The following is from Ducati…
Following Josh Herrin’s dominant performance at Laguna Seca, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati is now the points leader in the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. Today’s momentous victory marks Ducati as the points leader for the first time since Ferracci Ducati pilot Troy Corser had the lead in 1994, ultimately winning the 1994 AMA Superbike Championship.
This weekend, Herrin took the lead in the championship after finishing second place in race one on Saturday, July 13. From there, Herrin knew it was all to play for in the second encounter on Sunday afternoon.
The Georgian refused to let race one winner Cameron Beaubier separate from the pack in the early stages, taking the lead at turn 11 on lap four and setting a fast but controlled pace as Beaubier, Sean Dylan Kelly, and Bobby Fong all tried and failed to find a way past.
Herrin stayed strong, and with a final lap that thwarted any possible attack from Beaubier, he crossed the line to take his third win of the year by 0.244s and move an impressive 15 points clear in the title chase heading into the summer break.
Loris Baz’s weekend at Laguna Seca didn’t quite yield the results he was looking for. The fast Frenchman carded a pair of sixth-place results, solidifying his sixth-place position in the standings, 52 points behind teammate Herrin.
Josh Herrin has enjoyed many great rides in his professional racing career, but few have matched the display he put on in race two of round six of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“That was a super awesome weekend at Laguna Seca,” Herrin said. “It’s extra special because we have the Ducati Rider Experience (DRE) event here tomorrow, and it’s huge to go into that with a win. We did the same last year at COTA in Texas before the DRE there, and you feel a lot more welcome when you win!
“I’m super happy to get this win and the championship lead. I had my family and the DeNaples family here, and I had two-time World Champion John Kocinski here helping me all weekend, so I’m pumped. We’re going to keep this ball rolling at Mid-Ohio.”
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“I was expecting more than we got this weekend,” Baz said. “On Friday, I didn’t feel as good as I would have liked, and we didn’t change the bike because we weren’t that far behind in pace but on Saturday, we changed the bike significantly before race one. That race was pretty good, and I finished sixth.
“Starting with that base, we made some more adjustments today for race two, but it didn’t quite work out. I was still sixth, but I was faster than in race one so there are some positives, but I was hoping for more for me personally. It’s been a great weekend for the team, and congratulations to Josh for taking the race two win and the championship lead.”
The seventh round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship sees the Herrin and Baz head to the legendary Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Ohio for the first time in the MotoAmerica era over the August 16-18 weekend.
The following is from Yamaha…
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne capped off the MotoAmerica Superbike weekend at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with another fifth-place finish at the iconic track in Monterey, California. Dealing with lingering arm pump issues, the reigning champion’s pair of top-five finishes earned valuable points to maintain the runner-up spot in the fierce battle for the premier-class crown. Unfortunately Cameron Petersen’s race ended early with a technical issue.
Gagne got a good start from the third row of the grid and quickly made his way to sixth. He advanced to fifth on Lap 6 and rode his own race to finish comfortably in the position. The pair of top-five finishes on the technical track was a valuable points haul for the defending three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion who has been feeling less than 100%. He leaves the sixth round of the championship maintaining the runner-up spot in the standings and trailing by 15 points. As the series heads into a five-week summer break, Gagne will undergo surgery to address his arm pump issues.
Petersen got a great start to Race 2 and slotted into the runner-up spot. The South African was passed early on Lap 2 and then again in the corkscrew. Riding in fourth, it was a heated four-rider battle at the front. Unfortunately, on Lap 6, Petersen started to drop down the order and ultimately withdrew with a technical issue.
The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team heads back east to Lexington, Ohio, in five weeks time for Round 7 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 16-18.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“We had a much-improved setup for Sunday, and Cameron was confident, but unfortunately an unforeseen technical issue caught us out. Jake soldiered on through the race and secured a few more good points. We look forward to Mid Ohio and the ability to compete with two healthy riders.”
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #1
“We managed to pick up the pace a bit today and be a little closer to the front to get a few more points. The team and bike deserve to be fighting for wins, so it’ll be nice to have a few weeks off and be stronger for the last part of the season.”
Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“It’s not the best way to end the weekend. The bike felt great, and I felt like I was in a good position to fight at the front, but unfortunately, we had an issue with the bike and were unable to finish the race. Thank you to the team for all the hard work. We will come back swinging after the summer break.”
The following is from Suzuki…
Suzuki Motor USA (Suzuki) and Team Hammer’s Superbike and Supersport entries continued their ‘24 campaigns at the fabled WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. And like the venue itself, the teams’ weekend was notable for its unusual number of ups and downs.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s super-sub, Xavi Forés (34), continued to demonstrate his caliber aboard the team’s Suzuki GSX-R1000R, adapting to it on the fly while sitting in for the team’s regular pilot, Richie Escalante. In Saturday’s race, the reigning Supersport champion climbed his way up from tenth early to edge teammate Brandon Paasch for seventh by 0.244 seconds at the flag. Forés registered a similar charge on Sunday, again racing up to seventh from tenth, this time punctuated by a last-lap, last-corner pass for position.
Forés said, “We were expecting to have a solid weekend after the steps we made at Ridge, but for some reason, we couldn’t find quite the right setup for this track. It was a pleasure to work with the entire team during these races. Richie is getting better, and Ohio is the target for him, so I wish all of them all the best. I want to say a huge thank you to the team for having me on board. I’ve enjoyed it; we earned a podium together and learned a lot.”
Brandon Paasch (96) impressed with a second-row qualifying effort aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R. After narrowly missing out on seventh following his duel with teammate Forés on Saturday, Paasch was eager to improve on Sunday. Unfortunately, he crashed out of the race at the start of the second lap while running in the lead pack.
“We had our best qualifying of the season here, but I wasn’t quite able to run that pace in the races. It was a little disappointing to finish eighth on Saturday, not the best and not the worst. On Sunday, I was trying to get a better start and hang onto some racers in front of me when I tucked the front. I’m sore, but I think I’m okay.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott (70) did his best to salvage a tough weekend for the squad’s Supersport crew by picking up a top-ten finish on Sunday after missing Saturday’s race due to an electrical issue suffered on the warm-up lap. Scott battled hard aboard his next-generation GSX-R750, duking it out in a multi-rider fight to ultimately come away with a ninth-place result.
Scott said, “It was a long weekend with a bunch of ups and downs. We were chasing setup all weekend, and we came prepared for Race 1 with a bike we thought would be good to battle with, but unfortunately we had an electrical problem. That left us with a DNS, although the team worked hard until the last possible second to try and get me out for the race. For the second race, I had a really good start from the third row but early on began to suffer with setup issues and a track limits penalty that ended with me in ninth. It was a tough weekend with lots to take home to think about in the next month. I am going to be back at Mid-Ohio stronger than ever and ready to win.”
Teammate Teagg Hobbs (79) encountered uncharacteristic struggles as well. Fresh off a sixth place at the previous round, and returning to WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway where he finished in the top five aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 one year ago, Hobbs was unable to find his typical pace and left the weekend with 12th- and 13th-place finishes.
“It was a really tough weekend, the toughest I have ever had racing,” Hobbs admitted. “We’ve been chasing a problem for two events that we can’t identify. We have a plan for these next four weeks before Ohio to address it, and we’ll do our best.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s third Supersport pilot, Joel Ohman (92), continued to soak up as much experience as possible at the tricky race track. Ohman raced his way forward by running laps quicker than his qualifying best to pick up several positions on his starting slot in both races.
“The weekend went well,” Ohman said. “I started out faster than I had gone here before, and kept getting quicker every session. We picked up a second and a half by the time the weekend was done. In the races, I had good battles on Saturday and Sunday. It felt good to mix it up. We feel like we are making progress, and that’s the goal.”
The 2024 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship will resume in just over a month’s time at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 16-18 in Lexington, Ohio.
The following is from OrangeCat Racing…
Jayson Uribe’s string of success in his rookie season in MotoAmerica’s Stock 1000 Class continued this past weekend at the iconic Laguna Seca circuit. The OrangeCat Racing rider – who hails from Angwin, Calif. – looked right home when he topped the time sheets in practice and both qualifying sessions, claimed his first Stock 1000 pole position and secured a pair of runner-up results on Saturday and Sunday.
