Suzuki ECSTAR Championship At Road Atlanta
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
Road Atlanta
Braselton, Georgia
April 29, 2017
Provisional Motul Superbike/Bazzaz Superstock 1000 Combined Race One Results (All on Dunlop tires):
1. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 21 laps, Total Race Time 30:15.400, Best Lap Time 1:25.713
2. Toni Elias (Suz GSX-R1000), Superbike, -0.287 second, 1:25.530
3. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, -1.302 seconds, 1:25.794
4. Roger Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Superbike, -5.583, 1:25.673
5. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, -9.154, 1:25.844
6. Mathew Scholtz (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, -12.422, 1:26.374
7. Bobby Fong (Kaw ZX-10R), Superstock 1000, -12.838, 1:26.454
8. Jake Lewis (Suz GSX-R1000), Superstock 1000, -20.874, 1:26.523
9. Kyle Wyman (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, -25.489, 1:26.536
10. Jake Gagne (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), Superbike, -43.198, 1:26.932
11. Danny Eslick (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, -55.759, 1:27.106
12. Hayden Gillim (Suz GSX-R1000), Superstock 1000, -55.872, 1:27.818
13. Max Flinders (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, -85.111, 1:29.170
14. Anthony Kosinski (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, -1 lap, DNF, crash, 1:28.895
15. Bryce Prince (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, -10 laps, DNF, retired, 1:27.022
16. David Anthony (Kaw ZX-10R), Superbike, -17 laps, DNF, retired, 1:28.984
17. Sylvain Barrier (BMW S1000RR), Superbike, DNS
Bazzaz Superstock 1000 Race One Results (All on Dunlop tires):
1. Mathew Scholtz (Yam YZF-R1), 21 laps, Total Race Time 30:27.822, Best Lap Time 1:26.374
2. Bobby Fong (Kaw ZX-10R), -0.416 second, 1:26.454
3. Jake Lewis (Suz GSX-R1000), -8.452 seconds, 1:26.523
4. Danny Eslick (Yam YZF-R1), -43.337, 1:27.106
5. Hayden Gillim (Suz GSX-R1000), -43.450, 1:27.818
6. Max Flinders (Yam YZF-R1), -72.689, 1:29.170
7. Anthony Kosinski (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, DNF, crash, 1:28.895
8. Bryce Prince (Yam YZF-R1), -10 laps, DNF, retired, 1:27.022
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Beaubier Takes Road Atlanta Superbike Race One
Tight Fight For Victory In The Suzuki ECSTAR Championship at Road Atlanta
BRASELTON, GA (May 29, 2017) – Five riders battled in the lead group for most of the 21-lap Suzuki ECSTAR Championship at Road Atlanta and the race went to the wire with defending two-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier taking his first victory of the season by a scant .287 of a second over Spaniard Toni Elias.
The victory was the 20th Superbike win of Beaubier’s career, a victory that moved him out of a tie with Fred Merkel and into fifth on the all-time win list. His 20th will also go down as one of the hardest-fought wins of his young career as he had to pass four riders after dropping back to fifth early in the race. The early part of the race was actually led by Beaubier’s Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing teammate Josh Hayes, after the four-time champion made some changes to his bike that made him competitive after struggling in practice and qualifying.
Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Roger Hayden was another who ran at the front, before a mistake when he was racing with his teammate Elias dropped him out of the lead trio and to fourth, where he would finish. Ditto for HelmetSounds.com/Western Services/Meen Racing’s Josh Herrin, the former Superbike Champion showing good pace and running as high as second early on. Herrin would finish an eventual fifth.
The race came down to Beaubier versus Elias, with Hayes a shadow third. And it was heated, with the two coming together on at least one occasion and Beaubier coming out the best of it. Elias led going into the final chicane, but Beaubier was able to shoot past and hold the inside line on the run to Turn 12 and the awaiting checkered flag. He shot across the finish line just .287 of a second ahead of Elias and his Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing bike. Hayes, meanwhile, was 1.3 seconds behind his teammate Beaubier.
“At the beginning Josh [Hayes] was setting a really good pace out front,” said Beaubier, who earlier in the day earned pole position in Superpole. “I was struggling to get going, but once I did I knew I had to be patient. It’s a long race and I just wanted to make a 10-lap push and fight my way up towards the front. It was tough. I was struggling a little bit passing these guys. I wasn’t trying to be dirty or anything, I had to get aggressive because that’s what it’s going to take to beat these guys. They’re really strong on the brakes and have a lot of experience. I just tried to ride as tough as I could at the end of the race, and was able to wrap up the win.”
Elias was upset when he got off the motorcycle and voiced his displeasure at Beaubier in the winner’s circle. He had calmed by the time of the post-race press conference.
