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RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing claimed another strong haul of points at Round 2 of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship, with Cooper Webb charging to the 450MX podium in third overall, directly ahead of Aaron Plessinger. 250MX teammates Tom Vialle and Maximus Vohland took P4 and 11th overall, respectively.
The ever-motivated Webb continued his impressive comeback to the outdoors following a season away last year, piloting his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to fourth position in qualifying this morning.
A convincing ride in the opening moto saw Webb jump out of the gates strong, battling inside the top five as the green flag flew. Measuring energy levels in the high temperatures saw Webb post a calculated ride, finishing in fourth position. A good start and solid laps resulted in second position for Webb in moto two, which landed him third overall on the day and in the current standings.
Cooper Webb: "I'm stoked! Second moto was great for me, I was able to latch onto the pace there and see where it's at, and we made big improvements from last weekend. The track was difficult to pass, but all in all, happy to stretch my outdoor legs again and finish where we did today, as it was only last weekend that I was a distant fourth. I'm really excited about the result today."
Premier class teammate Plessinger began his Hangtown race day with third place in qualifying, before charging the entire duration of the opening moto, securing a hard-fought third place by race’s end. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider began moto two strongly as well, working his way into P2 before a late fall relegated him to sixth. That 3-6 moto scorecard gave Plessinger fourth overall and he's also P4 in points.
Aaron Plessinger: "We had a good first moto, got stuck behind Dylan [Ferrandis] for a while and wasn't able to make the pass, but second moto I was able to get around Cooper, which was good. Then a mistake hit and I lost my clutch lever, so after that, I was just working my way home for the last four laps. I need to stay off the ground and I'll be okay! We'll be back in Colorado."
In 250MX, dual world champion Vialle continued to build in his first season of AMA Pro Motocross, with the Frenchman qualifying in seventh position, securing a decent gate selection for the motos. Deep in the fight in moto one, Vialle battled all race for a P7 result, before scoring third in the second outing of the day, which placed him in fourth overall. He's ranked P4 in the championship as well.
Tom Vialle: "Same as last weekend with 7-3 results, so I just need to improve the first motos. I was top three in the opening moto, but just lost my rhythm, and then the second moto was much better. We'll go back to Florida, do more training, and then come out and fight for the podium at Thunder Valley."
Sacramento local Vohland posted the 14th fastest time in qualifying on his KTM 250 SX-F, before going on to secure 11th in the opening moto of the weekend despite an early mishap. A challenging final moto saw him finish in 12th position, which resulted in 11th overall for the round, and he's eighth in the championship following two rounds.
Maximus Vohland: "Tough day here at Hangtown for my home race. First moto, I had a bad start and broke my shifter on lap three after a collision, which left me in second gear for the moto. Moto two, I had a better start and made some passes, however, I tipped over mid-moto, which put me in 12th for the race and 11th overall. Not what I was after, but I'll be back in Colorado."
Next Race: June 10 – Lakewood, Colorado
Results 450MX Class – Hangtown National 1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 1-1 2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA), Yamaha, 2-3 3. Cooper Webb (USA), KTM, 4-2 4. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM, 3-6 OTHER KTM 15. Christopher Prebula (USA), KTM 22. Tyler Stepek (USA), KTM 25. Jeffrey Walker (USA), KTM 31. Max Miller (USA), KTM 39. Tyler DuCray (USA), KTM
Results 250MX Class – Hangtown National 1. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 3-1 2. Justin Cooper (USA), Yamaha, 2-2 3. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, 1-4 4. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM, 7-3 OTHER KTM 11. Maximus Vohland (USA), KTM, 11-12 21. Josh Varize (USA) 23. Derek Kelley (USA) 25. Slade Smith (RSA) 27. Marcus Phelps (USA) 30. Ethan Lane (GB) 36. Blaze Cremaldi (USA)
Standings 450MX Class 2023 after 2 of 11 rounds 1. Jett Lawrence, 100 points 2. Dylan Ferrandis, 82 3. Cooper Webb, 74 4. Aaron Plessinger, 69 OTHER KTM 17. Dante Oliveira, 15 19. Christopher Prebula, 2 27. Tyler Stepek, 3 30. Jeffrey Walker, 1
Standings 250MX Class 2023 after 2 of 11 rounds 1. Hunter Lawrence, 90 points 2. Haiden Deegan, 80 3. Justin Cooper, 78 4. Tom Vialle, 68 OTHER KTM 8. Maximus Vohland, 53
The 2023 Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, continued with its second California round, this time in the northern half of the state in the shadow of the capital of Sacramento. The history of the iconic Carson City Motorsports Hangtown Motocross Classic is one of the richest and deepest in the sport and always provides one of the toughest tests of the summer. Temperatures that hovered around 90 degrees made for challenging conditions at this early juncture of the championship, but the end result on the track was the same as the previous week as the Australian siblings from Team Honda HRC, Jett and Hunter Lawrence, prevailed once again in the 450 Class and 250 Class, respectively.
One week removed from a win in his 450 Class debut, Jett Lawrence carried the red plate as points leader for the first time and positioned himself at the head of the pack to open the first moto following an impressive move around Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis, who grabbed the MotoSport.com Holeshot. As Lawrence looked to sprint away from the field Ferrandis engaged in an intense battle with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Aaron Plessinger and Cooper Webb, as Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo lurked in fifth.
Due to the pace of the fight for second between Ferrandis and Plessinger, the pair closed in on Lawrence, but it didn’t take long for the young Aussie to pull back out and stabilize his advantage. Behind him, the relentless fight between the Yamaha and KTM riders continued, as Ferrandis continued to withstand the pressure.
The action quieted down through the mid portion of the moto as the lead trio settled in, but another wave of intensity loomed. As time wound down on the race clock, Lawrence grew his lead to nearly eight seconds while Plessinger dropped the hammer to close the gap late on Ferrandis. Lawrence once again led every lap and cruised to his third straight moto win, while Ferrandis and Plessinger’s battle carried on through the final corner, with the Frenchman narrowly earning second, 4.1 seconds behind Lawrence and less than a half-second ahead of Plessinger. Webb finished in a distant fourth, while Cianciarulo rounded out the top five.
Jett Lawrence once again led every lap of competition en route to a second consecutive 1-1 sweep. Photo: Align Media
The final moto of the afternoon looked like it’d once again be Ferrandis with the MotoSport.com Holeshot, but he was overcome by Lawrence, who then stormed into the lead. Ferrandis continued to lose spots, as Webb and Plessinger moved into second and third, respectively. The Frenchman eventually settled into fourth, ahead of Cianciarulo.
Webb looked to keep Lawrence honest through the opening five minutes of the moto but the point leader started to build on his advantage with every lap and was soon more than four seconds clear of his rivals. That left the KTM teammates to engage in a tense battle for second.
Halfway through the moto the running order remained unchanged, but the pursuit of Webb, Plessinger, and Ferrandis allowed them to maintain the deficit to Lawrence and keep him in sight. They paced one another for several more minutes before Plessinger started to increase the pressure and searched for alternate lines. With 11 minutes to go Plessinger pulled the trigger and made the pass stick on Webb to take control of second. Webb then came under fire from Ferrandis in a battle for third.
