Quarterley Racing: On Track Development Team Reflects on the Season
Millville, NJ – As Benjamin Smith stands on the third place podium after the second race of the weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park the team is reminded of his first ever podium finish in the KTM RC Cup Series exactly one year ago. Since that day he has accumulated four 1st, three 2nd, and four 3rd place finishes this season. The success has not been without hard work and a few crashes. In fact Smith has achieved a podium in every race he finished this season. The Quarterley Racing On Track Development Team has placed riders on 24 podiums in 15 races, sweeping 1st through 4th place at VIR with all four team members.
This weekend was the first time since Utah all four riders were back on the track. The weekend definitely had its ups and downs. Jackson Blackmon’s motor blew up during second qualifying requiring the team to make an approved motor change the night before the race. Blackmon started from pit road at the back of the pack in 17th position, did some head down racing to come in 4th. Jake Leahey finished 5th in his first race back after needing time off from an injury he sustained in Utah. Unfortunately, Benjamin Smith and Draik Beauchamp wrecked in race one.
The team mechanics spent the evening reconstructing Smith’s bike and fixing Beauchamp’s. Smith and Nate Minster spent the evening in the ER checking out their injures. Nate Minster riding under the Quarterley Racing tent wrecked and scrubbed off a chunk of meat on his right thumb and his bike needed to be attended to also. But the night wasn’t without the camaraderie that has become common place among the young riders in the KTM RC Cup Series during a dinner put on by Bob and Melissa Robbins for all the riders and their teams.
On Sunday for race two, Jackson jumped the start and served a pass through penalty; there just were not enough laps to run back through the field and he finished 13th. Beauchamp and Leahey ran in a six rider pack swapping positions for most of the race. Beauchamp wrecked on the second to last lap and Leahey riding hard crossed the finish line with two other riders finishing in 6th position. Rallying back from injury Minster finished 7th and Smith secured the 3rd place podium.
Reflecting on the season Leahey said, “This season has literally been an opportunity of a life time. I would like to thank: Bob Robbins for his generosity in helping kids develop in the sport and Dale Quarterly for providing his skill and insight every session.”
Championship Points are extremely close: Smith is tied in 1st place with Cory Ventura, 1 point behind them is Alex Dumas, with Jackson and Beauchamp rounding out the top five.
Quarterley Racing/On Track Development with successful veteran pro rider Dale Quarterley, is an entry level pro racing program focused on bringing young riders up to speed as they set their sights on a future and the next step towards top level pro racing. The team offers Moto America full support on a team owned “Ready To Race” 390 Cup bike for a Wild Card entry or multiple events.
Contact is [email protected] or phone 610-217-9926.
Team sponsors include: Beta Tools—Inter-Tech Supplies—Motorex—Regina Chains—Scott Powersports—Street & Competition—Woodcraft Technologies
Draik Beauchamp personal sponsors: 129photos, Law offices of Ogle, Elrod, and Baril, Spider Graphix, Tint One, Pit Pass Radio, Sportbike Leather Service, SaferMoto.com, Red Fox Racing, Cycle Gear, Trever White at Harper VW, LS2 Helmets
Jackson Blackmon personal sponsors: Dainese/AGV, TrackDay Winners, Xt Racing, Fast Frank, Fast Bike Industries, Finishline Machine, Drippin Wet
Jake Leahey personal sponsors: Arai Helmets- Sidi Boots- Heroic Leathers- NJminiGP- Stump Racing Kids- United Asphalt- Wholesale Outlet- Hangdry- Solid Performance KTM- Evolve GT Trackdays- RideRich Apparel- Scordo Farms
Benjamin Smith personal sponsors: Arai Helmets- William Deal- Gmoto- Sidi-Impact Armor- Absolute Cycle Experience
Nate Minster personal sponsors: Advantage Corrugated and Packaging – Killebrew Root Beer -Morse Electric – USCCA (U.S concealed and carry association) – Larsons Cycle -Shoei Helmets -Trackside Suspension and Engineering – Midwest Training Center – Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers -Impact Safety Armor
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Champions Riding School:
YCRS Sponsored Riders Shine at MotoAmerica in NJ
September 13, 2017. Millville, NJ – “I need to get comfortable, riding uncomfortably,” said Kyle Wyman yesterday to students of the Yamaha Champions Riding School when asked about his first-ever Superbike podium. Kyle said his faith in the Champions Habits that are embedded in his muscle memory is what allowed him to ride at such a high level for the entire race.
