With so many former and current MotoAmerica road racers competing in championships elsewhere in the world, here’s a rundown on who raced over this past weekend and how they did:
WorldSBK
Former MotoAmerica Supersport champion and multi-time Superbike race winner Garrett Gerloff was in Hungary competing aboard his Kawasaki WorldSBK Team Ninja ZX-10RR at Balaton Park Circuit for round eight of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship. Despite not having ever raced at Balaton Park, Gerloff qualified 14th on the grid for Saturday’s Race One.
Unfortunately, chaos ensued on the first lap of the first race of the weekend. An unfortunate collision in turn two resulted in the red flag being thrown to stop the race. Seven riders, including Gerloff, were involved in a relatively slow but dramatic incident after two other riders had collided. The tough Texan picked up his bike and rode back to the pits for evaluation and inspection, and miraculously, he made it back onto the grid for the quick restart to Race One.
The Double-G fought for ninth and tenth track positions during the race and was ultimately classified ninth, which netted him seven valuable championship points in the process.
After the race, however, a lower back injury that Gerloff suffered in the melee flared up, and he was taken to the hospital for further examination. The combination of his injury and the medication he was given at the hospital prevented him from being able to race in the two Balaton races on Sunday. He went back to the hospital on Sunday for a final confirmation of his overall medical condition before making any final travel plans to head home.
“In the end, I am not too bad,” Gerloff said on Sunday. “It was just unfortunate. It would be tough to race today, I am not going to lie, but I had painkillers yesterday, and that has made me unfit for Sunday’s races. But, I am OK; just beaten up, and I am hurting pretty bad. But, we have a long time until the next round so I will be fine. I wish I was out there racing again today. Thank you to everybody for the messages and the support.”
The ninth round of the championship will not take place until September 5 through 7 at Magny-Cours in France.
WorldWCR
Three American women were in action at Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary for the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship (WorldWCR). Former MotoAmerica full-time racers Mallory Dobbs and Sonya Lloyd, along with current MotoAmerica competitor Elisa Gendron Belen, all raced for their respective teams in the spec series that showcases all the riders on Yamaha YZF-R7 motorcycles.
Dobbs finished 15th in each of the two races and steadily improved her lap times throughout the weekend. Lloyd was 20th in Saturday’s Race One and 22nd in Race Two.
“P15 and one more point on the board,” said Diva Racing’s Dobbs. “I dropped a little bit of time, but not as much as I should be able to. I’m just really struggling with bike set up and feeling comfortable lately, and I don’t really know why. Going to change some things up tomorrow.
“Unfortunately, the weather forecast was nothing like the predictions. It was only a wet warm up this morning, and we had a dry race. I had a killer start from P17 all the way to P12 on the first lap. I had the perfect opportunity to latch onto that next group to tow me to better lap times, but I just didn’t have it today. Had a lot of battles throughout the whole race and too many little mistakes to get a better finish. One more point on the board is better than nothing but not where I want to be. Time to go back to the States and put together a better plan to train and get up to where I know I can be.”
With four top-twenty finishes in the eight races completed so far in this, Lloyd’s rookie WorldWCR season, she’s looking to further improve when the series resumes in early September at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.
The Team Trasimeno rider commented, “Balaton Park was a new circuit for me. I qualified nineteenth, which is my best grid position of the year so far and shows we are going in the right direction. It was nice in Race One to be starting a bit further up the grid, and it definitely gave me a jump into Turn One. I eventually made my way forward but, by the time I had cleared the slower riders, I had too much of a gap to close in the laps left.
“I got a better launch (in Race Two) and was much more aggressive in the first couple of corners, but then, I got shuffled back a bit. It’s not the race I wanted, and I need to reset during the summer break and come back stronger. I know the results will come and my lap times are much closer to the points zone, which is a positive as I head back to the USA. I am looking forward to Magny-Cours, a circuit that nobody has raced at, so see you all there.”
