What The Teams Said: New Jersey Motorsports Park
Danilo Petrucci won Sunday’s MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike race at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
The following is from Ducati…
The determination of Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) showed through the pouring rain at New Jersey Motorsports Park as the Italian took a crucial victory to send the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship into a winner-take-all showdown at Barber Motorsports Park on September 23-25.
After coming home an upset fourth in race one, a race in which chief title rival Jake Gagne won to open a 13-point lead in the series, Petrucci dug deep and produced a stunning wet weather ride in race two, taking the victory and clawing back Gagne’s points advantage to just four with 50 to play for at Barber after the latter came home third on the factory Yamaha.
Two-time MotoGP race winner Petrucci will also have some help at Barber in the form of 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, Josh Herrin, who will step back up to the Superbike class on the second Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 SBK to give Petrucci as much help as possible as he aims to take an historic MotoAmerica Superbike Championship win for both himself and Ducati North America.
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9) : “I’m so happy to bring this first position home,” Petrucci said. “Yesterday, in race one, the target was to stay on the podium and I didn’t make it. That was one of the most challenging races of the season and we tried to fix the problem but didn’t find any solution. Fortunately, today, the rain came and it was nice to reach our maximum potential on our bike, which works perfectly in the wet. I’m so happy that we’ll bring this championship fight to the final race at Barber. We are trying to surprise and win, and keeping the championship alive in this fashion is a great feeling.”
The following is from Ducati…
At New Jersey Motorsports Park for the eighth round of the 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship, Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) takes second place in race one to seal the title and backing that up fourth in race two in treacherous weather conditions.
Herrin used all his years of experience to get the important task of getting the title win as early as possible, but the New Jersey rain made race two a case of slip and slide for the 19 laps as Yamaha’s Josh Hayes took his first double win of the season.
Nevertheless, Herrin accomplished what he set out to do at the beginning of the season and take a world-first national championship for the Ducati Panigale V2 and will now turn his attention to the final round at Barber Motorsports Park on September 23-25 as he attempts to put an exclamation point on 2022.
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – #2): “It was a super-good weekend,” Herrin said. “We were able to wrap up the championship yesterday, so I’m stoked about that. Sunday’s race wasn’t the best, but Rocco (Landers) was a fair way back, so we were able to increase the points lead, so that’s a positive. I’m happy to go into Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama and have a chance to ride the Ducati Panigale V4 SBK, which will be a real treat. Thanks, as always, to the team for providing me with such an awesome motorcycle this weekend.
The following is from Tytlers Cycle Racing…
The Tytlers Cycle Racing team had plenty to smile about in the penultimate round of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
The weekend started strongly with PJ Jacobsen at the sharp end on the opening day of on track action, whilst Hector Barbera was also in contention. For PJ, who was racing at home, the weekend got even better on Saturday morning as he shone in Q2 to secure a maiden Superbike Pole Position for himself, the team, and the all-new BMW M1000 RR.
A strong showing by both riders in Saturday’s opening encounter saw PJ cross the line in fifth, with Hector sixth.
Sunday’s race was a two-part affair after an initial red flag caused by a technical issue with Hector’s machine. Luckily, the team had enough time to repair the issue and both riders were able to line up for the restart.
Unfortunately, after a strong start that saw PJ inside the top three, he went down, thankfully without injury and as the rain began to fall, Hector found his rhythm, powering to fourth after showing great pace in the closing stages.
The duo remain in side the top six with one round and two races remaining at Barber Motorsports Park in two weeks.
PJ Jacobsen: “I was a little disappointed with the result on Saturday, especially after the Pole Position. I was in the fight in part one and then in the second part I couldn’t repeat it. To not get the podium was a bitter pill to swallow after qualifying. Race 2 was difficult. I made an initial good start but made a mistake, hit the white line on lap two and went down. It was another Sunday disaster for me, and I don’t really know what to say other than let’s go to Barber and finish the year on a high. The only positive was the Pole Position, so let’s focus on the final round. I want to finish by thanking the team who did an awesome job this weekend.”
Hector Barbera: “Race 1 was tough. I had a small issue with the rear brake and couldn’t use it which was a problem for me as I usually use it a lot. We were able to finish the race and so I played it safe and settled for the points. The team did an awesome job, and the bike was fast, and the setting was really nice, so it’s a shame we had that small issue. On Sunday it could have been a complete disaster but in the end, we were able to finish fourth in the rain and I am happy with the way I rode. My feeling with the bike is much better and we have valuable information for the final race. The team is working fantastic, and I want to thank them for everything.”
