Recapping all the MotoAmerica action from Virginia Raceway

MotoAmerica 2025

Round Eight – VIR

Images by Brian J. Nelson

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Superbike Race One

Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong continued his strong run in the 2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship with a third consecutive race win on Saturday at Virginia International Raceway. The result moves the Californian to within one point of second-placed Cameron Beaubier and 28 points behind series leader Josh Herrin ahead of the second bout on Sunday.

Starting from pole, Fong led every lap of the opening race and managed consistent pressure from Beaubier, who overtook Herrin on lap three before attempting to close the gap.

Beaubier set the fastest lap of the race at 1m24.287 but struggled with grip in the closing stages and ultimately couldn’t match Fong’s pace. Fong crossed the line 7.3 seconds ahead, maintaining control throughout the 20-lap contest.

Behind them, Herrin found himself in a close fight with Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly and Fong’s teammate, Jake Gagne. Kelly kept the pressure on Herrin until the final lap, including contact at turn one and a harder hit later in the lap. Despite the aggressive challenge, Herrin held onto third place by just 0.144 seconds. Gagne faded late and finished fifth, five seconds behind.

JD Beach impressed once again on his Stock 1000-spec Real Steel Honda CBR1000RR-R SP, finishing sixth overall and taking top honours in the Superbike Cup classification.

Ashton Yates (Jones Honda) edged out Bryce Kornbau (BPR Racing) for seventh, while Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante struggled to ninth. Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Danilo Lewis rounded out the top 10.

Notable incidents included a crash involving Benjamin Smith (FLO4Law/SBU Racing) and Hayden Gillim (Real Steel Honda), after Smith collided with the rear of Gillim’s bike. Gillim remounted and finished 15th.

Superbike Race One Results

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Superbike Race Two

The MotoAmerica Superbike Championship was flipped upside down on Sunday with Bobby Fong racing to an immaculate doubleheader sweep while championship points leader Josh Herrin crashed out of the lead on the third lap of race two.

And just like that the complexity of the 2025 championship has changed, and things are now suddenly tight at the top as Herrin’s championship points lead has been cut down to just five points with three rounds and seven races left to run in the 2025 season.

Fong was more unstoppable on Sunday than he was on Saturday as he simply raced at a different level than the rest of the class. After 20 laps of VIRginia International Raceway, he was a tick over 14 seconds ahead of the battle for second place.

And what a battle it was. Five riders raced to the checkered flag with the five separated by just .702 of a second.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly led the battle behind him for almost the entire race. The almost came in the final two laps when Kelly’s teammate Richie Escalante, who was having the best ride of his Superbike career, not only threatened but led Kelly with Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier, Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne, and Real Steel Honda’s Hayden Gillim all in position to pounce should it go badly for the two Suzukis.

The war went to the final lap and the run to the finish line with Kelly besting Escalante by .093 of a second. Beaubier, whose title hopes got a lot brighter with Herrin’s miscue, was a shadow fourth with Gagne and Gillim breathing down his neck in fifth and sixth, respectively.

It would have been the race of the year if not for Fong, who was miles up the road from the fighting fivesome.

BPR Racing Yamaha’s Bryce Kornbau was seventh, almost five seconds behind but four seconds clear of Real Steel Honda’s JD Beach, with the Kentuckian winning the MotoAmerica Superbike Cup for the top finishing rider on a Stock 1000-spec motorcycle.

Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates and Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Danilo Lewis rounded out the top 10.

With Fong closing the gap on Herrin, who scored two points for remounting and finishing 14th (three laps behind), to just five points, 242-237, the race for the title is now white-hot. Beaubier was also a benefactor of Herrin’s tip over as he is now 16 points behind with 226 points.

Fong’s teammate Gagne is fourth in the title chase with 187 points, 50 points clear of fifth-placed Escalante. Beach is sixth but leads the Superbike Cup by 59 points over Jason Waters, 283-224. The win at VIR was Beach’s 12th in the class within a class.

Bobby Fong – Winner

“When I got to the start/finish line, after the warmup lap, that whole warmup lap going to the start/finish line, my dash wasn’t working. It was staying all red and it was black. So, I was like, ‘I think I need to restart this thing.’ This thing needed a battery to start. So, I did the switch on and off and it died. Then I started back up and the dash was still there. So, I had to recycle the whole program. It’s very rare that it could actually start without the battery. So, I finally got my stuff together and I pushed the button, and it started. The first lap, I was honestly just trying to get back in my rhythm. It kind of just threw me off. Then Josh Herrin got by me. I’m like, ‘Okay. I could already see he was riding really hard for the first two laps.’ He was already out of control. I’m like, ‘I’m just going to sit here. He’ll put his pace.’ I didn’t know how the race was going to go, but I knew once lap nine or 10 rolls around I would be pretty good. He (Herrin) made a small mistake. Bummer for him. I’m stoked to get the win. Four in a row, which is nice. I got to stay humble and just calm. Hero to zero in this racing world happens very fast.”

