Brookes Brings Team Yamaha MGM Back On IDM Podium in Assen
Josh Brookes scored a podium finish at TT Circuit Assen during a strong debut in the Superbike*IDM championship last weekend as a replacement rider for Team Yamaha MGM.
With Kev Coghlan unfit to race after a crash at the previous round at Schleizer Dreieck, Team Yamaha MGM went into the seventh round of the International German Championship with Josh Brookes as a solo rider. The Australian leads the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship after riding his YZF-R1 to four consecutive race wins. Last weekend he went on to show the YZF-R1M’s high potential in the IDM challenge, bringing home a trophy after scoring a third and fourth place.
Brookes started the first qualifying on Saturday morning with an extremely fast pace, setting a 1’37.153 lap. He improved this time by 0.659 of a second during the second session and went into Superpole as the fastest rider of the field. The Australian used the ten-minute session as an opportunity to showcase the incredible pace of the YZF-R1M. As Brookes didn’t get a good feeling from the qualifying tyre, he decided to go set his hot lap on a race tyre instead and dropped a time of 1’36.175 for second place on the grid, just 0.043s from pole.
Brookes kept the momentum going on Sunday. Slotting into fourth position at the start for the first 15-lap race, he quickly found his rhythm and fought his way towards the front. He passed Xavi Fores midway through the race in a fight for the remaining podium spot and successfully defended the position as he crossed the line in third place, 1.358s from first.
The second race saw more of the same, Brookes again worked his way up from fourth to third, but this time he was unable to hold the position due to a minor issue with the rear wheel. He continued to fight bravely and took the chequered flag in fourth place, 1.887s from the front.
The eighth and final round will be held at Hockenheimring on September 25-27.
Josh Brookes
Race 1 – 3, Race 2 – 4
“In the first race I made a small mistake with the lights, because I went so fast, but over the race distance that wasn’t such an important amount of time. I didn’t find the grip and the lap times I had in qualifying. The grip level was not the same and the tyre was spinning a lot, so I couldn’t improve on the third position. I kept pushing until the end and was hoping maybe the front two would be losing some speed at the end of the race, but it was not enough for me to catch them. In the second race I got a bad start. The tyres felt better than during race one so I was able to ride faster. At some point early in the race the rear tyre spun on the rim and a vibration started. I was able to keep pushing for a while but then I couldn’t continue to keep up those lap times so I started to drop back and I couldn’t do anything more.”
Michael Galinski – Team Yamaha MGM Team Manager
“During the first race we had a small problem with the grip of the rear. Though we didn’t change anything at the suspension from the last practice, we didn’t have the grip we had back then, but it was ok and we got a really solid result. We were happy to be back on the podium and this was a really good thing. In the second race the rear tyre spun a bit on the rim. We don’t know why at the moment and need to look at this again, but this result was ok again. Josh did two great races and we were able to end the weekend without any crashes. We’re now looking forward to the future and Hockenheim, where our permanent riders should be back and we hopefully make it onto the podium again.”
More, from a press release issued by Bimota Racing:
BIMOTA RACING MAKES PROGRESS AT ULSTER GRAND PRIX
Bimota returned to the Ulster Grand Prix last week with their further refined BB3 superbike to the challenging 7.4-mile Dundrod Circuit. The team made the switch to Maxton suspension in an effort to improve the BB3’s handling on the roads. The switch turned out to be the right decision rider Ben Wylie went on to post his best ever lap times at 125mph+ and secure two top 20 finishes and a top 15 finish. Wylie’s teammate, Brandon Cretu, traveled to the event to support the team but unfortunately could not compete in the event due to lingering injuries from a training accident in June after the TT. The team called up Dave Hewson to act as replacement rider for Cretu. Hewson made the team proud with some top 30 finishes and some further development ideas.
