Henny Ray Abrams | June 5, 2010
ELKHART LAKE, WI, JUNE 5: Rockwall Performance Yamaha’s J.D. Beach survived a qualifying crash and a frantic last lap to win an entertaining combined East/West SuperSport battle at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.Beach and teammate Cameron Beaubier spent the 10-lap race locked in a battle with another pair of teammates, LTD Racing’s Tomas Puerta and Huntley Nash.There was little to separate the four young riders, who found interesting ways to pass each other, sometimes with little regard for their teammates.The final lap began with Nash leading Beaubier, Beach, and Puerta, with James Rispoli (Suz) just off the back.
Beaubier took the lead on the brakes doing down into turn five, while Nash ran wide and Beach took advantage to slot into third.Two turns later Nash’s day was over. Trying to make a move in turn seven, Nash pushed the front end off the track and crashed. Now there were three, but not for long.Several turns later Beaubier ran too hot into the turn 12 and crashed out of the lead. That put Beach in front and he ran with it, pulling away to win his third race in a row.The margin of victory was 2.226 secs.”Today in qualifying I had a bit of a tipover and destroyed a bike,” Beach said. Forced onto his ‘B’ bike, Beach didn’t think he’d be able to set the same pace.”I was going faster than I did yesterday and the last lap I set a good lap. I got to get more used to that bike and maybe break away tomorrow.”Puerta inherited second and Rispoli earned his first ever podium in third.Miles Thornton (Yam) was 20 secs. back in fourth and a touch in front of fifth place finisher David Gaviria (Kaw).Beach’s win gives him the SuperSport East points lead over Puerta, 124 to 96. Beaubier is a point back with 95 after five of 14 races.The SuperSport West points order didn’t change, because neither of the championship leaders finished. Points leader Joey Pascarella (DNA Energy Drink Ducati) was well down the field when he crashed on lap three. A lap earlier Elena Myers (Lucas Oil/Roadracingworld.com/RMR Suzuki), second in the championship, crashed in Canada Corner. Pascarella leads Myers 137 to 92 after seven of 13 races.
Results:
1. J.D. Beach (Yamaha)
2. Tomas Puerta (Yamaha)
3. James Rispoli (Suzuki)
4. Miles Thornton (Yamaha)
5. David Gaviria (Kawasaki)
6. Eric Stump (Yamaha)
7. Nicholas Hansen (Kawasaki)
8. Daniel Guevara (Suzuki)
9. Ryan Kerr (Kawasaki)
10. Kyle Keesee (Yamaha)
Henny Ray Abrams | Contributing Editor
Abrams is the longest-serving contributor at Cycle News. Over the course of his 35-some years of writing and shooting photos, he’s covered events from MotoGP to the Motocross World Championship - and everything in between.
