Hayes Makes History With Supersport Victory At Brainerd International Raceway
When Josh Hayes shocked the AMA road racing establishment with his first career victory in the 750cc Supersport race at Daytona International Speedway in 1999, who could have known that 24 years later he would become the winningest racer in AMA road racing history.
And that he is.
Hayes made history on Saturday in Minnesota, the 48-year-old from Mississippi, who now calls Oceanside, California, home, winning the 87th AMA road race of his career when he raced off into the distance to win the Supersport race on his Squid Hunter Racing Yamaha YZF-R6, moving him out of a tie with the legendary Miguel Duhamel.
Supersport – Call Him Mr. All-Timer
History was made in Saturday’s Supersport race at Brainerd International Raceway when 48-year-old rider and four-time Superbike champion Josh Hayes got the win, which broke a tie with AMA Hall of Famer Miguel Duhamel for the most all-time wins in AMA history.
Hayes’s 87th career victory was a bit surprising given that Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati rider Xavi Forés had won all eight Supersport races thus far this season. But the technical Brainerd road course threw him a curve in more ways than one, and he only managed to finish seventh on Saturday.
Landers Racing’s Rocco Landers started from the pole, but he didn’t get the start that he hoped for, and he had to claw his way back towards the front. Landers was in second place by the time the checkered flag flew, but Hayes had a gap of more than three seconds at the finish line. Third place went to Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott
“Pretty good weekend so far,” Hayes said. “I was really glad the (Supersport) race was first. That’s still my primary goal is to win on that bike. I was doing like I have all year – try to be super aggressive in the first laps and get myself to the front. Fortunately, I was able to open up a little bit of a gap and I was able to manage it. The managing was coming pretty easy. I was doing low 34’s without much drama. Just really happy. The hardest part was staying focused in the last few laps, just because I was happy and super excited. Probably the hardest part was when I rolled into victory circle and Melissa was standing there with my kids. There’s a reason my helmet didn’t come up too quick. But for the Squid Hunter team and I, we’ve been working for this hard for a year. I really enjoyed every race we’ve been in this year. Been in the fight a lot. It’s more relief than anything to get that done, out of the way. We don’t have to talk about it anymore. Let’s just go have some fun and race now.”
Steel Commander Stock 1000 – Gillim On The Prowl
Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim knows that to get back into title contention in the Steel Commander Stock 1000 Championship he must win races. He did just that on Saturday at BIR as he dominated the race, winning by 7.4 seconds.
With season-long championship points leader Ezra Beaubier finishing fifth, Gillim was able to gain valuable points and he now trails Beaubier by 23 points. When the race started, Gillim trailed Beaubier by 37 points.
Orange Cat Racing’s Kaleb De Keyrel, who started the race from pole position, couldn’t match Gillim’s pace and he settled into a comfortable second – until the closing stages when he found himself in a last-lap battle for the spot with Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman. At the finish, it was De Keyrel taking the spot by just a 10th of a second over Wyman.
De Keyrel remains in second in the title chase but he’s just a point ahead of Gillim and 22 points behind his teammate Beaubier.
Benjamin Smith Racing’s Benjamin Smith had a solid first outing in the class, riding his just-built Yamaha YZF-R1 to fourth place ahead of Beaubier.
“After Atlanta, I was kind of in a pretty deep hole, mentally and points-wise. Barber was a good weekend, and I knew it was going to be good. I thought Atlanta would be better than what it was, and it ended up just being a terrible, terrible weekend. Road America, I knew was going to be difficult with all these guys on their bikes and my size and everything. I knew it was going to be tough. In the Stock (1000) race last year, this was kind of how the race was going and then we had a red flag and some stuff happened during the red flag and I ended up not having the greatest last lap in the race. So, we had a lot left on the plate from last year. I needed this. I needed this points haul. To be able to kind of just go out and do what I needed to do today. Riding three classes this weekend is actually helping a little bit because I had just come off of the Bagger and hopped on to that thing and was ready to go that first lap. That was ultimately why I pushed as hard as I could right off the bat. I knew with how different the track was this morning to this afternoon it was going to be a little bit difficult, especially for Kaleb (De Keyrel) since he hasn’t been out there since this morning. I figured it would be a little tough because I could already tell it was a little greasier than this morning. I knew right off the bat I needed to just go. Luckily the guys gave me a great bike and I’m feeling good right now. So, it’s going to be a long day. We’ve got Superbike coming up here in a minute, and then we’ll be back at it on Baggers later this afternoon. So, just got to keep our head on straight.”
