MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
Circuit of The Americas
Austin, Texas
April 22, 2018
Motul Superbike Race Two Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Toni Elias (Suz GSX-R1000), 15 laps, Total Race Time 32:40.019, Best Lap Time 2:09.939
2. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), -10.068 seconds, 2:10.152
3. Garrett Gerloff (Yam YZF-R1), -14.992, 2:10.497
4. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R1), -21.875, 2:10.966
5. Jake Lewis (Suz GSX-R1000), -22.048, 2:11.57
6. Mathew Scholtz (Yam YZF-R1), -27.695, 2:11.075
7. Roger Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), -32.429, 2:11.006
8. Danny Eslick (BMW S1000RR), -53.436, 2:12.530
9. David Anthony (Kaw ZX-10RR), -64.508, 2:13.820
10. Cameron Petersen (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -69.896, 2:14.455
11. Sebastiao Ferreira (Yam YZF-R1), -117.146, 2:16.519
12. Barrett Long (Yam YZF-R1), -134.310, 2:18.663
13. Sam Verderico (Yam YZF-R1), -136.344, 2:18.433
14. Bruno Silva (Kaw ZX-10R), -141.828, 2:19.368
15. Brad Morris (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, 2:21.941
16. Kyle Wyman (Yam YZF-R1), -9 laps, DNF, retired, 2:12.992
17. Bobby Fong (Yam YZF-R1), 13 laps, DNF, retired, no lap time recorded
18. Jeremy Coffey (BMW S1000RR), DNS
Championship Point Standings (after 4 of 20 races):
1. Elias, 88 points
2. Scholtz, 71
3. Beaubier, 63
4. Herrin, 49
5. Gerloff, 48
6. TIE, Wyman/Lewis, 33
8. Anthony, 23
9. Eslick, 22
10. TIE, Fong/Hayden, 20
12. Ferreira, 19
13. Silva, 14
14. Long, 10
15. Verderico, 7
16. Petersen, 6
17. Morris, 4
18. TIE, Coffey/Flinders, 0
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Elias Back On Top In MotoAmerica Superbike Race Two At COTA
Championship Leader Wins Dry Second Race
AUSTIN, TX (April 22, 2018) – Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias’ losing streak at Circuit of The Americas certainly didn’t last long as the defending MotoAmerica Motul Superbike Champion turned in a flawless performance to win the second of two Superbike races in the Championship of Texas.
Held under sunny skies and in warm temperatures, today’s conditions were a far cry from yesterday’s rain storm that led to a wet race from start to finish.
Elias, who was fourth in yesterday’s wet conditions, led from the start, was never headed and never put a wheel wrong en route to his fifth win at COTA and his third win of the young 2018 MotoAmerica season. By the end of the 15-lap race, Elias was 10.068 seconds clear of Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Cameron Beaubier, the two-time series champion putting his YZF-R1 on the podium for the second straight day.
“Yesterday, I expected a little bit more, especially because the bike was the same as last week where we could fight with Cameron, but yesterday, something was, I didn’t feel comfortable… not good grip,” Elias said. “So, our main goal was to gain points. Today, the main goal was win. This is a good track for me, and for our bike, so we try to make some difference today. But, we know it will be tough. Like Cameron (Beaubier) said, VIR is coming, Road America… it will be good for the MotoAmerica fans. Big fight and we will try to give maximum effort possible.”
Although he was beaten by Elias, Beaubier was upbeat in knowing that he’d had two up-and-down weekends to start his championship but still leaves Texas with a third and second-place finish. After all, the 2015-2016 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion crashed out of second place in the rain yesterday but was able to remount to salvage third.
“I’m really happy to get out of here with two podiums, especially after yesterday’s little tip-over,” Beaubier said. “I think we’re moving in the right direction. Coming into this race, we knew that it was going to be tough. Our bike seems to struggle a little bit here and there (at this track), but we did the best we could with what we had. Now, we’re going to go to some tracks where the Yamaha rolls really well – VIR, Road America, and some others. I’m really looking forward to it. Hats off to my guys for working so hard and giving me a good bike. And congratulations to both of these guys. I’m ready to go racing at VIR in two weeks.”
And what a difference a day made for Beaubier’s teammate Garrett Gerloff. The Texan struggled to a seventh-place finish in Saturday’s rain race but bounced back to finish third in today’s dry race. It was Gerloff’s second podium finish of his rookie Superbike season.
