Toni Elias wins MotoAmerica Race 2 – Mathew Scholtz Bazazz Superstock 1000 Champ
Anthony West 10th overall in Superbike Race 2, fourth in Superstock 1000 category
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias came from behind to win his 10th Motul Superbike race of the season in race two of the Championship of New Jersey, presented by K&N, a day after wrapping up the 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
Elias had a more difficult time of it on Sunday as he was struck on the foot with debris on the opening lap that forced him to fall back as far as seventh. Once the pain went away and he regained his composure, Elias did what Elias does and he methodically worked his way back into contention.
Meanwhile, his Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Roger Hayden was leading the race and holding off the persistent challenge of true privateer Kyle Wyman on the YCRS/Cambr/KWR Yamaha YZF-R1.
By the time the race came to the 20th of 23 laps, Elias was there. He passed Wyman and then went after Hayden, passing him going into turn one on the final lap and pushing Hayden wide and off the track. Wyman was the beneficiary of the move and he struck while the iron was hot and took over second, holding the spot to the finish for a career best MotoAmerica Superbike finish.
The win for Elias was his 10th of the season and the 16th of his career, which moves him in to a tie for eighth on the all-time AMA Superbike win list with his childhood hero Wayne Rainey, the three-time 500cc World Champion and president of MotoAmerica.
Toni Elias
“Something hit my foot, some part from some bike, I don’t know what was there, but it hit hard and was painful. That made me lose a lot of concentration. After that, he (Kyle Wyman) passed me and then another three or four riders more. And then I calmed down and tried to pass Mathew Scholtz, but he was difficult to pass and I lose all this time. At the end when I found the clear way, I started to do a good pace (and) tried to come back. I didn’t know if I was able to have time to catch Roger (Hayden), but we did it. I didn’t know he was on the grass. That was not my goal. My goal was to win the race [and] pass him. He braked too late (and) I braked late too, and [I’m] sorry. I wanted to pass him, but not take him out. Well, one more win. The bike was better for me. I hope to continue like this until the end of the season. That is my goal. Today I felt I was able to ride more free, less pressure on my shoulders [with the title clinched]. It was nice to be able to win like this.”
Wyman had the race of his life on Sunday, running at the front from start to finish and ultimately taking the runner-up spot when Hayden ran off in turn one on the final lap. It was by far the team owner/rider’s best performance in the Motul Superbike class and it was one that was popular from one end of the paddock to the other.
Kyle Wyman
“That’s the best race I’ve ever ridden, I just put my head down and got a really good start. I was third and Toni (Elias) went in, I’m not sure if he pushed Roger (Hayden) wide, but he (Elias) ran wide and from there I didn’t see him. I just followed Roger. I saw a plus one on my board the whole race, so I knew if it was tight behind me, and it maybe got a little bigger than that. There were actually points in the race where I felt I had a little bit of a run on Roger in a few different areas, but it wasn’t going to be beneficial for either of us to force the issue and have a big pack (behind) us, so I kind of just sat there. I don’t want to say that I was surprised, because I know what I’m capable of, but it’s kind of nice to be sitting there and feeling really good. About two-thirds of the way through the race the bike got a lot harder to ride and started pushing the front (and) losing the rear. The last couple laps when Toni was coming up, that was pretty much all I had just to stay where I was. Obviously, I’m just super elated. This has been a very, very long road from racing Harley’s and racing 600s, and not really having any success on 600s. I found the (Yamaha) R1 that I’ve fallen in love with now, and me and the team are all just working well together. Today was my day, and now I know I can do it. Hopefully, we can push hard from here and get one step further (for a win).”
Hayden was forced back to third after being pushed wide by Elias, but he accepted the spot for his 14th podium finish of the season.
