MotoAmerica previews the Road America round, scheduled for May 29-31 in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Photos by Brian J. Nelson
This is a press release from MotoAmerica…
Irvine, CA (May 26, 2026) – The MotoAmerica Championship makes its annual stop in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, for the highly anticipated Road America round on May 29-31.
Last year’s MotoAmerica Superbikes at Road America event was the most-attended motorcycle road racing weekend in the track’s 71-year history, and “America’s National Park of Speed” is ready to break attendance records once again. The iconic 4.048-mile circuit will showcase the world-class talent and breathtaking performance of MotoAmerica’s Superbike riders and their machines as they reach top speeds of nearly 200 miles an hour.
Quad Lock Superbike & Superbike Cup
Road America is a brutal, unrelenting gauntlet of pure horsepower, heavy braking zones, and long asphalt straightaways. Success requires machines with maximum top-end speed and riders with the absolute grit to hold the throttle open until the last possible millisecond before Canada Corner. It is a track that demands mechanical muscle and a solid braking game.
The track layout throws a massive challenge directly at current championship points leader, Strack Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz. While the Yamaha YZF-R1 is known for superb handling, it lacks the raw top-end power of its rivals. To succeed, Scholtz and the other Yamaha riders must perfectly nail their corner exits and use precise drafting tactics just to stay within striking distance.
After his double win at Barber Motorsports Park, Mathew Scholtz bolted ahead in the Superbike points standings, and he now holds a 34-point lead coming into round three. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Much like Scholtz, Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing teammates JD Beach and Bobby Fong will also need to lean on their impeccable braking skills to maximize corner entry and use the Yamaha’s razor-sharp agility to nail every apex in order to be in the hunt on the long Wisconsin straights.
For others, the power-hungry layout heavily favors bikes with top-end speed like that of OrangeCat Racing BMW’s Sean Dylan Kelly. The Floridian and his BMW M 1000 RR possess the outright skill and machine speed necessary to slice through the draft and challenge for the win, and has hit the podium at least once in each of the first two Superbike rounds, showing a solid connection to his new “Beemer Screamer”.
Meanwhile, the Warhorse HSBK Ducati Flo4Law Ducati Panigale V4 R sitting underneath six-time champion Cameron Beaubier will be eager to stretch its legs at Road America. The 33-year-old Californian has the added confidence of 11 career wins at Road America, the most of any Superbike rider in history, and he is still hunting for his first double-podium of the season.
M4 Ecstar Suzuki riders Richie Escalante and Brandon Paasch bring their high-revving Suzuki GSX-R1000Rs into the Badger State. Both riders look to use the shrieking inline four-cylinder to their advantage on the long straights and claw closer to the leading pack.
Early season top-five contenders are looking to improve their consistency in Wisconsin and finish in the points for both races. This group includes Wrench Motorcycles’ Cameron Petersen aboard the Ducati Panigale V4 R, OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe on his BMW M 1000 RR, and Real Steel Honda’s Hayden Gillim on his Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
In the Superbike Cup category, Andrew Lee and his Real Steel Honda team face a high-speed test of their own. Lee is heavily focused on using the strong engine platform of the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP to extend his championship lead.
Hayes Named Grand Marshal
As the season-long celebration of “50 Years Of Superbike Racing” continues, MotoAmerica is honoring four-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes as Grand Marshal during the Road America race weekend. A true icon of American road racing, the “Mississippi Madman” remains a fierce force in the paddock. Hayes continues to actively rewrite the record books, with the most recent of his 89 career AMA victories coming just last year at Barber Motorsports Park, and he shows no signs of slowing down as he remains a perennial fan favorite while campaigning a BPR Racing Yamaha YZF-R9 in the Supersport class this season.
Four Support Classes Ready For Battle In The Badger State
Fierce Supersport Title Fight Continues As Mission King Of The Baggers, Twins Cup, And Royal Enfield’s Build.Train.Race. Join The Lineup
Middleweight racing at Elkhart Lake turns into a high-stakes, 150-miles-per-hour chess match played out over the massive 4.038-mile Wisconsin road course. Without the raw power of a premier-class machine, Supersport success at “America’s National Park of Speed” requires razor-sharp precision in corners to maintain exit speed for the long run up the hill to the finish line. It is a class defined by bikes packed three-wide into turn five, with the riders’ elbows rubbing, and positions changing multiple times in a single lap.
