Wyman fights through injury to claim top tens for Cycle Gear/KWR team, Prince fights to 7th at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca
MONTEREY, Calif. — The Cycle Gear-sponsored KWR team found top ten results again this weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the fifth round of the MotoAmerica Championship. Kyle Wyman earned 9th/7th place finishes in Superbike while Bryce Prince earned a 7th spot in his sole Supersport race of the weekend.
For Wyman, the weekend was hindered in part by a lingering injury from a motocross accident the weekend before, where he sustained two broken ribs. The Superbiker fought through to match his best qualifying result of the season, 7th, on Saturday morning before race one.
“Our approach for this weekend was to keep things simple with the bike,” Wyman said. “Road America was a struggle, so we put together a much better plan for Laguna and things were working well for us. I had a great qualifying lap that put us in 7th.”
“As for the ribs, I was just trying not to think about it since there’s nothing you can do for them. On any given day all of us riders on the grid are having to grit our teeth and ride through something, some sort of physical setback. It’s just part of our sport. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.”
Wyman got a great start in the first race and found himself in 4th place into turn one, but was quickly swallowed up after struggling with rear grip on his Cycle Gear/KWR Yamaha. He dropped to 9th place and rode a lonely 23 laps in for the checkers.
“It was probably the worst I felt all year,” Wyman added. “Ever since the new tire was introduced at Road America, a lot of the teams have been struggling, and we’ve seen a lot of guys crashing because of it. I haven’t crashed, personally, and I’d like to keep it that way. I’m not willing to stick my neck out there and throw it down the road when the bike isn’t right. Maybe this can hurt me in some cases but I’d rather finish, collect some data and give ourselves the best chance to improve for the future. I was physically smoked trying to ride the bike as it was sliding around so much.”
After his 9th place finish, the KWR team made adjustments to the geometry and his K-Tech Suspension for the morning warm-up. Wyman clicked off his quickest race-tire time that morning, and did it with ease.
In race two Wyman had another good start – up to 5th spot on the first lap. He was shuffled back to 9th, but was able to fight forward to climb back up to 7th. A positive result in race two for the KWR team proves they are back on the right path.
“It just feels good to have made a step forward with the bike,” Wyman said. “In race two it was so much easier to ride, so I know the direction we went with the bike was the correct one. It’s crazy though, the things that are working with this new tire size are a lot different than what we’ve used in the past. I think now that we have a direction in the bike setup that we know works, we can go another step in that way and be back fighting for the podium at Utah.”
Next up on Wyman’s calendar is something a bit different from racing motorcycles. Kyle Wyman will marry his fiancée and beIN Sports Pit Reporter Hannah Lopa on July 7th, 2018 before the sixth round of the MotoAmerica championship.
“Next up for me is to go get hitched,” Wyman said. “I’m super excited to get married, we have this month break in between rounds and we couldn’t have picked a better time. I’ll be back at Utah as a married man and look forward to what’s in store for my future on and off the track.”
The next round of the MotoAmerica championship is at Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah July 20-22, 2018. Stay tuned on the @kylewyman and @kwr_sbk Instagram pages to check in on the team’s progress.
The KWR team would like to extend its gratitude to Cycle Gear, for title sponsoring the team for the Laguna Seca round. Click Here for Kyle’s Video Interview with Cycle Gear!
More, from a press release issued by Finn Motorsports:
Finn Rebounds from Challenging Weekend at Circuito de Navarra
Los Arcos, Navarra, Spain- Canadian Jonathan Finn’s PreMoto3 weekend at Circuito de Navarra tested his fortitude to find the confidence that he needed in his bike. A tenth-place finish was his reward for overcoming a variety of set backs this past weekend.
Finn picked up right where the previous weekend’s testing finished during Thursday’s Free Practice Sessions with laps times improving each time he took to the 3.9 km long Circuit de Navarra. Something changed during Friday’s Free Practice Sessions and Finn struggled to maintain the pace he established during the previous day’s sessions. He was able to improve slightly by the final session and set a personal best time which was the sole silver lining for an otherwise tough day.
“For whatever reason I just didn’t have any confidence in the bike.” said the?14-year-old Canadian RFME PreMoto3 Championship rider. “I pushed hard to improve but I wasn’t getting the results. My lap times were not coming down and It was affecting me mentally. Its these types of days that I need to get through to improve and to develop as rider both mentally and physically.”