Gendron Belen, who was racing as a wild card in her first-ever WorldWCR event, finished 23rd in Race One and 24th in Race Two. She will return to the MotoAmerica series this weekend at VIRginia International Raceway for the next round of the SC-Project Twins Cup Championship.
“I first have to give a big thank you to the Pons Motorsport Italika Racing Team for giving me the opportunity to race in WorldWCR this weekend in Hungary,” Gendron Belen said. “In (Sunday’s) race, I managed to stick with the group I lost yesterday and continued to lower my lap times. I’m happy to have been able to represent Puerto Rico proudly and be the first Puerto Rican in a road racing world championship.”
Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup
Former MotoAmerica Mini Cup rider Chris Clark put on another front-running performance in the latest round of the 2025 FIM Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup at the all-new Balaton Park circuit in Hungary this past weekend to enter the summer break second overall in the championship standings.
Saturday afternoon’s opening Race One saw Clark get a good launch from the third row of the grid, and he moved into podium contention almost immediately. Running fourth, he unfortunately lost the draft towards the end of the race, but he was able to fend off the chasing pack, and he took fifth at the flag. In Race Two, Clark once again ensured he was in contention for the podium throughout and crossed the line in eighth.
“Race one was good for me,” said Clark. “I started seventh but was up to fifth by turn two. I was running alone in fourth for a little bit, but I lost contact with the leading three. I was then in a big group and had to battle really hard. I knew we weren’t going to catch the leaders, so my focus was then to score as many points as I could. I finished fifth, which was good for the championship. It was possibly going to rain on Sunday but, either way, I was ready. Sunday wasn’t a complete disaster, but I was a little disappointed. The main thing is, I am still second in the championship, which I am happy about. I was confident for Race Two. I maintained by position off the start but was then in a huge group that I couldn’t pass as quickly as I had hoped. At the end, my bike was too hot and lost power, and I had no real top speed to pass, even though I knew I was faster. Overall, it was another good weekend.
“I have the Master Camp coming up, which I am so excited for and then a bit of a break until Aragon. I know it’s going to be a great end to the season. I want to thank the whole Smrz Racing BGR team, my mum, all my sponsors, my manager and everyone who is supporting me.”
Clark will return home to the U.S. for a few weeks before returning to Europe in late August to attend the Yamaha Master Camp event in Valencia, Spain, where he will join several top Yamaha riders in a specially designed week-long event designed to further develop young talent.
British Talent Cup
Julián Correa made the decision to race in the British Talent Cup at Brands Hatch instead of the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul at Mid-Ohio, and he had a challenging weekend, but he still managed to net two results well inside the top 10.
Correa’s weekend began with some initial struggles with bike setup on the brand-new paved track. He qualified ninth on the grid and improved by two positions in Race One, crossing the finish line in seventh place. On Sunday, he finished eighth in Race Two.
“I’m incredibly proud of the progress we made this weekend,” commented Correa. “The team worked tirelessly to give me a fantastic bike, and I felt myself getting stronger and more comfortable with every lap. While the final positions might not tell the whole story, we were consistently battling for positions and showing what we’re capable of.”
Mortimer Racing Honda Team Principal Richard Mortimer commented, “Julian’s dedication and fighting spirit were truly on display. We saw him make huge leaps forward in his understanding of the bike and the track. The results don’t always reflect the intense work and the incredible gains made, but as a team, we’re extremely encouraged by his progression and eager to carry this momentum into the next round.”
Look for Correa on the grid in this weekend’s round of the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul at VIR.
Joshua Raymond Jr., who formerly raced in MotoAmerica’s Mini Cup and Junior Cup Championships and now competes in the British Talent Cup for Fibre Tec Honda by MLav Racing, was also in action this past weekend at Brands Hatch. Raymond Jr. qualified 13th for the two races and finished 10th in Race One and ninth in Race Two.
