place to Cameron, which is where he finished the race. Josh took the checkered flag with a lead of nearly 4.5 seconds over Elias.
Talking about his return to form, Josh said, “On the grid, I kept telling myself, ‘You’ve done this before. You can do this!’ I finally got a good start, and I made up my mind that I was going to be relentless and make everybody run my pace. It was nice to be able to stretch out a comfortable lead, and then manage it. I’m happy to get this win for my team.”
A dejected Cameron commented, “I’m disappointed in myself because I thought I had the pace to win one of these races this weekend. To run off the track once is bad enough, but to do it twice is just not me. I want to apologize to my team because they gave me a great bike all weekend, and I didn’t get them the race wins that they deserve.”
2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings 5/14/17
Pos.RiderPoints
1Toni Elias – Suzuki115
2Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha105
3Roger Hayden – Suzuki104
4Josh Hayes – Yamaha69
5Bobby Fong – Kawasaki65
6Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha51
8Josh Herrin – Yamaha49
9Kyle Wyman – Yamaha45
10Danny Eslick – Yamaha40
In Sunday’s Supersport race, the script was flipped for Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha teammates Garrett and JD. While Garrett got the win and JD finished second on Saturday, it was JD who took the checkers on Sunday, with Garrett finishing second. The two riders, aboard their brand-new 2017 Yamaha YZF-R6 machines, swapped the lead multiple times throughout Sunday’s 20-lap race, and it was ultimately 2015 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion JD who prevailed by less than a tenth of a second over 2016 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion Garrett.
“Garrett and I had a great race,” JD said. “I’m a dirt tracker, and he kept leaving the door open in the left-handers! I think he was actually a little bit stronger than me, but I was able to get him in those left-handers, which made the difference. He ran a good pace, and we ran close together but safe. We trust each other, which is great, and we can just concentrate on applying our strengths. Today, I was able to get the win, so I’m really happy.”
“It was super-fun racing with JD,” said Garrett. “It’s great to go out there and mix it up with my teammate. We’re strong in different areas on the track, so that made it a really fun race. We were passing each other back and forth, and it came right down to the last corner on the last lap. He got the best of me in that final turn leading up to the finish line.”
2017 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings 5/14/17
Pos.RiderPoints
1Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha106
2JD Beach – Yamaha102
3Benny Solis – Honda69
4Valentin Debise – Suzuki65
5Michael Gilbert – Yamaha43
8Jason Aguilar – Yamaha37
9Daytona Anderson – Yamaha28
10Conner Blevins – Yamaha26
Yamaha’s Factory Superbike and Factory-Supported Supersport Teams will be back in action on June 2-4 for the Dunlop Championship At Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI.
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 Yamalube/Westby Racing:
Deuces Are Wild At VIR As Mathew Scholtz Notches Another Runner-Up Result, In Sunday’s Superstock 1000 Race 2
Alton, VA – On Sunday at VIRginia International Raceway, it was another day and another runner-up result for Yamalube/Westby rider Mathew Scholtz in MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 competition.
Aboard his #11 Yamalube/Westby Racing/Yamaha YZF-R1 so far this season, Mathew has finished second in four of the six races, and he has also notched a victory for a total of five podium finishes out of six races.
Sunday’s combined Superbike/Superstock 1000 race was a lot less hectic for Mathew than Saturday’s race was as he circulated in eight-place overall for virtually the entire race and was the second Superstock 1000 rider in the field to cross the finish line.
“I thought the situation would be similar to what we had in the first race,” Mathew said. “But, on Sunday, the track conditions were totally different. With the sun out and track temperatures much higher than they’d been all weekend, there was a lot less grip. It one took one or two corners on the first lap to realize that I had no confidence in the front end. I almost tucked the front numerous times, and I had to think of the Championship at that point. It’s better to finish second or third than try to challenge for first and crash out. Overall, I can’t really be happy with the second race, after having such a strong first race, but back to the drawing board. We have a test coming up before our next race, so my crew chief Ed and the boys and me will work on the bike, and I’m sure we’ll make it better.”