The following is from Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC…
Corey Alexander and Tytlers Cycle Racing powered by #RideHVMC are the 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champions.
Alexander, who finished fifth in the penultimate round of the series at New Jersey Motorsports Park, clinched the title with one round remaining. A strong qualifying ensured the #23 was in contention for the podium throughout the category’s single race at NJMP, but with spots of rain falling Corey played it safe, claiming fifth at the flag to clinch the crown.
The was further jubilation for the squad as Travis Wyman powered his BMW M1000 RR onto the podium in second, keeping the possibility of a 1-2 overall finish in the final standings a reality after a gutsy performance once again.
The team’s third rider Zac Schumacher finished just outside of the points scoring places in eighteenth.
With the championship in their maiden season secure, the result also gives BMW a US National title with the machine that has also made its debut in MotoAmerica this season – the BMW M1000 RR.
Corey Alexander: “I am delighted to clinch the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 title at NJMP after coming close to it the previous two years. This was the focus for the weekend and the culmination of a great team effort all season. I knew where I had to finish to take the crown but it would have been nice to have been on the podium but there will be other races where we can fight now that the title is secured. We had great pace all weekend and I am sure we could have fought with the front guys, but the plan was to play it smart. I am looking forward to riding at Barber without any pressure and I want to finish by thanking the entire team, all my sponsors and the fans that came out this weekend.”
Travis Wyman: “It was good race. I was leading in the first half and had a great fight for the win. I’m sitting third in points with a shot at second in the final round at Barber and so that is now the focus. Congratulations to Corey on the title – let’s end the year on the box.”
Zac Schumacher: “I made a decent start in the first part of the race, but the race was stopped because of the weather. In the restart I got boxed in at Turn 1 but was able to recover. I learned a lot riding in the damp conditions and had a good battle but in the end just missed the points. I am looking forward to the final round and hope to end the season in the points. I want to congratulate Corey and the team on their championship win!”
The following is from Westby Racing…
Despite having to start at the back of the grid, Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz overtook a slew of riders in Sunday’s wet Superbike race two at New Jersey Motorsports Park and finished on the podium in the runner-up position.
Along with Mathew’s third-place result in Saturday’s race one, he has extended his podium streak at New Jersey Motorsports Park to eight consecutive races going back to 2019. He’s also tallied a total of 10 podium finishes so far this season.
Mathew was in 15th place on lap one, and with surgical precision, he sliced his way through the pack, overtaking the riders in front of him. On lap nine, he moved past Cam Petersen and held second place for two laps until Cam retook the position on lap 11. With two laps to go in the 14-lap race, Cam had a tipover, and Mathew moved back into second place, which is where he finished.
“We had a seven-minute practice session before the race. We went out on wets (rain tires), and it was way too dry, so we ended up putting slicks on, thinking it would be fine. Then, it started raining harder as the pit lane opened up. So, we went back to wets because we saw everybody else was using them. So, we kind of missed the pit lane out to go and line up. Then, unfortunately, I had to start at the back of the grid, a couple rows back. So, that really hurt me coming through the pack on the first couple laps. These guys just gapped me, but I kept my head down and charged hard and managed to get up to second place. I felt like I could have had the pace to be with Danilo (Petrucci) up front, maybe if I could kind of hang onto them the first couple laps. But overall, starting from the back of the grid, I’ll take second place.”
Mathew and the Westby Racing team will be back in action for the final round of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which takes place at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 23 through 25.
The following is from Suzuki…
Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer closed the book on the penultimate round of the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season with gritty performances under trying circumstances.
Superbike stalwart Jake Lewis leaned upon his vast experience to climb up through the field in Sunday’s wet premier-class contest. The Kentuckian started from the back of the grid due to a last-second pre-race tire change and found himself mired down in 14th position early with the rain coming down, but steadily improved his outlook with a confident, measured ride aboard the team’s Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R.
Already firmly entrenched inside the top ten, Lewis picked up a few more positions late when the precipitation stepped up on the race’s final lap, ultimately claiming sixth place at the checkered flag to lead a five-strong Suzuki GSX-R train that all finished inside the top ten.
