Pitt Race: What The Teams Said
Corey Alexander and Travis Wyman gave the Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC BMW team another one-two in Yuasa Stock 1000 at Pitt Race.
The following is from Tytlers Cycle…
Corey Alexander and Travis Wyman secured another 1-2 finish for the Tytlers Cycle powered by #RideHVMC BMW squad at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex yesterday in the latest round of the 2022 Stock 1000 championship.
The pair, who finished tenth and fourth respectively in Saturday’s opening race were at the sharp end of an electrifying three way fight for top honours a day later, Alexander seizing his moment to hit the front in the closing stages with a perfectly timed overtake on title rival Hayden Gillim to take his seventh win of the year, extending his lead in the overall standings to thirty nine points with only races at New Jersey and Barber Motorsports Park remaining. Wyman shadowed his team mate across the line.
Sunday’s double podium came after a hard-fought race twenty-four hours earlier – Corey Alexander encountering an intermittent electrical issue that saw him drop from the podium fight into the lower points scoring positions. He recovered to P10. Travis Wyman, who wasn’t feeling 100% faded in Race 1. He dug deep to secure a solid fourth at the flag.
Zac Schumacher just missed points on Saturday and Sunday. He finished eighteenth and seventeenth in the two races.
Corey Alexander: “I am happy with how the weekend ended after what happened on Saturday in Race 1. We were able to come away with another win and have extended the points lead. We suffered a technical issue on Saturday, but I could only manage tenth. I made a good start on Sunday and after leading was happy to run second. I set up my move for the lead and unfortunately Hayden (Gillim) went down which is never nice to see but we move on to New Jersey in a good position overall.”
Travis Wyman: “I woke up on Saturday and honestly felt terrible. I sat out second qualifying but was able to hold third on the grid. I made a good start and was able to run in the top three, but I dropped to fourth as my energy levels dropped. I wanted a podium but must be content under the circumstances, Sunday was a little better. I felt better in myself and was able to run with the lead group and was able to salvage a podium just behind Corey which keeps me in the hunt for the title.”
Zac Schumacher: “I made a good start in Race 2. The track was still a little damp which made it a bit more challenging to overtake but I put up a good fight and was able to finish seventeenth. I want to thank the team for all their work.”
The following is from Westby Racing…
After finishing on the podium with a third-place finish in Saturday’s Superbike race at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, Mathew Scholtz, rider of the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, shrugged off the pain in his triple-fractured left wrist and put in another heroic effort on Sunday. In his encore performance, The Scholtz Kid outdid himself and finished second in Superbike race two.
Starting from the outside of row two on the grid, Mathew started moving towards the front on lap two. He went from sixth, to fifth, to fourth where he stabilized his position until lap 10 of the 17-lap race. He then made a brilliant pass on Cam Petersen with seven laps to go, which put him into third. Then, on lap 12, he overtook Danilo Petrucci for second and began pulling a gap on the former MotoGP race winner. Mathew ultimately crossed the finish line less than five seconds behind race winner Jake Gagne.
What a Sunday it was for Mathew Scholtz and his hard-working Westby Racing team. After the well-earned podium celebration, he reflected on the accomplishment:
“When I was out there racing, I didn’t really notice the wrist too much,” Mathew said. “The only problem for me today was, on the last four or five laps, my fingers began going numb. That was the worst part of it, really. After the race finish, I could feel the wrist throbbing a lot, but when I was out there riding, I didn’t notice it. So, I can’t blame it on that. Jake (Gagne) was definitely the quickest guy today. I reeled him in a couple laps towards the end there. I think he knew he had a couple seconds’ gap, so he was just chilling, really. I know that I definitely have to sort the first couple of laps out. That always hurts me bad. That’s something that we’re going to have to look at.”
After a well-deserved rest, Mathew and the Westby Racing team will be back in action for round nine of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which takes place at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey, on September 9 through 11.
The following is from Ducati…
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) claimed a second and third place finishes behind double winner, Jake Gagne (Yamaha), at the eighth round of the 2022 Medallia MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Pittsburgh International Race Complex this weekend.
