At every racetrack that is on the MotoAmerica schedule, our Timing & Scoring people utilize radar technology to measure the top speeds of each motorcycle, ideally at the fastest point on the longest straight of each circuit. Generally, the speed trap records the absolute top speed of each motorcycle on each lap of each practice session, qualifying, warmup, and race. At times, though, certainly anomalies like placement of the speed trap, track conditions, etc., can result in the motorcycles actually achieving a higher speed than is recorded by the speed trap. Overall, however, trap speeds are a pretty good indicator of who is the fastest rider.

Another interesting anomaly is that the longest road courses do not always yield the highest trap speeds. An example of this is Road America versus Circuit of The Americas. Road America is, by far, the longest track on the schedule with a 4.05-mile, 14-turn road course. COTA is 3.43 miles in length with 20 turns. Logic would dictate that a longer racetrack with fewer turns would produce the highest trap speeds, right? So, the highest overall trap speed recorded this season must have been at Road America…right?

Not so fast, there, MotoAmerica fan. The highest trap speed recorded this past season during the MotoAmerica Championship actually occurred at COTA. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach got his BMW M 1000 RR Superbike up to 191.2 miles per hour at COTA, and Jiggy Dog achieved that top speed on the penultimate lap of Sunday’s Superbike Race 2 this past September.

Incidentally, of the trap speeds recorded at each of the nine racetracks where MotoAmerica Superbike races were held, Beach was the fastest rider at more than half—five, to be precise—of those circuits.

Here are the top 20 fastest trap speeds recorded this past season:

Top 20 Trap Speeds

1. 191.2 miles per hour by Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s JD Beach (Superbike – Circuit of The Americas)

2. 189.2 miles per hour by Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz (Superbike – Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta)

3. 189 miles per hour by Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s Cameron Beaubier (Superbike – Road America)

4. 185.5 miles per hour by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s James Rispoli and S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle teammates Tyler O’Hara and Troy Herfoss (Mission King Of The Baggers – Daytona International Speedway)

5. 185.4 miles per hour by Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s JD Beach (Superbike – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course)

6. 184.3 miles per hour by PHR Performance Triumph’s Richard Cooper (Supersport – Daytona International Speedway)

7. 175.4 miles per hour by Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s JD Beach (Superbike – New Jersey Motorsports Park)

8. 171.9 miles per hour by Gator Harley/KWR/Harley-Davidson’s Cody Wyman (Daytona International Speedway)

9. 169.9 miles per hour by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman (Mission King Of The Baggers – Circuit of The Americas, April)

10. 169.4 miles per hour by OrangeCat Racing BMW’s Jayson Uribe (Stock 1000 – New Jersey Motorsports Park)

11. 168.0 miles per hour by S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara (Mission King Of The Baggers – Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta)

12. 165.8 miles per hour by Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott (Supersport – Circuit of The Americas)

13. 165.7 miles per hour by Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin (Superbike – Ridge Motorsports Park)

13. 165.7 miles per hour by N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis (Supersport – Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta)

15. 165.6 miles per hour by SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki’s Max Van (Supersport – Road America)

16. 164.6 miles per hour by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s James Rispoli (Mission King Of The Baggers – Road America)

16. 164.6 miles per hour by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman (Mission King Of The Baggers – Circuit of The Americas, September)

18. 163.5 miles per hour by Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s Cameron Beaubier (Superbike – WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca)

19. 163.3 miles per hour by TopPro Racing Aprilia’s Avery Dreher (BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Daytona International Speedway)

20. 163 miles per hour by BPR Racing Yamaha’s Tyler Bengford (Stock 1000 Brainerd International Raceway)

Now, as long as we’re on the subject of highest trap speeds, let’s slice this pie up a couple of other ways. Here are the highest trap speeds organized by individual race class:

Superbike

191.2 miles per hour by Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s JD Beach (Circuit of The Americas)

189.2 miles per hour by Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz (Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta)

189 miles per hour by Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s Cameron Beaubier (Road America)

185.4 miles per hour by Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s JD Beach (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course)

175.4 miles per hour by Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s JD Beach (New Jersey Motorsports Park)

165.7 miles per hour by Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin (Ridge Motorsports Park)

163.5 miles per hour by Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s Cameron Beaubier (WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca)

161.1 miles per hour by Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s JD Beach (Brainerd International Raceway)

160.2 miles per hour by Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s JD Beach (Barber Motorsports Park)

Mission King Of The Baggers

185.5 miles per hour by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s James Rispoli and S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle teammates Tyler O’Hara and Troy Herfoss (Daytona International Speedway)

169.9 miles per hour by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman (Circuit of The Americas, April)

168.0 miles per hour by S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara (Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta)

164.6 miles per hour by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s James Rispoli (Road America)

164.6 miles per hour by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman (Circuit of The Americas, September)

161.5 miles per hour by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course)

157.6 miles per hour by S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Troy Herfoss (New Jersey Motorsports Park)

151.5 miles per hour by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s James Rispoli (WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca)

148.1 miles per hour by S&S/Indian Motorcycle‘s Troy Herfoss (Brainerd International Raceway)

Stock 1000

169.4 miles per hour by OrangeCat Racing BMW’s Jayson Uribe (New Jersey Motorsports Park)

163 miles per hour by BPR Racing Yamaha’s Tyler Bengford (Brainerd International Raceway)

161.1 miles per hour by Real Steel Motorsports Honda’s Hayden Gillim (WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca)

159.9 miles per hour by Team Brazil BMW’s Danilo Lewis (Ridge Motorsports Park)

153.2 miles per hour by GMR/Jones Honda’s Gabriel Da Silva (Barber Motorsports Park)

Supersport

184.3 miles per hour by PHR Performance Triumph’s Richard Cooper (Daytona International Speedway)

165.8 miles per hour by Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott (Circuit of The Americas)

165.7 miles per hour by N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis (Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta)

165.6 miles per hour by SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki’s Max Van (Road America)

161.5 miles per hour by Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Teagg Hobbs (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course)

157.1 miles per hour by N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha’s Blake Davis (New Jersey Motorsports Park)

151.2 miles per hour by N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha’s Blake Davis and Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen (WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca)

149.7 miles per hour by N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha’s Blake Davis (Ridge Motorsports Park)

146 miles per hour by Strack Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz and SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki’s Max Van (Brainerd International Raceway)

143.6 miles per hour by N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha’s Blake Davis (Barber Motorsports Park)

Mission Super Hooligan National Championship

171.9 miles per hour by Gator Harley/KWR/Harley-Davidson’s Cody Wyman (Daytona International Speedway)

158.8 miles per hour by Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Alessandro Di Mario (Circuit of The Americas)

157.7 miles per hour by KWR/Harley-Davidson’s Cody Wyman (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course)

147.8 miles per hour by KWR/Harley-Davidson’s Cody Wyman (WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca)

144.6 miles per hour by S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Troy Herfoss (Ridge Motorsports Park)

BellissiMoto Twins Cup

163.3 miles per hour by TopPro Racing Aprilia’s Avery Dreher (Daytona International Speedway)

148.7 miles per hour by Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia’s Alessandro Di Mario (Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta)

144.5 miles per hour by Giaccmoto Racing Yamaha’s Dominic Doyle (Circuit of The Americas)

144.3 miles per hour by Giaccmoto Racing Yamaha’s Dominic Doyle (Road America)

137.9 miles per hour by Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia‘s Alessandro Di Mario (Brainerd International Raceway)

131.5 miles per hour by Giaccmoto Racing Yamaha’s Dominic Doyle (Barber Motorsports Park)

Junior Cup

124.6 miles per hour by Wolfe Racing Kawasaki’s Ryan Wolfe andBad Boys Racing Kawasaki’s Ella Dreher (New Jersey Motorsports Park)

123.9 miles per hour by Ice Barn Racing Kawasaki’s Solly Mervis (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course)

123.2 miles per hour by BARTCON Racing Kawasaki’s Matthew Chapin (Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta)

122.7 miles per hour by New York Safety Track Racing Kawasaki‘s Yandel Medina (Brainerd International Raceway)

118.2 miles per hour by Wolfe Racing Kawasaki’s Ryan Wolfe (Road America)

111.2 miles per hour by BARTCON Racing Kawasaki’s Matthew Chapin (Barber Motorsports Park)

Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race.

116.5 miles per hour by Camille Conrad and Shea McGregor (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course)

112.2 miles per hour by Aubrey Credaroli (Road America)

106.5 miles per hour by Camille Conrad (Ridge Motorsports Park)

102.3 miles per hour by Shea MacGregor (Barber Motorsports Park)

And, finally, here are the highest trap speeds recorded per class at each round:

Daytona International Speedway

Mission King Of The Baggers: 185.5 miles per hour by James Rispoli, Tyler O’Hara, and Troy Herfoss

Supersport: 184.3 miles per hour by Richard Cooper

Mission Super Hooligan National Championship: 171.9 miles per hour by Cody Wyman

BellissiMoto Twins Cup: 163.3 miles per hour by Avery Dreher

Circuit of The Americas, April:

Mission King Of The Baggers: 169.9 miles per hour by Kyle Wyman 

Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta:

Superbike: 189.2 miles per hour by Loris Baz 

Mission King Of The Baggers: 168.0 miles per hour by Tyler O’Hara 

Supersport: 165.7 miles per hour by Blake Davis 

BellissiMoto Twins Cup: 148.7 miles per hour by Alessandro Di Mario

Junior Cup: 123.2 miles per hour by Matthew Chapin

Barber Motorsports Park:

Superbike: 160.2 miles per hour by JD Beach

Stock 1000: 153.2 miles per hour by Gabriel Da Silva

Supersport: 143.6 miles per hour by Blake Davis 

BellissiMoto Twins Cup: 131.5 miles per hour by Dominic Doyle

Junior Cup: 111.2 miles per hour by Matthew Chapin

Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race.: 102.3 miles per hour by Shea MacGregor

Road America:

Superbike: 189 miles per hour by Cameron Beaubier

Supersport: 165.6 miles per hour by Max Van 

Mission King Of The Baggers:164.6 miles per hour by James Rispoli

BellissiMoto Twins Cup: 144.3 miles per hour by Dominic Doyle

Junior Cup: 118.2 miles per hour by Ryan Wolfe

Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race.: 112.2 miles per hour by Aubrey Credarolli

Brainerd International Raceway:

Superbike: 161.1 miles per hour by JD Beach 

Stock 1000: 163 miles per hour by Tyler Bengford

Mission King Of The Baggers: 148.1 miles per hour by Troy Herfoss

Supersport: 146 miles per hour by Mathew Scholtz and Max Van 

BellissiMoto Twins Cup: 137.9 miles per hour by Alessandro Di Mario 

Junior Cup: 122.7 miles per hour by Yandel Medina

Ridge Motorsports Park:

Superbike: 165.7 miles per hour by Josh Herrin

Stock 1000: 159.9 miles per hour by Danilo Lewis

Supersport: 149.7 miles per hour by Blake Davis 

Mission Super Hooligan National Championship: 144.6 miles per hour by Troy Herfoss

Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race.: 106.5 miles per hour by Camille Conrad

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca:

Superbike: 163.5 miles per hour by Cameron Beaubier

Stock 1000: 161.1 miles per hour by Hayden Gillim

Mission King Of The Baggers: 151.5 miles per hour by James Rispoli

Supersport: 151.2 miles per hour by Blake Davis and PJ Jacobsen

Mission Super Hooligan National Championship: 147.8 miles per hour by Cody Wyman

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course:

Superbike: 185.4 miles per hour by JD Beach

Supersport: 161.5 miles per hour by Teagg Hobbs

Mission King Of The Baggers: 161.5 miles per hour by Kyle Wyman

Mission Super Hooligan National Championship: 157.7 miles per hour by Cody Wyman

Junior Cup: 123.9 miles per hour by Solly Mervis

Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race.: 116.5 miles per hour by Camille Conrad and Shea McGregor:

Circuit of The Americas, September:

Superbike: 191.2 miles per hour by JD Beach

Supersport: 165.8 miles per hour by Tyler Scott

Mission King Of The Baggers: 164.6 miles per hour by Kyle Wyman

Mission Super Hooligan National Championship: 158.8 miles per hour by Alessandro Di Mario

BellissiMoto Twins Cup: 144.5 miles per hour by Dominic Doyle

New Jersey Motorsports Park:

Superbike: 175.4 miles per hour by JD Beach

Stock 1000: 169.4 miles per hour by Jayson Uribe

Mission King Of The Baggers: 157.6 miles per hour by Troy Herfoss

Supersport: 157.1 miles per hour by Blake Davis

Junior Cup: 124.6 miles per hour by Ryan Wolfe and Ella Dreher

The post “Do You Know How Fast You Were Going?” appeared first on MotoAmerica.

It’s been said many a time that if you’re racing a motorcycle and not crashing, you’re not trying hard enough. Perhaps. But if you look at the past two MotoAmerica Superbike Champions, one thing jumps out at you: They didn’t do a lot of crashing in their championship-winning years. 

In 2023, Jake Gagne earned his third MotoAmerica Superbike title, and he crashed exactly zero times. None. Nada. Nil. And we’re not just talking about race crashes, we’re talking about crashes over the entire season in every session – practices, qualifying, morning warmups, and the races.

In 2024, Josh Herrin earned his second AMA Superbike title with an 11-year span between championships. He crashed just once in ’24 – in race two at Barber Motorsports Park. And that was it. No wonder he was able to score 335 points over the course of the season and wrap up the title with a race to spare. And his crew must love him for it as there was no burning of the midnight oil fixing a crashed motorcycle on a Saturday night, no rush jobs to fix the damage from a tip-over on Sunday morning. Except for that one time at Barber, Herrin brought the bike back to the crew in the same condition they’d given it to him. Every time.

And, as it turns out, Herrin was far from alone in crashing at Barber Motorsports Park as the picturesque circuit in Alabama led the way in the number of crashes in the 2024 MotoAmerica Championship with 80 get-offs.

Which leads us nicely into our 2024 “Who crashed the most and where?” story. And, as always, we begin with the racetracks.

With New Jersey Motorsports Park usually claiming the most-crashed-at racetrack honor, this year the torch was passed on to Barber. There were 80 crashes at Barber with riders in all six classes (12 races) contributing to that number (25 Supersport, 18 Junior Cup, 17 Twins Cup, nine Stock 1000, eight Superbike and three Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race.). And only seven of those incidents occurred on a damp/wet racetrack.