Mission King Of The Baggers – Hayden Doubles Down
To say that Hayden Gillim had a good day at Brainerd International Raceway would be an understatement. Gillim had a glorious day.
A few hours after dominating the Steel Commander Stock 1000 race, Gillim finished seventh in the Medallia Superbike race. Not long after that he went out and won the Mission King Of The Baggers race on his Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson Road Glide, beating Sac Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands/Indian’s Bobby Fong by 2.5 seconds and his teammate James Rispoli by eight seconds.
To make a great day even better, Gillim made a big step in the championship as he now sits third, four points behind his teammate Rispoli and six points behind championship leader Kyle Wyman. Wyman was fourth today at BIR with Team Saddlemen’s Cory West rounding out the top five.
Gillim had his hands full early on with Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods’s Tyler O’Hara, who was leading when he had a mechanical problem that forced him off track and out of the race.
“It is a real good day. I was chasing him (Bobby Fong) in the Superbike race, but he had a little bit of speed on me there and got it back. Pulled a little James Bond move. Gave him the smoke. Tried to keep him off of me. It’s been a really good day. I knew this track was going to be good for me. I just feel good here. Last year was really good on the 1000. I didn’t really know what to expect with the Harley coming here. It’s pretty crazy seeing how half the track Bobby (Fong) and Tyler (O’Hara) have a little bit of speed, and then the other half I can kind of pull a little bit back. At least I know for sure on Tyler I got to see him for a second Bagger Challenge. It’s been a really good day. To have another podium with James (Rispoli), another double podium for Vance & Hines, that’s what we’re here for. So, good job for the team and good job for me and my family. Never had two wins in one day, so this is pretty cool.”
Junior Cup – More Moor
It’s been eight weeks since MotoAmerica’s Junior Cup riders last raced, and despite the hiatus, Fairium NGRT – Gray Area Racing KTM rider Rossi Moor picked up right where he left off after race two at Road America in early June.
Moor notched his second straight win in MotoAmerica’s entry level class, and his victory on Saturday at Brainerd International Raceway was by a margin of more than seven seconds. The other two podium finishers were a lot closer together with second-place Hayden Bicknese prevailing aboard his Bicknese Racing Kawasaki by just .138 of a second over SportbikeTrackGear.com‘s Max Van, who finished third on his Kawasaki. Rossi led all but one of the 11 laps in the race.
“From practice and from qualifying, I think I had the pace to do it,” Moor said. “It didn’t show on paper since I wasn’t able to put a bunch of good laps together, but deep-down, I knew that, if I’m able to get to the front, I was able to pull away. But, with Jayden being there and Max and Hayden and all these guys I knew it was going to be pretty hard because I’m slightly down on power. I just wasn’t able to draft a lot of people. But as soon as I was able to get past, I just put my head down and tried to get enough gap by the turns where they couldn’t draft me by turn three.”
![230730 Josh Hayes - BIR [1]](https://motorsportsnewswire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/230730-Josh-Hayes-BIR-1.jpg)
It took Josh Hayes (4) very little time to get to the front of the Supersport pack and then he rode away, making history with the 87th AMA victory of his career. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
The GOAT? Josh Hayes won his first AMA road race in 1999 at Daytona International Speedway. Twenty nine years later, Hayes won his 87th. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Rossi Moor ran away and hid in winning his second Junior Cup race of the season on his KTM.
Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Hayden Gillim was in a class of his own in winning the Steel Commander Stock 1000 race on Saturday at Brainerd International Raceway. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Tyler O’Hara leads eventual winner Hayden Gillim and third-place finisher James Rispoli in the Mission King Of The Baggers race at Brainerd International Raceway on Saturday.
Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Saturday photos available HERE
Saturday results:
Supersport
Junior Cup
Steel Commander Stock 1000
Mission King Of The Baggers
Complete practice, qualifying and race results are available HERE.
Gillim’s Big Weekend At Brainerd Puts Him In Title Contention
Hayden Gillim wore a path in the grass from the podium to the media center this weekend at Brainerd International Raceway with the Kentuckian making the trip four times in two days. First came the celebrations on the podium with his young son, Stone, on his shoulders, then the walk to the media center for interviews.
He didn’t mind the walks.