Roger Hayden
“I felt a lot better today (and) we fixed some of the issues we had yesterday. We could increase the race pace more consistently, in the low (1:21 second range). I felt good and was trying to get away, but Kyle (Wyman) kept me honest the whole time. I saw Toni (Elias) was behind me (at the end) and I knew he was going to try something somewhere, and I broke as late as I could before the first turn and he got on the inside of me. I just had nowhere to go besides the grass, but luckily I saved it, brought it back, and ended up on the podium still. Definitely disappointing, but [I’m] also somewhat happy with my pace at the beginning of the race. Yesterday I struggled quite a bit, but today was much better.”
Broaster Genuine Chicken Honda’s Jake Gagne matched his best finish of the season in fourth place, giving him a 5-4 tally over the two-day Championship of New Jersey. He bested the two Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing duo of Josh Hayes and Josh Herrin, who was filling in for the injured Cameron Beaubier on the team’s YZF-R1.
Then came Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, the South African not only taking victory in the Bazzaz Superstock 1000 class but also wrapping up the 2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Championship in his first full season with team.
Mathew Scholtz – Bazzaz Superstock 1000 Champion
“After the 2015 season back home (in South Africa) I nearly hung up my boots because it was just costing my family too much money (to race). In 2016 we took one more final dig at it and I won the championship back home, and then came over here. Fortunately, we ended up winning the championship and I couldn’t be happier. It’s like a dream come true for me. What I thought was going to happen in the first race (on Saturday) happened in the second race and I managed to just hang onto the Superbike guys to open up a gap, and I just maintained it from there. It pretty much just worked out perfectly. Overall, I’m really happy to bring the championship home. The Yamalube/Westby guys have had a real struggle the past few years and I’m really happy to bring the championship back home to them. They’re like a second family.”
Quicksilver Latus Racing Kawasaki’s Bobby Fong finished second a day after struggling mightily with handling problems with the ZX-10R. Fong was some six seconds behind Scholtz but nine seconds ahead of yesterday’s class winner Danny Eslick on the TOBC Racing Yamaha. Fly Street/Motul Oils/ADR Motorsports’ Anthony West rounded out the top 10.
With his 17th podium finish in 18 starts, Elias leads Hayden by 93 points heading into next weekend’s season finale at Barber Motorsports Park, 390-297. Beaubier, who will also miss the Barber round, is third with 255 points.
Like Elias, Scholtz also has a point lead that can’t be beaten as he heads to Barber 75 points clear of M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis and 83 points ahead of Fong.
Motul Superbike Race 2
- Toni Elias, Barcelona, Spain, Suzuki
- Kyle Wyman, Macedon, N.Y., Yamaha
- Roger Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki
- Jake Gagne, San Diego, Calif., Honda
- Josh Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Yamaha
- Josh Herrin, Dublin, Ga., Yamaha
- Mathew Scholtz, Durban, South Africa, Yamaha
- Bobby Fong, Stockton, Calif., Kawasaki
- Danny Eslick, Tulsa, Okla., Yamaha
- Anthony West, Australia, Kawasaki
Motul Superbike Championship Standings
- Toni Elias, Barcelona, Spain, Suzuki – 390
- Roger Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki – 297
- Cameron Beaubier, Roseville, Calif., Yamaha – 255
- Josh Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Yamaha – 207
- Mathew Scholtz, Durban, South Africa, Yamaha – 175
- Bobby Fong, Stockton, Calif., Kawasaki – 148
