Despite a multi-rider crash in the new chicane on the opening lap of the HONOS Superbike race at the Ridge Motorsports Park on Saturday, four-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion and Saturday’s race winner Cameron Beaubier and third-place finisher Bobby Fong weren’t reversing their opinion of the riders’ suggestion to MotoAmerica that the chicane be used on the opening lap.
“I do,” Beaubier said when asked if he still feels the same about using the chicane. “I’ll stand behind my decision, or whatever I told them. If a couple bikes hit together going into turn one, with how fast we’re going in there on a Superbike… it would be bad. The wall comes up really quick, even then to get into the third corner out of the chicane. So, I can only imagine how fast (it would be). We know just riding out of pit lane, kicking into third and fourth gear, you’re getting in there hot just out of pit lane. So, obviously, that sucked what happened to the guys and I’m glad they’re all okay. I feel like that’s a safer option than going into turn one.”
Fong concurred.
“For a little bit I was like, man, that chicane is going to be hairy on the first lap, especially if you’re mid-pack,” Fong said. “But Cameron is right. You’re going so damn fast going into below the chicane, I can’t imagine losing the front right there, cleaning out everybody going 120 mph by then. So definitely I think everybody just needs to be calm and us as professionals need to know just cool it for the first two turns and then start racing right after that. We all want to jockey positions, but I think we need to look out for one another and not do things too crazy.”
