KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Xavi Fores won the MotoAmerica Supersport Extended Race Saturday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California.
Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V2, Fores won the 38-lap, double-points race by 12.685 seconds. It was Fores’ eighth straight win, setting a new record for the MotoAmerica Supersport class.
Pole-sitter Josh Hayes overcame a troubled pit stop to finish a strong second on his Squid Hunter Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.
Tyler Scott ran near the front from start to finish and came home third, 20.623 seconds behind Fores, on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750.
Stefano Mesa got fourth on his Tytlers Cycle Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R, and Scott’s teammate Teagg Hobbs rounded out the top five finishers.
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Fores Still Perfect With Eighth Straight Win Coming At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Fores, Gillim, McWiliams Score Victories On Saturday On The Monterey Peninsula
MONTEREY, CA (July 8, 2023) – Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Xavi Fores won his eighth straight MotoAmerica Supersport race on Saturday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to break Garrett Gerloff’s consecutive win streak from 2017. Although Fores isn’t the 2023 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion yet, he’s getting close with his perfect 250 points stretching his championship points lead to 100 points after eight races.
Supersport – Fores The Record Breaker
Xavi Fores wasn’t overly confident going into Saturday’s “Extended” Supersport race after suffering the first two crashes of his season on Thursday and Saturday morning. He also knew that Squid Hunter Racing’s Josh Hayes had good pace. Put those two things together and it was as close to trouble as Fores has been in all year.
But then it all fell into place when the race started. Fores suddenly felt more comfortable, and he could match Hayes’ pace, though he did lose valuable time in lapped traffic just prior to the mandatory pit stops.
And the pit stop is where Fores won the race, though it wasn’t in his pit. The race was handed to him when Hayes’ crew struggled to get the front wheel into the fork during his stop and it ultimately cost him victory.
At the completion of the 38-lap race, Fores was 12.685 seconds ahead of Hayes and had his eighth straight win in hand. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott finished third with the youngster being caught and passed by Hayes in the closing laps.
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Teagg Hobbs rounded out the top five.
“I was not 100% convinced about this race, especially after the crash we had this morning because I had some pain in my neck and I was a little bit not 100% concentrated,” Fores said. “I was a little bit confused because the bike was not working 100% well. The front tire consumption all the weekend was horrendous, especially on the left side. Honestly, the first part of the race I had a good fight with Josh, but then on the last four laps before to come in, I lost the front two or three times in turn nine and turn five. I nearly crashed and then I had to run off. Then we got the pack of slow riders. He was really brave passing them on the Corkscrew. After my crash this morning, I said, I’m going to stay away of this. Then I lost a couple of seconds there. But, honestly, when we did the pit stop the guys in the pit stop were working perfectly. My tired changes and my feeling on the bike. We didn’t lose much time there. So, I went out the first two or three corners, the rear tire was a little bit cold, and it took a little bit to get warm. But then when I passed on the straight, I see Josh coming out of the pits but quite early yet, so I said, maybe he had some issue on the pit stop. I started to see I was still P4, then P3, then P1. I was managing the gap on the last 18, 17 laps. So honestly, I was not the fastest one this weekend, but we did a good strategy on the race. I came maybe two laps earlier than we had been expecting, because the front tire was not working well. We managed well the situation. That was the key to win the race. Honestly, Josh was much faster than me this weekend, more solid and especially in the right corners. He was always pulling meters away from me. When I catch him on the first part of the race, I was like, I have no more. I was taking some risks. So fair play to him, his team. It was a shame to don’t arrive to the end of the race fighting me and him because it would be great to have a good battle with him until the last lap.”
Mission King Of The Baggers – A Wild Finish
Talk about a wild finish. Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods’ Tyler O’Hara stuffedhis way past H-D Screamin’ Eagle’s Kyle Wyman heading into the Corkscrew and held that lead all the way to the final corner. With his Indian snaking under braking, O’Hara flicked it into the final corner, lost the front end and crashed. But that’s not all. Just a millisecond later, Wyman made exactly the same miscue and both riders found themselves trying to pick up their motorcycles.
Meanwhile, Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim streaked past to score his first victory in the class – 2.9 seconds ahead of his teammate James Rispoli with the pair smiling under their helmets like five-year-olds at Christmas.
