2017 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Results | Series Recap

2017 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Results | Series Recap
2017 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Results: Suzuki's Toni Elias leads Superbike Class

2017 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Results

Following the opening weekend of 2017 MotoAmerica at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), the series headed this weekend directly to Road Atlanta in Georgia for round two of 10.

At the COTA round, which ran as a support class for the Grand Prix of the Americas, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias dominated the Superbike class, the Spanish Moto2 Champion doubling at COTA for the second-straight year. In Supersport, Monster/Yamalube/Y.E.S./Graves Yamaha’s JD Beach claimed the single Supersport race.

But Elias wouldn’t have such luck at race one of Road Atlanta; two-time defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier returned to the top of the podium, winning Saturday’s 21-lap race ahead of Elias by 0.287 of a second. Beaubier’s teammate, four-time AMA SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes, claimed third.

2017 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Results | Series Recap
2017 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Results: Suzuki’s Toni Elias leads Superbike Class

The win was Beaubier’s 20th-career Superbike victory, tying him with Fred Merkel for fifth overall on the all-time win list.

During that opening race the Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing YZF-R1 pilot Beaubier made an aggressive pass on the final turn 12, pushing Elias into the grass. This started a war of words and rivalry between the two riders, and this continued into Sunday’s second race.

Elias would push even harder Sunday, and finish race 2 by 0.308 of a second ahead of teammate Roger Lee Hayden, and 0.564 of a second ahead of Beaubier. While heading through the last corner, Elias tapped on his helmet, exchanging some symbolic words with Beaubier.

Following race two, Beaubier said: “I got a decent drive up the hill coming into the last corner and Toni [Elias] looked back and was off the gas a little bit, so I just went to the outside to brake and he moved over on me, hard.

“I knew it was because of yesterday’s incident in the last corner. He looked back at me and shook his head. I felt like I didn’t do anything wrong so I just told him I wasn’t in the wrong there. I was wondering why he was tapping his helmet after the race finished, and he said he has memory, or something like that. At the end of the day I have memory about all the crap he did last year. I still have respect for the guy, but I’m not going to respect someone that doesn’t respect us out on the racetrack, plain and simple.”

2017 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Results: Suzuki's Toni Elias leads Superbike Class
2017 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Results: Suzuki’s Toni Elias leads Superbike Class

Elias responded: “It’s very simple. Yesterday I was clean also, like it has been today, but I received [two] hits and went in the grass. I could [race] harder, but I don’t need it. We can play clean, and not like this. Me and Roger [Hayden] today we had a big battle, and we have been clean [with] each other.

“We play clean. But, if we have to play a little bit more dirty that is my strongest point, and I’m also strong in strategy. If you [Beaubier] want to come here like this [aggressive], let’s do it. No problem. You are a good rider and you don’t need to do it like that. We love to play hard and want to put on a good show. That is my goal.”

After two rounds, Elias leads the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship with 95 points, 26 ahead of the two men tied in second, Beaubier and Hayden. HelmetSounds.com/Western Services/Meen Racing Yamaha’s Josh Herrin is fourth overall with 43 points; Herrin finished 4-5 at Road Atlanta MotoAmerica.

2017 Road Atlanta Supersport Recap

In the Supersport class, Monster/Yamahalube/Y.E.S./Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 rider Garrett Gerloff and M4 Ecstar Suzuki’s Valentin Debise split the wins.

Gerloff won Saturday’s race one ahead of Debise and JD Beach. The same three finished on the podium in race two, but this time it was Debise who claimed the win ahead of Gerloff and Beach.

2017 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Results: Suzuki's Valentine Debise leads Supersport class
2017 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Results: Suzuki’s Valentine Debise leads Supersport class

With his first win of the MotoAmerica Supersport season, Debise takes over the championship lead with 65 points, four ahead of Gerloff and eight ahead of Beach.

Following race two Debise said:  “More motivated [today] I don’t think so because yesterday I was pushing everything I had, and today (as well). I think we made a little move on the bike this morning and that helped me a lot. I was able to be much more persistent. So I think compared to yesterday the pace was a little bit faster [today], but Garrett (Gerloff) and JD (Beach) were able to follow me. They were tight to me and I had a plan, different than yesterday of course because it didn’t work.

“I went a little more wide on the back straight and Garrett was able to go outside of me. He went inside of me but because he was so wide he wasn’t able to brake as hard as me, so I make the pass. I tried to brake as late as I can in the final corner and he wasn’t able to overtake me again. I’m really happy to get this win because I was looking forward to (getting) more wins this year.”

