Next weekend, on May 31 through June 2, an army of MotoAmerica road racers 152-strong will descend on “America’s National Park of Speed,” ready to do battle in six race classes. They’ll be joined by mechanics, crew chiefs, team owners, parents, children, spouses, significant others, photographers, videographers, journalists, content creators, suppliers, vendors, officials, MotoAmerica staff members, and of course, fans.
Last year, the weekend attendance for Superbikes at Road America was 41,081, which was the most-attended MotoAmerica-managed event thus far in the 10-year history of the series. And, we’re expecting even more fans to join us this year.
Let’s take a closer look at the one-hundred-fifty-plus-two entries who will compete on Elkhart Lake’s legendary 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course:
Steel Commander Superbike
All the MotoAmerica riders look forward to Road America, and the Steel Commander Superbike rider undoubtedly lead the pack in that sentiment. The four-mile circuit enables them to really stretch their legs, and last year, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier reached a top trap speed of 189.4 miles per hour aboard his BMW M 1000 RR. Will we see speeds of 190 miles per hour or better? You can practically count on it. The track was newly paved last year, but racetracks usually yield the fastest speeds and lap times a year or two after they’ve been “seasoned” when rubber has been embedded into the asphalt aggregate by all the cars and motorcycles that have circulated. Rubber-to-rubber contact provides the best grip and, therefore, the highest speeds. Watch for record-breaking laptimes and trap speeds next weekend.
Speaking of speed, Top Pro Racing’s Superbike rookie Sean Dylan Kelly has got to be licking his chops right now. His BMW M 1000 RR is a fast machine, so watch him twist the throttle with abandon next weekend.
Also, look for a resurgence from Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati riders Josh Herrin and Loris Baz. They will be able to “release the hounds” in their Ducati Panigale V4 R Superbikes and maximize the prodigious power of their Italian stallions. And, we’ll soon see how three-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne is managing his arm-pump issue. It’s a debilitating and chronic condition, but we’ve heard he may have undergone some kind of procedure to give him some relief. His teammate Cam Petersen seems to have overcome his own arm issues going back to last season, and he’s had a return to form so far this year. By the way, the Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing YZF-R1s are always fast at Road America.
The Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki riders, Brandon Paasch and Xavi Forés, are anxious to get to Road America, too. Both riders love the iconic Wisconsin road course (as do we), and it’s early days for both Paasch and Forés aboard their Suzuki GSX-R1000Rs. This could be a breakthrough weekend for both riders, especially Forés, who turned the second-fastest lap in race two last weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, in only his first weekend on the bike and with his new team.
Supersport
Forty-two riders aboard Supersport Next Generation motorcycles will take to the track next weekend, and no team is looking forward to it more than Rahal Ducati Moto. Like the Ducati Superbikes mentioned above, the Ducati Panigale V2 machines ridden by PJ Jacobsen, Corey Alexander, and Kayla Yaakov will press whatever advantages they might have in displacement, torque, and aerodynamics to the fullest. Meanwhile, the Yamaha YZF-R6s ridden by Mathew Scholtz, Blake Davis, and others may find themselves wanting a little more than 599cc of engine size to deliver the top-end they’ll need.
Road America may also be the round where see better results from Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott and Teagg Hobbs, as well as Wrench Motorcycles’ David Anthony and the other riders aboard Suzuki GSX-R750s. That motorcycle is right in the sweet spot when it comes to Supersport performance.
Junior Cup
“Conga lines.” That’s the first thing I always think of when it comes to the Junior Cup riders racing at Road America. All 23 of the Junior Cup entrants will be aboard Kawasaki Ninja 400s at Road America, which makes it an ad hoc “Team Green” spec class. And with all the bikes being the same, the difference comes down to the riders. The parity in the class is the reason for the “pack mentality” where the riders race in large bunches and use slipstreaming to help them emerge from the group in order to make it to the turns first, or eventually, to the finish line first.
