Gagne Wins MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at Barber

Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne scores an emphatic victory in a wet Race 2 at Barber Motorsports Park. 

MARIETTA, Ga. – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne returned to the top step of the podium in dominant fashion, claiming his 42nd premier class victory in MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at Barber Motorsports Park. Bobby Fong concluded the season’s opening weekend with a top-five finish, as the rain arrived as forecasted on Sunday and drenched the 2.380-mile track in Leeds, Alabama. 

Despite the tricky conditions, Gagne shined. The three-time Superbike Champion slotted into second after the start and was briefly shuffled to third before taking over the lead on the opening lap. From there, he stretched out a comfortable gap to remain unchallenged, ultimately crossing the line with a 6.758-second margin of victory. With his third-place finish in Race 1, Gagne holds the runner-up spot in the championship, four points from the frontrunner after the opening round. 

In Race 2, Fong didn’t get the start he was hoping for and was fifth. With not much time on his new bike in the wet, the Californian took a few laps to find his rhythm. He made the move for third on Lap 4 and began closing in on the rider ahead, looking poised to contend for another podium finish. Unfortunately, with around six laps to go, visibility issues forced Fong to back off, and he ultimately finished fifth. It was a strong debut weekend with the team, earning a second- and fifth-place finish to sit third in the championship.

The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team now looks ahead to Round 2 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, on May 2–4.

Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Overall, it was a good weekend for the team. It should’ve been a 1-2 finish in the wet, but unfortunately Bobby’s helmet fogged up, which is a bummer. Jake’s finish was pretty awesome. He was happy to get back on top of the box. It’s been a while now, with his hand issues last season. We definitely have a great wet set-up, and this R1 has proven to be superior in those conditions. Both riders were really happy with the bike, and next time, we’ll get the 1-2 finish.”

Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #32
“To start the year with a third and a first is pretty awesome. The conditions were crazy. Before the race, we were watching supersport, and the track was flooding, with puddles everywhere. I think all of us guys were just wanting to be smart and make it through. I got off to a good start, and once I got the lead, I really put my head down, pulled a gap, and just maintained it from there. It’s important to get the lead because when you’re catching all that spray, you can’t tell where the puddles are, and it’s easy to hydroplane. I’m really happy with the weekend. It’s a good start to the year.”

Bobby Fong – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #50
“I’m a little bummed. Unfortunately, I had a little helmet issue out there, but I’m taking away the positives with the bike. That’s probably the best rain bike I’ve ever had. We had the podium in sight, and we felt comfortable. It took me a few laps to get going, but once we did, we felt comfortable. In the end, we still got some points with the top five. It’s just unfortunate that I missed out on the podium, but I’m happy with the team. I’m happy with the bike and looking forward to the next race. I’ve got some confidence heading going into a rain race now, and that’s a big positive for me.”

2024 MotoAmerica Superbike Results

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].

Yamaha Motor Finance Corporation, USA, dba Yamaha Financial Services, is an affiliate of Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA offering financing solutions to support Yamaha Dealers and loyal Yamaha Customers nationwide. 

More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor:

Suzuki Racers Show Speed In Wet And Dry At Barber Motorsports Park. 

Suzuki racers deliver podiums and powerful performances across classes in unpredictable conditions at Barber. 

Brea, CA – Fresh off an impressive all-around showing at the Daytona season opener, Suzuki Motor USA (Suzuki) race teams were well prepared to come out swinging as the 2025 MotoAmerica Superbike and Supersport title fights officially got underway at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. A mix of sunny and wet conditions resulted in high drama, complete with alternating highs and lows, but didn’t prevent Suzuki from adding to its early-season victory tally.

