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Tag: Cameron Beaubier

  • Beaubier Sweeps Superbike at Road America

    Beaubier Sweeps Superbike at Road America

    Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha rider Cameron Beaubier controlled the MotoAmerica Honda Superbike Showdown at Road America on Sunday, taking the win in both Superbike 1000 races.

    Race One was the tamer of the two, with Beaubier establishing a comfortable lead over Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden and keeping a few bike lengths between them until crossing the finish line.

    Race Two provided more drama, as Beaubier swapped the lead with teammate Josh Hayes several times before Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias joined the mix, managing to take the second spot from Hayes and build a gap between them. On the final lap Elias made a desperate lunge at Beaubier entering Turn 5, but the reigning champion executed an effective crossover and regained the inside position from the late-braking Spaniard.

    Beaubier’s perfect weekend (his fifth and sixth wins of the season) puts him in the championship points lead by seven points over teammate Hayes.

    Running on track at the same time as the Superbikes was the Superstock 1000 class. Former Superbike champion Josh Herrin piloted his Wheels in Motion/Meen Motorsports Yamaha to the win in both races, taking fifth overall and edging out Aprilia HSBK Racing’s Claudio Corti in both events.

    In the Supersport 600 class, Y.E.S./Graves Yamaha’s Garrett Gerloff won a wet Race One over his teammate and defending Supersport champion J.D. Beach. In Race Two, Frenchman Valentin Debise took his first Supersport victory in dramatic fashion, losing the lead and then retaking it at the end of the final lap.

  • Elias and Yoshimura Best the Americans at COTA

    Elias and Yoshimura Best the Americans at COTA

    Spaniard Toni Elias captured the win in Superbike Race One at Circuit of the Americas on Saturday. The former Moto2 World Champion and MotoGP race winner filled in for Yoshimura Suzuki’s injured rider Jake Lewis, and the win was in his first ever MotoAmerica race.

    Yoshimura teammate Roger Hayden dominated the early laps of Race One after grabbing the lead from the pole. Hayden only temporarily lost the lead to Monser Energy/Graves Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier before the defending champion crashed out on the second lap.

    Hayden proceeded to take the lead and steadily increase it, building a gap of over two seconds to second place.

    Trouble struck for Hayden when Kyle Wyman blew his engine and spread oil across the track, bringing out the red flag as his bike erupted in flames. Oil cleanup caused a lengthy stoppage, and race officials decided to restart the race with five laps remaining.

    The second part of the race saw Hayden’s dominance put to the test, as his tire grip problems created a heated three-way battle for the lead with Elias and Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha’s Josh Hayes.

    Elias took the lead and Hayden pushed, but was faced with pressure from Hayes for second. Elias gained some breathing room and eased through the final portion of the last lap, while Hayden faced one final charge from Hayes in the last turn, but denied him the spot, completing a one-two sweep for Yoshimura Suzuki.

    Broaster Chicken/Roadrace Factory’s Jake Gagne took fourth, and Latus Motors Racing’s Bobby Fong finished fifth overall, winning the Superstock 1000 class on his Kawasaki ZX-10R.

    Texas native Garrett Gerloff won the Supersport race after he and Y.E.S./Graves Yamaha teammate J.D. Beach pulled away from the field early in the race.

  • Beaubier Takes a Close Win in Race One at Road America

    Beaubier Takes a Close Win in Race One at Road America

    by Nick Livers

    Monster Energy Graves Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier captured the win in MotoAmerica’s Superbike/Superstock 1000 Race One at Road America on Sunday.

    Yoshimura Suzuki’s Jake Lewis moved to the lead off the start, but was overtaken by Hayes in Turn 2. Within a few laps, Beaubier took second spot from Lewis, and the two were followed by Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden in fourth a bit behind.

    On Lap 4, Beaubier caught Hayes and briefly passed him, but Hayes was able to regroup and regain his position.

    Beaubier continued to challenge with Lewis not far behind, until Hayes wrecked in Turn 14 on Lap 6. Hayes reentered the track in 14th, and was able to climb to a 7th place finish to scrape up some valuable championship points.

    Hayden was able to pass his teammate Lewis, and slowly closed the gap to Beaubier. In the final laps he reached the back of Beaubier’s YZF-R1, but was unable to make the pass due to a few miscues.

