The Fourth Was With Mathew Scholtz On Sunday At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

Monterey, CA– Racing on the world stage at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna was just what Mathew Scholtz and the Yamalube/Westby Racing team needed. During the combined MotoAmerica/World Superbike weekend at the Monterey Peninsula’s iconic racetrack, Mathew’s confidence in his #11 Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike was restored, and he got back to the business of racing among the factory riders as he and the team have become accustomed.

Following up his fifth-place finish in Saturday’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1, Mathew did himself one better by notching a fourth-place result in Sunday’s Race 2. He and the team have adjusted to the new, larger Dunlop rear tire that was introduced in racing conditions at Road America (the previous MotoAmerica round), and the new settings on the bike should serve them well as the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship moves past the halfway point in the season.

“Saturday’s race was really good. Finishing fifth was a positive step forward for us, and I felt comfortable. Overnight, we made a couple more changes, and in the morning warmup, they seemed positive. So we looked forward to the race because we knew we were going to go quicker. My start wasn’t that good, but I passed a couple of guys early on and then, Toni (Elias), Roger (Hayden), and I were battling the whole race. Finishing fourth, I couldn’t be happier. I’ve gotten that positive feeling back with the setup. I kind of know what the bike’s doing, when it’s going to move, and I’m really happy. I know that the Westby guys have been working hard. They’ve been making the bike quicker and made the setup a million times better, and I’m really, really thankful. To be part of the podium battle again, and to be dicing with Toni and Rog, the factory guys, we’re back to where we should be. It was a brilliant weekend for us.”

Along with the positive changes that the Yamalube/Westby Racing team has made to the bike to make Mathew more comfortable, Mathew is working with rider coach Ken Hill from Rickdiculous Racing. Ken’s advice and input are already paying big dividends to Mathew and the team.

Round 6 of the 2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will take place on July 20 through 22 at Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, UT.

MotoAmerica Superbike Standings

1. Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha – 203

2. Toni Elias – Suzuki – 174

3. Josh Herrin – Yamaha – 135

4. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 129

5. Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha – 98

For more updates about Yamalube/Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com

Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.

More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura Suzuki:

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias and Roger Hayden on the Rostrum at Laguna Seca

Elias Rallies and Hayden Climbing in the Standings

Monterey, CA — Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Toni Elias and Roger Hayden both finished on the podium in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, part of the combined World Superbike/MotoAmerica weekend.

Defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Elias made a string of comebacks after running off the racing line numerous times during the race. Elias’ years of experience shone through as was able to overcome the problems and charge forward on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 from way back late in the race to finish a strong second – something that appeared nearly impossible earlier in the contest.

Elias leaves Monterey ranked second in the championship, 29 points behind leader Cameron Beaubier (203-174).

Hayden came home in third to round out the podium in Sunday’s race. It marked a weekend of consistency with Hayden enjoying his best weekend of the season, after also standing on the rostrum taking third in Saturday’s Race 1. As a result Hayden jumped from 11th to eighth in the championship standings at the halfway point of the season.

Sunday’s race was a tremendous turnaround for Elias, who suffered two crashes in Saturday’s race, yet still managed to finish in the points, twice picking up his bike and crossing the line in 13th.

“It was a great feeling to come back and finish second today,” said Elias said. “After the crashes of yesterday and then finding neutrals many times today, to be able to finish second feels like a victory. We will be testing before the next race and we will work hard to comeback in this championship.”

For Hayden positive momentum continues to build after a rough start to 2018. He rarely put a wheel wrong the entire race weekend and earned his third consecutive podium result.

“This was the best race for me so far this year,” Hayden explained. “I feel like we are getting better every time I get on the bike. We still have a big mountain to climb to get back in the championship, but for sure we are heading in the right direction.”

It was a picture perfect weekend in the scenic Monterey Bay area with sunny skies and warm temperatures. A weekend total of 64,425 fans attended the race, the biggest crowd for the event since returning to the World Superbike calendar in 2013.

Yoshimura Suzuki and the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship now look ahead to the kickoff of the second half of the season in next month’s round, the Championship of Utah at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah on July 20-22.