Saturday’s first of the two qualifying sessions started with a mechanical issue that ate into precious track time. He was able to improve during second qualifying session and set another Personal Best time, but it would place him outside the top-tan forcing him to start 12th on the grid.
“Fourth row is not where I want to be starting, but I was really able to loosen up more on the bike and find a good rhythm in the morning warm up.” said Finn
Finn still struggled with the overall pace throughout the race but fought hard for positions just inside the top-ten. He was able to rebound from a challenging weekend with tight battle right to the line earning him a 10th place finish, just shy of ninth place by 4/10th of a second.
“I knew that I didn’t want to get caught up in any incidents going into the first turn, so I needed to get a good launch off the line and push forward as much as I could.” said Finn “I must look and the positives, personally, I struggled for whatever reason but we made gradual progress throughout the weekend and I learned more about myself as a rider.”
Finn will be residing in Valencia Spain to concentrate on his training and to prepare for the remainder of the season.
The RFME Campeonato de España Cetelem de Velocidad Championship travels to Motorland Aragon Circuito July 12-15. Motorland Aragon Circuit is located 250km west of Barcelona.
Finn is thankful for the support from Canadian Tire – Cobourg, Arai Helmet Americas, Bickle Racing, Human 2.0, Impact Safe-T Armor, Marsquest, BigB Racing, VNM Sport, Moto World, RST-Moto, Infinet Motorsports and Vroom Media Ltd.
Follow Jonathan’s journey at jonathan-finn.com, on Facebook (Jonathan Finn Motorsports), Twitter, Instagram (@finnmotorsports) as well as Finn Motorsports on YouTube. For more information about Jonathan Finn or if you would like to become involved as a sponsor please contact [email protected]
More, from a press release issued by Damian Jigalov’s publicist:
Damian Jigalov takes a top ten finish in CIV at Imola
CIV Round 5 and 6 took place this past weekend on June 23-24 at Imola World Circuit ,with Young American, 13 year old Damian Jigalov piloting a PreMoto3 RMU MOTO 250GP VR46 Riders Academy Motorcycle.
Coming into the weekend, Jigalov had expected a tough round, having been unable to attend testing at the circuit due to scheduling. With a lack of track time at Imola along with the cancellation of Thursday’s customary practice day, Damian had a lot of work ahead of him.
Friday began with a 25 minute warmup session and then went straight into Qualifying.
Qualifying was done under ideal conditions, with sunny skies and warm temperatures – allowing the thirty riders competing in PreMoto3 to set a very fast pace, and saw Jigalov qualifying in P15. Not satisfied with that, Jigalov felt he could push harder and improve further in the race, as he was still finding the limits.
On Saturday in Race 1 Jigalov improved lap times and speed with every lap. He tried pushing the limits and out braked himself in a battle with other riders, causing him to run off track in the early laps. Avoiding a crash and far down the field, Damian got his head down and started making up positions, battling his way to P13 at the checkered flag.
During Sunday’s Race 2, Jigalov’s confidence with the bike setup grew. The RMU MOTO mechanics and entire team worked to ensure he could have a good package and push harder. Starting from P15 he dropped the hammer as the lights went out and found himself in the middle of a large group tight together going into turn 1. At the final chicane a rider came under Jigalov and made contact, forcing him to stand the bike up and allowing several riders past.
Jigalov was unfazed and kept pushing, determined to regain important Championship points, and was able to chase down the pack in front of him, lowering his best lap times of the weekend once again on the last lap of the race. The battle continued to the last corner with Jigalov making a calculated pass in the final chicane with a P9 at the finish line.
Damian leaves the weekend feeling strong and confident, knowing that he has the pace to battle with his European rivals for the remainder of the season. The next CIV round will be held at Misano on July 28-29.
Jigalov expects to compete in USA with MotoAmerica in the 300 Supersport series, beginning in July at the Utah Round. Damian will turn 14 years of age just before the Utah race, meeting the minimum age requirements.
Damian Jigalov:
“Thank you to my RMU MOTO VR46 Riders Academy team and the mechanics. Thank you to the title sponsors, Arch Motorcycle Company along with co-sponsors, Biothermal LLC, Barton Construction, WERA and Dainese, and AGV. I look forward to return to Misano at the end of July for the next round. I am also very excited and really looking forward to competing in MotoAmerica in July. Thank you to my manager, Rhys Edwards, my parents and everyone’s support! Thank you to WERA for giving a very strong race series that has gotten me ready to compete at this high level with the Europeans!”