Uribe also extended his streak of consecutive MotoAmerica Stock 1000 podium appearances from three to five and is just seven points behind the championship leader with one round and two races remaining.
OrangeCat Racing’s second rider, Travis Wyman, put in his best qualifying performance of the year and collected two more top-10 finishes at the July 12-14 round.
Uribe kicked off the weekend by being the fastest rider in both on-track sessions on Friday. He edged out another frontrunning rider for the best time in Friday morning practice by 0.026 seconds, then provisionally qualified first in the Friday afternoon Qualifying 1 session by a margin of 0.316 seconds. Wyman wasn’t far behind his teammate on Friday’s time sheets. He wrapped up practice as the fourth-fastest rider and provisionally qualified fifth in Qualifying 1.
When Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2 session ended, Uribe had secured his first Stock 1000 pole position and improved his best lap time in Qualifying 1 by 0.445 seconds. Wyman ended up qualifying sixth for the weekend’s two Stock 1000 races after lowering his best lap time from a 1:26.557 in Qualifying 1 to a 1:26.196 in Qualifying 2.
Later Saturday, Uribe got a great start but a mistake a few laps into the race forced him to settle for a runner-up result. Uribe led the race for the first two laps. Then, at the start of Lap 3, Uribe ran wide as he approached Turn 2 and lost two positions. He moved up from third place to second on Lap 8 of the 14-lap race and ended up scoring his fourth podium appearance of the season. Wyman was running in eighth place at the end of Lap 1 and finished Lap 2 in seventh place. He fell back to eighth place on Lap 3, which is the position he finished the race in.
In Sunday’s race, Uribe got another good start and led the race for the first two laps. Another rider made a pass for the lead at the start of Lap 3, and one lap later Uribe lost another position and ran the next five laps in third place. Wyman lost a couple positions during the first lap and finished that lap in eighth place. Uribe gradually closed the gap to the second-place rider and overtook him on Lap 9. Unfortunately, Uribe’s strong pace wasn’t enough to close the gap to the race leader, but he still claimed his second second-place finish of the round. Wyman struggled a little for pace as the race went on, as he fell to ninth place on Lap 8 and ended up finishing the race in 10th.
The final round of the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 season takes place Sept. 27-29 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J.
Jayson Uribe / No. 360
“Overall, it was a good weekend at Laguna. I felt like I had the pace over the field when I really needed it, but my main focus was on the championship fight. Getting pole was a huge bonus. I honestly didn’t think too much about it during the qualifying sessions. I just wanted to be in the first two rows. I tried to ride smooth and precise, I’m glad it worked out. The story for both races was pretty similar. Race 1 involved more mistakes on my end. However, both involved me leading for a few laps and then having to work my way through a pack. My main focus for Sunday was to minimize my mistakes and focus on riding well. I feel like I rode smart in Race 2 and did the best with the package we had. I really wanted to win this weekend, but it’s more important to finish the races and get championship points. Huge shoutout to the entire OrangeCat Racing team. They gave me a great bike to ride all weekend. I’m ready to keep the ball rolling for New Jersey.”
Travis Wyman / No. 10
“It was another tough weekend for me. I had my best qualifying of the year but struggled with rear grip all weekend. I tried a big change for Race 1 but ended up falling back to eighth place. I tried another change for Race 2 and was feeling good with it for a handful of laps. But I again fell back a little and finished 10th. It was awesome to compete in three classes at the Laguna round and collect six top 10 finishes, but I’m going to work hard to be closer to the front in Stock 1000 at New Jersey.”
The following is from Rahal Ducati Moto…
PJ Jacobsen and the Rahal Ducati Moto team depart WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with a weekend sweep and strong momentum carrying into the summer break.
Finishing in fourth was the Roller Die + Forming rider, Corey Alexander, after battling for a podium the entirety of the race.
Kayla Yaakov competitively rode through the field to take home an impressive sixth-place finish in Race 2. Now sixth in the championship, she sits just three points behind Alexander in the standings.
With the strong results recorded for Jacobsen, the XPEL rider continues to close the gap in the Supersport championship with Mathew Scholtz just 18-points ahead.