Saturday was okay for Kyle with a sixth-place finish but not where he wanted to be. Being his home track, he knew he could be running at the front and fighting for the win, especially after being at the top of the charts for most of the weekend.
The wrong setup choice didn’t allow him to run at the front on Saturday so the team reverted to what worked so well on Friday: “that worked”, to say the least. Our “KW” not only ran at the front, but was literally fighting to pass Superbike veteran Roger Hayden for most of the race.
In the end, Superbike Champion Toni Elias snuck up, won the race, and capped off his Championship season…but Kyle was a just a few lengths behind of the factory rider in second place.
For anyone who does not realize what a large accomplishment this was, try to find the last time a kid and his dad with a pickup truck and a trailer, a true privateer, got on the podium of a professional Superbike race in America. It’s far and few between and a huge accomplishment. “We picked a good weekend to be Kyle’s title sponsor,” said Limore Shur, CMO of YCRS. Hats off to Kyle and the KWR team for a truly remarkable and emotional race.
Maybe having YCRS down the side of your bike was a lucky charm on Sunday as Kyle was not the only success story. Our prized pupil Anthony Mazziotto also struggled on Saturday with a sixth-place finish but finished the weekend on top of the box. The sixth place was mostly due to the steep learning curve associated with being a rookie in such a competitive class of professional racing.
Friday practice went well but a slightly bent wheel put the rookie team behind one session in setting up the new bike for this track. “Contrary to popular belief, Anthony had no time on this track with the new bike and very little overall on a 600 so the hometown advantage wasn’t as much as we would have liked, especially considering we had no setup for NJMP going in,” Anthony’s dad said.
Keith Culver continues the story, “Because of this, we were making dramatic changes right up until the race on Saturday afternoon and the last change for Saturday’s race was a backwards one.”
Anthony went a second slower in Saturday’s race than in Friday afternoon’s qualifying. The 17-year-old led the first few laps of the race but then the tire went off quickly, causing him to drop back just as quick. Anthony fought for sixth by the end of the race.
Saturday evening the team worked tirelessly to figure out what was wrong. Thanks to the genius of John Cornwell from Ohlins, it was found that the rear shock had a rain setup in it from Road America. Huge rookie mistake. The final setup was the same setup from Friday afternoon that had Anthony at the top of the charts, but with a corrected rear shock setup.
Sunday morning came and Anthony was able to match his best times from Saturday’s race on a cold morning with cold tires so the changes were in the right direction. Just before Sunday’s race, the team made one more slightly dramatic change for the race.
When Anthony returned from the sighting lap he said it was not good. In five minutes, the boys were able to lower the front two mm, raise the rear one mm, and move the clickers back to the morning’s settings, finishing just before the start of the race.
A half hour later the YCRS-backed team was standing on the podium as the winning team alongside our prized pupil after he handily won by over three seconds. “The first few laps I battled with Mike Selpe and Nick McFadden and both their bikes were quite a bit faster than mine. Once I found where I was better than them, I got by and was able to put my head down and pull away,” said Ant.
At first, Ant and Nick traded lap times with the gap staying quite close but thankfully, that hard-to-find setup must have been a little bit better because towards the end of the race, Anthony was not only able to keep his lap times steady, but even set his fastest lap of the race on lap 19. “I like riding and battling with Nick. He’s a veteran of this class and a first class racer.” said “Little Mazz”.
