MILLVILLE, NJ, SEPT 8 – Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier won for the fifth time in the last six Daytona Sportbike races with a crafty last lap pass of veteran Martin Cardenas, the Geico Suzuki rider who finished second. M4 Suzuki’s Dane Westby rounded out the podium on a hot and sunny afternoon at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
The first attempt to run the race was red-flagged early on the third lap when Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki’s Cory West crashed in Turn 1, unhurt.
The re-start saw the same cast who’d been at the front prior to the red flag, Cardenas leading Team Latus Motors Racing’s Jason DiSalvo (Triumph), Tommy Aquino (Yamaha), Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha’s Tommy Hayden, Meen Motorsports Racing’s Bobby Fong (Yamaha), Beaubier, and Westby. Of those riders, Aquino would drop off first, then DiSalvo.
Cardenas led until the sixth lap when Fong came by, holding it until the eighth lap. The pair swapped the lead a few times before Beaubier took it on lap 14.
Then on lap 16 it went back to Cardenas, who was in front until the final lap. Going into the first turn Beaubier made his move and held off Cardenas for the win.
The margin of victory was .022 sec.
On the final lap the lead trio separated from Fong and Hayden, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively, but over a second behind.
DiSalvo had long since faded to finish a lonely sixth. Aquino settled into seventh early on.
Road Race Factory’s Jake Gagne (Yamaha) beat teammate J.D. Beach for ninth, with Aaron Gobert racing to tenth on the Full Tuck Racing Yamaha.
Cardenas stretched his points lead over Westby to 70 points. With five races to go, Cardenas has 341 points to 271 for Westby.
Daytona Sportbike Results:
1. Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha)
2. Martin Cardenas (Suzuki)
3. Dane Westby (Suzuki)
4. Bobby Fong (Yamaha)
5. Tommy Hayden (Yamaha)
6. Jason DiSalvo (Triumph)
7. Tommy Aquino (Yamaha)
8. Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
9. JD Beach (Yamaha)
10. Aaron Gobert (Yamaha)
