Last weekend, the MotoAmerica tour launched their regular season at Road Atlanta, after the one-off, non-Championship, open tire Super Sport and support class event last month at Daytona. If the opener is anything to go by, this is shaping up to be a great season south of the border.
Recently, the Fresh ‘N’ Lean/Progressive Insurance Attack Yamaha squad has ruled the roost in the premier AMA National class, with Jake Gagne setting the pace more often than not on the works-supported, but non-factory, Yamaha YZF-R1. In 2021, the Championship shaped up as a bit of a run-away, but last year, Gagne had a rough start, and the drama centred on his come from behind odyssey for title number two.
In 2021, Ducati ramped up their MotoAmerica support with a group of large dealers building a team around the former Aprilia squad at Houston Superbike (HSBK). This is the same group that sent Caludio Corti and his RSV4 to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2015 for his famous CSBK battle with Jordan Szoke.
Initially, Ducati’s built their 2021 effort around Loris Baz, a former World Superbike star and MotoGP pilot who was among the rising world stars at the same time IM columnist Brett McCormick was a satellite Ducati protégé a decade ago. Baz had moments of greatness, but wasn’t a consistent threat to Gagne, who was on a tear in 2021.
The issue with Baz centred on his unfamiliarity with the American series’ spec Dunlop rubber, since WSBK uses Pirelli and MotoGP Michelin.
Last year, early season MotoA attention focused on Danielo Petrucci, fresh from the Dakar Rally and MotoGP and now leading the Warhorse/HSBK/Ducati New York effort. While all that resume material was great, Petrucci was also unfamiliar with the American-built Dunlop slicks. Still, Gagne had mechanical issues early in the season, and a big crash at Road Atlanta, while Petrucci built up solid points lead.
But Petrucci lost his mojo, and Gagne reeled him in – the expected showdown at the final races at Barber were anything but. Petrucci needed to file a protest on a jump start to score a podium, and that was Saturday only. Gagne’s second straight number one plate seemed a forgone conclusion.
This year, Ducati tried something different – they promoted former U.S. Champ, Moto2 racer and crowd favorite Josh Herrin to take the V4 Panigale Desmo Superbike seat. Herrin, comfortable on Dunlop rubber, had ridden the V2 Duck to the 2022 Super Sport crown, taking advantage of the new FIM ‘second generation” middleweight rules, and is looking for redemption after some recent disappointing efforts in the premier class.
The big story heading into 2023 was the retooled Tytler BMW squad, brand new last year and clearly funded in a manner beyond most of the other squads. With the full compliment of Alpha Technic kit parts, the Tytler bikes were impressive if inconsistent last season, not a surprise. The fact that they opted to add Cameron Beaubier to their rider roster for year two was a shock.
A “Gagne” for Yamaha in his day, Beaubier took his AMA title with him to Europe and the Moto2 World Series in 2021. While it wasn’t a complete bust, it certainly didn’t go as well as planned, and the 30-year-old understood that he didn’t have the results, or the youth, that could move him onto the MotoGP grid.
So Beaubier returned to MotoAmerica, and many expected his influence to push the Tytler team to the front of the pack. The squad is run by Dave Weaver, sometime crew chief for OneSpeed Suzuki’s Trevor Daley in CSBK, and has offered a very high profile since their debut at Circuit of the Americas a year ago.
In race one at Road Atlanta last weekend, the fans got what they wanted – and hadn’t happened in 2022 – a straight fight between the expected title challengers. Once the field sorted out, Gagne built a lead, but then Beaubier drafted into first and he seemed comfortable to hold the point. The BMW had just enough edge in top speed to hold off the Yamaha, but it was awfully close, and both stars seemed energized by their fight.
In his debut with the big Ducati, Herrin headed the second group, and eventually lead them close to the top duo – Herrin was just 1.9 seconds back at the flag, earning a solid third.
“He had pace on me, but I had motor on him,” stated Beaubier from the top of the box, celebrating BMW’s first feature victory in AMA competition since the 1970s. “When I saw Jake riding away at the beginning, I figured it was going to be a long race. This place is a freaking handful on a big bike. I was riding as hard as I could.”
For his part, Gagne explained that “six or seven laps in, Cam came by me, and I figured I would chill out, see what he’s capable of. But then the gap back to third, Herrin, started dropping, and I couldn’t figure how they were catching us again. They stepped it up big time, and it goes to show, you never know how things will work out once you get to the race.”
“We’ve only had this bike for a week and a half,” explained Herrin of his World-spec Ducati. “For a new bike, we were able to be consistent, and that’s a really good start. If you asked me yesterday, I was really nervous about even getting into the top five.”
As good as Saturday’s feature was, Sunday’s Superbike chase was better. For much of the race, it looked like Beaubier would hold control, but the Yamaha and Ducati teams had found some performance to rival the big, winged BMW on Road Atlanta’s long, kinked back straight.
In the last lap, that kink was crucial – leader Beaubier slid the front end at full throttle, and Herrin almost went down trying to miss him. Gagne cut between the two to take the lead and hang on for an opportunistic victory, so different from most of his run-away wins in the past.
Beaubier recovered for second, while top privateer Matthew Scholtz was rewarded for his determined efforts with a third for the Westby squad. Herrin survived an off-track trip in the final Chicane to win up fourth in a race he had a solid shot at winning.
“It was such a good weekend, an amazing come back weekend,” explained winner Gagne, taking his 30th career Superbike win to tie atop the 2023-point standings with Beaubier. “My bike was awesome, my drives were awesome, but I was still struggling on the brakes. Like yesterday, I had some arm pump, so I tried to chill and relax and watch these guys where I could.”
Beaubier commented that “it was such a good weekend, a crazy come back weekend, and one of the craziest Superbike races I’ve ever been in – I was riding out of my skin! I was struggling with grip, the racing was pretty intense, then Herrin came by, and everything started up again.
“Man, that last lap was just so hairy. He (Herrin) ran me a little tight, and then into that fast right hander, I just didn’t turn – I pushed the front a little bit, it was terrifying. You’re going 180 miles an hour through that turn. I glanced over, saw he was all right, and we just kept going. I’m glad everyone was safe.”
“The first couple of laps, I was just hanging on,” explained Scholtz of his race. “It’s pretty awesome to be up here on the podium – I didn’t really have a passing spot, unless something happened, and of course it did. It was great watching these guys battle it out.”
In a good overall opener for MotoAmerica, the Super Sport class was also more exciting than last year, with a great fight at the front between new Ducati recruit Xavi Fores of Spain (earning both middleweight wins) after great dices with Josh Hayes (Squid Hunter Yam), Stefano Messa (Tytler Kaw) and Tyler Scott (Vision Wheels M4 Ecstar Suz).
- From Colin Fraser
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