MotoAmerica Round 7 Sonoma California

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Misc Press Releases from Monster Energy / Yamaha Factory Race team and Monster Energy / Yamalube / Yamaha Extended Services / Graves / Yamaha at the MotoAmerica 2017 Round 7 Sonoma, California!

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Double-Double Was No Trouble For Beaubier & Gerloff Who Notch Two Race Wins Apiece At Sonoma Raceway

Sonoma, CA - August 13, 2017 – Yamaha’s bLU cRUSuperbike and Supersport teams dominated the MotoAmerica weekend at Sonoma Raceway with two-time and defending Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier winning both Superbike races and defending Supersport Champion Garrett Gerloff racing to victory in both Supersport races.

For Cameron and Garrett, it was a perfect weekend with neither rider putting a wheel wrong. Both of them led every practice and qualifying session in their respective classes--including both earning the pole--leading up to their double victories.

Cameron led Sunday’s Superbike race from flag to flag, and it was the fourth victory of the season for Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s #1 rider, which moved him up to second place in the Championship standings.

And, like Saturday’s Superbike Race 1 result, Cameron’s teammate Josh Hayes, who is a four-time Superbike Champion, finished third for the second day in a row, putting both factory Yamaha riders on the podium twice at Sonoma Raceway.

After his win, Cameron, who lives in nearby Roseville, commented, “I’m just really happy with how the whole weekend went. The bike has been great all weekend long, and we were able to make it even better after yesterday’s race by fine-tuning the electronics even more. Still, though, today was a difficult race for me than yesterday, and I had to keep up a good pace with Toni (Elias) in second (place). I’m really thankful that I could get this double-win for Yamaha, and I’m also glad that Josh and I were able to get two Yamaha’s up on the box today. Also, it was great to return to Sonoma Raceway again!”

“Today was a little cleaner for me,” Josh said. “It looked like Toni was able to squeak through (the field) fairly easily, and I had to pick and choose my spots. But, I thought, overall, I had better pace and a better motorcycle today. So, finishing third today felt better for me than the third-place finish I got yesterday. It was a good weekend.”

In Sunday’s MotoAmerica Supersport race, polesitter Garrett Gerloff completed his perfect weekend with another dominant performance, which added another five points to his Championship lead over his Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha teammate JD Beach. Like yesterday, the Yamaha YZF-R6 tandem went 1-2 on the day, and that has been a recurring theme as the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship has progressed this year.

“It feels good, after a month off, to come back and feel so comfortable on the bike and at this track,” said Garrett. “We made some changes to my R6 overnight, and I felt even better on the bike today than I did yesterday. Once I got out front, I was able to concentrate on running my race, and being smooth.”

JD commented, “We can’t win all the races, but we sure will try. I felt decent in the first few laps of today’s race, and I got a good start, but we just couldn’t match Garrett’s pace today. But, we’ve got a couple of weeks till our next race, so we’ll keep working, and come back strong in Pittsburgh.”

2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings 8/13/17

Pos.RiderPoints

1Toni Elias – Suzuki300

2Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha230

3Roger Hayden – Suzuki220

4Josh Hayes – Yamaha156

5Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha136

2017 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings 8/13/17

Pos.RiderPoints

1Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha246

2JD Beach – Yamaha232

3Valentin Debise – Suzuki156

Yamaha’s Factory Superbike and Factory-Supported Supersport Teams will be back in action on August 25-27 for the Championship of Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania.

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Winning Is Near And Dear To Beaubier’s Heart As He Notches MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 At Sonoma Raceway; Gerloff Wins Supersport Race 1

Sonoma, CA - August 12, 2017 – Sonoma Raceway was “Home, Sweet Home” for Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Cameron Beaubier, as the two-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion, who lives in nearby Roseville, CA, earned the pole position and then notched a dominant win in Saturday’s Superbike Race 1. It was Cameron’s third victory of the 2017 season. His teammate Josh Hayes also finished on the podium, in third place, for his fourth rostrum result this year.

Cameron said, “Overall, it’s been a good weekend so far. As soon as we rolled the bike off the truck, I’ve felt good on it at this track. I got a pretty good start in the race, and I was kind of relieved to be ahead of the fray. I was able to click off a bunch of consistent laps, and that helped me stretch out a comfortable gap. This one is definitely for my team. They like winning just as much as I do, and hopefully, we can keep this momentum going through the rest of the season.”

“My start was a little frantic, but OK,” Josh said. “As things kind of spread out, I was able to focus on moving forward. Some guys were making mistakes here and there, and that handed me a couple of positions. Toni (Elias) got by me, and I could see that he was running a really good pace, so I stayed with him, and that helped me quite a bit, too. With four laps to go, I focused on running four clean laps, and I got a good run towards the front and was able to make another pass, which put me on the podium. So, it was a pretty good day for me. We were able to string together a lot of really good laps. I’m feeling good for tomorrow’s race.”

Superbike Race 2 is on Sunday at 3:15 PM PST.

