MotoAmerica: Three Champions Were Crowned at COTA, Race Day 2 Recap

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!”

The following article was not written by Speed Trap Magazine Staff

Yamaha Press Release…

Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing is pleased to announce that JD Beach will return with the team as a fill-in rider for Cameron Petersen at the remaining rounds of the MotoAmerica Superbike season.

Despite not racing a Superbike full-time since 2019, Beach showed strength when he filled in for Petersen at the previous round at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex (PIRC). The dirt track/road racer also got some seat time last month at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) test before the tripleheader at PIRC and showed speed at the track where he earned his first MotoAmerica Supersport win in 2015. After the American Flat Track season finale this weekend at the Springfield Mile with the Estenson Racing team, Beach will head down to Austin, Texas, to line up on the grid aboard the Attack Performance Yamaha R1 at the penultimate MotoAmerica round at COTA on September 8-10. Then it’s on to the New Jersey Motorsports Park for the season finale on September 22-24, where Beach has also enjoyed success in the past.

Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager

“We are pleased to have JD Beach as our fill-in rider for the final two rounds. He adapted quickly at PIRC, regardless of the fact that he has been away from road racing for the past four seasons. He proved himself by improving every session and riding within reach of the podium. He also showed good speed at our recent COTA test and raced for the win on our R1 at NJMP in 2019. It should be good fun watching him build speed over the next two events.”

JD Beach – Estenson Racing

“I’m really excited to get to finish out the season with the Attack team. I feel like I’m building up some good speed with the bike and feeling better every time I get more laps. After having a full race weekend under our belt and now going back to COTA, where we tested, I think it will help a lot, as well as racing at New Jersey, which is a track where I’ve done well in the past. So I’m really looking forward to it and want to build on what I’ve done already. I’m thankful the Estenson team is okay with me doing this and that Yamaha wanted to keep me on the bike.”

The Following Article was not Written by Speed Trap Magazine Staff

From Tytlers Cycle Racing…

Tytlers Cycle Racing regrets to announce that Cameron Beaubier will take no further part in the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Season. Beaubier, who immediately returned to winning ways on his return to MotoAmerica, was a title contender prior to a series of on track incidents that ruled him out of contention. With the championship already decided, Cameron has decided to call time on 2023 and look at the bigger picture.

The team will change the #6 to a #37 after deciding Stefano Mesa will make his Superbike debut aboard the BMW M1000 RR at COTA alongside his Super Hooligan commitments. He will also ride in Superbike in the season finale in New Jersey. The move to the Superbike class sees Stefano cut short his Supersport campaign.

Words from Team Principal Michael Kiley

Michael Kiley – Team Principal: 

“I respect Cam’s decision to sit out the rest of this season. The effect he has had on our program with BMW has been great. We look forward to many more podiums next year. Summarizing the rest of the season with our other riders, PJ has demonstrated that he can run at the front and take the top step. He has a shot at moving into second place in the championship, and the racing to decide the series runner-up is going to be exciting to watch! I have developed great respect for Josh Herrin’s abilities this season. He is a great rider, and PJ will have his work cut out for him to take that spot away from him, but we will be heading to COTA and NJMP with that aim.”

“Corey has had some rough luck but when you set that aside you see that he is making steady remarkable progress. I am grateful to Stefano for stepping out of a successful and exciting Supersport run to help us with the Superbike program. Finally, I cannot say enough about Jake Gagne, Richard, and the entire Attack Yamaha team. They are great competitors and great champions, and it is an honor to be on the track with them. 2024 is going to be epic in the MotoAmerica Superbike class but right now we are focused on finishing 2023 in style.”
 
Cameron Beaubier: 
“After two hits to the head and some knee trouble, I’ve decided it’s the end of the season for me. I’m bummed to not finish the season strong with Tytlers but I’m looking at the bigger picture. We’ve had some bad luck, but on the positive it’s been great racing back in the U.S. with this team. They have put a great program together, and it’s been really fulfilling to rack up some wins with them this season.”
 
Stefano Mesa: 
“First, I want to wish Cam a speedy recovery after that crazy accident at Pitt Race last weekend. Secondly, I’m very excited and it’s a true privilege to get the phone call to fill in for him for the rest of the season. It was a difficult decision to make knowing I’ll have to step off the Supersport bike to be able to concentrate, do a good job, and start learning a whole new piece of equipment that is a Superbike while also learning the COTA track – as I’ve never been there. I am also looking forward to riding the Energica in the Super Hooligan class so it will be a busy weekend in Texas full of learning with the new crew, with the expectation of having fun on the bikes.”

