MotoAmerica 2018 Round 3 - VIR

Weekend Press Releases from MotoAmerica Round 3 - VIR

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Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Beaubier Claims Second Superbike Podium in VirginiaBeach Goes Two-For-Two in Supersport Action at VIR

Alton, Virginia – May 7, 2018 – Following a hard-fought second-place finish in Saturday’s Superbike Race 1 at VIRginia International Raceway, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Cameron Beaubier duplicated his efforts in Race 2 on Sunday, adding valuable points to his 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship chase.

Led by JD Beach, who swept the competition aboard his Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha R6 with dual Supersport victories, Yamaha bLU cRU riders topped off the Championship of Virginia weekend with a total of six podium finishes on Sunday.

Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Superbike Team

When the green flag waved for the start of Superbike Race 2, Beaubier found himself in second place and began applying early pressure on race leader Tony Elias. Beaubier had company, though, in the form of Yamaha bLU cRU riders Mathew Scholtz and Josh Herrin, who swapped positions with the two-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion several times throughout the middle of the race. Beaubier emerged from the battle with the second-place position, and began his quest to reel in race leader Elias. Riding with enough intensity to make the last lap of the race his fastest, Beaubier positioned himself within striking distance of the win. Charging hard and giving it his all in the final moments of the race, he crossed the finish line in second place, a scant 0.546 seconds from the top spot of the podium.

Unfortunately, Sunday’s racing action was devoid of Garrett Gerloff, who was involved in a crash on the opening lap of Saturday’s Superbike Race 1 that ultimately sidelined him for the entire weekend in Virginia. Gerloff made a trip to the hospital on Saturday for evaluation, and it was later determined that he would not be on the grid for Sunday’s Race 2.

Cameron Beaubier - #6 YZF-R1

“I’m happy that I at least stayed on the track there in the last few laps. Yesterday, I was struggling pretty bad with grip at the end of the race, I felt like I pretty much used up the tire on the right side as much as I could and I was spinning pretty bad, so we went into today with a little different tactic. We made a couple changes to the bike, mainly on the electronics side, and I just tried to ride a little more patient race at the beginning. I felt pretty good with ten laps to go and I started trying to make my way forward. I did everything I could on the last lap to make a charge and win the race but I was struggling really hard getting by Tony. I’m happy to come away with two second-place finishes this weekend and we’re going to some tracks that are good for our bike and tracks that I love, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Garrett Gerloff - #31 YZF-R1

“It was definitely not the way that I wanted to end my weekend, and I’m really sorry to the team and everyone supporting me. I felt great all weekend and really felt connected to my R1. But unfortunately, I didn’t have the rear end grip on lap 1 and ended upon my head. When I first hit the gorund, I was hurting pretty bad but no more than any other high side I’ve ever had. Luckily, nothing felt broken and my head felt fine thanks to the top of the line gear I wear. I was coughing up blood and couldn’t breathe well on the side of the track, so I had a CT scan at the hospital that showed that I had some blood building up around my lungs, and that I had a pulmonary contusion.

I feel really good today, I’m breathing really well, and honestly feel like I could have been on the bike for Race 2 if I didn’t have the lung stuff going on. The good news is I will be 100 percent and ready to go for Road America in a few weeks’ time!”

Tom Halverson - Team Manager

“We missed Garrett today, but we are glad he is OK and looking forward to the next round at Road America. Cameron rode a great race with a strategy that was a bit different from yesterday, but he came up short after running wide in a turn late in the race and took another close second-place finish. It’s frustrating because we know Cameron has what it takes to win, but we’ll have to wait until Road America to prove it.”

2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings – Race 6 of 20 Completed

Pos. Rider Points

1. Tony Elias – Suzuki 113
2. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha 103
3. Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha 103
4. Josh Herrin – Yamaha 755 Jake Lewis – Suzuki 55
5. Kyle Wyman – Yamaha 52
6. Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha 48

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

JD Beach went two-for-two in the Supersport class, riding his Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha R6 to back-to-back victories in Virginia. Beach got off to a great start in Race 2 on Sunday, and immediately put a gap between himself and the rest of the field. The two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion rode impeccably to finish 28 seconds ahead of Tuned Racing’s Braeden Ortt, who also placed his Yamaha R6 on the podium with a second-place finish.