With two wins in the Steel Commander Stock 1000 class and a first and a second in Mission King Of The Baggers, Gillim had the most successful weekend of his career in Minnesota. Oh, and he also finished seventh and sixth in the two Medallia Superbike races.
Mission King Of The Baggers – Fong Untouchable
There’s something about Brainerd International Raceway that suits Bobby Fong. Mere minutes after he rode to a fighting fourth-place finish in the Medallia Superbike race on Sunday, Fong was out front of the Mission King Of The Baggers race.
And he was there to stay, riding his Sac Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands/Indian to a 1.5-second victory over Saturday’s race winner Hayden Gillim on the Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson.
A day after a mechanical failure knocked him out of race one, Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods’ Tyler O’Hara caught and passed Gillim’s teammate James Rispoli in the closing laps to take the final podium spot. Rispoli and H-D Screamin’ Eagle’s Kyle Wyman completed what for him was a lackluster weekend in fifth place.
With his win and runner-up finish in the two races, Gillim takes over the championship lead from Wyman and Rispoli, 175-173, with those two tied for second. Fong moves to fourth in the title chase, 45 points behind Gillim.
“No, trust me. I’d rather not do a back-to-back deal like that again,” Fong said. “It was definitely tough. But it was a good weekend for us. All of us got some wins this weekend. Tyler (O’Hara) got the win in the dash. I rate these two guys (O’Hara and Hayden Gillim) really high in my book. Like Tyler said earlier, the competition is stacked. We’ve all been working hard. These guys are smart. Racing with these guys, they think a lot and I can tell riding with these guys. They’re always thinking. They’re always trying different things. Like I said, the competition is stacked. We’ve just got to keep working and see what we can do at COTA in a month or two. I’m happy to be up here. Good pay day for us, as well. Looking forward to spending at the wedding in a year or so.”
Steel Commander Stock 1000 – Gillim Goes Hunting
Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim was asked on Sunday afternoon if this weekend was the best racing weekend of his career. Gillim pondered the question briefly before saying, “Yes.”
Gillim won his second Steel Commander Stock 1000 race of the weekend on Sunday at BIR, the Kentuckian not only winning the race but moving to within eight points of championship points leader Ezra Beaubier after scoring a perfect 50 points in the two races.
Gillim’s effort on Sunday was a carbon copy of his race on Saturday. He jumped off the line and led by the time the pack got to turn three. From there he never looked back and ultimately won by 8.9 seconds over Orange Cat Racing’s Kaleb De Keyrel with the Minnesota native finishing second for the second straight day.
Benjamin Smith Racing’s Benjamin Smith was third in his first weekend in the class and his first weekend on his Yamaha YZF-R1. Tom Wood Powersports’ Nolan Lamkin was fourth with Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman rounding out the top five.
Ezra Beaubier was sixth on his Orange Cat Racing BMW, despite getting a five-second penalty for jumping the start.
“Honestly, before this weekend I was ready to kind of call it quits on the Stock 1000 class for myself,” Gillim said. “So, this has definitely rejuvenated me a little bit and given me some more confidence going into COTA (the final round of the Steel Commander Stock 1000 series). That’s the only bad thing. That first weekend at Road Atlanta really had me down and out, and I was down a lot. With only five rounds this year for Stock 1000, I was a little nervous because I knew Road America was going to be tough. I expected Road Atlanta to be a little bit better than it was. I don’t know about COTA. We’ll see. I ran pretty quick there last year, so we’ll see. It will be interesting. I know these guys will be running for it. It’s a tight race at the top right now, so it’s coming down to the wire. unfortunately, I’ve been in a lot of these situations where it’s come down to the wire and almost every time, I’ve come out the loser. I’m hoping to do a little bit better than last year (when I) tied for the championship at the end of it but getting second place because he (Corey Alexander) had more race wins. So, trying to get those race wins right now just in case. But this was a really good weekend to do it. I knew coming in that this one and Barber I knew for sure were going to be the ones where I had to do the job and get it done.”
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. – Moore Again
The ladies of the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. program had one featured race at Brainerd International Raceway, and after their Sunday morning final qualifying session, it looked like the outcome of the afternoon’s race might be different than the previous four races this season had been. Instead of Mikayla Moore starting from the pole as she’d done in all four races thus far, it was Sonya Lloyd who got the start from the pole with Moore right next to her on the front row of the starting grid.