Winning in Pittsburgh was cool, but to do it at the home of YCRS is pretty darn special. Our real concentration these days is on street riders. That is the group losing lives due to improper training…but considering the techniques taught at YCRS that save lives were derived from racing, it is quite fitting to see those Champions Habits still getting it done on the racetrack. Not only are many YCRS grads racing at MotoAmerica, but multi-time grad Jason Aguillar is leading the 600 Superstock points.
Wish us luck as we finish ChampSchool classes here at NJMP this week and start the trek south to Barber Motorsports Park for the final round of the MotoAmerica series! We will then head west to Inde Motorsports Ranch to spend the winter making riders safer and faster.
About YCRS
Yamaha Champions Riding School is the nation’s premier motorcycle training program. YCRS is the evolution of the Freddie Spencer High Performance Riding School and is led by former racer, author, and right hand man of Spencer; Nick Ienatsch. YCRS uses “Champions Habits” to teach all riders the skills and techniques used by the top riders in the world to go faster, stay safer, or both while concentrating on the way in which modern motorcycles are designed to be ridden. YCRS is dedicated to making all motorcycle riders safer and more in control of their riding, no matter what type of riding they do. For more information visit http://www.champschool.com
More, from a press release issued by RiderzLaw/Aguilar Racing:
RiderzLaw/ Aguilar Racing Holds on to Points Lead in MotoAmerica Superstock 600
“New Jersey has never been a great track for me. This year we couldn’t catch a break again. We had the pace to battle for the win in both races, but suffered from a bad qualifying position. Can’t blame anyone but myself for being in that position off the start. I’m looking forward to better things at Barber next weekend” stated Jason after a difficult weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
Friday Practice looked like it could be the turnaround for Jason and his NJMP gremlins as he ended the day 3rd fastest. But Saturday morning qualifying was a different story as Jason not only could not improve on Friday’s lap times, but he was half a second slower. Jason ended the qualifying session in a very frustrated 7th place in Superstock 600.
Starting Saturday’s race from Row 5, Jason was at a distinct disadvantage from his main Championship rival who was starting from Row 2. Pushing hard, Jason moved up to 6th Place by the end of Lap 1. Jason continued to make moves and took over 3rd place by Lap 12. However, a last lap pass saw Jason get nipped by 22 thousandths of a second for a 4th place finish.
Sunday’s Race 2 started out better with Jason right behind his main Championship rival on the first lap. But as both riders moved up, they were only able to advance to 4th and 5th place finishes. Jason’s best lap times were over half a second faster than Race 1, but the other riders stepped up their performance as well.
Jason now leads the MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship by 3 points going into the season finale at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama next weekend.
Thanks to all RiderzLaw Aguilar Racing sponsors: Riderzlaw, Graves Motorsports, SolarMax Technology, Torco Advanced Lubricants, Yamaha Motor USA, Taylormade Racing, FTECU, Speed and Strength, Arai Helmets, Galfer, Motion Pro, Superlite Sprockets, SpeedAngle, Dunlop Tires, Thermal Technology Race, EF Signs, SBK Paint
More, from a press release issued by Genuine Broaster Chicken Honda:
MotoAmerica 2017MotoAmerica – Round 9
The sequel to our thrilling closing trilogy!
Millville, NJ
If the previous round was akin to a dramatic movie, then this round would have to be the sequel that sets up the compelling third and final episode in a thrilling trilogy. Who knows how this movie will end? We certainly don’t, but we do know that at this point in the feature, things are going great for our protagonist. In the last scene we left off with Jake and his 32Crew rejoicing their incredible 4th and 6th place finishes from Pittsburgh. Carried off into the sunset on the shoulders of his adoring fans and bolstered by the solid performances of his crew and machine.