Ditto for Sac Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands/Indian’s Bobby Fong, who also found himself gifted with a podium finish.
O’Hara won the race of the fallen to finish fourth, just ahead of Team Saddlemen’s Jake Lewis.
“I immediately looked back to see where he was, because I was so focused on them that I ran wide and I was just hoping he wasn’t close to get a run,” Gillim said. “It sucked to see. I kind of figured one would go down. The way those two guys go at it; I knew it was going to get a little dicey. I had kind of given up when I had come across the stripe going onto the last lap because I was kind of starting to move around a little bit more and they were going fast. They had picked up the pace once Kyle (Wyman) got in front. So, I had kind of called the dog off and then they started going at it and I was like, ‘all right. I need to kind of keep going because in case something does happen, if they run wide or something, I need to be there to capitalize.’ I got lucky and brought it home. First bagger win. I’ve done three championships of it, so this is my first win. It’s awesome. I’m happy to be up on top. I need to fix my starts, though. I think I was eighth going into turn one, starting from fourth. So, I was a little nervous the first couple laps, for sure. The Vance & Hines guys have put a great bike underneath me. We’re going to keep making steady progress, like James said, and hopefully actually be able to get up there and be a part of that fight tomorrow.”
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – McWilliams Does It
Jeremy McWilliams flew back to Northern Ireland an angry man after learning that his first-career Super Hooligan victory at Ridge Motorsports Park was taken from him due to a protest that resulted in his disqualification for a technical infraction.
McWilliams stewed for the two weeks, but came back with a vengeance, leading the practice sessions, qualifying on pole, and winning Saturday’s race by a scant .071 of a second on his Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods Indian FTR1200 over DiBrino Racing KTM’s Andy DiBrino.
Cory West rode the Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America to third place.
“I went home and was very pissed off for a long time,” McWilliams said. “I came here with only one goal in mind, and it was to win at all costs, win it or bin it. Regardless of what happens tomorrow, it doesn’t really matter. I needed that win for myself. Just to kind of prove to everybody that it doesn’t matter where you put your handlebars. You can still win the race because they’re not up a little bit, but it looks like with the new rules we can put them back down exactly where we had them at the Ridge. Take all that aside, put it behind us and move on. I need championship points, and that’s what I was more pissed off at the Ridge in the race because I hadn’t had a win and just for my sanity, I needed a win. I needed to beat Tyler (O’Hara) at his own. That rivalry between teammates makes it a great team. He just basically said he had nothing left at the Ridge, fair and square. Coming here, I needed it at all costs. So, thanks to S & S. They put a great motorcycle together. Indian are behind it. I think with that little bit of factory support, it definitely bolsters us a little bit at every round. We just have that kind of safety net around us with the factory support. So, it’s a big thanks to the guys believing in me and keep signing me to come and do this because the last time I was here was 1993 or ’94, so it’s nice to come back here and perform still on this circuit which I dearly love.”
REV’IT! Twins Cup – Landers Takes Over
REV’IT! Twins Cup had their first race of the weekend on Saturday, and pole sitter Rocco Landers notched his fifth win of the season by more than four seconds aboard his Robem Engineering Aprilia in a contest where he was chased by his stablemate, Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Gus Rodio. For Rodio, it was his sixth podium aboard his Aprilia RS 660. Finishing third after overtaking defending class champion Blake Davis was Dominic Doyle aboard his Team Iso Yamaha YZF-R7.
Landers’ victory enabled him to take over the championship lead by one point over Davis, 141-140, and after celebrating on the podium, he said, “It was a great race. I had tons of fun. I didn’t get the best initial start, but I think they got together in turn two and I was able to get by Blake (Davis) out of five. Then, I was just able to run my own race and click off laps. Like five laps to go, my front tire just took a dive off a cliff. I had absolutely no feel out of that coming down Rainey (Curve). The thing would just start chattering. But Gus and I have been working together probably more than we have all season this one weekend. Made the bikes work as good as possible. Been trading data, making sure to have the best setup possible to race so we can get some one-twos for Aprilia and for the team, and also for the championship. Matt, my crew chief, my mechanic Chad, they’ve been busting their butts all weekend, making the thing work as good as possible. We have an amazing setup.”