Race Highlights:

• Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
  • Superbike
    • Sean Dylan Kelly qualified on the front row and claimed a pair of top fives in his Team Hammer return.
    • Richie Escalante bounced back from a Saturday crash to fight his way up to sixth in the rain.
  • Supersport
    • Tyler Scott backed up his Saturday fourth with a gritty Sunday ride to salvage what points he could.
    • Max VanDenBrouck scored a top-five finish in his Team M4 ECSTAR Suzuki debut weekend.
  • Twins Cup
    • Bad Boy Racing’s victorious Avery Dreyer took full advantage of his opportunity to ride the Team Hammer built Suzuki GSX-8R.
• RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines
  • Twins Cup
    • Matthew Chapin added a podium finish to his Daytona double win.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly proved an immediate factor at the front of the MotoAmerica Superbike field in his return to Team Hammer. Having dominated the Supersport class earlier in his career with the squad, SDK proved himself a force in his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R debut, qualifying third fastest and then securing a pair of charging fourth-place finishes in both the dry and the wet.

Kelly said, “It was a pretty wild weekend with two P4s. Of course I want more, but I’ll have to be content with this for now. In the dry race, I was really happy with the pace in the first half… I just got a bad start. The bike is new to me, but I will not let that happen again. I liked the times we were doing compared to the leaders. At the end, the rear tire was used up. For the wet race, I had a hard time with traction, but I was able to hang with the top five despite a lot of moments. I think our start really bodes well for things to come.”

SDK’s former Supersport rival and current Superbike teammate, Richie Escalante, was similarly quick. After qualifying fifth fastest on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R, the Mexican born racer jostled for a podium position early in Saturday’s contest before suffering a crash while running in fourth. He made his amends in Sunday’s rainy affair, splashing his way up from an early 10th to take the checkered flag in sixth.

Escalante said, “The weekend had a lot of positives, with a couple of mistakes. And unlike last year, I am healthy leaving the track to get ready for Round 2. The pace in the dry felt really good. We had an issue, and I ended up crashing in the first race, but the bike felt the best it has to date, so that is promising for the season. In the wet, the setting was good, but I needed to build confidence through the race. By the end, I felt really good. The team did a great job for me and I am excited.”

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Supersport ace Tyler Scott was his usual fleet self in the dry, qualifying fifth and racing to fourth aboard the next-generation GSX-R750 on Saturday. He was every bit as competitive in the wet on Sunday, running third late in the race before being thrown over the bars with just two laps remaining. Despite suffering the hard fall and the resultant damage to his machine, Scott remounted and flat-tracked his way to ninth even while lacking a front fairing, dashboard, and left footpeg.

“The weekend started off a little rough for us,” Scott said. “We were trying to get the bike to turn how I wanted it to, and we kept making progress. We got a good result Saturday, and then it rained on Sunday. It was going well in the wet race, and I was in a podium spot before I lost the rear in the Museum Corner. I was able to get back on and finish ninth so we got some points.”

Scott’s new teammate, Max Van, did well to make incremental improvements aboard the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 throughout the weekend. After registering a steady ride to 11th on Saturday, any thoughts that the young pilot would be in over his head in Sunday’s extremely slick race were proven wrong, as he raced his way to a maiden Supersport top five.

Max Van said, “I’m happy to get my first-ever top five in Supersport. The weekend makes me feel like I belong in the top five, and I will push to do it again for Atlanta. This is something of a struggle track for me, but the pace in the dry was good. Then I went quick in the wet warm-up, so I was feeling confident for the race. The team was great the first time out and having fast teammates pushed me as well.”

Bad Boy Racing’s Avery Dreher swung his leg over a Team Hammer-built-and-prepared Suzuki GSX-8R Twins Cup racebike this weekend and promptly used it as a vehicle for some memorable heroics. Stuck in fifth in the early going of Saturday’s race, Dreher found his groove and slithered his way into second. Once there, he gobbled up the big gap separating him to first to score a last-lap victory. Unfortunately, Dreher’s hope of a Sunday podium ended the same way it did for so many others – with a crash in the treacherous wet conditions that eventually saw the race red-flagged and called complete.

After winning Saturday’s race, Dreher said, “I was able to put it on the front row, which is decent, even though I wasn’t happy with my times. But we figured out a couple more things with the bike and got it pretty dialed in. I honestly didn’t think I had the rear tire left at the end – I was spinning around everywhere and didn’t want to push it too hard. But I have to say a big thank you to the whole Team Hammer crew for giving me this awesome opportunity, and thanks to the whole Bad Boy Racing team for helping me get up on this top step. I’m pretty stoked with this.

