Press Release | May 23, 2021
Sunday
Superbike
Three races a championship does not make, but the performance of Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne certainly makes sleeping a little rough for those who are racing against him.
Gagne won his third straight MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike race on Sunday at VIRginia International Raceway, and he did so in impressive fashion. Again. On Saturday, Gagne won by 11.8 seconds. Today that gap swelled to 13.9 seconds. As he did yesterday, Gagne led into turn one and proceeded to lead every lap thereafter, crossing the finish line well clear of Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York’s Loris Baz, the Frenchman earning his first career MotoAmerica podium.
Baz’s race was eventful early as he battled with a pack of four for second place, but once he got to the spot, he was able to pull clear and monitor his gap to third place. He knew there was no catching Gagne. In fact, he knew that before the race started based on Gagne’s race pace from Saturday.
Gagne went all Cameron Beaubier on race two, winning it easily.
Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz was roughed up in turn one off the start and finished the opening lap in 14th, but the South African didn’t give up and pushed his way through the pack, eventually making his way to the heels of those battling for third. When all was said and done, Scholtz had worked his to third to maintain his perfect season of podium finishes.
Scholtz’s fourth podium, including his win in race one at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, keeps him in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship lead with his 81 points, six more than the fast-closing Gagne. Gagne’s Fresh N’ Easy Attack Performance Yamaha teammate Josh Herrin is third with 61 points, the 2013 AMA Superbike Champion finishing off the podium for first time this season on Sunday at VIR.
Herrin, meanwhile, managed to hold off the advances of M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong for fourth with the latter bouncing back from mechanical issues that thwarted his progress on Saturday.
Kyle Wyman had his strongest race of the 2021 season, the Panera Bread Ducati rider in the fight for second/third early on before slipping back to finish sixth.
Of the three races he’s finished in 2021, Gagne (center) has won all of them.
Fong’s M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate Cameron Petersen was some two seconds adrift of Wyman and in seventh after having to fight through from well back after being involved in the melee in turn one.
Scheibe Racing’s Hector Barbera was eighth, but he really deserved more. An off-track excursion cost him a shot at the podium as he was fighting for third when he couldn’t get the BMW stopped for turn one in the heat of battle and was forced to take to the grass.
Ninth went to HONOS HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander, the Stock 1000-spec Kawasaki ZX-10R mounted New Yorker ending the race as the top finishing Superbike Cup entry. Franklin Armory/Disrupt/RG Racing/Kawasaki’s Andrew Lee had his best result of the season thus far in 10th, some four seconds adrift of Alexander and only .001 of a second ahead of Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman.
Supersport
Defending MotoAmerica Supersport Champion Richie Escalante’s title defense got off to a bit of a rocky start. The HONOS Kawasaki rider did finish second in both races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, but then, right after that round, he fractured his collarbone in a training accident on his bicycle. Despite the setback, Escalante not only raced at VIR, but he put in a dominant performance in Sunday’s race, winning by more than seven-and-a-half seconds over M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly, who has been unstoppable up to this point.
Escalante bounced back for his first win of the season in Supersport.
Kelly did finish second, but he was clearly not happy with the result and felt like the changes they made to the bike overnight after Saturday’s race did not improve the bike. Mesa37 Racing Kawasaki’s Stefano Mesa, himself also dealing with some bumps and bruises, toughed it out and finished third albeit a little more than 11 seconds behind Kelly.
Stock 1000
On the occasion of his 27th birthday, HONOS HVMC Kawasaki rider Corey Alexander gave himself a priceless, hard-fought gift when he won Sunday’s Stock 1000 race two at VIRginia International Raceway.
Alexander held off Lewis for a nice 27th birthday present.
Saturday’s race one winner Jake Lewis almost spoiled Alexander’s rolling birthday party when he very nearly overtook Alexander on the final lap, but Alexander maintained his position at the front and kept Lewis and his Altus Motorsports Suzuki behind him, taking the checkers by .047 of a second over the Kentuckian. With Lewis in second, third place went to Michael Gilbert Racing Kawasaki’s Michael Gilbert, who was just under a second behind Lewis.