The double podium has made the championship effectively a two-round battle between Petrucci and Gagne, with just one point separating the due heading into the penultimate round at New Jersey Motorsports Park on September 9-11.
Petrucci leaves Pittsburgh full of confidence heading to New Jersey, another track that he has previously ridden.
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9): “It was a tough weekend, more than I expected,” Petrucci said. “Regardless, we are still in the fight for the championship and we need to step up our performance. I have ridden at New Jersey before, so it’s not entirely new, and we will try our absolute maximum to get back into the championship lead.”
Petrucci and the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati will rejoin for the last two rounds of the 2022 Medallia MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at New Jersey Motorsports Park on September 9-11.
The following is from Ducati…
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) put one hand firmly on the 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship with a measured performance at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex, taking second place behind Yamaha’s Rocco Landers on Saturday before romping home to the race two victory Sunday.
The Californian’s title advantage stays at 76 points coming into the penultimate round at New Jersey Motorsports Park on September 9-11, meaning he only needs to finish race one with 75 points or more in hand over the second place rider to claim the title.
Herrin, however, isn’t getting carried away with the possibility of another championship, noting he perhaps took it too cautiously over the last two rounds to protect his points lead. The former MotoAmerica Superbike and Stock 1000 Champion will thus ride to win in New Jersey, and let the points take care of themselves.
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Ducati – #2): “It was a good weekend for us,” Herrin said. “I’m happy we could win today with some dominance and I’m happy about the weekend. The Ducati V2 is running great, we chose the right tire, and I’m so excited to go to New Jersey and try to clinch the championship.”
Herrin and the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team will rejoin for the last two rounds of the 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship at New Jersey Motorsports Park on September 9-11
The following is from Tytlers Cycle…
Tytlers Cycle Racing took their first Superbike front row grid spot of the season at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex thanks to PJ Jacobsen’s efforts in qualifying at round eight of the 2022 MotoAmerica championship.
Jacobsen, who like his team mate Hector Barbera has been on the podium this season, shone on Saturday morning, ensuring the BMW M1000 RR was in a prominent position for both races. Barbera would line up on row two after an equally impressive session saw him fourth on the time sheet.
The first race of the weekend was a shortened five lap affair following an initial red flag. After running in the leading pack PJ unfortunately crashed out on lap two whilst Hector just missed the top six – he finished seventh.
A wet start to Sunday left the team looking to the skies as the day progressed following a damp morning warm up session. Thankfully by race time the track was dry, and the race ran to its full duration of seventeen laps. Hard fought performances from both riders throughout resulted in fifth and eighth respectively for PJ and Hector who both consolidated their top six positions in the overall standings with just four races remaining.
Stock 1000 regulars Corey Alexander and Travis Wyman both secured top ten finishes across the two Superbike races.
PJ Jacobsen: “It was an interesting Saturday. It started well in qualifying and then in the red flag we made some changes, and I was running close to the top three, but I made a mistake and went down. Race 2 was pretty good. I felt quite good on the bike but was still struggling over race distance for grip which is stopping us from being closer to the podium. It was a solid top five, and we move onto my home race at New Jersey where I will be pushing hard to get a better result. We got our first front row, and the team as always did a great job.”
Hector Barbera: “Saturday was so difficult, with the red flags. I made a good start initially, but I made some mistakes in the restart. I lost concentration and I must be honest about it. The team did a fantastic job but when the tyre has five laps on it, we lose group, but the poor result was on me today and I am sorry to the team for this. It was a tough race on Sunday with two penalties for cutting the chicane and moving at the start. We worked a lot on electronics and tried a lot of new things, but my race was ruined from the beginning. The main thing is we learned some positive things and understood some things that don’t work. Frustrating but we keep pushing and I remain optimistic.”
The following is from Robem Engineering…
It’d been six weeks since Robem Engineering Aprilia riders Ben Gloddy and Teagg Hobbs last raced in MotoAmerica, but the pair of New Hampshirites posted positive results on Saturday and Sunday in the Twins Cup races at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
Gloddy narrowly missed out on his second podium of the 2022 season on Saturday, and Hobbs showed improved pace in the cooler conditions Sunday in an unusual Twins Cup contest.
