MotoAmerica: Round #6 Day Two Report - Indianapolis

MotoAmerica Press Release:

Monster Energy/Graves Motorsports Yamaha's Cameron Beaubier won his seventh MotoAmerica Superbike race of the season on Saturday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 22-year-old Californian extending his championship lead to nine points over his teammate and series rival Josh Hayes in the process. The win, however, didn't come without a race-long battle with Yoshimura Suzuki's Roger Hayden, the Kentuckian coming up just .040 of a second short at the finish line. That means Hayden has lost the last two races to Beaubier (Indy and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) by a combined .124 of a second.

Hayes, meanwhile, was never a factor in this one as he battled to the finish just to earn the final podium spot, besting Yoshimura Suzuki's Jake Lewis by .087 of a second as the pair crossed the famous yard of bricks.

The win was not only the seventh on the season for Beaubier, but he will also go down in history as the first-ever winner of a Superbike race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

A champion was also crowned at the Brickyard on Saturday with Yamalube/Y.E.S./Graves Motorsports Yamaha's JD Beach clinching the 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM Supersport Championship with a third-place finish in the red-flag interrupted final.

With his nearest rival Josh Herrin crashing out of the battle for victory on the first lap after the re-start, Beach didn't have to do much to earn the crown. But he still finished third behind his teammate Garrett Gerloff and the Latus Motors Racing Triumph of Bobby Fong, with those two battling to the bitter end. At the finish it was Gerloff taking his second win of the season and his first since May by .036 of a second over Fong.

"The one thing I can tell you is that everybody at the house is going to be a lot more happy because I've been grumpy and mean and have just been so stressed over this," Beach said after earning his first professional title. "It's something that I've wanted for a long time and I've worked since I was a kid to have this. It was just me and my dad going dirt track racing and then moving away from my dad and moving back east and living with a great family. We all had the same goal and having Hayden (Gillim) win the Supersport Championship last year and being able to bring it home this year... it's just an amazing thing. I'm just thankful to have a team behind me like I do and a family there that has the same goals as me. Me and Hayden are always pushing each other each day and it's just amazing."

With just the two races at New Jersey Motorsports Park remaining, Beach has an insurmountable 57-point lead over Gerloff, who moved ahead of the non-scoring Herrin by five points with his victory today at Indy.

Fourth place in today's Supersport final went to newly crowned Superstock 600 Champion Joe Roberts, the Wheels in Motion/Motosport.com/Meen Motorsports Yamaha rider moving up to the Supersport class after wrapping up the Superstock 600 title at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca three weeks ago. Roadrace Factory's Cameron Petersen rounded out the top five, the South African chasing Roberts across the finish line.

With Beaubier and Hayden fighting for the victory and Hayes and Lewis battling over third in the Superbike final, fifth place went to a lonely Jake Gagne, who in the process won his 10th Superstock 1000 race of the season to extend his championship points lead to 29 points over TOBC Racing's Taylor Knapp. Knapp ended up third in the Superstock 1000 class and seventh overall, one spot behind Westby Racing's Joshua Day.

HSBK Aprilia's Sheridan Morais was eighth with Atom Racing's Steve Rapp and GN Gonzales Racing's Shane Narbone rounding out the top 10 overall. All three were in the Superstock 1000 class where they finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.

A second Superbike/Superstock 1000 race will be held on tomorrow (Sunday) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Beaubier will take a nine-point lead over Hayes into that race, 311-302, with Hayden now a solid third with 225 points.

In the Superstock 1000 points chase, Gagne leads Knapp by 29 points, 269-240.

"That was a really important race for me to win in this tight championship with Josh (Hayes)," Beaubier said. "I know tomorrow it might be a little tougher. It will be his (Hayes) third day on this track and I'm sure they are going to go back and work hard on the bike for tomorrow. The battle was awesome, like Roger (Hayden) said, going into turn one and trying to out-brake each other. That seemed like the only place where we could really pass each other because we had the rest of the track really dialed. I felt like I was sliding all over the place, entry, mid-corner, exit, and when I was behind him I know he was doing the same. I know we were hanging out. I had fun and I have to thank my team."

SUPERBIKE RACE 1:

1. Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha)

2. Roger Hayden (Suzuki)

3. Josh Hayes (Yamaha)

4. Jake Lewis (Suzuki)

5. Elena Myers (Suzuki)

6. Chris Ulrich (Suzuki)

SUPERSPORT FINAL:

1. Garrett Gerloff (Yamaha)

2. Bobby Fong (Triumph)

3. JD Beach (Yamaha)

4. Joe Roberts (Yamaha)

5. Cameron Petersen (Yamaha)

6. Travis Wyman (Yamaha)

7. Hayden Gillim (MV Agusta)

8. Bryce Prince (Yamaha)

9. Corey Alexander (Yamaha)

10. Benny Solis Jr. (Honda)

For more information: www.motoamerica.com