The corner that gave racers the most trouble was turn six, which is affectionally known as Charlotte’s Web. There were 12 crashes in the Web, and that only just beat out turns one and two, both of which also saw incidents in double digits with 11 apiece.

Road America ended up with the second most crashes of any of the MotoAmerica circuits with the track in Elkhart Lake claiming 68 incidents in its six classes (12 races). Supersport led the way with 17 crashes over the three-day weekend.

The guilty corner? Turn five, the lefthander at the end of the back straight where hard braking and a good place to pass always translates to plenty of action and not all of it is good. Fourteen of the 68 incidents took place in turn five.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course made a successful return to the AMA Superbike calendar after a 10-year hiatus, and it immediately jumped to the podium for the greatest number of crashes with 61 incidents over the three days. For Mid-Ohio, which also played host to six MotoAmerica classes, turn 13 was the biggest bugaboo with 11 crashes.

So what corner played host to the most crashes in 2024? That honor goes to Road Atlanta’s turn 10 left-right chicane with its 18 crashes beating out the 16 incidents that took place in the tricky turn one at Circuit of The Americas.

Ironically (or coincidentally?), the track with the least number of crashes is the one that is not returning to the MotoAmerica Championship schedule in 2025 – Brainerd International Raceway. The Minnesota racetrack ended its three-day weekend with the lowly crash total of just 33, seven less than WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Also, a tip of the hat to NJMP for cutting its crash total down from 78 to just 38. Amazing what a new track surface, and a little more help from Mother Nature can do…  only 13 of the incidents occurred in either damp or wet conditions.

Now comes the part of the story where the author gets the most heat for even bringing it up… who was the rider with the most crashes in the 2024 MotoAmerica Championship over all classes in all sessions?

Well, that rider is none other than Hayden Gillim, who crashed 10 times during the season. But before we berate anyone here, we need to take a few deep breaths and consider the fact that those 10 crashes didn’t come in just one class.

Gillim’s crash total comes via three classes – five in Mission King Of The Baggers, three in Steel Commander Superbike, and two in Stock 1000, making him an equal opportunity crasher. The fact that he crashed in three different classes also means that Gillim had up to three times the number of laps that anyone else had, though Stock 1000 had just five races, and he didn’t participate in all of the Superbike races. You get my drift. The dude was on the track for a lot of laps. Oh, and he also successfully defended his Stock 1000 title.

So, who was second on the crash list? That would be Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s James Rispoli. Rispoli had a rough go of it to end his season in the Mission King Of The Baggers Championship, and he finished with eight crashes on the year. That made him the top faller in the Baggers class, though Gillim and Troy Herfoss each had five, and Herfoss was still able to come away with the title in his rookie season in MotoAmerica.

The Superport class had far and away the most crashes on the season, but some of those came in the non-points-paying Daytona 200. In all, there were 150 Supersport incidents over the course of the season with Altus Motorsports’ Jaret Nassaney leading the way with seven crashes.

The top Superbike riders as far as crash counts go ended in a tie between two racers with their six dismounts – Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch and Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach. Warhorse HSBK Racing’s Ducati’s Loris Baz ended up third on the list with five crashes. Still, that’s a solid weekend’s worth for the likes of Marc Marquez.

Thirteen riders scored points in the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Championship, and 10 of them suffered at least one crash over the course of the season. The three riders who didn’t were led by class champion Mikayla Moore, who didn’t put a wheel wrong all year in winning her second successive BTR title. Pearltry Suen and Kate West joined Moore as the two other non-fallers.

The post Crashing Sucks… But It Happens appeared first on MotoAmerica.

Random notes, comments, statistics, musings, and bits of trivia from MotoAmerica Superbikes at New Jersey:

Once More With Feeling

Josh Herrin and a lot of other people think, instead of Herrin winning the 2013 AMA Pro Racing SuperBike Championship, it was more a case of his teammate Josh Hayes losing it. A series of questionable jumpstart violations levied on Hayes that season negated several race wins where he crossed the finish line first, but the time penalties he was given moved him back in the finishing order. As a result, Hayes’ young, upstart teammate Herrin, in only his second year of SuperBike competition, won the 2013 title by 15 points over Hayes.

That was then, and this is now. There are no asterisks or “yeah, buts” about Herrin’s 2024 Steel Commander Superbike Championship. The man absolutely deserves his due. He conducted a dominant Superbike campaign that saw him win six races, reach the podium 13 times, and there was only one race all season long in which he didn’t score points. He beat Championship runner-up and five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier by 55 points. That’s the equivalent points advantage of more than two race wins.

Speaking of that 2013 AMA Pro Racing SuperBike Championship, which was 11 years ago, on Saturday at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Herrin set a record for the longest span of time between Superbike titles. With his 2024 title-clinching Steel Commander Superbike race win on Saturday, he tied MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey with his 16th Superbike victory. Also notable is that he is now just one Superbike win behind Nicky Hayden.

Turn It Up To “11”

So, 2013 was the year that Josh Herrin won his last AMA Superbike Championship, and it was also a big year for his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati teammate Loris Baz. Baz won Sunday’s Steel Commander Superbike race two at New Jersey, and the last time the Frenchman won a Superbike race was at Silverstone in, you guessed it, 2013. The 11-year drought is officially over for both Herrin and Baz.

The Magnificent Seven

Gone are the days when Josh Hayes or Cameron Beaubier or Jake Gagne won almost all the Superbike races. In 2024, MotoAmerica’s 10th season, there was more parity in the series’ premier class of road racing than ever before. A total of seven different riders won races this season, and that obviously speaks volumes about a well-balanced race series, not to mention an exciting one.

Heart Wrenching

It was so sad to hear that Wrench Motorcycles will no longer be competing in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. They were truly the “Little Race Team That Could,” and did. Their rider Bobby Fong reached the podium eight times this past season, and he also notched two race wins when he did the double at Brainerd International Raceway. Those successes contributed mightily to Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., winning the 2024 MotoAmerica Manufacturer’s Championship. The Wrench Motorcycles crew members are a great bunch of people, and some of the technical innovations the team came up with were the stuff of pure genius. Their innovative swingarm and fuel cell were just a couple of the many things that contributed to Fong’s and the team’s success. It remains to be seen where Fong, David Anthony, Robbie Petersen, and the rest of the band of brothers and sisters will end up, but we will keep a keen eye on things during the off-season.

One Lap To Rule Them All

We came into New Jersey Motorsports Park bristling with anticipation that a bunch of lap records would be set on the newly repaved Thunderbolt Raceway. Well, Mother Nature had other plans, and the off-and-on rain conspired against fast laps. But, despite the weather, the Mission King Of The Baggers Championship had a new lap record set. In Saturday’s race two, S&S/Indian Motorcycle‘s Troy Herfoss did a 1:23.686 on lap 6 of the 9-lap contest for a new KOTB lap record and also a new race lap record in the class. As for the other four race classes, we will just have to wait till next year and hope that dry weather yields more record-breaking laps.

Beast Mode

There’s no other way to put it. Hayden Gillim is an absolute Beast. First of all, there was Stock 1000 Qualifying 1, which was conducted on a damp track on Friday afternoon. With time running out in the session, Gillim noticed that a dry line—a very narrow dry line—was forming on the racetrack. And, with Qualifying 2 scheduled for the next morning with more rain in the forecast, Gillim decided the time was now to lay down a fast lap. He called for slicks to be put on his Real Steel Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR-R SP, and not a single crew member thought it was a good idea, including his crew chief Mark Junge and Gillim’s own grandfather.

Gillim left the pits with his Honda literbike shod in Dunlop slicks, got in an outlap, then put the hammer down and proceeded to earn the provisional pole by more than a second and a half just before the checkered flag was flown on the session. Gillim’s grandfather had to replace the batteries in his pacemaker after the session. And, as Gillim predicted, Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2 session did not yield any faster lap times, so Gillim’s lap from Friday’s Qualifying 1 stood, and he secured pole position for the final two races of the 2024 Stock 1000 Championship.

As if that wasn’t Beastly enough of Gillim, he kicked it up another notch in Saturday’s Stock 1000 race one. On the penultimate lap and with Gillim in the lead, he ran a little wide in turn 12. Hitting the rumble strips and the rainwater pooled in those strips, the back-end of his Honda started to come around, followed by an epic tankslapper that would have caused a lesser Beast to crash. Gillim, however, motored on.

The moment enabled OrangeCat Racing Jayson Uribe to overtake Gillim, but on the final lap, Beast-mode Gillim made almost the same move while overtaking Uribe going into turn 12. Again, he ran slightly wide and kicked up some more rainwater pooled in the rumble strips. This time, however, Gillim’s Honda knew who was boss and didn’t protest. Gillim took the checkered flag, and moved even closer to clinching the season title, which he did on Sunday after Stock 1000 race two.

“Hayden was a Beast on this Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, even with his injured hand, and it really highlighted the performance of this package,” commented Junge. “On the next to the last lap in Saturday’s race, he had a major tankslapper coming onto the front straight that measured at 2.8 G’s and had 18 oscillations on the data. Gillim recovered and made a winning pass in the final corner. He is an amazing rider.”

Faster Than A Speeding Thunderbolt

Despite the rain at New Jersey Motorsports Park, the MotoAmerica riders still managed to record some very fast trap speeds. Five race classes competed at NJMP, and below are the riders who achieved the highest trap speeds in their respective classes. Once again, Tytlers Cycle Racing‘s JD Beach topped them all aboard his BMW M 1000 RR Superbike:

Steel Commander Superbike:

JD Beach: 175.4 miles per hour (Race 1, Lap 2 of 8)

Stock 1000:

Jayson Uribe: 169.4 miles per hour (Race 2, Lap 4 of 14)

Mission King Of The Baggers:

Troy Herfoss 157.6 miles per hour (Race 1, Lap 9 of 9)

Supersport:

Blake Davis: 157.1 miles per hour (Race 2, Lap 5 of 19)

Junior Cup:

Ryan Wolfe: 124.6 miles per hour (Race 2, Lap 2 of 13)

Ella Dreher: 124.6 miles per hour (Race 2, Lap 3 of 13)

The Sticker Of Fate

Australian Troy Corser won the 1994 AMA Superbike Championship on a Fast By Ferracci Ducati 888, and the bright-red machine was on site at New Jersey Motorsports Park to watch its “little brother,” the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R, power Josh Herrin to victory and the 2024 MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Championship.

If you believe in fate, or numerology, or karma, then here’s one for you. The tech inspection sticker that the AMA put on Corser’s Ducati 30 years ago was still in place on the left side of the bike’s trellis frame, right under the fuel tank. And that tech sticker’s number? 2024.

On The Mend

Best wishes go out to a couple of Supersport riders who will soon undertake medical procedures to rectify their racing injuries. Rahal Ducati Moto‘s Kayla Yaakov will have surgery to repair a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in her left knee, which she suffered a few years ago in Junior Cup. And Altus Motorsports‘ Jaret Nassaney will have surgery to repair his fractured clavicle and separated shoulder that he suffered as the result of a crash over the weekend at NJMP. Get well soon, Kayla and Jaret.

Never Underestimate The Power Of The Swarts

And, finally, we say good-bye and good luck to David Swarts, who finished up 24 years with Roadracing World on Sunday night at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Swarts is going to work as a Marketing and Communications Manager for well-known racer and entrepreneur Larry Pegram. The job is a hybrid position where Swarts will assist Pegram and his daughter Riley as they pursue their dream as car racers on their father-and-daughter IMSA team. Also, Pegram is Owner and CEO of Pure Ohio Wellness, one of Ohio’s fastest-growing businesses, and Swarts will assist him in that endeavor, as well.

The post Duly Noted: New Jersey Motorsports Park 2024 appeared first on MotoAmerica.

The following is from Honda…

During this weekend’s rainy last round of 2024 MotoAmerica season at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Real Steel Motorsports rider Hayden Gillim wrapped up his second consecutive 2024 Stock 1000 Championship, with wins on Saturday and Sunday. Racing a CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP with significant backing from Tennessee dealership Southern Powersports, Gillim dominated the series, winning seven of 10 races.

A 29-year-old native of Owensboro, Kentucky, Gillim is a racing veteran, having won his first Amateur Dirt Track Grand Championship at age 6. He’s a cousin of the famous racing Hayden brothers (who he is named after), and typically runs number 69 as an homage to the late Nicky Hayden, who rode Hondas to the 1999 AMA 600 Supersport Championship, the 2002 AMA Superbike Championship and the 2006 MotoGP World Championship.

This season, however, Gillim ran number 1 in Stock 1000, having earned last year’s crown with a different brand. He topped both races at the Alabama opener, but the next two rounds in Minnesota and Washington saw him win the opening races but crash out of the lead in the second races, making for a tight points battle. He was victorious in race 1 at Laguna Seca and finished on the podium in race 2 (with fellow Red Rider Ashton Yates getting the win), then closed out the season the way he started it—with a sweep at this weekend’s finale.

“We raced against Geoff May last year and saw what he was able to do on the Honda,” said Gillim, who has now won four professional AMA road racing titles. “Then when Honda’s contingency numbers came out, that was a big factor in us switching, as well as the support we got from Southern Powersports. I raced Hondas when I was younger, first getting on a 600, and [team co-owner] Jerry Nickell has a big Honda collection and was excited about it. The guys gave us a really good bike, and the team did a good job setting it up. It was a great year. We were making 25 horsepower more than last year’s bike, and every track we went to, I was going a second or two faster than my previous best lap times. After I put it on the ground a couple of times in the middle part of the season, I started managing things better and not overriding the bike, and we were able to finish the season out strong.”

This was the first AMA road racing crown for the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP platform, and Honda’s first since Jake Zemke took the 2008 Formula Xtreme crown aboard a CBR600RR.

“On behalf of everyone at American Honda, a huge congratulations and thank-you to Hayden, Real Steel Motorsports and Southern Powersports,” said Brandon Wilson, Manager of Racing and Advertising at American Honda. “We knew that the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP is a competitive machine, and we hoped that upping our contingency program for 2024 would give some top riders the nudge to show its potential. That said, we couldn’t have expected the dominance it has shown in Stock 1000, with Honda riders taking 80 percent of the wins. It’s great to see Honda back on top in an AMA professional racing series, and hopefully it’s a sign of more to come.”

The following is from Tytlers Cycle Racing…

The final round of the 2024 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship ended this past weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park with the Tytlers Cycle Racing squad on double duty once again with Cameron Beaubier and JD Beach ready to do battle aboard their BMW M1000RR machines, Stefano Mesa armed with his Kawasaki in the Supersport category. 
 