    Beaubier edged Hayden out for the win by a few bike lengths, followed by Lewis and RoadRace Factory’s Jake Gagne, each finishing with no challenges for position. Gagne was the top finisher in the Superstock 1000 class.

    Danny Eslick and Chris Fillmore ended a hard fight in 5th and 6th places, respectively.
    Race Results:

    1. Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha)
    2. Roger Hayden (Suzuki)
    3. Jake Lewis (Suzuki)
    4. Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
    5. Danny Eslick (Honda)
    6. Chris Fillmore (KTM)
    7. Josh Hayes (Yamaha)
    8. Sheridan Morais (Aprilia)
    9. Shane Narbonne (Yamaha)
    10. Mark Heckles (Yamaha)
    11. Elena Myers (Suzuki)
    12. Frankie Babuska (Suzuki)
    13. Devon McDonough (Aprilia)
    14. Bernat Martinez (Yamaha)
    15. Stefano Mesa (Honda)
  • Hayes’ Dominant Season Heads Into Final Round

    Hayes’ Dominant Season Heads Into Final Round

    After winning six of the season’s first nine races, Josh Hayes has all but sealed up his fourth AMA Pro SuperBike championship heading into the final round next month at the New Jersey Motorsports Park.

    Hayes’ death-grip on the points lead has not loosened all season, with two of his non-victories coming as second place finishes. A 21st place finish at Daytona early in the season was his only stutter, but he quickly corrected himself and found rhythm in the following races.

    Hayes’ only real formidable opponent throughout the season has been his rookie Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha teammate Cameron Beaubier. Yoshimura Suzuki riders Roger Hayden and Martin Cardenas have raced Hayes near the front of the field regularly, but no one has offered a real challenge in late-race scenarios like Beaubier. The rookie captured wins in the three races not claimed by Hayes.

    With a comfortable 40-point lead over Beaubier and a proven ability to be consistent this year, wrapping up a fourth championship should be a walk in the park for Hayes. With 30 points going to the winner of each race, it would take back-to-back misfortunes for Hayes coupled with stellar riding on Beaubier’s part to make things interesting.

    Hayes proved his unwillingness to take the safe route to a championship, running hard  in two races in the last round at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Easing off the throttle and mustering up modest points would have held up a strong lead, but Hayes elected to risk running up front in both races. After Beaubier beat him to the line by .293 seconds in Race One, Hayes came back and showed that he won’t be offering any opportunities to close the gap on his championship lead, winning Race Two in a photo finish by .001 seconds.

    As if there was any hope for a challenge to the soon-to-be champ, riders must face the reality that Hayes typically races at peak performance at the final track of the year, the New Jersey Motorsports Park. In his last five seasons in the SuperBike class, Hayes has won eight of ten races there, and his worst finish was a fourth place. Beaubier’s New Jersey record cannot touch that of Hayes, but he did run consistently there in recent years, including a 2012 Daytona SportBike win and a sweep in the SportBike class last year.

    Beaubier’s riding abilities suggest that next year could make for a closer contest. His championship hopes took a few hard hits in races when rookie mistakes left him outside the top ten. One thing is certain– after clocking plenty of laps running in his teammate’s draft this year, the young rider has gained invaluable knowledge on how to run a dominant line.

    But until Beaubier finds a proven method of getting around his teammate, the old-timer will continue to run the show.

  • Beaubier Captures Dramatic Win in Race One at Road America

    Beaubier Captures Dramatic Win in Race One at Road America

    Monster Energy Graves Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier captured his second win of the season in Saturday’s AMA Pro Superbike Race One at Road America.

    The Superbike rookie has now notched two wins in his first three races of the season and expanded his championship lead to 13 points ahead of second place Roger Hayden.

    Last year’s GoPro Daytona SportBike champion Beaubier and his Monster Energy Graves Yamaha teammate Josh Hayes started the race in first and second, the same order they finished, and dominated the field for all 13 laps and 53 miles aboard their identical YZF-R1 bikes.

    Beaubier led early, but Hayes took the lead around mid-race and gradually notched increments on the gap to his teammate until he had built a comfortable lead.

    Beaubier came on strong in the final laps, though, and found himself closing in on the lead with just over a lap to go. He reached Hayes’ back wheel in the final turn of Lap 12, and regained his draft as they entered the front straightaway.

