Rahal Ducati to the MotoAmerica Grid?

A recent hint dropped by MotoAmerica suggests that Rahal Ducati might be making an entry for the 2024 MotoAmerica Superbike Season. The hint came in the form of a social media story. However, for racing fans who have been around since the beginning of the MotoAmerica brand they know a possibility when they see one. The thought at hand is whether Rahal Ducati will be joining the 2024 MotoAmerica grid? There is precedent for such a move.

The Rahal Family Going Superbike Racing?

IndyCar driver Graham Rahal runs Rahal Ducati; a Ducati dealership in the Racing Capital of the World: Indianapolis. The idea for a Superbike team started back in 2015 when Graham’s father Bobby Rahal was in talks with MotoAmerica about starting a Superbike team. However, no moves have been made to date. The idea is a natural progression given the success of the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing organization in the car world. Graham Rahal is also an avid Ducati collector and loves the brand.

RLL Racing is involved in a number of different tiers of motorsport across the country. One key highlight is that Graham Rahal is an avid motorcycle collector. His collection is on display at Rahal Ducati and one could infer that a run at a Superbike championship with factory Ducati support could be a very real possibility given the recent success Ducati has had in the World Superbike Championship and recently in MotoAmerica by the likes of Xavi Fores who won the Supersport championship with Warhorse HSBK Ducati and Josh Herrin who finished second in the 2023 Superbike championship fight.

Is it a Good Move?

While no official announcement has been made. We believe such a move makes sense from a racing lovers point of view. It also makes sense from a growth point of view. MotoAmerica saw its largest year over year growth at the end of the 2022 season. MotoAmerica reported 1 Billion+ digital interactions couple with a record 181 million views on social media and 300,000+ race attendees. Social media subscribers also increased 72% and this year’s numbers based on individual race reports will top last years. With potential brand exposure at an all time high, starting a race team would coincide very nicely. We are expecting an official announcement on some time this month. Whether the speculation is true is yet to be determined.

As a racing fan the thought of a second Ducati team on the grid in MotoAmerica is a positive thing. Currently, Ducati is the only manufacturer with one bike on grid in the Medallia Superbike class. There is also the possibility of a Superport entry with the recent dominance of the Ducati V2 in the class. We will report back if there is any validity to the rumors.

This article was not written by Speed Trap Magazine Staff

From MotoAmerica…

MotoAmerica, North America’s premier road racing series, is pleased to release its tentative 2024 MotoAmerica Championship schedule with eight classes set to battle for titles, including 20 Superbike races held over nine rounds, two additional Mission King Of The Baggers races, the Daytona 200, and a return to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course after a 10-year hiatus.

MotoAmerica will again begin its season with its Supersport class competing in the non-points-paying Daytona 200, with the Mission King Of The Baggers Championship, Twins Cup and Mission Super Hooligan National Championship kicking off their seasons with the start of those three championships. For 2024, the 82^nd running of the Daytona 200 at Daytona International Speedway will be the only extended-distance, pit-stop round of the Supersport series.

Like last year, the 20-race Superbike series will compete three times over the course of the weekend at two rounds – Barber Motorsports Park and Circuit of The Americas – with a single race on Saturday followed by two races on Sunday. Additionally, as was the case in 2023, all classes will compete twice over the course of their scheduled race weekends.

“It’s hard to believe that the 2024 season represents 10 years since MotoAmerica took over the AMA Superbike series,” said MotoAmerica COO Chuck Aksland. “Since that time, we’ve seen tremendous growth, not only with our television broadcast footprint and social media but also our on-site spectator attendance. We are confident of that continued growth especially with the addition of Mid-Ohio to next year’s schedule. Although we just finished up our 2023 season, we know 2024 is just around the corner and we look forward to seeing everyone at Daytona in March.”

The Superbike Championship will get rolling with its traditional opening round at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (April 19-21) with the Georgia round also featuring Supersport, Twins Cup, Junior Cup and Mission King Of The Baggers.

From Road Atlanta the series stays in the south with round two set for Barber Motorsports Park (May 17-19) and the first of two tripleheader Medallia Superbike races. In addition to the Superbikes, the Barber round will also feature Supersport, Twins Cup, Junior Cup and the opening round of Stock 1000.

Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, will be the third round of the championship on its traditional date of the first weekend in June (May 31-June 2) and will feature Superbike, Supersport, Twins Cup, Junior Cup and Mission King Of The Baggers.

Following the Road America round, the series heads west and stops at Brainerd International Raceway for round four (June 14-16) with Superbike, Stock 1000, Supersport, Twins Cup, Junior Cup and Mission King Of The Baggers.

Then it’s off to Ridge Motorsports Park for the fifth round of the title chase in Shelton, Washington (June 28-30) with the Superbikes headlining the event that will also feature Stock 1000, Supersport and round two of the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship.

Two weeks later and the MotoAmerica Championship lands in Monterey, California, for round six at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (July 12-14) for Superbike, Stock 1000, Supersport, Mission King Of The Baggers and the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship.

Following the four-week summer break, the series heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (August 16-18) for the first time since 2014 and the first time since MotoAmerica took over the AMA Superbike Championship. In addition to the two Superbike races, Mid-Ohio will also play host to Supersport, Junior Cup, Mission King Of The Baggers and the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship.

The MotoAmerica Championship returns to Circuit of The Americas for a second straight year as a standalone event in Texas (September 13-15) with Superbike, Supersport, Twins Cup, Mission King Of The Baggers and the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship.

Two weeks later (September 27-29) the championship will come to a close with the season finale slated for New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey, and featuring Superbike, Stock 1000, Supersport, Junior Cup and Mission King Of The Baggers.

The Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. series will again be featured at select MotoAmerica events in 2024 with that schedule to be released shortly.

The 2023 MotoAmerica Season has come to an end. The season finale at New Jersey Motorsport was a drama filled race weekend plagued with mixed weather conditions and championship titles at stake. Day 1 of the race weekend was clear skies and sunny but those conditions soon changed to a very wet and wind filled Day 2 and Day 3 that had dire consequences for some of the racers. Here are the results from the MotoAmerica Season Finale Day 2.

SuperBike

In a surprising yet also matter of time effort, Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha fill in rider JD Beach secured his first race win only weeks after joining the team. Beach is filling in for the injured Cam Petersen. In Superbike Race 2 there were mixed calls on tire selection with some opting to run slicks due to a drying track and most staying on rains given the lack of drainage on track at the time of the race. We would soon discover that slicks were the wrong call. Those on rains soon pulled ahead. By lap 6 JD Beach fought to the front and wouldn’t look back. The win marked his second Superbike win of his career.

After the race the elated Beach said, “I felt really good. I was just enjoying it. The bike was sliding around. I was spinning up. I just thought to myself, I wasn’t going to try to save the tire. I’d rather blow them off than have tires left at the end and not win. I just went for it. It feels really cool to get a win again after four years, and just getting on this bike for the last three rounds.”

Supersport

Race 2 in New Jersey was a special one for multiple reasons. The first was that MotoAmerica veteran Josh Hayes (Squid Hunter Racing) secured his record setting 88th win in the history of the series. Hayes tops the charts for the most wins in AMA history. In his post race interview Hayes hinted at wanting to come back next year. His plans for the future are unknown but every win from now on will continue to extend his record. Hayes commented on the wet track conditions in race 2, “I was pushing pretty good to just roll through a few areas with more confidence. Where it was bad, I was backing things down a lot, and I was still able to kind of maintain a pretty good gap and them not come back to me. So, I just kind of tried to stay steady and just thankful. It’s more relief than anything to get another race win in for the Squid Hunter team. Hopefully that’s motivating for the off-season for them to want to go racing some more.”

Twins Cup

In Twins Cup race 2 Blake Davis secured the championship after Gus Rodio lost control of his Aprilia and crashed out of the race. Davis said, “It was super crazy. The track conditions were really, really tricky. Just the red flags to add all the tension into it. I hope everyone is okay from all the red flags. This really isn’t how I wanted to win it, but I kind of knew either me or Gus was going to go down. We both had to beat the other one, so we were both going to push and either win or crash.”

Davis secured back to back championships this year after winning the class last year. Gus Rodio and Rocco Landers finished the year in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Junior Cup

With the championship already decided this weekend was more of a formality than anything. However, the class was shaken up by the fact that Team ECB/Bartcon Racing Kawasaki’s Eli Block won both races. Block won both races after only appearing at 2 rounds this year. While the race winner didn’t have any bearing on the championship race. There was a brief mix up on who would be crowned with second and third place in the championship. However and earlier error was corrected and that correction saw Rossi Moor secure second in the championship. The feat comes after a season long struggle getting the team’s RC390 built up to power advantage most Junior Cup riders have with the Kawasakis. Max Van who had a poor outing in race 2 secured third in the championship.