Following the pass Plessinger took a second off Lawrence’s lead and was the fastest rider on the track. However, Lawrence responded with his fastest lap of the moto to push the lead back out. The Honda rider backed that up with another one of his fastest laps to open up a margin of 5.5 seconds with five minutes remaining.
The moto took a turn with three minutes to go as Plessinger went down and struggled to get his KTM restarted due to a broken clutch lever. That allowed both Webb and Ferrandis to assume the remaining spots on the moto podium as their battle for second continued. Plessinger eventually resumed in fifth but was unable to run the same pace.
Lawrence maintained his undefeated start to the season with ease, as he wrapped up his second 1-1 sweep by five seconds over Webb, while Ferrandis settled for third. Plessinger soldiered home in sixth.
Dylan Ferrandis finished in the runner-up spot following 2-3 moto scores. Photo: Align Media
For the second week in a row Lawrence led every lap of competition to cap off another dominant 1-1 effort. Plessinger’s misfortune allowed Ferrandis to finish in the runner-up spot (2-3) and also moved Webb onto the overall podium in third (4-2) for the first time since the final round of the 2021 season.
Lawrence now joins elite company with Jeff Ward as the only two riders in Pro Motocross history to go 1-1 in the first two races of their 450 Class career. His lead in the championship standings now sits at 18 points over Ferrandis, while Webb moved into third, 26 points out of the lead.
Cooper Webb made his anticipated return to the podium in third (4-2). Photo: Align Media
Jett Lawrence, Team Honda HRC “The track was so brutal [in the second moto]. You had to be patient and couldn’t take too much. I didn’t eat enough between motos and lost energy halfway through and just relied on technique to keep it going. On this track you really had to manage everything because if you took too much it could bite you. It almost got me a couple times so I really had to focus and keep it on two wheels.”
Dylan Ferrandis, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing “I’m very happy because we made a big change from the first moto and the bike was much better, but I struggled with arm pump all day. The track was very hard and it was difficult to pass. I had to follow the whole [second] moto. I’m a little bit frustrated by this, but I’m still happy to be on the podium and to get the bike more comfortable.”
Cooper Webb, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing “It was a sufferfest [in Moto 2]. I’m so pumped. It’s incredible what seven days can do. Last week I thought I was going to get lapped in the second moto and this week I could see the leader. I definitely learned how to suffer again and that was nice. I’m just stoked.”
One of the championship’s freshest faces opened the first moto with the MotoSport.comHoleshot and early lead as Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rookie Haiden Deegan stormed out to a multi-second advantage on the opening lap over his teammate Justin Cooper, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rookie Jett Reynolds, and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle. Hunter Lawrence started the moto deep inside the top 10.
As the Yamahas asserted their hold up front, Reynolds and Vialle started to battle for third, which saw the Kawasaki rider go off track and down to the ground to hand the position to Vialle.
Deegan built on his advantage over Cooper through the opening 10 minutes of the moto, as both Vialle and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Guillem Farres settled into third and fourth, respectively. Behind them Lawrence was on a march forward in fifth.
As the moto reached its halfway point an international three-rider battle unfolded between France’s Vialle, Spain’s Farres, and Australia’s Lawrence. Vialle got the worst of this brief fight, dropping from third to fifth, while Lawrence battled his way into third and pulled away.
With 10 minutes remaining the battle for the lead started to heat up as Cooper continued to chip away at his deficit to Deegan and closed to within two seconds. The momentum shift was short lived as Deegan responded by picking up the pace and stabilizing the lead once more. As the race entered its final minute Cooper made a final push to get the closest he’d been all moto. About 1.5 seconds separated the duo as they took the 2 Lap board, from which Deegan dug deep again to pull back out.
The second-generation racer captured the first moto win of his career by 2.1 seconds over Cooper for a Star Yamaha 1-2, with Lawrence not too far behind in third. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda overcame a start outside the top 10 to finish fourth, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire fifth.
Another Moto 2 win put Hunter Lawrence atop the overall podium. Photo: Align Media
The deciding moto began with Cooper out front for the MotoSport.com Holeshot, which he used to grab control of the early lead ahead of Lawrence, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jalek Swoll third. As Cooper and Lawrence asserted themselves at the head of the pack, Swoll was forced to fend off pressure from Vialle. Deegan started the moto deep in the top 10 and quickly went to work in climbing up the running order.
Back out front, Lawrence went on the attack and successfully made the pass around Cooper within the first 10 minutes. The clear track allowed Lawrence to establish a quick lead, as he wasted little time moving ahead by nearly four seconds. Cooper settled into second as did Swoll in third. However, a brief off-track excursion caused Swoll to lose third to Vialle and another position to Team Honda HRC rookie Chance Hymas.
As the moto surpassed the halfway point the top three in the running order strengthened their grasp on the podium spots, with Lawrence managing a lead of more than six seconds over Cooper, while Vialle followed another six seconds back in third.
The lead group went unchanged through the end of the moto, as Lawrence wrapped up another Moto 2 victory with ease, 3.1 seconds ahead of Cooper, with Vialle third. Deegan earned a hard-fought fourth-place finish that paid big dividends in the overall classification.
A consist 2-2 outing earned Justin Cooper his first podium finish of the season. Photo: Align Media
With another 3-1 effort to open the season Lawrence parlayed his second moto win into back-to-back overall victories. Cooper’s consistent afternoon (2-2) put him on the overall podium for the first time this summer in the runner-up spot, while Deegan brought home a second straight top-three result in third (1-4).
The win is the third of Lawrence’s career and establishes his first ever winning streak in Pro Motocross competition. He extended his points lead to 10 over Deegan, while Cooper moved into third, 12 points out of the lead.
Haiden Deegan earned his first career moto win en route to his second podium finish. Photo: Align Media
Hunter Lawrence, Team Honda HRC “The start was crucial [in Moto 2]. They put a lot of water down and I didn’t want to be behind anyone for long with that. It was the first hot one of the year, a bit of a wake up call, but happy to get out of here safe and healthy.”
Justin Cooper, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing “[Lawrence] probably was following me a bit, checking out my lines, and seeing where he was better. He was riding good. It’s disappointing to give up the lead like that, but it’s a way better weekend than last and I’ll definitely take two seconds. I feel like I get close but don’t get one of these wins and that’s building up the fire. I want to win, so it’s time to start digging.”
Haiden Deegan, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing “I didn’t get a great start and I had to work through the pack. I charged hard and rode my heart out. It’s crazy to think I was riding superminis a year and a half ago and now we’re getting podiums in Pro Motocross. It’s still so crazy. I’m hyped.”
The 2023 Pro Motocross Championship will begin its journey east next Saturday, June 10, with the annual trek above 6,000 feet and the high altitude of Thunder Valley Motocross Park, located just outside Denver in Lakewood, Colorado. The Toyota Thunder Valley National will provide its own unique challenge for the third round of the season, which will be streamed live, exclusively on Peacock, beginning with Race Day Live, presented by MotoSport.com, at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET, and followed by 4.5 consecutive hours of uninterrupted race coverage beginning at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET.