Succeeding in this environment requires expertise in slipstreaming. Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse rider Darryn Binder and Rahal Ducati Moto with Desnuda Organic Tequila rider Josh Herrin will find both of their Ducati Panigale V2’s under intense pressure from the close championship pack.
Riders who can master the art of the draft and time their final slingshot perfectly will come out on top.
Expect Rahal Ducati Moto with Droplight’s Kayla Yaakov to continue to be in the mix as one of the established frontrunners. Yaakov’s undeniable one-lap speed has paid dividends with two pole positions in a row, and a recent lap record at Barber Motorsports Park. The 18-year-old continues to show maturity beyond her years, along with a burning desire to grab her first-ever Supersport win.
M4 Ecstar Suzuki’s Tyler Scott rounds out the lead pack coming into Wisconsin. At 20 years old, the Pennsylvanian has the experience in the Supersport class to challenge for wins, and his Suzuki GSX-R750 is well-suited to the high-speed Road America circuit. Look for Scott to use his drafting experience to challenge the leaders down the long Wisconsin straightaways.
Strack Racing Yamaha’s Blake Davis is the top-ranked Yamaha in the points in fifth and continues to gain ground towards the lead group, consistently running in the top five. Davis is hungry to get the Yamaha back on the podium and net some valuable points against the leaders.
Mission King Of The Baggers
The ground-shaking monsters of the paddock step onto sacred ground for a high-speed block party. Road America is the home track for Harley-Davidson, where the legendary brand was first forged in Milwaukee back in 1903. To conquer Elkhart Lake, the Harley riders must balance brute torque with stability down the endless straights.
The battle lines are drawn exceptionally sharp at the top of the standings, where J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian pilot Hayden Gillim holds a razor-thin, one-point lead over his teammate Troy Herfoss.
Chasing down the Indian duo is Bradley Smith, who leads the charge for the Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Race Team on his Screamin’ Eagle Road Glide. Sitting 27 points back, Smith aims to close the gap for H-D on native turf.
Lurking just behind the lead trio is Rocco Landers on the third J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian Challenger. Landers intends to use his late-braking agility to put pressure on the veterans ahead of him.
SDI Racing’s Tyler O’Hara has shown top-five speed at the first two rounds, along with Big Diehl x Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s James Rispoli. Both riders come into America’s Dairyland hoping to rise to the top of the standings.
Finally, Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman looks to rebound from a tough second round and get himself back in the championship hunt in Harley’s home state.
Twins Cup
In MotoAmerica’s highly competitive “two-banger” class, Elkhart Lake’s elevation changes present a unique challenge to the lightweight, twin-cylinder machines, and maintaining momentum is critical to success. All local eyes will be locked on 15-year-old phenom Hank Vossberg, a blisteringly fast rising talent hailing from nearby De Pere, Wisconsin. Racing on home soil adds an extra amount of pressure for the young Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660 rider, who must perfectly maximize his aerodynamic profile to stay out of reach of a ruthless chasing pack.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin hopes to hamper Hank’s Homecoming. Chapin has landed on the podium at least once each round, and is eager to turn in his first double podium, or double win of the season.
Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane has not hit the podium since the opening round, but he continues to put in top 10 finishes, keeping himself third in championship points. The young Aussie will be shooting to get back on the podium aboard his Yamaha YZF-R7 machine to keep himself in the championship chase.
Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race.
The inspiring and highly competitive Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. (BTR) program kicks off its highly anticipated action at Road America. The unique initiative highlights the mechanical and racing talents of women from all walks of life, who hand-built their own Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 motorcycles before lining up on the grid.
Heading into this round, the eyes of the paddock are firmly fixed on the frontline contenders as they prepare to battle for supremacy. Brianna Cutler arrives as the primary target for the field, carrying maximum momentum and leading the charge into the weekend. Close on her heels is Jasmine Noelle, who looks to deploy her sharp tactical racecraft, while the fierce Bryanna Everitt remains poised to disrupt the frontrunners and capture glory of her own.
Success in Elkhart Lake will require smooth, precise riding inputs to carry maximum speed through Road America’s sweeping corners and maximize momentum onto the long straightaways.
For information on how to watch the MotoAmerica series, visit www.motoamerica.com