More, from a press release issued by Quarterley Racing/On Track Development:
Quarterley Racing/On Track Development Team leaves Laguna in fine form
Sharing the weekend at the Iconic Laguna Seca circuit with the World Superbike series is something our two young riders will likely remember forever. Some encouraging words to them from the factory Kawasaki team went a long way. The limited schedule for MA Junior Cup track time meant getting up to speed quickly, especially for Dallas Daniels being his first time there as with most all tracks he is racing on this year. An impressive run to 6th in qualifying with a 1:40.908 lap set him up for a good chance to run with the lead pack. He managed to keep a strong pace all race long, and although many riders suffered crashes on the challenging circuit, Dallas kept his cool and rode consistently, bringing it home in third place with his first ever Moto America Podium. With a full Summer of racing on pavement and dirt, and just turning 15 days ago, Dallas is working hard to maintain a successful season including winning the coveted Nicky Hayden AMA Horizon Award for Flat Track at Springfield last month along with three AMA National #1 Plates. He was back in Peru, IN for a Flat Track race on Tuesday and took a 1st, 2nd and 5th and headed to NY and MD from there for more.
Dallas had this to say:
A podium finish was just awesome. Having it at Laguna Seca during World Superbike made it very special. It is definitely a cool track and racing with so much heritage there was really something. I knew I had the pace to do well in the race even with limited track time, so I just put my head down and rode smart, knowing riders were finding the limits of traction and braking the hard way throughout the race. Working with the team has been great in my first pro season, and I look forward to continued development as a rider.
Quarterley Racing’s Jamie Astudillo, 17 had a memorable weekend as well, qualifying 5th with a 1:40.846 to start beside her teammate. A great start propelled her to third place and a great pace for the start of the race and trouble struck as she hit the deck after losing the front and slid face first into the gravel trap. Quick reaction and determination had her up to pick up the bike and rejoin the race, staying on the lead lap. A red flag turned out to salvage her race from the back of the grid for the re-start to a 4th place finish. Jamie was stoked to be able to walk away with that and advancing to 6th overall in the points chase. She has a busy season in the works as well with mixing her motocross training and racing in with road racing. She recently finished 3rd overall in Women’s division at High Point Raceway in PA the day before sharing a four hour LW endurance race with her teammate Dallas Daniels.
Jamie’s thoughts on the race:
Laguna Seca was one drama filled raced. I got off the line pretty well going into turn 1 in third coming from 6th on the grid. I held my own for a lap and a half until I went down in turn 5. Lucky the bike and I were able to get back up and keep racing. Luckily for me the red flag was thrown because of another incident with bikes in the track after a few laps. Once we got back on the grid I was 24th which was the last row. The red lights went out and I knew I had to ride the wheels off that bike to get a good result. At the end of those 5 laps I had made my way around 20 riders to finish 4th and was catching a podium position.
From Team owner Bob Robbins:
As a team, we are seeing progress with each round. Our riders are listening to the coaching advice by Dale Quarterley and they are giving us the feedback we need to continue to move them forward. It is showing in their performance each time they ride but we are not done yet. Dallas and Jamie are very driven and focused. Their professionalism on and off the track is impressive to say the least, especially at their young age. The Quarterley crew of Ron Barrick, Paul Arciszewski and Mark Reynolds are second to none when it comes to bike prep and repairs. Some encouragement and advice to the team and riders from Eraldo Ferracci also means a lot, as he knows a thing or two about winning ways. The 2018 Kawasaki Ninja EX400 is an amazingly well engineered low cost entry level bike. In street form it looks the part of a true Sportbike, and has the handling and function suited for the race track to back it up. Our riders are making the best of it. We look forward to the next round in a few weeks.