Mesa Continued

“I think it will be a great experience for me to get my feet wet in the Superbike class and see what a true Superbike is all about. I know leaving the Supersport class behind might seem crazy but not taking this amazing opportunity wasn’t on my books. I pause a moment to truly thank my Supersport team and crew for always being by my side, believing in me, and helping me achieve so much this year. I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish everything that I have achieved in Supersport this year without them, and I truly appreciate all the hard work and efforts.”

“I’m ready to get to COTA, get to work with the team, and see what we can do in the Superbike class. I cannot thank Michael Kiley, his family, and the whole Superbike team enough for offering me the opportunity to fill in for a great champion. What a great honor.”

MotoAmerica at PittRace has come to an end. New champions were crowned in three classes but not without a bit of controversy. Here are the events as they unfolded. You can check out Day 1 results here: MotoAmerica PittRace Race Day 1 Recap

Medallia Superbike

The Superbike class participated in three races this weekend. 75 points were up for grabs and there was one man who had the opportunity to clinch the championship. That man was Jake Gagne and he did exactly that. Gagne had a dominant performance at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. After missing out on pole position Gagne found his form when it mattered most. Two races occurred on Day 2 of racing.

In the first race (Race 2) Gagne built up a 2.383 second lead before the race was red flagged due to an incident involving Ashton Yates and Cameron Beaubier in the chicane. Yates suffered from loss of power on the exit of the chicane severely falling oof of race pace and Beaubier ran into the back of Yates with no where to go and ended up crashing. Beaubier also made incidental contact with Hayden Gillim but Gillim was able to keep the bike up and avoided a potential crash. The race was restarted with 8 laps on the schedule. The restart allowed PJ Jacobsen to gain a position and finish P2 ahead of Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Ducati).

Beaubier’s Championship Hopes Were Eliminated

Unfortunately for Beaubier, he suffered a head laceration and was not able to continue the race. Beaubier also sat out of Race 3 rendering his fight for the championship over after not scoring points in 4 of the last 5 super bike races. Beaubier has had an unfortunate end to what seemingly felt like a promising season for the Tytlers Cycle Racing rider. The majority of the DNFs this year were out of his control. Based on these short comings Jake Gagne was able to clinch the national title for a third time in Pittsburgh.

Gagne had the following words for the MotoAmerica media referring to the Champions winning finish, “To do it with a couple wins here at a place this Yamaha loves is awesome. I just didn’t expect it. We didn’t really do any math. The team didn’t talk about it. Nobody talked about it. I just had a feeling if I won and I didn’t exactly know what Josh (Herrin) had to do, but I knew sure as hell Josh was going to put up a fight to bring it down to one more round, and I knew he was right there.”

Gagne continued

Congrats to Matty (Scholtz). Doing Yamaha a favor, doing me a favor today. It’s cool to get it done early. Again, kind of unexpected. I haven’t been the fastest guy all year, but I guess kind of luck has been on my side. We finished almost every race, besides one. It’s going to be a hell of a fight for that championship run with a lot of guys in it next year. I’m looking forward to going to the last couple rounds and just duking it out with these guys with nothing else to worry about.”

Supersport

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Tyler Scott secured a very hard fought victory aboard his GSXR750. The win delayed Xavi Fores the ability to clinch the Supersport champions in Pittsburgh. Scott wont the race by 2.8 seconds. He had the following words for the media after the race. “Yesterday I got a decent start the first time, starting from the second row on the grid. Couldn’t get a clear lap in qualifying, so right off the bat it was hard to lead the race and try and set the pace.”

“Overnight we thought about it. This morning we made some changes to be able to push the pace. In the race today, I got a pretty similar start to yesterday, but I saw an opening to pass Xavi (Forés) and I took it. I wanted to see if I could lead the race and start pulling a gap. It was .0 for what felt like an eternity, and then .2, .4, .6, one second, one second, one second, two seconds. I just kept pushing the pace every lap and was able to create that gap.”

Rev It Twins Cup

Th race for the title tightens with Gus Rodio and Rocco Landers (Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering) and Black Davis separated by a total of 14 points. at the top of the table. In race 2 the three exchanged a back and fourth battle from start to finish. All three riders led the race at different times. The margin between the 3 was just over one tenth between P1 and P2 and the same margin for P2 to P3. The competition is heating up and will make for an incredible winner takes all scenario with just 2 races left in the season to decide the championship winner. A winner will be crowd in New Jersey at the final MotoAmerica Round of the season. Gus Rodio currently leads Blake Davis by 8 points and Rocco Landers by 14 points.

