MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series/Honda Championship Of The Monterey Peninsula
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Monterey, California
July 8, 2017
Motul Superbike/Bazzaz Superstock 1000 Race One Combined Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Toni Elias (Suz GSX-R1000), Superbike, 23 laps, Total Race Time 32:51.723, Best Lap Time 1:25.135
2. Roger Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Superbike, -0.543 second, 1:25.185
3. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, -7.904 seconds, 1:25.016
4. Mathew Scholtz (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, -34.206, 1:25.800
5. Anthony West (Kaw ZX-10R), Superstock 1000, -36.672, 1:26.341
6. Jake Lewis (Suz GSX-R1000), Superstock 1000, -37.104, 1:26.067
7. Bobby Fong (Kaw ZX-10R), Superstock 1000, -37.233, 1:26.144
8. Danny Eslick (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, -50.598, 1:26.339
9. Jason DiSalvo (BMW S1000RR), Superbike, -54.382, 1:26.986
10. Bryce Prince (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, -54.427, 1:26.861
11. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, -79.607, pitted, 1:25.591
12. Tyler O’Hara (Kaw ZX-10R), Superstock 1000, -85.063, 1:27.646
13. Sebastiao Ferreira (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, -1 lap, 1:28.622
14. Max Flinders (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, -1 lap, 1:28.869
15. Barrett Long (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, -1 lap, 1:29.287
16. Hayden Gillim (Suz GSX-R1000), Superstock 1000, -1 lap, crash, 1:26.971
17. Sam Verderico (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, -1 lap, 1:31.102
18. Roi Holster (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, -1 lap, 1:31.190
19. Curt Biegel (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, -1 lap, 1:31.573
20. Steven Zoumaras (Kaw ZX-10R), Superstock 1000, -2 laps, 1:31.913
21. Jason Lauritzen (Kaw ZX-10R), Superstock 1000, DNF, 1:30.670
22. Kyle Wyman (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, DNF, mechanical, 1:26.331
23. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, DNF, crash, 1:25.302
24. Cameron Petersen (Kaw ZX-10R), Superstock 1000, DNF, mechanical, 1:27.046
25. Tomas Puerta (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), Superbike, DNF, mechanical, 1:28.106
26. Sylvain Barrier (BMW S1000RR), Superbike, -23 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded
27. Mathew Orange (Suz GSX-R1000), Superbike, DNS
Bazzaz Superstock 1000 Race One Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Mathew Scholtz (Yam YZF-R1), 23 laps, Total Race Time 33:25.929, Best Lap Time 1:25.800
2. Anthony West (Kaw ZX-10R), -2.466 seconds, 1:26.341
3. Jake Lewis (Suz GSX-R1000), -2.898, 1:26.067
4. Bobby Fong (Kaw ZX-10R), -3.027, 1:26.144
5. Danny Eslick (Yam YZF-R1), -16.392, 1:26.339
6. Bryce Prince (Yam YZF-R1), -20.221, 1:26.861
7. Tyler O’Hara (Kaw ZX-10R), -50.857, 1:27.646
8. Max Flinders (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, 1:28.869
9. Hayden Gillim (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, crash, 1:26.971
10. Sam Verderico (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, 1:31.102
11. Roi Holster (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, 1:31.190
12. Steven Zoumaras (Kaw ZX-10R), -2 laps, 1:31.913
13. Jason Lauritzen (Kaw ZX-10R), DNF, 1:30.670
14. Cameron Petersen (Kaw ZX-10R), DNF, mechanical, 1:27.046
Motul Superbike Championship Point Standings (after 11 of 20 races):
1. Elias, 235 points
2. Hayden, 200
3. Beaubier, 178
4. Hayes, 111
5. Scholtz, 102
6. Fong, 97
7. Lewis, 93
8. Herrin, 89
9. Eslick, 75
10. Wyman, 65
11. Gillim, 53
12. Jake Gagne, 51
13. Prince, 50
14. Anthony, 29
15. DiSalvo, 22
16. Flinders, 19
17. Larry Pegram, 14
18. West, 11
19. Barrier, 9
20. O’Hara, 7
Bazzaz Superstock 1000 Championship Point Standings (after 11 of 20 races):
1. Scholtz, 216 points
2. Lewis, 190
3. Fong, 178
4. Eslick, 152
5. Gillim, 127
6. Prince, 116
7. Flinders, 92
8. David Anthony, 47
9. Anthony Kosinski, 37
10. O’Hara, 26
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Elias Pads Championship Lead on Saturday with Win in Monterey
Cory Ventura Wins Home Race in KTM RC Cup
MONTEREY, Calif. (July 8, 2017) – Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias won his seventh Motul Superbike race of the season today on a blazing hot afternoon at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the first of the two races that make up the Honda Superbike Championship of the Monterey Peninsula.