Team Sponsors:
Fast By Ferracci, Yoshimura, Regina, Moto-D, Motul, Earl’s Racing Team, Inter-Tech, Scott Powersports,
Beta Tools, Defiance Lifestyle Clothing, Fast Bike Industries, Drippin’ Wet Graphics, Dynojet , Woodcraft
Dallas Daniels personal sponsors:
Arai Helmets, medAge, Apex Manufacturing, TCX, Drill Tech, N2 Track Days
Jamie Astudillo personal sponsors:
Bell Helmets, medAge, One-X Suits, TCX, S.O.B. MX, Ohlins, N2 Track Days
More, from a press release issued by Genuine Broaster Chicken Honda:
MotoAmericaRound 5 – Road America
Double the fun in the California Sun
Monterey, CA – It’s almost impossible to fully describe the atmosphere at the combined WorldSBK and MotoAmerica weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. There is a feeling that you have to experience first-hand in order to truly understand it. No matter what the name of the circuit is, the history of Laguna Seca is undeniable and with the famed “Corkscrew” dominating all other named turns anywhere in the world, witness one race in person and you’ll get it, you’ll feel it and you’ll retell the story for a lifetime. So, with that in mind, there’s possibly no better location to use as the backdrop for the mid-way point of the season.
Prior to the team’s arrival, it was announced that there would be a second rider for the three “West Coast” rounds. Jayson Uribe of Napa Valley, CA joins the team to test the superbike waters after racing overseas on 125, Moto2 and Supersport platforms. For the first time since making the switch to superbikes, there would be two riders under the Genuine Broaster Chicken / Honda canopy. The excitement of adding a second rider was building off of two solid races for full time rider, Cameron Petersen. With two riders the team could double the data which helps tremendously in development. Add to this the fact that the team would also be able to have personal attention from the Honda Europe Electronics Technician as a result of the partnership forged between Honda Racing families. All these pieces were falling into place to help create a confluence of optimism.
As the sun rose on Friday morning, there wasn’t the normal hustle as the team wouldn’t take to the track until after lunch. Much like during the combined weekends with MotoGP, the times are adjusted to accommodate the schedule requirements of the visiting series. This little bit of a reprieve, provided crew chief Scott Jensen with some needed time to wrap his head around the information being fired at him from the Honda Europe technicians. By the time the bikes were wheeled to the track for Qualifying Practice (QP) 1, a lot of wizardry had been conducted and everyone was excited to see the results on Cam’s bike. It didn’t take long to notice the difference. Almost immediately, Cameron was feeling good and during pit stops was impressed with how well the bike was working for him. The time sheets don’t lie and Cam was looking fast. Jayson was focusing on getting acquainted with the fully prepped Honda CBR1000RR SP2. It’s considerably different than his personal bike that he’d been running in AFM and he was all smiles at his first few laps. When the first session was called, Cam had managed tenth fastest and Jayson impressed on his way to 14th.
A few short hours later, it was time for QP2. This would be the most important session with respect to setting the Superpole entrants. With a few more tweaks to the electronics, Cam and the Camp45 Crew liked their odds at getting a solid placement in Superpole, while Jayson and his crew knew it would be an uphill climb but still possible with just a few tenths. 40 mins is all they would get in order to steak their claim for advancement. Cameron was immediately fast and on the pace with leading riders. Things seemed to be going so well, there was a noticeable change in his body language on the bike. The melding of rider to machine was happening and it was fascinating to witness. On the 36 Machine (Uribe) a similar change was happening. Jayson was quickly adapting to the bike and his lap times were continuing to improve. The sun was getting low and a golden light began to envelop the track as the checkered flag flew on the session Jayson improved his time, but not his overall position, and would just miss out on Superpole. Cameron on the other hand was in full race effect and nailed his highest ever position ahead of Superpole with an eighth place. Looking at the times, the gap to third place was around a second. It would be a fast and furious Superpole.
Saturday and it’s another beautiful and warm day on the dry lake bed. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of race day, but it’s important to not overlook the morning practice session and Superpole. Typically, morning free practice sessions don’t see any improvement over the previous QP2 as track temps are cooler. However, this is the craziness that is Laguna and on this morning, during free practice, both Cameron and Jayson turned out faster lap times than they had on Friday. While the times don’t count for Superpole, they are a healthy indicator. Sadly, Jayson’s bike was beginning to show the early signs of something being amiss with the electrons, the gremlins seemed to be poking around. Fortunately for his crew, they would have more time to work on the motorcycle while Cam had a short turnaround before the craziest 15 minutes of the weekend.