Cameron Beaubier entered the weekend still with a mathematical chance of the title. He qualified in the middle of the front row to ensure he’d be in the podium fight come lights out. JD qualified ninth. 
 
The opening race saw the leading riders edge away from the chasing pack with the #6 of Cameron Beaubier in contention in the initial stages. He ultimately would finish fourth. The result meant the title was now out of reach, Beaubier claiming second overall in the final points classification whatever happened on Sunday. 
 
Race two saw five riders, including Beaubier fighting for the win. Cam claimed his second fourth position of the weekend taking the flag less than a second from the win. 
 
JD Beach failed to finish race one. He bounced back to finish the final race of the year in fifteenth position, meaning P8 overall in the final standings. 
 
Tytlers Cycle Racing recorded twelve podium finishes in 2204, with six of those podiums being victories!
 
Stefano Mesa rounded out his supersport campaign with another double points finish after starting from second on the grid – his best qualifying result of the season. He finished fourteenth and sixth in the two races ending the year eighth overall. 
 
Cameron Beaubier: “It was nice being back on track at New Jersey, but the results weren’t what we were looking for. With limited dry time I struggled pretty bad with the bike in race one. The team dialled the bike in for race two and it was better than Saturday, but we went with the harder rear tyre option compared to the others and it didn’t pay off. There were some big bumps along the road this year, but we had some great moments too. I want to say a big thank you to the whole Tytlers team, especially on my side Dave, Ferdi, Lee, Peter, and John for all the hard work this year and Michael for making this happen.”
 
JD Beach: “The race weekend in New Jersey came and went. It had some good moments and some pretty low ones. The track conditions were changing every time we got out there and it was hard to get any momentum going. My couple of crashes didn’t help that either. The final race weekend didn’t go as well as we had hoped but I am thankful for the chance the Tytlers team gave me this year. We got a couple podiums and had some good races. I will move on from here and just look forward.”
 
Stefano Mesa: “The weekend at New Jersey was full of mixed conditions. For a change we only had one class to race which was the SuperSport and we were fast right away. The crew did its homework, and first practice went very well with us getting down to some good laps. Both qualifying sessions went well. In Q2 we had a drying line, and the team took the decision to send me out on slick tyres. We were able to put ourselves on the first row to start the races. Race one was supposed to go very well knowing the lap times we had posted in qualifying but unfortunately from the first lap the rear of the bike was just completely loose. I struggled all race to find grip and find the time going two seconds slower that my best time of the weekend. We ended up P14. After the race we figured out we got a bad rear tyre and the only thing we changed for the next day and race two was tyre compound. Warm up was good and I ended up P3 posting competitive lap times. For race two we knew we could battle with those boys, so that’s what we did, battled for the final spot on the podium all race but I just started to lose front feel with a few laps to go. I had a great race with some good battles to end P6 after a good fight. Big thanks to my Tytlers boys Dereck, Rex, Steven, Leif, and Jon for working so hard all year long and providing the best motorcycle to go fast on. Also huge thanks to Michael and the whole family for making another successful year happen.”

The following is from Yamaha…

Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz claimed the 2024 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship a race early at the season finale at the New Jersey Motorsports Park. The South African executed a smart ride in Race 1 to seal the deal on the title with 11 points and then finished the season with a runner-up finish in Race 2, further adding to his impressive tally during his debut season aboard the Strack Racing R6.  

The newly rebranded team, Strack Racing, made its debut with Scholtz at the season opener at Road Atlanta. Although it was a rollercoaster start, they had a strong showing in their early beginnings with a podium finish. The team built on that first round and came out swinging at Round 2, with Scholtz earning a double victory at Barber Motorsports Park. From there, the championship campaign continued to build strength, ultimately securing eight wins and a total of 15 podiums. The 2024 Supersport Championship is Scholtz’s second MotoAmerica title and second in the series with the Yamaha brand, the first of which was won aboard the Westby Racing R1 in the Superstock 1000 class in 2017.

Peter Strack – Strack Racing Team Principal 
“I thought I understood what team meant, but this year really taught me what that meant. I’ve done a lot in business and other things where a team means everything to your success. Everybody here pulled their weight, so it was a big deal. We fought hard. When we came in, we were the underdogs. We started off with some adversity, and we overcame that. Every single round, we pushed the limit in everything that we were doing and never took our foot off the gas. We were strategic and very calculated in what we did, and it paid off.”

Mathew Scholtz – Strack Racing #11
“Going into the Supersport class, it was a little bit of an unknown for me, but it was a beautiful season. There were a lot of highs and some lows as well. The season began a little slower than we liked, but from Round 2 at Barber, we took the double there and knew we should be fighting for the championship. The Strack Racing crew gave me a perfect bike all season long, and we did what we needed to do. I’m just really happy to bring the championship home.”

The following is from Suzuki…

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike star Richie Escalante once again showed himself up to the task of going bar-to-bar with the nation’s elite roadracers, scoring a pair of impressive finishes despite qualifying on Row 4 on a weekend that featured mixed conditions but largely dry races. On Saturday, the Mexican carved his way up through the field aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000R to ultimately win out a multi-rider dice for fifth. He was even stronger on Sunday despite again finishing fifth, closing in dramatically on the fight for victory late before taking the checkered flag just 0.886 seconds behind the winner.

Despite missing the bulk of the season after suffering an injury in the opener, Escalante ended his abbreviated campaign with a podium finish among his three top 5 results. He said, “We had a pretty good weekend, one that was tough with the weather conditions. My pace and rhythm were good on the bike, and we finished with a gap quite close to the front on Sunday. I need to work on my starts and first laps more, so I don’t have to make up positions later in the race. I am glad this year is over given my injuries and missing time, but I want to thank Suzuki, the team, the crew, and all the sponsors.”

Escalante’s premier-class teammate, Brandon Paasch, was motivated to impress in front of his home-state fans. And impress he did, claiming his first career MotoAmerica front row grid position by clocking the third best time aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R. Unfortunately, Paasch crashed out while embroiled in the chase for fifth late in Saturday’s race. However, he bounced back on Sunday, claiming seventh in the year’s final contest.

Paasch, who ended the season ranked ninth in the points on the strength of two top 5 finishes, said, “It was a lot of positives for us and some disappointment as well. This was my first-ever front row qualifying, and I was fifth in the morning warm-up on Sunday. And in Sunday’s race, the total time was the closest I have finished to the winner yet. But the races didn’t go that well for us. I had a 118-mile per hour crash on Saturday and lost a lot of ground early in the race on Sunday.”

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Supersport standout Tyler Scott wrapped up a strong campaign aboard the team’s next-generation GSX-R750 with a pair of fourth-place rides. Scott was consistently in the mix up front as he had been all season long, locking down a fifth-place championship standing that included a victory among four podium finishes.

Scott said, “It was mixed conditions all weekend but dry races, so that made it interesting. Overall, it wasn’t a bad weekend, but we were looking for more because we always want to win. On Saturday, we got fourth with a small bike problem keeping us from the podium. It looked like we might get it on Sunday, but a rider t-boned me towards the end of the race. I lost some ground and wasn’t able to make it up the rest of the way.”

Scott’s Supersport teammate, Teagg Hobbs, continued to fight his way out of a second half slump. Hobbs raced his way up from 15th on the grid to finish inside the top 10 twice – 10th on Saturday and ninth on Sunday, to end the season ranked ninth in the final MotoAmerica Supersport standings.

Hobbs said, “It’s no secret we have struggled this season, and we made changes with the bike and got back on track this weekend. It took a while to get the setup dialed in, but by Sunday, things were really improved. I started 15th and moved up to seventh, and my lap times were third or fourth fastest in the race. The bike responded to my rider inputs the way I was expecting. It was a disappointing year for me, but it was good to get a positive race in.”

The squad’s third Supersport pilot, Joel Ohman, spent his 2024 season dedicated to gaining as much experience and speed as possible, a mission he concluded in New Jersey.

Ohman said, “It feels good to end the year on a high note. We started out really rough with the rain. I didn’t feel confident pushing it the way I wanted and was having a hard time. The first race, we had some of the same issues as before but after working with the team and my riding coach, we found a solution with the bike and I went 2.5 seconds faster than we had gone all weekend. The second race, I was able to battle and move up so I was happy about that.”

The following is from Yamaha…

Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. (YMUS) received the MotoAmerica Superbike Manufacturer’s Championship at the final round of the 2024 season held at the New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) in Millville, New Jersey. Spearheading the campaign was the Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team, who took home four wins and a total of 13 podium finishes during a rollercoaster ride of a season with injuries and adversity. It was a tough final race of the year that saw fill-in rider Xavi Forés finish 12th and Cameron Petersen come back to 18th. Also making a valuable contribution to the manufacturer’s title in the premier class was Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong, who ended the year third in the championship standings, earning two wins and a total of eight podium finishes. 

Forés continued to work on getting acquainted with the bike in challenging conditions as he filled in for the three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne at the last two rounds. In the final race of the season, the Spaniard got a good start from the second row to fourth. He was inside the top five for the first five laps and continued to battle but ultimately crossed the line 12th. 

For the second race at NJMP, Petersen got another flying start and grabbed the holeshot this time. Although he was shuffled to third going into the first turn on Lap 2, he was running a strong pace up front in the lead group. Unfortunately, on the following lap, he ran off track due to a technical issue and pulled into the pits. Petersen rejoined the race and put in some strong laps to gain valuable information and finish 18th. Despite the adversity, it was a strong season for the South African, who earned three wins and a total of eight podiums, contributing to the manufacturer’s title and securing sixth in the championship. 

Despite not feeling 100% with arm and hand issues, Gagne made a valiant defense of his title, scoring a win at the opening round and making five trips to the podium. Although he sat out the last two rounds while he focused on returning to full fitness, he finished the season a commendable seventh in the point standings. 

Tom Halverson – Yamaha Racing Assistant Department Manager for YMUS
“Congrats to Bobby Fong, ADR (Aussie Dave Racing), and Wrench Motorcycles for earning third in the Superbike Championship. It was an incredible accomplishment in a very stacked 2024 Superbike field. We appreciate every Yamaha rider in the paddock, and it was their accomplishments that brought Yamaha the Manufacturer’s Trophy once again.

“Our Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team started strong, and Jake and Cam were in the championship hunt for most of the season. Injuries and a few technical issues ended our run, but we look forward to Jake’s return and fighting for wins and the championship once again.”

Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“We had some wins, and we were leading the championship. Unfortunately, Jake had to sit out the rest of the season. It’s pretty difficult to take a rider, plop him into unfamiliar territory, and to ride at the top of his game. So we knew it was going to be a challenge throwing Xavi into the deep end. With Cameron, he came back from his injury and was making some headway but had a couple of bad crashes. This weekend he was strong. It was just unfortunate that there was an issue in the second race, and he had to pull in, but his pace was good. In the end, I think we found a pretty decent setup for him, and he could go with the guys in the beginning.

“I think we learned a lot this year, and where we are in relation to our competitors and where we are lacking, especially with the hard tires. We have a pretty good idea of where we want to go heading into the new year with the new bike. We’ll put together a good development package, get Jake healthy, and come back strong.” 

Xavi Forés – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #34
“I enjoyed my time here on the team. I knew them from Daytona, and I was always so keen to try the Superbike. Unfortunately, the results were not as good as I expected them to be, but we faced some challenges that we didn’t expect to have. We worked really hard. The team was working so well on bringing us the best package possible but, unfortunately, we were dealing with a lack of grip on the rear. Yesterday and today, in the first laps, I tried to stay on the back of the lead group, and I led some laps yesterday, but I was not able to stay at the front. I want to say thank you to the team for their trust in me for these couple of races. Hopefully, I gave them good information for the future, and hopefully, I can do more races with them. Thanks to Yamaha for all of their help. I have enjoyed it.”

Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“Yeah, it was a tough day. It was just a bummer to end the season like that, but if you take a step back and look at the season as a whole, it was really great. I got the most wins of my career in one season. I think there was a point there at Laguna where I had the most wins and podiums out of everybody and was in the hunt for the championship. Then it was just some bad luck with some injuries and bike stuff that put us behind. Unfortunately at the last three races of the year, we only had the hard tires available. I really wanted to give the team a result to smile about during the off-season, but we’ll go back to work and come back swinging next year.”

The following is from Ducati…

He’s been threatening to stand on the top step of the podium for so long. Still, Loris Baz finally made it happen today by winning race two of the final round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

A day after Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati teammate Josh Herrin clinched the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship with victory in race one, the green flag flew under threatening skies, and Baz took the lead at turn one on lap two, diving underneath Herrin and Cameron Petersen and beginning a metronomic pace at the head of the field.

Shielded by Herrin for the first half of the race, Baz would eventually have to defend the lead on his own as Sean Dylan Kelly and Bobby Fong closed in during the last laps, the Frenchman putting the hammer down on the final lap to charge to his first race victory in 11 years and first win on American soil.

Herrin was at the front early on but faded to sixth at the end of the race. However, his season as champion was assured yesterday after he took Ducati’s first AMA MotoAmerica Superbike title win in 30 years on Saturday.

Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“I have no words,” Baz said. “I’m so proud of what we did as a team this season but especially since the last round at Austin. I want to thank team manager Bobby Shek, Ducati North America, and Warhorse HSBK Racing because they gave me a chance to return to America after my 2021 season.

“This weekend, it was different within the team. Maybe it was less pressure due to Josh taking the title, but we worked really well at this track. I knew I was close to winning a race this year, but I’m so happy to have finally done it. I really want to come back next year with this team. I love everyone in this team.”

Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“What a crazy year and weekend it’s been,” Herrin said. “Thirty years since Ducati got a championship in America is crazy to think about. I was four years old the last time they won a Superbike title in America. To be a part of this, to experience it, and to have Eraldo Ferracci well and kicking—it’s left me speechless.

“I’m sure it will sink in over the next few days because the weekend is full of emotion. I’m so happy Loris got the win today. That needed to happen for the team, and it was just a super special moment. Thank you to everyone involved in this project for making the year as great as it was.”

The following is from Ducati…

Josh Herrin wrote a significant piece of Ducati racing history today by clinching the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship title at New Jersey Motorsports Park. And, what’s more, he did it from the top set of the podium.