The difference hardly mattered because Moore promptly went to the head of the pack on the opening lap, and she maintained that position all the way to the checkered flag. Lloyd only gave up the one position to Moore, and she maintained second place throughout the eight-lap race. Crystal Martinez finished third after overtaking Aubrey Credaroli on the opening lap.
“With the big gap (in the schedule)—Ridge Motorsports Park was last month – I spent time training on a (Kawasaki) ZX-6 and a Ninja 400,” Moore said. “But I knew going into this weekend it was going to be a new track for me and based off of P1 time, I knew I had a lot to figure out and to adjust. Going into race one I felt a lot better with the adjustments that Megan helped me with, with Öhlins and some gearing changes that I made.”
Junior Cup – Badie Has A Goodie
As is always the case with the MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship’s races, Sunday’s race two at BIR came right down to the final lap and the final run to the checkered flag before the contest was decided. Belgian-based rider Levi Badie got the victory aboard his Badie Racing Kawasaki after coming from back in the field and then prevailing in a skirmish with pole sitter Rossi Moor, who was the winner of Saturday’s race one.
Moor led seven of the 11 laps in the race, including the penultimate lap, but Badie and his Kawasaki overtook Moor and his KTM, the final lap, but Moor was unable to strike back before the finish line. Jayden Fernandez had a battle of his own going on, but he would not be deterred from getting his first MotoAmerica podium in his rookie season, and he finished third.
“I came from eighth, so it was a little struggle to get back (to the front),” Badie said. “I was there the whole time, just struggling to pass a lot of guys because it’s a difficult track to pass. The competitors are very strong. Once I came in first, I kind of missed my braking mark a little bit. Then going into the corner, I was like in dirt, like flat tracking. I kept it open. I came out and I saw that they weren’t too far away, so just head down and tried to catch them because they were fighting. So, I knew when they’re fighting, they’re not going their top speed, so I just did everything I could, and I caught them. That was like two laps more. I was like, just go for it and try to pass every corner, try to pass someone. It worked. Last lap I just took the chance, tried to pass Rossi and it worked and just go. I’m very happy for first place.”
Supersport – Scott Gets It Done
Prior to today, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott had finished on the podium four times this season, but he hadn’t won a race since Road America last year. Well, that all changed with Sunday’s Supersport race two at Brainerd when he came away with the victory in the red-flag-shortened event. The 17-year-old was hounded throughout the race by Squid Hunter Racing Yamaha’s 48-year-old Josh Hayes, who was looking for his 88th all-time race win to extend the new record he set on Saturday by one more victory. Scott took the checkered flag by a little more than one-and-half seconds over Hayes. Third place went to Landers Racing Yamaha’s Rocco Landers, who passed both Xavi Forés and Stefano Mesa on the final lap to notch his second podium of the weekend.
“I got a good start in this race,” Scott said. “I led for the first lap a little bit. He got in front of me, and the goal was just kind of to stay behind him and learn a little bit from him. I struggled all weekend in sector one. When we came in for the red flag, I looked at my sector one times, and they were right on par with Rocco and Teagg (Hobbs), so that was a good improvement. But the race was just kind of pacing myself, getting a little closer to Hayes, then making a small mistake. Kind of playing with whatever gap was there, a second or half a second. Then the red flag came out and we came into the box. We changed our engine braking strategy a little bit to pull us closer to the apex in some corners. I was running wide, making some mistakes. But I felt great on the restart. Got the holeshot and never looked back. I made one mistake in turn four that kind of scared me. I ran decently wide, but I was able to pull it back on the racing line and get the win in the end.”
Hayden Gillim (69) wasted little time in getting to the front of the Steel Commander Stock 1000 race and he went on to victory, his second in two days at Brainerd International Raceway.
Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Levi Badie celebrates his Junior Cup win over Rossi Moor on Sunday at BIR.
Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Mikayla Moore again dominated the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. class at BIR.
Photo by Brian J. Nelson
The Supersport race on Sunday at BIR featured 17-year-old Tyler Scott (70) vs. 48-year-old Josh Hayes (4). And this time youth prevailed. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Bobby Fong (5) dominated Sunday’s Mission King Of The Baggers race at Brainerd International Raceway. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Sunday photos available HERE
Sunday results:
Supersport
Steel Commander Stock 1000
Mission King Of The Baggers
Junior Cup
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race.