Twins Cup
Former KTM RC Cup competitor Jody Barry has returned to the MotoAmerica paddock after a few years away, and the Righteous Racing Aprilia rider is making quite a name for himself in his return. After reaching the podium at Road Atlanta a couple of weeks ago, Barry got a breakthrough win in Sunday’s Twins Cup race two at VIR.
It was another Aprilia benefit with Barry (in white) taking the win.
He overtook Jackson Blackmon Yamaha rider Jackson Blackmon on the final lap of the 10-lap event and held onto the lead to win by just .166 of a second over second-place Blackmon. Robem Engineering Aprilia’s Kaleb De Keyrel finished third, just under half-a-second behind Blackmon.
Junior Cup
In Sunday’s SportbikeTrackGear.com race two, Kermoto/Madden Painting Kawasaki rider Cody Wyman finally got the breakthrough MotoAmerica win that has eluded him for a couple of years. The youngest of the racing Wyman brothers, Cody has become a master of the draft pass, and he used it to perfection on the final lap to escape the gaggle of riders at the front and put himself in perfect position to take the checkered flag first.
Wyman (34) used the slipstream to perfection to take a long-overdue Junior Cup win.
Wyman nipped second-place finisher Ben Gloddy, who was aboard a Landers Racing Kawasaki, by just .049 of a second. Gloddy won Saturday’s race one and appeared to be headed for the double win until Wyman swooped in and grabbed the victory. Also among the lead group was Veloce Racing Kawasaki’s Maxwell Toth, the California rider taking third just .113 of a second behind Gloddy.
Saturday
Superbike
Jake Gagne turned in a very Cameron Beaubier-esque performance today in the first of two MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike races at VIRginia International Raceway, the Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha rider leading from start to finish to earn his second win of the season and his second in a row.
Gagne, who broke five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Beaubier’s lap record earlier in the day during final qualifying, shot from pole position to the lead and was never headed, topping Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz by 11.8 seconds.
Scholtz didn’t win, but he was the next best thing and it kept him at the top of the points table with his 65 points leading Gagne and his 50 points. Josh Herrin, third today, is third in the title chase with 48 points.
Gagne made it look easy, taking his second win in succession.
Third place for the third race in a row was Herrin on the second Fresh N’ Easy Attack Performance Yamaha – 15.478 seconds behind his teammate. Although he was third again, Herrin was happier with this one than the previous two at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
The battle for third was a good one with Herrin, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York’s Loris Baz and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Cameron Petersen swapping the spot for the majority of the race. It came down to the final laps with Baz pushing Petersen wide in turn one and Herrin ultimately taking full advantage. The trio crossed the line in formation and with just .8 of a second separating Herrin from Petersen with Petersen just .006 of a second behind Baz.
Scheibe Racing BMW’s Hector Barbera continued to show progress, the Spaniard having his best result of the young season with a sixth-place finish. Barbera led Panera Bread Ducati’s Kyle Wyman across the line by some five seconds.
FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ Jayson Uribe, Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis and Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman rounded out the top-10 finishers. Lewis, who earlier won the Stock 1000 race, earned full Superbike Cup points for his top finish among those riding Stock 1000-spec motorcycles.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong, meanwhile, was knocked out of third place early on with a mechanical issue but managed to salvage 12th (and four championship points) at the conclusion of the 20-lap race.
Supersport
Sean Dylan Kelly is on a roll. The M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider had a perfect weekend in round one at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, earning the pole and winning both races, and he also earned the pole on Saturday at VIR, then followed up his number-one starting position with the win in Saturday afternoon’s race one. And he did it in dominant fashion, leading the 19-lap race from start to finish.
Kelly is three from three in Supersport in 2021.
Stefano Mesa crashed his MESA37 Racing Kawasaki during morning final qualifying, but he managed to get his bike repaired and set aside the pain in his bruised body to take second in the race after a heated battle with North East Cycle Outlet Racing’s Benjamin Smith. The Yamaha rider and former KTM RC Cup Champion was delighted to get his first podium result in MotoAmerica’s middleweight class.
