MotoAmerica Round 8 - Pittsburgh

Misc Press from Round 8 Pittsburgh

Beaubier Claims Close Second-Place Finish in Superbike Race 2 at Pittsburgh International Race ComplexJD Beach Leads Yamaha bLU cRU Podium Sweep in the Supersport Class

Pittsburgh, Pa. – August 27, 2018 – Superbike points leader Cameron Beaubier continued his pursuit of a third career title at the MotoAmerica Championship of Pittsburgh, earning valuable points with a hard-fought second-place finish in Race 2 on Sunday. With two rounds remaining in the 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship, Beaubier holds a 56-point lead in the championship standings.

Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Superbike Team

As the green flag waved to start Superbike Race 2, Beaubier was ready to launch his R1 from the pole-position to the front of the pack when he accidentally missed a shift after leaving the starting line. The error resulted in Beaubier rolling back to fourth place, but he quickly went to work and caught up to his third-place teammate, Garrett Gerloff. After moving into the third-place position, Beaubier set his sights on Yamaha bLU cRU rider Josh Herrin, passing him for second place on lap four.

Beaubier charged away from the rest of the field, then closed the gap on race-leader Toni Elias and pressured him for the lead position throughout the second half of the race. With one lap to go, Beaubier completed a successful pass for the lead, but Elias managed to reclaim the position. Beaubier rode smart and kept charging all the way to the final straightaway, where he narrowly missed the race victory by 0.046 of a second.

Garrett Gerloff took advantage of the power of his R1 and a front row starting position to battle at the front of the pack during the first laps of the race. Gerloff swapped positions early on with Herrin and then Beaubier, but a race-ending high-side crash on lap six brought his weekend to an early end. Luckily, Gerloff escaped uninjured and will set his sights on a podium finish at the next round of racing in New Jersey.

Cameron Beaubier - #6 YZF-R1

“I missed a shift off the starting line that hurt my first lap, but the R1 and I were able to make our way back up to Toni [Elias] in the lead. I was trying to be patient and make my move at the end of the race. We diced back and forth and came up barely short of the win. I’m glad and proud to leave here smart and safe with a firm points lead going into the last two rounds.”

Garrett Gerloff - #31 YZF-R1

“After the crazy race yesterday, it was nice to know that we were going to have a dry race today. I felt like I had a good start and some good pace on my R1 in the race, but unfortunately on the sixth lap after passing Herrin for third place, I had an off-throttle deceleration high-side going into turn 12. I’m really, really disappointed with how everything ended today. I really had high hopes for the race today, but sometimes the unpredictable happens and all you can do is look forward. On to New Jersey!”

Tom Halverson - Team Manager

“Cameron gave it his best on his R1 with a very exciting last lap battle, missing the win by just 0.046 seconds. We are happy, though, to go into the last two rounds with a very solid points lead for the championship. Garrett was also feeling great on his R1 today, so it was very frustrating for him to go down. He made another step in the right direction and knows he is close to consistently running at the front.”

2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings – 16 of 20 Series Races Completed

Pos. Rider Points

1 Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha 3292Toni Elias – Suzuki 273
3 Josh Herrin – Yamaha 228
4 Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha 190
5 Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha 177
7 Kyle Wyman – Yamaha 130

Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha Supersport Team

JD Beach came into Sunday’s Supersport Race 2 looking to return to the top of the podium with his R6, but fellow Yamaha bLU cRU racers Hayden Gillim and Bryce Prince were up for the challenge. At the start of Race 2, Beach immediately went to work by launching his R6 to the front of the pack on the opening lap of the race, but a red flag incident sent all of the riders back to the grid for a restart. When the green flag waved to start the race again, Beach found himself engaged in a battle with Valentin Debise, who suffered an unfortunate crash, leaving Beach in third place. Beach set his sights on Prince for second place, made his move to claim the position, and then focused on race-leader Gillim. The duo swapped the lead several times before another red flag came out with two laps to go, ultimately ending the race with Beach in first place.

JD Beach - #95 YZF-R6

“Well today for Race 2 it was a crazy one. Lots of crashes and red flags, so I hope everyone is OK. But it was good to bounce back from our race yesterday. My R6 was working awesome and let me battle hard. The group of us were throwing passes left and right, and it was a ton of fun. Pittsburgh was a great track, but NJMP [New Jersey Motorsports Park] can’t come soon enough!”

Chuck Graves – Team Owner

“JD had an exciting race today, swapping the lead position many times during the shortened race. In the end, JD and the R6 scored another victory for the history books.”

