KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Just six weeks after breaking his right foot, Cameron Beaubier won MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race One Saturday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. The five-time Champion got the holeshot from pole position, built up a lead that reached 4.9 seconds at one point, and then held on to win by a deceptively small margin of 1.157 seconds.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin closed in on a cruising Beaubier at the end of the race but had to settle for the runner-up spot. That, however, was enough for Herrin to take over the Championship point lead, albeit by a single point.
Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen battled Herrin for second place for much of the race and crossed the line not far behind the Ducati rider in third place. Petersen was given a five-second time penalty for jumping the start, but luckily for him it had no effect on his finishing position. Petersen is now third in the Championship standings, just two points behind leader Herrin.
Sean Dylan Kelly crossed the finish line fourth, shortly after Herrin and Petersen, and like Petersen, Kelly was given a five-second time penalty for a start infraction that ultimately had no impact on his race finish.
Petersen’s teammate, three-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne came home fifth, which put him second in the Championship point standings after the race.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz was closing in on Gagne at the end of the race but came up short and finished sixth.
Xavi Fores held off his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate Brandon Paasch in a race-long duel over seventh.
Team Brazil BMW’s Danilo Lewis scored ninth overall and the Superbike Cup race victory, just 0.386 second ahead of fellow Superbike Cup competitor Ashton Yates and his Jones Honda in 10th place.
Championship contender Bobby Fong crashed his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha out of third place near the midway point of the race, and Beaubier’s teammate JD Beach fell a few laps later. Neither Fong nor Beach finished the race.
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Beaubier Wins His Fourth, Title Chase Tightens Even More At Laguna Seca
Just three points covers the top three in the 2024 Steel Commander Superbike Championship
MONTEREY, CA (July 13, 2024) – If you thought the points race in the 2024 MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Championship was close coming into the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca round, turns out you were wrong. Now it’s close.
How does three points separating the top three sound? That’s what we have with Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin now atop the championship by one point over Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne, who in turn is just one point ahead of his teammate Cameron Petersen.
So, who among those three won Saturday’s first of two Steel Commander Superbike races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca? None of them.
The win went to five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier, the rider who is trying to claw back the most points on the lead group in the championship after missing several rounds with a broken heel.
On Saturday, Beaubier was dominant and claw back he did. Going into today’s race, Beaubier trailed Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong by 55 points. Following his fourth win of the season today, Beaubier now trails Herrin by 41 points.
Beaubier beat Herrin to the line by 1.1 seconds, though the margin was much bigger before the slow down and celebration in the final few corners.
Herrin had his hands full with Petersen for most of the race, but the South African had jumped the start and incurred a five-second penalty. Thus, Herrin was never in any real danger of losing the spot. The second place was Herrin’s sixth podium of the season, and it moved him into the points lead, albeit by just a point.
Petersen rode hard and it was enough to give him third place, despite the five-second penalty. At the finish he was seven seconds behind Herrin and some three seconds clear of EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly with the Floridian also fighting through after incurring a five-second jump start penalty.
Somehow Gagne and his arm-pump issues managed a top-five finish as the three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion continues to garner points despite his physical condition. He is planning on getting surgery following the Laguna Seca weekend. Through all of this, Gagne is just a point behind Herrin in the title battle.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz was sixth, less than a second behind Gagne and well clear of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Xavi Forés, who barely beat his teammate Brandon Paasch to the finish line.
Team Brazil’s Danilo Lewis was ninth and the winner of the Superbike Cup, a class within a class for Stock 1000 spec bikes. Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates rounded out the top 10 and was second in the Superbike Cup.
Notables not finishing the race were Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach and Wrench Motorcycles’ Fong with both riders crashing out in separate incidents. Fong suffered the most as he lost the lead in the championship and now trails Herrin by 11 points.
Earlier in the day, Beaubier earned pole position with a new lap record in Q2 of 1:22.556 to break Herrin’s record from 2018.
Herrin leads the title chase with 169, followed by Gagne with 168 and Petersen with 167 points. Fong is fourth with 158, 26 more than Baz. Beaubier is sixth with 128 points, eight ahead of Kelly.
Superbike Race 1
- Cameron Beaubier (BMW)
- Josh Herrin (Ducati)
- Cameron Petersen (Yamaha)
- Sean Dylan Kelly (BMW)
- Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
- Loris Baz (Ducati)
- Xavi Forés (Suzuki)
- Brandon Paasch (Suzuki)
- Danilo Lewis (BMW)
- Ashton Yates (Honda)
Quotes
Cameron Beaubier – Winner
“To be honest, I’m pretty tired. The last month has been a roller coaster, from breaking my heel and flying straight down to Dr. Brian to get it fixed, then watching these guys race at Brainerd and just knowing how good we started the season and how good I was feeling on the bike and how hard the team has been working to just see it thrown away in front of me. It was pretty tough. Like I said before, I saw the points going into Ridge and I felt like if I could just go get a couple points there, we could be in contention towards the end of the year, just with how the way everything is shaking out. But yesterday felt amazing – just to ride the bike like I know how to ride it. I can ride at 100 percent, I can push. I feel good. Yeah, I’m definitely struggling a little bit with my fitness because I haven’t done anything in the past month. I’ve ridden the bicycle a couple times and been to the gym a couple times, but definitely not my normal program. It feels amazing to get this today.”