    Beaubier utilized the long front stretch of the four-mile track to reel Hayes in and initiate a pass as the white flag waved.  In the first turn of the final lap, Beaubier completed his maneuver around Hayes.

    The rookie effectively outmaneuvered his three-time champion teammate, denying any attempt at a pass on the final lap.  Beaubier took the win by .306 seconds.

    Third place finisher Martin Cardenas challenged the two frontrunners in the opening laps of the race as the three pulled away from the pack. By lap 8, Cardenas fell to four seconds behind the lead. Beaubier and Hayes continued to increase the gap to third place through the second half of the race, and Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Cardenas finished 15 seconds off the lead.

    Cardenas’ Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Roger Hayden finished 26 seconds behind the lead in fourth, followed by ADR Motorsports/Sic/Motul Fly Racing’s David Anthony in fifth and the final Yoshimura finisher Chris Clark in sixth.

    AMA Pro SuperBike Road America Race 1 Results

    1. Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha)

    2. Josh Hayes (Yamaha)

    3. Martin Cardenas (Suzuki)

    4. Roger Hayden (Suzuki)

    5. David Anthony (Suzuki)

    6. Chris Clark (Suzuki)

    7. Chris Fillmore (KTM)

    8. Chris Ulrich (Honda)

    9. Cory West (EBR)

    10. Jason Farrell (Kawasaki)

    11. Frankie Babuska (Suzuki)

    12. Trent Gibson (Kawasaki)

    13. Francois Dumas (BMW)

    14. Bernat Martinez (Yamaha)

    15. Larry Pegram (EBR)

  • SuperBike Rookie Beaubier Establishing Dominance Early

    SuperBike Rookie Beaubier Establishing Dominance Early

    Twenty-one-year-old Cameron Beaubier is no stranger to winning, but this year he has proven his ability to grab checkers in a new venue– the AMA’s premier road racing class.

    Notching a win in his second race in the AMA Pro SuperBike class proved to his competition that not only is he capable of winning, but he is capable of winning early, and quite possibly often.

    He dominated the Daytona SportBike class last year, winning 12 of 13 races en route to an uncontested championship. His only non-first place finish was a second place, leaving him with an average finishing position of 1.1. That he came out so strong in 2014 is no surprise, even with his graduation to the SuperBike class.

    Opening weekend at Daytona in March proved that Beaubier is a force to be reckoned with, landing on the podium in both races. Initially, Race One appeared to be typical AMA SuperBike racing, with Josh Hayes taking the win, but the rookie Beaubier managed to snag a third place finish. Despite a slip up early in the race, Beaubier managed to climb back to second place, and even grabbed the lead for a lap late in the race. When he ran too wide into Turn 1 a second time in the final laps, he lost his chance for a win.

    Beaubier would not make the same mistake twice. The next day, he rode his Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 to victory, and in only his second Pro SuperBike race. After hanging in the top-three throughout the race, Beaubier made his move to second place in the final laps, and on the last circuit played the draft in the final turn to blow by Roger Hayden for the win.

    Despite the AMA’s huge scheduling gap between early March’s weekend in Daytona and the following race weekend at Road America May 31-June 1, Beaubier has kept himself busy and successful elsewhere.

    Aside from currently leading the AMA Pro SuperBike points after two solid finishes at Daytona, Beaubier also leads the point standings in the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout series, a three race series that is heading into its final round at Miller Motorsports Park on May 25. His finishes in the first two races: second at Auto Club Speedway and first at Sonoma Raceway.

    The weekend following the GEICO series championship will turn Beaubier’s attention back to the AMA series, where the daunting four-mile Road America awaits.The longest course on the circuit is also one of the most popular in all of road racing, and a couple solid finishes there will solidify Beaubier’s position as a serious championship contender in his rookie season, in case anyone has any lingering doubts.

    It was obvious that his time to graduate to SuperBike had come. From winning the Daytona 200 last year by 22 seconds, to capturing every pole of the year en route to a 12-win championship season, the question was not if he would race in the SuperBike class, but how dominant he would be. He has exceeded all expectations. While a jump to the internationally acclaimed MotoGP series may undoubtedly be a option in the future, Cameron Beaubier should relish in the fact that he is sitting on a rookie season that may very well be one for the record books.