Despite missing out on a bunch of championship points at the previous MotoAmerica round at Brainerd International Raceway due to technical problems with the team transporter, Hobbs’ and Gloddy’s performances at Pitt Race helped them hold onto seventh and ninth place, respectively, in the Twins Cup points standings.
Both riders had slower-than-usual starts to the Pitt Race round. Gloddy and Hobbs finished Friday practice seventh-fastest and eighth-fastest, respectively. Later Friday, Gloddy shot up the time sheets to provisionally qualify third – while shaving more than a second off his best lap time from practice. Hobbs finished the session in ninth place.
The final Twins Cup qualifying session of the weekend took place late Saturday morning, which saw Gloddy slip a couple positions to secure fifth on the starting grid. Hobbs ended up qualifying seventh.
The Saturday Twins Cup race was a tough pill to swallow for Gloddy. He got a good start and was running in fourth place at the end of Lap 1. Gloddy moved up to third place on Lap 9 of the 11-lap race but missed out on claiming his second podium finish of the 2022 season by 0.009 seconds. Hobbs ran as high as sixth in Race 1 but had to settle for a ninth-place result.
Sunday’s Twins Cup race didn’t give either rider a realistic opportunity to get to the front of the field, but the pair salvaged as many points as they could in an unusual race. Gloddy got off the line well on the initial start, but racing was paused on Lap 2 due to a rider having crashed near the exit of the chicane between Turns 15 and 16. When racing got back underway, Gloddy got shuffled back a couple positions in the first two laps while Hobbs made up two positions in that same timeframe. The race was stopped again due to another crash near Turn 16 after five laps, and MotoAmerica called the race complete a short time later. Gloddy was classified in sixth place and Hobbs in seventh.
The next MotoAmerica round is slated for Sept. 9-11 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J.
Teagg Hobbs / No. 79
“The weekend started off OK. From the past rounds, we’ve known where we’ve been struggling, and the team and I are working to shore up those weak points while keeping our strong points going. It’s been a year of struggles, but the team is dealing with everything we’ve had thrown at us. All we can do is move on and continue trying to progress at New Jersey.”
Ben Gloddy / No. 72
“We had a good start to the weekend. We struggled with setup a little bit early but figured it out and got a decent starting spot – fifth – for both races. I had a decent start in Race 1 and ended up just off the podium. I was battling for it the whole time though and got a good start today in Race 2. Three of us broke away out front before the red flag came out. For the restart, I didn’t get off the line well and was trying to save some tire for the end of the race. Then the race got cut short, but we’ll be back swinging at New Jersey.”
The following is from Suzuki…
Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer added to their trophy collection in a strong conclusion to the MotoAmerica weekend at Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Wampum, Pennsylvania.
The podium once again came courtesy of the prodigious Tyler Scott, who registered the eighth podium of his rookie campaign aboard the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750. Suzuki GSX-R race bikes accounted for half of the top ten finishing positions in Supersport on Sunday.
It didn’t come easily, however, as the 16-year-old was shuffled back to seventh early and was forced to systematically work his way back into podium contention. While it took over half the race to arrive at the fight for third, Scott made quick work of two rivals to secure the position once there.
He pulled off a pair of timely passes on lap 10 of 16 to move from fifth to third in a matter of corners and then held strong to the checkered flag.
“I had a bad start. I was down in seventh or so I think,” Scott said. “But my Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki crew gave me a fantastic bike today, and that provided me with the confidence I needed to fight back. I am happy with the pace we showed, and we’ll take what we learned today and move on to the next one.”
One of the riders Scott worked past during his charge was teammate Cory Ventura. The Californian, who has continued to impress while substituting for the injured Sam Lochoff, made his way up to fifth after starting ninth on the grid. Ventura would fade late and ultimately finished one position better than his qualifying position in eighth.
Third Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Supersport pilot Liam Grant finished 13th as he, once again, showed consistency in his first year with the team.