Round two of the Pro Motocross series turned up the heat on the riders as they headed for their annual visit to the rolling foothills of California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada at Hangtown.
250 MX
RJ Hampshire led the way for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team, with his best qualifying effort of the season (2nd), and a pair of fifth-place moto finishes. He made the best of a pair of tough starts, and put together huge charges from near midpack in each moto aboard his FC250 to eventual 5-5 finishes for fifth overall.
RJ Hampshire: “I felt really good on the bike, I just had two terrible starts that kept us off the box. My riding was really good all day, from qualifying through both motos I felt awesome. But you can't do much when you start outside the top 15. It was probably the hardest 5-5 I've ever had in my life. We'll go back home to Florida after this weekend and we'll look forward to getting some better starts in Colorado and being where we should be.”
Jalek Swoll continues to build speed and confidence after returning to racing following off-season injuries and carded a ninth and eleventh in his two motos that weren’t really indicative of where he raced most of the day. After finishing ninth in moto one, he ran third for much of the second moto before a pair of costly mistakes dropped him just outside of the top ten. But a top ten overall was his best result of the season and added optimism for the races ahead.
Jalek Swoll: “I'd say it was a step in the right direction. I wish I could have gotten a good start in the first moto and learned more of that pace, but I had a mid-pack start and got ninth. It's something to build off. In the second moto, I felt pretty good in the beginning. I got a really good start and ran third about half the moto. I had a pretty close call where I went off the track and lost a few positions. After that it was survival. But I hung around fifth for a while and had a tip-over and it put me back to tenth and that's where I finished. It sucks to fall and have a little mishap off the track, but it's good to see some light at the end of the tunnel and some progression. All is well and we'll keep the building blocks going.”
Talon Hawkins is still learning the ropes of the Pro Motocross series but saved his best result for the tough and hot second moto, where he finished 15th.
Talon Hawkins: “It was pretty good. There's definitely a lot to work on. I need to be doing more motos and the cardio needs to be a little better, so I'm ready to get back out to the Baker's Factory this week and work on that. There's a lot to work on, but it was a step in the right direction. I did better than last weekend, and that's all I can ask for is to do better every weekend. I'm looking forward to this next weekend out in Colorado with the high elevation. We'll be ready to go.”
Next Event (Round 3): June 10, 2023 – Thunder Valley Motocross in Lakewood, Colo.
Round X Results: Hangtown
250 MX Results
1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda), 3-1 2. Justin Cooper (Yamaha), 2-2 3. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha), 1-4 …
5. RJ Hampshire – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 5-5
9. Jalek Swoll – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 9-11
18. Talon Hawkins – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 21-15 29. Kai Aiello (Husqvarna) 31-26 39. Jaret Finch (Husqvarna)40-34 40. Brantley Schnell (Husqvarna) 38-37
450 MX Results
1. Jett Lawrence (Honda), 1-1 2. Dylan Ferrandis (Yamaha), 2-3 3. Cooper Webb (KTM), 4-22 …
23. Scott Meshey (Husqvarna) 40-19
250 MX Rider Point Standings 1. Hunter Lawrence – 90 points 2. Haiden Deegan – 80 points 3. Justin Cooper – 78 points …
5. RJ Hampshire – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 67 points 14. Jalek Swoll – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 23 points 19. Talon Hawkins – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 11 points
450 MX Rider Point Standings 1. Jett Lawrence – 100 points 2. Dylan Ferrandis – 82 points 3. Cooper Webb – 74 points
The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing Team headed to California's Gold Country hoping to turn around their recent racing fortunes.
250 MX
Michael Mosiman was on home turf at Hangtown and he was looking for a solid result aboard his MC 250F Factory Edition. Unfortunately, a 14th-place finish in moto one proved to be the high water mark for him and the team, as a tough crash in moto two ended his day. Updates on his status for future events will be provided after he gets checked out by his doctors.
The team’s other rider, Caden Braswell, tallied a 27-16 day for 19th overall. That matched his result from round one at Pala.
"Out here at Hangtown, we had a progressive day,” said Braswell. “We've got some things to look back on, and also some good things to take away. My confidence is growing on the bike and with the team. I'm surrounded by great people and I'm looking forward to the third round in Colorado with a big old fire in my belly."
Next Event (Round 3): June 10, 2023 – Thunder Valley Motocross in Lakewood, Colo.
Results – 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, Round 2
250 MX
1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 3-1; 2. Justin Cooper (Yamaha) 2-2; 3. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 1-4 … 17. Michael Mosiman (GASGAS) 14-40; 19. Caden Braswell (GASGAS) 27-16; 26. Tyson Johnson (GASGAS) 29-23
450 MX
1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 1-1; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (Yamaha) 2-3; 3. Cooper Webb (KTM) 4-2… 9. Lorenzo Locurcio (GASGAS) 9-11; 10. Jose Butron (GASGAS) 16-5; 13. Romain Pape (GASGAS) 14-10; 19. Jacob Runkles (GASGAS) 29-17; 21. Cody Groves (GASGAS) 36-18; 30. Ezra Lewis (GASGAS) 30-22; 36. Giacomo Redondi 29-38; 40. Colby Copp (GASGAS) 35-40
Championship Standings – After 2 Rounds
250 MX
1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 90 points; 2. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 80 points; 3. Justin Cooper (Yamaha) 78 points… 15. Michael Mosiman (GASGAS) 20 points; 20. Caden Braswell (GASGAS) 11 points
450 MX
1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 100 points; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (Yamaha) 82 points; 3. Cooper Webb 74 points … 6. Lorenzo Locurcio (GASGAS) 46 points; 7. Jose Butron (GASGAS) 45 points; 16. Romain Pape (GASGAS) 23 points; 25. Jacob Runkles (GASGAS) 4 points; 28. Cody Groves (GASGAS) 3 points
A near off-track excursion in turn three of Road America on the opening lap of the Medallia Superbike race dropped Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier back in the thick of the pack, but it didn’t’ stop him from working his way to the front and ultimately scoring his second race win of the season.
After completing lap one in sixth, while pole sitter Josh Herrin and his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R streaked away at the front of the field, Beaubier put his head down and started his charge. On lap two, Beaubier was fourth and a lap later he was third. He stayed there for two more laps before passing his teammate PJ Jacobsen and chasing down Herrin. Beaubier took the lead on the sixth lap and two laps later the race was red flagged when a blown engine oiled the racing surface. At that point the race was called complete with Beaubier 2.7 seconds clear of Jacobsen, who forced his way past Herrin and into second the lap prior.
Beaubier not only won his 11th career Superbike race at Road America (and 56th of his Superbike career), but he also took over the lead of the 2023 MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship when Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne suffered a mechanical issue that knocked him out of the race and the points lead.
After five races in 2023, Beaubier leads the title chase by four points, 99-95, heading into tomorrow’s second race as Gagne’s weekend went from bad to horrible on Saturday.