Now the stage is set for a continuation of the story line. Arriving at the Philadelphia International Airport, the 32Crew left their beloved media guy stranded while they headed directly for the track. In the week between rounds, crew chief Scott Jensen had an epiphany with respect to the quickshifter issues and needed his team to get to the bike as soon as possible. So, in the dark of night and under a persistent rain, Scott, Danny and Evan hunted down the team transporter. Once they found it they unloaded the “A” bike and began working under an Ez-Up on the electrical system. Would this fix the issue? Can this be the beginning of the end of bad starts? Only track time will tell.
Friday morning, the rains had stopped and the big blue New Jersey sky was giving the “All Clear” for dry track time. Right from the first few laps, Jake was on pace. It was clear that there were some suspension adjustments needed as he was looking like a rodeo rider through a few corners. But despite that, he was running in the top three for much of the first session. As that first session wore on, Jake’s times improved but not as much as those around him and he would finish that first free practice in P6.
The time between sessions was plenty for a team conference. Eric from Penske Racing Shocks was tasked with making the bike calm down on corner exits and there is no one else in the paddock who is better equipped to make that happen. A new shock was mounted and the crew was eager to see what Jake could do in the second free practice. That afternoon session would show a marked improvement in the capability of the Genuine Broaster Chicken Honda. Jake was seen on track throwing the bike out of corners and sliding it at will. Judging by his wheelies and goon riding on the cool down lap, it was pretty clear that his 6th place was merely the beginning of what he could do with the bike.
Saturday’s during the race weekend’s are typically the busiest of the four days. There’s a morning warm-up followed quickly by Superpole just enough time for the team to grab some delicious Genuine Broaster Chicken and get ready to race. The program for the morning warm-up was to verify race set-up. After 30 minutes, the set-up was verified. Jake and the 32Crew were confident that Superpole would be solid.
Superpole arrived by mid-morning and everything was in place. The pre-qualifying tire was toasty and the track was just about ideal. Jake climbed aboard his Honda CBR1000RR SP2 and began his three flying laps. Looking good and planted through corners, Jake entered the pit for his tire change. What began by mistake in Sonoma has now become the routine. Instead of a quick change and immediately back on track, Jake sits for a bit and talks with Scott and together they watch the timing screens. They’ve begun timing the session in order to give Jake the clearest track possible. With time winding down, the “Go” signal was issued and tire warmers went off and Jake began his long ride through pit lane. One out lap and then it’s hammer down. While setting green sector times (personal bests), it was looking like Jake had a shot at a possible 4th place start. However exiting the final corner, he had a small wiggle which cost him a few tenths and relegated him to 6th. Still, a second row start. All that’s needed now, (flashback to earlier in the movie) is a solid start which would depend on the electrical fix that Scott and the crew had conducted on that rainy night.
Race One is upon us. There’s a certain feeling that permeates the paddock when it’s time for the big bikes to do battle. Like an electricity that excites everything around. To be on the grid just before the race begins is an experience that leaves an impression. You feel that excitement. You see the routines of the riders and crew. You see into the eyes of the warriors who will soon do battle for your entertainment. In this case, for Jake and the team, it’s the excitement of what is to come. They all knew Jake would make a strong run at this New Jersey circuit. The bike had been running strong all weekend and Jake was pumped. Horns sound, time to clear the grid and take some deep breathes.
As the engine revs go up, the roar echos all over and can be heard from the furthest reaches of the track. The riders hold the revs for just a seconds and then once the lights are turned off, the entire field rushes down the long main straight towards turn One, the hardest braking zone on the track. Jake made a good start. Gaining one position into T1 and holding it for the entire first lap. The first few laps actually. Jake was able to maneuver himself into 4th place before the first few laps were completed. Again, it was an impressive display to see Jake running up front with the factory machines. The difference this round? The level of confidence that the issues have been resolved and that Jake was free to ride as hard as possible for the entire race distance. Which he did. As the laps we’re counting down, Josh Herrin had moved right up on Jake’s rear. Lap after lap Josh was showing Jake a wheel here and there. Always able to pull along side of Jake on the main straight only to have Jake out brake him. This duel was feeding off the electricity and amplifying it. On the last lap, the very last corner, Jake was setting up a wide line into the final corner to get a better drive than Josh on corner exit. That wider line was all that was needed as Josh came through. The rubber on Jake’s leathers tell just how close it was. Jake would cross the line in a hard fought 5th place. Disappointed for sure, but thrilled to once again be able to run up front with the full Superbikes.