Ben Wylie, Team Manager/Rider commented:
“Whilst I’ve not come away from the Ulster with a handful of top 10 results as I planned I still feel happy with where the bike is now, setup wise. I was able to ride it how I wanted and went faster than I have before. I only wish I’d had that bike at this years TT but feel really good now for Macau and next season!”
Brandon Cretu, Team Rider, commented:
“Obviously I was gutted to not be able to compete in the Ulster GP this year due still recovering from my training injury back in June. My replacement rider, Dave Hewson, did a great job representing Bimota in the meantime. I am just looking forward at getting back to full fitness now for Macau in November!”
Constantine Blias, Team Principal, commented:
“I think we had a really good Ulster GP this year. The better weather allowed for more time on the road and we have definitely found a way forward with the suspension. I’d like the thank the team and everyone at the factory for all their hard work as well as the organizers for putting on a great event.”
The teams next race will the Classic TT on the Isle of Man in two weeks time. Stay tuned for news on the classic Bimota that Ben Wylie will race at the prestigious classic bike event!
Please visit the team website, www.bimota.uk.com, for more information on Bimota and the team or their Facebook page Amore Moto. Fans can also follow the team on Twitter @bimotaracing and both riders Ben Wylie @wyliewizzard and Brandon Cretu @brandoncretu for the most current updates.
More, from a press release issued by Tuned Racing:
All Three Tuned Racing Riders, Alexander, Prince, and Aguilar, Race Together In Supersport At Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Based on their success in the MotoAmerica Superstock 600 class, Bryce Prince and Jason Aguilar were among a handful of riders who were invited to move up to the Supersport Class for the MotoGP/MotoAmerica races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The two riders joined their teammate, Corey Alexander, to race together for the first time.
MotoAmerica’s Supersport class is perhaps its most competitive class. Competitors included a former AMA Superbike Champion, a former AMA Superbike podium regular, several former AMA Champions, six Red Bull Rookies Cup participants including 2 Bull Rookies Cup Champions, some 10-season AMA veteran racers, and riders who came to MotoAmerica with national championships from their home countries. This field was deep with talent!
The race presented challenges for the team, as the invitations were received a couple of weeks before the race. The Superstock class allows more motor modifications than the Superstock 600 class, and those mods are necessary to be competitive. Team Owner Mike Pond scrambled to source proper cylinder heads in time so that Bryce and Jason could have bikes that were capable of running with the regular Supersport competitors. Work was completed at the track to finish preparation to make the bikes race ready.
Due to the combined schedules of MotoGP and MotoAmerica, track time was compressed into a single practice session, a single qualifying session, a warm-up before the race, and a single race. Unfortunately, the first practice session was wet, so valuable time was lost that was needed to get a good race suspension set-up on a track that was new to the team. Qualifying was difficult with Supersport regular Corey leading the team with 12th place on the grid, followed by Bryce and Jason at 15th and 16th respectively.
At the start of the race, Bryce and Jason were able to improve their positions, but Corey was having problems with setup changes that were not working for him. A red flag stopped the race which gave Corey a second chance. On the restart, all 3 riders were able to improve their positions. The race ended with Bryce in 8th place, Corey in 9th, and Jason in 11th.
Jason stated “MotoAmerica round 8 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a tough weekend for me. I got invited to race up a class with the Supersport field for the shared MotoGP/MotoAmerica race weekend. We started out the weekend with a rain session Thursday afternoon. For some reason I still struggle horribly in the rain so we lost some valuable setup time from that session and I lost some confidence in my own riding. Next up was our 30 minute qualifying session, which was going to be our first session to be able to really setup the bike. We still struggled getting the right setup, and I was struggling to learn the track. I capped off qualifying in a disappointing 16th place. In the first start of the race, I got a decent start and worked my way up to 14th place, setting my fastest time of the weekend with a 1:42.4 before the red flag came out. The first lap of the restart was mayhem with bikes going down and riders running wide everywhere. I managed to stay out of trouble with the exception of one incident, and came across the line in a disappointing 11th place. With a little more track time, I feel like we could’ve got the bike sorted out better, but everyone was in the same situation. I can’t thank my team, sponsors, and my dad for giving me the opportunity to race in front of a MotoGP crowd. Also, big thanks to Lee’s Cycles for building me a race cylinder head on short notice that was capable of running with the top bikes out there. I’m motivated to get back on track in New Jersey!”