Herrin held on for third place after earning pole position with a new lap record in qualifying on Saturday morning.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante finished fourth for the second race in a row, ending up four seconds adrift of Herrin and four and a half seconds ahead of Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen, the South African bravely racing despite an injured right wrist.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Toni Elias was sixth, well clear of seventh-placed Corey Alexander on the third Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz was eighth after being penalized two positions for passing under a waving yellow flag. Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates and Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim rounded out the top 10 finishers.
With Beaubier atop the standings with 99 points, Gagne is second on 95 with Scholtz and his 71 points third. Herrin is fourth with 65 points with Escalante rounding out the top five with 56 points.
“I just basically ran out of track on the outside. When you’re braking straight up and down there without any angle, it’s really easy to run wide. I knew once I was wide off the racing line the track is slick because it almost caught me out a couple times this weekend just being off-line and having the rear end come around and the front push. So, I just tried to make sure I got through there on two wheels and then started my race from there.”
That’s your 11th win at this track. Is it a track you’ve always enjoyed?
Yeah. Something about this track is just special for me. I love coming here. It seems like for the most part we always get pretty lucky on the weather here. Just staying by Elkhart Lake and going to have dinner at night. It’s just an amazing area. This track really suits my style, I feel like. It’s kind of crazy to think that I’ve got eleven wins here, for sure.”
“It got off to a pretty decent start. I think my starts have not been too great this year, so I’ve still got to figure out how to get off the line. Then I was just sitting behind Josh. He kind of got away and pulled a little gap in the beginning, then I caught up to him. Cam ran wide in turn two because of some stuff. The race was going pretty good. I just had a problem with my brakes. They were just very inconsistent. So, we need to take a look at that because I was pretty not thrilled about that in the race with my front brakes. I really couldn’t make any overtaking passes straight up and down. Josh is always good on the brakes and that kind of hurt me in the race with that problem going on. But I had to make a pass in the carousel because he was struggling there after a few laps. So, I went into the chicane and that was my only option. So, I had to do that and then I kind of just stood on the rear brake to completely stop the bike. I ran Josh a little bit wide, and he had to cut the chicane, probably. I apologized to him for that. It’s a bummer that it got red-flagged because it would have been nice to finish the race completely, the twelve laps. But congratulations to my teammate. He did a great job. Hopefully we can come back tomorrow and be stronger and have a better race all of us tomorrow again.”
“Yeah. I’m happy with how the bike was the first couple laps. Then really like lap three I started getting really big front tucks in the carousel where there was just nothing I could do. I tried changing my line through. I thought maybe I went in tight, maybe I did something wrong, but it just ended up after lap three, lap four once I tried that, I tried everything I could in the carousel, and it didn’t work. Then it started happening on the right-hand corners so I kind of figured the front was chewed. I’m honestly kind of lucky that the race got called early because I was worried about the guys behind me catching me just because it was getting so bad. We haven’t had any problems with the front tire the whole weekend. It’s been perfectly fine. We did 14 laps on the front on Friday morning and did our fastest lap at the end on the last lap. It’s frustrating because we got a lap record this morning. Got off to a great start. I felt really good. Stayed out of trouble. To have something like that be the reason why we are sitting third instead of possibly at least second and closer to the front is disappointing. Super happy with the work that my team has done. We’ve got the bike working really well this weekend. The incident with PJ going into the chicane, I think he just got in there a little bit hot. He said his brakes weren’t working that great. I felt like I didn’t have anywhere to go except to go straight, because I just felt like it would be safer than trying to make that turn where I was on the track. Like I said, disappointed but also at the same time happy to get some solid points. I know Gagne had an engine problem, so we were able to make up at least whatever it is, 16 points on him. So, that’s good. We’ve just got to try to capitalize on having a good bike at this racetrack tomorrow, and hopefully we’re further up in the battle.”
Cameron Beaubier (6) bounced back from a slow start to pass both Josh Herrin (2) and PJ Jacobsen (99) en route to victory in Saturday’s Medallia Superbike race at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Josh Herrin (2) led the race early but was passed by PJ Jacobsen (99) for second place. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
(From left to right) PJ Jacobsen, Cameron Beaubier, Seb Fontanelle and Josh Herrin celebrate on the podium after Saturday’s Medallia Superbike race at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Saturday photos available HERE
Saturday results:
MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike
Complete practice, qualifying and race results are available HERE.
Kyle Wyman, Avery Dreher, Xavi Fores and Ezra Beaubier kept their hot hands as the MotoAmerica Championship visited Road America on Saturday for the first day of two days of racing.
Wyman won his fourth Mission King Of The Baggers race in front of the partisan Harley-Davidson crowd; Dreher seemingly came out of nowhere to win his fourth Junior Cup race of the season; Fores remained undefeated in Supersport; and Ezra Beaubier won his third Steel Commander Stock 1000 race to extend his lead in the championship.
MotoAmerica’s literbike riders love racing at Road America because the track favors horsepower, and the Steel Commander Stock 1000 class delivers it in spades. In race one, Orange Cat Racing’s Ezra Beaubier exploited the impressive power of his BMW M 1000 RR and won his third race of the year. Second place, and also riding a BMW M 1000 RR, went to Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman. The surprise of the race was Wyman’s younger brother Cody, who was pressed into action as a last-minute fill-in rider for the injured Brandon Paasch on the Altus Motorsports Suzuki. Cody Wyman, who had never before raced in the Steel Commander Stock 1000 class or aboard a Suzuki GSX-R1000R, rounded out the podium in third.
“I knew we would be really strong this weekend,” Ezra Beaubier said. “Obviously, the BMW Alpha Racing package is really, really strong, especially here with all the long straightaways. Yesterday went really well. We found some more with the bike this morning. I wasn’t able to really put a clean lap together. I kind of just got held up with some traffic and didn’t get to show what my full potential was this morning. But I knew going into the race that we were going to be just as strong as anyone. I was ready to bring the fight. I knew those first couple laps it was going to be tough with going with the hard-option rear tire. It was super-slick and super-greasy those first couple laps. I saw Travis almost go down in the second-to-last corner. I kind of felt like that was my chance to try to break away and slowly just tried to inch away and saw I was slowly building a gap. Just kept my head down and kept clicking off my laps and just hitting my marks and did what I could to bring it home in P1.”
MotoAmerica’s Junior Cup riders started the day at Road America, and the series’ entry-level riders, who are known to race close together in packs, take advantage of Road America’s four-mile race course and long straightaways to make draft passes at carefully timed moments. The result in race one was a photo finish with the podium decided after carefully studying the still photo captured at the finish line. Bad Boys Racing Kawasaki’s Avery Dreher very solidly won the race, while the second- and third-place finishers ended up being Fairium NGRT- Gray Area Racing Aprilia rider Rossi Moor, the former Mini Cup rider earning his first “big-bike” podium, and Belgian rider Levi Badie, who won race two at Barber Motorsports Park and notched his second-consecutive podium finish aboard his Badie Racing Kawasaki.