Herrin’s win in race one came after an intense 18-lap battle with Bobby Fong and Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati teammate Loris Baz, Herrin working his way to the front in the final laps to record a 0.403s victory over Fong. Baz made it a double celebration for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team by taking the final podium position in third.

The result ensures Herrin has an unassailable 58-point lead heading into race two on Sunday, September 29, over Cameron Beaubier.

Herrin’s title is his fourth AMA national championship with the 2013 Superbike, 2016 Stock 1000, and 2022 Supersport victories, and his second title for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team. He now has the record for the longest time between his first and most recent Superbike title wins (11 years) thanks to his six race wins and 13 podiums in 2024, with nine of those podiums coming consecutively.

Herrin’s place in Ducati racing lore is now secure, having taken the company’s first AMA Supersport title in 2022 and its first Superbike crown in 30 years after the great Troy Corser triumphed in the 1994 AMA Superbike Championship on a Fast by Ferracci Ducati 888.

Loris Baz also should not be discounted from race one. The flying Frenchman took a tremendous pole position and led much of the race until Herrin and Fong passed at three-quarters race distance. Still, Baz held on for a celebratory third place, making it a double podium delight for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team.

Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“The support I’ve got from everyone in this team, from Ducati North America, Ducati Corse, the DeNaples, Bobby Shek, how much effort they put in, and how tight we are as a unit, is really special,” Herrin said. “I’m not taking anything away from the teams I’ve been on in the past, but this group is really amazing.

“Without Ducati North America’s and Ducati Corse’s support, none of this would be possible. My crew chief, Simone, is amazing. We have great respect for each other. He’s been a huge part of my success over the last three years. Thank you to everyone who had anything to do with this project, and you can bet we’ll be back next year ready to go for another title.”

Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“A massive congratulations to Josh, that’s the day’s highlight,” Baz said. “We knew how big this weekend could be for the team, and I never thought I could be so happy for someone else who beat me!

“I have been learning a lot this year. That pole position means I’m back, but I need to improve my race pace more. I was here at the beginning of this project with the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team, and I know what it means for everyone. I’m so happy and proud of everyone.

“On my side, we made a big step and greatly improved from Austin. It isn’t easy to run two Superbikes, but we’ve grown a lot since Austin. Thanks to everybody, and we’ll come back fighting for the final race tomorrow.”

Bobby Shek (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Team Manager)
“It’s been such a great season,” Shek said. “In 2024, we’ve proven the Ducati has no bad tracks. Our worst rack traditionally was New Jersey, and now we’ve got two bikes on the podium and one on the top step, and I can’t wait to do it all again next year. Josh’s goal was to win the title from the top step, and he did that; it just shows what a champion he is.”

Jason Chinnock (Ducati North America CEO)
“Josh Herrin’s performance on the Panigale V4 R this season has been phenomenal, and his victory in the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship marks a historic moment for Ducati.  It’s been 30 years since a Ducati rider earned the US national Superbike championship —a testament to the talent, dedication, and unwavering work ethic of Josh and the entire Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team. It’s exceptionally special to have Eraldo Ferracci contribute to the team’s spirit as we claim the #1 plate for Ducati again.

“This championship isn’t just a victory for Josh but a significant milestone for Ducati. Joining the roster of previous Ducati Superbike Champions, like Troy Corser and Doug Polen is an achievement that ushers in a new chapter in American superbike racing for years to come. We couldn’t be prouder of Josh, the team, along with the support from Ducati Corse. This victory fuels our passion for racing and commitment to the growth of Ducati in the US.”

The following is from Rahal Ducati Moto…

The checkered flag has been waved for the final time of the 2024 MotoAmerica Supersport season. And just as the season started, the Rahal Ducati Moto team claimed victory as PJ Jacobsen crossed the finish line with Corey Alexander coming in third and Kayla Yaakov finishing seventh. 

With nothing to lose, all three riders rode incredible races and finished the season off on an incredible effort.

As the final round of competition falls behind us, Rahal Ducati Moto reflects back on the incredible success coming out of its debut season. Take a look at the below statistics from RDM’s first year:

* Seven race wins: Road Atlanta Race 1 (Jacobsen), Road America Race 2 (Jacobsen), Road America Race 1 (Jacobsen), Laguna Seca Race 1 (Jacobsen), Laguna Seca Race 2 (Jacobsen), Mid-Ohio Race 1 (Jacobsen), New Jersey Race 2 (Jacobsen)

* 20 total podiums:  Road Atlanta Race 2 (2nd, Alexander), Barber Race 1 (2nd, Jacobsen), Barber Race 2 (2nd, Jacobsen), Road America Race 2 (3rd, Jacobsen), Brainerd Race 1 (2nd, Jacobsen), Brainerd Race 2 (2nd, Jacobsen // 3rd, Alexander), Ridge Race 1 (2nd, Jacobsen // 3rd, Yaakov), Ridge Race 2 (2nd, Yaakov), COTA Race 1 (3rd, Alexander), New Jersey Race 1 (2nd, Alexander // 3rd, Jacobsen), New Jersey Race 2 (3rd, Corey Alexander)

* 29 top-five finishes, 43 top-10 finishes

* 14 front-row starts

* 679 of 722 laps completed

* 90 of a possible 245 laps led

* Only two races in which a Rahal Ducati Moto Rider did not finish on the podium (Mid-Ohio Race 2 and COTA Race 2)

As the truck heads back to the team’s new headquarters in Zionsville, Indiana, and begins to prep for the 2025 season, we are incredibly thankful to our entire crew, our riders, our sponsors, and our fans for all their support throughout our rookie season. Rahal Ducati Moto looks forward to growing the team’s success and fighting for the championship next season.

Keep up with all things Rahal Ducati Moto this off season by following the team on social media (@rahalducatimoto).

PJ JACOBSEN

No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2

STARTED: 4th

FINISHED: 1st

CHAMPIONSHIP: 2nd (331 pts) 

WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was great. I feel like yesterday we were struggling with grip and some other things out of our hands. I went 1.1 seconds faster in this race. I felt really good today. Scholtz was pressuring me and got past me, but then I regained myself again and felt great – even towards the end if he were to come back towards me with those laped bikes – I still could’ve went faster with my lap times. I’m really happy to cap of the season like this, especially for the team. They’ve done such a great job this entire season. It’s great to end the season with a win and get a short break before working for next year, when we start testing and Graham [Rahal] can keep it rolling for us next season. Huge thanks to the whole team and XPEL.”

COREY ALEXANDER

No. 23 ROLLER DIE + FORMING DUCATI PANIGALE V2

STARTED: 3rd

FINISHED: 3rd

CHAMPIONSHIP: 6th (176 pts)

WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a great weekend for us at home here in New Jersey – getting two podiums to cap off the year. I really wanted to get a win before the season was over, and I gave it everything I had today, but PJ and Mathew [Scholtz] were riding too well for me. I had nothing left with some grip issues, but otherwise they just outrode me. I’m stoked to go into the off season and continue into next year with some more progress. Thanks to the whole team for all their hard work all year and thanks to Roller Die and our sponsors for making this possible.”

KAYLA YAAKOV

No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2

STARTED: 5th

FINISHED: 7th

CHAMPIONSHIP: 7th (151 pts) 

WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “We just finished the last race of the year, and I would’ve liked to end it on a better note, but with all things considered, I’m very happy with the progress we made. This whole season has been amazing, and I couldn’t have asked to be a part of a better team. For our first year, we’ve done an amazing job. I’m happy that we were able to achieve my goal, which was to be on the podium by the middle of the season. We made progress, continued to chip away at it, and got closer to the front – a definite positive. As much as I would’ve wanted to be a little bit closer, this is part of it, and we’re going to continue to keep learning and keep growing. I can’t wait to continue with this team next year and come back even stronger.

The following is from Dunlop…

Since 2015, Dunlop has proudly served as the official spec tire for all classes of the AMA MotoAmerica series. Year after year, North America’s premier motorcycle road racing series continues to captivate fans with its thrilling action, and the 2024 season was no exception, concluding at the challenging New Jersey Motorsports Park.

This year was an even more exciting season for the Dunlop crew, with the Sportmax Slick demolishing lap and class records at multiple tracks! The Sportmax Slick replaced the industry standard KR448 and KR451 slicks last season and continues to be the Official Tires of the MotoAmerica series through 2025.

Last year, Jake Gagne wrapped up his third straight MotoAmerica Superbike on his Fresh N’ Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing with two rounds remaining, but unfortunately, this year, Gagne injured his hand and arm and ended up sitting out part of the season. This year, the championship came down to the final round at NJ Motorsports Park between Josh Herrin on his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati and Cameron Beaubier on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW.

Four support class titles were decided in the rounds leading up to the series finale. In the hands-on Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Championship rider, Mikayla Moore, won seven of the eight races in the series to dominate her championship for the second year in a row. In his first year of racing, Matthew Chapin, on his BARTCON racing Kawasaki, clinched the 2024 Junior Cup Championship, winning 6 out of 10 races with one more round left to go. Matthew jumped to the Twins Cup at Circuit of The Americas and finished a respectful fourth and fifth!

At round ten at the Circuit of The Americas, the Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson rider Corey West also finished the season as champion for the first time in the always-exciting Super Hooligans series. Plus, Alessandro Di Mario claimed his first Twins Cup championship on his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia.

At the season finale in New Jersey, the Superbike title was won by Josh Herrin on Saturday in dominating fashion! Herrin who didn’t need to win the race, pushed and battled his way into the lead on the new Dunlop Sportmax Slicks taking home his second Superbike championship!

In the Supersport class, it was Mathew Scholtz on his Strack Racing Yamaha who came into the final stop of the season with a thirty-nine-point lead over the Rahal Ducati Moto w/ XPEL rider PJ Jacobsen. Scholtz rode smart on Saturday, finishing fifth and gathered enough points to clinch his second MotoAmerica championship, first in the Supersport class.

Then, in the Stock 1000 class, reigning champ Hayden Gillim, riding his Real Steel Motorsports Honda, had to beat Jayson Urbie, riding on his OrangeCat Racing BMW on Sunday in New Jersey. Gillim came out on top after a race long battle with Ashton Yates to take the win and the 2024 Championship.

Meanwhile, only two points separated the Harley-Davidson Factory Racing rider Kyle Wyman over the S&S/Indian Motorcycle rider Troy Herfoss in the King of the Baggers Championship going into the final stop of the series. Rocco Landers on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson won on Saturday delaying the championship battle. On Sunday, Herfoss took control and won his seventh race of the season and the Championship in his rookie year in that class.

“MotoAmerica racing in 2024 has delivered some of the most electrifying and competitive action we’ve seen in years, with numerous lap records shattered thanks to our new Sportmax Slick tire,” said Mike Buckley, Senior VP of Sales and Marketing at Dunlop Motorcycle Tires. “The constant evolution of the series, classes, and tire technology reflects the dedication and collaboration between MotoAmerica, the Dunlop support crew, and the incredible efforts of the riders, teams, and everyone involved. We’re truly proud to remain the official tire supplier of MotoAmerica for the foreseeable future.”

Congratulations to all the 2024 Champions:

Steel Commander Superbike – Josh Herrin

Supersport – Mathew Scholtz

Junior Cup – Matthew Chapin

Stock 1000 – Hayden Gillim

BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Alessandro Di Mario

Mission King Of T he Baggers – Troy Herfoss

Mission Super Hooligan – Cory West

Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – Mikayla Moore

The following is from OrangeCat Racing…

Jayson Uribe came up a little short of winning the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 title in his first season back racing full time, but the Californian still finished second in the championship chase and made the conclusion of his 2024 season a memorable one. Uribe narrowly missed out on winning the Saturday Stock 1000 race at New Jersey Motorsports Park, then earned a hard-fought third-place finish on Sunday to end the season with a double podium performance despite starting eighth in both races.

This season marked OrangeCat Racing’s second-consecutive year with one of its riders finishing second in the Stock 1000 standings, as Kaleb De Keyrel accomplished the same feat in 2023. 

Uribe’s teammate, Travis Wyman, had a positive end to what has been a challenging 2024 campaign. The Las Vegas resident and two-time Stock 1000 Championship runner-up struggled in Saturday’s Race 1 before capturing a ninth-place finish Sunday. 

Overall, Uribe amassed 180 championship points, with two race victories, five additional podium finishes and two additional top-five results to his credit in just 10 races. Wyman finished the season ninth in the points standings with 69 points. 

The weekend’s Stock 1000 action kicked off Friday morning with the round’s only practice session, in which both OrangeCat Racing riders struggled a little for pace. Uribe was the sixth-fastest rider in that session, and Wyman was 12th-fastest. The first of two qualifying sessions took place Friday afternoon, and it ended with Uribe having provisionally qualified seventh and Wyman 12th. Qualifying concluded Saturday morning with Uribe having slipped to eighth in the qualifying order and Wyman having secured 12th place on the starting grid for the round’s two Stock 1000 races. 

The Saturday Stock 1000 race was the scene of a fierce battle between Uribe and the championship leader in the race’s closing laps. Uribe wheelied a little at the start of the race, but quickly began working his way up the running order. He was running in sixth place by the end of Lap 1 and second place at the end of the next lap. Though the championship leader had built a sizable lead to the rest of the field, Uribe methodically closed that gap and took the race lead at the end of Lap 11 when the championship leader nearly crashed coming out of the last corner. Uribe held a narrow lead for the next three laps, but a bold move by the championship leader at the last turn of the last lap demoted Uribe to a runner-up finish by a margin of 0.026 seconds. Wyman continued to struggle for pace in Race 1 and had to settle for an 11th-place result. 

Sunday’s Race 2 – the final Stock 1000 race of the 2024 season – didn’t go as well for Uribe. Though he moved up several positions early in the first lap, he fell back in the running order later in the lap to complete it in seventh place. Uribe moved up to fifth place on Lap 3 and fourth place on Lap 11 of the 14-lap race. Uribe continued pushing hard to the last corner of the last lap, when he made a move that helped him claim a third-place finish by a margin of 0.030 seconds. Wyman had a much better race on Sunday. He ran most of the race in 10th place and moved up to ninth place on Lap 11 – which was the position he finished the race in. 

The OrangeCat Racing Team thanks its many sponsors and fans for the contributions to the team’s success in 2024. An announcement about the team’s plans for the 2025 MotoAmerica season will be made at a later date. 