For additional information visit: www.motoamerica.com

You can keep up with the team’s progress by visiting yoshimura-racing.com and www.suzukicycles.com/Racing and via YouTube at www.suzukicycles.com/Racing

More, from a press release issued by KTM North America:

KTM ORANGE BRIGADE RIDERS FINISH 1-2 IN MOTOAMERICA JUNIOR CUP RACE AT WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA

Round 4 – MotoAmerica Junior Cup

MONTEREY, Calif. – At the end of Sunday’s MotoAmerica Junior Cup race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, it was the KTM Orange Brigade duo of Alex Dumas and Sean Ungvarsky who were leading the pack over the finish line to put the KTM RC 390 R on thetop two steps of the podium at the MotoAmerica Championship of Monterey.

For Dumas, Sunday’s victory marks his fifth of the season as he holds a 26-point lead in the Junior Cup standings. Ungvarsky, who has remained just as consistent as his teammate, now holds second overall in the standings with five podium-finishes behind him.

Dumas started the race from third place on the starting grid and he quickly found himself locked in a four-way battle for the lead. The race was red-flagged on Lap 8 and he got another good jump on the restart. When two of the other front-runners crashed out on the first lap of the restarted race, Dumas was able to put his head down and take the win by 2.3 seconds.

Ungvarsky started the race from 12th place on the grid after suffering a crash in the first qualifying session. He raced his way up to fifth when the red flag came out and was able to get a good start when the race restarted. He battled with another rider before steadily building a gap, finishing 3.3 seconds ahead of the next closest rider.

Alex Dumas, #23 KTM Orange Brigade Rider: “I had a really good start, and I was really happy with how the race was. But then, two guys passed me. I was fourth or something. I managed to get back to second and then the red flag came out. Then, when we restarted, I was fifth. I saw Ashton (Yates) crash in the first lap or something. I felt pretty good. I just did it at my pace. I kind of slowed down a little bit just to make sure I could keep it up and finish first.”

Sean Ungvarsky, #48 KTM Orange Brigade Rider: “Today’s race was a bit of a crash fest and I must have had some favor with someone upstairs to not get collected in it. I did not have a good feeling with the bike at the beginning of the weekend but after the red flag came out, I went into the pits and my team made some changes to the bike. When the race restarted, the bike felt much better under me and I knew I had a shot at the podium. I put my head down and was able to finish in second place behind my teammate. The weekend ended on a high note for us, and I have to give my crew a lot of the credit for my result today. In the end, we got our KTM RC 390 R dialed in and we are looking to carry this positive momentum into the next round at Utah Motorsports Campus.”

The MotoAmerica Junior Cup will take a four-week break before the next round at Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah, on July 20-22. Dumas and Ungvarsky will look to continue the KTM Orange Brigade’s winning ways at the high altitudes of the fast and flowing, 3.06-mile circuit.

More, from a press release issued by WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca:

Rea and Beaubier Are Double Trouble at Thrilling Superbike Conclusion

64,425 fans witness more two-wheel history made at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

MONTEREY, Calif. — Jonathan Rea and Cameron Beaubier did the double by backing up their Race 1 victories on Saturday with second wins in exciting fashion at the conclusion of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship GEICO Motorcycle U.S. Round featuring MotoAmerica Championship of Monterey.

64,425 fans over the course of the three-day event witnessed Rea continue to amend the history books. The all-time winningest rider in World Superbike history scored career win No. 62 today. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider from Northern Ireland chased Irish 2014 winner Eugene Laverty for seven laps before choosing his moment to overtake the Milwaukee Aprilia rider and pulling away from the field. Laverty ended up on the podium with a P3 finish while Welshman Chaz Davies, a three-time winner at this event, rode his Arubi.it Ducati to his second podium in as many days.

Entering this event, six riders – Chaz Davies, Tom Sykes, Ben Bostrom, Troy Corser, John Kocinski, and Anthony Gobert – were tied for the all-time mark of most World Superbike wins at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca at three apiece. Rea leapfrogged them all with his third and fourth career wins at the iconic 2.238-mile, 11-turn circuit.

American rider Jake Gagne capped a memorable Race 1 with another career-best ride in the international series. One day after he California native rode the Red Bull Honda to his first top 10 finish, he did one better at P9 to a cheering home crowd.