Tuned Racing thanks all of its sponsors:
Tuned Industries, Dunlop Motorcycle Road Racing Tires USA, EFSigns.com, PSR-USA, SBKPaint.com, Galfer Brakes, Arai, Dynojet, Big Gun Exhaust, Thousand Oaks Powersports, SuperLite Sprockets, EK 3D Chains, SpeedAngle, FT ECU, Shorai Batteries, Torco Advanced Lubricants, Optimal Racing Bodywork, Fly Street, Scott’s Plumbing, Lets Ride Trackdays, Motoyard.com, ACT Racing, and Solarmax Technology.
Corey Alexander thanks his personal sponsors:
MJRS Freeman Racing, Spidi Leathers, XPD Boots, Arai Helmets, Boxed Water Is Better, RideHVMC, Defy All Odds Apparel, Lapizta Watches, Ammo NYC, and Saddlemen Seats.
Jason Aguilar thanks his personal sponsors:
RS Taichi, Moto-Liberty, Scorpion USA, Sidi, CH1 ProTraining, and Impact Safe-T Armor.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia/HSBK Racing:
Aprilia HSBK Racing Has a Good Showing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Houston, TX (August 12, 2015) – Aprilia HSBK had a good weekend at the MotoAmerica round eight at Indianapolis last weekend. The team continued to tune the new RSV4-RF and improve the setup. Rider Sheridan Morais made it into Superpole on Friday and with a few small adjustments he qualified a strong fifth overall just .025 seconds behind the SuperStock pole position.
On Saturday, Morais got a great start in race one and led the SuperStock class for several laps, but problems with his rear caused him to drop back a few positions and finish the race fourth in class. Sunday morning the team came back ready for a fresh start. During warmup, Morais put down great lap times and had the fourth fastest times overall putting them ahead of several factory Superbikes. Sunday afternoon, Morais got another great start for race two, but a blister in his front tire meant he couldn’t push and hold lap times. He was able to maintain his position thanks to his early gap and claimed third. Morais and the team struggled with tires all weekend, but continue to yield consistent and strong results.
Team Owner Bobby Shek commented, “We are really looking forward to the final MotoAmerica round in New Jersey in just a few short weeks. I know that the bike has more to give us and Sheridan has been instrumental in giving us great feedback and continuing to develop its potential. He has done a great job learning the tracks quickly and putting down fast and consistent times.”
Special thanks to Aprilia USA, Aprilia Racing, Houston Superbikes, RSRacecraft, Pilot, Motion Pro, EVOL Technology, Bel-Ray, Galfer USA, TAW Performance, Ohlins, Capit, GB Racing, Dynojet, Full Spectrum, Sunstar, Zero Gravity, DNA Air Filters, RaceSeats, Samco Sport, DB Holders, BikesPlast, Austin Racing, Andrew Swenson Design, and Drippin Wet.
Aprilia HSBK Racing
Aprilia USA has officially partnered with HSBK Racing to lead the MotoAmerica program and to provide racing development services for privateers competing on Aprilia RSV4 machines. http://houstonsuperbikes.com/nt-632-hsbk-racing.h…
Houston Superbikes
Established in 2005, Houston Superbikes caters to motorcycle enthusiasts with its diverse line of high performance bikes, parts and apparel. Houston Superbikes is proud to offer their own line of carbon fiber and billet accessories for racing and street applications. Offering dyno tuning, engine building services and suspension setup, they are an industry leader in building race machines. For more information regarding Houston Superbikes, or to find out what they can do for you, please visit www.houstonsuperbikes.com
More, form a press release issued by RoadRace Factory/Red Bull:
A Return To Form
What’s the best way to get over less than perfect results? Get back out on track, dominate every session and then pull off the double. That is exactly what Jake Gagne did this past weekend in front of the international racing community.