The Rahal Ducati Moto Panigales will head back to Indianapolis to prepare for the next race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – a venue the Rahal family call it’s “home track”. Rounds 13 and 14 of Supersport competition will take place in Lexington, Ohio, August 16-18.
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 1st
FINISHED: 1st
CHAMPIONSHIP: 2nd (241 pts)
NOTES: Rode on the tail of the Mathew Scholtz each lap // Made an impressive pass just two turns before the finish line to collect his fifth victory of the season
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a really good race today. It was awesome to get the double-wins. I feel like I made a very good pass with two corners to go. The bike was working great and I’m super happy and proud of the team. The weekend couldn’t have gone any better, and we got some championship points. We have a few weeks off now, so I’m looking forward to going back, settling down, and continuing to work at keeping this battle going for Mid-Ohio.”
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 ROLLER DIE + FORMING DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 3rd
FINISHED: 4th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 5th (111 pts)
NOTES: Made a few ergonomic and gearing changes, but had a malfunction with the shifter in Race 2
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a much better day today, after a lot of changes this morning. We tried some different gearing, adjusting our rear sets, and adding a bit of height to our seat. We did a lot to make the bike better. I got away with the leaders, PJ, and Mathew, but unfortunately our shifter failed again, which is not one of the things we can really control. The system set by MotoAmerica is very sensitive, and we don’t really know exactly what’s been causing it. Either way, happy to salvage a fourth-place finish. We should’ve had a podium, but I’m happy enough to be able to finish where we did. Thanks to the whole team, they worked really hard all weekend to try to get me comfortable here, and we made a lot of progress with the bike chassis and ergonomics. It’s unfortunate that we stumbled to where we are at so late, but I’m happy enough with the result and to get more points for the championship. We’ll go onward to more tracks back on the East coast!”
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 8th
FINISHED: 6th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 6th (108 pts)
NOTES: Remains in the fight for a top five position in the championship
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “The race today was okay. I had a bit of a mishap in the first corner where I was stood up by another rider and pushed really wide, something that was completely out of my control, but it’s alright. We dropped all the way back to ninth at one point, but I was able to make my way back up. By the time I was at the top of that group, the gap was just too big to close. Overall, I was happy to gather some points this weekend, which puts me just outside of the top five. We’re still getting closer and proving we can be up front. I wish I would’ve had a better start and possibly run with my teammates to be on that fight for the podium again, but now I’m excited to go to the team’s home race at Mid-Ohio and keep working there.”
BEN SPIES
TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a really good race today. Another win for PJ is really important for the championship. Corey had a bit of a shifter problem which slowed him down in the end, but he was riding really well too. Kayla rode great. She got pushed almost off the track on the second turn of the first lap, and then had to push through some people. All in all, there were a lot of positives from this weekend, and it’s good that we stopped Mathew [Scholtz] from running away with the championship.”
The following is from Altus Motorsports…
The MotoAmerica round at the iconic Laguna Seca circuit delivered a range of outcomes for the team. After grappling with persistent electrical issues earlier in the season, the team appears to have resolved these problems and is poised for some strong results.
Jake Lewis qualified 5th. In Race 1, he finished a strong 4th place. After an uncharacteristically poor start in Race 2, he dropped back to 11th on the first lap. Lewis fought back to 6th and ultimately finished in 7th place.
Jake Lewis: “Overall it was a decent weekend. 4th in Race 1 but Race 2 was frustrating. My start was terrible and I lost too much ground. I feel like we made progress with the bike and I am looking forward to the last 3 rounds after the summer break.”
Jaret Nassaney faced challenges with his bike setup, which led to a 17th-place qualification. An early crash in Race 1, relegated him back to 27th. He managed to pick up the bike and battle back to finish 23rd. On Sunday, Nassaney found his rhythm, running his fastest time of the race with two laps remaining and finishing in 15th place.
Jaret Nassaney: “Another frustrating weekend for me. I can’t seem to get everything to click. I crashed in Race 1 after losing the front over the slick sealer strips in Turn 2 and didn’t have enough time or pace to get back in the points. A month off to recoup, and hopefully, we can end the last three rounds strong.”
Starting both races from 12th on the grid, Torin Collins encountered difficulties early in the first Supersport race, ending up in the gravel trap after a collision with another rider. In Race 2, Collins finished in a lonely, but very respectable 10th place.