- Jake Lewis, Owensboro, Ky, Suzuki – 148
- Josh Herrin, Dublin, Ga., Yamaha – 137
- Kyle Wyman, Macedon, N.Y., Yamaha – 128
- Danny Eslick, Tulsa, Okla., Yamaha – 127
Bazzaz Superstock 1000 Race 2
- Mathew Scholtz, Durban, South Africa, Yamaha
- Bobby Fong, Stockton, Calif., Kawasaki
- Danny Eslick, Tulsa, Okla., Yamaha
- Anthony West, Australia, Kawasaki
- Hayden Gillim, Philpot, Ky., Suzuki
- Jake Lewis, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki
- Hayden Gillim, Philpot, Ky., Suzuki
- Mathew Scholtz, Durban, South Africa, Yamaha
- Bryce Prince, Bakersfield, Calif., Yamaha
- Frankie Babuska, Pelham, N.Y., Yamaha
Bazzaz Superstock 1000 Championship Standings
- Mathew Scholtz, Durban, South Africa, Yamaha – 372
- Jake Lewis, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki – 297
- Bobby Fong, Stockton, Calif., Kawasaki – 289
- Danny Eslick, Tulsa, Okla., Yamaha – 261
- Hayden Gillim, Philpot, Ky., Suzuki – 185
- Bryce Prince, Bakersfield, Calif., Yamaha – 176
- Max Flinders, Preston, England, Yamaha – 130
- Anthony West, Australia, Kawasaki – 81
- David Anthony, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki – 66
- Tyler O’Hara, Petaluma, Calif., Kawasaki – 54
Supersport: Gerloff Takes Win Number 10
JD Beach is never happy after finishing anywhere other than first, but he was smiling more than normal today after at least coming close to his unmatchable of late teammate Garrett Gerloff in the Supersport race at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
Gerloff took the victory, his 10th of the season and seventh in succession, but this time Beach was only 3.6 seconds behind and felt he might have had something for his Monster Energy/Yamalube/Y.E.S./ Graves Yamaha teammate if he wasn’t baulked by lapped traffic in the closing stages of the race.
Third place went to M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Valentin Debise after an early race battle with Benny Solis on the Team H35 Honda CBR600RR.
With Beach finishing second to Gerloff, it means the Texan will have to wait until next week and Barber Motorsports Park to wrap up his second straight Supersport Championship. Gerloff leads Beach by 46 points with the two races remaining in the Barber finale. Debise, meanwhile, is third and 27 points ahead of Solis.
Garrett Gerloff
“It was super difficult (today), with JD (Beach) right there I had to be super consistent. I made a couple mistakes, (and) he was right there and kept trying to make a move on me in Turn 1. I don’t know how I was out-braking this guy, but luckily I had a little more in the tank on the brakes, so I was able to get into Turn 1 before him. It was cool to be racing with him again and I was looking forward to the last couple laps, but I got stuck in some lappers too, maybe not the same as (Beach) but that’s part of it. I’m happy with how consistent I was able to be, except for maybe one or two laps, but I felt like I was able to hit my marks and that’s what I’ve been trying to work on this whole year. I’m looking forward to going to Barber and put up a fight for that championship. It’s nice to have a big points lead. I feel like I can go toss it down the road and have room to play, so that’s nice. I’ll try to win, but if that’s not possible then just stay up, finish, and get some points.”
The real championship battle is in the Superstock 600 class. With Anthony Mazziotto III and his YCRS/Mazziotto Racing Yamaha winning Sunday’s race, the battle for the championship tightened to just three points as Team MG55’s Michael Gilbert bested championship leader Jason Aguilar by one position – fourth to fifth – to move to within three points, 250-247, with just the two races at Barber remaining.
M4 medAge Suzuki’s Nick McFadden finished second to Mazziotto in the race with Tuned Racing’s Braeden Ortt rounding out the podium in third.