Jayson Uribe / No. 360 
“We may have barely missed out on the No. 1 plate, but to be able to ride with such a great crew and on such an amazing machine is a win for me. Coming into the weekend, I knew that I had my work cut out for me. All I wanted to do was focus on my riding and never give up. The weather was pretty bad all the way into Race 1, and trying to get a decent setup was almost impossible with the constantly changing conditions. In both qualifying sessions, both the team and I made the decision to stay on wet tires as the track started to dry out towards the end of the sessions. It worked out up until about the last minute, when I went from P1 to P8 when a few other riders decided to move to slick tires. It was a risk that we weren’t willing to take, and I don’t regret it one bit. In Race 1, I was able to close the gap up to the race leader and make a move into the lead. Honestly, I didn’t expect him to make a pass in the last corner on the last lap, seeing as there was a wet patch on the entry and we were on slicks. Props to him for being willing to risk everything for the win. Race 2 was the same story, more or less. The first few laps were a big struggle for me, I just couldn’t get the rear tire to grip. After I figured out how to ride the bike with it being so loose, I just put my head down and kept pushing to close the gap. I was happy to be able to catch up and pass my way onto the podium on the last lap. A huge shout out to the entire OrangeCat Racing team, alpha Racing, BMW, and all my supporters throughout the year. I genuinely rode my heart out this weekend, I feel there’s nothing more I could’ve done.” 

Travis Wyman / No. 10
“New Jersey was a tough one for me. The conditions were super difficult in practice and qualifying with the wet/dry racetrack. I had a really hard time finding my rhythm and ended up qualifying 12th. I finished the races in 11th and ninth, which is progress but still isn’t where we want to be. Congrats to Jayson on getting second place in the championship and thank you to the entire OrangeCat Racing Team for all their hard work this season. Now it’s onto 2025!”

The following is from Altus Motorsports…

MotoAmerica wrapped up the 2024 season at New Jersey Motorsports Park. It was a challenging year for Altus Motorsports, but the team showed incredible growth and resilience throughout the season. The team is already looking ahead to 2025, motivated and ready to come bigger and better than ever.

Jake Lewis had a strong showing in Race 1, finishing in 6th place. However, Race 2 proved more difficult, and he crossed the line in 12th.

Jake Lewis: “It was a difficult final weekend for us in New Jersey. The weather was inconsistent all weekend and we just struggled for pace every time on track. It was a bummer to lose 3rd in the championship, but we can be proud of our season against some extremely talented competition. Thanks to the whole crew and Altus Motorsports team for the opportunity this season. I had a lot of fun and achieved good results. We will see what happens in 2025!”

Jaret Nassaney showed promise early in the weekend, qualifying 8th for the Supersport races. Unfortunately, a highside crash in Race 1 resulted in a broken collarbone, preventing him from competing in Race 2​.

Jaret Nassaney: “Disappointing to leave NJMP in a sling and no results, but we showed that we can run with the front pack when everything works out. 2024 was tough, but I’m ready to put in the hard work this off-season and come back stronger next year.”

Torin Collins had a strong performance to finish out the season, finishing 10th in Race 1 and 11th in Race 2​.

George Nassaney: “This season was full of challenges, but I couldn’t be prouder of how our riders and crew came together. We had some tough breaks, but we learned a lot and grew as a team. I want to personally thank Boyd, Rick, Murph, William, Nelson, Sean, and LJ for all of the hard work this season. Without them, our riders would not have had the success they had. Jake, Jaret, and Torin competed every weekend at the highest level, and I could not be more proud. The Supersport class is no joke. Lots of amazing, talented riders make this class extremely tough. We are excited for 2025, and I’m already preparing for our team to come back stronger next season.”

The following is from Real Steel Motorsports…

Hayden Gillim went into the final round of the 2024 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship with a 7-point lead in the standings and finished off qualifying Friday afternoon with provisional pole position with a 1.5 second gap back to 2^nd place. With conditions Saturday morning, the Friday times stood as the fastest, and Gillim had pole position for the races.

In the first race on Saturday, Hayden took the lead from the start and led for the first 10 laps until his competitor for the championship passed for the lead. The remaining 4 laps were a dogfight with Hayden making a last lap, last corner pass to take the victory. Going into the final race on Sunday, Gillim had a 12-point lead.

On Sunday, Hayden again took the lead off the start and while hounded by a fellow Honda CBR1000RR-R SP, he was never passed and finished the season with another victory. Gillim retained the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship despite stiff competition and showcased the potential of the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.

This effort is proudly supported by Steel Commander Corp., Southern Honda Powersports, American Honda, Comstock Energy LLC, Vesrah, Maxima Racing Oils, Fast Line Track Days, KTech Suspension, Orient Express, Dunlop, GB Racing, Redline Tire Warmers, and REB Graphics.

Hayden Gillim – Rider #1: “This season was a ton of fun with lots of ups and lots of downs and a few too many crashes but in Stock 1000, everything came together in the end. I won a good handful of races and just had a lot of fun with the team. I can’t thank the sponsors, crew (Jerry, Mark, Rob, Colby and Chuck), and Summer and the kids enough. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the future holds.”

Jerry Nickell – Team Principal: “2024 has been an exciting year and the team is proud to have brought a MotoAmerica championship to Honda with the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. It’s been a long time coming. Hayden is an amazing rider and a great partner in this adventure. I’m looking forward to returning to the MotoAmerica paddock next year and continuing to build on our team’s success and history.”

Mark Junge – Crew Chief: “Hayden was a Beast on this Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP even with his injured hand and really highlighted the performance of this package. On the next to the last lap in Saturday’s race he had a major tank-slapper coming on to the front straight that measured at 2.8 G’s and had 18 oscillations on the data, and he recovered and made a winning pass in the final corner – He is an amazing rider.”

David Carmody – GM Southern Honda Powersports: “Southern Honda Powersports is proud to be a part of the Real Steel Motorsports family and partner with Hayden on the project to bring the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP to the top step of the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Hayden, Jerry, Mark, and the team in 2025.”

The post What The Teams Said: The New Jersey Motorsports Park Finale appeared first on MotoAmerica.

Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz became the first Frenchman to win an AMA Superbike race on Sunday at New Jersey Motorsports Park with a thrilling victory in a race that featured five riders finishing within a second of Baz and his Ducati Panigale V4 R.

In winning his first MotoAmerica Superbike race, Baz became the 66^th rider in AMA Superbike history to taste victory. He was also the seventh rider to win a MotoAmerica Superbike race in 2024, with the previous high being five different winners in a season.

Second place went to EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly with the Floridian fighting his way through the pack to emerge as the one to give Baz the most fits in the final few laps. Kelly came up just .151 of a second short in earning his seventh podium of the season, which includes his first Superbike win a few weeks ago in Texas.

Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong earned his second podium finish of the weekend as he was hot on Kelly’s rear wheel in third place, ending up .140 of a second adrift of the BMW.

Fourth place, for the second straight day, went to Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier with the five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion just a tick over half a second behind Baz and only .127 of a second behind Fong. Right on Beaubier’s rear wheel was fifth-placed Richie Escalante on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki in what turned out to be one of the best Superbike races of the season.

Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin, meanwhile, wrapped up his second AMA Superbike Championship yesterday with an impressive ride to victory, but today he was playing wingman to Baz in a role reversal. Herrin followed Baz for 90 percent of the race, but suddenly there were four riders on the attack. At that point, Herrin tapped out and he cruised home to sixth place, some three seconds behind his teammate Baz.

With his win on Saturday, Herrin tied Wayne Rainey on the all-time Superbike win list for 10^th with his 16^th victory. He is now one victory behind Nicky Hayden for ninth on the win list.

Seventh place went to Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch, who was well clear of FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith. MD Motorsport RK Racing’s Richard Kerr and Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates rounded out the top 10.

After nine rounds and 18 races, Herrin ended the season 55 points ahead of Beaubier, 335-280, with Fong finishing third and the top-ranked Yamaha rider. Just 12 points behind Fong came Superbike rookie Kelly.

Baz’s second season of MotoAmerica Superbike racing netted him fifth in the title chase, just four points behind Kelly and 28 points ahead of Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen with the South African unfortunately finishing his season with another mechanical DNF.

Superbike Race 2

1. Loris Baz (Ducati)
2. Sean Dylan Kelly (BMW)
3. Bobby Fong (Yamaha)
4. Cameron Beaubier (BMW)
5. Richie Escalante (Suzuki)
6. Josh Herrin (Ducati)
7. Brandon Paasch (BMW)
8. Benjamin Smith (Yamaha)
9. Richard Kerr (Honda)
10. Ashton Yates (Honda)

Quotes…

Loris Baz – Winner

“The guys did a good job because since Austin I’ve been struggling a lot with my start. We had some problem with my clutch. They found some parts that were not nice after Austin, so they changed it. But yesterday I had a bad start again and had a really strange feeling going into the warmup lap, so I was scared going to the race. But I had a good start. I can manage to go first and finally able to be aggressive again like I was in ’21. That has been the biggest problem for me this year. Not being able to be aggressive and overtake guys, for many reasons in the setup. I was first, and because we didn’t have many dry sessions this year, only two and it was the two races, I didn’t know what to expect from the rear tire drop at the end. So, I knew I had Josh (Herrin) and one guy, and then they just showed me there was Josh. So, I tried to slow down the pace, not use my tire, and then I was watching Josh’s pit board and it was plus 1.5, plus 1, plus 0.5. I was like, ‘whoa, they’re coming back.’ But then I was just instead of trying to push and kill the tire, I tried to close the line. Josh showed me his wheel. I overtook him again. I think he made my life easier. I think he had something more all season than everyone, and especially today. I saw in the warmup how his bike reacted. But we did some changes. We went in this direction. We changed the lean of the bike between the warmup and the race, so big thanks to the crew for that, and I felt good. It’s cool that we worked together all year and it’s paying off, especially for the team. It’s so cool to end up like this. It’s the home race for the whole team and we’re going to celebrate at the Mount Airy Casino tonight, which is a sponsor of the team. So, it’s cool. My dad is here. It’s the first time he came to a race in America. He’s going to come every race next year. Coming back to the race, last lap I knew there were many guys behind. I could hear that it was not Josh anymore. I thought it was Cam (Beaubier). I just tried to close the line. Going into that last lap, Hayden Gillim moved yesterday going in. I was like, should I close the door, or should I just try to go in fast and see what happens? I’m just happy it worked out. Sometimes just a tiny bit that makes you a hero or zero. But I’m proud of what I did and what all the guys did in HSBK this weekend.”

Sean Dylan Kelly – Second Place

“Definitely a pretty amazing way to finish off the season. Obviously, we always want to finish off strong. I didn’t win today, but I think that was definitely one of my two strongest races of the whole season. The other one being obviously when I won. This one, I came from a ways back and both Ducatis got up really strong at the beginning. I was able to get through the pack. Obviously qualifying seventh was not ideal, so I had to make some moves, make some passes. Straight out of the gate I felt way better than yesterday. Not too much to say. Up until today, it was a very strange weekend. Obviously, it was strange for everyone with the weather, but even just how I felt on the bike, some issues we were having, some things that we were running into and some silly mistakes we were making within the team, too. Like Q1 when I qualified seventh, that was first on me and then on the team. We didn’t do the right strategy. We definitely messed some things up today, but we are a rookie rider, rookie team. I think we didn’t make as many as we thought we should have this season in general, so it’s okay to get it in. Maybe we relaxed a bit too much after a win a couple weeks ago. We got it together today. I felt amazing. I saw Cam (Beaubier) struggling a little bit, so I got by him and it seemed like he got some pace while being behind me and he got in front of me. He made fastest lap, and then he made a mistake. I got by. I learned a little bit from him that fast lap. I feel like once he did that, I just kept on repeating the lap time. I just put my head down and I was just committed to getting to these guys. Got by Josh with a few laps to go. I definitely tried it on (Loris) Baz, but it was going to be way, way too dirty. He was braking really strong. Obviously, I was also a bit toasted up from coming a couple seconds back. I’m pretty stoked for him. I didn’t realize it was his first-ever win here, so that’s pretty badass that we did it two weekends in a row. It’s a pleasure to be racing with these dudes.”

The post Baz Gets His First MotoAmerica Superbike Win At NJMP appeared first on MotoAmerica.

Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin won the second AMA Superbike Championship of his career on Saturday at New Jersey Motorsports Park, and he did so with the flair of a champion. Simply put, he won when he didn’t need to.

Herrin worked his way forward after crossing the line in fifth place on the opening lap and most expected him to stay there. After all, it would have been the easy way to wrap up the title. But it wasn’t Herrin’s way. He kept pushing: Fourth on lap six, third on lap seven, second on lap nine and the lead on lap 11. But he was being hounded by Wrench Motorcycle’s Bobby Fong, who made a move on Herrin to take the lead for the first time on lap 15 of 20. Okay, so now Herrin would chill and take the title with a second-place finish.

Or not.

Herrin re-passed a feisty Fong with two laps to go and rode to a .403 of a second victory – his sixth of the year and the 16^th AMA Superbike win of his career. And, more importantly, it resulted in his second Superbike title – 11 years after his first. The championship also ended a winless drought for Ducati that goes back 30 years to when Australian Troy Corser won the title on a Fast By Ferracci Ducati in 1994.

Fong held on for second, .190 of a second ahead of Herrin’s teammate and wingman Loris Baz, with the Frenchman earning his third podium of the season after leading seven laps of the race.

Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier ran in the lead foursome but ultimately had to settle for fourth as he suffered with a lack of corner-entry grip. He crossed the line 1.7 seconds behind race-winner Herrin.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante emerged from a five-rider battle to finish fifth, 1.8 seconds ahead of Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen.

EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly was seventh, hot on Petersen’s rear wheel and just .104 of a second behind the South African. Kelly, meanwhile, was just a fraction of a second ahead of Petersen’s fill-in teammate Xavi Forés, who in turn was just a tick over half a second ahead of FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith in his best ride of the season.

Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates rounded out the top 10.

Notable non-finishers were Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch and Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach with both riders crashing out in separate incidents.

With just Sunday’s race two left in the season, Herrin has an insurmountable points lead of 58 over Beaubier, 325-267. Fong is third with Kelly fourth and Baz fifth. Kelly leads Baz by just nine points, and Baz leads Petersen by just three points.

In the Superbike Cup, Danilo Lewis’ crash cost him the championship points lead with Yates now leading the Brazilian by 15 points going into tomorrow’s finale and the battle for the $25,000 winner’s check.