Elias was in a fight for the majority of the race with his teammate Roger Hayden, the Kentuckian coming up half a second short at the finish after the Spaniard was badly balked by a lapped rider on the penultimate lap. Elias’ seventh victory of the season gives him a 35-point lead over Hayden going into tomorrow’s Race 2 of what is Round 6 of the 2017 MotoAmerica Series.
“I’m so happy (to avoid an incident with a lapper on lap 22),” Elias said. “I was trying to open a gap (on second) and I could do it two or three times, but always I found some slow guys (lappers) in the middle who blocked me and blocked Roger (Hayden). Then I lost that little gap, especially the last two laps, it was worse for me, but at the end everything was good. I continue doing my pace the last lap and still open a little gap.
“My team was really good because the ride (on the bike) was so nice. I felt more or less comfortable. The race was hard, but my momentum (lap times) was always the same. I’m so happy, my dream was to win here in Laguna Seca and at the end I really came through and it was perfect.”
Hayden was helped by the lapped rider with two laps to go, but he needed just a bit more pace to beat his teammate.
“That lapper did me a favor there those last couple laps and let me close back up on Toni (Elias),” Hayden said. “I tried to push the last lap, but he was just a little bit stronger than I was today. Hopefully, we can make a couple changes and be a little faster tomorrow. He (Elias) was a little better than me in a couple places and he kind of opened the gap back up. That lapper just needed to hold him up a little bit more. He almost did me a favor, but it was a good race. Tomorrow I think will be a better fight, (especially) if Cameron (Beaubier) is there at the beginning. He’s also really tough here. It could be three guys (battling for the win).”
Third place today went to Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Cameron Beaubier, the two-time defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion having a tough time in Turn 1 on the opening lap that pushed him back to sixth place at the end of the lap. From there he fought through to third, but, despite having the fastest lap of the race, couldn’t make serious inroads into the Yoshimura Suzuki pair’s lead. He ended up 7.0 seconds behind and is now 57 points behind Elias in the title chase.
“There right at the beginning my nose got cut off a little bit in the first corner,” Beaubier said. “It put me back to eighth or so, and I just fought my way (forward) and put my head down. I fought as hard as I could. My teammate (Josh Hayes) is hard to pass, he’s really good around here (at Laguna Seca). We had a little scrap going that kind of set us back about a half second or so. I just kept my head down, chipping away, but these guys (Elias and Hayden) were on rails today. I’ve got a great bike and a great team. We’re going to put our heads together and see what we can come up with for tomorrow, and see if we can fight for a win. We’re right over halfway (into the season) and we’re going to fight ‘til the end.”
Fourth place went to Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, the South African coming out on top of the Bazzaz Superstock 1000 class in the process. Scholtz was also hampered in Turn 1 on the opening lap, but had clear sailing to victory after that.
“In the first corner quite a few things happened there,” Scholtz said. “Beaubier touched (Josh) Herrin and I was on the outside of them and kind of got a terrible first lap from there. I was putting my head down and set some pretty decent times [that allowed me] to work my way through. I managed to actually open up a pretty decent lead over the Superstock guys, and I was really happy with that. I just have to thank the Yamalube Westby guys. They worked really hard for me and gave me a perfect bike. That really showed now, I did 23 laps at roughly the same pace. I was really happy. I could have picked things up [my pace] there at the end if I needed to. Overall, I’m really happy. I’m looking forward to the second race to see what we can do.”
