This weekend’s results are brought to you by 6D Helmets.
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Petersen Takes Provisional Pole For MotoAmerica Superbike Finale
Cameron Petersen Takes Advantage Of Rare Jake Gagne Miscue At Barber Motorsport Park
BIRMINGHAM, AL (September 17, 2021) – Believe it or not, Jake Gagne made a mistake in Friday’s Q1 session at Barber Motorsports Park, the Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha rider crashing out of the session and allowing someone else a shot at the top. When all was said and done, it was M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Cameron Petersen taking full advantage of Gagne’s miscue to snag provisional pole position for this weekend’s three HONOS Superbike races.
Petersen’s best lap was his last lap, the South African turning in a 1:23.613 to lead fellow South African Mathew Scholtz by .567 of a second. Despite crashing early in the session, Gagne was still able to secure the third-fastest time – .682 of a second slower than Petersen.
Gagne’s teammate Josh Herrin and Scheibe Racing BMW’s Hector Barbera rounded out the top five on Friday.
“I’m super stoked for day one,” Petersen said. “I know Jake (Gagne) had an issue there in the second session and only got four or something laps in. So, it’s hard to think what he might have done toward the end of the session. I had this one circled from the beginning of the season and I knew that this was going to be my best opportunity to take a win away from Jake. The bike is the best, easiest bike I’ve ridden all year so that has something to say about the lap time. Now I just pray for a dry race. Honestly, I knew the bike was going to be good here. The funny thing is, we haven’t changed anything here from Jersey other than gearing. The bike is pretty much exactly the same, but you know confidence is everything about this. When I drove through the gates yesterday, there’s something about this place that gives me a sense of confidence. Every single lap I do around here I have a big smile on my face. Honestly, I don’t think I have more fun riding a motorcycle anywhere else in the world than here.”
Newly crowned Supersport Champion Sean Dylan Kelly earned provisional pole position in the class with the Floridian lapping at a best of 1:27.271 in Q1 on Friday. That lap put the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider .607 of a second faster than his rival Richie Escalante and the HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki. Landers Racing’s Rocco Landers ended the day third, just .057 of a second slower than Escalante.
Scott Powersports KTM’s Tyler Scott is close to being crowned as the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Champion and he took the first step towards that goal by earning provisional pole. Scott’s best lap was a 1:35.553, which was .174 of a second faster than Veloce Racing’s David Kohlstaedt. Scott’s season-long rival in the class, Benjamin Gloddy, was sixth fastest in Q1.
With 45 entries in the Stock 1000 class, the sessions were split with the majority of the faster riders taking part in Superbike Q1. The best of those ended up being Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis, besting Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates and Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman.
Robem Engineering’s Italian import Tommaso Marcon ended up as the fastest of the Twins Cup riders in a Q1 session shortened by lightning. Marcon lapped at 1:30.956 to lead Track Day Winner’s Jackson Blackmon by .095 of a second. Newly crowned class champion Kaleb De Keyrel was third fastest.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
PETERSEN AND M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI ON POLE AT MOTOAMERICA
Team Suzuki Press Office – M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Cameron Peterson is on provisional pole position for this weekend’s MotoAmerica/ AMA Superbike Championship triple-header round at Birmingham, Alabama.
The South African turned in a 1:23.613 to lead fellow South African Mathew Scholtz by .567 of a second. Despite crashing early in the session, series leader Jake Gagne was still able to secure the third-fastest time – .682 of a second slower than Petersen.
Said Petersen: “I’m super stoked for day one. I know Jake (Gagne) had an issue there in the second session and only got four or something laps in. So, it’s hard to think what he might have done towards the end of the session. I had this one circled from the beginning of the season and I knew that this was going to be my best opportunity to take a win away from Jake.
“The bike is the best, easiest bike I’ve ridden all year so that has something to say about the lap time. Now I just pray for a dry race. Honestly, I knew the bike was going to be good here. The funny thing is, we haven’t changed anything here from Jersey other than gearing. The bike is pretty much exactly the same, but you know confidence is everything about this. When I drove through the gates yesterday, there’s something about this place that gives me a sense of confidence. Every single lap I do around here I have a big smile on my face. Honestly, I don’t think I have more fun riding a motorcycle anywhere else in the world than here.”
Newly crowned Supersport Champion Sean Dylan Kelly earned provisional pole position in the class with the Floridian lapping at a best of 1:27.271 in Q1 on Friday. That lap put the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider .607 of a second faster than his rival Richie Escalante and the HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki. Landers Racing’s Rocco Landers ended the day third, just .057 of a second slower than Escalante.
With 45 entries in the Stock 1000 class, the sessions were split with the majority of the faster riders taking part in Superbike Q1. The best of those ended up being Altus Motorsports’ Suzuki’s Jake Lewis on top.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Wyman Heads the Ducati Charge and Baz Finds the Going Tough
Sunnyvale, Calif., September 17, 2021 – Kyle Wyman (Panera Bread Ducati) led the Ducati charge on day one of action at the final MotoAmerica round for 2021 at Barber Motorsports Park.
The Arizona resident put in a strong 29 laps over the course of the day, finishing P6 in the opening practice session and seventh in the first qualifying session ahead of tomorrow’s all-important Q2.
The rain many predicted stayed away for today, however, the weather forecast for tomorrow is gloomy with thunder and lightning on the cards. Wyman has tested at Barber in the rain before and is confident of a good result in Q2 to put him on course for a top five in race one, scheduled for 2:00 p.m. local time.
The first day of Barber action was not a pleasant one for Loris Baz, the Frenchman crashing out after four laps in FP1 and taken to the medical center for observation and taking no further part in the day’s on track action. The diagnosis, however, was positive and Baz has been cleared to race tomorrow for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York team.
Kyle Wyman (Panera Bread Ducati – Ducati #33)
“Today was pretty good,” said Wyman. “We made steady progress all through the day. We had a pretty good pace in the afternoon’s qualifying session but we couldn’t really maximize the time attack lap. We didn’t go faster than we went on a used tire, so that was a bit of a bummer. We ended up seventh today but spent most of the session around fourth and fifth place. If it’s dry, we have an idea of how we can improve the bike but we’re planning on it being wet. That’s the forecast, at least. At the Barber test last year, we rode in the rain so we have some data from that and we can use that to find our footing quickly and put in a competitive ride.”