“I was kind of anxious coming out of that last lap,” Dreher said. “I went to the race with the plan not leading on the front straightaway, even be third or fourth. Coming out of that last lap, I think I was at the back of the pack, or close to the back of the pack. So, I just had to make my moves. I made a couple moves in the second or third sector, and then I passed another rider on the back straightaway and came out of that front straight only expecting to be on the podium. I said in my head, ‘Man, I better do the best job of my life coming up to this last corner.’ Got on the gas super-early. Everyone was drafting, moving side to side, and then, they moved to the left and I just saw an opening and took it.”
At this still-early point in the season, it’s safe to say that Spaniard Xavi Fores loves racing in MotoAmerica. The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati rider is undefeated so far this season, and he notched his fourth consecutive Supersport victory in race one at Road America.
Incidentally, Fores has begun his first MotoAmerica season with more consecutive race victories than any other first-year rider in the history of the series. Fores and his Ducati Panigale V2 crossed the finish line just under 3/10ths of a second ahead of Tytlers Cycle Racing Kawasaki’s Stefano Mesa. For Mesa, it was his third podium of the year. Also recording his third podium result of the season was Squid Hunter Racing’s Josh Hayes, who was third aboard his Yamaha.
“About the race today, honestly I think it was the race I enjoyed more because, especially at the beginning of the race, I didn’t expect Josh to stay with us because during all the sessions yesterday and today, me and Stefano had something else compared to the others,” Fores said. “But you can’t forget Josh Hayes on the racing. He’s a dog. He has a lot of experience. You always have to count with him. So, when he passed me the first time on turn five, I said, ‘Oh, he’s here.’ He’s even strong on brakes, because I brake there really late, and he passed me. He was turning well. So, I said, okay, it’s going to be good fun today. I think all of us three have some strong points on our bike, so my bike is quite good on brakes and on the top of the power a little bit better than previously. Josh in the middle sector, the Yamaha is always amazing and he’s so fast on the long corners. It’s difficult to stay sometimes with him. When he passed me, he pulled some gap away two or three corners and I said, ‘I have to wake up otherwise he’s going to go.’ Stefano, he’s light. He’s quite aerodynamic. The bike is going fast. He showed a lot of potential this weekend and all the season. So, this means that every time we go out, we improve something, we learn something from each other. This is something that I think the fans are enjoying, as well, because we do some overtakes, clean overtakes always. A lot of respect. In the end, even if one of them wins the race I will be happy as well, because we are enjoying on the bike which is the priority. My bike was working well, as I said before. I need to find something on the forks because the last part of the fork, I feel always the bottom. I don’t feel really comfortable, and I run wide a couple of times. But, overall, I’m feeling good on the bike. Coming here and winning races is not that easy. Hopefully, tomorrow we can try again.”
H-D Screamin’ Eagle’s Kyle Wyman won his fourth Mission King Of The Baggers race in a row on Saturday at Road America with the Harley-Davidson factory rider passing Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods-backed Tyler O’Hara on the last lap to score the victory.
At the finish line, Wyman was .567 of a second ahead of O’Hara, who in turn was 1.5 seconds ahead of Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson’s James Rispoli.
“I definitely planned to get him between (turns) seven and eight, but he made a bigger mistake than I had seen on the last few laps,” Wyman said. “So, the door opened quite a bit earlier. He tried to brake me back into eight, but he was going to be super late. Luckily, I was able to slow the thing and square him up and get back past him. I was hoping I could find a little something. I had not been really that comfortable this weekend, and when the race comes you just got to dig a little bit deeper. We found what we needed. I really thought about going sooner, but since we had a gap and it was just us two, I didn’t want to slow each other up and make it a more complicated chess game towards the end. So, it was going to be a lot easier to win that race one on one. We played our cards right.
Nineteen-year-old Mikayla Moore simply dominated Saturday’s opening round of the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. series with a 17.206-second victory over last year’s championship runner-up Crystal Martinez at Road America.
So, in FP1 I ended up doing three minutes and two seconds (lap time),” Moore said. “That was my best, and then in qualifying two I got it down to a 2:56. I had to make some suspension changes, especially in the rear, and it definitely helped a lot.”
Defending series champion Kayleigh Buyck had a mechanical problem that dropped her out of second place early in the race.
Mission Foods Mini Cup by Motul kicked off the weekend at Road America on Friday with great races across multiple classes.
In Stock 50, Weston Fager and Cruise Texter battled all day with Fager taking both wins and Texter ending up second. Nico Bandel rounded out the podium in both races.
The Stock 110/125 class had a barn burner race one with Ryan Clark and Joel Laub going back and forth multiple times throughout the race. At the finish, Clark narrowly got the win by .105 of a second. Clark was a little more dominant in race two, taking the victory. Jacob Davis was third in both races. Nathan Bettencourt, meanwhile, took the combined-class win.
The Ohvale 160 class has been the most competitive all year and day one at Road America was no different. Nathan Gouker dominated both races by over 13 and 18 seconds. Mahdi Salem put up some good rides to finish second in both races. Kruz Maddison finished third in race one with Reese Frankenfield taking the final podium spot in race two.
Ryder Davis kept his winning streak alive in the Ohvale 190 class by winning both races. Josh Raymond kept him honest in second with third going to
Nathan Bettencourt, who was pulling double duty in addition to the Stock 110/125 class.
Stadler America’s Nathan Gouker and Alpha Omega’s Ryder Davis continued their domination of the 160 Ohvale and 190 Ohvale classes in the MotoAmerica Mini Cup series at the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex on Saturday evening.
In Stock class racing, Cruise Texter and Weston Fager split wins in the Stock 50 class while Ryan Clark completely dominated the Stock 110/Stock 125 class.
Xavi Fores won his fourth straight Supersport race on Saturday at Road America with victory over Stefano Mesa (37) and Josh Hayes (4). Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Kyle Wyman (33) hounded Tyler O’Hara (1) until passing him late in the race to win his fourth Mission King Of The Baggers race in a row on Saturday. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Mikayla Moore won the opening round of the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. series at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Ezra Beaubier took his third win of the Steel Commander Stock 1000 series to extend his lead in the championship. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
How close is close? Avery Dreher (99) looks over to witness the photo finish for second place in Saturday’s Junior Cup race at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Saturday photos available HERE
Saturday results:
Steel Commander Stock 1000 Supersport Junior Cup Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Mission King Of The Baggers
Complete practice, qualifying and race results are available HERE.
Foothill Ranch, Calif. (June 3, 2023) - Round 2 of the AMA Pro Motocross series took place at Prairie City SVRA for the annual Hangtown Motocross Classic in Rancho Cordova, California. Surrounded by a sea of rolling hills and an intense sun, Monster Energy® Kawasaki rider Adam Cianciarulo overcame the notoriously hard packed track finishing fifth overall (5-4), while also moving up to fifth place in the championship standings, six points behind fourth. MonsterEnergy®/Kawasaki/Pro Circuit riders Jo Shimoda, Ryder DiFrancesco, Carson Mumford and Jett Reynolds finished sixth (4-10), 10th (8-13), 13th (15-9) and 22nd (17-35), respectively.
For the last 55 years, Hangtown has been a legendary motocross location bringing in top riders from around the world. The track is widely known for its elevation changes, severely hard packed soil, difficult off-camber turns and single-line corners which require technical bike handling skills and superb physical capabilities from riders. In the morning qualifying session, Cianciarulo proved his skill by qualifying his KX™450SR second fastest with a time of 2:08.300.
