Rennie Scaysbrook | August 1, 2021
Sunday
Jake Gagne made history on Sunday at Brainerd International Raceway, the Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha man racing to his 11th straight MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike win to break a record set jointly by four-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes and five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier.
The win was like most of Gagne’s other victories. Dominating. He shot off from pole position and was never headed, storming to a 5.2-second win over Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, who had his hands full for the duration with Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York’s Loris Baz. At the completion of 18 laps, Scholtz was just over a second ahead of the Frenchman with Baz making a mistake on the final lap that prevented him from making a run at the South African.
Gagne (32) took another win, his 11th straight, and a new MotoAmerica record.
Gagne’s win streak dates back to race two at the season-opener at Road Atlanta in May, the Californian suffered an engine failure in race one, but he hasn’t lost since.
Scholtz closed out a successful weekend in AMA Superbike racing’s return to Brainerd International Raceway with his third- and second-place finishes in Minnesota.
Baz rebounded from a bad day at the office on Saturday in race one, the Frenchman crashing out on the second lap of the race and destroying his Ducati Panigale V4 R. Baz had to go to the backup bike for Sunday and he came through from 10th on the grid to finish third.
Next up was M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong, the Californian looking like he would repeat Saturday’s second-place finish until an off-track excursion pushed him down the order. He fought back, however, passing his teammate Cameron Petersen in the closing laps for fourth place.
Gagne’s been the absolute class of the field in 2021.
Petersen was fifth, some three seconds clear of Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha’s fill-in rider JD Beach with the full-time flat track racer impressing everyone in the paddock with his weekend after not racing a Superbike in two years. Beach was faster in Sunday’s race than he was in Saturday’s as he improved in every session and every race as his comfort level increased.
Scheibe Racing BMW’s Hector Barbera finished behind Beach, the Spaniard suffering early on with an off-track excursion.
As he was on Saturday, Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis was the top Superbike Cup racer, finishing eighth on his Stock 1000-spec Suzuki GSX-R1000.
FLY Racing/ADR Motorsports’ Bradley Ward completed his return-from-injury weekend to finish ninth with HONOS HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander rounding out the top 10.
Superbike Race 2
- Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
- Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha)
- Loris Baz (Ducati)
- Bobby Fong (Suzuki)
- Cameron Petersen (Suzuki)
- JD Beach (Yamaha)
- Hector Barbera (BMW)
- Jake Lewis (Suzuki)
- Bradley Ward (Suzuki)
- Corey Alexander (Kawasaki)
Supersport
Luck went Kelly’s way for another Supersport win.
In Supersport, defending champion Richie Escalante knew coming into this weekend that he needed to put together a couple of wins to stop points leader Kelly’s winning streak and turn the tide on the 2021 championship. After winning race one, Kelly got a great start off the line in race two aboard his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki. On lap two, Landers Racing/Tyrant Designs/Yamaha/Yamalube rider Rocco Landers took the lead for the first time in the Supersport class. Meanwhile, Escalante began turning faster laps than either Landers or Kelly and put his HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki into the lead. From there, he stretched out his advantage and appeared to be headed for victory. Escalante’s pace may have been a little too quick, though, as he lowsided and crashed out, handing the lead to Kelly. At the checkers, Kelly took the win by more than 11 seconds over Landers. Kelly’s teammate Sam Lochoff finished third for his second podium result in as many days.
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup
Another cracking Junior Cup race saw KTM’s Scott take the win.
The second SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race of the weekend at Brainerd International Raceway featured the usual large gaggle of riders all dicing for the lead, and there were changes aplenty as to which rider was leading at any particular moment throughout the 11-lap event. With two laps to go, and just when it looked like Scott Powersports KTM rider Tyler Scott might not make the podium let alone win the race, the Pennsylvanian emerged from the pack and took the lead which he held to the checkered flag. Scott won by only .133 of a second over Kermoto/Madden Painting Kawasaki rider Cody Wyman. Saturday’s race one winner Ben Gloddy led laps three, five, seven, and nine, but he ultimately finished third aboard his Landers Racing Kawasaki to complete the podium.
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race
CJ Lukacs took the first win in the new Royal Enfield series.
The inaugural Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Series kicked off on Sunday at Brainerd International Raceway with California rider CJ Lukacs taking the win. The motocross racer started from the pole in the eight-lap event and led all the way to the checkered flag. Canadian-turned-Californian Becky Goebel, who normally rides a hardtail chopper with no front brake, finished second on her properly built Continental GT 650 racebike, while Minnesotan Trisha Dahl, who lives about an hour-and-half from BIR, thrilled the local fans in attendance by rounding out the podium.
Twins Cup
Anthony Mazziotto took the second Twins Cup win.
The final race of weekend at Brainerd was in Twins Cup, and MotoAmerica’s “tuner class” never disappoints. Polesitter Hayden Schultz had an eventful race as he started in the lead, then got shuffled back to fifth on the first lap, then took the lead again on lap two, then bounced around in second and third, but finally had to settle for fourth at the finish line.