JD Beach - #95 YZF-R6

“My Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha Team gave me a great bike today. I think, for me, the race was won in the first five laps or so because I was able to get a little bit of a gap on Hayden. Once I got that gap, he was doing the same so I was really having to push and then he went down on lap 12 or so. It sucks to see that because he’s riding so well and for sure it’s made me a better rider because of it. My mission this year is to win as much as I can and I want to go faster than we did last year at all the tracks. I want a Superbike ride bad and I’m just working toward the future to make that happen.”

Chuck Graves - Team Owner

“In Race 2 on Sunday, JD continued right where he left off on Saturday, getting the hole shot and laying down a string of laps to gap the competition for another convincing win and increasing his point gap in the championship. I’m very proud of him and the team for their performance this weekend.”

2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings - Race 4 of 18 Completed

Pos. Rider Points

1. JD Beach – Yamaha 95
2. Hayden Gillim – Yamaha 653 Cory West – Suzuki 37
3. Braeden Ortt – Yamaha 42

Additional Yamaha bLU cRU Rider Notes

Mathew Scholtz once again placed his Yamalube/Westby Racing R1 on the Superbike podium in Race 2 with perhaps his best performance yet in the series. Scholtz grabbed a top-five start and worked his way into the battle for second, where he settled in behind Beaubier on the way to claiming his fifth podium finish of the season.

Josh Herrin was the first rider to challenge Beaubier early in the second race as he vaulted his Attack Performance/Herrin Compound/Yamaha R1 into second-place by lap three. Herrin held off the hard-charging duo of Beaubier and Scholtz for eight laps before ultimately finding himself in the fourth-place position at the end of Superbike Race 2.

With Rickdiculous Racing’s Hayden Gillim crashing out of second-place on lap 12, it was Yamaha bLU cRU rider Braden Ortt who stepped up to battle for the runner-up position in Supersport Race 2. After swapping the second-place position several times throughout the race, Ortt finally made it stick and put his Tuned Racing R6 on the Supersport podium for the first time in his career.

Although MotoAmerica provided new technical guidelines for the Junior Cup class only seven days prior to the race weekend, the Graves Motorsports crew developed and delivered a new spec package for the Graves/Yamaha R3 Support Program riders and teams. Chuck Graves and bLU cRU Rider Coach Josh Hayes were also on site to provide assistance and guidance to the riders and their teams, and the results proved to be impressive.

Attack Performance/Herrin Compound’s Gavin Anthony had a consistent weekend as he rode his R3 to a second-straight podium appearance in the Junior Cup class with a second-place finish in Race 2. AGVSPORT America/MonkeyMoto R3-mounted Kevin Olmedo earned his first podium of the season with third, while his teammate, Jay Newton, finished fourth on his R3.

When asked about his thoughts regarding the action in the Junior Cup, Chuck Graves commented, “The Graves/Yamaha Supported R3 riders rode hard-fought races all weekend, and I’m really proud of how this program is progressing.”

The Yamaha bLU cRU riders will return to action June 1-3 for Round 4 of the 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship series at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. For complete schedule details, visit: http://motoamerica.com/.

For more Yamaha racing news, results, photos, and videos, visit http://www.YamahaMotorsports.com/Racing

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Beaubier Takes Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing to the Podium in Superbike Race 1 BattleBeach Leads Yamaha bLU cRU Podium Sweep in Supersport Action

Alton, Virginia – May 5, 2018 – The 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship made its way to VIRginia International Raceway for the third stop of the series in Alton, Virginia, this weekend. Yamaha bLU cRU riders got off to a great start with seven podium finishes for the first day of racing in the Championship of Virginia.

Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Superbike Team

When the green flag waved to start Superbike Race 1, pole-sitter Cameron Beaubier rocketed his R1 from the starting grid to engage in a battle for the lead early on. He stalked race leader Tony Elias for the first few laps before making his move on lap four, and kept the lead for the next 15 laps while Elias was hot on his heels. With two laps to go, Beaubier was passed by Elias, but he kept his head down and made another attempt at reclaiming the lead. At the finish line, Beaubier claimed second place with only a 0.114 second gap between him and Elias.

Beaubier’s teammate, Garrett Gerloff, was involved in a crash on the opening lap that ended his day before the completion of lap one. After a trip to the hospital for evaluation, the Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Superbike Team is standing by to support Gerloff if he is cleared by his doctors to line up for Sunday’s Superbike Race 2.

Cameron Beaubier - #6 YZF-R1

“It’s always frustrating to come up short when you lead most of the race. I have to hand it to him [Tony], he rode really good the last couple of laps. We were going back-and-forth and he was protecting the insides really good on the last lap and it forced me to try and go around him, which didn’t work. I was a little frustrated there in the middle of the race just because I felt like I didn’t have the grip I did in practice, but we’re going to go back and maybe make some changes and hope for a good race tomorrow.”

Tom Halverson - Team Manager

“First we are very thankful that Garrett is ok after a very hard crash. We are waiting to see if he will be able to race tomorrow or not.

Cameron was dominant in practice and qualifying so we were confident he could win, but after leading Race 1 for 15 laps, he lost the lead with two laps to go and finished just 0.114 seconds behind Elias. Tonight we are going to study what we need to do for tomorrow and go for the win in Race 2.”

2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings – Race 5 of 20 Completed

1. Tony Elias – Suzuki 113
2. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha 87
3. Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha 83
4. Josh Herrin – Yamaha 62
5. Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha 48

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

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

JD Beach notched his second win of the season on Saturday after racing his Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R6 to a commanding win in Supersport race one. Beach had a rough start to the day with a crash in the morning’s qualifying session, but his Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha Team immediately went to work in rebuilding his R6 to put the team on the top of the podium for race one.

JD Beach - #95 YZF-R6

“The weekend started out a little rough. We had a few issues yesterday and then this morning I destroyed a bike, but I think the race day was great. It was good to get a win. It’s hot and Hayden [Gillim] was pushing really hard. We definitely have some work to do. We’ll go back to the drawing board and see if we can get a bit more speed for tomorrow.”

Chuck Graves - Team Owner

“After a close qualifier and a morning warmup tip over, JD and the team pulled everything together and made us proud with a victory in today’s race. We’ve opened up a 5-point lead in the championship standings, but we’ll be working hard to make sure we have everything we need to repeat our performance again tomorrow.”

2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings - Race 3 of 18 Completed

Pos. Rider Points

1. JD Beach – Yamaha 70
2. Hayden Gillim – Yamaha 65
3. Cory West – Suzuki 37

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

Additional Yamaha bLU cRU Rider Notes

Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz made his fourth podium appearance of the series on Saturday with a third-place finish in Superbike Race 1. Scholtz got off to a great start aboard his R1 and pushed himself to stay with the lead duo of Cameron Beaubier and Tony Elias. After swapping positions with Josh Herrin through the middle of the race, Scholtz pulled away to solidify his third-place position on the podium.

Josh Herrin did not have a great position in the field of riders after the start of the race, but he quickly put his Attack Performance/Herrin Compound/Yamaha R1 into podium contention by the end of lap one. Herrin put up a good battle with Scholtz, but he ultimately finished fourth in Superbike Race 1.

With the Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha R6 of JD Beach at the top of the podium, and the Rickdiculous Racing R6 of Hayden Gillim in second, Richie Escalante made it a podium sweep for the Yamaha bLU cRU when he clinched third in his second MotoAmerica appearance of the season on his Quicksilver/LEXIN/Hudson Motorcycles R6.

Seven days prior to this weekend’s race, MotoAmerica provided new technical guidelines designed to create parity among the different motorcycles that are eligible for the Junior Cup class. The Graves Motorsports crew immediately went to work on developing and delivering a new spec package for the Graves/Yamaha R3 Support Program riders and teams, who wasted no time getting up to speed.