Behind him there was a battle to the line between MotoAmerica first-timer Anthony West on the Fly Street/Motul Oils/ADR Motorsports Kawasaki, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis and Quicksilver Latus Motors Kawasaki’s Bobby Fong. Aussie West got the nod by .432 of a second over Lewis in the battle for fifth with Fong a shadow seventh. Those three were second, third and fourth in the Bazzaz Superstock 1000 results.
TOBC Racing’s Danny Eslick rode mostly alone to eighth place with Scheibe Racing/Hayes Brakes BMW-mounted Jason DiSalvo and Helmet Sounds.com/Western Services/Meen Motorsports’ Bryce Prince rounding out the top 10.
Four-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes crashed out of fourth place near the end of the race; Helmet Sounds.com/Western Services/Meen Motorsports’ Josh Herrin pitted after running with the leaders early on and rejoined to finish 11th; Kyle Wyman was a non-finisher after running fifth early on when his Motovation USA/Lucas Oils/KWR Yamaha suffered a mechanical failure.
KTM RC Cup: Ventura Gets His Second
The only other MotoAmerica race to take place today was the sole KTM RC Cup race of the weekend. The victory went to Cory Ventura in his home round, the Californian watching early as two of his rivals – Jackson Blackmon and Benjamin Smith – crashed out on the opening lap. He was then embroiled in a battle with Francesc Perez, but the Spaniard also crashed out on the ninth lap. The Toni Elias protégé remounted to finish 10th.
Second placed ended up going to JP43 Junior Team’s Alex Dumas, the French Canadian beating Quarterley Racing/On Track Development’s Draik Beauchamp by .373 of a second. Team MotoTriad’s Gray Pham was just behind those two in fourth place.
The win was Ventura’s second of the season and he moved to fourth in the title chase, 46 points behind Smith who stayed in the lead despite his first-lap crash. Smith has 147 points to Blackmon’s 118 with Beauchamp third on 115 points, five clear of Ventura.
“It was a great race,” Ventura said. “I got a great start; I’ve been working on those a lot. I just kept my eyes forward and kept my momentum going from earlier today. Just had a good race, had some fun, and that’s all the matters. This is front of my home crowd and is technically my home race. This is the track I do have the most time on and I had a lot of fun.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Hammer:
LEWIS CHARGES TO THE PODIUM AT LAGUNA SECA
Team Hammer kicked off the weekend’s race action at Laguna Seca on Saturday with a podium finish thanks to a come-from-behind performance courtesy of M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis.
Lewis was forced to claw his way through the field aboard his 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 after starting from Row 4 due to a crash during Superpole. His mission to finish up front was further complicated when an opening-lap incident in front of him forced him wide and even deeper into the pack.
Following the opening lap, Lewis found himself outside the top 15. Undeterred, the lanky rider kept his head, relied on his superior pace, and systematically worked his way forward.
He made his final pass in the race’s very last corner, driving around the outside of a title rival to take the checkered flag placed third in the Superstock 1000 race (sixth overall on the combined Superbike/STK1000 order) with second-place just bikelengths ahead.
Lewis said, “It was a good result for us since we were on the podium again. I got a bad start; there was an incident in Turn 2 that ran me wide and shuffled me to the rear. I came around after the first lap down in 16th, but I knew it was going to be a long race.
“I stayed calm. I knew I had a good bike and a good race pace, and just worked on picking guys off and moving forward. There were a few times where I had to wait before making a pass and I think that probably cost me second. We salvaged a podium so it was a good result in the end and we got some good points, which is important because we’re still in this thing. I can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow because I really feel I can win.”
The podium finish was Lewis’ ninth in 11 races this season. He currently sits second in the Superstock 1000 championship battle.
Lewis will be joined in his quest for the top of the podium on Sunday by Team Hammer’s 600cc contingent. With just one Supersport/STK600 race during this combined MotoAmerica/WorldSBK weekend, final grid positions were sorted out Saturday afternoon.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Valentin Debise will be looking to add to his season tally of two wins and six podium results from the outside of Row 1. The Frenchman was third in qualifying at 1:26.824.
M4 Rickdiculous Racing Suzuki’s Daytona Anderson and M4 medAge Suzuki’s Nick McFadden will line up just one row behind Debise. Anderson qualified fifth at 1:28.401 as he continues to readily adapt to the team’s GSX-R600. McFadden will slot in alongside in sixth, throwing down the fastest qualifying lap among all Superstock 600 competitors at 1:28.632.
