Precision Track Days brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
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Mathew Scholtz was fastest during MotoAmerica Supersport Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), in Austin, Texas. The Championship point leader used his Dunlop-shod Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 to turn a 2:13.560 around the recently repaved 3.4-mile road course and lead the field of 36 riders.
PJ Jacobsen, Scholtz’s main title rival, was second-best with a 2:14.120 on his Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL Panigale V2.
Blake Davis was third in the session with a 2:14.614 on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha.
Former Supersport World Championship competitor Filippo Fuligni did a fourth-fastest 2:14.694 on his HONOS-sponsored Ducati.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott was fifth in the session with a 2:14.743 on his GSX-R750.
Two-time AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion Martin Cardenas was 11th with a 2:16.329 on his EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing Suzuki.
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2024 | PRACTICE & QUALIFYING 1
AUSTIN, TX (9.13.2024) – On-track activity has concluded with the trio of Rahal Ducati Moto riders completing both Practice and Qualifying 1 sessions under the blazing Texas sun. Jacobsen climbed the charts throughout the first qualifying session, missing pole position by less than a second.
The 23 Roller Die + Forming Ducati of Corey Alexander was back on track for both sessions today, a relief after the mechanical issues the crew experienced in both rounds at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He ended his first qualifying session in eighth.
Kayla Yaakov looks forward to tomorrow morning’s qualifying session after major improvements in setup and overall comfortability on her bike. As of now, Yaakov will start on the fifth row for her first race since her Supersport debut at Circuit of The Americas in 2023.
The 20-turn course will see Qualifying 2 tomorrow morning at 10:40 a.m. ET, with the green flag waving for Race 1 at 3:10 p.m. ET.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
PRACTICE: P3 (2:14.934)
QUALIFYING 1: P2 (2:14:120)
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today went pretty well. I ended up getting P2 for the first qualifying, so we’ll work on something tonight and come up with a better qualifying for tomorrow. [Mathew] Scholtz, who we are battling with for the championship, is on provisional pole right now, so hopefully we can make some changes, figure out how to make up some time, and try to get on pole position.”
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 CODE 3 ASSOCIATES PANIGALE V2
PRACTICE: P4 (2:15.053)
QUALIFYING 1: P8 (2:15:493)
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was a positive start to the weekend and I’m super happy to have had no bike issues! The bike felt really good off the bat but we couldn’t put together a lap in qualifying between traffic and what seemed to be a lack of grip on our second run. Temperatures will be good for Q2 and we will redeem ourselves.”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
PRACTICE: P16 (2:18.746)
QUALIFYING 1: P14 (2:16:651)
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “First day here at COTA. This morning was a little bit of a struggle for us. We tried to eliminate some variables for the weekend and we were able to accomplish that, so that was a job well done for our team. It did put us on the back-foot going into Qualifying 1, but we made a huge step to get closer to the front, which is exactly what we want. The bike is feeling great. We made a huge improvement both in settings and the feeling I have on the bike. We knew going into this weekend that this track style would be one I struggle with quite a bit, but we’ve been getting better each session. I’m excited to see how much we have in the tank for tomorrow.”
BEN SPIES
TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a decent Friday for the Rahal Ducati Moto team overall. We want to find a bit more speed, with PJ qualifying second and Corey and Kayla both riding good as well. We want to get them to where they’re the most comfortable on the bikes in the morning qualifying session so we can move up a few positions and have a good race.”