Like Rea, Cameron Beaubier doubled up in the win column in MotoAmerica Motul Superbike. However, Beaubier had a significantly shorter commute. The Roseville, Calif., native expanded his points lead with his second double win in his past two starts. Race 2 stole the show with Beaubier and Josh Herrin battling aggressively for the top spot.

Though he didn’t leave with a victory, some may rightly consider Herrin the star of the event with an ironman performance competing in both his World Superbike debut and MotoAmerica Motul Superbike on the same Attack Performance/2 Wheel Legal Yamaha changing only competition numbers and spec rear tires. In both World Superbike starts, his team had him pit before the races ended despite likely finishes in the points to prepare for the MotoAmerica races that occurred immediately after.

Beaubier and Herrin pulled far out in front of the field while the talented riders jockeyed for the lead. Herrin took a spill in the runoff while fighting valiantly to reel Beaubier back in. The foregone conclusion of Beaubier’s victory from that point shifted the focus onto a competitive game of musical chairs at 170 mph for remaining podium spots between Toni Elias (Spain), Roger Hayden (Owensboro, Ky.), and Matthew Scholtz (South Africa). Yoshimura Suzuki teammates Elias and Hayden nabbed the final two respective spots.

The last race of the day was MotoAmerica Supersport, which ended in touching fashion. Yamaha rider JD Beach edged Frenchman Valentin Debise for the win. Afterwards, Beach stopped during the cooldown lap to honor late fellow Kentuckian Nicky Hayden. He dismounted from his bike and ran up the hillside to high-five the No. 69 billboard that was created to pay tribute to Hayden before last year’s event.

Upcoming events at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca include Red, White & Blues July 14; Monterey Pre-Reunion August 18-19; Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 23-26; Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix featuring AMERICA’S TIRE 250 Sept. 6-9; Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI Sept. 27-30; and California 8 Hours presented by Pirelli World Challenge Oct. 26-28. For tickets and information, go to www.WeatherTechRaceway.com or call 831-242-8200.

More, from a press release issued by Team Hammer:

Team Hammer closed out the Laguna Seca race weekend by scoring its 195th AMA Pro/MotoAmerica podium finish–a fitting way to conclude a weekend that served as a celebration of 35 years of collaboration with Arai.

M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Valentin Debise continued his remarkable midseason return to action from injury, racing in his hand-painted Team Hammer throwback Arai helmet to the podium by scoring his third top-two result in just three attempts this season.

The Frenchman opened Sunday’s MotoAmerica Supersport race from pole after dominating final qualifying Sunday morning, firing in a fastest lap more than a half second better than any other rider in the field. However, despite his qualifying superiority, he found himself running a close second for much of the race, battling an evenly-matched opponent.

Debise attempted a pass for the lead with just a handful of laps remaining but was unable to make it stick. From that point on–and despite an incredible effort on the final lap–another attempt to take the lead and reach the the checkered flag first remained just beyond his reach.

“After this morning I was thinking I could run away,” Debise admitted. “I was a little surprised to see my rival had a little stronger pace than I did. So I just decided to sit behind him, study his lines, see what I could learn, and maybe try something new with my style in hopes if I could go faster at the end. With five or six laps to go, I knew I had to make a pass, if only to disrupt him and prevent him from just riding his pace. I was a little bit wide and went to block him on exit. But he knows me, so he squared up the corner and came back underneath me. So credit to him, it was a good move on his part.

“On the last lap, I put my head down, pushed really hard, and made a killer final lap. I almost crashed like 20 times, but I waited a too little long. If I would have tried a pass, I would have sent it to the moon, so I just relaxed and finished second.

“I’m happy to be here on the podium at Laguna Seca, and I’m happy to be wearing this helmet to celebrate 35 years of partnership between Team Hammer and Arai. It was a great weekend for my team and a great weekend for me. Thanks to my M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team. They did a great job as always, and it’s always a pleasure to work with them.”