Meanwhile, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Cleland put in a top-10 qualifying performance himself, running 10th fastest in STK600 (17th overall) at 1:30.386.
About Team Hammer
The 2017 season marks Team Hammer’s 37th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 67 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 173 times and have won five AMA Pro National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships. The team has also won 134 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 Yamaha:
Beaubier Podiums In MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca; Gerloff Sets New Track Record In Supersport Qualifying
Monterey, CA – July 9, 2017 – Racing in front of his friends and family, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Cameron Beaubier, who hails from nearby Roseville, CA, finished on the podium in third place in MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Cameron got off to a good start in the race–as did his teammate Josh Hayes–but the two-time and defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion was pushed wide by another rider in turn one, which shuffled him back where he had to play catch-up for most of the race. Cameron eventually caught up to Josh, who was in third place, and the two riders battled back-and-forth for a couple of laps until Cameron finally made his way around his four-time Superbike Champion teammate.
Unfortunately, not long afterwards, Josh lost traction in the front of his Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike, and he slid, unhurt, off the track and out of the race. Cameron maintained his position in third all the way to the checkered flag for a podium finish.
After the race, Cameron said, “At the beginning, my nose got cut off in the first corner. I ran wide and had to put my head down to catch up to the leaders. My teammate is hard to pass. We had a scrap going, and it set us back. Once I got by Josh, I was able to get a little closer to Roger (Hayden) and (race winner) Toni (Elias). But, those guys were on rails today. We’re going to go put our heads together and see what we can come up with for tomorrow’s race.
“I ran a little bit wide going into Turn 5, but not by much,” commented Josh. “I was on the ground almost before I knew it. It was a weird crash, and I feel more embarrassed about it than anything else. But, we’ve got another race tomorrow. I’ll be ready to try to redeem myself and give something back to my guys after causing them extra work today.”
Superbike Race 2 is on Sunday at 3:15 PM PST.
In Saturday’s MotoAmerica Supersport final qualifying, Monster Energy/Yamalube/ Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha’s Garrett Gerloff set a new track record aboard his Yamaha YZF-R6 and will start from the pole in tomorrow’s Supersport race. Garrett’s teammate JD Beach will start next to him on the front row of the grid after qualifying second. The Supersport Race will go green on Sunday at 11:10 AM PST.
2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings 7/8/17
Pos. Rider Points
1 Toni Elias – Suzuki 235
2 Roger Hayden – Suzuki 200
3 Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha 178
4 Josh Hayes – Yamaha 111
5 Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha 102
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:
Like A Manta Ray In Monterey Bay, Scholtz Glides To Victory In MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Race 1 At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Monterey, CA – July 9, 2017 – In Saturday’s MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz put his smooth style on full display as his rode his #11 Yamaha YZF-R1 to victory.
It was Mathew’s 2nd-consecutive win in class, 4th Superstock 1000 victory of the 2017 season, and 10th podium out of 11 races so far this year, as the 2016 South African SuperGP Champion continues to get along swimmingly in his first full season of American road racing.
What’s more, the exceedingly likeable South African rider finished fourth overall in the combined Superbike/Superstock 1000 field, and he not only leads the Superstock 1000 points standings by 26 points, but he is also ranked fifth in the 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, just 9 points behind four-time Superbike Champ Josh Hayes.
After Saturday’s race, Mathew said, “Going into the first corner after the start, quite a few things happened there. (Defending Superbike Champion Cameron) Beaubier touched (Josh) Herrin, and I was on the outside of them and kind of got a terrible first lap from there. But, I put my head down, set some pretty decent times, and worked my way through. I managed to actually open up a pretty decent lead over the Superstock guys, and I was really happy with that.
“I just have to thank the Yamalube/Westby Racing team. They worked really hard for me and gave me a perfect bike. I did 23 laps at the same pace. I was really happy. I could have picked things up there at the end if I needed to. Overall, I’m really happy. I’m looking forward to the second race to see what we can do.”
As Mathew mentioned, he and the Yamalube/Westby Racing team will race again on Sunday at 3:15 PM PST.
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.