After this weekend’s two second-place results at VIR, Mathew is in second place in the 2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 points standings and just 15 points out of first place.
The next MotoAmerica race weekend for Mathew and the Yamalube/Westby Racing team will be on June 2-4 for the Dunlop Championship At Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI.
For more updates on Yamalube/Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit https://www.westbyracing.com
Also, visit “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media site.
More, from a press release issued by KTM North America:
KTM RC CUP CHAMPIONSHIP TIGHTENS UP WITH TWO NEW WINNERS EMERGING FROM ROUND 2
Round 2 – KTM RC Cup Championship
ALTON, Va. – The KTM RC Cup Championship tightened up over the weekend as two new winners emerged from Round 2 of the nine-race KTM spec series, taking place alongside the 2017 AMA MotoAmerica Championship. Teammates Draik Beauchamp and Jackson Blackmon each captured a career-first race win at Virginia International Raceway, giving the Quarterly Racing/On Track Development Team a double-victory in Alton, Virginia.
Beauchamp and Blackmon join their teammate Benjamin Smith as one of three unique race-winners aboard the KTM RC CUP RACEBIKE thus far, giving the team three of the top four positions in the championship standings. Coming off a 1-1 sweep at the opening round, Smith carried his momentum into the weekend as he claimed pole position for the second-consecutive round. His teammate, Blackmon, qualified close behind in 2nd after missing the opening round due to a wrist injury,
Blackmon didn’t seem to miss a beat as he used his favorable grid position to jump into the early lead in race one. Blackmon was able to put a gap on the rest of the field through the first half of the race but Smith and Beauchamp pushed each other in a close battle to eventually catch Blackmon up front.
Beauchamp overtook the lead on lap eight but Smith immediately answered back as he assumed the lead in a three-way battle on the final lap of racing. Beauchamp capitalized on the draft to make a final pass on Smith to take over the lead and Blackmon followed suit to secure 2nd place.
Smith, who led the most laps of the race, finished 3rd in race one. Quarterly Racing’s Jake Leahey finished 4th and JP43 Junior Team’s Alex Dumas rounded out the top five.
Draik Beauchamp: “It was an awesome race, it took a lot of work to get here. I’m just glad I finally got up to this position and hopefully I can keep doing this and having great battles with these guys – we’ve been fighting hard the entire race and it panned out pretty well. That was a spectacular job by them with the ride that they had and the team for how much they’ve worked their butt off to get us here to this point.”
In race two, it was Blackmon who once again assumed the early lead with Smith and Beauchamp close behind. Blackmon was able to hold on flag-to-flag to earn his first-career victory, while Smith and Beauchamp went to battle once again for the 2nd place position. Beauchamp made a mistake that forced him to slow down and check-up, leaving Smith with nowhere to go but into Beauchamp’s rear tire. As a result, Smith went down and Beauchamp continued to chase after Blackmon out front.
Later in the race, Beauchamp was pushing hard to catch Blackmon and he tucked the front end and went down, allowing Dumas to inherit the 2nd place position. Trevor Standish and Toby Khamsouk stepped into the 3rd place battle for the second half of the race but a quick run off the track by Standish allowed Khamsouk to land the final podium position with 3rd, while Sergio Rodriguez II moved into 4th and Standish ultimately finished in 5th.
Jackson Blackmon: “The race was awesome, I got a really good start like I did yesterday and as soon as I got a lead I just put my head down. A couple laps in I saw a little bit of a gap but then it went back to zero so I took a glance back and all I saw was Draik so I wasn’t sure where everybody else was. But then I saw the gap all of the sudden go to +6 so I figured there must have been something going on so I just kept on putting my head down, not sure what was going on and just really put in some good hard laps. It’s so awesome to be up here on the top of the step and I can’t wait for the next one!”
After two rounds of racing, only one point separates Smith and Beauchamp in the championship standings, while Dumas sits only five points back in 3rd place. Despite missing Round one, Blackmon’s double-podium bumped him into the 4th place position and Khamsouk rounds out the top five.