Over the night, there were few changes made. The plan for Sunday morning was to try two different shocks and try to pinpoint which one would be best for race two later that afternoon. That plan was scrapped as an incident during Supersport warm-ups cut short the already short 15 minute session. The crew would have to go with their gut feelings on the shock.
As the teams and riders took their places for the start of race two, the electricity had not diminished at all since the title was clinched the day before by Toni Elias. There’s still plenty of drama every time the bikes line up. This time, the marker was another rung on the ladder. Fifth was ok but Jake had been fourth almost all race and that was where he needed to be again. Race two started with a packed house on hand crowded down into Turn One to see Jake take a solid 5th going into the corner.
This time, the leaders would break off into two distinct groups. Roger Hayden up front being chased by Kyle Wymann. The second grouping was Josh Hayes and an ever speedy Jake Gagne. Within a few laps, the newly crowned 2017 Superbike Champion, Toni Elias came from no-where on a hard charge to the front. Toni’s pace carried him a little wide causing Josh Hayes to go offline. This miscue opened the door for Jake to take the position away from Josh, locking him into fourth position. As the drama up front heightened with Toni catching his teammate and passing him for the lead, Jake was circulating at a consistent pace ensuring him fourth place when he crossed the line. This would be equal to his highest position of the season and more importantly it firmly demonstrated that the issues that plagued the team early on, are (at least for now) behind them.
The sequel ends with a solid performance from our hero and his crew. A fifth and fourth to add to the fourth and sixth from the previous round. With the average placing being fourth since the massive turn around, the team heads to the final chapter with the aim to continue to improve and finish this epic saga with a podium! Stay tuned..
Jake Gagne – Superbike
“We were all feeling really positive about NJ especially after our best weekend at Pittsburgh. We made some serious progress last time out and it definitely carried into New Jersey Motorsports Park.
We’ve had some great races here and I always have fun riding around this track.
I’d like to give a huge, huge thank you to the 32Crew of Scotty, DA, Evan, Eric, and Walker for always giving their absolute best. It’s great to finally see the unbelievable amount of effort translate into results.
We’ve learned a ton from both races and improved both times out. I’m really ready to get to Barber and do our best to battle for some wins.”
Danny Walker – Team Principal
“When we left Pittsburgh, we were all riding pretty high. Scotty and the guys have been problem solving this new Honda CBR1000RR SP2 since the day it arrived and their hard work combined with Jake’s abilities are really beginning to pay dividends. Of-course we had hoped for a more competitive season, but that’s how bike development goes.
I’d like it if the season started now! (Laughing)
I had 100% confidence in our crew and rider that we would be competitive eventually. We were just hoping it wasn’t going to take this long.
Probably the best part is how far we can still go.
Our 2018 season starts Monday after Barber.”
Scott Jensen – Crew Chief
“Coming into New Jersey Motorsports Park we were all very positive since this track has brought us a lot of success as a team over the years.
As with Pittsburgh, the weekend started off well and we rolled into qualifying confident in our chances to put the new CBR1000RR SP2 at the front. By the end of superpole we were 6th in a very tight field. The nimble but stable nature of the CBR was working in our favor on this flowing race track.
Race one turned out to be a nail biter between Jake and Josh Herrin on the factory Yamaha superbike, with Josh managing a skilled pass on the last lap relegating us to 5th.
After testing a new Penske rear shock in Sunday warm up, we were set for race two. As the race settled in, it was apparent the new shock was helping as Jake was able to run more consistent fast times. At the end, we ended up a very competitive fourth place, behind Roger Hayden.
Now comes Barber, the last race of the season- my how time flies!”