King of the Baggers

Hayden Gillim (Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson)clinched the King of the Baggers championship after winning race 1 and finishing second in race 2. The win makes Gillim a double champion in 2023 after he won the Steel Commander Stock 1000 championship at Circuit of the Americas a few weeks ago. Kyle Wyman won race 2 at New Jersey but that didn’t really matter. Gillim was racing with his teammate James Rispoli for the top spot and unfortunately an early mishap on track cost Rispoli of any fighting chance to catch the front pack. Regardless, Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson secured a 1-2 finish in the championship making them the top dogs for 2023.

With the MotoAmerica season now over. Teams will head home for the final time this year and start preparations for 2024. We will keep you updated on offseason news as it becomes available.

The MotoAmerica Superbike Championship qualifying session at New Jersey Motorsports Park have concluded. Here are the results.

Superbike

Given the fact that Q1 occurred in the dry Q2 was really just a testing session for the riders that went out. None of the riders in Superbike qualified with times set this morning. PJ Jacobsen (Tytlers Cycle Racing) held on to his pole position setting a 1m20.647 second lap. Championship winner Jake Gagne finished P2 overall. A start from the front will be very beneficial. The risk with passing in the ran will require finesse. Starting at the front is definitely a benefit. It does not appear that the track will be drying up before race 1 so everyone will have to navigate the wet track conditions. Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz finished P3 to round out the top 3.

Supersport

Although Tyler Scott was bested by Josh Hayes in Q2. Scott will retain pole position due to lap times being around 20 seconds slower in the rain compared to yesterday’s dry conditions. Jake Lewis (Disrupt Racing) finished P2 in qualifying yesterday and thus will remain in P2 for the start of the race. Lewis almost had a pole sitting lap at the end of Q1 but ran into traffic ahead costing him just enough to finish behind Scott by 0.068 seconds. Josh Hayes will start third overall. Championship winning Xavi Fores finished P7. He has nothing to prove in this race as it is just a formality for him. Fores has already secured the championship.

Rev It Twins Cup

Rocco Landers and Gus Rodio secured the 1-2 for Rodio Racing Powered by Robem Engineering. However in Q2 Blake Davis was fastest in the wet. We will see if Davis can channel that pace in the race to make up for lost position with pure race pace. The rain forecast shows continued rain throughout the afternoon. Twins are the first class out this afternoon to race. The two are currently fighting for the top spot in class. The Championship will be decided here in New Jersey

Junior Cup

With the championship already decided Junior cup race 1 is just a formality for Avery Dreher who is pulling double duty this weekend. However, that did not stop Levi Badie (Badie Racing) from claiming pole by 1 tenth in Q1. Dreher ran second fastest ahead of Rossi Moor (Fairium NGRT- Gray Area) in third. Junior cup race 1 kicks off at 4:10pm local track time.

King of the Baggers

Kyle Wyman (H-D Screamin’ Eagle) is fighting to keep his championship hopes alive this weekend. Wyman secured pole position ahead of Tyler O’Hara (Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods) and current championship point leader Hyden Gillim (Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson). O’Hara had a crash earlier today in the Bagger challenge sprint so we will see if his bike can be turned around in time for the race this afternoon. Gillim entered the weekend with a 2 point lead.

This Article was not Authored by Speed Trap Magazine Staff

Press Release from MotoAmerica…

MotoAmerica, North America’s premier motorcycle road racing series, is thrilled to announce that it will bring a round of the MotoAmerica Championship to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, August 16-18, for what will be the eighth round of the 2024 Medallia Superbike Championship.

The legendary Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a fan favorite since the first AMA Superbike Championship round was held there in 1983, hosted the AMA championship for 32 consecutive years. The venue first opened its doors in 1962.

The last time the AMA Superbike Championship visited Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was in 2014 with then-21-year-old Cameron Beaubier winning race one with his then-39-year-old teammate Josh Hayes emerging victorious in race two. Beaubier is now a five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion and Hayes, a four-time Superbike Champion, recently became the all-time win leader across all classes in AMA road racing.