Complete practice, qualifying and race results are available HERE.
Jacobsen Wins The First MotoAmerica Superbike Race Of His Career At Brainerd
With a near-perfect performance on Sunday afternoon at Brainerd International Raceway, PJ Jacobsen is no longer the fastest rider in the MotoAmerica paddock to not win a Medallia Superbike race after he added his name to the list of men who have won the premier class in the championship.
With three second-place finishes so far this season and a runner-up finish once in 2022, Jacobsen’s win turned him from bridesmaid to bride and he did it the right way, by besting two-time and defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne in a straight fight. The win also allowed him to step out of the shadow of his five-time Superbike Champion teammate, Cameron Beaubier – the winner of five races thus far in his first season with the Tytlers Cycle Racing team.
After trailing Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha’s Jake Gagne for all of race one on Saturday, Jacobsen was again behind the championship points leader in race two. Until there were nine laps to go. At that point, Jacobsen made his move on Gagne in turn three, got the job done and even put a bit of a cushion between himself and Gagne. Although Gagne put in a late-race charge, Jacobsen was able to withstand the pressure to take that elusive first win by .322 of a second.
Behind those two, Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz was also feeling pressure from behind as Bobby Fong was having the ride of his year on the Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1 and was giving the South African all he could handle in the final laps. Scholtz crossed the line in third with Fong giving up the chase in the final few turns.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch continues to impress in just his second weekend on the GSX-R1000R with another fifth-place finish. Sixth place went to Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim by a tick over Paasch’s Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate Richie Escalante, who struggled with front-tire woes.
Josh Hayes was up to fourth when an off-track excursion knocked him back to 11th. The four-time AMA Superbike Champion, riding the injured Cameron Petersen’s Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing YZF-R1, charged back through to end up eighth.
Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates was ninth with Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders rounding out the top 10.
With Beaubier being ruled out of racing on Sunday due to the concussion he suffered in Saturday’s crash, and Josh Herrin’s Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R suffering a mechanical problem that knocked him out of third place, Gagne’s lead in the championship swelled to 68 points over Herrin, 262-194. Beaubier drops to third, 79 points behind Gagne. With his 2-1 weekend tally, Jacobsen jumps past Escalante and into fourth in the title chase, 100 points behind the championship leader.
Superbike Race 2
- PJ Jacobsen (BMW)
- Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
- Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha)
- Bobby Fong (Yamaha)
- Brandon Paasch (Suzuki)
- Hayden Gillim (Suzuki)
- Richie Escalante (Suzuki)
- Josh Hayes (Yamaha)
- Ashton Yates (BMW)
- Max Flinders (Yamaha)
Superbike Quotes
PJ Jacobsen – Winner
“It’s just been hard work. Last year being able to even be on the podium was awesome and getting there. Then building steps this year and stuff, and with Cam (Beaubier) coming on as my teammate it was obviously a huge push because he’s a five-time AMA Superbike Champion. When he’s out there winning every weekend, first or second, it’s hard to have that as a teammate. I think just building and building and then learning some stuff from him as well in the data and everything. I knew I would eventually get there. I think I’ve always just been close in the wet races. I don’t really consider that a win, for me anyway. It’s good to finally get a dry win and actually get the job done. It feels pretty good. It was a big moment for me out there. I’ve wanted to do this. When you’re a kid coming up racing, and you’re in the paddock running around there, watching all these guys and then you want to be up here eventually with a win, like Hayes, Zemke, Duhamel, all those guys. So, it’s cool to be up here and to finally get a win in MotoAmerica.”
Jake Gagne – Second Place
“I was just on the edge. I was really pushing, trying to keep with PJ (Jacobsen). Right when he passed me that first lap, two laps, he was just putting tenths on me. I kind of calmed down and figured out a couple little things where he was quicker and tried to ride the bike a little different, be a little smoother, keep it from spinning up quite as much. Then that last lap, we came up on that lapper and I was wondering if I was going to get lucky and see what happened. But it was really fun racing with PJ. The guy has got so much talent. It’s good for him to get his first win. I enjoy being on that side, chasing him down for the win. It was kind of the opposite yesterday where he kind of just got back to my rear tire at the end there and I kind of did the same thing today. It was good. It really sucked to see (Cameron) Beaubier go out with that crash yesterday. I think something happened to (Josh) Herrin today. Good day for points, but more importantly just some good racing today with PJ. Good, clean racing. I didn’t know who was behind me, but we were just kind of inching away there. Everybody was really close this weekend. It was just those first couple laps, like always. I was able to push the pace a little bit. I knew PJ would be there the whole time. Just tried to be smart. Good day. Fun racing with PJ and watching him sideways around the whole track.”
