Superbike Shootout: Garrett Gerloff Crowned Pro Sportbike Champion

Andrea Wilson | May 25, 2014
Garrett Gerloff wins Superbike Shootout Pro Sportbike Championship with the win at Miller Motorsports Park. Photography By Brian J Nelson

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN J NELSON

TOOELE, UTAH, MAY 25 – Y.E.S. Monster Energy Graves Yamaha’s Garrett Gerloff capped off the Superbike Shootout Series Pro Sportbike finale with a dominant race win and a number one plate to go with it. The young Texan was on point all weekend. He was comfortable with the bike, the track, and if his pole position was any indicator – around a second ahead of H35’s Benny Solis – Gerloff was going to be the man to beat. And he ended up being the man no one could beat

His teammate JD Beach made a go at it. Beach got the jump on Gerloff at the start and led the race. But it didn’t last too long. Gerloff passed Beach, put his head down and stretched out a lead pretty quickly that in the end amounted to an almost 13.5 second gap.

Beach also stretched out a pretty healthy gap of his own on third place – 9.85 seconds on third place finisher Bobby Fong on the Latus Motors Racing. The former AMA Supersport East Champion was looking more like the Beach people expect to see. Beach and his crew made good use of the Superbike Shootout series to get back on track –  getting the bike setup and rebuilding his confidence after a rough start to the AMA Pro Racing season.

As for Fong, the third place wasn’t so comfortable. It was hard fought and it involved contact. On lap two, Fong closed the door on Solis – who was in fourth – Solis made contact with Fong and Solis ended on the ground. Fortunately Solis was unhurt, but his bike didn’t fair as well and he was unable to rejoin the race. Fong was also having mechanical woes. His bike cut out – also on lap two – dropping him back to seventh, but fortunately it got back going and Fong was able to bring it home to a podium finish.

Geico Honda’s Jake Zemke ran a lonely race for the most part, finishing fourth. Zemke moved up to third after the Fong-Solis incident, and held it to about the halfway mark when Fong passed him to take back third.

Behind Zemke was a pack of Yamahas. And leading that pack was privateer Chad Lewin on the CM Motorsports Yamaha, who had an impressive run in the three round series and finished the championship in fourth behind JD Beach. As did the former Red Bull Rookie Bryce Prince who was fifth in the championship and finished the day in sixth aboard the Tuned Racing Yamaha.

Following Prince was ACT Racing’s Ryan Matter and CM Motorsport’s Michael Gilbert. Prince’s teammate Jason Aguilar finished ninth. And rounding out the top ten was Mark Harper on a Triumph.

2014 Superbike Shootout

Miller Motorsports Park

Pro Sportbike Results:

1. Garrett Gerloff (Yamaha)

2. JD Beach (Yamaha)

3. Bobby Fong (Triumph)

4. Jake Zemke (Honda)

5. Chad Lewin (Yamaha)

6. Bryce Prince (Yamaha)

7. Ryan Matter (Yamaha)

8. Michael Gilbert (Yamaha)

9. Jason Aguilar (Yamaha)

10. Mark Harper (Triumph)

Provisional Championship Standings:

1. Garrett Gerloff (70)

2. Bobby Fong (61)

3. JD Beach (44)

4. Chad Lewin (32)

5. Bryce Prince (26)

6. Jake Zemke (26)

7. Michael Gilbert (24)

8. Benny Solis (16)

9. Jason Aguilar (15)

10. Joe Roberts/Tom Montano (9)

 

Andrea Wilson | Associate Editor / Website Coordinator

Andrea has been shooting everything from flat track to road racing in her job as a professional freelance photographer, but she's made the move to a full-time staff position at Cycle News where her love of all things motorcycling will translate well. Wilson has proven her worth as more than a photographer as she migrates to the written word with everything from race coverage to interviews.