Josh Herrin – Second Place
“I saw him (Cameron Petersen) and SDK (Sean Dylan Kelly) creep at the beginning, but I just saw plus whatever it was on the board. For some reason I thought I saw plus 2.5, which wouldn’t have made sense because he had a five-second penalty. I don’t know. I was just in my head like, ‘what’s going on?’ I had a feeling that that’s what it was from, but I was trying to shake my head at him to just let me focus on what I got to do in front of me instead of what’s behind me. I knew he was there no matter what. It’s not like I’m going to slow down. I raced here last year with a broken ankle, so I know it’s a difficult track for your ankle and obviously just your foot in general. So, I just kept pushing as hard as I could, just in case something happened at the end and he (Beaubier) started fading a little bit, that I was there. I didn’t want to worry about what my gap was to the guy behind me. But he never got it and it just stayed plus five. But I figured, about halfway through I’m like, that must be what it’s for. Like I said, every time Cam (Petersen) went by me, I just would fight right back just in case I could make some way on Beaubier at the front, but he was just riding too good today, so it wasn’t possible. Just hoping that tomorrow can be a little bit better.”
Cameron Petersen – Third Place
“Yeah, I knew straightaway. As the lights went out, I knew I jump-started. I saw my number up on the yellow board. I kind of figured what was going on. Josh (Herrin) did have some really good pace at the end there. I was kind of struggling to hold onto the back of him. I had a few big moments right there and then because I knew even if I did make the pass, it wouldn’t have changed anything. I just kind of decided to settle down a little bit. At the same time, I kind of chilled for a couple laps. Then I remembered, I still got to beat the guys by five seconds behind me. So, I put my head down again. But they held the lights for a long, long time and SDK (Sean Dylan Kelly) just crept next to me and I kind of went off of his movement. But, stoked to be back up on the podium. Hopefully, we don’t do the same stupid mistake tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Petersen Strengthens Superbike Championship Bid with Podium Finish at Laguna Seca
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen keeps podium streak rolling to close the points gap in the hotly contested MotoAmerica Superbike title fight
MARIETTA, Ga. – July 14, 2024 – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen overcame a five-second penalty to finish third in yesterday’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca. The South African continues to strengthen his position in the hotly contested premier class title fight, moving to within two points of the leader. Despite feeling less than 100% with lingering arm pump issues, Jake Gagne maintained his position in the championship with a top-five finish on the physically demanding 2.238-mile track in Monterey, California. The Colorado rider heads into today’s final race before the break, trailing by one point in the runner-up spot.
Petersen had a good start to the day and qualified third to start on the front row of the grid. In the first race of Round 6 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, he slotted into the runner-up spot and maintained the position but was ultimately shuffled to third. Unfortunately, the South African was assessed a five-second penalty for jumping the start, and although he was third on the track, he was shuffled down the order. Petersen kept pushing and threw down some fast times, staying on the heels of the competition and ultimately making back the five seconds to score a third-place finish. His fourth consecutive podium and eighth of the season closed the gap to the leaders, just two points from the top spot and a point behind his teammate.
Although he had a tough start to the weekend qualifying eighth in the combined times, Gagne had a solid start in seventh and made the pass for sixth on the following lap. The defending three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion rode a strong pace despite dealing with lingering arm pump issues and scored a top-five finish. Gagne’s efforts earned valuable points to remain within a point of the championship leader.
The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team looks to return to the top step of the podium as racing resumes this afternoon with MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Laguna is always a special place and almost the home track tor the team. We are pleased that despite the circumstances, we are still in a good championship position with both Jake and Cameron. We will have a look at our information from Race 1 and see if we can improve the results for Race 2.”
Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“I kind of knew straight away that I jump-started. They held the red light for a long time, and SDK (Sean Dylan Kelly) started creeping up, and I messed up going off of him. It was a great race, though. I tried to go with Cam (Beaubier) in the beginning but his pace was a little bit too strong for me. Then Josh and I had a good battle the whole race. I knew the situation and what was going on, so even if I passed him it wouldn’t change anything on the podium. I had a couple of moments there towards the end, so I was like, ‘Just bring it home.’ We’ll come back stronger tomorrow.”
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #1
“After struggling so much at the last couple of rounds, it was good to feel a bit better physically and to be a bit closer to the front. Hopefully we can be closer to the front tomorrow and score some points.”
About Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars [sold, serviced, and distributed by Yamaha Golf-Car Company], Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.
YMUS has a corporate office in California, three corporate offices in Georgia, as well as facilities in Wisconsin, Alabama, and Florida. YMUS subsidiaries Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America (YMMC), based in Georgia, and Yamaha Jet Boat Manufacturing U.S.A. (YJBM) based in Tennessee, each assemble and manufacture selected Yamaha brand products. YMUS owns Skeeter Boats [Texas] with its division G3 Boats [Missouri]. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company, Inc. (YMSC) with subsidiary Siren Marine [Rhode Island] and divisions Bennett Marine [Florida], Yamaha Marine Rotational Molders [Wisconsin] and Yamaha Precision Propeller Inc. [Indiana].
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