2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings – 13 of 17 Series Races Completed

Pos. Rider Points

1 JD Beach – Yamaha 303
2 Hayden Gillim – Yamaha 2053 Valentin Debise – Suzuki 150
4 Bryce Prince – Yamaha 136

Additional Yamaha bLU cRU Rider Notes

Attack Performance/Herrin Compound/Yamaha’s Josh Herrin put his R1 back on the podium with a third-place finish in Sunday’s Superbike Race 2 after charging hard in the final laps of the race. Fresh from winning Race 1 in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Herrin got off to a good start in Race 2, but a mistake caused him to get shuffled into a top-five position early on. Herrin held on, though, and dug deep in the middle of the race to come back and claim the final podium position.

In Supersport action, Rickdiculous Racing’s Hayden Gillim put up a great fight against race-winner JD Beach, and led the most laps of Sunday’s shortened Race 2. Following the red flag restart after a crash on the opening lap, Gillim put his R6 out front from the beginning and fought hard to hold off Beach. Despite a hard charge by Gillim after Beach moved into the lead, the race was cut short on lap nine due to another red flag, and Gillim was scored with a second-place finish. Bryce Prince completed the Yamaha bLU cRU podium sweep, piloting his Riderzlaw Racing/KWR R6 to a solid third-place finish.

The Graves/Yamaha R3 Support Program riders made big strides on Sunday by capturing second through fifth-place finishes in Race 2 of the MotoAmerica Junior Cup. MP13 Racing’s Cory Ventura was once again at the helm of the Yamaha bLU cRU pack, making his second podium appearance of the weekend with second-place finish in Race 2. Ventura was joined on the podium by RiderzLaw Racing’s Jackson Blackmon in third., while MonkeyMoto/AGVSPORT’s Kevin Olmedo and Toby K Racing’s Toby Khamsouk finished just off the podium with fourth and fifth places, respectively.

“The Graves/Yamaha R3 riders fought hard today,” said Chuck Graves, “They managed to take four of the top-five positions, and narrowly missed the win at the finish line.”

The Yamaha bLU cRU riders will head to Millville, New Jersey Sept. 7-9 for Round 9 of the 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship series at New Jersey Motorsports Park. For complete schedule details, visit: http://motoamerica.com/

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Yamaha bLU cRU Riders Sweep Saturday’s Superbike Podium at Pittsburgh International Race Complex Riders Prevail Through Mixed Wet and Dry Conditions

Pittsburgh, Pa. – August 26, 2018 – Yamaha bLU cRU riders and their mighty YZF-R1’s swept the podium in Saturday’s Superbike Race 1, prevailing through a combination of wet and dry weather conditions during the first day of the MotoAmerica Championship of Pittsburgh. Leading from start to finish, Yamaha bLU cRU rider Josh Herrin rode masterfully to claim his first Superbike victory in five years. Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Garrett Gerloff confidently scored second place after crossing the finish line 2.363 seconds after Herrin, while Mathew Scholtz completed the Yamaha bLU cRU podium sweep with his third-place finish.

Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Superbike Team

Following a dominant string of races leading up to the eighth round in Pittsburgh, two-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion and current Superbike points leader, Cameron Beaubier, carried plenty of positive momentum into the weekend. Beaubier quickly demonstrated the skills of a champion, claiming the course lap record and becoming the only MotoAmerica rider to break into the 1:39 realm during Superpole. Rain fell just before the start of the Superbike race, though, and Beaubier made a mistake by entering pit lane after a wet sighting lap. As a result, he was forced to sacrifice his pole position and start from the back row of the grid for Race 1. When the green flag waived, Beaubier went to work with his R1 to fight his way through the pack and catch his teammate, Garrett Gerloff, who was holding down the fourth-place position.

Gerloff maintained a solid pace to hold off Beaubier as he navigated through the slick track conditions early in the race. Then, as he became increasingly comfortable with the drying track, Gerloff stepped up the pace with his R1 to charge through the field. After moving into third on lap seven, he diligently worked to close the gap to Yamaha bLU cRU rider Mathew Scholtz in second. Gerloff exercised patience and strategy for the next six laps before making a calculated move to confidently capture second-place on the final lap.

Beaubier, who made a valiant charge through the field early on, played it safe in the unpredictable conditions to ultimately ride his R1 to a fifth-place finish while maintaining a 61-point lead in the Superbike Championship.