2017 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Results: Benjamin Smith leads RC Cup
2017 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Results: Benjamin Smith leads RC Cup

In the Superstock 600 class,  Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz of South America claimed his first-ever MotoAmerica win on Saturday. Sunday’s race two went to M4 medAge Suzuki’s Nick McFadden.

Winning both KTM RC Cup races was Quarterley Racing/On Track Development’s Benjamin Smith.

The 2017 MotoAmerica Series resumes, May 12-14, with the Championship of Virginia at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va.

2017 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Results

Motul Superbike, Race 1
1.    Cameron Beaubier, Roseville, Calif., Yamaha
2.    Toni Elias, Barcelona, Spain, Suzuki
3.    Josh Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Yamaha
4.    Roger Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki
5.    Josh Herrin. Dublin, Ga., Suzuki
6.    Mathew Scholtz, Johannesburg, South Africa, Yamaha
7.    Bobby Fong, Stockton, Calif., Kawasaki
8.    Jake Lewis, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki
9.    Kyle Wyman, Macedon, N.Y., Yamaha
10.  Jake Gagne, San Diego, Calif., Honda

Motul Superbike Race 2
1.    Toni Elias, Barcelona, Spain, Suzuki
2.    Roger Hayden, Owensboro, Ky, Suzuki
3.    Cameron Beaubier, Roseville, Calif., Yamaha
4.    Josh Herrin, Dublin, Ga, Yamaha
5.    Kyle Wyman, Macedon, N.Y., Yamaha
6.    Jake Lewis, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki
7.    Jake Gagne, San Diego, Calif, Honda
8.    Danny Eslick, Tulsa, Okla., Yamaha
9.    David Anthony, Melbourne, Australia, Kawasaki
10.  Bryce Prince, Bakersfield, Calif., Yamaha

Motul Superbike Championship Standings (after two of 10 rounds)
1.    Toni Elias, Barcelona, Spain, Suzuki – 96
2.    Cameron Beaubier, Roseville, Calif., Yamaha – 69
3.    Roger Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki – 69
4.    Josh Herrin. Dublin, Ga., Suzuki – 43
5.    Bobby Fong,  Stockton, Calif., Kawasaki – 36
6.    Jake Lewis, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki – 34
7.    Mathew Scholtz, Johannesburg, South Africa, Yamaha – 32
8.    Josh Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Yamaha – 31
9.    Josh Herrin. Dublin, Ga., Suzuki – 30
10.  Danny Eslick, Tulsa, Okla., Yamaha – 28

Bazzaz Superstock 1000, Race 1
1.    Mathew Scholtz, Johannesburg, South Africa, Yamaha
2.    Bobby Fong, Stockton, Calif., Kawasaki
3.    Jake Lewis, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki
4.    Danny Eslick, Tulsa, Okla., Yamaha
5.    Hayden Gillim, Philpot, Ky., Suzuki
6.    Max Flinders, Preston, England, Yamaha

Bazzaz Superstock 1000, Race 2
1.    Jake Lewis, Owensboro, Ky, Suzuki
2.    Danny Eslick, Tulsa, Okla., Yamaha
3.    Bryce Prince, Bakersfield, Calif., Yamaha
4.    Hayden Gillim, Philpot, Ky., Suzuki
5.    Max Flinders, Preston, England, Yamaha
6.    Anthony Kosinski, South Bend, Ind., Yamaha

Supersport, Race 1
1.    Garrett Gerloff, New Waverly, Texas, Yamaha
2.    Valentine Debise, Albi, France, Suzuki
3.    JD Beach, Philpot, Ky., Yamaha
4.    Benny Solis, North Hollywood, Calif., Honda
5.    Brandon Paasch, Freehold, N.J., Suzuki
6.    Nick McFadden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki
7.    Jason Aguilar, Placentia, Calif., Yamaha
8.    Michael Gilbert, Santa Ana, Calif., Yamaha
9.    Daytona Anderson, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha
10.  Conner Blevins, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki

Supersport Race 2
1.    Valentine Debise, Albi, France, Suzuki
2.    Garrett Gerloff, New Waverly, Texas, Yamaha
3.    JD Beach, Philpot, Ky., Yamaha
4.    Brandon Paasch, Freehold, N.J., Suzuki
5.    Benny Solis, North Hollywood, Calif., Honda
6.    Nick McFadden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki
7.    Michael Gilbert, Santa Ana, Calif., Yamaha
8.    Jason Aguilar, Placentia, Calif., Yamaha
9.    JC Camacho, Deer Park, Texas, Suzuki
10.   Shane Richardson, Wellington, New Zealand, Kawasaki