Superbike Race 1

1. Josh Herrin (Ducati)
2. Bobby Fong (Yamaha)
3. Loris Baz (Ducati)
4. Cameron Beaubier (BMW)
5. Richie Escalante (Suzuki)
6. Cameron Petersen (Yamaha)
7. Sean Dylan Kelly (BMW)
8. Xavi Forés (Yamaha)
9. Benjamin Smith (Yamaha)
10. Ashton Yates (Honda)

Quotes…

Josh Herrin – Winner

“At the beginning, it was getting hectic. Everybody was all over the place. I was just trying to be relaxed and calm, like I talked about. Like (Cameron) Beaubier did. Just trying to learn from that over the years and just be calm at the beginning, even when things aren’t going your way. I was able to do that today and then put my head down and start picking them away. I just felt so comfortable, and it looked like everybody else was so uncomfortable. When I was in the lead, I saw Bobby (Fong) behind me, and I just didn’t want to take any chances with him being there. So, I let him go by on the straight. I thought he was going by on the left, but he went by on the right. Then the last three laps I saw I had pace. So, I just wanted to get by with two to go and put my head down and see what I could, and we were able to get it done. I didn’t think this would ever happen. I thought I’d be finishing eighth or ninth today, for sure. I wanted to leave COTA by winning and win the championship by winning with Beaubier healthy there. I was able to do it today at a track that has never suited me on a Superbike. I believe this is my first Superbike win here when it wasn’t raining. It’s probably besides Barber the track that I have the least confidence at. So, for us to pull the win off here with the championship race is huge. To now have I think what should be a 62-point lead is crazy to me. Thank you to Loris (Baz) for honestly being the best teammate I’ve ever had, and for the team being the best team, and Joyce for always cooking us lunch and making sure that we’re taken care of, and Rachel for always taking care of crazy little Griffin whenever I’m at the races. I’m so happy that they were here to celebrate with us. Thank you to the whole Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati North America team. Ducati Corse, KYT helmets, Only Fans, Good Boy Vodka, GoPro, Alpinestars. The list goes on and on and on. Everybody that supports the team. Thank you so much. Thank you to MotoAmerica and everybody involved.”

Third Place – Loris Baz

“Well, at the beginning I was comfortable. I was trying to understand what were the grip conditions first time with the dry conditions. So, we went out, and, unfortunately, I had a bad start. I could see everyone struggling in entry a lot. Beaubier almost highsided, (Cameron) Petersen, (Xavi) Forés. I was like, ‘that’s something strange.’ I was trying to figure it out but then I wanted to be in the lead and try to not go too fast and too hard on the rear tire because I didn’t know what to expect from the tire life. That race went on quick, to be honest. Then I saw Josh (Herrin) coming by, and I was like, okay, now things change. I wanted to stay behind him and (Bobby) Fong, but Fong was really close to him. I was just trying not to think too much but at the same time thinking a lot. I could see him looking behind. I was like, ‘he’s just trying to think as much as me.’ But then four laps to the end, five laps to the end, I look behind and I never do that. I thought it was Beaubier, so I just tried. I know it’s not someone crazy that’s going to dive-bomb and make three guys crash, but I was like, let’s just try to give us a small gap to Fong so he doesn’t dive to go for Josh. The last few laps I pushed again just so I was not in a position to be attacked. I was not going to try anything crazy on Josh, to be honest. I’m so happy and so proud of him. I never thought I could be happy for a teammate winning a championship and kicking my ass like this all season, but I’m really happy and proud of him.”

The post Herrin Takes 2024 MotoAmerica Superbike Title In Style appeared first on MotoAmerica.

By the time the Steel Commander Superbike class took to New Jersey Motorsports Park for Q1, the racetrack was mostly dry which translated to everyone doing their quick laps on slicks. The quickest of those ended up being Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz with the Frenchman posting a 1:22.737 on his 23^rd and final lap of the 40-minute session.

Baz was the only rider to crack into the 1:22s with his 1:22.737 leading Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier by .413 of a second. Beaubier didn’t do as many laps as Baz and his best came on his 13^th and final go-around, a 1:23.150.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch was a career-best third in Q1 with a 1:23.769.

Fourth fastest on Friday was Superbike Champion-elect Josh Herrin with the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati rider the last one in the 1:23s with his 1:23.931, fractions quicker than Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen with the South African ending up fifth.

Petersen’s fill-in teammate Xavi Forés ended the day sixth fastest, some .4 of a second ahead of EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly, who was still riding the high of his first Superbike win two weeks ago at Circuit of The Americas.

Wrench Motorcycle’s Bobby Fong, Beaubier’s Tytlers Cycle Racing teammate JD Beach, and FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith rounded out the top 10 heading into tomorrow morning’s Q2 session.

Supersport – Jacobsen On Top

Tricky conditions in the first Supersport qualifying session meant there were crashes and two red flags. When it was all said and done it was PJ Jacobsen right where he needs to be – at the front.

Light rain fell for most of the session and Rahal Ducati Moto’s Jacobsen saved his best for the end as he does all he can to get closer to Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, who leads the Supersport title chase by 39 points with this weekend’s two races left in the championship. Scholtz, meanwhile, wasn’t taking any chances, ending the session in sixth and some two seconds off Jacobsen’s pace.

Jacobsen’s best was a 1:34.649 and that kicked his teammate Corey Alexander back to second with the taller of the two leading most of the session before ending up second – .203 of a second from the top.

Third fastest on the day was EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing’s Maxi Gerardo with Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott and Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa rounding out the top five.

Stock 1000 – Slick Hayden

Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim saved his best for last in Stock 1000 Q1 with the defending series champion fitting slicks to his Honda CBR1000RR-R SP to earn provisional pole on his final lap of the session.

Gillim timed it perfectly in recognizing there was a dry enough line to give it a go on slicks and the result was a 1:31.243 – 1.5 seconds faster than Team Brazil’s Danilo Lewis.

Edge Racing’s Jason Waters was third fastest, a few tenths quicker than Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates, and fifth-placed Richard Kerr on the AMD Motorsports RK Racing Honda CBR1000RR-R SP.

OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe, who is just seven points behind Gillim in the chase for the 2024 Stock 1000 Championship, ended the session in seventh.

Junior Cup – It’s A Block Party

BARTCON Racing’s Eli Block is in his comfort zone at NJMP. Throw in some iffy weather and he gets even cozier. On Friday, Block was unstoppable in earning provisional pole for the two Junior Cup races this weekend.

Block was the only rider to break into the 1:32s with his 1:32.611 besting Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher by .616 of a second.

Mckellar Racing’s Jaden Mckellar was enjoying his first-ever MotoAmerica Junior Cup race and his weekend started well with the third fastest time in Q1.

Bad Boys Racing’s Ella Dreher was fourth fastest with Speed Demon Racing’s Logan Cunnison rounding out the top five.

Mission King Of The Baggers – ROCCO!

RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Rocco Landers was lucky to get up after a scary crash coming out of the final corner in the closing moments of the Q1 for the Mission King Of The Baggers. Landers was a bit banged up, but smiling nonetheless after earning provisional pole position just a lap before the crash.

Landers ripped off a 1:24.829 on his 11^th lap of the 30-minute session for his second provisional pole in a row. His quick lap put him .423 of a second ahead of his teammate Hayden Gillim, who in turn was barely faster than Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s James Rispoli.

The two protagonists in the battle for the 2024 Mission King Of The Baggers Championship were fourth and sixth with S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Troy Herfoss .9 of a second faster than championship points leader Kyle Wyman. Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Wyman leads Herfoss by just two points heading into the weekend’s two races.

Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara split the two rivals in fifth, less than a second off Landers’ best.

The post Baz Is Best On Friday At New Jersey Motorsports Park appeared first on MotoAmerica.

With a lead of 46 points in the 2024 Steel Commander Superbike Championship, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin has almost reached the summit. He is one step from planting his flag at the top of MotoAmerica’s Mount Everest as the best of the best.

What’s his plan for this weekend’s two Steel Commander Superbike races at New Jersey Motorsports Park, the final two Superbike races of the season? Is he feeling any extra pressure? Is his strategy to try to win both races, or will he be conservative and do what it takes to clinch the title without overdoing it? What will this second career AMA Superbike Championship mean to him?

We asked Herrin all those questions, plus a few more, and here’s what he had to say:

Q:

You’re going into the final round, there are just two races left in the season, and you have a 46-point lead. Is your mindset any different heading into this weekend? Are you doing anything different in your preparation for this final round? 

Herrin:

We came out to Scranton, southern Pennsylvania, to do a track day yesterday at Pocono with the team. It’s kind of nice because I’m just trying to have fun instead of overthinking everything going into the race. So, it’s been kind of a nice way to start the week and not be flying on Wednesday and doing all that stuff. Griffin hasn’t really been to many races this year, which has been a bummer, but it’s been to just try to stay focused at the races, which I hate to admit, but I think it has been a little bit easier at the races. Obviously, I want him there, but it has made it to where I can just really focus on the race weekend. Because he’s at the age where he’s getting upset when I leave, so it makes it difficult sometimes. So, this weekend he’s coming because we have a lot less pressure. We just need to finish and get five points. It will be nice having Griffin at the race to just take my mind off things and let me have fun with him. 

Q:

Are you going in there wanting to win both races? 

Herrin:

No. For race one, my goal is to just do whatever I need to do to wrap up the title. So, be calm. I think what I’ll probably do is start the race like normal, and then whatever gap is going to happen during the race, whenever that happens, then just relax and finish the race out and just do whatever I need to do to wrap it up. If we’re able to wrap it up on Saturday, great. Then Sunday, I’m just going to do whatever I need to do to win the race because I want to end the year with a win. 

Q:

Will your pitboard have any additional information on it this weekend, or do you just know what you need to do, and you don’t need to have it on a board?

Herrin:

I know what I need to do. If Cameron wins, I need to finish… I don’t know off the top of my head right now, but I think it’s 10^th or 11^th. I need five points, if Cameron wins. If he comes in second, I don’t even need to finish the race. So really, I just need to make sure I’m in the top ten, and I’m good. The rest will play out. 

Q:

This isn’t really a situation where there could be team orders, but you have such a good relationship with your teammate Loris Baz. Have you guys talked about this at all? He could win these races. 

Herrin:

Yeah. We have been throughout the year. For this weekend, if Loris wants to go out and win, that’s great. I hope he can go out and win. I’ve put myself in a situation where I don’t think it really matters, at least not for race one. Like I said, I need to finish top ten. If Loris is in front of me, that’s not going to affect me. It’s just, if I get towards guys that are in 10^th, 11^th. But there’s no need for team orders this weekend or anything like that. I think Loris is going to go do his own race, and if he’s around me, he’ll be a little bit more careful. It’s not like he’s going to go dive-bomb me during the race or anything. 

Q:

For a lot of your career, you’ve been the only rider on the teams for which you’ve raced. But, you have had a few teammates in the past. Is Loris Baz the best teammate you’ve ever had? 

Herrin:

I don’t like answering that question because it makes it seem like I didn’t like my other teammates. If I could choose a teammate out of anybody that I’ve had in my whole career, yeah, Loris would be the guy that I would choose. The other teammate that I’ve had that was similar that I really liked was Joe Roberts, just because we spent so much time together. We got along so well. He was like a little brother to me. Like I said, it’s not like I’ve had terrible teammates, but Loris has been somebody that I feel like is the best teammate I’ve ever had, and just enjoy life with. Having his girlfriend, Joyce, here to just help us out. They both help out with a lot of things. Whenever Rachel can’t be there and Joyce is getting everything ready for us, or things like that. It’s been great having him as a teammate, and I hope that next year stays the same. 

Q:

It really makes a difference for you to have stability and to be on a team for longer than a year. Do you think that’s played a factor in your success this year?

Herrin:

Yeah, for sure. I would say that’s a huge part of why this year has been as good as it has been. It’s a combination of being on the team now for three years but also having the same bike for two years in a row in the same class. I think that is huge to have those two things. So even if it was two years in a row with the same bike and same team, it made a huge difference for me. I’ve always wanted that stability but it’s hard to get that in our sport in America. The sport is getting better now, so it’s becoming more possible to spend multiple years with the same team. That’s been a huge benefit for me these past few years.

Q:

Let’s talk about COTA. Did you want to win both races and wrap up the championship down in Texas? 

Herrin:

Yeah. I had a plan. I knew where I needed to finish to win. If I could beat Cameron in one of the races and then get a second and a third, just be on the podium and beat him in one of the races, I would win. I did what I needed to do, especially battling with him in race two to get Sean (Dylan Kelly) to finish in front of him. So, then, all I had to do was just beat him in race three to win the title. I was trying anything I could to win there. 

Q:

In my mind, Superbike race three at COTA was one of the most intense motorcycle races I’ve ever seen. Definitely one of the best Superbike races I’ve ever seen here in America. It was incredible. That was Moto2-like all the way. It’s ironic that three former Moto2 riders, with each one having followed the other into Moto2—you, Cameron Beaubier, and Sean Dylan Kelly—were all on the podium and were all battling it out on Sunday in that third race. That was an incredible show of talent.

Herrin:

Yeah. That was a fun race. That’s all I was trying to do was have fun. When I’m comfortable and I can make passes like that, like when I was going around the outside of Elias in Road America, things like that. When I’m comfortable on a bike and with a team I want to be on, I can have fun. When I have fun, I can ride better than I ever do. That’s all I was trying to do in that race was just have fun and try to win. 

Q:

Some people would look at that and think, “He’s being pretty risky. He’s really hanging it out there.” But that’s where you feel most comfortable, isn’t it? 

Herrin:

If you think, you overthink. This Saturday, I’m not going to go and push like crazy. I’m going to go ride pretty normal and pretty conservative. That’s going to be an even more difficult race than COTA race three. Whenever I’m just riding like myself and don’t think about it—I’m always thinking about the championship—but if I just go out and ride my race and try to win, it’s easy to keep it in the back of your head a little bit. But when you’re riding conservative and thinking, “All I need to do is finish sixth or better,” there’s more pressure and more stress to do that. I feel like, for whatever reason, it’s going to be more difficult for me to just finish top ten than it would be if I said, “I need to win.” Because you just start thinking about everything. 

Q:

With the Fast By Ferracci tribute livery you and your team ran at COTA and what it meant to Eraldo Ferracci and that team, and wearing those leathers—you didn’t look exactly like Troy Corser, but it was close—did that put any extra pressure on you? Or were you just like, “No, this is a celebration. I’m okay, it adds to the whole thing”? Or, “I’ve got to win this thing and wrap it up for Eraldo.” Where were you with all that? 