Junior Cup – Avery Dreher Crowned Champion

Avery Dreher was crowned champion due to the findings of a post race technical inspection of Rossi Moor’s KTM RC390R. The stewards found Moor’s bike to have an illegal wheel bearing and he was disqualified from maintaining his P3 finish in race two. The disqualification ended all chances of Moor being able to fight for the title at the final round. There were mixed feelings on the matter as to whether the material of a wheel bearing has any performance advantage and why this finding has come up now at such a pivotal point in the season. As much as we’d like to have seen the championship won on track rules are rules and the Junior Cup has been decided. Dreher had th following words after the race.

“It worked yesterday [referring to his bike setup], so I just figured I’d go with the same strategy today. The team and I worked on a few things this morning with the bike. Got that sorted out. I knew it would be a little hotter today than yesterday. Our race was three hours later, so I knew that would play a factor. Lost the grip on the rear on the last lap. Thought I would lose the draft on the front straightaway but ended up pulling it together. I’m just super happy with the results this weekend. I don’t know how many points I have left to clinch the title, but I’m just going to keep working hard between rounds and hopefully get that jersey.”

Royal Enfield BTR – The Queen Reigns Supreme

Mikayla Moore completed a perfect finish to the season. Moore won every race in the class and finished perfect with maximum points in the competition. The BTR season ended in Pittsburgh with Moore winning the championship, Sonya Lloyd secured second place and Crystal Martinez secured third in the competition.

With the first round of races at Pittsburgh International Race Complex complete. The championship standings have shifted a bit across all of the classes. There were ups and downs and one champion was crowned. Here are the events as they unfolded.

Medallia Superbike

Bobby Fong who pulled off a surprise pole position was not able to convert that pole into a win. Fong lost out at the beginning of the race with a poor launch seeing him drop back as the riders entered turn one on the first lap. Fong seemingly was going to make a charge for third but the pace of Cameron Beaubier (Tytlers Cycle Racing) and Mathew Scholtz (Westby Racing) saw them pull away by mid race. The left Fong in fourth with a charging PJ Jacobsen (Tytlers Cycle Racing) behind him. As the tires started to fall out Jacobsen was gaining ground but ultimately fell just short finishing 4 tenths behind Fong.

Jake Gagne (Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha) won the race with a very large gap behind. He finished 3.698 seconds ahead of Beaubier. Beaubier’s championship hopes dwindled further after the win. He sits third in the championship one point behind Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Ducati) and 84 points behind Gagne. Herrin had a race to forget. After two laps he’s was already well behind the lead pack and never recovered. Herrin finished P6 which did not help his championship hopes either. If Herrin or Beaubier can’t find the pace to win in Race 2 and or 3. Gagne may be able to run away with the championship with possibly a more than 100 point lead this weekend. There are two races and 50 points up for grabs today.

Supersport

Stefano Mesa breaks his dry spell and wins in Pittsburgh! Mesa secured his first Supersport win of the season. Mesa has been on the podium multiple times this year but due to Xavi Fores’ (Warhorse HSBK Ducati) early season dominance Mesa has had to settle for P2/P3 on the box. Not this time though. A late red flag opened the door for Mesa as the originally planned 16 lap race was red flagged and restarted as a 5 lap sprint race. Mesa seized the opportunity and it came down to the line as Mesa won by 0.180 seconds ahead of a closing Fores.

Mesa Spoke to the MotoAmerica Media after the Race

The whole weekend, we’ve been very fast off the get-go. I think, after race two in Brainerd, we found a little something on the bike. We’ve been dealing with a lot of chassis issues with the new B bike, what we call the B bike, since I broke the (A bike at) Ridge. I broke it in half. Been battling a lot of chassis setup. But I think we finally hit the nail where it was. I think we’re in the window for the bike. My hats off to the team. They gave me a great bike since we rolled it out of the truck. We’ve been fast all weekend. The race was great. My hats off to these guys. This is great battling with them. It’s great trying to pass Xavi (Forés) on the brakes. I think first clean race I got to actually battle with Xavi and try and go for the win. I think I had the pace. Tomorrow we’re going to try and find a little bit more and see if we can get the win again.”

Rev It Twins Cup

The title race in Twins cup tightened with Rocco Landers (Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering) making up ground to leader Blake Davis (N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto) and teammate Gus Rodio (Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering. Landers is 10 points behind Blake Davis. Rodio is 1 point behind Davis. Depending on how race 2 finishes we could see a shuffle at the top of the table. Today’s race is a must win for Landers if he wants to create cushion in the points heading into the next round.