Veloce Racing Aprilia rider Anthony Mazziotto was also part of the motorcycle racing “musical chairs,” but the New Yorker had a much better outcome than Schultz. He took the race lead on lap 10 and maintained it all the way to the checkered flag in the 12-lap event to record his first victory in the Twins Cup class. Minnesota native Kaleb De Keyrel followed up his race one win with a second-place finish aboard his Robem Engineering Aprilia in Sunday’s race two. Innovative Motorsports/Mike’s Imports Suzuki rider Teagg Hobbs followed up his third-place finish on Saturday with another third-place finish on Sunday.
Saturday
Superbike
Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne has now won 10 races in a row in the 2021 MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike Championship, but this one was different. On Saturday at Brainerd International Raceway, Gagne crashed and still managed to win the first AMA Superbike race held at BIR in 17 years.
Leading the race on the second lap, Gagne crashed in front of the pack and was stuck in the middle of the track as the field motored by on both sides. He finally ran to safety and, with his bike still on track, a red flag was thrown, stopping the race. Fortunately for Gagne, his Yamaha suffered only minor damage and he was able to ride back to the hot pit for repairs prior to the restart.
From there it was typical Gagne as he grabbed the lead and pulled away, ultimately besting M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong by 4.675 seconds to win his 10th race of the year and extending his championship points lead to 74 points. The win, which was also the 10th of his career, moves him into a tie with Mike Baldwin for 19th on the all-time AMA Superbike win list.
Despite a crash, the red flag saved Gagne and he made good on that with another win.
For Fong the race ended a podium drought that dates back to the very first race of the year at Road Atlanta in May.
The battle for third was fought out between the two South Africans – Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Cameron Petersen. At the completion of the 15-lap race it was Scholtz grabbing third for his seventh podium of the year, though it still allowed Gagne to pull farther away in the title chase. Gagne now leads Scholtz by a whopping 74 points, 250-176. Petersen, meanwhile, made a big move to third in the championship, moving past Josh Herrin, who missed the race after testing positive for COVID-19.
Scholtz described what was a hectic race from start (and restart) to finish.
Petersen held on for fourth, some 2.5 seconds behind Scholtz and 14.2 seconds ahead of fifth-placed Hector Barbera on the Scheibe Racing BMW.
JD Beach battled early in the race with Barbera but ended up sixth on the second Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha in his replacement ride for Herrin.
Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis was seventh and that put him at the top of the Superbike Cup, a class within a class for those riding Stock 1000-spec motorcycles in the HONOS Superbike race.
Franklin Armory/Andrew Lee Racing’s Andrew Lee was eighth on his Stock 1000-spec Kawasaki ZX-10R ahead of FLY Racing/ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony and his teammate Bradley Ward with the Suzuki-mounted pair finishing ninth and 10th, respectively.
Notable among the non-finishers was Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York’s Loris Baz with the Frenchman crashing out of the race on the second lap with his Ducati Panigale V4 R too damaged to repair for the restart.
2021 Brainerd MotoAmerica Results Superbike Race 1
- Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
- Bobby Fong (Suzuki)
- Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha)
- Cameron Petersen (Suzuki)
- Hector Barbera (BMW)
- JD Beach (Yamaha)
- Jake Lewis (Suzuki)
- Andrew Lee (Kawasaki)
- David Anthony (Suzuki)
- Bradley Ward (Suzuki)
Stock 1000
Lewis’ win has hoisted him into the title lead.
In the only Stock 1000 race of the weekend, Altus Motorsports Suzuki rider Jake Lewis started from pole and got the holeshot, but Chuckwalla Valley Raceway/Octane Lending Kawasaki rider Michael Gilbert chased Lewis down and took the lead temporarily until Lewis re-established himself at the front on lap three and maintained his advantage all the way to the checkered flag.
While Gilbert finished second, it looked like the third-place finisher was going to be Ashton Yates, but on the final go-around of the 13-lap race, Yates crashed out of the podium position, and MESA37 Racing Kawasaki’s Stefano Mesa finished third.
Lewis’ win, his third of the year, combined with Corey Alexander’s fifth-place finish, gives Lewis the points lead by two points, 157-155.
Supersport
Kelly held on for another narrow win in Supersport.
HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki’s Richie Escalante came into Brainerd International Raceway with a plan to stem the tide. The defending Supersport Champion knew he had to stop points leader Sean Dylan Kelly’s winning streak and start a winning streak of his own. In Saturday’s race one, despite being pressured by Escalante for virtually the entire 16-lap event, Kelly was never headed and raced his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki to his eighth win of the season and fifth victory in a row. Meanwhile, third place went to Kelly’s teammate Sam Lochoff, who passed Benjamin Smith on lap 13, and completed the podium.
Twins Cup
Former home boy De Keyrel came back with the Twins Cup win.
