By A Cheese Slice, Yamalube/Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha’s JD Beach Wins MotoAmerica Supersport Race 2 Over Josh Herrin And Garrett Gerloff
. By Bikeland Staff
In what was a photo finish, rider of the #95 Yamalube/Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha, JD Beach, won MotoAmerica Supersport Race 2 by the narrowest of margins over second-place finisher Josh Herrin and JD’s teammate Garrett Gerloff. All three are Yamaha YZF-R6 riders for another bLU cRU podium sweep in what is clearly MotoAmerica’s closest and most hotly contested racing class.
JD started from the pole in sunny and dry, but windy conditions, and the battle for the lead was on almost immediately between him, Josh, and Garrett. The three-R6-rider phalanx swapped the lead numerous times throughout the 12-lap contest with JD, Josh, and Garrett each taking turns at the point. As the laps wound down, it was obvious that the many fans in attendance were about to see a memorable finish. And they did, as JD won by .009 second over Josh, with Garrett only .012 second behind JD.
JD’s third Supersport win of the year matches Josh’s three victories, and not surprisingly, the two riders are tied at the top of the points standings with 140 points each. Garrett is in third place in the Championship with 124 points.
“First of all, hats off to Garrett and Josh,†JD said. “They’ve been riding so fast, and I’ve really had to work to keep pace with them. Going into the last lap, I tried to get up front because usually, if you’re leading going into the last turn, you’ve got enough to keep it out front and win. To have three race wins so far this year is an awesome feeling. I’m really enjoying this year a lot. I actually didn’t know I’d won, but I knew it was close. When I saw my name come up on the Jumbotron as the winner, I could hardly believe it. It was awesome!â€
Josh commented, “The race was great. There’s something inside me this year that makes me want to pass back whenever I get passed. Towards the end, JD pulled a huge gap, and I wasn’t sure that I could catch him. I felt like I was a little quicker than him in a couple of areas on the track, and it helped get me close enough to him to try to cross the finish line first. It was an exciting finish.â€
“I got a pretty good jump, and led a few laps,†said Garrett. “JD got by me and really dropped the hammer. I got caught out a little bit, but I was able to catch back up and stick close to JD and Josh for the rest of the race. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get the win, but after crashing twice yesterday, I’m glad that I kept it on two wheels and was able to bring it home in third.â€
The Yamaha bLU cRU R6 riders will be back in action for round five of the MotoAmerica series, which will take place at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL, on June 12 through 14.
Watch Round 4 Of The MotoAmerica Championship on CBS Sports Network
MotoAmerica Round 4 from Road America will air on Sunday, June 7, at 2:00 PM EST with a replay later that day at 5:00 PM EST, and a second replay on Monday, June 8, at 2:00 AM EST.
For the complete MotoAmerica TV broadcast schedule on CBS Sports Network, visit http://www.motoamerica.com/motoamerica-tv-schedule.
For more Yamaha racing news, results, photos, and videos, visit http://www.YamahaMotorsports.com/Racing. Also, check out “YamahaMotorUSA†on your favorite social media site.