Cycle News Staff | June 16, 2016
The hard-charging South African has now joined one of the top Superstock 1000 teams in the paddock.
Photography by Brian J Nelson
Press release from Yamaha Racing
Tulsa, OK – June 16, 2016 – Beginning next weekend at round 7 of the 2016 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Motorcycle Road Racing Championship, 23-year-old South African rider Mathew Scholtz will compete in the MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 class aboard the #720 Yamalube/Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1. Mathew was officially signed to Yamalube/Westby Racing earlier this week, and he will race for the team at the remaining three MotoAmerica rounds, which include Utah Motorsports Campus, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and New Jersey Motorsports Park. The announcement was made by Tryg Westby, team owner of Yamalube/Westby Racing.
Mathew, who previously raced for another MotoAmerica team beginning with round five at Road America as a replacement rider for injured Sheridan Morais, finished third in the Superstock 1000 class in Race 1 at Road America, and then, at round six at Barber Motorsports Park, he recorded third- and fifth-place finishes in Superstock 1000. He is currently ranked 10th in the Superstock 1000 Championship points standings.
In addition, Mathew is also currently racing a Yamaha R1 superbike in the South African National Motorcycle Circuit Racing Championship, and with four rounds remaining in the season, he is leading the SuperGP Champions Trophy standings by 47 points.
Like so many road racers throughout the world, Mathew began racing in motocross at the age of five aboard a Yamaha PW50. From the beginning, he was a winner, and he quickly progressed through the different race classes in the South African national motocross series.
When he was 13, Mathew made the switch to road racing and, within a year, he was selected to compete in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Championship. In 2008, 2009, and 2010, he raced in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup–against several U.S. riders, including JD Beach, Jake Gagne, Hayden Gillim, and Benny Solis–where he notched one race win (in the Czech Republic at Brno) and several podium results.
In 2012 and 2013, Mathew raced in the Spanish CEV, German IDM, and FIM World Supersport Championships.
Mathew says that racing in the MotoAmerica Championship, and aboard the Yamalube/Westby Racing R1 Superstock 1000 machine, is a dream come true for him.
“It’s an honor for me to join such a prestigious and well-known team as Yamalube/Westby Racing,” Mathew said. “I’ve had a chance to meet everyone on the team, and I already know that the Yamalube/Westby Racing R1 is brilliant, so I am very much looking forward to competing aboard the bike beginning at Utah. Although I’ve never raced at Utah Motorsports Campus, I’m confident that we will be battling with the boys up front. I know that the team has not had the easiest of seasons so far, but I will be giving it my all for the remainder of the 2016 MotoAmerica season to help bring the team and their many fans the results they deserve.”
Mathew and the Yamalube/Westby Racing team will be on track at Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, UT, beginning next Thursday, June 23, starting with Superbike/Superstock 1000 practice at 8:20 AM MST. Superbike Superpole (Qualifying) begins on Friday, June 24, at 2:00 PM MST. Superbike Race 1 will go green on Saturday, June 25, at 12:30 PM MST, and Superbike Race 2 is later on Saturday at 4:15 PM CST.
For more Yamalube/Westby Racing news, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com
Also, visit “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media site.
About Yamalube
Located in Kennesaw, GA, under Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.’s (YMUS) Customer Support Group (CSG), Yamalube formulates the only oil “built around” the unique demands, operating characteristics, and applications of the various motorsports engines produced. In 1967, after more than a decade of racing and countless wins, Yamaha set off to conquer a new arena–racing oil. Collaborating with Yamaha engine designers, Yamalube’s global oil engineers formulate each oil from scratch, to be engine- and application-specific. Yamalube also makes lubricants, quality care products, maintenance products, fork oils, fuel additives, and adhesives. To find out more, visit http://www.shopyamaha.com