In Moto 1, Cianciarulo had a fifth place start as he continued to set a pace a few seconds behind the top four riders. As the wind began to pick up and the track dried out, the hard packed dirt began to form a harsh course for the riders. He continued to hold his pace and maintain a solid fifth place where the No. 9 would finish for the first moto.
As Moto 2 came around, temperatures reached their highest during the peak heat of the day, and Cianciarulo was determined to stay motivated and consistent throughout the final race. Water trucks sprayed the harshly, hard packed track and deep ruts began to form. The No. 9 was off to fifth out of the gate once again and maintained his position, holding a consistent speed behind the close running top four riders. Cianciarulo continued to pace himself and moved into fourth position after one of the riders in front of him went down. The course continued to deteriorate, but that did not stop him from persevering and crossing the finish line in fourth place, fifth overall for the weekend.
“I can’t say I’m super stoked on my results, but I am happy with the progress my Monster Energy® Kawasaki team and I are making. This is always a brutal track, so I’m glad that we were able to hold a steady pace. We are going to continue to put in work and get back to where I know I can be.”
- Adam Cianciarulo
The MonsterEnergy®/Kawasaki/Pro Circuit riders laid down some fast laps in the morning qualifying session, all placing in the top 11. Shimoda proved his speed by qualifying with a fourth place time of 2:07.982, one second behind the pole sitter. Mumford showcased his skill by qualifying with a time of 2:08.763, earning him the eighth place position for the race. DiFrancesco rounded out the top 10 by qualifying with a time of 2:09.692 and Reynolds continued to improve and display his raw talent by qualifying with a time of 2:09.805, securing the 11th place position to line up for the first moto.
Reynolds kicked off Moto 1 with an impressive third place start, immediately engaging in intense battles with veterans in the 250 class. DiFrancesco, Shimoda and Mumford were sixth, 13th and 15th, respectively, off the start. As the heat and calm breeze began to take a toll on the track, each rider continued to push their limits to be up front for the moto. Reynolds made a costly mistake sending him off track where he lost a few positions, but DiFrancesco, Shimoda and Mumford were making up positions as each lap passed. Shimoda overtook third place on Lap 10 and continued to battle for the position until a small mistake sent him back to fourth where he finished. DiFrancesco moved up to the fifth position for multiple laps while the track began to rapidly deteriorate. As the course became tougher, DiFrancesco lost a few positions but persevered to the end, finishing in eighth place. Mumford ran consistently in the top 10 until a mistake sent him back to 25th. Despite the error, Mumford powered through the choppy course, making up a remarkable 10 positions in only six laps, finishing in 15th. Reynolds made another costly mistake, causing him to lose 10 positions, but he was determined to fight for a solid finish. Reynolds continued to make up positions on the rutted track and crossed the finish line in 17th.
Shimoda grabbed a sixth place start in Moto 2 as the top eight riders battled within a few seconds of each other the first six laps. The No. 30 was on the brink of breaking into the top four with teammate DiFrancesco right on his heels, until a collision with a fallen rider sent him off the track. Shimoda quickly remounted his KX™250 but was back to the 20th position. Shimoda's determination quickly advanced him five positions in just three laps where he finished 15th. After his off-track excursion with Shimoda, the No. 75 of DiFrancesco quickly re-entered the track and used tremendous skill to quickly overtake a few positions, finishing in 13th for the moto. Mumford had a 15th place start and quickly began to make his way through the field. He consistently battled through the aggressive braking bumps, concrete like terrain and maneuvering through lapped traffic. In just a few laps, Mumford broke into the top 10 and finished ninth for the moto. Reynolds had an unfortunate start where he was caught up in a second turn pile up, relegating him to the 37th position. Reynolds recuperated from the wreck and continued to ride. The No. 124 experienced a few errors throughout the moto and pulled into the mechanic’s area, missing two laps of the 16 lap moto before finishing the race in 35th.
“I felt great mentally and physically. My stamina and energy is there, I just need to start limiting my mistakes. Although there were some issues out of my control, I feel good knowing that we have the pace to be up front. Time to reevaluate for the next round.”
- Jo Shimoda
“I’m not the most happy with my performance this round. A few mistakes on my end kept me from being consistent, but I can’t thank my MonsterEnergy®/Kawasaki/Pro Circuit team for sticking behind me and pushing me to be better. We’re heading to the next round healthy and ready and will keep building each week.”
- Carson Mumford
“Round 2 this weekend and I feel solid with our overall result. I’ve raced up here my whole life so it was cool to come back. The track being hard packed and mixed with the hot weather definitely tested my stamina, and the heat is what we will have for the rest of the Pro Motocross season. My KX™250 handled this brutal track flawlessly, and I’m ready to continue putting in work to be on top.”
- Ryder DiFrancesco
“It was going great until it wasn’t. I had awesome starts in both motos, but Moto 2 I was a caught in the pileup in the second corner. I felt like I was running at a great pace on my KX™250 until I started making mistakes that sent me to the back. It’s a long season, I have a lot to learn but even more to offer. I’m ready to recuperate and be ready for the rest of the Pro Motocross season.”
- Jett Reynolds
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Craig DeLong became the first two-time winner of season 2023 in Round 8 of the Grand National Cross Country Series at the Mason-Dixon GNCC, taking charge of the points-lead on a weekend where teammate Trevor Bollinger made his return to competition with a P9 result.
Encountering a near-perfect outing in Mount Morris within the XC1 Open Pro division, DeLong took the holeshot and maintained a comfortable 15-second gap to second position. A minor crash saw him relinquish the lead, before a hard charge saw him reclaim P1 onboard the FX 350, which is where he would finish.
With his victory in Pennsylvania to become the first rider to earn two race wins this year, DeLong now moves into the championship lead, eight points clear of second position.
“This feels awesome – I’m lost for words,” commented DeLong. “Pretty close to a perfect day with the holeshot, then I ran up front, which I felt I could manage. I had a little crash and Layne [Michael] got around me, but reeled him in, he made a mistake, and I was able to bring it home. Two wins this season, we’re in a good spot, and I think that shows everyone what I can do.”
After being sidelined with a broken scapula sustained earlier in the season, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teammate Bollinger made a welcome return to GNCC racing this weekend on his FX 350, maintaining a consistent pace throughout the encounter to finish ninth.
“Today was good. I started with a great jump, then slid out in the first turn, which put me back to almost last,”explained Bollinger. “It was really dusty, which made visibility tough, but I was able to stay with the group and click off my laps. First race back from a couple of injuries, so this result is a good way to come back.”
