2013 AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Championship
The Miller Motorsports Park round is always a favorite for the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing field, in large part because the open, flowing layout is a real rider’s track.
For the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike field, the doubleheader races will be a chance to compete on a different kind of circuit from the ones of the past few events. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Mid-Ohio, and Barber are all tighter, more technical, and have a quicker lap than the 15-turn, 3.06-mile course situated just west of Salt Lake City.
Cameron Beaubier (No. 6 Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R6) could have a weekend that impacts the record books. After winning seven of eight GoPro Daytona SportBike contests so far in 2013, Beaubier could tie the class mark for wins in a season in Utah. Martin Cardenas, currently Yoshimura Suzuki’s star SuperBike ace, won nine races in his championship-winning 2010 season.
With one victory, Beaubier can also break his tie with Josh Herrin for second on the all-time wins list. Herrin and Beaubier with 14 wins trail all-time winner Cardenas and his 24 GoPro Daytona SportBike victories.
Beaubier has dominated the year like few have in GoPro Daytona SportBike, continuously working his strategy for settling in during the early laps, then making a calculated run to the front followed by a late race push to shake anyone who might be left. After winning seven races last year, Beaubier has matched that total with New Jersey Motorsports Park and the second Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca event still to follow Miller.
Beaubier was in top form at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and changed his approach to deal with a late red flag that created a five-lap shootout. Beaubier showed he can get a good start off the line and push hard from the start if necessary.
Beaubier and the entire field will be going for their first GoPro Daytona SportBike victory at Miller Motorsports Park as riders not currently in the class have won the previous DSB contests.
Jake Gagne (No. 32 RoadRace Factory Yamaha YZF-R6) is second in points, trailing Beaubier by 56 points and a solid 36 points clear of third place. For Gagne, the rest of the season is about beating the Graves machines, as he stated at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca earlier this month. The Californian has had a fantastic season, but Beaubier’s excellence has relegated him to just one win so far in 2013.
Gagne wasn’t happy after finishing third at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. He led early but got a poor start after the red flag and spent the last laps fighting for the podium instead of fighting for the win.
Garrett Gerloff (No. 8 Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R6) had his best race of the year in California, matching his best result of second place at Daytona but this time with a much more competitive battle on his hands. The result was a nice milestone for the young rider’s progress after missing virtually all of last season with an injury. The question now is whether Gerloff can do it again and continue toward his goal of getting his first class win this season.
Seventeen-year-old Gerloff is currently the top GoPro Daytona SportBike rider in the running for the Roadracing World Young Gun Of The Year Award standings with 149 points, but the strong seasons Corey Alexander and Stefano Mesa are having in AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport put them atop the charts with 191 and 168 points, respectively.
JD Beach (No. 95 RoadRace Factory Yamaha YZF-R6) is third in points after improving his competitiveness this season and but his lead over Gerloff is down to five. Beach finished seventh last year in Utah, but the Kentucky resident has finished fifth or better in each 2013 event. Part of the reason for his success has been that Beach has concentrated on getting up to speed sooner and has improved his consistency. In California, Beach rallied at one of his least favorite tracks to get fifth.
Two young riders are battling for the fifth-place spot in the points. James Rispoli (No. 43 National Guard/Celtic Racing Suzuki GSX-R600) currently hold the position, with Jake Lewis (No. 85 Meen Motorsports Racing Yamaha YZF-R6) right on his tail just three points back heading into the races in Utah. In the battle of the two class rookies, Rispoli has been the most consistent with five seventh-place finishes. Lewis earned the podium at Road America with two additional fourth places to bolster his third place in Wisconsin. The final races will determine which young ace can have bragging rights, however.
Dane Westby (No. 5 GEICO Motorcycle Road Racing Honda CBR600RR) has been fighting hard to get back on top in a tough season. An injury at Daytona set him back and his team switched to new equipment for 2013. Westby has found himself in a tough group of riders battling for slots in the top ten. The good news is that “The Wolverine” has finished eighth or better in every race since the season opener at Daytona.
Jason DiSalvo (No. 40 Latus Motors Racing Triumph Daytona 675) finished second last year at Utah and the veteran has ridden well in 2013 despite some up-and-down results. DiSalvo and his team continue to develop the 2013 Triumph Daytona 675 with success, but the New Yorker has said tracks that require acceleration onto long straights after slow corners aren’t his ideal circuits. That being said, DiSalvo had a strong showing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, running as high as second place before finishing fourth, and he will look to carry that momentum into this weekend’s event.
Bobby Fong (No. 50 D&D Cycles/Castrol/Triumph Daytona 675) opened up the season strong with a third-place result in the DAYTONA 200, but the class veteran has been struggling to get back to the podium ever since. He’s starting to show some signs of momentum, finishing in the top ten at the last two events. The Californian has shown that he can turn it around at any time and looks to match or better his top-five finish at MMP last year.
Benny Solis (No. 3 M4 Lucas Oil Racing Honda CBR600RR) and Joey Pascarella (No. 52 Riders Discount Racing Triumph Daytona 675) are fighting for the last spot in the top ten in points.
For tickets and additional information, please visit http://www.millermotorsportspark.com/events/ama-pro-road-racing-race.html.
Television Broadcasts on CBS Sports Network
Leading into coverage of GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Round 6 at Miller Motorsports Park, CBS Sports Network will broadcast the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike and AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike races from the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as part of the CBS Sports Spectacular in a primetime special on CBS Sports Network beginning Friday, August 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT.
Following the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca broadcasts, a primetime airing of the weekend preview show for the Miller Motorsports Park event will begin on Friday, August 2 at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT.
This weekend’s racing coverage will include three hours of LIVE broadcasts from Utah. AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Race 1 will air LIVE on Saturday, August 3 at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT and will be followed by a same-day delayed broadcast of AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Race 1 slotted for 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT.
Sunday’s coverage will include a two-hour block of LIVE coverage, beginning with GoPro Daytona SportBike Race 2 on Sunday, August 4 at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 noon PT followed by National Guard SuperBike Race 2 at 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT.
For an up-to-date list of the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing broadcasts scheduled on CBS Sports Network, please visit http://www.amaproracing.com/rr/events/tvlistings.cfm?year=2013. To locate CBS Sports Network on your cable or satellite provider, please visit the Channel Finder at http://www.cbssportsnetwork.com/channel-finder.
