It wasn’t a matter of if Cameron Beaubier was going to get down to business at the two-day MotoAmerica/Dunlop Preseason test, it was just a matter of when.
In his first day on the 2.32-mile Podium Club road course on Saturday, Beaubier and his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR ended up third fastest, behind the two Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing teamsters, Bobby Fong and Jake Gagne.
On Sunday, Beaubier became the first rider to lead a session other than Fong when he ripped off a 1:27.224 in session five, besting Fong and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly. In session six, Beaubier went even quicker with his 1:27.048.
Although Fong turned the tables back in his favor in session seven by breaking his lap record for the second time in two days with his 1:26.461, Beaubier had the final punch.
Actually, two punches.
Beaubier ripped off a lap-record-breaking 1:26.390 with 24 minutes to go in the eighth and final session. Oddly, shortly thereafter, both Beaubier and Fong crashed in separate incidents in the same corner – turn one.
Beaubier, however, got back on track and went quicker still, lowering the lap record to 1:26.385. It was a time that wasn’t bettered.
Fong’s 1:26.461 from session seven put him second overall with Gagne’s 1:26.972 putting him third and just a tick over half a second from Beaubier’s best.
When all was said and done, Kelly was fourth-quickest with his best coming in session six.
Jayson Uribe was the fastest of the Stock 1000 riders and the best of the two OrangeCat Racing BMWs with Andrew Lee less than half a second off his teammate’s best.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin did two sessions on Sunday with his best lap coming in session six – a 1:30.404. Herrin was riding the Panigale V2 in preparation for a run at his fourth Daytona 200 victory in a few weeks.
Herrin’s teammate Cameron Petersen didn’t take part on the second day of the test after aggravating a knee injury in his Saturday afternoon tipover.
MP13 Racing’s Aiden Sneed topped Group B on his MV Agusta, ending up a tick quicker than Celtic/Economy Lube+Tire/Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Wristin Grigg. TAB Performance’s Kyle Ohnsorg was the only Mission King Of The Baggers testers on Sunday and he ended up third fastest overall.
Koch Racing teammates Sean Ungvarsky and Romeo Chiavini were fourth and fifth, respectively.
MotoAmerica/Dunlop Day 2
- Cameron Beaubier (BMW) 1:26.385
- Bobby Fong (Yamaha) 1:26.461
- Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 1:26.972
- Sean Dylan Kelly (Suzuki) 1:27.320
- Jayson Uribe (BMW) 1:28.506
- Andrew Lee (BMW) 1:28.888
- Josh Herrin (Ducati) 1:30.404