Torin Collins: “We definitely made some great forward progress with the bike at Laguna. I am super happy to finally feel like the setup and the feeling with the bike are coming together. The team worked hard all weekend. We tried different changes with the stiffness, and it definitely helped. I’m glad to get another top 10 — especially after an unfortunate accident in race 1. Upwards and onwards!”
George Nassaney: “Laguna Seca truly presented a mixed bag of results for us. The crashes on Saturday were disappointing but having all three riders in the top 15 on Sunday was a significant achievement. We are extremely relieved to have put our electronic issues behind us, allowing us to compete at our best. As a team, and from one race family to another, we want to send our deepest condolences the Dreher family for their truly tragic loss.”
The team remains optimistic and focused as they prepare for the next round of the MotoAmerica series, determined to continue their upward trajectory.
Altus Motorsports Racing is supported by Altus Motorsports, 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, Öhlins, 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…
The annual MotoAmerica weekend at the iconic Laguna Seca circuit was once again kind to the Tytlers Cycle Racing team, who left the undulating Californian circuit with another Superbike win, a brace of good results in both the Supersport and Super Hooligan categories.
It was the home round for Cameron Beaubier who was in better physical shape than at the previous round although still not one hundred percent. However, able to ride as he wanted, Beaubier was on fire all weekend. Qualifying on Pole Position by a third of a second he converted P1 on the grid to a race one win by over a second. Narrowly missing the double. He finished second in race two.
JD Beach rode well all weekend on the second BMW M1000 RR. He finished a credible eighth in race two after a spill in Saturday’s opening twenty lap encounter when fighting inside the top six.
In Supersport Stefano Mesa had another strong showing. The Kawasaki mounted rider was in contention for the podium in both races achieving seventh and fifth, respectively. It was a double duty weekend for Mesa who was also aboard the Energica machine in the Super Hooligan class. An unfortunate mechanical issue put him out of race two on Sunday after a competitive ride to P8 twenty-four hours earlier.
There is a short gap in the calendar now before the series resumes in Mid-Ohio in August.
JD Beach: “The weekend at Laguna started off in a good direction. I felt like we had a good day on Friday. We were working a lot on setup with used tyres but still had good pace. Saturday morning qualifying was good, and I found a good chunk of time with the Q tyre, so I was looking forward to Race one. In the first race we had a decent start, and I was right in between Gagne and Baz but then with five laps to go I lost the front and crashed at turn ten. I didn’t do anything different, the front just turned under and tucked. On Sunday in the race, I just didn’t quite have the same pace I had on Saturday. I was a bit nervous with the front and wasn’t pushing it hard enough. Now we have a bit of a break before the last push of the season. It’s time to reset and see what we can do the last three rounds.”
Cameron Beaubier: “Laguna is always a fun one with the family coming out. I felt relieved on Friday that I could ride the bike like normal with my foot. Winning race one was a great feeling after the last month I’ve had. I was comfortable pushing the bike and had good feel. Race two I didn’t quite have that feeling at the beginning but throughout the race it got better. Herrin was strong on the brakes and was tough to pass. We are still far from the top in terms of the overall points, but we made some ground on some guys in the championship this weekend. We just gotta keep fighting. It’s not over until it’s over.”
Stefano Mesa: “We are always looking forward to Laguna as it is a special place. The weekend was good for us making progress on the SuperSport bike and being able to run up front. We struggled quite a bit in qualifying, but the crew got to work for the race and found a comfortable set up which allowed me to push and go with the front group for the races. In race one we had a good battle. We ran the whole race fighting with the group that was battling for the last spot on the podium. I tried my best to do some passing on the last lap but came up a bit short and ended up P7. For race two we decided to try a different setting and ended up going a bit faster. We went with the same group for almost the whole race, but I started to fall back just a bit at the end and ended up P5. The hooligan bike is always a treat to ride, and I had some fun on that again this weekend too. We were a bit faster than last year through the weekend and had some good racing. For race one we had a small issue and almost missed the start. We got a good launch and I put myself fourth off the line. We were in the mix with some of the Indian and Harley riders and ended up eighth. We were having a good race two the bike had a mechanical. “