Next Round (9): Snowshoe, WV – June 24-25, 2023
Mason-Dixon GNCC Results
XC1 Open Pro Class
1. Craig DeLong – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
2. Layne Michael, (GAS)
3. Ricky Russell, (YAM) 4. Jordan Ashburn, (HQV)
…
9. Trevor Bollinger – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
Overall Championship Standings
1. Craig DeLong – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 168 points
2. Steward Baylor Jr, 160 points
3. Ben Kelley, 144 points 4. Jordan Ashburn, 128 points
…
11. Trevor Bollinger – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 14 points
Mount Morris, Pa. – FMF KTM Factory Racing experienced a challenging day of competition at Round 8 of the 2023 Grand National Cross Country Series in Pennsylvania, with teammates Ben Kelley and Johnny Girroir finishing sixth and seventh in the XC1 Pro Class at the Mason-Dixon GNCC event.
A poor start and dusty conditions made for a difficult outing for Kelley, combined with multiple crashes that ultimately lowered his position in the field. A hard charge throughout the final two laps meant that Kelley and his KTM 350 XC-F were able to climb to sixth by race's end to remain in contention for this year’s championship, currently P3 in the point standings.
Ben Kelley: “They were tough conditions today, with the heat and dry track. It wasn't the best start and I struggled with comfort and vision due to the dust. Had a few crashes throughout the day also, but managed to put on a charge after my pit stop and make it up to sixth with a couple of last lap passes.”
FMF KTM Factory Racing teammate Girroir circled the first corner in fourth place on his KTM 350 XC-F, before struggling to come to terms with the dusty, technical conditions. The number 969 went on to finish his day in seventh position and he sits eighth in the championship.
Johnny Girroir: “It wasn’t my best day today – I never really got comfortable with the square-edged, choppy conditions. Looking forward to regrouping and ready to go racing on the mountain!”
The XC1 Pro Class standings see KTM-mounted Steward Baylor Jr sit in second position, directly ahead of former champion Kelley, who is now 24 points from the lead with four rounds remaining.
In addition at the Mason-Dixon GNCC, Korie Steed returned to the winner's circle in the WXC division, still placed P2 in the points-race.
Next Race: Snowshoe Mountain Resort – Snowshoe, WV – June 24-25, 2023
XC1 Open Pro Results – Mason-Dixon GNCC 1. Craig DeLong, HQV, 3:01:38.961 2. Layne Michael, GAS, +15.878 3. Ricky Russell, YAM, +30.861 OTHER KTM 6. Ben Kelley, KTM 7. Johnny Girroir, KTM 8. Steward Baylor Jr, KTM
Overall Championship Standings 1. Craig DeLong, 168 2. Steward Baylor Jr, 160 3. Ben Kelley, 144 OTHER KTM 8. Johnny Girroir, 103
Going into the second of two MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike races at Road America on Sunday, Josh Herrin had won AMA Superbike races on two different makes of motorcycles – Yamaha and Suzuki. As of Sunday afternoon you can add Ducati to that list as the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati rider rode his Panigale V4 R to his first victory of the season and the ninth Superbike win of his career.
Herrin led from the start and then tussled with Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier in the early laps until Beaubier’s BMW M 1000 RR suffered a mechanical failure that put him out of the race. From there Herrin withstood the constant pressure from a second Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW ridden by PJ Jacobsen.
But Herrin was fast, consistent, and mostly mistake-free en route to a 2.01-second win over Jacobsen after 12 laps of the four-mile Road America circuit. The win came in front of a record three-day crowd of 41,000 spectators at “America’s National Park of Speed.”
Jacobsen finished second for the second straight day after crossing the finish line some eight seconds ahead of Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne.
For Gagne the third-place finish was a reprieve from a weekend he and the team would like to forget. Mechanical problems plagued the team for the first two days of the Road America weekend and Gagne failed to finish yesterday’s race, which cost him his championship points lead.
However, with Beaubier’s non-finish combined with Gagne’s third-place finish, Gagne was back atop the championship point standings by 12 points over Beaubier, 111-99. Herrin, meanwhile, jumped to third in the standings with 90 points.
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen was the ultimate wingman to his teammate Gagne and ended up a shadow fourth despite racing with his injured right wrist.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Toni Elias was fifth in what was the Spaniard’s final race as he announced his retirement on TV immediately after the race. Elias drafted past Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz at the stripe, beating the South African by just .161 of a second. Those two were well clear of Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Corey Alexander, who bested Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante by half a second.
Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates and Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim rounded out the top 10 finishers.
“It was just for the haters, man. It just felt good. It felt right. But it was all in good fun. That felt really good. Like I said on the podium, I think this just motivates me to do more. I know that this is for sure one of our strongest tracks, but we’ve got to figure out how to make tracks like Barber not be such a weakness for us. I think just getting more time on the bike and a little bit more confidence will for sure help with that. I’m so happy that I’m a part of this team. It’s been really like a family these last two years. It’s a bummer that the DeNaples couldn’t be here for this one, because I know that they wish they could. It just feels good. It feels good to be 33 years old winning Superbike races on a bike like I’m riding right now and just having fun. This track has always been one of my favorite tracks, but today it really felt like… I’ve been racing here since 2006. This is my 18th season racing at this track. It felt like ’06 with the crowds that we had today. It was just really special going around the track afterwards and seeing everybody cheering on the fence. It’s really motivating as a racer to be out there and see a crowd like that. So, thank you to everybody for showing up. Thank you to the whole team for everything that they do for me. I’m ready to keep going.”
“Josh (Herrin) rode really, really well today. My starts just suck, and they’ve been sucking all year. So, that’s one thing that I need to figure out how to get off the line better. In the race, I feel like we were doing pretty consistent lap times, into the nines and stuff like that. I caught up to him and Cam (Beaubier), and then Cam had the problem. Then I felt like I was catching Josh a little, and then it stayed like that. Then the last few laps it felt like we were going pretty fast. I think I did 2:09.2 with two laps to go. Then there was pretty decent gap. I don’t know if it was a gap enough to go and try to challenge for the win. After turn three or whatever, we were ripping and I was like, I don’t know if I should really throw this thing away trying to go faster than that lap time we just did, because it was fast enough. I was trying really hard. Josh rode a really good race. So, it was a bummer. I felt really good in morning warmup and breaking the track record this morning. It was kind of a bummer not to get the win today, but I felt like I rode pretty good, and my team did a great job all weekend. The bikes were super, super fast all weekend. So, it was really good. I’m pretty happy with the whole weekend.”
“That was about all I could expect, I think, coming from the last couple days. Josh (Herrin) and PJ (Jacobsen) and Cam (Beaubier), those guys were really flying. They had pace. I know what it feels like now. They had pace that I just couldn’t run, no matter what. They took off right away. I wanted to get a good start and at least try to clear some of the other guys. My teammate, Cam (Petersen), was on me the whole race long. I could hear him breathing down on me. Again, the team went through a lot of crap this weekend and had some real bad luck. It was just one of those weekends. So, I’m happy that we at least put it up on the box today. With Beaubier having a DNF, I got some luck on my side too, which isn’t how you want it, but we’re up here and I’m ready to get out of this state.”
With a record three-day crowd of 41,000 spectators on hand at Road America on Sunday, the five support classes of the MotoAmerica Championship were on center stage and they didn’t disappoint.
The last thing anybody thought would happen in the Mission King Of The Bagger race at Road America was that one rider would simply ride off in the distance and leave the rest to fight for second place. But that’s what happened on Sunday as Sac Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands/Indian’s Bobby Fong annihilated the rest of the Mission King Of The Baggers field, winning by an unheard of 5.7 seconds.
