MotoAmerica Support Classes: They’re called “support classes” because they are part of the action-packed MotoAmerica road racing that occurs on Saturday and Sunday as the “undercards” to the main event, which is the Quad Lock Superbike Championship.
At Barber Motorsports Park, those support classes are Supersport, Talent Cup, Twins Cup, and the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship. The first races of the weekend in each of the four classes were chock-full of drama and excitement that delighted the prodigious crowd enjoying a sun-splashed day at “the Augusta National of Motorsports.”
Supersport: Three Ducs In A Row
After becoming the first female rider to earn an AMA/MotoAmerica Supersport podium, Rahal Ducati Moto with Droplight rider Kayla Yaakov liked it so much that she did it again at Barber Motorsports Park while also setting a new lap record in Supersport at Barber.
Yaakov got the holeshot and held the lead in the beginning of the race until she was overtaken by her teammate Josh Herrin aboard the Rahal Ducati Moto with Desnuda Organic Tequila Panigale V2.
The race was red-flagged after Horney Racing’s Kevin Horney crashed, and then, it was red-flagged a second time right after the restart when Shane Maggs Racing’s Shane Maggs was involved in an incident with Superbike Supply rider Hayden Diedrich.
On the second restart, Herrin got the holeshot, but Darryn Binder quickly took the lead aboard his Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse Ducati. Yaakov got a good start and slotted in behind Binder. She then made a deft pass on the South African and put herself back in the lead.
As the three Ducati riders battled for position, Herrin also got around Binder. Then, with three laps to go, the order shuffled again, putting Herrin in the lead over Binder, and Yaakov was relegated to third.
Binder overtook Herrin in the Museum Corner and was in the lead until Herrin regained the lead. Meanwhile, Yaakov came under pressure from M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott, who passed her, but it was short-lived as Yaakov retook third place.
Herrin ultimately clinched the win, with Binder finishing as runner-up, and Yaakov completed the all-Ducati podium.
“I was having some problems with my hand going numb in the first stint, so I got a little bit lucky with that red flag,” Herrin said. “Hats off to my whole Rahal Ducati Desnuda Tequila team. Thanks to Brew Watch, Nimbus Healthcare, Roller Die. Thanks to everybody. Really thanks to Graham and Spies for believing in me and putting me on this Rahal project. As much love as I have for the Warhorse guys, it feels good sticking it to them in these races. Much love to all of them. Congrats to Kayla on the pole. Congrats on the podium. Happy to see her up here. She was just this eight-year-old kid at the Herrin Compound. It’s special to see her up here battling with me. It fires me up when I see her go by me, that’s for sure. It’s a lot of fun. Just happy to be up here with a third win.”
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Talent Cup: Gouker Gouges The Field
Coming into Barber, Kensei Matsudaira had put together a three-race winning streak, and he was poised to continue it at a track that really suits the lightweight, corner-speed-favoring Kramer APA-350 MA.
Nathan Gouker, who won the first Talent Cup race of the season, had other ideas.
Matsudaira ran off track and didn’t crash, but it shuffled him back in the order and he spent the rest of the race trying to get back towards the front.
Gouker was absolutely dominant, however, and he never put a wheel wrong as he pressed his advantage and stretched his lead all the way to the checkered flag, taking the victory by nearly four seconds over second-place finisher Jake Paige aboard his Team Hammer machine.
Matsudaira put in a huge effort and advanced all the way up to third to extend his podium-finishing streak to five consecutive races. Gouker, who has also podiumed in all five Talent Cup races thus far, is now just five points behind Matsudaira in the championship, while Paige is currently third and 37 points back.
“My Quarterley Racing powered by Warhorse supported by Wrench team had the bike feeling great all weekend,” said Gouker. “We made a few changes after qualifying. I think the pace could have been a little faster. So, we’ll make some changes for race two, and we’ll try them out in the morning warmup.”
Twins Cup: Vigorous Victory For Vossberg
Fifteen-year-old Wisconsin rider Hank Vossberg’s rapid rise in MotoAmerica continued with the win in Saturday’s race one aboard his Robem Engineering Aprilia. Vossberg, who became age-eligible to race in MotoAmerica just last year, started from the pole and led every lap of the eight-lap event to take the ninth race victory of his young career in dominant fashion.
A little more than five seconds adrift of Vossberg was M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin, who has carded three podium finishes so far this season, including a win in race two at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta this past week.
Karns/TST Industries Racing Suzuki rider Kevin Olmedo finished third, with the always-smiling El Salvadoran continuing his remarkable comeback from debilitating Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
After his race win, Vossberg commented, “The bike was working amazing. We made some changes early on for Qualifying 2. I was able to go out there right away in the race and get the holeshot and just manage my gap all race long. Tomorrow, I’ll have to bring the pace.”
Gus Rodio’s Super Hooligan weekend got off to a dominant start in Alabama. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Super Hooligan: Streetfighter Rodio Rules The Day
The high-handlebar heroes in the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship raced on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park for the first time in the series’ history, and Rodio Racing’s Gus Rodio, aboard his Ducati Streetfighter V2, notched the win by a margin of just under five seconds over BPR Racing Yamaha MT-09 SP rider Bryce Kornbau.
COATZYMOTO LATINWE rider Robertino Pietri, who is backed by internationally acclaimed actress and entrepreneur Sofía Vergara, raced his Yamaha XSR900 to a solid third-place result.
One of the surprises of the race was that the Saddlemen Race Development Harley-Davidson Pan America riders did not display the same dominance as they did last season when the three-rider team went one-two-three in the season championship, or this past March at Daytona when they swept the podium in both races.
For Rodio, it was a welcome return to Barber Motorsports Park as he made good on his lap-record-setting, pole-position-earning qualifying time and strung together eight fast laps around the 17-turn, 2.38-mile Barber road course to take the checkered flag in dominant fashion.
“It feels so good, remarked Rodio. “I haven’t stood on a MotoAmerica podium in years, let alone a race win. Honestly, I’m at a loss for words. I just have to thank everyone who helps me get to the races and keeps the dream alive. Last year, I kind of retired. So, this year, we’re on the top of the box, and it was a pretty commanding win at that. I can’t ask for much more.”
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