Yamaha Superbike Championship of Virginia
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
VIRginia International Raceway
Alton, Virginia
May 14, 2016
Provisional Supersport/Superstock 600 Race One Results (wet-to-dry conditions, all on Dunlop tires):
1. Garrett Gerloff (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, 23 laps, Total Race Time 35:45.213, Best Lap Time 1:29.531
2. Cameron Petersen (Suz GSX-R600), Supersport, -3.327 seconds, 1:30.209
3. Joe Roberts (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, -17.118, 1:30.946
4. Michael Gilbert (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -22.113, 1:29.714
5. Benny Solis, Jr. (Hon CBR600RR), Supersport, -24.419, 1:29.480
6. Travis Wyman (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -26.701, 1:30.266
7. Bryce Prince (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -34.723, 1:30.486
8. Deion Campbell (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -51.272, 1:31.662
9. Valentin Debise (Suz GSX-R600), Supersport, -61.065, 1:32.699
10. Nick McFadden (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -63.186, 1:32.455
11. Conner Blevins (Kaw ZX-6R), Superstock 600, -75.406, 1:32.822
12. Xavier Zayat (Suz GSX-R600), Superstock 600, -78.723, 1:32.050
13. Jason Aguilar (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:30.862
14. JD Beach (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, -1 lap, 1:36.574
15. JC Camacho (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:32.225
16. Joseph Giannotto (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, -1 lap, 1:32.740
17. Timothy Wilson (Kaw ZX-6R), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:33.433
18. Richie Escalante (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:34.662
19. Dakota Mamola (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:34.520
20. Gabe Miller (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:34.113
21. Casey Tobolewski (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:33.766
22. Andrew Lee (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:33.945
23. CJ LaRoche (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -1 lap, 1:34.479
24. Andy DiBrino (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, -2 laps, 1:36.122
25. Christian Crosslin (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, DNF, crash, 1:32.172
26. Josh Fogle (Suz GSX-R600), Superstock 600, DNF, 1:36.151
27. Melissa Paris (Suz GSX-R600), Superstock 600, DNF, 1:47.855
Supersport Championship Point Standings (after 6 races):
1. Gerloff, 120 points
2. Beach, 95
3. Debise, 94
4. Petersen, 79
5. Roberts, 69
6. Solis, 54
7. Prince, 44
8. Mamola, 43
9. Wyman, 31
10. TIE, Blevins/Camacho, 25
Superstock 600 Championship Point Standings (after 5 races):
1. Prince, 97 points
2. Mamola, 76
3. Wyman, 68
4. Camacho, 59
5. Blevins, 54
6. DiBrino, 52
7. Gilbert, 46
8. Zayat, 33
9. Gage McAllister, 31
10. Campbell, 27
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Wet-Race Strategy Comes Into Play As Garrett Gerloff Wins Supersport Race 1 At Virginia Aboard His Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha YZF-R6
Alton, VA – May 14, 2016 – A pre-race burst of rain and high winds created turmoil in the MotoAmerica paddock at VIRginia International Raceway, destroying team canopies and tossing equipment and crewmembers into disarray right when Supersport Race 1 was about to begin. With the track surface affected by the quick, but prodigious deluge, tire selection became critical. The start of the race was only delayed a little more than 30 minutes, which meant that the track was still very wet, but warm temperatures and a brightening sun began to evaporate the water from the tarmac.
For Garrett Gerloff and his Yamaha Extended Service (Y.E.S.)/Graves/Yamaha team, the decision to race on full slicks, on both the front and rear of his #31 Yamaha YZF-R6, was the right one. Garrett played it cool in the beginning of the 23-lap race, got off to a smooth start from his front-row position on the grid, and didn’t put a wheel wrong all the way to the checkers.
As the laps wound down, Garrett’s pace sped up due to the VIR surface rapidly transitioning from wet, to mostly dry, to almost completely dry. By the time he crossed the finish line, Garrett had lapped the field all the way up to 12th place.
After his victory, Garrett said, ““This is a track that I used to race at a lot, so in those conditions, I kind of knew that I wanted to be on slicks because this track dries quickly. In the beginning, JD just shot off, and it was definitely slippery out there for me. But, I just tried to ride smooth and, as the track dried, I was able to go faster. I knew that JD was on rains, so I was hoping that the race would come back to me. I’m glad it did! Having the grip as the laps wound down really made the difference.”
For Garrett’s teammate JD Beach, fortunes were almost completely the opposite, as the defending MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and his team started from fourth position on the grid with his #1 Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha R6 shod in full rain tires, and with expectations that the rain would return at some point in the race. JD got off to a great start in the race, immediately took the lead, and stretched out a gap that ballooned into more than a 12-second advantage. The extra grip of the full rain tires on the wet VIR track helped JD dominate in the beginning of the race. But, as the laps clicked off, the rain stayed away, and the track dried out, JD’s pace remained relatively consistent, while Garrett and several of the other riders who had decided against racing on full rain tires increased their lap times, caught up to JD, and ultimately passed him. JD finished the race in 14th, which was a devastating result for him and the team.
The weather forecast calls for sunny skies and comfortable temperatures at VIR on Sunday, and Garrett and JD will return to action for Supersport Race 2, which will go green at 2:45 PM.
Watch Round 4 Of The MotoAmerica Championship On beIN SPORTS And beIN SPORTS CONNECT
beIN SPORTS:
– Sunday, May 15, 12:25 PM EST (LIVE): Superbike Race 1
– Sunday, May 15, 5:00 PM EST (DELAYED): Supersport Race 2 and Superbike Race 2
beIN SPORTS CONNECT (Live Streaming):
– Sunday, May 15, 12:30 PM EST (LIVE): Superbike Race 1
– Sunday, May 15, 2:45 PM EST (LIVE): Supersport Race 2
– Sunday, May 15, 3:50 PM EST (LIVE): Superbike Race 2
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.