“It was a tough race in rainy, mixed conditions, but it was a good race for us,” Lewis said. “It started raining a lot harder two minutes before the start and we changed to wet tires. I planned to go out on slicks but obviously, that changed. We started from the back of the grid and passed a bunch of riders. Given the challenges, our main goal was to keep it on two wheels, and we accomplished that.”
Superbike rookie teammate Richie Escalante gained valuable wet-weather experience scoring a 13th-place result that certainly clears the way for better races in similar conditions down the road.
In the MotoAmerica Supersport competition, Tyler Scott was once again a factor up front despite his very participation being questionable, after suffering a left-hand injury in Saturday’s race. Scott ran as high as second aboard the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 but lost a handful of positions recalibrating his aggression and form after the skies opened up.
He ultimately earned sixth place, when the race was red flagged and called complete five laps early due to the increasing rainfall.
Scott said, “I’m very thankful for the whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team getting the bike fixed overnight. I felt strong this morning and had some pace, but I’ve been struggling with my hand. Yesterday, when I high sided, my ring finger was injured making it difficult to hold onto the bike in the second and fourth sectors. Other than that, I felt pretty well throughout the race, but didn’t want to push too hard and risk things, so I just tried to keep a fast pace and finish with a decent result.”
Teammate and fellow class rookie Liam Grant was another of the six Suzuki-mounted riders to break into the top ten, finishing tenth after edging a rival to the strip by a mere 0.032 seconds.
The returning Sam Lochoff was sixth early but came home in 12th. The South African continues to both heal and recover his fitness after being unable to train for much of the season.
Lochoff said, “It was a good race in some ways. I felt more confident out there today than yesterday and it was progress coming back from injury. Then it started to rain. I strongly felt they should have stopped the race to let us get on wet tires. I had nothing to gain being out there taking big risks on dry tires since I wasn’t going to win the race or get on the podium. Still, it was great to be back on the GSX-R and I am looking forward to Barber.”
Team Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki will cap off the ‘22 campaign at the Barber Motorsports Park season finale on September 23-25, in Birmingham, Alabama.
The following is from Robem Engineering…
The Robem Engineering Aprilia team was back to its front-running form Saturday at the penultimate round of the 2022 MotoAmerica season. The team’s riders, Ben Gloddy and Teagg Hobbs, finished the lone Twins Cup race of the weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park in second and third – scoring the team’s second double-podium performance this year.
After being off the pace for a couple rounds – as well as missing a round due to a logistics challenge – the team’s riders were right back at the front of the field at the tight-and-twisty 2.25-mile Thunderbolt circuit at NJMP. Hobbs’ third place finish helped him hold onto seventh in the Twins Cup points standing, though Gloddy’s runner-up finish moved him up to eighth place – just four points adrift of his teammate.
Hobbs was right up to speed at the start of the weekend. He was the second-fastest Twins Cup rider in Friday practice and Qualifying 1. Gloddy was a little off Hobbs’ pace but still finished Friday practice in sixth place and the Friday afternoon Qualifying 1 session in seventh.
In Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2, Hobbs finished the session in fifth and Gloddy in seventh, which matched the positions each rider secured on the Twins Cup starting grid.
The start of the race went well for Gloddy but not so good for Hobbs. Gloddy got a good jump off the line and finished the first lap in fifth place. Hobbs lost several places on the first lap and was running in ninth at the end of Lap 1. Gloddy was the third rider in a three-way battle for third place on Laps 2-4 and moved up to third place on Lap 5 after a couple riders crashed out on that lap. Hobbs made the most of the field getting reshuffled on Lap 5 as he advanced five places up the running order on that lap alone. With the pair of Robem Engineering riders starting Lap 6 in third and fourth place, the duo each moved up another place on Laps 7 and 8, respectively, and were in second and third place by the end of Lap 8. Gloddy led a pack of five Aprilia riders vying for the last two steps on the podium for the final eight laps of the race, while Hobbs fended off the advances of riders behind him to finished third.
It was Gloddy’s second podium of the year and his first runner-up finish in Twins Cup. For Hobbs, the third place finish marked his third trip to the podium in 2022 – as well as his first since suffering a broken collarbone at the Road America round in June.
The 2022 MotoAmerica season concludes in two weeks time, with the final round scheduled for Sept. 23-25 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.