“Since we started MotoAmerica in 2015, the one thing we consistently heard from our fans is ‘When is MotoAmerica coming to Mid-Ohio?’” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “It makes us extremely happy to be able to say that we will be bringing our series to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course next year and we’re looking forward to seeing all those people at the track.”

“We are thrilled to announce the return of MotoAmerica and Superbike racing back to Mid-Ohio in 2024,” said Craig Rust, president of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. “The series has long been a fan favorite in Ohio, and its return has been much anticipated since they last ran in 2014. I know all the avid motorcycle fans throughout the Midwest will join me in welcoming the high-speed bikes back to Mid-Ohio next summer.” 

Hayes, who has seven AMA Superbike wins at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, is excited to see the series return to the track located just outside the village of Lexington, 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland.

“From the time that I started racing, Mid-Ohio has been an iconic and regular stop on the calendar,” Hayes said. “All of us were sad to see such a cool racetrack not be a part of the series after 2014. The opportunity to bring that racetrack back into the fold is exciting and with any luck I will be back next year to so some more laps around the place myself.”

Tickets for the 2024 Mid-Ohio event will be available for purchase online at midohio.com and motoamerica.com at a later date.

The entire 2024 MotoAmerica Championship calendar will be released shortly.

With the Medallia Superbike championship already decided, the focus was on three classes. Stock 1000, Supersport and Super hooligans; as all three classes crowned champions this weekend at Circuit of the Americas. Here are how the events unfolded.

Stock 1000 – Hayden Gillim Dominates to Secure Championship

Hayden Gillim came into the race weekend with one goal in mind, to win both races. He entered the race weekend 8 points behind the championship points leader, Ezra Beaubier (Orange Cat Racing). However, as the weekend progressed, it was soon discovered that Beaubier was suffering from a severe stomach sickness that would eliminate him from contention in the championship race. Yet, the job was not done. Gilliam had to fend off Orange Cat Racing rider Kaleb De Keyrel as well. De Keyrel came into the race weekend in third place, behind Gillim, but with the news of his teammate not being able to compete in the season finale, the opportunity to win the class was on the table.

Unfortunately for De Keyrel, the tides were not in his favor after a P7 finish in race 1. After a win in race 1, Hayden Gillim rode with a purpose in Race 2. Gillim only needed to finish at minimum fourth place to clinch the title; but, that didn’t stop him from going toe to toe with Travis Wyman (Travis Wyman Racing) for the entire race. Fans were in for a treat because Gillim was not in the mindset to settle for fourth place. He was racing like it was any other weekend. Wyman and Gillim pulled away at the front by the 3rd lap of the race. Wyman led the race until a pivotal pass by Gillim on Lap 5 of the race. From this point on, Gillim took off, and Wyman wasn’t able to find the pace to catch him again. Unfortunately, Kaleb De Keyrel had to win the race to have any chance at the championship. He finished P4 in race 2.

Gilliam Had the Following Words After the Race

“Everybody before the race was telling me where I needed to be and everything. Like I said yesterday, I’m not good at math, so I wanted to win the last one. I didn’t want to sit there. I knew Travis (Wyman) from the first couple of laps was going to be hard to pass. It took me a while. The first pass I made on him, immediately he came back by. So, the second pass, I made sure to kind of block a little bit going into that next-to-last corner. Knew I had a little bit on the brakes going up into one, just from the first time he came back by me. But it was good. It was so much fun to race with him. We’ve raced so hard over the years. For us to be dicing it out the last race of the year is a lot of fun. He definitely made me work for it today, though. But the whole team, Disrupt Racing 4SR team, has been working their butts off this year.”

Gillim Continued

“We had a really bad start to the season and to be able to finish it off with the couple wins we did here is pretty special, and to have the whole Nickell family here running 4SR in the U.S. is amazing. They’re like family to me. Having them here with us is really awesome. To be able to bring it home for Jesse and Dani Hwilka this year is really special. They’ve been wanting it really bad. I got their first win for them and the first podium. And now, the first championship. So, it’s really special. It’s a bummer because my wife isn’t here and my son isn’t here, but they’re at home watching. She made me tear up a little bit on the podium because she was crying on the phone. So, I wasn’t able to get out some of the stuff I wanted to say on the podium. This is really awesome.”