Debise was joined in the Supersport top five by M4 medAge Suzuki’s Nick McFadden. The Kentuckian, who qualified in the middle of Row 2 in fifth, put himself in the mix for a potential podium finish in the race’s early stages before ultimately settling into a lonely sixth. Just when it looked that’s where he’d end up, his position was upgraded to fifth due to a last-lap crash in front of him. The unexpected turn of events earned McFadden his fourth top-five result of the 2018 MotoAmerica Supersport season. M4 RiCK! Suzuki’s Daytona Anderson’s finished in 14th after qualifying on the outside of Row 4 in 12th, moving up into the top-10, but then running off the track.

Meanwhile, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike ace Jake Lewis improved upon on his Race 1 eighth. Lewis was involved in a intense melee for fourth that included some of the series’ biggest names and most accomplished riders during the opening half of the 23-lap Superbike race before finally finishing in sixth position.

Team Hammer will return to action on July 20-22 at Utah Motorsports Campus for Round 6 of the 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season.

About Team Hammer

The 2018 season marks Team Hammer’s 38th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 69 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 195 times and have won five AMA Pro National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships. The team has also won 135 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.

More, from a press release issued by Jayson Uribe’s publicist:

Jayson Uribe Shines On Laguna Seca MotoAmerica Superbike Debut

After several seasons competing overseas Californian Jayson Uribe was back in action on home soil this week aboard the Genuine Broaster Chicken Honda in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.

The latest round of the series, which was held at the newly renamed WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, ran alongside round eight of the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship enabling Jayson to participate in various media activities alongside his on track commitments throughout the weekend.

A small technical issue in FP1 limited Jayson’s time on track but the #36 bounced back in style to take 14th on the ultra-competitive grid, narrowly missing out on Superpole.

Unable to finish the opening 23 lap encounter on Saturday, Uribe made his Superbike race debut on Sunday impressing many after finishing a more than respectable 11th at the flag after a lightning start saw him challenging the leading group in the opening few turns,

With five points on the board and a weekend’s experience under his belt, Jayson is looking forward to the next round at Utah in three weeks.

Jayson Uribe: “It was a great opening weekend for me and the Genuine Broaster Chicken Honda crew. We had our ups and downs, but we ended on a high note. I was pretty nervous the first time I hopped on the bike, not going to lie. We went straight into qualifying, and right off the bat, I knew we had some work to do. The team and I worked together well and got the bike in a good spot for Saturday’s events. We ended up P14. We got about four laps into free practice on Saturday morning then the bike went into a fail safe mode and cut almost all power going up the hill out of turn 6. That sat us out for the remainder of that session, and unfortunately race 1. My team and I worked very hard to solve the issues, and in the end we narrowed it down to a faulty camshaft position sensor. Morning warm up on Sunday was quite damp, but the bike ran well and that’s all we really cared about. We had a great start to the race, going from P14 to P6 or 7 by the first corner! I slotted in behind Cam Peterson and tried to stick with him for as long as possible. I ended up battling with him for 5 or 6 laps before riding my own race. I ended up finishing P11. I’m happy with the result, and I know that when we actually get some proper testing, we will be capable of much more. Thanks to the team for all of their hard work!!”

Racing aside, Jayson made history on Saturday by becoming the first MotoAmerica rider to sing on the WorldSBK Paddock Show stage, following in the footsteps of Jordi Torres, Roman Ramos and Leandro Mercado who take part in the annual charity rider concert at Donington Park (UK) every year. His rendition of a Jason Mraz classic had the crowd on their feet followed by several requests on social media of a repeat performance in 2019.

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

Double Superbike Victories for Beaubier at Laguna Seca

Beach Claims Win in Sunday’s Supersport Action at MotoAmerica Round 5

Monterey, Calif. – June 25, 2018 – With a 1-1 MotoAmerica Superbike sweep for the weekend, Cameron Beaubier and the Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Team extended their winning streak to four-in-a-row after an impeccable Round 5 of the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship in Monterey, California.