It was a similar story to RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin, who opened the weekend with the Twins Cup points lead on the strength of his Daytona double. The reigning Junior Cup champ carried that advantage through Saturday with a measured ride to third aboard his Suzuki GSX-8R. However, Chapin too was a victim of Sunday’s conditions, crashing twice despite his best efforts. Despite the setback, he remains ranked second.

Of his Saturday podium, Chapin said, “It was a really good race. I didn’t have the pace to go with the guys at the front, so I knew to keep it within my abilities. I just have to give a huge thanks to the whole RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki team. I couldn’t do it without everyone behind me, and I want to keep this championship fight rolling.”

The 2025 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship resumes on May 2-4 at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia.

Please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/road-racing for more team news.

About Team Hammer: The 2025 season marks Team Hammer’s 45th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 134 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 375 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 Vance & Hines Motorsports: Vance & Hines Motorsports is a powerhouse in the world of motorcycle racing, boasting a rich legacy of success. With a focus on innovation, performance, and commitment to pushing boundaries, the team continues to redefine excellence in NHRA and MotoAmerica.

About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor USA, LLC (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, 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.

More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:

Rahal Ducati Moto: Barber Motorsports Park – Race 2. 

Rahal Ducati Moto opened the 2025 MotoAmerica Supersport season with a pair of podium finishes and a promising foundation for the year ahead. Despite heavy rain and multiple weather delays on Sunday, the team stayed focused and walked away from Barber Motorsports Park with valuable points.

PJ Jacobsen led the charge aboard his XPEL-backed Panigale V2, finishing second in both races of the weekend. Sunday’s Race 2 was contested under wet and unpredictable conditions, but Jacobsen fought hard to bring home another podium result. With two runner-up finishes, he exits the opening round just one point behind championship leader Mathew Scholtz.

Kayla Yaakov handled Sunday’s challenging conditions with maturity and precision, securing a seventh-place finish in Race 2 aboard the No. 19 XPEL Ducati. While the rain made grip and visibility unpredictable, Yaakov maintained consistent pace and brought home a solid result to round out her return to competition.

Corey Alexander’s day ended early after a high-side crash in Race 2 brought his weekend to a close with a DNF. The No. 23 Roller Die + Forming Ducati was launched into the air in the incident, but Alexander walked away without serious injury. Earlier that morning, he posted the fastest time in the rain-soaked morning warm-up, underlining the pace and potential in wet conditions.

Rounds 3 and 4 of the MotoAmerica competition will take place at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, May 2 – 4. 

Keep up with all things Rahal Ducati Moto by visiting RahalDucatiMoto.com and following our social media @rahalducatimoto.

No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2

• STARTED: 2nd
• FINISHED: 2nd
• CHAMPIONSHIP: 2nd // 40 Points  

WHAT HE’S SAYING: “The amount of water on the track during Race 2 was absolutely insane. The conditions were pretty dangerous, but we brought it home in second place. I believe I could have won the race, but I was in my head and played it safe. [Mathew] Scholtz got third, and I was expecting him to be out of the race after his crash, but he managed to get back on the bike. We still grabbed a good 20 points. I’m happy with that, and we will move on to Road Altanta and see if we can get a double-win there.”

No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2

• STARTED: 5th
• FINISHED: 7th
• CHAMPIONSHIP: 5th // 20 Pts.  

WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Today wasn’t the day I would’ve wanted. I had a really good feeling with the bike yesterday going into the dry race, but everyone knew that the conditions were going to be wet today. We didn’t get too many laps in during the warm-up today due to some mechanical issues, which put us on the back foot going into the race. In Race 2, I didn’t have much confidence from the start, but it happens in racing, and we win and lose together. Overall, it was a positive weekend. We are tied for fifth in championship points, and I kept it on two wheels, which is the most important part. Hopefully, we can dial in our wet weather setup and continue to get some good results.