Stock 1000
In Stock 1000 race one, Altus Motorsports Suzuki’s Jake Lewis was victorious after only his third race back from a nearly-year-long MotoAmerica hiatus. The Kentuckian started from the pole but was overtaken by HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki’s Corey Alexander. Lewis regained the lead on lap 10 and held his advantage all the way to the checkered flag in the 14-lap event.
It’s been a long time between drinks but Lewis came good in Stock 1000 at VIR.
Alexander maintained his position in second to finish as runner-up, and third place went to Geoff May Racing/VisionWheel.com Honda rider Geoff May, the Georgian finishing on the podium for the second race in a row.
Junior Cup
Gloddy just came out on top in a hectic Twins Cup race.
In what was arguably the best race of the day, MotoAmerica’s entry-level class, SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup, featured a tight battle between the top six riders. Landers Racing Kawasaki’s Ben Gloddy withstood a strong challenge from Veloce Racing Kawasaki’s David Kohlstaedt and Scott Powersports KTM’s Tyler Scott. At the checkers, Gloddy took his second win of the season by a scant .115 of a second over Kohlstaedt, who in turn, took the runner-up spot by just .134 over Scott, who finished third.
Friday
Superbike
Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne picked up where he left off from the opening round of the 2021 MotoAmerica Series two weeks ago, the race-two winner at Road Atlanta leading an ultra-close Q1 session on a stunning Friday afternoon at VIRginia International Raceway.
Gagne set the best lap on his fourth go-around, a 1:24.103 that was just .155 of a second faster than his teammate Josh Herrin with Herrin doing his best on his 17th lap and while chasing Gagne.
The top seven riders circulated VIR on the same second.
Jake Gagne picked up where he left off with the fastest time on Friday at VIR.
Gagne’s best lap was just .313 of a second off five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier’s lap record which was set during Superpole in 2018.
If Gagne was having fun at the top of the charts, the happiest rider still looked to be M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Cameron Petersen, the South African all smiles as he ended the session third and .458 of a second behind in just his second outing on the GSX-R1000 Superbike.
Behind Petersen came countryman Mathew Scholtz, the HONOS Superbike Championship points leader .532 of a second behind Gagne in fourth.
Petersen’s teammate Bobby Fong completed the top five, the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider narrowly ahead of Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York’s Loris Baz, who in turn was just ahead of Panera Bread Ducati’s Kyle Wyman.
Scheibe Racing BMW’s Hector Barbera, FLY Racing ADR Motorsports David Anthony and Thrashed Bike Racing Max Flinders rounded out the top 10 heading into tomorrow’s Q2.
Junior Cup
In SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup action, it was Road Atlanta race one winner Tyler Scott who led the way, the Pennsylvanian riding his Scott Powersports-backed KTM RC 390 R to a best lap of 1:37.235. That bested Veloce Racing’s Maxwell Toth and Bauce Racing/Cybersafe Solutions/JL62 Racing’s Joseph LiMandri Jr.
Supersport
Given the speed he showed in the season opener, it wasn’t a huge surprise that Benjamin Smith could lead the way on Friday in Supersport Q1, but he did just that. Lapping at a best of 1:27.654, the North East Cycle Outlet Racing Yamaha rider led championship points leader Sean Dylan Kelly by .093 of a second on Friday afternoon. MESA37’s Stefano Mesa ended up third with HONOS Racing Team’s Richie Escalante and MESA37’s Xavier Zayat rounding out the top five.
Escalante was riding with a broken collarbone that was plated a week and a half ago after the defending class champion crashed his bicycle in Los Angeles in the days following the Road Atlanta race.
Stock 1000
Corey Alexander aims to make up for a bad round one and started the best possible way by leading Stock 1000 on Friday at VIR.
HONOS HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander rebounded from a tough opening round at Road Atlanta to lead Q1 in the Stock 1000 class, besting Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman by just .054 of a second. Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis ended up third.
Twins Cup
The Twins Cup Q1 session was hotly contested on Friday afternoon with Teagg Hobbs lapping at 1:31.471 to best Jody Barry by .614 of a second with Toby Khamsouk third, 1.188 seconds off Hobbs’ pace.
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