Coming into the penultimate round of the MotoAmerica, Jake Gagne was still leading the championship points race. But after some unfortunate races at Miller Motorsports Park and Laguna, his lead had dwindled considerably. He would need to set the tone early and put his rival on notice that if they wanted to catch him in points, they’d have to work for it. With only four races left in the season, there was an outside chance of capturing the championship should things go sideways for his challengers. However, Jake is not one to think of championships before they are sealed. His goal is to win races and let the chips fall where they may.
From the onset of the weekend, it was clear that Jake was on task. In the free practice sessions, he would be the dominate Superstock rider. The only real wild card would be the weather. It was raining for the first practice session while the rest of the weekend was projected to be clear except for late on Sunday, when the second race was scheduled. But even in the rain, Jake was doing his thing and his bike was performing exceptionally well. When Jake came in from the final practice session, he was very happy with how everything was going and he was eager to get to Superpole.
Superpole is where it counts and late on Friday afternoon it was time to go all in. Jake went out and swept the class during the 25 minute session. He used that time to ensure that all the set-up tweaks were all up to par. The session ended and Jake was firmly planted on top of the leader board. His challengers had been officially notified. Unlike the Supersport class, the Superstock / Superbike class was given their full allotment of track time and two races. So after Friday’s Superpole, there would be a quick warm-up on Saturday morning followed by race one in the late afternoon. Sunday would the same with race two after the MotoGP event.
As Saturday morning’s warm-up session began, it was clear that the day was going to be a beautiful sunny Indiana day. Jake got off to a great start and was flying around the track and locking in the efforts of his 32Crew. The hours between the warm-up and the race were spent preparing mentally for the race ahead. Normal weekends don’t allow for much wondering so the trick was to remain focused during the distraction that the MotoGP circus can provide. Jake isn’t your typical racer however and his ability to get mentally ready while appearing to be laid back is very curious. So when the late afternoon sun was dipping behind the bleachers, Jake was suited up and ready to race without any distraction. As he lined up on his grid position, it was business as usual and his relaxed demeanor was a sign of his confidence that everything was exactly as it should be. Horns were sounded, the grid was cleared and race one was about to get underway. The lights went off and the sound of uncorked 1000cc machines brought the fans to life. For the first several laps, the Superbikes didn’t make much progress in their efforts to pull away from Jake. Jake was hanging on their tail sections as the opening laps clicked off. His main rivals were fighting amongst themselves leaving Jake to focus on keeping the Superbikes in touch. About the half way mark of the race, Jake was noticeably losing touch and soon found himself riding alone. When the checkers fell and he cross the line, he was in P1 in Superstock and P5 overall. Pulling into Parc Ferme it was obvious what the culprit was that caused his issues in the race. His tire had spun almost 180 degress on the rim. This caused a massive vibration that eventually made the bike unsettled when applying power.
The issues of Saturday were rectified on Sunday and going into race two Jake and his crew were even more confident that he would be able to stay with the Superbikes. Again, just focusing on the task of winning races, Jake wasn’t concerned about anything other than getting back out on track and putting in the laps. Race two was to be held under uncertain weather conditions. There was a chance of rain and at times the sprinkles were heavy enough to coat the track surface. The race was declared to be dry and so slicks were fitted to his bike and it was time to hit the bricks to grid up. As the lights went out, the weather was still anyone’s guess. Jake put his head down and kept pace with the lead Superbikes during the first few laps. By the midpoint of the race, the rain had become more heavy in certain areas of the track but there was still a dry line and so the race continued. Jake would eventually find himself running a solitary race again and with two laps to go, the race was red flagged due to rain. That sealed Jake’s Double Victory for the weekend. He had clearly accomplished his goals and the chips are beginning to not just fall but align themselves into a Championship.