No. 23 ROLLER DIE DUCATI PANIGALE V2

• STARTED: 6th
• FINISHED: DNF
• CHAMPIONSHIP: 10th // 10 Pts. 
• NOTES: Was riding as high as second before suffering an incident in Lap 7

WHAT HE’S SAYING: “I was excited to see the rain this morning, but I know how Barber [Motorsports Park] can be, especially when it rains as much as the forecast called for. Warmup was great this morning, and I felt really strong going into the race, but as it progressed, it got to a point where we shouldn’t have been out on track. It was treacherous for everyone, and the amount of water on the track caught us out. I believe we had the bike and the pace to win that race, if not fight for the win. We’re onto Atlanta now, and I’m excited to get back to a place we have had good results in the past. Thank you to the whole team. I’m looking forward to a great rest of the season.”

TEAM PRINCIPAL

WHAT HE’S SAYING: “All in all, it wasn’t a bad way to start the season. We would’ve liked a little bit more to get a win today, but with the conditions the way they were, everyone was in survival mode. Unfortunately, Corey had a pretty big crash, but he was riding well. PJ was riding great too, and he was smart with regards to the championship. Kayla did a great job. She didn’t have a ton of confidence going into the race, but the conditions were very difficult. Now, we are going to head to Atlanta and go for the wins.”

More, from a press release issued by Karns Performance:

Karns Performance Twins Cup Team Shines at Barber Motorsports Park

Supersport – Season Opener Highlights Growth and Consistency

With minimal testing and new parts arriving for the all-new Yamaha R9 just days before the race, the first MotoAmerica Supersport round was a steep learning curve. In his debut aboard the R9, Jake Lewis delivered two strong finishes in a field stacked with factory and independent talent. Lewis took 8th in Race 1 on Saturday and 6th in the rain-soaked Race 2 — a promising start as the team continues to develop the platform.

Jake Lewis:
“Not a bad weekend for our debut with the R9. We had no testing with the new parts and pieces, so this first race weekend was a big test for us. I’m bummed about the rain race — my shield fogged up, costing us a better result. Looking forward to Atlanta and the rest of the season!”

Jaret Nassaney, also riding an R9, faced a difficult Saturday, finishing 16th in Race 1, but showed resilience on Sunday, pushing through the wet to grab 10th in Race 2.

Jaret Nassaney:
“A little bit of growing pains this weekend just trying to find a setting on the bike I was comfortable with! We continue to move in the right direction, so Atlanta will be better.”

Owen Williams, riding a Suzuki GSX-R750, delivered consistent performances, bringing home 14th in Race 1 and improving to 11th in the wet on Sunday.

Owen Williams:
“Barber was a perfect start to the 2025 Supersport season, and I want to thank everyone on the team for helping navigate the storm on Sunday. Can’t wait to bring home more points for Altus at Road Atlanta!”

Torin Collins, also on a Suzuki, impressed with a 12th-place finish in Race 1, but was one of many caught out in the slick conditions during Race 2, resulting in a crash and DNF.

Torin Collins:
“Yeah, it was great to be back with the Altus crew again — some new faces and some old ones as well. The team worked really well all weekend, and we were able to find a good direction with the setup that we’ll continue working towards.”

Twins Cup – Promise and Tough Breaks for Dahmer in Round 2

After a solid showing in Daytona, Seth Dahmer entered Round 2 at Barber looking to build on his early-season momentum. Qualifying 8th aboard his Suzuki GSX-8R, Dahmer was running inside the top 10 in both races — as high as 5th on Saturday in the dry — before crashes derailed his efforts.

Despite a fall in Race 1 and another crash during a rain-soaked Race 2, Dahmer was awarded 11th place after the results were rolled back to the last completed lap due to a red flag.

Seth Dahmer:
“It was a tough weekend with crashes in both races, but I’m staying focused on learning and pushing forward. Every time I go out, we’re getting a little closer to the front and closing the gap to the top guys in the class.”

Onward to Road Atlanta

Barber offered both lessons and bright spots for Altus Motorsports. With development ongoing and a solid data set now in hand, the team is eager to keep progressing.

“This weekend showed the grit of our team,” said George Nassaney, Team Owner. “We’ve got a strong foundation and are looking forward to unlocking more potential in the rounds ahead.”