Supersport – Tyler Scott Wins Consolation Race 2

Xavi Fores has had a very dominant season this year aboard his Warhorse HSBK Ducati V2. But that hasn’t stopped Tyler Scott (Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki) from making his presence known. Scott won Race 2 ahead of championship winner Fores. Scott had the following words.

“This morning we made a few changes from yesterday,” Scott said. “They were all very minor, one or two very minor changes. But the big question was we were running out of gearing on the back straightaway. So, we were hitting the limiter. Before the restart, I tried to draft him and then see if I could pass in the braking zone. But the gearing, I started hitting the limiter at the first braking marker and was actually losing ground. So, I knew for the rest of the race and what eventually would become the restart that I would have to be really aggressive, really deep into the brakes, or lead down the big straightaway and hopefully he gets beside me.”

Scott Continued on the Events During the Race

“I had the confidence in the front end to be able to out-brake Xavi (Forés) for one of the first times this season. I was able to match him in the braking zones and came out on top in those battles…can’t give enough thanks to the whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team for preparing a beautiful bike this weekend, dialing in the electronics, Barry from Öhlins dialing in the suspension. It couldn’t be more perfect. The one thing also, I went with the zero front tire which was super soft. About halfway, I started tucking the front a little bit and I just had to be careful in the closing laps not to put a lot of bar input at the apex.”

Super Hooligans

Tyler O’Hara (Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods) wrapped up the 2023 Super Hooligans title on Saturday. That didn’t stop him from racing until the end. Race 2 O’Hara Edged out his teammate Jeremy McWilliams by 1.7 seconds in the final race of the season. The two Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods riders finished 1-2 in the championship. This was the best possible results for the Indian Motorcycles team.

Superbike

Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Ducati) secured his second Superbike win of the season ahead of championship winner Jake Gagne. The race was red flagged and restarted with 10 laps to go. Herrin got a great start and led the race for all 10 laps. A feat that was in contrast to Saturday’s race. While the championship had already decided, Herrin had the following words after the race.

“I feel like a broken record saying this, but getting track time at this track prior to coming here and having some time on this bike before we came here to race is what we needed…I knew all year that we were struggling with just trying to get up to speed. It took all the way until the second half of the Saturday race for us to be comfortable and then Sunday would be good for us. I don’t want to celebrate too much. I feel like a linebacker getting a sack or something in a football game when you’re down by 30 points because we lost the championship. But it feels good to get this win. I’m so happy to be a part of this team.”

Mission King of the Baggers

Day 2 of racing in the Baggers class did not go in race 1 winner Kyle Wyman’s favor. Wyman finished P9 leaving the door wide open for Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson riders James Rispoli and Hayden Gillim. A late off by Travis Wyman opened up a second place finish for Gillim which allowed him to retain his lead. The result is a one point loss in margin after the weekend. Gillim leads the title chase by just two points over Rispoli with Wyman third, 11 points behind Gillim. The championship will be decided at the MotoAmerica season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park in two weeks time.

Day 1 of Racing is complete for the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. Here are the results from today’s races.

Superbike

Jake Gagne (Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha) continued to display his dominance winning race 1 by a margin of 2.5 seconds ahead of Richie Escalante (Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki). The win marks Gagne’s 10th victory this year. He wrapped up the championship prior to this round so the races are really just a formality now. JD Beach (Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha) who has stepped in for the injured Cameron Petersen finished 3rd. The podium came in his second race of the season. Beach ended the race just under 2 tenths behind Escalante, but ran out of time to close the gap when the checkered flag flew.

Gagne had the following words after the race, “We’ve talked about it enough, but it’s nice to not have to think about the championship. That’s priority number one of the year. That’s the primary goal. To get that done, it feels nice. We can just kind of go racing. Obviously, there’s been some bummer luck for some of those guys. I feel like I’ve been on the lucky end all year. But regardless, I’ll take it.”

Gagne Continued on the Hot Track Temperatures

It was a tough, hot race for sure. The first lap was kind of wild. Me and (Josh) Herrin went back and forth a little bit, which was fun. I think even just going into turn one, he was up the inside. I released the brake, he released the brake, and we just kind of played that game for a little while. It was a bummer. I think he had a bike issue. Just kind of put my head down. I saw on the big board that it was Richie (Escalante) and JD (Beach) up there second and third after a few laps or mid-race. Congrats to both these guys. They really earned it. I know Richie has been at this Superbike game for a while now. The guy is so talented. And JD, he’s okay.