Cameron was excited for Superpole. His speed in the morning session boosted his confidence ahead of the short but intense session. First few laps out were to get accustomed to how the bike feels with the super sticky Dunlop “Q”, then a quick stop for any adjustments and a new rear tire before hanging it all on the line. Cam let it all hang out and was rewarded with his highest ever qualifying position, 9th! Again, position isn’t as much of an indicator as times and this time third through ninth were all within a second of each other. The grid is set with Cam starting from P9 and Jayson in P14 for race one later in the afternoon.
Here’s where the story of the weekend makes a turn and for one of the riders, it’s a turn down the wrong road. As the crowd was still in attendance, the MotoAmerica riders took to the track and their positions on the starting grid. Cameron was his usual focused self while Jayson was smiling and masking the potential issue his crew was frantically trying to address on the grid. While on the warm-up lap, Jayson’s machine was sputtering and left him behind as the lights went out. Barely able to make it back to the pits before the start, Jayson’s debut superbike race would have to wait till race two on Sunday.
Cameron on the other hand, got a decent start and was battling with the lead group as they cleared turn two and wound their way towards the infamous “Corkscrew”. Laguna is a tight and twisty circuit with very little room to make mistakes. So as the race was in its early stages, there was an entertaining amount of rider interaction going on behind the leaders. Cam was in a good battle behind Kyle Wyman and Jake Lewis. As the laps wore on, Cameron made the pass on Kyle and just put the hammer down to catch Jake. Within a matter of a few laps, Cam was looking to pass Jake and it didn’t take long. Cam made the move around Jake to take over 7th place and never looked back. He was chasing down Danny Eslick in 6th but the gap was too much to make up before the checkered flag flew. A season best 7th was Cameron’s reward for riding an incredible race.
Fortunes would be a little different on Sunday. Jayson’s crew worked to resolve the problems of race one and were fully prepared for race two. The Camp45 crew were confident that they could do better than 7th and were chomping at the bit to go racing. Everyone would get their chance in the early afternoon. This time, as the riders set out on their sighting lap, Jayson’s bike was working flawlessly as was Cam’s. The lights went out and both riders got off to a good start. The mad scramble into turn two bumped them both down the order a bit but still within the main pack. By about the fourth or fifth lap an issue popped up on Cam’s dash and in diagnosing the problem he became engaged in a back and fourth battle with his new teammate Jayson. In the span of about four laps, the pair exchanged the tenth position before Cameron was able to gain proper control and settle down. Jayson was hot on his rear tire through the mid-point of the race but would eventually lose touch and settle in for an impressive debut finish in 11th place. Cam would achieve another solid points scoring position in tenth.
The races matched the energetic atmosphere! Jayson impressed in his debut and is eager to get to Utah and continue his development. Cam scores a season best result and seems to be firing on all cylinders heading to the desert of Utah. Hopefully this can be the season that the team puts to rest the ghosts of previous seasons and emerge from Utah with even better results for both riders.
Cameron Petersen – #45
“Great weekend at Laguna!
I felt good on the bike from the first lap! The team worked really hard in between rounds and it really showed. Had my best result in race one and it felt great to be out there and know I can push to the limits.
Unfortunately, I had some technical problems in race two but all the highs from this weekend outweighs the low and looking forward to the rest of the season.
Hats off to the team for all their hard work.”
Jayson Uribe – #36
“I had a great opening weekend with my Genuine Broaster Chicken/Honda/RoadRace Factory crew! I have been working towards an opportunity like this for a long time, and I’m so glad that Danny and his team members have agreed to let me be a part of their program.
The first two outings on the Honda CBR1000RR SP2 were very interesting. I had to re-evaluate my riding techniques, and learn the do’s and don’ts of the bike. We wound up in 14th overall at the end of Friday’s qualifying sessions.
Saturday brought a small problem with the camshaft position sensor that ended up sidelining us for half of FP3 and race one. My team worked hard to fix the problem for Sunday, and we were confident that the bike and myself were capable of much more than 14th.
Sunday’s warm up was damp, and quite risky to try to push in. My main goal was to get a feeling for the new parts that we put on the bike, and make some final changes for the race.
I was very happy to line up on a proper Superbike grid for the first time! Riding with some of my hero’s is truly an honor.We went from 14th to about 9th going into turn two on the start, and I tried to hold onto the top 10 for as long as I could. I ended up having a great battle with my teammate, Cam Peterson, and coming home in 11th.
