Yamaha bLU cRU Riders Gerloff & Beach Finish 2nd & 3rd In Supersport Race 2 At Road America

2016-06-05 19:57
Yamaha Extended Service (Y.E.S.)/Graves/Yamaha teammates Garrett Gerloff and JD Beach took turns leading Sunday’s MotoAmerica Supersport Race at Road America, but when the checkered flag flew, the two teammates had to settle for second- and third-place finishes.

Garrett, who won Saturday’s Supersport Race 1, started from the pole again on Sunday after breaking the Road America Supersport lap record in Saturday’s qualifying, but it was his teammate JD who got the holeshot going into turn one, with Garrett slotting into second.

Valentin Debise got past Garrett, and he and JD tried to pull a gap, but Garrett was having nothing of it, and stayed with the two race leaders. Garrett passed Valentin, and set his sights on JD. The action was non-stop as Garrett took the lead, and then Valentin passed Garrett, only to have Garrett re-take the lead again. The two rivals swapped the lead a couple of more times on the final lap, and Garrett tried to time his pass heading to the checkers, but it didn’t quite work out as Valentin took the win with the two Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha teammates completing the podium.

“I just wish I could rewind the race and try again in that last sector,” Garrett said. “I just wish I could have gotten a better drive on the straightaway. I’m really happy with the weekend overall, though, and I’m ready to move on to Barber, which is another track that I really enjoy.”

“We decided to go with the soft tire today and, for some reason, it shredded the rear,” commented JD. “About halfway through the race, it was really bad on the right side and Valentin got by me. I was able to stay in the lead pack throughout the race, though, and I’m happy to get on the podium here at Road America.

“I lost a good friend (Moto2 rider Luis Salom, who passed away from injuries sustained in a practice crash at Catalunya) on Friday, and it makes me realize how quickly things in this sport can change. I’m thankful that I was safe today, and that I brought it home in third.”

The Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha Supersport team will race again next weekend as the MotoAmerica Championship will be at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL, on June 10-June 12.


2016 MotoAmerica Supersport Standings
6/5/16
Pos.
Rider
Points
1
Garrett Gerloff – Yamaha
190
2
JD Beach – Yamaha
147
3
Valentin Debise
139
4
Cameron Petersen
121
5
Joe Roberts – Yamaha
89


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Source: Yamaha

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