Herrin:

I think it did add extra pressure because I didn’t want to look stupid. Like, we got those leathers thinking ahead that we would wrap it up there. But it also helped provide a little bit of a distraction. Instead of, “I need to win because we have these leathers on,” it put the pressure somewhere else, instead of thinking about the championship. It gave me more of the motivation to win the race and not think about the championship. I knew that we needed to win the race to win the championship, but it was like, “I want to win the race because of this bodywork being on our bike.” I think about it and I’m like, “Maybe we should have just waited until New Jersey to run it,” but I feel like the timing was right. It was fun there. We had DRE on Monday, which was the Ducati event, and it was cool to wear those leathers. I wanted the photos in those leathers to be at COTA just because it’s such a special track.

Q:

Let’s talk about New Jersey and the fact that Warhorse is in New York and also, there’s the Pennsylvania connection with Eraldo Ferracci and also with Mount Airy Resort and Casino in the Poconos. You guys unveiled your livery in the Poconos at the beginning of the season. So, New Jersey Motorsports Park is really the home track for the team. It will be pretty special to win this championship in New Jersey, won’t it?

Herrin:

Yeah, for sure. It’s neat that we get to do it here. On Monday after the race weekend, the DeNaples Family, who are our sponsors and own Mount Airy Resort and Casino, invited us to go there Sunday night and just hang out as a team for a day or two. So, yes, it’s real;ly cool to be able to bring it to New Jersey and wrap it up here. 

Q:

This will be your second AMA Superbike Championship. How will this one compare with the Championship you won in 2013? 

Herrin:

This one was 100% earned, and it wasn’t just because (Josh) Hayes had a bunch of jumpstarts or anything like that. I feel like we all equally had to go through some shi*t this year. I had terrible results in the rain. I crashed out at Barber Motorsports Park. There was a lot of stuff that made this year difficult. I still was able to earn it how I wanted to. That’s one of the reasons why I was racing so hard on Sunday at COTA. I didn’t want to win the title and finish in fourth place or something. Now we’re going to do that in New Jersey, but I’m in a situation where I can do that on Saturday, just relax and then finish the year hopefully with a win. 

Q:

I’m going to have you assess yourself. Do you think this is the best Josh Herrin there has been thus far in your career? Is this the best you’ve ever been as a racer? 

Herrin:

I don’t know if it’s the best I’ve ever been. I feel like it is. I would like to say yes. But I know that this is the best combination I’ve ever had. The biggest thing, there’s been teams that have wanted this before, but I feel like, right now, this team wants me to win just as bad as I want to win. Where, in the past, it was maybe there was another rider that was the guy that they were counting on to win. So, it wasn’t that same feeling. I’m not saying that the team didn’t want Loris to win or anything, but in this moment, I would say they wanted both of us equally to win. This is just like a family. So, I feel like, more than anything, it’s the combination right now, the total package, and everything working in my favor. I don’t know if I would say that this is the best I’ve ever been as a rider. Like I said, I’d like to say that, but it’s the best total package that I have right now. It took a really long time to find it, but now that I have it, I’m going to do whatever I can to not let it go.

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The post The Champion-Elect: Josh Herrin appeared first on MotoAmerica.

If all goes according to plan for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team in the MotoAmerica series finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park, September 27-29, Josh Herrin will win his second AMA Superbike Championship – 11 years after winning his first – and Ducati will win its third AMA Superbike title as a manufacturer – 30 years after its last.

And all that will add up to an historic and memorable season for those wearing red.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, there are still two races remaining in the Steel Commander Superbike Championship chase and it’s not over until it is.

Herrin heads to the Garden State with a whopping 46-point lead in the Steel Commander Superbike Championship. If he finishes race one at NJMP with a lead of 25 points or more, the title will be his. If that doesn’t happen in race one, he has it to do all over again in race two. Unless he somehow trips over himself, the title will be Herrin’s and he will join MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey, four-time World Champion Eddie Lawson and the late Wes Cooley as two-time winners of the title. Twenty-two different riders have won AMA Superbike Championships in the 48 years of the series.

One thing that’s certain, Herrin won’t be tiptoeing around in eighth or ninth place to win this championship. He’ll fight at the front, much like he did two weeks earlier at Circuit of The Americas, and that’s going to make it entertaining for those of us who get to sit back and watch.

Herrin got to the comfortable position he’s in by winning five races and finishing on the podium in seven races that he didn’t win. He was off the podium a total of six times in 18 races. He also took full advantage of the races his title rival Cameron Beaubier was forced to miss due to injury, winning race two at Road Atlanta and finishing second twice at Brainerd International Raceway in Beaubier’s absence. He also didn’t allow himself to give up early in the season when he had just one podium finish in the first three rounds (six races) with Beaubier winning three of those. Herrin plugged away and it all came together with four wins in the final eight races with the other four resulting in podium finishes.

The bottom line: Herrin had a really good season and even his rivals will tell you that he deserves the championship.

Beaubier, meanwhile, can only think back with a big “what-if.” Lots of the top men crashed out of Superbike race one at Road America in the pouring rain, but only Beaubier suffered injury. His broken heel required surgery with a screw going up through the bottom of his foot to hold things in place. He missed three races, came back a bit too early at Ridge Motorsports Park, but then finished with a flurry of three wins, three seconds and a third on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR. But it likely won’t be enough.

If it’s any consolation (and it’s not), Beaubier is on tap to finish second in the championship as he leads Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong by 41 points heading to NJMP.

Fong’s early and mid-season were strong, highlighted by his two victories at Brainerd International Raceway, but things have gone sour of late, and Fong hasn’t been on the podium since race two at Ridge Motorsports Park at the end of June. Case in point: Fong scored 21 points in the three races at COTA while Beaubier earned 70 points to take over the runner-up spot in the points chase.

Fong will need two strong races at NJMP to hold off EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly for third in the championship with Kelly coming off his career-best weekend of racing with his first-ever MotoAmerica Superbike win coming in race two at COTA. The Floridian is only five points behind Fong.

Surprisingly, you have to go back to fifth and sixth before you find any Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing YZF-R1s with Cameron Petersen and Jake Gagne in those spots heading into the finale. Even though there has been a myriad of struggles of late, this is still Petersen’s best season of Superbike racing as he does have a career high of three wins on the year.

Three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne has had a season of disappointments with arm-pump issues basically ruining his year. He somehow soldiered on through most of the season before finally calling it quits the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course round. At COTA, Xavi Forés filled in for Gagne, and the Spaniard will do the same at NJMP.

Gagne is in a tie for sixth with Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz so the Frenchman will surely move up with a chance to also catch Petersen. Baz has two podiums on the season and is still chasing a first-career MotoAmerica Superbike victory.

Beaubier’s teammate JD Beach will likely finish where he is now – eighth in the championship – in his first season back in MotoAmerica and his first season on the team and its BMW M1000 RR. Beach is coming off a strong weekend at COTA with two fourth-place finishes and a fifth.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch will also likely wrap up his season in ninth in the championship, 29 points ahead of what promises to be a real battle in the season finale for 10^th and the MotoAmerica Superbike Cup title which pays the winner $25,000.

Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates and Team Brazil’s Danilo Lewis are just four points apart in the fight for 10^th in the Superbike standings, but Lewis holds a 10-point lead over Yates in the battle for the money and the Superbike Cup title. Yates has put on a charge with five Superbike Cup wins in a row heading into NJMP.

Pre-NJMP Notes…

Unless he somehow trips over himself, Josh Herrin will join MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey, four-time World Champion Eddie Lawson and the late Wes Cooley as two-time winners of the title. Twenty-two different riders have won AMA Superbike Championships in the 48 years of the series.

The man who owns the most AMA Superbike titles is Mat Mladin with seven and the Australian will be on hand at New Jersey Motorsports Park as MotoAmerica’s Grand Marshal. Coincidentally, Mladin had his last race 15 years ago… at NJMP.

The active MotoAmerica rider with the most AMA Superbike titles is Cameron Beaubier with five championships. With his two wins at COTA two weeks ago, Beaubier now has 65 career AMA Superbike wins, which puts him second and 17 victories behind Mladin’s leading 82 wins.

Jake Gagne was already crowned as the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion when the series rolled into NJMP for the finale a season ago. Gagne went out and won the first race on Saturday in the rain for his 40^th career AMA Superbike victory. and rode to a cautious fourth in the wet race two. Gagne beat JD Beach and Corey Alexander in race one with Beach winning race two over PJ Jacobsen and Alexander.

PJ Jacobsen earned pole position for the two Steel Commander Superbike races last year with his lap of 1:20.647. Jake Gagne and Mathew Scholtz rounded out the front row. The lap record is a 1:19.806, which is held by Cameron Beaubier and dates back to 2020.

With NJMP getting a complete repave in the off-season, lap records will likely be scorched this coming weekend. With his win at COTA, Sean Dylan Kelly became the third rider in the MotoAmerica era to win a Superbike race in his rookie season, joining Toni Elias (2016) and Danilo Petrucci (2022). Five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier also won in his rookie season of AMA Superbike racing in 2014, but that was pre-MotoAmerica.

The post Herrin And Ducati Closing In On MotoAmerica Superbike Title As The Finale Beckons In New Jersey appeared first on MotoAmerica.

The following is from Ducati…

Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin showed his racing maturity during a steaming hot weekend at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, taking three podium places and putting himself in the box seat to wrap up the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship title at New Jersey Motorsports Park at the end of September.

In a weekend where sealing the title was a distinct possibility, Herrin refused to play it safe and threw caution to the wind, engaging in three nail-biting races with Cameron Beaubier and Sean Dylan Kelly.

Resplendent in a special Fast by Ferracci livery to mark 30 years since Troy Corser sealed Ducati’s last AMA Superbike title in 1994, Herrin was at his spectacular best, sliding the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R around the expansive 3.4-mile layout and making some incredible around-the-outside moves in race three on Beaubier.

Ultimately, Herrin took second place in race one, third in race two, and a very close second in race three, leaving Texas with a 46-point title lead with one round, two races, and 50 points remaining in the 2024 championship.

For Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz, the fast Frenchman carded two fourth place finishes and a fifth at COTA, elevating himself to equal sixth in the championship standings with the absent Jake Gagne.

Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“I can’t ask for much better than what we did this weekend,” Herrin said. “They were incredibly difficult conditions—we knew Cam (Beaubier) was going to be strong this weekend, as Sean (Dylan Kelly) due to his Moto2 experience here, but I’m really happy with what myself and the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team accomplished.

“We made lots of improvements over the weekend to the bike, and I’m happy to be going into the DRE (Ducati Ride Experience) event on Monday with all the Ducatisti after a weekend like that.

“This whole year has been great, so now we have a 46-point lead heading into New Jersey, where I’ll just ride my race and try to wrap this thing up.”

Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“It’s been a long weekend for everyone,” Baz said in the heat of Sunday afternoon. “The results weren’t quite what we wanted, but we were strong all weekend. The pace was good, and I felt more comfortable on the bike. I was losing a lot of time on the straight, but the guys changed the engine last night, which was a bit better. However, we need to find a little more grip as well.

“I need to be a little more aggressive in the early stages, but overall, it was a good weekend for the team, which is the most important thing. Josh did a great job, and I tried to help him as much as possible, especially in qualifying. I can’t say I’m really happy, but we’re all working hard and looking forward to a great final round in a few weeks’ time.”

The following is from Rodio Racing- Powered By Robem Engineering…

It turned out to be a dream rookie campaign for Alessandro Di Mario in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup. The Kentuckian and 2022 Nicky Hayden AMA Road Race Horizon Award winner capped off his first year racing in Twins Cup with a perfect weekend – pole position, two race wins and a come-from-behind effort to capture the 2024 Twins Cup title. 

Di Mario started the Sept. 13-15 round at the Circuit of the Americas with a 19-point deficit in the Twins Cup points standings, but his dominant form – along with his chief rival in the championship battle enduring several setbacks – enabled Di Mario to win the title by a 31-point margin. The title is a testament to Di Mario’s consistently strong results this season despite racing in a new class. In the 12 Twins Cup contests held in 2024, Di Mario scored three victories, six additional podium finishes and three pole positions. 

The championship also marked the second Twins Cup title won by an Aprilia rider in the last four years. The Robem Engineering team won the 2021 title with rider Kaleb De Keyrel in Aprilia’s debut season in the class. 

Di Mario’s teammate, Gus Rodio, also had a positive end to what turned into a challenging season. He qualified just off the front row in fourth place and earned third- and fourth-place finishes in the races on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, to finish the season fourth in the points standings. 

Both Di Mario and Rodio showed strong pace from the start of the weekend. Di Mario topped the time sheets in Friday morning practice with a 2:18.270 lap time, and Rodio ended that session sixth-fastest. Di Mario’s pace improved later Friday in Qualifying 1, where he lowered his best time of the weekend to a 2:17.742 — which was 2.280 seconds faster than the next-fastest rider in the session. Rodio showed an even bigger improvement as he shaved more than two seconds off his best time from practice to provisionally qualify fourth.  

Qualifying wrapped up Saturday morning with Di Mario having claimed pole position. He went more than half a second faster than in Qualifying 1 to take pole by 0.812 seconds. Rodio lowered his best lap time of the weekend to a 2:20.827, which was good enough for fourth place on the starting grid for the round’s two Twins Cup contests. 

Later Saturday in Race 1, Di Mario didn’t get the best jump off the line but quickly made his way to the front before the field had reached Turn 1. Di Mario was in firm control of the race lead when the race was stopped on Lap 4 due to a crash. When racing resumed with five laps to go, Di Mario again led the field at the end of Lap 1 – and every lap thereafter. He went on to take the win by almost seven seconds – his second victory of the season – and assumed the points lead for the first time in his Twins Cup career. Rodio also had a very good race, as he joined his teammate on the podium with a third-place finish. 

Sunday afternoon’s Race 2 had Di Mario’s dominant form on full, uninterrupted display as he capped off his title-winning season on the top step of the podium. Di Mario and his chief rival raced each other hard for the first few corners of the opening lap, but Di Mario’s fast and consistent pace allowed him to gradually pull away and build a large gap to the rest of the field. Di Mario’s margin of victory was more than 6.5 seconds, and a technical problem for his chief rival’s motorcycle allowed Di Mario to finish the season with a 31-point advantage in the championship standings. 