“Yesterday was a little bit of a quick turnaround from Atlanta, where I didn’t have the best race in the rain… so, not the best sensations going in,” Gerloff said. “Today, to be on the podium feels awesome, especially compared with yesterday and how I’ve felt kind of all weekend. The bike really came around for the race. I really felt good after my start, being right there with Toni and Roger (Hayden) from the first lap and tried to put my head down and go with Toni, but he’s riding awesome, and it was really tough to stay with him. And, then, Cameron came by me and I tried to stay with him, but little by little, I’m figuring this Superbike thing out and as the race winds down, it is a little bit more difficult to be consistent. It’s just something that I’m learning every time I get on the bike. Awesome to finish another race. Awesome to be on the podium. I really want to keep moving up the podium, though. I’m already sick of third place. Awesome job to the team for giving me a bike that enabled me to get up here on the podium. We’re just going to keep working and going forward. I can’t wait for the next one in a couple of weeks.”
The best battle on the racetrack today was the one for fourth place between as many as four riders – Attack Performance/Herrin Compound Yamaha’s Josh Herrin, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis, Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden. Three of the four led the battle with Lewis putting in a late charge to catch the three ahead of him. When all was said and done, Herrin held off Lewis with Scholtz and Hayden finishing sixth and seventh.
Eighth place went to Scheibe Racing’s Danny Eslick on the BMW, the Oklahoman some five seconds clear of Fly Street Racing’s David Anthony. Cameron Petersen rebounded from yesterday’s crash to finish 10th on the Genuine Broaster Chicken Honda.
Notable among the non-finishers were Motovation USA/KWR’s Kyle Wyman and Quicksilver/LEXIN/Hudson Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong. Both pitted early with mechanical problems.
Elias continues to lead the championship after two rounds and four races, 88-71, over Scholtz. Beaubier is third, 25 points behind Elias, with 63 points. Herrin is one point ahead of Gerloff as they fill the top five in the championship.
The MotoAmerica Series returns to action in two weeks with the Championship of Virginia at VIRginia International Raceway, May 4-6. All five of the MotoAmerica classes will be in action at VIR.
More, from a press release issued by Yamalube/Westby Racing:
Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz Finishes Just Outside The Top Five In MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 At The Circuit Of The Americas
Austin, TX – April 22, 2018 – After winning Saturday’s rain-soaked Race 1 at the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship of Texas, Mathew Scholtz and his Yamalube/Westby Racing team were hoping to keep their podium-finishing streak alive in Sunday’s Superbike Race 2, which took place under sunny skies at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA).
Unfortunately, the podium streak ended as Mathew took the checkered flag just outside the top five. It was still a decent result, but not quite the finish to which the 2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Champion and his team are accustomed, considering that they finished on the podium in 19 of the 20 races last year. On the bright side, Mathew is still cemented firmly in second place in the Championship points standings and just 17 points behind current leader and defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Toni Elias.
“Before the Sunday morning warmup, we made a few changes that we were pretty positive were going to make the bike better, and they definitely did,” Mathew said. “Obviously, our pace wasn’t that quick because the track was slightly damp, but I was pretty confident that we had found something. Going into the second race, I knew it probably wasn’t going to pan out quite like the first race, but I still kind of thought we could fight for the podium. Same as in the first race, I got a terrible jump off the line, but I was able to make my way past a few guys. And then, we started to have a few problems with the bike, and I ended up fighting with (Josh) Herrin for a couple of laps. Then, (Jake) Lewis caught us with two laps to go. All of the riding aids (electronic intervention) on the bike completely switched off, and I just really dropped off and finished in sixth place, really far off. So, it’s a disappointing end to a brilliant weekend that we had. But, I am really confident that my Yamalube/Westby team is going to work hard to get the bike sorted out for the Virginia round. We did a test there about three weeks back, and our times were phenomenal. So, we’re confident, heading there that we can really be fighting up front.”
Round 3 of the 2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will take place at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, on May 4 through 6.