In Saturday’s MotoAmerica Supersport race, polesitter Garrett Gerloff continued the same dominance that he has displayed all weekend at Sonoma Raceway, as he won by more than six seconds over his Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha teammate JD Beach, who lined up second on the starting grid and also finished second in the race. Garrett’s win widened his lead in the Championship to nine points over JD in second.

“My team and I talk all the time about what we want to do, and we had a plan coming into this weekend to get our bike set up well for the race,” commented Garrett. “It’s been a great weekend so far, and I’m having a lot of fun. I’m happy to get up on the top of the podium in this race. We’ve got another race tomorrow, so we’ll work hard to keep things going and try to get another win.”

JD said, “Garrett’s been on it from the moment we got here this weekend, and we’ve had to play ‘catch-up’ a little bit. But we improved a lot today, and I was able to finish second, plus, we got a lot of good data for tomorrow’s race. I’m looking forward to racing again tomorrow, and my team and I will be ready.”

Supersport Race 2 from Sonoma Raceway will go green on Sunday at 2:25 PM PST.

2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings 8/12/17

Pos.RiderPoints

1Toni Elias – Suzuki280

2Roger Hayden – Suzuki220

3Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha205

4Josh Hayes – Yamaha140

5Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha123

2017 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings 8/12/17

Pos.RiderPoints

1Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha221

2JD Beach – Yamaha212

3Benny Solis – Honda140

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The bLU cRU Road Racers Are Looking To Uncork Their Yamahas In Wine Country This Weekend

Cypress, CA - August 9, 2017 – Round 7 of the 2017 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship is this weekend at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, CA, and the Yamaha bLU cRU road racers are looking forward to returning to a track that they haven’t had the pleasure of visiting in a few years.

Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing: Beaubier & Hayes

For two-time and defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier and his teammate Josh Hayes, who is a four-time AMA Superbike Champ, Sonoma Raceway is a track on which both riders have had a lot of success.

For Cameron, Sonoma is located close to his home in Roseville, CA, and it’s where, in 2010, he won the very first time he raced as an AMA Pro rider on the 2.52-mile, 12-turn road course (while aboard a Yamaha YZF-R6). The last time Cameron raced at Sonoma--in 2014--he was aboard the previous-generation Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike, and he earned the pole position and won that race too.

Cameron commented, “I love having two MotoAmerica rounds in California and close to my home. I’m excited to rip the new-generation R1 Superbike around Sonoma, and I’m looking forward to getting back on track after the summer break. The team and I are ready to go!”

Josh has also had a lot of success at Sonoma Raceway, having notched a total of five Superbike race victories aboard his R1 during what has been a phenomenal Yamaha road-racing career.

“Sonoma was the site of my very first Superbike win in 2009, and it was on this Yamaha team,” Josh said. “I’m happy to be returning to a great, spectator-friendly, California racetrack, and I hope to put on a great show for the fans. The team is looking to get back to our winning ways, and I definitely want to do my part. See you at the track!”

Superbike Superpole (Qualifying) is on Saturday at 11:30 AM PST, Superbike Race 1 will go green on Saturday at 3:30 PM PST, and Superbike Race 2 is on Sunday at 3:30 PM PST.

Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha: Gerloff & Beach

After six rounds and ten races so far in the 2017 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship, defending Champ Garrett Gerloff has a scant, four-point lead over his teammate and 2015 Supersport Champion JD Beach.

Both riders last competed at Sonoma Raceway in 2014. Garrett earned the pole position and then won the race aboard his Yamaha YZF-R6, so JD is looking for a little bit of redemption at Sonoma, as well as an opportunity to leapfrog Garrett in the points standings.

“Back to Sonoma, finally!” Garrett exclaimed. “I fell in love with Sonoma Raceway back in 2014 when I raced there for the very first time, and I’ve been looking forward to going back ever since. With the new R6 working better than ever, I’m ready to get out there on track Friday morning.”

JD commented. “Going into Sonoma, it’s going to be different. We’ve raced there in the past, but it’s been a few years, and it was a different series. I kind of feel like it’s a new racetrack, and I’m going to approach it like that. My results at Sonoma haven’t been all that great in the past, so I'm going into it with an open mind, and I’m looking forward to working with my awesome crew to put my 2017 Yamaha R6 at the front!”

Supersport Qualifying at Sonoma Raceway is Saturday at 9:20 AM PST, Supersport Race 1 is scheduled for Saturday at 2:25 PM PST, and Supersport Race 2 will go green on Sunday at 2:25 PM PST.

Meet The Yamaha bLU cRU Road Racers Twice This Weekend!

All your favorite Yamaha U.S. bLU cRU road racers will be available for autographs at their Team Transporters during the Dunlop Paddock Autograph Session on Saturday from 12:45 to 1:45 PM, and then, again on Sunday during the Dunlop Hot Pit Walk & Autograph Session on pit lane from 12:40 to 1:30 PM.

Cameron and Josh from Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing, Garrett and JD from Monster Energy/Yamalube/Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha, and the other bLU cRU riders will all be on hand, along with the Monster Energy and Y.E.S. Umbrella Girls.