Road America Weekend got kicked off in blazing fashion. On a newly paved track and perfect weather conditions riders were able to push their bikes in qualifying. In 2021 Jake Gagne (Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha) set the Medallia Superbike record at Road America. On Day 1 of race weekend Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier did not wait long to break it. Beaubier set a fastest 2:09.629 which was nearly 1 second faster than the previous record here. It was a good day for the Tytlers Cycle Racing side in Sueprbike. Beaubier’s teammate PJ Jacobsen ran second fastest in qualifying with a 2:10.296. Josh Herrin (HSBK Warhorse Ducati) rounded out the top 3.
It was a problematic day for the Fresh and Lean Progressive Yamaha riders Cameron Petersen and Jake Gagne. Bother riders had their days cut short due to mechanical issues and did not participate in qualifying 1.
Steel Commander Stock 1000
Ezra Beaubier topped the table in Qualifying 1 setting a 2:14.311. Beaubier was 0.392 seconds faster than Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman in P2 and 1.4 seconds faster than Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim in P3. Which conditions remaining great for Day 2 and Race 1 of qualifying we expect times to get faster as the weekend progresses.
Supersport
Stefnao Mesa (Tytlers Cycle Racing) took provisional pole ahead of Supersport championship leader Xavi Fores (HSBK Warhorse Ducati) by 6 tenths of a second. With Q2 in the morning we will determine if the afternoon pace we saw today will translate as track temperature will presumably be lower which will affect tire grip conditions for the riders.
Junior Cup
Bad Boys Racing’s Junior Cup Championship leader Avery Dreher rode his Kawasaki Ninja 400 to provisional pole with a fastest Q1 lap of 2:39.366. Dreher has had a phenomenal start to the season setting the benchmark in the class. Dreher was 0.795 seconds quicker than Hayden Bicknese (Bicknese Racing) in second. Max VanDebrouck (SportbikeTrackGear.com) settled for third fastest in the class.
King of the Baggers
Bobby Fong (Sac Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands/Indian) topped the baggers field with a 2:20.817 which came on his 6 lap of qualifying. Fong has previous won here at ROad America so he is no stranger to the track. While true, the circuit has been completely repaved so this weekend all riders are gathering new data in a sense to adjust their race strategies to the new conditions.
Fong finished ahead of Tyler O/Hara (Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods) by a margin of 0.497 seconds. James Rispoli (Vance & Hines /Mission/Harley-Davidson) finished P3 to round out the top of the table. King of the Baggers Q2 is the last qualifying session of the weekend before races begin.
Build Train Race
This weekend the Royal Enfield Build Train Race (BTR) program kicked off with their first round of the season. Seasoned racer and newcomer to the series, Mikayla Moore dominated qualifying 1 with a stunning 4 second lead over last years BTR champion Kayleigh Buyck. Crystal Martinez who also raced for BTR in 2022 finished third. This years roster features 12 women who will race at select rounds with the MotorAmerica series. You can find more information on the program here: Build. Train Race.
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