“I had some trouble and had to come back [to the front] twice,” Elias said. “It was a fun race, for myself at least but maybe not for some others. There was an incredible pace and for me it was difficult to come back. At the end I was able to finally catch up. I’m happy because second is good for the championship. Congratulations to Cameron [Beaubier], he had incredible passing at the end. It makes me hungry for tomorrow.”
Hayes was third after putting in some hard work to get his motorcycle better pre-race.
“We kind of took a little step backwards [with bike setup] and settled in with what we started with,” Hayes said. “Overall, it was a fairly strong race. Even when I was leading I didn’t think it was a fast enough pace to win. If I couldn’t figure out how to go a little faster, I’ve raced enough with these guys enough times to see how they change rhythm [in the race]. They start fast, ease up in the middle, and pick it up again at the end. When they came by it seemed like the gap opened up so fast. I kind of maintained a little bit, but not great. I just need to figure out a few tools at the end of the race to have a little more in me so I can go get ’em.”
With Hayden fourth and Herrin fifth, sixth place in the Motul Superbike Class went to South African Mathew Scholtz, and that earned him victory in the Bazzaz Superstock 1000 class – the first of his MotoAmerica career. Scholtz’s victory was also hard-earned with the Yamalube/Westby Racing rider besting Quicksilver Latus Motors Kawasaki’s Bobby Fong by just .616 of a second.
“It definitely wasn’t easy [to win],” Scholtz said. “Bobby [Fong] got out front off the start and we were just barely able to hang on to him. I managed just to pass him with about three laps left and I sort of tried to hang it out to the absolute limit in every corner to get my first MotoAmerica win. I’m really, really happy.”
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis ended up third in the Bazzaz Superstock 1000 class, some five seconds ahead of the Excelsus Solutions/Lucas Oil/KWR’s Kyle Wyman on his Yamaha YZF-R1. Genuine Broaster Chicken Honda’s Jake Gagne rounded out the top 10.
The Supersport/Superstock 600 race was also a thriller on a perfect Saturday in Braselton, with defending MotoAmerica Supersport Champion Garrett Gerloff taking his first win of the season by a scant .179 of a second over M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Valentin Debise.
“We had a really good bike today,” Gerloff said of his Monster Energy/Yamalube/Y.E.S./Graves’ YZF-R6. “We had some electrical problems to get sorted out this morning, so that put us behind the eight ball a little bit. It was a little difficult to keep up with Valentin [Debise] in the first part of the race, but that red flag allowed us to make some changes to our bike. It was working a little bit better on the restart. Valentin is definitely riding strong, but we definitely have a fast bike that has a lot of strengths. Toward the end of the race my bike felt a lot better than it did at the beginning. We’ve got a good late-race setup and just need to work on the early pace. Tomorrow we just want to be up here battling again.”
Third place today went to last week’s winner at Circuit of The Americas, JD Beach. Beach led the re-started race early, but ran off the track in the final corner early, dropping to 11th before charging through to third, putting two Monster Energy/Yamalube/Y.E.S./Graves Yamahas on the podium.
Team H35 Honda’s Benny Solis was fourth with class rookie Brandon Paasch rounding out the top five on his M4 The 22 Project Suzuki.
The championship in the Supersport class after two races is tight with Gerloff and Beach tied for the lead with 41 points – just one better than Debise.
M4 medAge Suzuki’s Nick McFadden, meanwhile, took his first-career MotoAmerica victory when he beat Aguilar Racing’s Jason Aguilar and Team MG55’s Michael Gilbert to win the Superstock 600 class.
“[The race] went a little better than I expected,” McFadden said. “I had a get off this morning and my [team] put the bike back together. It was perfect coming into the race, actually. The first couple laps I just tried to get away with the Supersport guys and stay on their rear wheel. I looked back once and saw someone I didn’t expect to be there, so I just stayed calm and stayed steady. After the red flag, I just tried to do the restart the same as the first start. I got away with those guys, ran a consistent pace, and came away with a victory.”
The KTM RC Cup made its 2017 debut at Road Atlanta today with three fresh faces on the podium. The win went to Quarterley Racing/On Track Development’s Benjamin Smith over his teammate Draik Beauchamp. Third place went to Alex Dumas on the JP43 Junior Team in his MotoAmerica debut.
Then win for Smith was his first, and it was a well-calculated one over Beauchamp by 2.021 seconds. Dumas was just behind in third, 2.3 seconds behind Smith.
“The plan at the beginning of the race was to try and get a good start, which I did. I got into the first corner in second place. I was going to try to and put my head down at the beginning and see if I could make a break, but these two [Beauchamp and Smith] were riding really well. I saw the lap times weren’t as low as they could be, so I just tried to put down a couple of fast laps at the end to get a break and not allow them to get past me.”
The Suzuki ECSTAR Championship at Road Atlanta continues tomorrow with Day 2 of the second round of the 2017 MotoAmerica season. A full slate of action will feature the second race of the weekend for all five classes.