Meanwhile, in premier-class action, Superbike rookie Richie Escalante rebounded from a costly Saturday mistake to register a strong result on Sunday. Like Ventura, the former Supersport champion Escalante started in ninth position, but hustled the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R Superbike forward throughout the 17-lap race.
Escalante made a concerted push for a top-five finish late, falling just 0.166 seconds short at the flag in sixth position.
He said, “It was a difficult weekend, but we had a good race today. Friday, I was a little less confident after crashing at Brainerd, but my confidence grew. On Saturday, I made a rookie mistake on the first lap. It was much better today. We battled for the top five and the gap to the winner was the same.
“I’m happy to have another few weeks to recover. The injury wasn’t affecting me much on the track, but I wasn’t able to train, and I didn’t have the energy I usually have in the last five or six laps. Now I can start my training on Tuesday and be ready for the next round.”
He was joined in the top ten by teammate Jake Lewis, who came home in ninth position despite a periodical bike issue.
Team Hammer will be back in action on September 9-11 for the penultimate round of the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey.
The following is from Royal Enfield…
Extreme heat, torrential downpours, tricky track conditions, through it all at Pittsburgh International Race Complex shined the heart and dedication of the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) road racers. It wasn’t an easy weekend at Pitt Race, especially not with the much-anticipated Sunday main event ending in a red flag. Though it wasn’t the finish anyone was looking for, including winner Kayleigh Buyck, there were some memorable and redeeming moments from the MotoAmerica weekend.
There’s no doubt Kayleigh Buyck has the bullseye on her back in the Build. Train. Race. MotoAmerica paddock. Coming off a three-race win-streak, Buyck was looking to add another BTR race win to her collection, and the rest of the women on the grid were just as determined to stop her. None more so than Jenny Chancellor, who came into Pittsburgh fired up for a win.
Throughout the changing conditions at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, the BTR women were advised to keep their rain tires on, which saw them run the main race on wets in the drying conditions. After getting out to a poor start, Chancellor quickly made her way to the front and led every lap of the race aboard her Continental GT 650, right up until the moment it mattered. On the final lap, she lost control and went down, prompting the red flag to come out. Had she gotten back on her bike and back on the track, she would have been awarded the win, but sadly she ended the day with a DNF. The win went to Buyck, followed by Crystal Martinez in second and Chloe Peterson in third.
“What a crazy, amazing weekend at Pitt Race!” exclaimed Chancellor. “I feel like I finally found my comfort zone on my Royal Enfield and rode great all weekend long. I was definitely disappointed to not finish the race, but I have already put this behind me and am looking forward to our next round in New Jersey.”
“Not the way I wanted to take a victory, ever, but racing is racing,” said Kayleigh Buyck. It was an otherwise stellar weekend for the championship leader. Buyck led the way in qualifying, and was awarded a Wilber Watch for taking pole position.
Podium finisher Chloe Peterson agreed with the sentiment, calling the weekend overall “a bit conflicted. Happy I made it on the podium again in third but not happy that it happened because of the race ending with a red flag. I wanted to see how my battle with Crystal played out. It was a tough race going out with full rain setup on the GT650 with a basically dry track. My strategy was to ride smart and not crash. I didn’t want a repeat of going down at Road America. I redeemed myself, made it on the podium and consider it a success.”
“Racing is not easy; there will always be challenges to overcome and variables beyond your control,” said Breeann Poland, Marketing and Communications Lead – Royal Enfield Americas. “These women dealt with all the challenges, kept putting in the work, supported each other and encouraged each other all weekend. Seeing the improvement every time we go out, the great racing and the smiles afterward are what make it all worth it. That’s what Build. Train. Race. is about.”
The following is from Luke Power…
Luke Power consolidated his top six position in the overall standings of the 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship after two hard fought races at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex this past weekend.
Despite having never ridden the 2.78 mile before, Power once again learned quickly and despite chasing set up on the opening day, he was able to secure a third row of the grid start in qualifying.
Saturday’s opening race saw the Australian youngster locked in a race long battle for eighth. He was classified tenth after incurring a time penalty for short cutting the chicane in the early stages.