Congrats to JD. It’s a great day for the team and Richie. It’s just cool to get up here on the podium with these guys. Tomorrow I’m sure will be another burner. I know these guys want to get a win, both of them. Hopefully we can learn a little bit overnight and go out there and put on a show again tomorrow.”

Elsewhere on the Grid

There were two retirements in the race. The first being Brandon Paasch (Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki) who crashed early on and the second was Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Ducati). Herrin experienced a mechanical failure which required him to retire. Unfortunately leaving the race empty handed in terms of points is the exact opposite of what Herrin needs in the championship race. PJ Jacobsen is now 32 points behind Herrin.

Supersport

Xavi Fores wrapped up the supersport championship in race 1 to clinch the title with three races to go. The win didn’t come easy. Tyler Scott ran a hard fought race keeping the pressure on Fores for the entire race. However at lap 8 the race was red flagged and eventually was ruled complete due to time constraints and more than 2/3 the lap distances being completed. At the time of the flag Fores was in first and thus inherited the win.

Fores states, “When I accepted this challenge, I was expecting to fight for victories, but I was not expecting to fight for winning the title, winning eight races in a row and then win again. It was a very nice season for me because at the end of the last year I was considering with my wife to retire, because I was not enjoying racing. I was doing Moto-e, something that I didn’t want to do. But then when I contact Ducati again and the team, they offered me the Supersport and I said, why not?

Stock 1000 – Gillim takes the Lead

Hayden Gillim (Disrupt Racing) put on a dominant performance in Stock 1000 Race 1. After starting from pole position Gillim took off and never looked back. By the second lap Gillim had already built a substantial cushion and he’d never be challenged for the lead again. Travis Wyman held on to Gillim for the first few laps but Gillim finished nearly 8.5 seconds ahead of Wyman when the checkered flag flew. Coming into the weekend championship leader Ezra Beaubier (Orange Cat Racing) had the opportunity to write his legacy in the class. Unfortunately it is reported that he was dealing with stomach sickness and would not be able to participate in Race 1.

Gillim spoke with the MotoAmerica media after the race stating, “It sucks whenever one of the guys that has been up front all year and the guy that we’ve all been chasing isn’t here to defend his points lead and everything. We’re all feeling pretty rough this weekend with the heat and everything, so hopefully he gets better and is able to be out here tomorrow with us. It sucks, but honestly, it’s so tight at the front that it wasn’t just Ezra (Beaubier) that we had to think about. Kaleb (De Keyrel) was four points behind me coming into this race. Travis was 15 points behind me. So, really for me, my whole goal this weekend was just to win. That’s the only way I know.”

Gillim Continued

“I’m from Kentucky, so I don’t do math too good, so I just figured if I’m in front of everybody I don’t have to worry about it. It’s been a good weekend. This morning, like Travis (Wyman) said, we found a little bit. I was able to follow Diego Perez one lap this morning and it helped me quite a bit because he was faster in a couple spots that I thought I was going pretty good in. I learned a little bit from him and was able to use that and get my lap times down into the time range that I needed to have a chance to fight with Travis. So, it’s good. I did what I needed to do today. We’ve got a lot of racing left this weekend still. Just focusing on staying healthy, staying hydrated, staying cool and just having a good weekend.”

Gillim has not yet clinched the title. Gillim needs to finish 4th or better to clinch the championship or he just need to finish ahead of Kaleb De Keyrel and Beaubier if he races in race 2.

King of the Baggers

H-D Screamin’ Eagle’s Kyle Wyman was the fastest of the of the King Of The Baggers field. He edged out former points leader Hayden Gillim (Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson) who now sits 2 points behind in seconds place after coming into the weekend with a 3 point lead. Gillim’s teammate James Rispoli (Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson) finished third, two seconds behind.

The championship race is far from over. We will see how the points swing this afternoon in race 2.

Super Hooligans

Tyler O’Hara clinched the championship for the second year in a row after his teammate Jeremy McWilliams crashed out of a red flag plagues Race 1. Stefano Mesa rode his electric Energica Eva Ribelle RS to second place making history by being the first to put an e-bike on the podium. Andy DiBrino finished third after inheriting the position when McWilliams crashed. Zone 9 Racing/EDR Performance’s AJ Peaslee and Vigilante Racing’s Nate Kern rounded out the top five.

