Cycle News Staff | January 18, 2017
Cameron Beaubier came out on top in roller-coaster ride of a season to secure his second-straight MotoAmerica Superbike crown
It’s safe to say, going into 2016, everyone expected Cameron Beaubier to defend his title. Even Beaubier himself. After securing his first superbike title in 2015, Beaubier went into 2016 more relaxed and confident. But then it all went horribly wrong. Then it went right. And nearly horribly wrong again, but the end result was as expected: a back-to-back MotoAmerica Superbike Championships for America’s A-lister in road racing.
No one goes into a season with a crystal ball, but it was definitely a weird one for Beaubier.
“Normally when things are going bad, they’re going bad, and it’s tough to turn around,” Beaubier said. “I think that’s what makes me so proud of the season we had. We were able to fight back together as a team and get that championship. We had some pretty low lows and some great highs. We definitely had to fight for it—it wasn’t given to us.”
The season started out rough, with two DNFs and a fourth-place finish in the first three races. It was not exactly the dream start to a title defense.
By Andrea Wilson, Photography By Brian J. Nelson
“I went into the season with a lot of confidence after last year and then the pre-season tests…everything was going good,” he said. “The first two rounds, the first three races, were kind of a disaster, really. We were a big gap down already just right off the bat. I was like, ‘holy crap! This is going to be tough to turn around and come back.’ But we were able to do it. Every race I just focused on each race and dug deep when I needed to.”
Beaubier was able to turn his season around and went into the season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Part with a comfortable lead in the championship. But then bad luck struck again. Sitting helpless on the side of the track with his ailing bike, he nearly watched his championship lead completely evaporate.
“It was pretty crazy going into the last round with a race under my belt in points. I was like, ‘I got this,’’’ he said. “I think what happened in the last race kind of brought things back to reality for me, showing me how bad I wanted this championship and how easy it can just slip out of your fingers. Not saying it was good for us, but it definitely put things back into perspective.”
Through those tough times, it definitely helped having won the championship before. Beaubier was able to enjoy himself more without the weight of trying to win his first superbike crown.
“Honestly I think it was easier for me [defending the title] because I feel like I proved to myself and to other people that I did it [in 2015]. I won a superbike title,” he said. “I definitely think retaining it is harder, but I felt like I got that first one off my back. Approaching the 2016 season I felt so much better going into it. I wasn’t putting as much pressure on myself. I felt like I enjoyed the race weekend so much more than I did in 2015. I definitely had more fun with it. I think that showed in my results.”
Although he had the same amount of wins both seasons—eight—he actually had better results on paper in 2015, only finishing worse than second twice. But that’s the thing about paper, it doesn’t necessarily reflect what happens on the racetrack. In this case it was some all-out dog fights between not only his Monster Energy Graves Yamaha teammate Josh Hayes, but Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden and Toni Elias. For the first time in a long time, the Yoshimura squad was back to being competitive with the Yamaha duo, which upped the level of competition and made for some great racing.
“It’s been a while in the United States since superbike racing has had four guys battling at the front for a win the entire race,” he said. “I think it was good for the fans and good for our series. Honestly it just makes me excited for next year. I know the Yosh [Yoshimura] boys are going to be coming back strong, but I think our guys—Josh and I—are going to come back even stronger. So it’s going to make for an exciting 2017 season, that’s for sure.
Beaubier also points out the benefit of having a former World Champion thrown into the mix.
“Toni [Elias] coming over has thrown a whole new dynamic to everything,” he said. “He’s a really late braker and he’s a scrapper. He’s always going to be there at the end of the race. With him coming in I feel like him and Roger have been able to kind of work together. Roger is at another level now too. So yeah, I think it’s been good for all of us.”
Elias and the other foreigners that migrated to the U.S. championship this year have certainly added spice to the racing in MotoAmerica. Even in spite of some crazy dive-bomb passes, Beaubier feels that having the guys come in from overseas were a good addition to the series.
“For sure, it does get a little crazy sometimes, but it’s hard racing and for the most part it’s been all clean,” he said. “I think it’s really good for our series having him [Elias] over there and also with a couple of the other European guys like [Valentin] Debise and [Claudio] Corti. I think it puts us more on the radar over in Europe.”
Choosing a favorite championship can be like choosing a favorite child, but Beaubier didn’t hesitate to say that this year’s title meant more to him.
“I think the 2016 one means a little bit more to me just of the fact we as a team dug deep,” he explained. “We were so far out of it at the beginning of the season and we were able to crawl our way back into things. I think that’s something to be really proud of. I feel like a couple races this year I was just on the ragged edge. I shouldn’t have won a couple of the races that I did. The race at VIR where I barely got around Josh [Hayes] the last lap. I felt like he was the fastest guy that day but I was able to somehow make something work on the last lap—or maybe it was two laps to go or something like that. But a couple races I dug really deep. It’s just a season I’ll always be really proud of, for sure.”
Beaubier feels that he’s raised his level, something that comes with more time getting used to the superbike and a couple of titles to go with it, but also with having a teammate like four-time AMA Superbike Champion Hayes to learn from.
“I think the biggest thing that I improved this year was being able to communicate with my team a little bit better,” he said. “That’s something I’ve struggled with a little bit in the past. Especially riding a superbike, every practice, every time you’re on the track, every lap, you’re trying to get the most out of every lap and get the most out of your bike. Being able to communicate with my team this year, I think that helped me quite a bit. Also having Josh [Hayes] as a teammate and kind of seeing the way he talks to his team and just listening to his feedback and what he’s looking for when he goes out and rides, I think that’s been really good for me too. I’ve never been in the position where I’m having to put in my two cents on developing a bike, and in the last two years I have been doing that with the new R1. It’s definitely been tough, but I think it’s been really good for me and good for the future.”
Speaking of the future, everyone’s looking for an American to go overseas and win a world championship. Even before he won a pair of superbike titles, Beaubier’s name has been thrown in that hat for years—to be “the guy.” So does the question of when he’ll go overseas get a bit old?
“Yeah, a little bit because not everyone knows the circumstances,” he answered with a bit of a laugh. “When I go over there I want the perfect opportunity to go over there to give me a reason to leave what I have here. Right here I feel like I have it so good. I feel like I’m the luckiest guy ever. I’m on an incredibly competitive machine. Everyone says it, but I really do feel super close with the Yamaha guys. It really is like a little family over here. I don’t want to leave that for something I’m unsure of.”
That being said, Beaubier is not saying that he doesn’t want another shot at the world stage either. He’s had the experience to know how tough it is to thrive over there without the right team and support behind you. A rough season in the 125cc championship plagued with injuries alongside the future five-time world champion Marc Marquez taught him that.
“It is my goal to in the future race on the world stage, but I don’t want to leave what I have here for something that’s unknown for it to go south,” he said. “I know how bad everyone else wants my seat. There are guys coming up—[Garrett] Gerloff, Joe Roberts, JD [Beach]—I’m sure all those guys want my seat, and I don’t want to give it up.”
At least not yet. Right now, he’s focused on winning MotoAmerica Superbike Championships. Perhaps like Ben Spies—another American to make the step from being the young challenger in AMA to the FIM World Superbike Championship—three will be the magic number for that transition. CN