In Supersport action, JD Beach and the Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha Team won a close race to clinch their fifth victory of the season. Along with a MotoAmerica Junior Cup race and FIM World Superbike Race 2, Yamaha bLU cRU riders provided lots of action for attending fans at the historic 11-turn, 2.238-mile WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Superbike Team

As a native of Roseville, California, Cameron Beaubier lined up for MotoAmerica Race 2 with plenty of support from his attending family, friends and fans. When the green flag waved, he launched into second place behind fellow Yamaha bLU cRU rider Josh Herrin. After a few attempts at the lead, Beaubier kept the pressure on Herrin while making smart moves to keep the race tight. With eight laps to go, Herrin fought a wild slide in Turn 2 and opened the door for two-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Beaubier to take the lead. Beaubier kept the pace in the final laps, opening a solid gap between himself and the rest of the field when Herrin’s race ended with an unfortunate crash at the bottom of the famous “Corkscrew,” turn 8A. Beaubier crossed the finish line to solidify his second victory of the weekend, extending his lead in the Superbike Championship to 29 points.

Meanwhile, Garrett Gerloff got off to a great start in Race 2 as he used the power of his R1 to take over third place in turn 6 on the opening lap. Gerloff continued to move towards the front of the pack, pressuring his teammate, Cameron Beaubier, for second place early in the race. After settling in to keep a solid pace with Beaubier and race-leader Josh Herrin, Gerloff was joined by the hard-charging trio of Roger Hayden, Matthew Scholtz and Toni Elias by lap 15, who challenged him for the final podium position. Gerloff kept his head down, though, finishing the 23-lap race with a fifth-place finish while gaining more valuable experience during his first Superbike season.

Cameron Beaubier – #6 YZF-R1

“I’m so happy to get out of here with a double [victory]. We went into this round with a two-point lead and we came away with a 29-point lead, so that’s kind of another big swing in the points like it was at Road America. We led every practice except for Superpole and Warmup, and I just had a good feeling with the bike ever since the first practice on Friday. Every step we’ve made with the team, I feel like we went in the right direction. [Josh] Herrin was riding really good there at the beginning and I was struggling to go with him at first but I closed the gap and we were going back-and-forth. I was trying to pass him here and there but I felt like I was slowing us down, so I ended up slotting in and letting him do his thing. All-in-all, I’m happy to get out of here with max points and a good feeling going into the other two west coast races. It feels really good to be halfway into the season and crawl out of the hole we were in since we started the season off a little slower.”

Garrett Gerloff – #31 YZF-R1

“At the start, everything was great. I got off the line really well and went from fifth to third and was right there and feeling good. I kind of tried to make a pass on Cameron but couldn’t get it done, and that kind of set me back with a little bit of a gap between the leaders and me in third. I felt good, though. I felt like I was hitting my marks and getting good lap times and was consistent. I had a group of guys chasing me and they were using each other to charge, and I slowly was backing off the front guys. I’m frustrated because I started making mistakes, and that never helps. Today wasn’t the day but at least the first half of the race was good and something to go off of at the next round.”

Tom Halverson – Team Manager

“Four straight wins and two doubles – it’s a pretty fantastic result! Cameron is on a great roll and he rode really smart here, which is right at home for us. We came up with a pretty good championship lead – we’re only halfway through – but still, we’re in a really good place at this point in the season. Garrett did a great job today, and he definitely stepped up his game. He was running really competitive lap times and he ran inside the top three for a long time, so congrats to Garrett. It’s too bad he didn’t get that podium but he was a little under the weather this week, so we’ll get them at Miller.”

2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings – 10 of 20 Series Races Completed

Pos.Rider Points

1 Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha 203

2 Toni Elias – Suzuki 174

3 Josh Herrin – Yamaha 135

4 Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha 129

5 Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha 98

7 Kyle Wyman – Yamaha 82

Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha Supersport Team

On Sunday afternoon, JD Beach and the Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha Team lined up for their first and only Supersport race of the weekend. Beach got off to a great start aboard his R6, and provided the crowd at Laguna Seca with plenty of excitement after swapping the lead with Valentin Debise early in the race. Beach held strong despite the pressure coming from second-place Debise throughout the race as he clinched victory at the checkered flags and extended his lead in the Supersport Championship by 52 points.

JD Beach – #95 YZF-R6

“Man, what an awesome race! Coming to Laguna is always special with all the history the track holds. It’s amazing to get another win here on my Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha R6. I can’t thank my whole team enough for all the hard work and can’t wait for Utah!”