Attack Performance/Herrin Compound’s Gavin Anthony rode his R3 to a second-place finish in Race 1, followed by AGVSPORT America/MonkeyMoto’s Jay Newton in third place. Chuck Graves and bLU cRU Rider Coach Josh Hayes were on hand to provide guidance to the young riders as they continue to work towards honing their bike set-up and riding skills in the new class.

The Yamaha bLU cRU riders will return to action tomorrow for day two of racing from Round 3 of the 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship series at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. For complete schedule details, visit: http://motoamerica.com/.

For more Yamaha racing news, results, photos, and videos, visit http://www.YamahaMotorsports.com/Racing

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The Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Superbike Team Aims for Victory in Virginia

Yamaha bLU cRU Riders Return to Action at VIRginia International Raceway this Weekend for Round 3 of the 2018 MotoAmerica Series

Cypress, CA – May 2, 2018 – The 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship continues this weekend with Round 3 of the series taking place at the always-exciting VIRginia International Raceway (VIR). Although Superbike was the only class featured in conjunction with the world stage of the U.S. MotoGP in Texas two weeks ago, Yamaha bLU cRU riders in all classes will return to racing action beginning this Friday, May 4, in Alton, Virginia.

Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Superbike Team

A variety of track and weather conditions during the first two rounds of the series made for an interesting start to the season for theMonster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing Superbike Team. Cameron Beaubier heads into the weekend with three consecutive podium finishes, and the two-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion looks to extend that streak with top finishes at VIR on his YZF-R1.

For Superbike-rookie Garret Gerloff, the season has gotten off to a positive start with two podium finishes thus far. Gerloff is soaking up knowledge and gaining experience on his YZF-R1, and the two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion is focusing on the challenge of a pair of podium finishes in Virginia.

Cameron Beaubier - #6 YZF-R1

“I am really looking forward to getting back on the bike at VIR. I really enjoy the track, and my R1 likes it, too. I was happy to get out of Texas with two podiums, and we are planning to build from there!”

Garrett Gerloff - #31 YZF-R1

“I'm excited to head back to Virginia. It's a track that I really enjoy and that I've done well at in the past. It's probably going to feel like a whole different beast on the R1, but I'm ready for the challenge and the crazy fast front straight, and I’m looking forward to getting things started!”

2018 MotoAmerica Superbike Standings – Race 4 of 20 Completed

Pos. Rider Points

1. Tony Elias – Suzuki 88
2. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha 71
3. Cameron Beaubier – Yamaha 63
4. Josh Herrin – Yamaha 49
5. Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha 48
6. Kyle Wyman – Yamaha 33

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

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

The highly-anticipated Supersport Championship battle returns this weekend at VIR, as Monster Energy/Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha’s JD Beach and fellow Yamaha bLU cRU rider Hayden Gillim head into the weekend with a shared points-lead after splitting race-wins at the season opener in Atlanta. After some time between rounds, Beach is motivated to emerge from VIR as the sole points leader in the class.

JD Beach - #95 YZF-R6

“After having a great opening round at Road Atlanta, I can't wait to get back on my Graves R6 at VIR. It's a track I enjoy and I’ve had great battles there in years past. I'm feeling awesome and have been jonesin’ to get back on my road racer!”

2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings – After Race 2

Pos. Rider Points

1. Hayden Gillim – Yamaha 45
2. JD Beach – Yamaha 45
3. Cory West – Suzuki 24

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

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 Noon to 12:45 p.m., and again on Sunday during the Dunlop Hot Pit Walk & Autograph Session on pit lane from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

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

Additional Yamaha bLU cRU Notes

With a wide variety of motorcycles eligible for participation in the entry-level MotoAmerica Junior Cup, finding parity through the technical rules for the class proved to be a challenge at the first round of the series in Atlanta. Nonetheless, MotoAmerica claims to have taken steps to create more balance between models through the electronically-governed quick shifter programming that is mandatory for each motorcycle. These technical changes should allow for even more exciting racing as the Yamaha bLU cRU and Graves/Yamaha Supported YZF-R3 riders take to the track this weekend.