Landers had the following words for the MotoAmerica media. “It’s a good track for the bike. It’s a good track for the team. The Aprilia is handling absolutely amazing. The start I kind of got shuffled back there a little bit. I just tried to basically pick up the pieces after the first lap and do what I could to get back past these guys. They were riding amazing, obviously killing it. I knew if I could lead a few laps at least through the esses, I could maybe start to stretch out a gap and then hold it there. So, that’s what I did. It went to plan today. Doesn’t always go to plan, but today it did. We’re hoping to do at least that or even better tomorrow.”

Junior Cup

Avery Dreher (Bad Boys Racing) bounces back and wins Junior Cup race 2 in a heart breaking finish for Rossi Moor (Fairium NGRT- Gray Area Racing). The win came at a margin of 0.036 seconds at the line. Moor moved up to second place behind Dreher who now holds a 39 point lead in the championship. There are 3 more races left for Junior cup this year. 75 points are up for grabs and the story is far from over. A race 2 win will be crucial ahead of the next race round for the soon to be crowned champion. Who that is, only time will tell.

Royal Enfield BTR

Mikayla Moore solidified her dominance this weekend by clinching the BTR champion with a still perfect season. Moore has won every race this year in the class. Win one more race to go its just a formality for Moore but we all know she is a competitor at heart and will definitely be going for the win to complete her perfect season. There is a heated battle for 2nd and 3rd between Sonya Lloyd, Crystal Martinez and Kayleigh Buyck. With one more opportunity to race the ladies will need to leave it all on the track one last time to improve/hold their current championship standing.

The MotoAmerica Superbike championship at PittRace qualifying sessions are now complete. Here are the in class results.

Superbike

Bobby Fong (Wrench Motorcycles) secures a surprise pole position in Medallia Superbike. Fong will start up front in all three races this weekend. The first occurring later this afternoon. Fong was dominant in the session finishing nearly 6 tenths ahead of championship leader Jake Gagne (Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha). Gagne will have some ground to make up if Fong is able to maintain this pace in the races. Mathew Scholtz (Westby Racing) secured P3 in qualifying ahead of Richie Escalante (Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR).

Joseph Giannotto did not set a time in Q2 moving him to the back of the grid. JD Beach finished P10 in his debut for the 2023 Yamaha team. We will see if his pace improves over the weekend as he gets more and more acquainted with the bike. The session was otherwise uneventful.

Supersport

In a packed field of 37 riders. Stefano Mesa (Tytlers Cycle Racing) finished on pole setting a best 1m45.746. Q2 times were vastly an improvement over Q1 with the majority of riders running fastest on the day. Q2 occurred in the morning however track temperatures were rapidly increasing towards the end of the session. Pace really start to pick up towards the second half of the session. Teagg Hobbs (Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR) ran second fastest behind Mesa by a margin of 0.097 seconds.

Championship leader Xavi Fores (HSBK Warhorse Ducati) again did not finish on pole and settle for 3rd. While we expected him to be a front runner. Fores may just being trying to bring the championship home by finishing in the points to maintain his lead with only a few more rounds to go this season. Time will tell come race time if he picks up the pace to extending his race win count this season. In an impressive finish Jake Lewis (Disrupt Racing) finished P4. Lewis was 4 tenths off of pole position. There is opportunity to strike for Lewis’ first Supersport podium of the season later this afternoon.

Twins Cup

Rocco Landers (Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering) finished on top of the table. The races this weekend are a must win for Rocco if he wants to stay in the championship race for Twins. He will be gunning for another championship in the class for the remainder of the season. Blake Davis split the Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering bikes finishing ahead of Gus Rodio. Kayla Yaakov (The WagBar MP13 Racing Team) finished P4 on her return to the series after a tour in Europe. 3 riders did not complete the session. The class will field 31 bikes on the grid for today’s race.

Junior Cup

Avery Dreher (Bad Boys Racing) returns to the top of the table securing pole ahead of Rossi Moor (Fairium NGRT- Gray Area) by 3 tenths. The top 4 in class were separated by 4 tenths making the race at the front a tight one. Hayden Bicknese rounded out the top 3. Moor will continue to push after missing out on 75 points earlier this season due to technical issues. Dreher leads the championship by 26 points ahead of Max Van who is 5 points ahead of Hayden Bicknese. The championship lead isn’t at stake for race 1 but the overall points scored for the weekend could have implications on the championship standings. Junior cup is the first race this afternoon.

Royal Enfield

Mikayla Moor once again finished on pole. At this point the races are a formality as Moore only needs to score 3 points between two races to clinch the championship. She may be crowned champion this afternoon if she continues to finish in the points. P2 went to Crystal Martinez secured P2 ahead of second place championship sitting Sonya Lloyd.