MotoAmerica Superbike Standings
1. Toni Elias – Suzuki – 88
2. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 71
3. Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha – 63
4. Josh Herrin – Yamaha – 49
5. Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha – 48
For more updates about Yamalube/Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura Suzuki:
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias Dominates Sunday at COTA
Defending Champ Scores a Runaway Victory in MotoAmerica Superbike
AUSTIN, TX (April 22, 2018) — Toni Elias scored a commanding win Sunday in MotoAmerica Superbike race two at Circuit of the Americas riding his Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing GSX-R1000.
Elias, starting from the pole, rocketed away at the drop of the green flag, led every lap and pulled clear of the field to take a dominating 10.068-second margin of victory.
The second round win pushes Elias’ lead in the championship to 17 points after four races.
Sunday’s race was held in front of a massive crowd on hand for the combined MotoGP/MotoAmerica race weekend.
The race two victory was a strong rally after Elias took fourth in Saturday’s wet race one.
“Today I had a great feeling with the bike,” said Elias, who recorded his 19th-career MotoAmerica Superbike victory. “I was able to build a strong lead and control the race. In Saturday’s race, with the wet and slippery conditions, I decided to play it smart and ride for the points. Today with the sunshine I felt we would be much stronger and this was the case. Now I look forward to VIR in a couple of weeks. I’m sure it will be a great battle.”
Fellow Yoshimura Suzuki rider Roger Hayden endured a subpar weekend. It started off well with a solid second to Elias in Superpole, but then he suffered a fall in Saturday’s wet race one and was forced to retire. In Sunday’s race Hayden finished seventh.
“I was happy with qualifying, but things went downhill after that,” Hayden admitted. “We’re going to do some testing on Monday and hopefully we’ll get it sorted out and be ready to roll at VIR.”
Hayden is 11th in the standings.
Apropos to this year’s Yoshimura Suzuki 40th anniversary celebrations, Suzuki is rapidly closing in on a major milestone of 200 Superbike victories. Elias gave Suzuki its 197th win Sunday, leaving the brand just three shy of the historic mark. Yoshimura Suzuki is responsible for 192 of those wins. Honda is second on the all-time Superbike win list with 116 victories, while Yamaha’s 107 wins puts them third.
MotoAmerica Superbike and Yoshimura Suzuki return to action May 4-6 for the Championship of Virginia at VIR in Alton, Virginia.
For additional information visit: www.motoamerica.com
You can keep up with the team’s progress by visiting yoshimura-racing.com and www.suzukicycles.com/Racing and via YouTube at www.suzukicycles.com/Racing
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.:
Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Team Claims Podium Finishes in Sunday’s Superbike Race 2
Yamaha bLU cRU Riders Impress at Circuit of The Americas
Austin, Texas – April 22, 2018 – The 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship concluded its second round of competition for the premier Superbike class on Sunday in Austin, Texas, topping off an action-packed weekend of racing alongside the FIM-sanctioned U.S. MotoGP at Circuit of The Americas (COTA).
Following a Yamaha bLU cRU podium sweep in Saturday’s wet conditions, the Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Team further proved the versatility of their YZF-R1s as factory racers Cameron Beaubier and Garrett Gerloff claimed second and third, respectively, in a dry and sunny Race 2 on Sunday.
Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Superbike Team
When the green flag waved to start the race, it was Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Gerloff who charged his way into second place on the opening lap, while Beaubier exited the first turn in fourth. It didn’t take long for the two-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion to make up ground, though, and Beaubier passed his teammate for the second-place position on lap three and immediately set his sights on closing the gap on race leader Tony Elias.
Beaubier charged hard to keep his pace but he ultimately made the decision to settle into second and leave Round 2 with valuable points toward the championship chase.
Gerloff rode his R1 to a second-career podium finish as he continued to gain valuable experience in his rookie Superbike season.