Mathew Scholtz – Third Place
“This season has been pretty sh*t so far, to be honest. So, this is awesome to be back up on the podium here. Yesterday obviously passed PJ in the third corner early on. Ruined the bike. Didn’t get out from that. So, during practice, we didn’t put more than six or seven laps on the tire. So, we went out there today changing gearing settings without really knowing what was going to happen. The first three or four laps I think Jake (Gagne) and PJ (Jacobsen) had a little bit of pace, but maybe it was from lap five onwards I kind of pulled them back slightly. Then I think from the halfway point, the bike just started backing in like crazy. I started losing grip as I would crack the gas. So, the last couple laps was just surviving for me, really. Obviously, in Laguna I had a massive crash. Hadn’t been able to really train coming up to this and I’ve been sitting on the couch. Maybe did two or three cycles just to try to keep my fitness, but I definitely noticed that it hurt me today. My arms were pumping up. Overall, these guys are riding well. Just to kind of finish in the top five now is something special. There’re crazy fast guys. There’s Beemers, Ducatis, Yamahas, Suzukis are now up there too. So just to be up there makes me feel good, considering how bad things have been. So, I think if we can just build on from here. Pittsburgh has been one of my favorite tracks. I’ve been strong there previously, so I’m really thinking we can challenge for the win there. The bike is working better than it has been. We made a couple changes. I think today’s race we can really look at data and carry on pushing forward.”
Jake Gagne (1) led Mathew Scholtz (11), PJ Jacobsen (99) and the rest of the Medallia Superbike pack early in Sunday’s race at Brainerd International Raceway.
Photo by Brian J. Nelson
PJ Jacobsen took over at the front with nine laps to go and went on to win the first MotoAmerica Superbike race of his career. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Bobby Fong (5) had his best outing of the year on the Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1 with his fourth-place finish. Brandon Paasch (96) finished fifth. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
PJ Jacobsen won his first career MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike race a day after finishing second. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Sunday photos available HERE
Sunday results:
MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike
Complete practice, qualifying and race results are available HERE.
Beach, Championship Chaos Reign in 76th Peoria TT
JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) strengthened his claim as one of the greatest TT riders in the long history of Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing on Sunday afternoon. The Estenson Racing hero was his spectacular self in the 76th running of the World Famous SC2 Peoria TT presented by Country Saloon, once again dominatingat the Peoria Motorcycle Club in Peoria, Illinois.
While obvious in hindsight, that end result wasn’t quite so easy to predict while the day unfolded. Reigning Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle king Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750) was fastest in practice, Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) took control during qualifying, and Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 790 Duke) won the four-lap Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, but come the Main Event it was all Beach.
Beach then seemingly robbed the race of all drama from the start, slotting into the lead off the line and clearing off at the front.
Even the race behind Beach settled into a seemingly processional affair – emphasis on “seemingly” – as Daniels held down second, followed by Bauman and Mees. But with Beach several seconds out in front and just one lap and one corner to go, the championship chase was thrown with a wicked curveball.
Positioned to stretch out his points lead, Daniels lost the front and crashed from the race, bringing out a very late red flag. However, when presented with the threat of a title-sinking disaster, his crew rose to the occasion, repairing the #32 bike’s broken shifter with just seconds to spare before the restart.
Having lapped all the way up to sixth, Daniels was gifted a most fortunate position on the staggered restart grid. Once back underway, race-long leader Beach survived the three-lap shootout to secure his eighth TT win in his last nine attempts, with Bauman collecting second and Mees taking third.
Beach said, “I’ve just got to thank my crew. This day was hard. I felt good all day but my times were only okay. I was sitting third or fourth pretty much all day. In the Main, I was just like, ‘I’ve got to do my work.’ I got a great start and I just kept doing my laps. I messed up once over the jump and I messed up once in Turn 3. I could hear my bike so I thought it was Dallas right on me. It’s a bummer for him and the team for him to go down with two laps to go, but it was a great race.”