I’m happy with our results from the weekend. We were thrown into the fire with no testing, no Superbike experience, and a few technical issues, but my team pulled through and we finished strong. Thanks to everyone involved in my program!! I’m looking forward to Utah.”
Danny Walker – Team Principal
“Actually I’m super happy from the weekend! It wasn’t without its issues, but overall it was positive.
Cam is getting really comfortable on the bike and it’s showing. I’m seeing those glimpses of confidence that he puts on display during Supercamps and testing. So, I’m looking forward to his progression. Scotty is cramming even more electronic info into his brain and we are finally seeing some of the fruits of his labor.
Jayson did a great job for his first time on the bike and his first outing on a full superbike. He did everything we asked and has a solid head on his shoulders. He’s a positive influence and he quickly adapted to our program. I only see him going forward from here.”
Scott Jensen – Crew Chief
“Laguna Seca is always one of the craziest events on the schedule for the team. The event being held in conjunction with WSBK makes the daily schedule very challenging for the crew. However, it is a very fun event as we get to see many of our friends that are involved with some of the teams in WSBK. As we are the only team in the USA running Honda superbikes, I try to spend as much time as possible sharing information back and forth with the two WSBK teams that are running the Honda CBR1000RR SP2, Ten Kate Honda and Triple M Honda. This information can prove to be invaluable at times.
We came into Laguna feeling like we’re starting to get our feet back under our program after a bit of a rough start to the season. And from the first session on track this proved to be true. Cameron was confident in the bike from the beginning of the weekend and we only managed to get better as the weekend progressed. This brought us a strong 7th place finish in race one and a confidence inspiring 10th in race two after a glitch in the traction control system of the bike. Now we look forward to getting back on the track in the coming event at Utah and continue our steady progression.
This event also was our first event fielding two Honda CBR1000RR SP2 Superbikes with Jayson Uribe joining the team. Unfortunately, due to the schedule of the race season, this was Jayson’s first time even sitting on the bike as we were not able to do any testing with him prior. That being said, Jayson showed he has the ability to ride a superbike well and I am confident he will only continue to get faster.
I would also like to give a big thank you to Vicente Pechuan Vilar, the electronics coordinator from HME (Honda Motor Europe), a big “Thank You” for the continued assistance as we are improving our electronics package every race weekend.”
More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:
Pirelli Sweeps Heavyweight Class Podium at the 96th Running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
Chris Fillmore Smashes Middleweight Record by More Than 30 Seconds
ROME, Ga. (June 27, 2018) – The highly anticipated 96th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) got underway early Sunday morning and ended with Pirelli tires earning a clean sweep of the Heavyweight Class. Carlin Dunne (Ducati) made a statement in his return to the mountain by taking top honors with a time of 9:59.102. Dunne was followed closely by Rennie Scaysbrook (KTM) and his Ducati teammate Codie Vahsholtz (Ducati). Following his record-setting Heavyweight win in 2017, Chris Fillmore (KTM) switched his focus to the Middleweight class where he used his Pirelli tires to take the title, bettering the previous class record by more than 30 seconds (10:04.038). Both Dunne and Fillmore ran the iconic Pirelli DIABLO™ SUPERBIKE (SC1 front, SC0 rear) tires to victory.
Weather and road conditions on the mountain can change almost as fast as the racers climbing it and today was no different. Inclement weather moved into the area as the latter morning sessions got underway, presenting adverse conditions for the Heavy and Middleweight contenders. But the weather as no match for the Pirelli-clad racers as Dunne and Vahsholtz (10:12.703) put an exclamation point on Ducati’s return to the “Race to the Clouds” with podium finishes for the Ducati MTS-1260 Pikes Peak bike. Dunne is undefeated on the mountain, claiming his fourth overall motorcycle win in as many tries.
“I felt good off the start and we had a really good cadence going at the bottom of the mountain,” said Dunne. “Once we got into the second half of the race the road started to get really slick so I decided to back it down a little bit knowing the conditions might prohibit a record-breaking day. I was really happy with how my Pirelli tires performed today. Even with the tricky conditions they were still giving me a lot of good grip and feedback all the way to the top of the mountain.”
Following closely behind Dunne, Scaysbrook rode his KTM 1290 Super Duke R to a second consecutive runner-up finish with a time of 9:59.794.