Cameron Beaubier – #6 YZF-R1
“I got kind of shuffled back in the first corner after the start, but I made my way through in the first couple of laps. The other guys were riding really well, and I struggled to get up to pace right away. Before I knew it, Tony had a couple of seconds of a gap on us, but I just put my head down to see if I could put any dent in his gap and, you know, it just wasn’t happening. But I’m happy that we got out of here with two podiums, especially with yesterday’s tip over. In the past, we haven’t had the best of luck here at COTA, but hats off to my guys for working so hard over the past two weeks with back-to-back races. I’m excited to go to VIR (Virginia International Raceway) because we’ve had some good success there in the past, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Garrett Gerloff – #31 YZF-R1
“Little by little, I’m learning more and more about the Superbike and race distance, and today I actually got to follow Cameron for a few laps when he passed me for second place and I found a few spots where he was pushing in a different place than I was and really using the bike’s advantages to his advantage. So, I learned a lot watching him, but I didn’t necessarily have my bike set up to take advantage of that way of riding, but it’s huge information that I’ll be able to take with me to the next race and hopefully that will help me put it at least one step higher on the podium. Overall, I’m happy I kept it on two wheels in the rain yesterday and finished that race, and I’m happy that I learned a lot today and was able to put it on the podium for my family and friends that are here, and for Yamaha. Little by little, I know that I’m going to be learning and pushing and fighting for that number one spot, so I’m ready to move on to VIR in a couple of weeks.”
Tom Halverson – Team Manager
“I think overall this weekend had some really good results for us. I’m really proud of the guys for getting the two Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing R1’s on the podium today. Cameron and Garrett did a solid job of getting some good points towards the championship. COTA is always a little bit tough for us, and I think we’ll be a lot stronger at VIR and hopefully get a couple of wins.”
Additional Yamaha bLU cRU Rider Notes
Following a rough start to the season at Round 1 due to factors out of his control, Josh Herrin kept his focus and emerged from COTA with strong weekend results on his Attack Performance/Herrin Compound/Yamaha R1. Sunday marked only his second outing on the R1 Superbike, and Herrin battled hard with Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz throughout the race. After swapping positions several times with Scholtz, Herrin held strong to claim fourth place in Race 2.
Saturday’s Race 1 winner, Mathew Scholtz, rode his Yamalube/Westby Racing R1 to a sixth-place finish on Sunday. Scholtz spent a majority of the race battling for a top-five position before ultimately settling into sixth place in the final two laps.
The Yamaha bLU cRU riders will return to action at Round 3 of the 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship series on Friday, May 4 at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. For complete schedule details, visit: http://motoamerica.com/.
2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings – Race 4 of 20 Completed
Pos.RiderPoints
1 Tony Elias – Suzuki 88
2 Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha 71
3 Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha 63
4 Josh Herrin – Yamaha 49
5 Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha 48
6 Kyle Wyman – Yamaha 33
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 Team Hammer:
M4 ESCTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis earned his third top-five result in the first four races of the 2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship with an emphatic charge up through the field in Sunday’s race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Eager to show the team’s progress with its Superbike-spec GSX-R1000 racebike in dry conditions following Saturday’s wet race, Lewis was granted his wish with perfect race conditions on Sunday. But that opportunity became more complicated after Lewis was shuffled down to the bottom of the top 10 during the opening stages of the 15-lap race.
Undaunted, the Kentuckian systematically slashed his way up through field as the race took shape. A combination of speed and determination allowed him to close down a substantial gap to a trio of multi-time Superbike race winners who were engaged in a heated battle for fourth.
Lewis overtook two of his opponents and came within 0.173-second of getting the third before finally taking the checkered flag in fifth place.
“It was a really good race for us — I’m really happy,” Lewis said. “It’s our third top-five out of four races. I wish I would have gotten away with the leaders, but I was down in ninth after Lap 1 and had to work really hard to finally catch a group of three riders fighting for fourth. I picked off two of them and was pretty close to getting the third on the last lap, but it would have been a pretty hairy move.
“I was really happy with my ride because it’s quite positive to run those guys down from a big gap. I owe it to the team because they worked hard on the bike. It’s good to get another top five, especially after a fight like that; I think a lot of fans were pumped on the battling going on.”
With the combined MotoGP/MotoAmerica Superbike round officially in the books, Lewis will be joined by the entire Team Hammer contingent when the 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Championship resumes in full on May 4-6 at Virginia International Raceway.
Lewis said, “We’re definitely looking forward to VIR. I feel like we made a lot of progress this weekend. We’re a lot closer to running at the front, and I think in Virginia we can make another step and be there in the fight. We just need to have another good qualifying session and then break off with the pack. If we do that, I think we can be there in the end. I really want to be up on the podium, and we’re not too far off from doing that. It’s just a matter of putting some strong opening laps together and getting with the guys to see what I can do.”
About Team Hammer
The 2018 season marks Team Hammer’s 38th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 68 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 191 times and have won five AMA Pro National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships. The team has also won 135 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.