Cycle News Staff | June 5, 2016
Baubier takes double Superbike win at 2016 MotoAmerica at Road America
Monster Energy Graves Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier said Sunday’s second Superbike race was the most fun of any of the Superbike races he’s been involved in. And you get the feeling he’d be saying the same thing even if he hadn’t won. But win he did, the 23-year-old MotoAmerica Superbike Champion adding a victory in race two to his race-one win for a clean sweep at the MotoAmerica Road America in the Honda Superbike Showdown of Wisconsin.
The two wins also propelled him into the lead in the 2016 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, 176-169, over his teammate Josh Hayes. It also gives him a leg up on the competition in the Honda Superbike Showdown, a three-round (six races) series (Road America, Barber Motorsports Park and Laguna Seca Raceway) within a series that will award its winner a brand-new 2016 Honda Civic Sedan. With his perfect 50 points, Beaubier leads the Honda Superbike Showdown, 50-33, over Roger Hayden and teammate Toni, the two Yoshimura Suzuki riders leaving Wisconsin after splitting second- and fourth-place finishes. Hayden is third in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship – 27 points behind Beaubier and five points ahead of his teammate Toni Elias.
Both of the Superbike races were thrillers from start to finish with Beaubier beating Hayden to the line by just .442 of a second in race one before beating Yoshimura Suzuki’s Elias by .684 of a second in race two. Hayes was third in both races, 1.9 seconds behind in race one and just .721 of a second behind in race two.
The two wins were the fifth and sixth wins of the year for Beaubier and the 16th and 17th of his Superbike career. With his 16th career win, Beaubier moved into a tie with MotoAmerica President and three-time 500cc World Champion Wayne Rainey for 10th on the all-time win list. With his 17th win later in the day, Beaubier pulled even with 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden for ninth on the all-time list.
Hayes was having a good run in the first race until he ran off track and had to make up the ground he’d lost. He ended up third.
Hayden knew he didn’t have enough power to draft past Beaubier on the run to the flag. And he also knew he wouldn’t be able to hold the lead if he led out of that final corner on the run up the hill.
Beaubier wasn’t the only rider to come away from Road America with a clean sweep as Wheels In Motion/Meen Motorsports’ Josh Herrin won both of the Bazzaz Superstock 1000 races while finishing fifth overall in both of the Superbike races. Both of the Superstock 1000 races were also great battles with Herrin topping Aprilia HSBK Racing’s Claudio Corti in both and by just .167 of a second. South African Mathew Scholtz was third in his MotoAmerica debut in race one with Cycle World Suzuki’s Hayden Gillim filling the podium in race two.
Debise takes first MotoAmerica Supersport win at Road America
Frenchman Valentin Debise broke through with his maiden MotoAmerica victory when he won today’s Supersport battle over championship points leader Garrett Gerloff by just .095 of a second. Debise, and his M4 SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki, bounced back from a mechanical failure in yesterday’s Supersport race to beat race-one winner Gerloff and the Y.E.S./Graves Yamaha. Third place on Sunday went to Saturday’s runner-up JD Beach, the defending MotoAmerica Supersport Champion barely beating Debise’s teammate Cameron Petersen to the flag.
With his victory and second place this weekend at Road America, Gerloff extends his points lead to 43 points over his teammate Beach, 190-147. Debise is third with 139 points.
Prince wins Superstock 600
The Superstock 600 win today went to Bryce Prince, the Riders Discount Tuned Racing rider turning the tables on yesterday’s winner Richie Escalante by beating the HB Racing/Meen Motorsports rider to the flag by just .799 of a second. Prince’s teammate Jason Aguilar ended up third.
Yates takes first KTM MotoAmerica RC Cup win at Road America
The KTM RC Cup race saw a first-time race winner in Aston Yates, the son of former AMA Champion Aaron Yates breaking through to win the first MotoAmerica race of his young career. Yates emerged from a four-way battle to beat Double B Racing’s Jody Barry by just .049 of a second. Series points leader Brandon Paasch was just .211 of a second from victory with his championship rival Anthony Mazziotto III finishing fourth and just .244 of a second from victory.