Bummer, yes, but ultimately, Daniels didn’t just salvage enough points to stay alive, he came home with a solid fifth-place result behind Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750). Despite losing his title lead and seeing his season-long 13-race podium streak come to an end, the championship hopeful walked away from Peoria facing just a one-point deficit to Mees (296-295) even after the near catastrophe.
Peoria TT legend Henry Wiles (No. 17 BriggsAuto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750) was the final rider remaining on the lead lap in sixth, while Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650), Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Mission Foods Indian FTR750), and Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) rounded out the top ten, respectively.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) scored his first victory of ‘23 in a surprising conclusion to a topsy-turvy Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Main Event.
Prior to a mid-race red flag, teammates Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) and Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) had positioned themselves in first and second.
Kopp took the lead after successive overtakes of Estenson Racing teammates Brunner and Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), while, Whale had a bigger job for himself after slipping back to sixth early despite starting from the front row.
By the time Whale stormed around the outside of Drane to move into second, Kopp had opened up nearly a one-second-plus lead at the front. Whale’s uphill climb was made substantially less steep due to the red flag, which resulted in a staggered restart with just over three minutes remaining on the clock.
With all of the focus on the reset Red Bull KTM brawl for the win, red-hot Drane had another idea. The up-and-coming Aussie jumped out into the lead and displayed renewed strength, actually pulling away from Kopp, Brunner, and Whale with relative ease.
But Drane’s cruise to the checkered flag was interrupted, due to the appearance of a second red flag, which resulted in one final restart with just three laps to determine the winner.
This proved to be Brunner’s golden opportunity, after previously looking to be out of victory contention. The Indiana native blasted off the line and won out in the opening-corner melee, seizing the lead ahead of Drane and Kopp.
He then held on in the brief showdown to claim the win before his rivals had a chance to mount an effective counter. Drane picked up his seventh podium in his last eight outings by finishing 0.230 seconds behind in second position while Kopp solidified his championship advantage in third.
“This is awesome,” Brunner said. “We were pulling starts really well today, but we were having trouble getting out of the ‘flat track’ corners. We were kind of struggling with traction getting out of there, so each restart really benefited me a lot because I was able to come back. The last one, I got a great start and really pulled it out.”
Two-time Peoria TT winner Whale came home fourth a little over a second off the win with Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F) nipping at his rear wheel in fifth.
Meanwhile, Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) finished sixth with Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team/Husqvarna Racing FC450), Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), and Jared Lowe (No. 63 Mission Foods/Helmet House Honda CRF450R) completed the top ten.
Kopp still leads by a healthy 40 points over Brunner (273-233) as Drane continued his climb up the order, now ranked third at 228.
Liqui Moly Beta Racing Team Sign – Dare DeMartile for Two More Years
| Beta Motorcycles & Dare DeMartile have agreed to another two-year deal. DeMartile will continue to race the NGPC and WORCS series for the Liqui Moly Beta Racing Team. His 2023 campaign has been interrupted by injury but prior to that, DeMartile was on the podium in both series. Dare is nearing recovery from the injury and will soon race the remaining events of the year in each series aboard a Beta Factory 480 RR. “We are excited to have Dare for the next two years. His attitude and work ethic is next level and he has the speed to consistently be on the podium. We look forward to continuing our journey together and achieving success in the WORCS and NGPC series with Dare.” said Carlen Gardner, Race Team Manager. |
 | Dare DeMartile | Lincoln, CA| Race Bike – Factory 480 RR “I am super pumped to be signing with Beta USA again! The whole company is building and I’m blessed to be a part of it! It’s going to be a great two years!” |
Gaige Herrera Sweeps NHRA’s Western Swing with Sixth Pro Stock Motorcycle Win at the Sonoma Nationals
Continuing to show dominance in his history-making rookie season, Vance & Hines/Mission Suzuki rider Gaige Herrera raced his Gen 3 Suzuki Hayabusa to a sixth victory of the season Sunday at the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, becoming the first Pro Stock Motorcycle rider to sweep the NHRA’s fabled Western Swing.
Race Highlights
- Gaige Herrera qualified first for the seventh time in 2023, won the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout, and became the first Pro Stock Motorcycle rider to sweep the NHRA’s Western Swing with consecutive wins at Denver, Seattle, and Sonoma.
- Eddie Krawiec qualified third and advanced to the semi-final round.
Gaige Herrera (79) calls it a sweep on the West Coast.