Next Event: Road America / June 2-4, 2017
KTM RC Cup Race 1 Results
1. Draik Beauchamp
2. Jackson Blackmon
3. Benjamin Smith
4. Jake Leahey
5. Alex Dumas
KTM RC Cup Race 2 Results
1. Jackson Blackmon
2. Alex Dumas
3. Toby Khamsouk
4. Sergio Rodriguez II
5. Trevor Standish
KTM RC Cup Championship Point Standings
1. Benjamin Smith (66)
2. Draik Beauchamp (65)
3. Alex Dumas (60)
4. Jackson Blackmon (45)
5. Toby Khamsouk (43)
More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura Suzuki:
YOSHIMURA SUZUKI’S HAYDEN SCORES VICTORY AT VIR AND ELIAS HOLDS ONTO SERIES LEAD
Hayden Takes his 1st Victory of 2017 and Elias Bounces Back from Race 1 Setback
Chino, CA (May 15, 2017) –Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Roger Hayden nailed down his first MotoAmerica Motul Superbike victory of 2017 aboard his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the first leg of the Championship of Virginia, Saturday at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. Teammate Toni Elias was taken out in crash caused by a fellow competitor in Saturday’s race, but bounced back strong to finish second in Sunday’s contest.
In spite of scoring no points in Saturday’s race, Elias’ solid ride on Sunday means he leaves Virginia with a 10-point lead in the MotoAmerica standings. Hayden, who finished sixth on Sunday, is third, just a single point out of second.
At VIR riders were greeted with rainy conditions on Friday, but the weather progressively improved the rest of the weekend.
In Saturday’s race Hayden and Elias powered up quickly on their Suzuki GSX-R1000s from fifth and ninth on the grid respectively. The two both battled up front for the lead. Hayden gradually pulled away from the field and won the race by a margin of 0.485 seconds after backing off on the closing laps.
It marked the fifth-career MotoAmerica Superbike win for Hayden.
“I want to be more aggressive at the beginning, I felt like I had the pace to get away,”Hayden said after his victory. “The team was giving me the board and I could see my lead kept growing, but I decided to back it down the last three laps since water was running onto the track in a few spots. I’m happy to finally get this win after coming up short several times earlier in the season.”
Elias was in a battle for second when Josh Herrin made an error entering a fast right-hand turn and crashed, taking Elias with him in the process. “It was a mistake and Josh ran over to apologize,” Elias said. “This is racing and these things happen over the course of a long season and fortunately we have another race Sunday.”
In Sunday’s race the pair of Yoshimura Suzuki riders once again ran in the lead group. The Suzuki teammates were battling over second on the final lap when Hayden ran wide and off the track going into the first turn. He was able to get back on the track and finish sixth, earning valuable points. Elias held off rival Beaubier for second place. Elias’finish allowed him to begin to build back his series lead after the misfortune of Saturday.
“It was good to get back on the podium today,” Elias said after Sunday’s runner-up finish. “This was important for the championship and now I will start again and try to rebuild our lead. Our team worked very hard this weekend after I suffered some crashes and it paid off for us.”
Yoshimura Suzuki will participate in a MotoAmerica test this week at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. From there the series returns to action on June 2-4 at the Dunlop Championship at Road America in picturesque Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. For additional details on the upcoming event visit www.MotoAmerica.com
You can keep keep up with the team’s progress by visiting www.yoshimura-racing.com and www.yoshimura-racing.com and via YouTube at www.youtube.com/SuzukiCycles
Team Yoshimura Suzuki is grateful for the support of their sponsors: Yoshimura R&D, Suzuki Motor of America, Motul, Tucker Rocky, Dunlop, Shorai, Sunstar, K&N Performance Filters, NGK Spark Plugs, RK Racing Chain, Chicken Hawk Racing and Zeta.
About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for over 60 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket. Yoshimura exhaust systems are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit, and quality that has been our trademark for six decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com
About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. SMAI’s supplier, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles and Outboard Motors. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has 147 distributors in 201 countries. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com