Cameron Beaubier - #6 YZF-R1

“The weather threw us a curve ball right before the race and for some reason I thought I could still get two laps at the end of the ten-minute sighting period. My mistake, and it cost us by starting at the back of the grid. Honestly, I rode a pretty timid race with the championship in the back of my head, not wanting to do something stupid in the wet/dry conditions. I'm happy we got through it safe and we only lost a couple of points. I’m looking forward to tomorrow!

Garrett Gerloff - #31 YZF-R1

“The first section of the track was super wet in the beginning, but then slowly it just started to kinda create a little bit of a dry line, and I think it was just whoever wanted to test it out and see if it had grip or not was gonna get ahead. I just couldn’t follow [the race leaders] in the beginning, I had no real trust in anything and I was still getting used to the bike in the wet. But then by like half race, the grip came and I knew I had good pace in the dry and just tried to do my thing. I had a few mistakes and little things like that, but man I wish we had one more lap because I felt pretty confident that I could be close to Josh [Herrin] and fight for that win. It feels good to be back on the podium, and a big thanks to the Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Team. My R1 was awesome and had a lot of speed!”

Tom Halverson - Team Manager

“Congratulations to Josh Herrin for his win, and to Garrett Gerloff and Mathew Scholtz for making it a Yamaha sweep on their R1’s in the Superbike class. The conditions today were very tricky, with part of the track wet and part of it dry. Garrett had a fantastic ride to second, setting the fastest lap of the race on the way. Today’s result will boost his confidence going into Race 2 tomorrow. Cameron had to start from the back of the grid after getting caught in pit lane during wet lap practice and played it safe due to having the most to lose in the slick conditions. Hopefully we will get a dry race tomorrow.”

2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings – 15 of 20 Series Races Completed

Pos. Rider Points

1 Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha 3092Toni Elias – Suzuki 248
3 Josh Herrin – Yamaha 212
4 Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha 179
5 Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha 177
7 Kyle Wyman – Yamaha 122

Superbike Race 2 will go green on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. EDT.

Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha Supersport Team

JD Beach got off to a third-place start in Supersport Race 1, where he put his R6 to work early on. Beach diced back-and-forth inside the top-three for the first five laps until a rear tire issue forced him to ride cautiously for the remainder of the 16-lap race. Making smart decisions, Beach was able to salvage a fourth-place finish, and continues to hold a 93-point lead in the Supersport Championship.

JD Beach - #95 YZF-R6

“Today was a tough day. We had some struggles on Friday and we thought we had them sorted out, but we just had a couple issues sneak up on us during the race. It's all part of racing and I have full confidence in my team that we will be 100% for tomorrow. We showed at the start of the race that we have the pace to run at the front, so we'll take the good with the bad and give it our all tomorrow.”

Chuck Graves – Team Owner

“The team and JD Beach worked for a good race setup for the R6 on Friday, and in Saturday morning’s qualifying, the setup was good and JD had the pace to win. He paced with the leader until lap six when he experienced excessive tire wear, causing him to ride with caution until the finish. The issue with the tire was identified post-race. That's how racing goes sometimes. Tomorrow we will be ready to race for the win again."

2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings – 12 of 17 Series Races Completed

Pos. Rider Points

1 JD Beach – Yamaha 278
2 Hayden Gillim – Yamaha 1853 Valentin Debise – Suzuki 150
4 Bryce Prince – Yamaha 120

Supersport Race 2 will go green on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. EDT.

Additional Yamaha bLU cRU Rider Notes

It was an incredible start to the weekend for Attack Performance/Herrin Compound/Yamaha’s Josh Herrin, who earned his first Superbike victory in five years. Herrin shot off the line to put his R1 out front on the opening lap and he never looked back.

Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz returned to the Superbike podium for the first time since Round 3 as he piloted his R1 to a third-place finish in Race 1. Scholtz maintained the second-place position behind Herrin for all but the final lap when he was passed by Garrett Gerloff late in the race. Scholtz holds six podium finishes so far this season.

In Supersport action, Rickdiculous Racing’s Hayden Gillim rode his R6 to a second-place finish on Saturday in an action-packed Race 1. Gillim mixed it up with factory rider JD Beach early on before setting his sights on Valentin Debise out front. Gillim pushed hard, and ultimately finished second after missing the win by only 0.819 seconds.