Paasch now holds a seven-point lead over Mazziotto, 164-157, after four rounds and eight races.
2016 MotoAmerica Road America Results
Superbike Race 1: 1. Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha); 2. Roger Hayden (Suzuki); 3. Josh Hayes (Yamaha); 4. Toni Elias (Suzuki); 5. Josh Herrin (Yamaha); 6. Claudio Corti (Aprilia); 7. Matthew Scholtz (Yamaha); 8. Bobby Fong (Kawasaki); 9. Jake Lewis (Suzuki); 10. Kyle Wyman (Yamaha).
Bazzaz Superstock 1000 Race 1: Josh Herrin (Yamaha); 2. Claudio Corti (Aprilia); 3. Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha); 4. Bobby Fong (Kawasaki); 5. Jake Lewis (Suzuki); 6. Hayden Gillim (Suzuki); 7. Taylor Knapp (Yamaha); 8. Danny Eslick (Yamaha); 9. Steve Rapp (BMW); 10. Frankie Babuska Jr. (Yamaha)
Superbike Race 2: 1. Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha); 2. Toni Elias (Suzuki); 3. Josh Hayes (Yamaha); 4. Roger Hayden (Suzuki); 5. Josh Herrin (Yamaha); 6. Claudio Corti (Aprilia); 7. Hayden Gillim (Yamaha); 8. David Anthony (Kawasaki); 9. Bobby Fong (Kawasaki); 10. Jake Lewis (Suzuki).
Bazzaz Superstock 1000 Race 2: 1. Josh Herrin (Yamaha); 2. Claudio Corti (Aprilia); 3. Hayden Gillim (Suzuki); 4. David Anthony (Kawasaki); 5. Bobby Fong (Kawasaki); 6. Jake Lewis (Suzuki); 7. Steve Rapp (BMW); 8. Danny Eslick (Yamaha); 9. Frankie Babuska Jr. (Yamaha); 10. Barrett Long (Yamaha).
Supersport Race 2: 1. Valentin Debise (Suzuki); 2. Garrett Gerloff (Yamaha); 3. JD Beach (Yamaha); 4. Cameron Petersen (Suzuki); 5. Bryce Prince (Yamaha); 6. Richie Escalante (Yamaha); 7. Jason Aguilar (Yamaha); 8. JC Camacho (Yamaha); 9. Nick McFadden (Yamaha); 10. Deion Campbell (Yamaha).
Superstock 600 Race 2: 1. Bryce Prince (Yamaha); 2. Richie Escalante (Yamaha); 3. Jason Aguilar (Yamaha); 4. JC Camacho (Yamaha); 5. Nick McFadden (Yamaha); 6. Deion Campbell (Yamaha); 7. Michael Gilbert (Yamaha); 8. Conner Blevins (Kawasaki); 9. Andy DiBrino (Yamaha); 10. Caroline Olsen (Suzuki).
KTM RC Cup Race 2: 1. Ashton Yates; 2. Jody Barry; 3. Brandon Paasch; 4. Anthony Mazziotto III; 5. Renzo Ferreira; 6. Draik Beauchamp; 7. Alejandro Gutierrez; 8. Brandon Altmeyer; 9. Jackson Blackmon; 10. Josh Serne.
Superbike Championship Point Standings: 1. Cameron Beaubier (176/6 wins); 2. Josh Hayes (169/1 win); 3. Roger Hayden (149); 4. Toni Elias (144/3 wins); 5. Claudio Corti (100); 6. Josh Herrin (85); 7. Bobby Fong (78); 8. Hayden Gillim (70); 9. Danny Eslick (57) 10. Taylor Knapp (56).
Check out the 2016 Road America Saturday report here.