Sunday brought a wet start with Luke looking comfortable in the morning warm up, confident of a better result, rain, or shine. From lights out the #68 gave it everything. Moving into the top six, he spent most of the race duelling with multiple champion Josh Hayes, the former Superbike ace narrowly getting the better of him at the flag.
The solid points haul means that with just two rounds and four races remaining Luke sits P6 overall in his debut MotoAmerica season, only ten behind P4 – an incredible achievement.
Luke Power: “It wasn’t the race we wanted on Saturday. We struggled from the get-go with the grip and again at the start of the race it was the same. Our mid race pace was good, but lack of grip has been something we’ve struggled with all year and to add insult to injury on Saturday I got a five second penalty when I cut the chicane after being pushed wide. I was a little disappointed, but I have to remind myself of the bigger picture that every track is new to me. Race 2 was much more positive. The position we finished doesn’t reflect the step we made and the consistency we showed in terms of overall pace. It was one of my best races of the season, and I am happy with how I rode. The team worked hard so a big thanks to 3D Motorsports for all their efforts. I am leaving Pittsburgh happy, and I am looking forward to New Jersey and the two races there.”
The following is from Pure Attitude…
Pure Attitude Racing arrived at Pittsburgh International Race Complex looking to build on their recent successes in both the MotoAmerica Junior Cup and Twins Cup series.
The team’s Junior Cup rider Chase Black had an impressive weekend, qualifying strongly on Saturday morning before narrowly missing a maiden podium later in the day. He crossed the line sixth after a string of days laps ensured he ran at the front in the closing stages. He finished a solid seventh on Sunday.
Liam MacDonald was able to salvage points finishes – P15 and P14 in the Twins Cup double header. A spill on Friday morning limited track time and resulted in a trip to the local hospital before the #37 returned to the track for the two eleven lap races.
Passed fit after his Brainerd crash, the weekend was over before it began for Trevor Standish who was unable to compete due to ongoing technical issues that couldn’t be fixed trackside.
Brycen Stein, the team’s Academy rider made a welcome return to the paddock. He too suffered a technical issue in Free Practice before a heavy spill in qualifying cut short his weekend. He escaped serious injury which is the main thing.
In other news, 81-year-old Leon Standish – who still actively competes in flat track – was present at the event meaning all three generations of the Standish racing family were able to enjoy the eighth round of the MotoAmerica series.
Chase Black: “Race 1 was honestly really good. I lost a bit of time in the beginning but once I got some clear track, I had some real pace and was able to catch the front group. I set the fastest lap at one point and just missed the podium. Race 2 was a little disappointing to be honest. My pace at the beginning is where I struggle and is what I need to work on because I just left myself with too much to do again. Nevertheless, we scored another solid bunch of points which is good for the overall position, and we can move on to the final four races happy enough with the weekend.”
Liam MacDonald: “After the crash on Friday I am honestly glad to have been able to race. I made a great start on Saturday and was well inside the top ten, but I just didn’t have the raw pace or the energy. I dropped back a few places, and, in the end, I was able to cling on to fifteenth. I lost grip and was honestly happy to bring it home in one piece. Sunday’s race was a joke to be honest. There was an immediate red flag and then at the restart they held us for ever. There was so much confusion, and my clutch was fried. In the end they called the race after another red flag, and I scored a couple of points but honestly, I am frustrated as I don’t see how they can call the race after five laps of ten, but it is what it is. The team did a fantastic job, and I am looking forward to New Jersey.”
Trevor Standish: “I was still a bit sore following my crash at Brainerd but thankfully I was declared fit for the weekend. Sadly, the lingering technical issues that have plagued us this season were unable to be fixed and so that was my weekend over. We will go back to the drawing board and be ready for New Jersey. It would have been a challenge anyway but the extra time to be 100% fit physically will be a good thing. “
Brycen Stein: “I am obviously disappointed with the outcome of the weekend. We suffered a technical issue in FP1 and then I went down early in qualifying. I don’t remember much about the crash, but I want to thank Arai helmets and Bison Track for keeping me safe. Even though I couldn’t race it was fun to be back with the team and to take part in the various media activities. I look forward to being back on track soon.”
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