Alessandro Di Mario / No. 27 
“I am extremely happy to have won the championship. I couldn’t have done it without all my sponsors and my amazing team. Thank you everyone!” 

Gus Rodio / No. 96
“I had a great day on my Aprilia RS 660 on Saturday. We missed a lot of track time earlier in the weekend, so we were super happy to get a podium finish. We struggled very hard this weekend, but it was so nice to get my bike back to feeling like one with it. I’m also happy with the season overall. It was one of those seasons that makes you appreciate when everything goes smooth that much more. I’m excited for what the future holds, and I want to thank the whole Robem team and my Rodio side of the team. I know Robem will be in my corner with anything I need for the rest of my career, and I’m so thankful to have built such a strong relationship with the team.”

Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s technical partners for the 2024 season include Spellcaster Productions, Luxestar VIP, Geoscape Solar, MAR Contractors, Blud Lubricants, Spiegler Performance, Woodcraft Technologies, Dymag Performance Wheels, Millennium Technologies, Sprint Filter, Dunlop, SC Project, MVR Endeavor, GRG Designs, REB Graphics, NGK Spark Plugs, EvolveGT, Bitubo Suspension and N2 Racing.

The following is from Suzuki…

The official MotoAmerica entries of Suzuki Motor USA (Suzuki) collected some serious trophy hardware at Circuit of the Americas this weekend, scoring podium finishes across all three of its classes.

It didn’t take long for Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike ace Richie Escalante to return to peak form after missing the bulk of the ‘24 campaign due to an injury suffered in the season opener. The Mexican raced near the front aboard his GSX-R1000R all weekend long, highlighted by a third-place finish in Race 1 that marked his second-career MotoAmerica Superbike podium. While he crashed out of fifth in Race 2, Escalante finished out the weekend with an excellent run to fourth in Race 3.

“I’m super happy to finish on the podium – especially this season where I wasn’t expecting to be able to do it,” Escalante said. “My goal was just to get back out there and race these final three weekends to prepare for next year. I love this track, and my bike and crew worked so well this weekend.”

Escalante’s premier-class teammate, Brandon Paasch, rounded out an all-around strong weekend for the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike crew, stringing together finishes of seventh, sixth, and sixth aboard his GSX-R1000R.

“The second race on Sunday was really nice, running at the front end of the field,” said Paasch. “I didn’t have a lot left in the tank the last couple of laps, but I felt confident being up there. The bike felt good, and they weren’t getting away. That’s the closest I have been to the winner in a Superbike race although not the best result. We have one more event at my home track and maybe we can build on this.”

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Supersport ace Tyler Scott took a starring role this weekend himself, qualifying second quick aboard the next-generation Suzuki GSX-R750 and then tussling for the podium in both outings. He came up just short of a top-three on Saturday, finishing fourth in what was a five-rider melee for second. Scott got his revenge on Sunday, successfully defending his position over a tense final few laps to hold on for second.

Scott said, “I wasn’t really happy with fourth – we’re trying to be on the top of the box, but today was a lot better. I have to give thanks to the whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team for all the hard work they put in over the second half of the season to get the bike dialed in. I couldn’t ask much more out of the bike today – I had a great feeling on it.”

Scott’s Supersport teammate, Teagg Hobbs, found the going considerably more difficult in Texas. Hobbs finished 16th on Saturday and then suffered a DNF on Sunday.

“We were having a problem slowing down the bike in both races,” Hobbs said. “I couldn’t slow down going into the corners, and I pulled in about halfway. I wasn’t able to ride around it, and we weren’t getting good data. We will work hard to get it fixed for the next race.”

The squad’s third Supersport pilot, Joel Ohman, continued to accumulate experience, twice improving upon his qualifying position in the races.

Ohman said, “I went 1.8 seconds faster than last year, and my race pace was better. We are still working on setup, and I didn’t feel I could fully battle with the bike yet. But we are improving and the lap times are the real story. We have a strong idea of what to address for New Jersey so we can still keep making more solid progress.”

Vision Wheel M4 Suzuki’s Rossi Moor showed serious grit, determination and speed aboard the Suzuki GSX-8R in Twins Cup action. Moor’s race on Saturday ended in prematurely due to a terrifying highside crash suffered while holding down second position. Undaunted, the young gun came back out on Sunday to earn a runner-up result. Doing so secured him fifth in the class’ final championship standings on the strength of four podiums.

“I’m still a little banged and bruised, but nothing ever stopped me,” Moor said. “It was a great race – it was definitely a hot one. I’m glad to be on the podium, and I can’t thank my team enough. It’s been a great year developing this bike. It’s been a bit up and down, but looking back on it, it was worth all the hard work we put in, especially finishing up with a second-place finish.”

Suzuki congratulates Jake Lewis and Altus Motorsports on their Supersport Race 1 victory. Lewis was able to capitalize on his great start and finished out front with a near three second lead on his GSX-R750.

RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines star Rocco Landers had a similarly difficult Saturday but was less fortunate in his hopes of a successful rebound on Sunday. Landers crashed twice in Saturday’s race, resulting in a DNF, while Sunday’s rematch saw him forced to retire due to mechanical issues. Despite the disappointing Twins Cup finale, Landers wrapped up the season ranked second in the points with four victories and seven total podiums.

“I had a small mistake in Race 1 that cost me a good finish, and we had a mechanical in Race 2. The team was great all weekend, anything that went wrong was on me. It was a great season, and the bike performed way better than I expected. It’s the most fun twin I have ever ridden. I learned a lot of great lessons this year and am looking forward to what the future holds.”

While the Twins Cup season is now complete, the official Suzuki Superbike and Supersport runners will conclude their season at the 2024 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship season finale, which will be waged at New Jersey Motorsports Park on September 27-29.

The following is from Yamaha…

Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen scored a pair of top-10 finishes, crossing the line seventh and 10th, respectively, in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 and Race 3 at the Circuit of The Americas. Fill-in rider Xavi Forés battled in the tricky conditions and finished eighth in the first race of the day, but unfortunately had to withdraw from the final race of the weekend.

It was another hot day making for challenging conditions on the newly resurfaced track in Austin, Texas. After a tough start to the tripleheader weekend, Petersen had a much better start from the fourth row of the grid in Race 2 and was ninth on the opening lap. He then passed his teammate on the following lap to move to eighth and gained another position when a rider ahead crashed. From there it was a four-rider battle for sixth, with riders jockeying for position. On the final lap, Petersen made the move to seventh, where he would finish. 

In Race 3, Petersen got a great start in fifth, but unfortunately the race was redflagged after the opening lap with oil on track leading into the first turn. After the complete restart of the shortened 10-lap race, the South African was eighth and advanced to seventh, but was struggling with grip and shuffled to 13th on the following lap. Petersen continued to fight despite the challenges and made his way back to 10th, salvaging points on a tough weekend.

Forés had another good start in Race 2, slotting into the top five, but found himself eighth on that opening lap after running wide in the greasy track conditions. He then found himself further back in ninth, but the Spaniard regrouped and made his way to eighth before the halfway mark. In that four-rider battle for sixth, Forés exchanged positions and moved to sixth with two laps to go, but would ultimately cross the line eighth. After the complete restart of the final race of the weekend, Forés was ninth. He did what he could to maintain the position despite dealing with a technical issue but had to withdraw from the race with four laps remaining. 

The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team heads to Millville, New Jersey, in two weeks’ time for the MotoAmerica season finale at the New Jersey Motorsports Park on September 27-29.

Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“It was an unfortunate situation at COTA. We did the best we could with the cards that we were dealt. We’re moving on to New Jersey and look to finish the season strong.”

Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“It was a challenging weekend for the team. We did everything we could to make the most out of what we had, but just couldn’t make it work. We will bounce back for Jersey.”

Xavi Forés – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #34
“It was a pretty tough weekend for all the Yamahas out there. The maximum we could do is fight for a top six. We struggled a lot with grip, especially in Race 3 where we had an issue and had to retire. It wasn’t what we were expecting before the weekend, but it is what it is. I want to say thanks to the team because they worked so hard to give me the best bike possible today. I’m looking forward to New Jersey, which I think is a track that will suit our bike better, and I will try to make some improvements on myself now that I am more familiar with the bike.”

The following is from Altus Motorsports…

Jake Lewis brought home a win for the Altus Motorsports team.  He qualified with the 4th fastest Supersport time on his GSX-R750. Jake took the lead on lap 1 of Saturday’s race and never looked back. The win was a great reward for Lewis and the team after a challenging season. In Race 2, he crossed the finish line in 5th, just a tenth of a second out of 4th place. 

Jake Lewis: “It felt so good to win my first Supersport race in 10 years. The team has worked so hard all year, and the bike felt really good. In Race 2, the pace was faster, and it was my 5th race of the weekend in the brutal heat. Halfway through, I just got physically exhausted, which was a bit of a bummer. We’re still 3rd in points with just the finale left, so it’ll be time to give it my all again at New Jersey.”

Coming into the weekend, the team decided to change the suspension hardware on Jaret Nassaney’s GSX-R750 to match the setup that Lewis is running. With that, they also consolidated the setup decisions within the team. This created more parity and allowed for better data sharing between teammates. The changes worked for Jaret. He leaves Texas with a 15th on Saturday and a 14th on Sunday. While not where he wants to be, he goes to New Jersey with confidence.

Jaret Nassaney: “Really happy with the direction we are headed and looking forward to carrying it forward to New Jersey. I love that track and can’t wait to apply the progress we made at COTA.”

Torin Collins qualified 17th in the crowded Supersport class, which featured 32 riders. In Race 1, he fought his way to an impressive 9th-place finish. During Race 2, Collins engaged in a tight three-bike battle for 7th place but ultimately finished in 9th.

Torin Collins: “Very fun weekend. We didn’t get the top 5 I wanted, but I can’t complain with two top-ten finishes after starting 17th. We are definitely on the right path, and I’m looking forward to ending the season strong.”

George Nassaney: “This year has been tough, but we finally had a weekend where everything clicked. All our riders performed exceptionally well, and the crew is truly coming together as a team. We’re celebrating Jake’s win and are excited to carry this momentum into New Jersey to close out the season on a high note. It was also great to have our sponsors Buy A Jet From Steve Main, SBS, and Moto Liberty/ RS Taichi spend the weekend with our team.”

Altus Motorsports is supported by a great family of sponsors, including WPS, Firepower, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Buy A Jet From Steve Main, Barnett, Evol Technology, Maxima Oils, Hot Bodies Racing, M4 Exhausts, Vortex EK, Motion Pro, SBS Brakes, BrakeTech USA, Pit Bull Products, GB Racing, Ohlins, K-Tech, Puig Racing, RS Taichi, Arai, Core Moto, Pro Bolt, Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers, Law Tigers Oklahoma, and Altus Factory Racing.

The following is from Tytlers Cycle Racing…

Tytlers Cycle Racing are still in with a shot of lifting the 2024 MotoAmerica Superbike title thanks to Cameron Beaubier’s double win and second place finish in the penultimate round of the series at the Circuit of the Americas. 
 
Dominating practice, the #6 BMW M1000RR rider broke the outright circuit record in qualifying to take pole position for all three races, his team mate JD Beach also riding well to secure a third row of the grid start in eighth. 
 
Saturday’s opening race saw Beaubier locked in an incredible battle with his closest rival for the title Josh Herrin and Sean Dylan Kelly. Trading fastest laps the race became a two-rider affair following SDK’s retirement with Cameron pulling away in the closing stages to claim victory. 
 
Race two was an equally thrilling affair with the same three riders swapping positions several times a lap. Cameron crossed the line second but importantly ahead of Herrin to keep the pressure on in terms of the championship fight. 
 
In temperatures of almost one hundred degrees, race three was for many the highlight of the weekend with the three aforementioned riders once again covered by the narrowest of margins from start to finish. At the flag Beaubier got the nod taking his second win of the weekend to ensure the title fight goes to the final round in New Jersey in a fortnight. 
 
JD Beach produced solid results crossing the line fifth, ninth and seventh in three races respectively, leaving COTA eighth overall in the championship. 
 
The team’s other rider Stefano Mesa was also back in action in both Supersport and Super Hooligans. The #37 races to seventh and eighth place finishes aboard his Kawasaki in Supersport, whilst on the Energica in the Hooligans class he crossed the line eleventh and ninth. 
 
Cameron Beaubier: “It was good to ride COTA again on a superbike, especially on the BMW M1000 RR. The team got the bike working good around the place and they made progress with the setup every race.in all three races we had good battles, and it felt good going 1-2-1. It was a hot one. The championship is out of sight now but with what I have been through this year I am content. We will give it our all at jersey!”
 
JD Beach: “COTA race weekend was a hot one, but I always love going there. The track is a lot of fun and we had to work hard since there were three superbike races. Friday was a rough day with a mechanical problem, starting our weekend on the backfoot. My crew worked hard and gave me a great bike for first qualifying. We didn’t have our best qualifying, but we got some good data going into Saturday. For race one I got a great start and was able to latch onto the leaders and up my pace a bit. After a race long battle with Loris Baz, we were able to get a fifth. Races two and three weren’t as good for us. Picking up a ninth and seventh. I know the crew and I gave it our all, but we just couldn’t get the job done. We are not done yet and I am looking forward to NJMP.”
 
Stefano Mesa: “Cota was a hot one this past weekend. It started on a positive note and the team worked hard to give me the best bikes possible. The hooligan weekend on the Energica was all progress every session out. We found some time and figured out the bike a bit more. I was able to go three seconds faster than last year by Q2 and we got closer to the pack of factory bikes. Both races were good. We had solid races running in P7 for the whole race, but unfortunately the heat was so bad we had to slow down on the last lap just a bit to finish the races. We ended race one P11 and P9 in race two. It’s the end of the season for this class and we sure will miss it. We did solid steps forward at every round and the class keeps getting more stacked. Big thanks to the Tytlers & Energica boys for making all this work out and hopefully we will be back next year for some more. It was the first time around COTA on a Supersport bike for me. We made some good times through FP and Q1 on Friday. For Q2 we did a big chassis change to see if we could go quicker but unfortunately, we went backwards so we ended up racing on what we knew would work. Race one we got a good start, and I was able to run with the front pack for a few laps. I ended up in a good battle for the podium with six other riders an ended up P7 at the flag. In race two we struggled a bit and fell back off the start, but we kept working and passed a few guys. It was another good battle, and we ended up P8.”

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