Saturday’s Twins Cup race was one of best events of the day as former Minnesotan Kaleb De Keyrel returned to the track on which he learned to race and got the win aboard his Robem Engineering Aprilia. But it wasn’t easy. Veloce Racing Aprilia rider Anthony Mazziotto came from the second row of the starting grid and led most of the 12-lap race until De Keyrel overtook Mazziotto in the final turn before the finish line. While Mazziotto settled for second, Innovative Motorsports/Mike’s Imports Suzuki rider Teagg Hobbs rose from his second-row, fifth-place starting position to third and the final spot on the podium.
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup
Gloddy finally took a last-lap win over Scott.
Landers Racing Kawasaki rider Benjamin Gloddy won two SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup races earlier this season, but he has finished second to Scott Powersports KTM rider Tyler Scott a lot more times than he would like. On Saturday at Brainerd International Raceway, Gloddy and Scott engaged in another of their frequent battles for the win, and on the final lap of the race, it was Gloddy who overtook Scott in the final turn to get the win. The victory moved Gloddy to within seven points of Championship leader Scott. Third place went to Veloce Racing Kawasaki rider Max Toth, who made his return to the class after suffering a hand injury in a crash at Ridge Motorsports Park at the end of June.
Friday
Based on Friday’s Q1 from Brainerd International Raceway on Friday, we may just have a battle or two on our hands come race time on Saturday and Sunday in the MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike class.
Again, the field was led by runaway championship leader Jake Gagne on his Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha, but for the second round in a row he’s got Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York’s Loris Baz nipping at his heels.
Gagne held P1 all day but it was close.
When all was said and done on Friday, it was Gagne atop the timesheets but by just .128 of a second over Baz, the two turning laps of 1:30.572 and 1:30.700, respectively. And those two were the only two riders in the 1:30s, though M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teamsters Cameron Petersen and Bobby Fong were both less than a second off Gagne’s pace.
Petersen ended the session third with his 1:31.22, just ahead of teammate Fong’s 1:31.433 and the last rider in the 1:31s, Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz and his 1:31.614.
Baz is right on Gagne’s tail with less than 0.2-seconds separating the two.
Scheibe Racing’s Hector Barbera and Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha’s JD Beach were sixth and seventh fastest with FLY Racing/ADR Motorsports’ Bradley Ward, Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders and FLY Racing/ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony rounding out the top 10.
Beach is filling in for Josh Herrin on the Attack team with Herrin testing positive for COVID-19, which forced him out of racing at BIR. Another non-starter in this weekend’s two HONOS Superbike races is Panera Bread Ducati’s Kyle Wyman, the New Yorker opting out due to lingering issues with the elbow he broke at Road America.
Gagne knows this one has the potential to be a battle as AMA Superbikes returned to Brainerd International Raceway for the first time since 2004.
Supersport
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly led Supersport Q1, the Floridian just .196 of a second ahead of class rookie Rocco Landers on the Landers Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 with HONOS HVMC Racing’s Richie Escalante just a tick over a second off the pace. Escalante also suffered a lowside crash in Q1. Kelly’s best lap was a 1:32.999 on the 2.5-mile racetrack in Minnesota’s popular resort town.
Junior Cup
Veloce Racing’s David Kohlstaedt, who has finished third in the last four SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup races, shot to the top of Q1, .245 of a second faster than Rodio Racing’s Gus Rodio with Veloce Racing’s Maxwell Toth third.
Landers Racing’s Benjamin Gloddy, who is second in the title chase, ended Q1 in fourth – one spot better than championship leader Tyler Scott and his Scott Powersports KTM.
Stock 1000
Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis was the fastest of the fast in Stock 1000, the Kentuckian .166 of a second faster than Chuckwalla Valley Raceway/Octane Landing’s Michael Gilbert with MESA37’s Stefano Mesa third, just .282 off Lewis’ best.
Twins Cup
Twins Cup ended Friday with Jody Barry on top of Q1 with a 1:37.030 on his Righteous Racing Aprilia RS 660. Teagg Hobbs was second-best on his Innovative Motorsports/Mike’s Imports Suzuki SV650 with Jackson Blackmon Racing’s Jackson Blackmon third on his new Yamaha YZF-R7, putting three different manufacturers on the provisional front row.
Royal Enfield BTR
The Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. series kicked off with its first practice session at BIR, with the all-female class led by CJ Lukacs over Trisha Dahl and Alyssa Bridges.
2021 Brainerd MotoAmerica Results Superbike Q1
- Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 1:30.572
- Loris Baz (Ducati) 1:30.700
- Cameron Petersen (Suzuki) 1:31.222
- Bobby Fong (Suzuki) 1:31.433
- Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 1:31.614
- Hector Barbera (BMW) 1:32.300
- JD Beach (Yamaha) 1:32.737
- Bradley Ward (Suzuki) 1:33.837
- Max Flinders (Yamaha) 1:33.976
- David Anthony (Suzuki) 1:34.184
For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com