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the new North American road racing series created in 2014. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Double W-I-N In The A-T-L: Beaubier Gets The Victory & Hayes Podiums In MotoAmerica Superbike; Gerloff Makes It Two Supersport Wins In A Row For Brand-New R6, While Beach Also Podiums
Braselton, GA – April 29, 2017 –In what many are saying was one of the most exciting Superbike races in recent years–if not of all time–Cameron Beaubier prevailed in a race-long battle among five riders that lasted virtually the entire length of Saturday’s 21-lap MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 at Road Atlanta. For the two-time and defending Superbike Champion, it was the 20th career Superbike victory for the 24-year-old rider aboard his Yamaha YZF-R1.
Cameron’s Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing teammate Josh Hayes also finished on the podium in third after leading the race for all but five of the laps.
Earlier in the day, Cameron earned the pole position in what was also an action-packed and exciting Superpole qualifying session.
“I didn’t get a very good start, and Toni (Elias) and Roger (Hayden) did, which I was not too happy about,” Cameron said. “Josh (Hayes) did a good job getting to the front, and he was setting a really good pace. I had to keep telling myself to be patient during the race, so I just concentrated on being smooth, and that put me in a position to finally take the lead. In the end, I had to get aggressive because I know that’s what it’s going to take to beat these guys. I was able to get past Toni on the final lap, and hold the lead to the finish line. It was a fun race, and I’m sure tomorrow will be another battle, but my team and I are ready.”
Josh said, “We’ve been making quite a few changes to the bike here at Road Atlanta, and for the race, we finally settled on about what we started the weekend with. When I was leading, I didn’t think my pace was going to be enough for me to maintain the lead at the end. But, there was a lot of passing in that race, and when that’s going on, I like to be sitting at the front so I can just let what happens behind me, happen. We got a good result today with third, but after leading all those laps, I just need to work on being stronger at the end for about three more laps.”
In the afternoon’s Supersport race, which was itself an exciting contest, Garrett Gerloff emerged from a race-long battle with Valentin Debise to notch the victory after executing a skillful and deciding pass on the French rider in the final two laps.
Garrett’s Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha teammate JD Beach, who won last week in Texas, finished third and joined Garrett on the podium.
“We have a really good bike in this brand-new R6,” Garrett said. “The red flag (that stopped the race) actually helped me because we were able to make a couple of changes to the bike, and it was even better after the restart. We’ve got the bike set up so that it’s really strong at the end.”
JD said, “After the race was red-flagged and re-started with 8 laps to go, I knew I needed to do something quick. So I got a good start, but then Valentin came flying past me. After that, I made a mistake and just blew the turn. I’m happy that I was able to get back up to third place again, which is where I was before the re-start. I’m looking forward to Race 2 tomorrow.”
Sunday’s Supersport Race 2 from Road Atlanta will start at 2:25 PM EST, and Superbike Race 2 is at 3:30 PM EST. Both races will be broadcast live on beIN Sports.
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:
Scholtz Bolts To The Win At Road Atlanta For His First Road Racing Victory On U.S. Soil
Braselton, GA – April 29, 2017 – Before Friday, Yamalube/Westby Racing rider Mathew Scholtz had never been to Road Atlanta, let alone raced there. In fact, it’s the second weekend in a row that the South African phenom has raced his #11 Yamalube/Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superstock 1000 bike on a completely unfamiliar U.S. racetrack. And, after notching two second-place finishes last weekend in Texas, Mathew has already one-upped himself…and there’s one more day and one more race to go this weekend.
On Saturday at Road Atlanta, not only did he qualify as fastest Superstock 1000 rider, but in the afternoon’s Superstock 1000 race, the 2016 South African SuperGP National Champion notched his first victory on U.S. soil and his 11th podium out of only 14 MotoAmerica starts. That’s quite a string of success for someone so new to road racing a motorcycle in the U.S.
For the third race in a row, Mathew found himself chasing down the fast-starting Bobby Fong. And, the third time was the charm as he not only passed Fong, but he made the pass stick and was able to maintain his lead all the way to the checkered flag.
“I thought we had the overall pace today,” Mathew said. “But, Bobby (Fong) was running a great race. It’s Yamalube’s and Westby Racing’s home track here at Road Atlanta, and even though I had never raced on it before, my team knows it well, and they worked hard to get me comfortable on the bike at this track. So, I’m very happy to get my first American win here at Road Atlanta. It was a tough race with Bobby, just like it was in both races last weekend. In Turn 10 here, I knew that my braking points were a little bit deeper than Bobby’s, so I went for the pass and it stuck. He almost got back by me on the final lap, but I held my position, and I’m happy to dedicate this first win to Tryg (Westby) and the whole team!”
Mathew and the Yamalube/Westby Racing team will race again at Road Atlanta tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 PM EST. The race will be broadcast live on beIN Sports.
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.