After wins in Denver and Seattle, Herrera came to Sonoma with a chance to become the first Pro Stock Motorcycle rider ever and the first racer in any NHRA class since 2009 to win the grueling Western Swing that consists of three consecutive back-to-back national events.
As he did at the first two races of the Swing, Herrera took the number one starting spot in Sonoma, posting a 6.728-second/199.94 mph run to claim his seventh number one qualifier of the season. On Saturday, Herrera also won the inaugural NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout, a specialty race that gives the top eight riders in the class a chance to “call out” an opponent in a head-to-head grudge match during the qualifying rounds. Herrera took home the $15,000 top prize with wins over Chase Van Sant, Hector Arana Jr., and Angie Smith.
In the first round of eliminations, Herrera made a 6.729-second/199.11 mph run, his quickest elapsed time of the weekend, to advance against Ryan Oehler (no time). He moved out of round two with a 6.836-second/196.10 mph win over Marc Ingwersen, who fouled. Herrera defeated Karen Stoffer (6.926 seconds/191.97 mph) in the semi-finals, making a 6.793-second/195.28 mph pass, setting up his first final-round appearance against reigning class champion Matt Smith.
But the highly anticipated matchup came to an anti-climactic conclusion when Smith’s motorcycle was unable to fire on the starting line, forcing him to withdraw. Herrera made an unopposed 6.775-second/198.12 mph pass to claim his seventh win of the year and complete the first sweep of the Western Swing since Top Fuel Racer Antron Brown accomplished the feat in 2009.
“Being the first rider to sweep the Western Swing is something I never expected. It’s remarkable. It’s hard to put into words how it feels, but I give all the credit to the team. They work their butts off to give me the best bike possible, which gives me all the confidence in the world when I pull up to the starting line,” Herrera said. “I wanted to race for it, especially against a rival like Matt, but we’re going home with the win and that’s what matters. I clinched a spot in the Countdown to the Championship this weekend, so that’s where our focus goes now. Once the countdown starts, we need to keep the results coming and show we can be as good at the end of the season as we were at the beginning. I’m extremely excited for what’s to come.”
Eddie Krawiec (7) falls just short of making the Finals.
Eddie Krawiec came to Sonoma showing an upswing in mid-season performance following his best finish of the year in Denver and qualified third with a 6.771-second/199.91 mph run on Saturday.
Krawiec knocked off John Hall (7.853-seconds/123.64 mph) in the first round with a 6.818-second/198.03 mph run, and advanced into the semi-finals with a 6.762-second/199.23 mph victory in round two over Angie Smith, who fouled.
But despite a starting line advantage over Matt Smith in the semi-final round, Krawiec came up inches shy of repeating last week’s all-Vance & Hines/Mission Suzuki final when his 6.860-second/199.52 mph run fell just short of Smith’s 6.819-second/198.23 mph pass at the finish line.
“The track kind of got us in that round. I wouldn’t say the surface went away, but it wasn’t as good as it was in the earlier rounds and my bike rattled the tire off the starting line. Usually, if I have someone by four-hundredths on the tree, I expect to get the win, but unfortunately, my opponent had a good run at the wrong time,” Krawiec said. “I have a great motorcycle in the Gen 3 Hayabusa, and the package is coming together for me at the best time in the season. We’ve got a month now to go home and get ready for our hometown race in Indy. That’s where I won my last race, and it would be the perfect place to win my 50th.”
Vance & Hines/Mission Suzuki crew chief Andrew Hines was all smiles on the starting line when Herrera pulled up for his history-making run, and Hines credited the accomplishment to both Herrera’s outstanding riding ability and the work of the team.
“It’s surreal. These wins are by-products of all the decisions we made over the last six months and of the hard work of this team. It’s a fully collaborative effort by everyone, from Gaige rising to the occasion, the team sharing data, to trying different setups from round to round, and even taking a gamble here and there. We’re successfully finding every avenue to turn on win lights,” Hines said. “We’ve been away from our families for a long time on this Western Swing and the energy and success we’re taking into this break will push us to make our Suzukis even better for Indy and the rest of the season. The class is getting closer to us, but we’re here and we accept the challenge.”
After eight of 15 rounds, Herrera and Krawiec currently sit first and third in the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship standings with 924 and 563 points, respectively.
The Vance & Hines/Mission Suzuki team is back in action August 30 – September 4 at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indianapolis, IN.
For the latest Suzuki team news, race reports, and information visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Drag-Racing.
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