The Graves/Yamaha R3 Support Program riders hit the ground running on Saturday for Race 1 of the MotoAmerica Junior Cup. With technical support from Graves Motorsports owner Chuck Graves and mentorship from Yamaha bLU cRU Rider Coach Josh Hayes, MP13 Racing’s Cory Ventura placed his R3 on the front row for Race 1. Ventura engaged in a six-rider battle at the front of the pack early on, and just as he overtook second-place, the red flag came out due to an incident that required the track to be cleared of debris. Riders were gridded for a race restart based off their previous lap position, leaving Ventura with a third-place start for the last five laps of racing. When the green flag waved again, Ventura quickly pushed hard to reclaim second position, but the race was red-flagged again due to an incident, leaving him with third place in Race 1.

“The Graves/Yamaha R3 Support Program riders continued to improve their race setup and qualifying pace on Saturday, and once again, Corey Ventura put the R3 on the front row for the start of Race 1,” noted Chuck Graves. “Unfortunately, after the restart, the race was red flagged again before Ventura was able to make his moves, and he was credited with third place. Tomorrow we fight again.”

The Yamaha bLU cRU riders will battle once again on Sunday, August 26, for Race 2 of the MotoAmerica Championship of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. For complete schedule details, visit: http://motoamerica.com/.

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Yamaha bLU cRU Road Racers Ready to Prevail in PittsburghMotoAmerica Championship Pursuits Continue to Build for Round 8

Cypress, CA – August 22, 2018 – The 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship advances to Round 8 this weekend, Aug. 24-26, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the Yamaha bLU cRU road racers are ready for action. In only its second year on the MotoAmerica schedule, Pittsburgh International Race Complex’s 2.238-mile 19-turn road course has already become a favorite stop among riders who are set to provide plenty of excitement for attending fans.

Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Superbike Team

After winning seven of the last eight Superbike races, Cameron Beaubier and the Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Team R1 have proven to be a powerful force this season. Only three rounds (six races) remain in the series as Beaubier vies to extend his 63-point lead in the championship with another flawless performance this weekend in Pittsburgh.

Garrett Gerloff heads into this weekend’s race with a positive outlook on the track and the experience he has gained during his inaugural year aboard a Superbike. With a 1-1 Supersport sweep at Pittsburgh International Race Complex in 2017, Gerloff favors the style of the circuit and looks to build upon his performance with the R1.

Cameron Beaubier - #6 YZF-R1

“Pittsburgh is a great track and I'm looking forward to getting back on it with my R1. We are in a good position and hope to keep it going. MotoAmerica’s first-ever event last season at this track was a success with a good turnout, so I'm guessing it will be even better this year.”

Garrett Gerloff - #31 YZF-R1

“I'm feeling confident for Pittsburgh. It's a track that I really got along with last year and that I feel really suits my style of riding. I love the elevation and smoothness of the track, along with the grip that it provides. We learned a lot from Sonoma and we will put all of it to work this weekend. I want to say a big thank you to my whole team for all of the hard work that they have been doing and that we aren't giving up easy! I’m ready for a great weekend on my R1!”

2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings – 14 of 20 Series Races Completed

Pos. Rider Points

1 Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha 298
2Tony Elias – Suzuki 235
3 Josh Herrin – Yamaha 187
4 Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha 163
5 Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha 157
7 Kyle Wyman – Yamaha 116

Superbike Superpole (Qualifying) is on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. EDT, Superbike Race 1 will go green on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and Superbike Race 2 is on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha Supersport Team

With three rounds remaining, Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha’s JD Beach holds a 100-point lead in the Supersport Championship. Although he has a comfortable points cushion, Beach continues to fine-tune his race craft and push himself to the limits with the goal of placing his R6 on the top of the podium in Pittsburgh.

JD Beach - #95 YZF-R6

“Man, it's crazy that we’re coming into the final stretch of the season. It should be a ton of fun and I'm looking forward to finishing it strong on my Yamaha R6. Pittsburgh is a fairly new track for us, with last year being our first time there. The track and I didn't really get along too well last year, but with the gains we’ve made with the R6 and with my riding, I can't wait for Friday practice. We are going to go into the weekend with an open mind and fight like we do every weekend. With the way the track layout is, I'm predicting some close, hard, fun racing. We had a great crowd last year and I look forward to seeing all the fans.”

2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings – 11 of 17 Series Races Completed

Pos. Rider Points

1 JD Beach – Yamaha 265
2 Hayden Gillim – Yamaha 1653 Valentin Debise – Suzuki 125

Supersport Qualifying at Pittsburgh International Race Complex is Saturday at 10:50 a.m. EDT, Supersport Race 1 is scheduled for Saturday at 2:30 p.m., and Supersport Race 2 will go green on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.