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, Inc.:
VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI’S TYLER SCOTT EARNS PODIUM SPOT AT
LAGUNA SECA
BREA, CA – July 9, 2023 – Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer were key players in a dramatic day of racing as the 2023 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship resumed at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. All four of the team’s riders earned top five results, with Tyler Scott in third aboard his Suzuki GSX-R750 Supersport machine and celebrating on the podium.
Race Highlights:
- Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
- Superbike
- Richie Escalante charged from the back of the field to score another fourth-place result.
- Brandon Paasch landed inside the top-five in his team debut.
- Supersport
- Tyler Scott earned another podium result after finishing third.
- Teagg Hobbs led early and was rewarded with the fifth spot.
- Superbike
The on-form Richie Escalante took a circuitous route to secure his fourth fourth-place finish in his last six MotoAmerica Superbike starts on Saturday. The Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki pilot was a popular pre-race pick to claim his maiden premier-class podium after earning a front-row qualifying position aboard his GSX-R1000R. Richie was able to slot into third early on before a red flag brought the proceedings to a temporary halt. Escalante’s podium hopes took a big hit when his tire warmer cover melted to his brake disc during the red flag, forcing him to miss the sighting lap and therefore line up in last position for the restart. Escalante immediately carved his way up the field and joined the tail-end of what turned out to be a race-long, multi-rider fight for the podium. That battle ultimately ended early when a second red flag ended the race and awarded Escalante another fourth-place finish.
“It was a crazy race,” said Escalante. “I am the only rider at the front who chose the Dunlop R7 tire compound, so I wasn’t happy when I saw the red flag. Then when I was leaving the pits, we had an issue with the tire cover warmer, which caused me to start at the back of the grid. I tried to make up as many positions as I could. I’ve been feeling good this weekend, and my confidence has been strong but I made a couple of mistakes in the race and would lose ground and then make it up. I couldn’t advance any further. In the end, I am happy about getting good points, but I am really glad there are two more races. A big thank you to not only the team and everyone who supports me but also to all the fans.”
Brandon Paasch, meanwhile, had a stellar race debut as the newest member of the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team. Despite the young rider’s history of success across several different classes, he’s still new to a full-blown Superbike. But that inexperience did not show. Paasch, still recovering from a broken back, did well to fight up to sixth on the team’s GSX-R1000R and then defended the position all the way to the red flag. He was ultimately awarded a fifth as a result of the final red flag.
“For the first time out, it was a pretty good result,” said Paasch. “I didn’t know what exactly to expect, this being our first race on the bike. So far, the lap times are getting closer every time out so I think we are making good progress. In the race, we didn’t have any issues and I was happy with the lap times we were turning at the end. I felt I got stronger and definitely faster so it was a good first race.”
The Supersport class saw a return of a sole 38-lap “long race” with a mandatory pit stop this weekend in California. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott ran a strong, measured race to earn third on his next-generation Suzuki GSX-R750. Ensconced in the top ten early, Scott emerged in podium contention after his strong pit stop on lap 18 and ran as high as second on the repaved track.
“We started this weekend behind,” Scott said. “The Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team did a great job step-by-step all weekend. We got a really good setup going into the race and I felt good. I dropped back when I made some mistakes but then I started becoming more consistent with good times. The pit stop was great and I pushed until the end. It was a great race.”
Teagg Hobbs led the race early and gained valuable experience at the front of the Supersport pack. Hobbs was the first of the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki racers to pit, entering on lap 16 and emerging with a clean stop. Hobbs then chased his teammate Scott inside the top three before eventually earning fifth on the day.
“It was cool to lead and it felt good,” said Hobbs. “We had a strong qualifying and there are tons of positives to take away. But we chose the wrong tire for the race and that made for a long day and kept us from getting a better result. I am looking forward to going to Brainerd, which is one of my favorite tracks.”
While the weekend is now complete for the MotoAmerica Supersport contenders, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike pilots Escalante and Paasch will have two more shots at the podium on Sunday as the premier-class racing continues at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
For more racing news, results, and special team content please visit https://suzukicycles.com/racing/road-racing.
ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2023 season marks Team Hammer’s 43rd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Race bikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 351 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport.) The team has also won 137 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.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