O’ Hara had the following words, “It started in 17/18,” O’Hara said of the last lap. “Well, it started in 16, and he protected and then I rolled it to get a good exit. Then I was on the outside of 16/17 and he kept going wider and wider and wider. I about had my shoulder on his tire. Then it was just a battle into 19. We both stopped. Then basically going down the straightaway we were rubbing, and rubbing is racing. Then he parked it in the corner and then we both go for it.

I think he just lit the tire up and then highsided, otherwise he would have had me. Honestly, I was expecting it to come down to tomorrow. I’m glad that he’s okay. He’s a true competitor. He’s the salt of the earth, as he would say…I’m so glad that he’s my teammate. He has made me a better rider this year. He has made the whole team better.”

The MotoAmerica Superbike championship qualifying sessions are over. Temperatures were cool this morning at Circuit of the Americas during qualifying compared to the afternoon session yesterday that took place in 104 degree weather. Many riders bested their times from yesterday because they did not have to navigate a greasy track. At this circuit the track gets more greasy as the temperature rises. Here is how qualifying panned out.

Medallia Superbike

Championship winner Jake Gagne (Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha) secured pole position. The race is just a formality with Gagne having secured the championship prior to this weekend. He finished the session 6 tenths ahead of P2 finisher Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Ducati). Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR rider Richie Escalante finished third. Qualifying times dropped by the seconds from yesterdays session. The riders were able to find much more grip in the cooler temperatures this morning offered. However, come race time the temperatures will near 103 degrees and the pace may change come race time.

Stock 1000

Hayden Gillim (Disrupt Racing) secured pole position in a must win weekend. Gillim currently sits 8 points behind Ezra Beaubier (Orange Cat Racing) in the championship standings. Beaubier did not participate in Free practice or in Q2 raising questions as to whether there is an issue with his bike. Beaubier will start 8th on the grid leaving the door wide open for Gillim and Kaleb De Keyrel (Orange Cat Racing) to close the gap. A champion will be decided this weekend.

Supersport

Tyler Scott (Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR) edged out Xavi Fores in Q2 to secured pole position. Fores has all but won the championship this season and can seal the deal this weekend at Circuit of the Americas. Scott beat Fores by 0.036 seconds. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR rider Teagg Hobbs finished P3 which puts two Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR bikes on the front row for the races this weekend.

King of the Baggers

Kyle Wyman (H-D Screamin’ Eagle) secured pole position ahead of championship point leader Hayden Gillim. The championship wont be decided this weekend but with a Wyman on pole he will attempt to knock Gillim out of the lead. James Rispoli (Vance & Hines/Mission/H) finished third in qualifying.

Super Hooligans

The Super Hooligans class was broken into two separate qualifying sessions due to the number of entries in the class. The slower session occurred yesterday afternoon and the faster session took place this morning. However, the overall best times from both sessions were combined to form the grid. Tyler O’Hara ran overall fastest securing pole ahead of teammate Jeremy McWilliams and Andy DiBrino.

Racing gets started this afternoon with Stock 1000 at 12:30 local time.

The MotoAmerica Superbike Championship lands in Austin, Texas for a scorching weekend at Circuit of the Americas. The weekend will feature the final installment of the Steel Commander Stock 1000 championship. A champion will be crowned this weekend. Currently Ezra Beaubier (Orange Cat Racing) sits on top of the table 8 points ahead of last year’s runner up Hayden Gillim (Disrupt Racing). Beaubier’s teammate Kaleb De Keyrel sits in third place 12 points behind the championship lead. Although not statistically eliminated Travis Wyman in 4th with 118 points is still in the championship running.

The heat will play a role this weekend. The average temperature for the weekend is projected to be 104 degrees Fahrenheit. MotoAmerica’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carl Price offered the following information and advice for getting through the weekend safely.

1. Hydration, Hydration, Hydration.

Drink before you are thirsty. Your hydration needs increase with heat and activity. Sweat loss can increase to 3 to 4 liters per hour in athletes. Making a hydration plan is preferable to winging it.