Chuck Graves – Team Owner

“It was an eventful race. Valentin put the pressure on JD, and JD just led him around the whole way. They passed back-and-forth a few times and JD textbook-showed him who the master was again, so we’re really happy and it’s a good win for the R6.”

2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings – 7 of 18 Series Races Completed

Pos.RiderPoints

1 JD Beach – Yamaha 165

2 Hayden Gillim – Yamaha 113

3 Cory West – Yamaha 79

Additional Yamaha bLU cRU Rider Notes

At the start of Sunday’s Superbike Race 2, Josh Herrin looked to have an incredible conclusion to a full weekend of MotoAmerica and World Superbike racing as he put his Attack Performance/Herrin Compound/Yamaha R1 into the lead right away. Herrin held the top spot over Beaubier for the first 15 laps and he continued to fight from the second-place position late in the race. However, with three laps to go, Herrin experienced a race-ending crash that took away his chances of earning a double-podium at Laguna Seca.

Rickdiculous Racing’s Hayden Gillim continued his Supersport podium-streak on Sunday with another third-place finish on his Yamaha R6, while Quicksilver/Lexin/Hudson Motorcycles R6-mounted Richie Escalante rounded out the top-four.

When the MotoAmerica Junior Cup class lined up for their only race of the weekend on Sunday morning, the Graves/Yamaha R3 Support Program riders were ready to do battle. With Chuck Graves on site to help guide the riders and teams, and Yamaha bLU cRU Rider Coach Josh Hayes providing riding tips, the stage was set for some great racing. Unfortunately, a number of crashes prevented several of the top contenders from reaching the podium.

“It was a tough day,” commented Chuck Graves. “MotoAmerica has taken small steps with the technical rules to keep a bit more parity with one model in the class that has a power advantage, but there’s still a lot of work to do. The differences in power and top speed for larger displacement bikes means they are much faster on the straights and riders on other models need to carry more corner speed to catch up,” continued Graves. “But overall, we’re very proud of all of Graves/Yamaha R3 riders and how much they’re using what they’re learning to go faster.”

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 Turner’s Cycle Racing:

Kris Turner made his return debut to professional racing at Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, after a nearly six year hiatus from professional racing. He contended in the MotoAmerica Twins class on a 2005 Suzuki SV650.

“It feels great to be back out here,” Kris says, “besides two WERA races on a stock SV650 two and a half years ago, I’m pushing six years without being on a bike.” Kris turned heads early on though, in Free Practice 1, turning out the 3rd fastest time of the session. Smiling, Turner said, “I definitely have speed shock and I’m just trying to blow the dust off. I’m happy with where I am but have a lot of work ahead.”

Turner went on to earn provisional pole in qualifying session 1, after making minor set up changes mid session, dropping more than four and a half seconds a lap from the previous session, with more than a .7 second gap over second place. “We made a minor rebound change in the forks and dropped the rear tire pressure a few pounds to help the bike turn across the middle of the corner. I poured everything I had left in me into that last lap and when I turned around and saw my number in P1, it just felt amazing. I couldn’t believe it. I probably looked silly celebrating on the cool down lap, but I was excited.”

Turner would go out in qualifying session 2 on the same set of tires, only dropping a tenth of a second and finishing the session 3rd fastest. “It was really a money game. We had enough money for two sets of tires and I wanted the new set for the race. I’m still extremely happy to be starting on the front row and I’m close on time. I feel very confident I can drop another 1-1.5 seconds a lap for the race and try to make a break for it, if I can. Honestly, I’m just happy to be back here racing and everything going so well so far.”

Unfortunately, that luck would soon end, as Turner broke a chain on the warm up lap prior to the race starting. “It’s disappointing for sure, but it’s one of those things that’s out of my control. I would rather not finish a race because of a silly mechanical that didn’t physically harm the bike than because I chucked it down the road. Overall, we had an overwhelmingly great first weekend back and I think we turned some heads and I gained a lot of confidenceon this bike. I’m really looking forward to getting it home and seeing what we can show up to Utah with.”

Kris and Turner’s Cycle Racing would like to thank everyone that has helped make this return possible. John Ulrich, Arai Helmets, Danny Turner, Melanie Turner, JJ Lewis, Detail Depot, Forma Boots and Jeff Forbes.