Jake Gagne
1st in Superstock Points
“First of all, the track was awesome. It had been a few years since I had been here, but I really like the new layout. The bike felt great right away but we made a few changes throughout the weekend and qualified on pole.
In the first race I got off to a pretty good start and keeping the Superbike guys in sight for the first few laps, but then we ran into the issue with the tire spinning on the rim and that caused some chatter. Still brought it home in first. Second race was an even better start for me. It was pretty much sprinkling the whole time but I got a good gap over the second place Superstock guy and rode my own race from then on. Two laps to go and mother nature decided to call the race quits and the red flag came out. I’d say it was the right call as it was getting pretty sketchy out there.
So a double victory was great. I want to thank Scotty and DA and all the guys for their hard work this weekend and I’m looking forward to New Jersey!”
Danny Walker
Team Manager
“‘There isn’t a whole lot to say about this weekend and Jake’s performance. I mean it was like watching him return to his best form. It’s exactly what we know he’s capable of and it’s jsut fun to watch. I know he gives Soctty and DA fits because he’ll tell you everything was ok or a minor chatter issue, but then you notice his tire did a 180 on the rim. He can just ride around most things that would cause another rider to pull in.
For Jake to come back here and ride like he did, I think he took full advantage of the opportunity to showcase his talent in front of the MotoGP Paddock and an international audience that hasn’t seen him since his Red Bull Rookie Cup days. Between his performance at COTA and here, he raised some eyebrows!
Huge congratulations to Jake and Scotty and Danny. These three have just clicked and I can’t say enough good things about them. Now it’s time to switch gears and tires and hit the Outdoor National Motocross next weekend in Utah. Looking forward to this new experience and then it’s time to recover before heading to NJMP in Sept.”
More, from another press release issued by RoadRace Factory:
Highs and lows from the Brickyard
For the third time this season, the MotoAmerica series has shared the weekend with their international counterparts. This weekend it would be another chance to race in front of the MotoGP crowd as the two championships shared the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As is customary when the premiere World Championship series is in town, the Supersport racers are relegated to one race and limited track time to prepare for that one race. For this weekend, the Supersport duo (Ben Young was unable to attend) of Tomy Puerta and Cameron Petersen would take to the track on Thursday for their first session. That’s right race fans, on track on Thursday for one 40 minute session. On Friday, they would be given one qualifying session, a 20 minute warm-up on Saturday, followed by their only race that afternoon.
Three sessions to nail all the set-ups and learn the course. This meant that each rider and crew had to be on top of their game right out of the box. For Tomy, maintaining his 5th place in the championship was at stake with a chance to move up one spot if he could best David Anthony. For Cameron, it would be another chance to show his stellar progression of his rookie season.
Unfortunately for them, the first time on the track would be rain soaked. As they circulated the famous race track, the rain continued to come down and the duo just kept churning out fast lap after fast lap. For much of the session, Tomy was leading the freight train of riders setting quick lap after quick lap. He had Cam and Garrett Gerloff in his wake for most of the session and as he would cross the line, he would be leading for only a fraction of a sec as Cam and Garrett would come in mere hundredths of a second ahead. Cam Petersen, who until moving to the U.S. had never raced in the rain, was impressive with his session topping performance up until the last few laps where he was bested by factory Yamaha rider Garrett Gerloff.
Coming in qualifying, the weather was no longer an issue. The problem now was neither rider had a dry set-up to baseline. For Cameron’s crew, they nailed a quick set-up early on and he continued to go fast around the circuit. For the Puerta side of the garage, it would be an exercise of epic proportions. There was just something off from the beginning and with the limited track time, there was no chance to recover. When the session was stopped, Tomy would be in his worst ever qualifying position, 13th. For Cameron, it would be another P5 starting position. But more importantly, it was the closest to the leaders he had been in terms of lap times.