Supersport Race 2
- Garrett Gerloff, New Waverly, Texas, Yamaha
- JD Beach, Owensboro, Ky., Yamaha
- Valentin Debise, Albi, France, Suzuki
- Benny Solis, North Hollywood, Calif., Honda
- Anthony Mazziotto III, Hammonton, N.J., Yamaha
- Nick McFadden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki
- Braeden Ortt, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Yamaha
- Michael Gilbert, Santa Ana, Calif., Yamaha
- Jason Aguilar, Placentia, Calif., Yamaha
- Connor Blevins, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki
Supersport Championship Standings
- Garrett Gerloff, New Waverly, Texas, Yamaha – 346
- JD Beach, Owensboro, Ky., Yamaha – 300
- Valentin Debise, Albi, France, Suzuki – 232
- Benny Solis, North Hollywood, Calif., Honda – 205
- Jason Aguilar, Placentia, Calif., Yamaha – 125
- Michael Gilbert, Santa Ana, Calif., Yamaha – 123
- Nick McFadden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki – 113
- Connor Blevins, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki – 95
- Shane Richardson, Wellington, New Zealand, Kawasaki – 89
- Daytona Anderson, Riverside, Calif., Suzuki – 84
Superstock 600 Race 2
- Anthony Mazziotto III, Hammonton, N.J., Yamaha
- Nick McFadden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki
- Braeden Ortt, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Yamaha
- Michael Gilbert, Santa Ana, Calif., Yamaha
- Jason Aguilar, Placentia, Calif., Yamaha
- Connor Blevins, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki
- Shane Richardson, Wellington, New Zealand, Kawasaki
- Mike Selpe, West Orange, N.J., Yamaha
- Lucas Silva, Miami, Fla., Yamaha
- Eziah Davis, Hopkinton, R.I., Yamaha
Superstock 600 Championship Standings
- Jason Aguilar, Placentia, Calif., Yamaha – 250
- Michael Gilbert, Santa Ana, Calif., Yamaha – 247
- Nick McFadden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki – 207
- Conner Blevins, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki – 189
- Braeden Ortt, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Yamaha – 177
- Shane Richardson, Wellington, New Zealand, Kawasaki – 173
- Anthony Mazziotto III, Hammonton, N.J., Yamaha – 145
- JC Camacho, Deer Park, Texas, Suzuki – 117
- Andrew Lee, Clovis, Calif., Yamaha – 91
- Brandon Cleland, Fort Worth, Texas, Suzuki – 68
KTM RC Cup: Just One Point
Three riders, one point. That’s the championship situation going into next week’s final round of the 2017 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup at Barber Motorsports Park as Benjamin Smith and Cory Ventura are tied for the lead in the championship with Alex Dumas just a point behind in third.
It was Dumas who gained the most this weekend in New Jersey, the French Canadian and his JP43 Junior Team RC390 winning both races to pull to within a point of Smith and Ventura. Dumas won on Saturday and he won again on Sunday, again beating Ventura by a scant .145 of a second. Smith, after crashing out of yesterday’s race, finished third, some four seconds behind.
With just the two races remaining, Smith and Ventura are tied with 224 points and Dumas, with his fourth win in a row, is third with 223 points. The title will be decided next week in Alabama.
Alex Dumas
“At first Cory (Ventura) passed me with two laps to go, and I didn’t know if I wanted to be in the back of him, or in the front of him in the last couple corners. I was in his draft and decided I’m going to pull a gap and try to win the race without being drafted. It turned (out) pretty well. I had a good battle with Sean (Ungvarsky) and Cory through all the race, and then Sean crashed in Turn 1. He crashed in front of me, so (after avoiding him) I put my head down. I had a good race.”
KTM RC Cup Race 2
- Alex Dumas, Quebec, Canada, KTM
- Cory Ventura, Union City, Calif., KTM
- Benjamin Smith, Glenmoore, Pa., KTM
- Toby Khamsouk, Banning, Calif., KTM
- Dylan Deutschlander, Lake Jackson, Texas, KTM
- Jake Leahey, Hammonton, N.J., KTM
- Nate Minster, Oak Grove, Minn., KTM
- Gavin Anthony, Hilliard, Ohio, KTM
- Trevor Standish, Roswell, Ga., KTM
- Tyler Wissel, Medina, Ohio, KTM
KTM RC Cup Championship Standings
- Benjamin Smith, Glenmoore, Pa., KTM – 224
- Cory Ventura, Union City, Calif., KTM – 224
- Alex Dumas, Quebec, Canada, KTM – 223
- Jackson Blackmon, Rock Hill, S.C., KTM – 192
- Draik Beauchamp, Knoxville, Tenn., KTM- 165
- Toby Khamsouk, Banning, Calif., KTM – 143
- Trevor Standish, Roswell, Ga., KTM – 121
- Gavin Anthony, Hilliard, Ohio, KTM – 99
- Nate Minster, Oak Grove, Minn. KTM – 79
- Jake Leahey, Hammonton, N.J., KTM – 75