Ben Gloddy / No. 72
“I got a good start and tried to settle myself in there with the top five riders. I felt I was getting held up a little bit by another rider, but I was able to make a move to pass him. I tried to catch up the race leader when I got into second place, but I had used up too much of my rear tire early in the race. I’m hoping we can carry this momentum into Barber and hope we’ll be back on the podium there.”
Teagg Hobbs / No. 79
“The weekend went well, and the team and I worked every session to make the bike a little bit better each time out. It was a huge reward to get both Robem Engineering Aprilias on the box. All we can do is move on to Barber, and we’ll take what we learned here and try to win a race there.”
The following is from Luke Power Racing…
Luke Power raced to a double P8 in the latest round of the 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport championship, consolidating his sixth position in the overall standings in the process.
Racing at New Jersey Motorsports Park for the first time presented a new challenge for the Aussie teenager, but after a steady FP1, big steps were made in Q1 and Q2 with Luke impressing once again as he took eighth on the grid, a second from Pole Position.
Running a strong sixth in the opening race, Luke was lucky to stay aboard after a near high side at Turn 4. He regrouped to finish eighth.
It was a similar story on Sunday for the Suzuki mounted #68, who after making a move for sixth into Turn 1 he ran off track dropping to thirteenth before a spirited and determined recovery ride saw him classified eight for the second consecutive day after the race was stopped because of rain. Interestingly, Luke’s pace when the rain initially began was as fast as the podium finishers, proving once again that he has the speed and natural talent to challenge for top honours each time he takes to the track.
Sitting sixth overall with one round and two races remaining in his debut season of MotoAmerica competition is impressive with Luke’s results catching the attention of many respected and influential paddock personalities both in the US and farther afield.
The final round of the 2022 MotoAmerica series takes place at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama in a fortnight.
Luke Power: “I have mixed emotions about Race 1, especially after the step we made in Q2. Unfortunately, I struggled early on and lost touch with the leading group. I was sitting P4 and almost high sided at turn four. I ran off the track and was able to close the gap to the guys I was racing with but just ran out of time to move up any higher than eighth. I am disappointed and frustrated with how Race 2 went. I was making progress, but I made a rookie mistake into Turn 1 and ran off the track. I lost a lot of time but got my head down and kept pushing. I made a good recovery and was happy with the way I was riding. When it started to rain, I was feeling really good and closing in on the top six but then the red flag came out. Despite the mistake I am happy with how I rode this weekend, and I am excited for the final round at Barber Motorsports Park in a fortnight.”
The following is from Pure Attitude Racing…
The Pure Attitude Racing team leave the penultimate round of the 2022 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship content with their double points finish.
Regrouping after a difficult Pittsburgh, the squad was determined to return to the top fifteen in the final two events of the season and riders Liam MacDonald and Trevor Standish did not disappoint.
Solid performances in practice and qualifying were backed up by gusty, hard-fought rides from both the #37 and the #14, who powered their Yamaha USA supported machines to eleventh and fourteenth respectively at the New Jersey Motorsports Park.
For Liam, the result was impressive given his crash in the previous round, the flying Kiwi riding through shoulder discomfort to secure his ninth points scoring result of 2022, whilst Trevor was relieved to add two points to his tally after a spate of bad luck has prevented him from finishing inside the top fifteen since Road America!
The team now buoyed, move to the season finale in a couple of weeks eager to end the year on a high.
Liam MacDonald: “It was a tough race as I was still riding in a bit of pain and discomfort. I felt like I was in a gladiator ring at the end if I am honest. I ran a decent pace in the beginning but as the race went on, I started to feel my shoulder and there was nothing I could. In the end I used my head and brough it home for some decent points. I thought I was further back as I only saw the board once, so it was a pleasant surprise to almost finish in the top ten. I will be ready to give it everything in the final race of the season at Barber in two weeks.”
Trevor Standish: “I made a good start, and my plan was to work on some things in the race, mainly with my own riding as I had been riding a bit tense all weekend, after being off the bike for so long. I was able to hang with Liam for a few laps but I knew that I had to stay calm and just enjoy the race which I did. My pace dropped as the race progressed which was to be expected after the crash at Brainerd. Adrenalin played a part, but I am satisfied to salvage some points. I know it will be a long road to get back to full fitness, but I am ready for the challenge and ready to being back at the sharp end in 2023. Now it’s time to focus on Barber and ending the season with my best result of the season.”
The post What The Teams Said: New Jersey Motorsports Park appeared first on MotoAmerica.