Supersport Championship Standings
1.    Valentine Debise, Albi, France, Suzuki – 65
2.    Garrett Gerloff, New Waverly, Texas, Yamaha – 61
3.    JD Beach, Philpot, Ky., Yamaha – 57
4.    Benny Solis, North Hollywood, Calif., Honda – 37
5.    Brandon Paasch, Freehold, N.J., Suzuki – 33
6.    Daytona Anderson, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha – 23
7.    Nick McFadden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki – 20
8.    Michael Gilbert, Santa Ana, Calif., Yamaha – 17
9.    Jason Aguilar, Placentia, Calif., Yamaha – 17
10.   Shane Richardson, Wellington, New Zealand, Kawasaki – 11

Superstock 600, Race 1
1.    Nick McFadden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki
2.    Jason Aguilar, Placentia, Calif., Yamaha
3.    Michael Gilbert, Santa Ana, Calif., Yamaha
4.    Conner Blevins, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki
5.    Shane Richardson, Wellington, New Zealand, Kawasaki
6.    Braeden Ortt, Calgary, Alberta, Yamaha
7.    Rafael DaSilva, Minas, Brazil, Yamaha
8.    JC Camacho, Deer Park, Texas, Suzuki
9.    Brandon Cleland, Fort Worth, Texas, Suzuki
10.  Ryan Christian, Clearwater, Fla., Yamaha

Superstock 600, Race 2
1.    Nick McFadden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki
2.    Michael Gilbert, Santa Ana, Calif., Yamaha
3.    Jason Aguilar, Placentia, Calif., Yamaha
4.    JC Camacho, Deer Park, Texas, Suzuki
5.    Shane Richardson, Wellington, New Zealand, Kawasaki
6.    Conner Blevins, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki
7.    Braeden Ortt, Calgary, Alberta, Yamaha
8.    Anthony Mazziotto III, Hammonton, N.J., Yamaha
9.    Rafael DaSilva, Minas, Brazil, Yamaha
10.  Brandon Cleland, Fort Worth, Texas, Suzuki

Superstock 600 Championship Standings
1.    Nick McFadden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki – 50
2.    Michael Gilbert, Santa Ana, Calif., Yamaha – 36
3.    Jason Aguilar, Placentia, Calif., Yamaha – 36
4.    Conner Blevins, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki – 23
5.    Shane Richardson, Wellington, New Zealand, Kawasaki – 22
6.    JC Camacho, Deer Park, Texas, Suzuki – 21
7.    Braeden Ortt, Calgary, Alberta, Yamaha – 19
8.    Rafael DaSilva, Minas, Brazil, Yamaha – 16
9.    Brandon Cleland, Fort Worth, Texas, Suzuki – 13
10.  Ryan Christian, Clearwater, Fla., Yamaha – 11

KTM RC Cup, Race 1
1.    Benjamin Smith, Glenmoore, Pa., KTM
2.    Draik Beauchamp, Knoxville, Tenn., KTM
3.    Alex Dumas, Quebec, Canada, KTM
4.    Trevor Standish, Roswell, Ga., KTM
5.    Tyler Wissel, Medina, Ohio, KTM
6.    Gavin Anthony, Hilliard, Ohio, KTM
7.    Cory Ventura, Union City, Calif., KTM
8.    Toby Khamsouk, Banning, Calif., KTM
9.    Nate Minster, Oak Grove, Minn., KTM
10.  Jake Leahey, Hammonton, N.J., KTM

KTM RC Cup, Race 2
1.    Benjamin Smith, Glenmoore, Pa., KTM
2.    Draik Beauchamp, Knoxville, Tenn., KTM
3.    Tyler Wissel, Medina, Ohio, KTM
4.    Alex Dumas, Quebec, Canada, KTM
5.    Toby Khamsouk, Banning, Calif., KTM
6.    Gavin Anthony, Hilliard, Ohio, KTM
7.    Trevor Standish, Roswell, Ga., KTM
8.    Cory Ventura, Union City, Calif., KTM
9.    Jake Leahey, Hammonton, N.J., KTM
10.  Sergio Rodriguez II, Oxnard, Calif., KTM

KTM RC Cup Championship Standings
1.    Benjamin Smith, Glenmoore, Pa., KTM – 50
2.    Draik Beauchamp, Knoxville, Tenn., KTM – 40
3.    Alex Dumas, Quebec, Canada, KTM – 29
4.    Tyler Wissel, Medina, Ohio, KTM – 27
5.    Trevor Standish, Roswell, Ga., KTM – 22
6.    Gavin Anthony, Hilliard, Ohio, KTM – 20
7.    Toby Khamsouk, Banning, Calif., KTM – 19
8.    Cory Ventura, Union City, Calif., KTM – 17
9.    Jake Leahey, Hammonton, N.J., KTM – 13
10.  Nate Minster, Oak Grove, Minn., KTM – 12

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