Filled with confidence on one side and trepidation on the other, Cam and Tomy headed toward their only race on Saturday afternoon after a quick 20 minute warm-up in the morning. For Cameron, it would a shake down to make sure everything is still good. For Tomy, he and his crew used that time to see if the changes worked. They did work! Just not as much as he had hoped, but it would be enough to make him feel better going into the race later in the day.
In the late afternoon, the riders took their positions on the historic bricks. The stands were full and the atmosphere was electric. The championship was on the line and the top five were going to be battling all race long. The grid was cleared of all personnel and the riders took to their sighting laps. Upon returning to the grid, it would be a quick lights on, lights off start! Cam made a good start and found himself staying with the leaders for the first few laps in P5. Tomy would make an incredible start and place himself behind his teammate separated by Travis Wyman in P7. As the race wore on, Tomy would make a small mistake and slip back to P9 while Cam would slide back to P6. As they were both on the rebound, a red flag was flown and the race stopped. It would be restarted as a 6 lap all out sprint race!
This was a chance for our duo to recover and go out in a no-holds barred battle. As the field was gridded and released for what would be the championship deciding six laps, Cam and Tomy again made great starts and were planted firmly in with the leaders. Apparently Tomy’s set-up issues had been resolved as he rocketed towards the leaders. As he was entering T10 he was struck from behind and was forced off the track. By the time the incident was cleared and he was able to return to the action, he would be in dead last and forced to race alone for the remaining laps and finish in P12. Cam’s race was finally a chance to see him with the lead group. He stayed with the leaders until hitting a false neutral on the last lap and being passed by 600cc Superstock Champ Joe Roberts. As they crossed the bricks for the final time Cam would finish in his starting position of P5.
Tomy Puerta
5th in Series Points
“It was a tough weekend for me. I wasn’t feeling good with the bike. Evan and I tried a lot of different things. We just couldn’t make it work.
I’m looking forward to New Jersey. The season went really fast and now we start to think about next season.
I want to thank everyone who helped me and all the people who come from Colombia to Indy to watch the race!”
Cameron Petersen
7th in Series Points
“Indy was a great weekend for me. I felt comfortable from lap one and knew that we had some fight in us.
I qualified in P5 not that far off pole. I got a good start for a change and put myself in a good position in the race. I made a few small mistakes and lost the tow but luckily for me there was a red flag. I got an even better start after the red flag and was in 3rd coming out turn two. I was able to stay with the lead group this time and was able to fight for a podium, but I hit a neutral on the last lap and ran off track still managing to finish in P5. I’m happy with the results from this weekend as it was the closest to the front I have run. Massive thanks to the whole team for an awesome weekend and bring on Jersey.”
Danny Walker
Team Manager
“You know this weekend was a tough one, not just because of the racing, but because of the limited track time for Supersport. It’s a lot of hurry up and wait. There’s a tremendous amount of downtime and the guys never stopped working on the bikes.
In Tomy’s case, it was clear that they needed to test their adjustments which under a normal weekend they’d have time to do. But this weekend, it just wasn’t to be. He and his crew did a fantastic job to overcome their issues and put on a show in the race. Tomy rode hard and I think he did his crew proud. Starting from 13th is not easy but to be up near the front by Turn One is something special. His race was unfortunate and that happens. I’m glad that he was able to continue and grab some points.
For Cam, he was on fire and I continue to be impressed by his progress. His wet weather riding is something I didn’t expect and at the end of the first session I was smiling from ear to ear. His performance all weekend was great and I believe with a little more tweaking, he’ll be up there with the front runners consistently at New Jersey in a few weeks.
Overall, I’m proud of the team. They had to overcome a lot this weekend and I’m just convinced that we have the best rider crew combonations in the paddock!
Also, I’d like to say, ‘Congratulations’ to JD Beach and his Yamalube Y.E.S Graves Yamaha Team! Even though we compete on track, we are very fond of JD and his crew and to see him capture the title was very exciting. We know how hard it is to do and we just want to congratulate them on their efforts this season!”