It seems to be “all change” in Junior Cup this year with a new group of riders racing at the front, including New York Safety Track Racing’s Yandel Medina, Speed Demon Racing’s Logan Cunnison, the BARTCON Racing tandem of Matthew Chapin and Eli Block, and several others. Defending class champion Avery Dreher is having a tough go of it this season with all these younger riders at the front, and at Barber Motorsports Park last weekend, even Avery’s sister Ella was giving her big brother fits.
BellissiMoto Twins Cup
Two-cylinder, middleweight motorcycles on the 4.048-mile Road America road course? It’s a sight to see as the BellissiMoto Twins Cup riders put on a great show aboard motorcycles that produce decent speed that is complemented by razor-sharp handling and agility. After all, Road America may be a high-speed track, but it’s also got 14 turns. And, if you don’t get through the turns quickly, you can’t go fast on the straightaways.
Among the 37 Twins Cup entrants is current points leader, Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Gus Rodio, and his 15-year-old teammate Alessandro Di Mario. Both riders will undoubtedly be at the front next weekend as they do battle against RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers, Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle, TopPro Racing’s Avery Dreher, and others. Also, there is a nice mix of Aprilia RS 660s, Yamaha YZF-R7s, and a couple of Suzuki GSX-8Rs (including the one ridden by up-and-coming Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Rossi Moor), and they are pretty well-balanced, which makes for an interesting subplot among the respective motorcycle manufacturers.
Peruse the list below, and you’ll see number 41, Kevin Olmedo, who will be aboard a BobbleHeadMoto/N2 Racing Yamaha YZF-R7 in Twins Cup. We warmly welcome Olmedo back to the paddock after he had to step away from racing to overcome a serious health issue. The El Salvadoran is a shining light in our paddock, and all of us can benefit from experiencing his big smile and always-happy disposition. He represents the best of what MotoAmerica is, and I, along with hundreds of other people, can’t wait to see him return to racing.
Mission King Of The Baggers
After a one-round hiatus, the Mission King Of The Baggers Championship is back for their fourth race weekend of the season, and the Road America faithful will get to see MotoAmerica’s fastest-growing race class in all its glory. It’s quite a spectacle to behold when you see those big touring bikes going more than 160 miles per hour down the front straightaway, not to mention how much lean angle they are able to get in the turns. Last year, the Baggers were achieving the same trap speeds as the Supersport bikes. Think about that for a moment.
Australian Troy Herfoss has taken to King Of The Baggers like a shrimp to a barbie. The S&S/Indian Motorcycle rider leads the points with three wins and three runner-up results in the six races thus far. He’s giving Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman and James Rispoli all they can handle, along with defending class champion Hayden Gillim and his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Rocco Landers. Plus, there’s Herfoss’s teammate Tyler O’Hara, the Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson triumvirate of Cory West, Jake Lewis, and Travis Wyman, as well as SDI/Roland Sands Racing/Indian Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong and Mad Monkey Motorsports fan favorite Max Flinders.
Don’t miss the two Mission King Of The Baggers races and the two-lap, winner-take-all Challenge where the victor pockets $5,000.
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race.
After seven wins in seven races last year, followed by two more wins last weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, can anyone stop defending Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. Champion Mikayla Moore from running the table again and going undefeated this year?
Twelve other riders will try again this weekend to unseat Moore. At Barber, the closest contenders were BTR veteran Emma Betters and rookie upstart Camille Conrad, while Miranda Cain, Cassie Creer, and Shea MacGregor are hoping to move up into podium contention in Wisconsin. Like Moore and Betters, Aubrey Credaroli is also back for a second year in BTR, and she’s hoping her new, shorter hairstyle and familiarity with Road America will help her return to the podium like she did in race two last year in America’s Dairyland.
For the full 2024 MotoAmerica schedule and to purchase tickets for MotoAmerica events, click HERE
For information on how to watch the MotoAmerica series, click HERE