Proving he has a penchant for record-breaking performances, Fillmore rode his KTM 790 Duke with to a dominating Middleweight win, finishing nearly 32 seconds ahead of second place and bettering Vahsholtz’s 2017 Middleweight record (10:34.967) by almost 31 seconds.
“We were a little unsure of how the conditions on the mountain were going to be as the weather rolled in but we couldn’t be happier with how the racers and Pirelli tires performed today,” said Oscar Solis, road racing manager, Pirelli. “The conditions this morning were quite a bit different than in testing and practice but the Pirelli tires were more than up for the challenge as evidenced with the podium sweep and new Middleweight record.”
To learn more about the complete line of Pirelli motorcycle tires, please visit www.pirelli.com.
More, from a press release issued by K Tech Suspension:
Double Crown for K-tech Suspension and University Electric Bike Partnership At Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
The pioneering partnership between University of Nottingham (UoN) and K-tech Suspension has reached new heights after the UoN electric superbike team took a double win at this year’s world famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Veteran road rider Jeremiah Johnson and the UoN team piloted the impressive electric bike to victory in its class at the legendary race with a time of 11m13s, being crowned Champion of the Peaks in both the Best In Division for Pikes Peak Challenge and also Best in Class for Electric Motorcycles.
This latest racing and electric motorcycle development success follows a three year dedicated research and improvement programme during which time K-tech Suspension has worked in close partnership with the University team to design, develop and manufacture state-of-the-art front and rear suspension and technological advancements specifically for this application – which has its own unique characteristics including a significantly heavier weight in comparison to a standard production sportsbike.
Having achieved third and the second placed podium results coupled with acclaimed lap times and speeds in the last three years since the start of the project, the University team has now secured its first top step of the podium.
The motorcycle, which features K-tech front and rear race suspension, was shipped directly to Colorado Springs from the Isle of Man TT just a few weeks ago, where the team also enjoyed a superb result of second in the TT Zero race with rider Daley Mathison.
Both the Isle of Man TT and the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb have become proving grounds for new electric automotive technology, with the Colorado-based race featuring challenging ascending altitudes, 12.42 miles of twists and turns with 156 corners.
Dr Miquel Gimeno-Fabra, University of Nottingham’s Assistant Professor in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering said: “It is a fantastic achievement for Jeremiah and the team to take the win, both in the Best in Division for the Pikes Peak Challenge and for the Best in Class for Electric Bike. These were our aims for this race and we’ve succeeded, which is a great feeling for everyone but also a significant milestone for our electric motorcycle development and project. It has been three years of constant improvement and development and to achieve this level of performance from the bike is outstanding. We were the only team to complete from the UK so are immensely proud to be representing our country and to demonstrate the best of British engineering. Our partnership with Wurth Elektronik, Borg Warner and K-tech Suspension has been a fundamental part of our success both during our workshop R&D programme and also on the track. Our aim now is to come back in 2019 and break the overall motorbike lap record, which we believe is achievable. We would like to thank once more the constant support from everyone at the University, especially the technicians in the mechanical and electrical engineering workshops, and the finance and insurance team. The bike and team doing well at the race track is only the tip of the Iceberg, and having people back home who go the extra mile to help us perform at the race track is priceless.”
K-tech Suspension Technical Director, Ken Summerton, commented, “We’re thrilled that the UoN electric bike has won not only the Best in Class but also Best in Division at Pikes Peak. Our partnership with the University of Nottingham electric bike project and their highly knowledgable and dedicated team has been a fantastic opportunity for us to progress, showcase and demonstrate our research into electric motorcycle suspension technology and we are delighted with the results. We are looking forward to continuing this development and direction with the University of Nottingham both on and off the track, motorcycle manufacturers and further partners as EV technology, and therefore the development of other core parts including suspension, become increasingly mass market over the next decade.”
Following this great Pikes Peak achievement, the UoN electric superbike team and K-tech Suspension are now preparing to take part in two further race events this year. The next is a short circuit race at the Moto-E 2018 European Championship at Pembrey on 7/8 July, followed swiftly by Moto Time Attack at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire on 14/15 July, where the team aims to make history as the first electric motorcycle to competitively race against combustion engine motorcycles.
For further information about K-tech Suspension’s motorcycle R&D activities and facilities, racing support programmes and worldwide acclaimed products, visit www.ktechsuspension.com.