The race didn’t start well for Fong as he somehow made the airbag in his leathers activate after the warm-up lap and he started the race looking like Bibendum. It didn’t slow him down, however, as he got a great start and simply pulled away.
In Fong’s wake was a full-on war with James Rispoli, Kyle Wyman, Hayden Gillim and Jeremy McWilliams brawling over the remaining podium spots. The runner-up spot ended up going to Vance & Hines/Mission Harley-Davidson’s Rispoli over H-D Screamin’ Eagle’s Wyman by just .010 of a second. Gillim was right behind them in fourth with Travis Wyman fifth on the second H-D Screamin’ Eagle Harley. McWilliams, meanwhile, crashed out of the race on the last lap two turns from the finish.
“It’s been a rollercoaster of a year, but we’ve shown some glimpses of hope here and there and had some bad luck, but that’s part of racing,” Fong said. “I’ve dealt with worse in the past. I’m just thankful to be up here today. Before the race, I was just doing my little warmup, pump me up, little pump my
chest and the damn airbag popped off, but it gave me a little adrenaline rush right before the race. The main thing, my goal was just to get away from the chaos behind me. I knew it was going to be a mess back there. I got the initial jump and then I started slipping my clutch. I’m like, ‘damn, they’re all going to blow by me,’ and nobody got by me. Yesterday Tyler (O’Hara) and Jeremy (McWilliams) had a hell of a start, so I was just waiting for them to blow by me. But I just put my head down the first lap. I’m like, ‘okay, I feel good.’ The pace was pretty smooth. I felt pretty good doing it, but I can’t get too used to this. These guys are going pretty good. Laguna (Seca) they go real well also. I’m going to have my hands full for the rest of the year, and we’ll just keep our head down and keep pushing.”
When Xavi Fores inked his deal to come to America to ride a Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V2 in the MotoAmerica Supersport Series, he figured he’d win races and challenge for the title. Little did he know he’d win the first five races of his MotoAmerica career, but that’s exactly what he’s done as he won his fifth in a row at Road America on Sunday.
Forest battled throughout the race with Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa with the Floridian coming up just .399 of a second short after the run up the hill to the finish line.
Third place went to Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott with the youngster topping Squid Hunter Racing’s Josh Hayes by a tick over a second. Michael Gilbert Racing’s Michael Gilbert rounded out the top five.
“I realized already this morning in warmup I was not able to pass him on the draft,” Fores said. “He is lighter than me and the bike is fast, but I wanted to see how was his pace. I ran wide in the chicane. I lost the front a little bit, so I said, okay. I looked back and no one was coming close to us. I said, “okay, I’m going to let him pass and try to understand his pace.’ So after that, on the first split, I was a little bit faster than him and I was solid braking into turn five, so I passed again. I was quite okay doing 16 on my pace. I was pushing so hard. I was looking back all the time and he was there. The bike was working quite well, despite some issues I still have on the front. I never felt the front on my side from the first race of this year. But we are working a little bit. We are improving the bike a little bit, but it is still not enough. I lose the front sometimes when I am deep on the brakes. But I’m enjoying my riding. I’m enjoying fighting with them, discovering new tracks. If it’s winning races like that, it’s always welcome.”
It was a big day for Fairium NGRT- Gray Area Racing KTM rider Rossi Moor. The fifteen-year-old former Mini Cup rider, who podiumed in Saturday’s Junior Cup race one, notched his first career MotoAmerica race on Sunday at Road America in Junior Cup race two. It was another “pack mentality” race for MotoAmerica’s entry-level riders where you didn’t know who’d win till they actually took the checkered flag. Moor prevailed over SportbikeTrackGear.com Kawasaki rider Max Van, who came from back in the pack to take the runner-up position over third-place rider Avery Dreher aboard his Bad Boys Racing Kawasaki.
“Yesterday, I wanted to try and stay in second place and try to not lead the race because I remember when Avery was saying that on this track you really don’t want to lead, especially on the last laps since the draft is so important here,” Moor said. “But I was analyzing the race yesterday and I thought that I had the pace to be able to break away. I just have to put my head down and sometimes you need a little bit of luck, like somebody making a mistake, to have that little breakaway. So, it was a really good race for me, after the bad luck I’ve had this season with two DNF’s. But finally, I got the win and I’m super excited.”
The 12 ladies of the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. program kicked off Sunday’s racing at Road America with their second feature event of the weekend. Mikayla Moore, who won Saturday’s race one by more than 17 seconds, was victorious again on Sunday. But, this time, Kayleigh Buyck, who suffered a mechanical in race one and was unable to finish, came back on Sunday to finish second and a little under 12 seconds behind Moore. Completing the podium was Aubrey Credaroli, who was another 9 seconds behind Buyck.
The BTR series will race again at MotoAmerica’s next round, which is Ridge Motorsports Park, June 24-26.
“I have a lap-timer on my bike, and surprisingly, my fastest time all weekend was in qualifying 2. I did a 2:53.8,” Moore said. “This time I think I was a second off. I’m still finding a little bit of bike setup during the race, but other than that, I just kept consistent. Made sure I hit all my lines, hit all my marks, and I’m glad these ladies are up here with me. Not going to lie, going onto the straightaway I could see the big screen, and I was watching. I was like, ‘Oh, there’s a battle going on back there.’”
According to Travis Wyman, he struggled with the setup of his Travis Wyman Racing BMW throughout most of the Road America weekend. This was despite the fact that he qualified in the pole position for the weekend’s two Steel Commander Stock 1000 races and finished second in Saturday’s race two.
On Sunday, Wyman won the race over Orange Cat Racing’s Kaleb De Keyrel, who was also aboard a BMW and just a little over two seconds behind Wyman. Third place went to Disrupt Racing Suzuki rider Hayden Gillim, the Kentucky rider happy to get a podium result at a track where he felt he would struggle due to the power and speed of the BMWs. Gillim was some 16 seconds behind De Keyrel at the checkered flag, and he was also able to take advantage of the fact that points leader Ezra Beaubier ran off the track and finished fourth.
“It’s definitely where I wanted to be yesterday,” Wyman said, “But I think we were still missing a little bit of something. So, the guys put a great package underneath me today. I think just the little bit cooler temperatures gave me more confidence to just get out and push, because in Q2 yesterday morning it was about similar temperatures, a little overcast, and the bike felt its best. Yesterday in the race when the sun was beating down, I didn’t have the confidence in the grip level. I knew if I got a holeshot, I could put my head down and go to work. I saw the gap getting bigger and bigger, and then all of a sudden it was back down to the plus zero again. Honestly, I thought it was Ezra behind me the entire time, and I just kept my head down for a couple more laps and I looked up and I saw on the monitor going into three and it was Kaleb. Kaleb has been strong at the end of the races, so I had to keep going. Just really never looked back. The bike was phenomenal. It was a huge step up from yesterday. It felt like it did in Q2. I got to give it all to my team. It’s been a long time coming. It’s been since Laguna 2021 when I won a Stock 1000 race.”