2. Replace Electrolytes

A rule of thumb is one bottle of electrolytes to two bottles of water. Sweat contains electrolytes (mainly sodium and potassium), and drinking water without electrolyte replacement can be dangerous. Dr. Price recommends Pedialyte®. It is the best oral electrolyte replacement. Pedialyte is well-tolerated and palatable. It can be readily purchased in powder form in packets or in premixed liter bottles. There are also other products available like Gatorlyte® and Liquid I.V.®. Sports drinks generally have fewer electrolytes and too much sugar.

3. Pay Attention To Your Urine Color And Frequency

Frequent urination is good. Urine color should be light-yellow to almost clear. Darker urine indicates inadequate hydration.

4. Cooling Off Is Key

Have a cool place to get out of the sun and heat. In the absence of air conditioning, shade, fans and evaporative cooling can suffice. While acclimation can be important in the weeks before an event, on the day of, keeping core temps down is a better strategy and can enhance performance.

5. Watch For Signs Of Dehydration

Dry, sticky mouth. Decreased urine production. Dark urine. Cool, dry skin. Headache. Muscle cramps.

Elsewhere in the MotoAmerica Paddock

In addition to Stock 1000, MotoAmerica will feature the Medallia Superbike, Supersport, Super Hooligans, and King of the Baggers classes. Jake Gagne (Fresh n Lean Progressive Yamaha) clinched the Superbike title at the last round in Pittsburgh. He secured the championship in Pittsburgh. In Supersport Xavi Fores has all but secured the championship. Fores needs to score 14 points of the 50 available this weekend between two races to clinch the championship.

The King of the Baggers (KOTB) championship is a nail biter. Hayden Gillim currently holds a 3 point lead in the standings ahead of James Rispoli and Kyle Wyman. With 4 races left in the season race wins are of the utmost importance this weekend. Hayden Gillim will be pulling triple duty this weekend racing KOTB, Superbike and Stock 1000.

In the Super Hooligans class Tyler O’Hara and Jeremy McWilliams are in a deadlock at the top of the table for the title. The Super Hooligans championship will also be decided here in Austin as this is the season finale for the class. Action kicks off with practice on Friday morning at 9:30am with practice sessions and qualifying 1 on day one of the race weekend.

In a double whammy for news today. Young prodigy and motorcycle racing sensation Kayla Yaakov will be parting ways with The WagBar MP13 racing team and her seat in the Rev It Twins cup. Melissa Paris from The WagBar MP13 Racing team had the following comments, “While we always hope to finish what we start, the goal of my team has been to give opportunities to up-and-coming racers. Kayla feels this is a chance she can’t pass up, and we don’t want to stand in her way.” This chance refers to the latest news that Kayla Yaakov will race with Tytlers Cycle Racing in the Supersport class for the two remaining race weekends of the season

Paris continued, “Even though we will be watching and cheering for Kayla from the Supersport sidelines, the WagBar MP13 Racing Team will be back to business as usual at New Jersey Motorsports Park. We will field our Yamaha YZF-R3 in Junior Cup and our YZF-R7 in the REV’IT! Twins Cup. As always, we aim to be fighting at the front. The team will announce a replacement rider for the final round soon.”

Tytlers Cycle Racing announced today that Kayla would be joining the team.

Tytlers Cycle Racing released the following

Michael Kiley: “It’s a privilege to have Kayla take the Supersport seat for Tytler’s Cycle Racing and to have her close out the season with us.  Our intent was to allow Stefano to concentrate on Superbike and to give an opportunity to someone upcoming in the final rounds of the season. I know all of us will be watching and supporting her on track Her accomplishments speak for themselves and so it’s great to work with her and her family. After what she has already achieved, I am sure she is destined for more success.” 

Kayla Offered her Thoughts on the Move

Kayla Yaakov: “I am extremely excited to be joining the Tytlers Cycle Racing Team for the final two rounds of the MotoAmerica Supersport season. This opportunity came completely out of the blue and I am so thankful for this chance to try the Supersport bike in this stacked class. Next weekend won’t be easy, learning a new track and a new bike but I know I have a strong team around me, and I am ready for the challenge and what lies ahead.

The decision to jump off the Twins Cup bike and pursue Supersport so late in the season was difficult, but after a lot of thought about my progression and my future in the sport, myself, The WagBar MP13 Racing Team and Yamaha have come to a mutual decision in allowing me to dedicate the rest of the year to the Tytlers Cycle Supersport program. I want to thank everyone that has made this possible. See you all at COTA!”