Sean Dylan Kelly – Second

“It was insanely important (to finish on the podium). Like you said, I think it’s been coming since the first race weekend. If you look at Atlanta, I finished fourth a few tenths from the podium. It took six race weekends, or I don’t know how many we’re at now, and a lot of close moments, a lot of good battles, a lot of good speed but it just wasn’t going. A lot of frustrating moments. Probably the most I’ve ever had in racing. I always managed to keep my head down and keep focused. Yesterday was extremely close, too. Finishing fourth again, a couple tenths off. I really just knew that what was holding me back big time, at least yesterday, was my start. Richie (Escalante) said that he had the best start of his Superbike career. I definitely had the best start for myself, and I actually got into the first corner in third, which is amazing. Still losing a place, but it’s not losing four or five, which is kind of the average lately. So, really excited. Super happy that I was able to manage what I did. Once I saw that (Josh) Herrin went down, I tried to keep up with Bobby’s (Fong) pace even though I knew he was on another level. I wanted to use him a little bit as a carrot in front of me, but also not going overboard. I said, ‘Okay, man. I’m in P2.’ I pretty much just want to carry this as long as I can. Yesterday I was on the bad side. I was the one behind someone blocking a lot. So now I’m like, ‘I’m the one in front so let me block a lot.’ I really don’t think the pace was all that amazing, but I knew that it wasn’t that easy to pass me. With five laps to go, I didn’t know the group was that big. I honestly thought it was (Cameron) Beaubier behind me. So, with five laps to go, I started hearing a bike much closer. So, I just started defending. Completely different lines everywhere. I heard a bike on my butt, bad. Then when I go into the last corner, I go into turn 10 and I see this guy pass me. I’m like, what is Richie (Escalante) doing passing me? I didn’t know it was going to be Richie. The first thing I thought was, ‘I think we got a double podium for the team, which is amazing by itself.’ But I also didn’t want this guy to beat me, so I set up last corner really well. Definitely excited to finish in P2, finish on the podium with this guy. We talked about it at the beginning of the year. If we do a double podium, we’re going to celebrate. I’m going to change my flight. We’re going to celebrate. Really, really happy. Finally got this podium. I really hope that this will now lead us to do more and better for the next few races. Just excited that we were finally able to turn around some good speed into a podium.”

Richie Escalante – Third

“I’m really happy, honestly. We started the weekend with a big problem with the bike. I didn’t feel really good on the exit, especially it was spinning a lot. But I think everybody on the track was spinning a lot. But step by step, I feel better and better with the bike. Then finally this morning, I found something in the electronics with the rear grip. I think for sure it worked in the race. One of my best starts. I think in this category, in the Superbike class, it’s really important. So then when I saw (Josh) Herrin crash, the group is together again. So, I said, ‘okay, maybe it’s possible to battle for the podium.’ Then I have a big, insane battle with (Cameron) Beaubier, (Jake) Gagne. All the time Sean (Dylan Kelly) is in the front. Then maybe with six laps to go, I know my race pace in the end always is good. So finally, I’m close to the front. In the end I feel really good with the bike. I made some passes in turn 10. I’m really happy to finish on the podium, especially now we were rivals in the past in 2020 and ’21. More like teammates, I think both are good friends. So, I’m really happy with the Team Hammer Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki. Finished on the podium, finally. I think the potential and all the package when everything works correctly it’s possible to battle for these races. I’m super happy.”

Superbike Race Two Results

Superbike Championship Points – Top 10

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Supersport Race One

Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz claimed his fifth Motovation Supersport victory of the season at VIR on Saturday, taking a decisive 4.9-second win over championship rival PJ Jacobsen. After admitting he had been too focused on the championship and Jacobsen in recent rounds, Scholtz made a conscious effort to concentrate solely on riding—and the result was a dominant, start-to-finish performance.

Leading every lap, Scholtz avoided any on-track battles and was rewarded with the race win and a two-point lead in the Supersport standings at the end of the day.

The most contested action came in the race for the final podium spots. Jacobsen and Cameron Petersen battled for second early on, until Petersen ran wide at turn one. That allowed Jacobsen to break away and secure second place, while Scholtz’s teammate Blake Davis capitalised to move into third.

Petersen wasn’t finished, though. He reeled Davis back in and the two traded places over the final laps in a close fight for the podium. Petersen ultimately edged out Davis by just 0.014 seconds to take third.

BPR Racing’s Josh Hayes, the last Supersport winner at VIR in 2022, finished fifth, three seconds ahead of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott. Scott spent much of the race fending off challenges from Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL teammates Kayla Yaakov and Corey Alexander.

Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis returned from injury sustained at Laguna Seca to finish ninth, ahead of Max Van, who rounded out the top 10 aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki.

Supersport Race One Results

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Supersport Race Two

Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz completed a perfect weekend on Sunday after setting the precedent on Saturday.

While Scholtz was able to eke away at the front, the battle behind him went the distance after some back and forth between Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen and Scholtz’s Strack Racing teammate Blake Davis.

Although it was Davis getting the holeshot, Jacobsen found a hole and came out of turn one with the lead. The New Yorker put his head down and opened a slight gap, but it all went away with Scholtz and Davis closing in.

On the fourth lap, Scholtz went into the lead as the threesome ran together. A lap later, Davis moved past Jacobsen for second, but the three were still locked together with Celtic/Economy Lube+Tire/Warhorse HSBK’s Cameron Petersen getting chippy behind them as he tried to close in on the three-rider pack ahead of him.

By the halfway mark, Scholtz had started to pull away ever so slightly. At the end of the ninth lap, the South African clicked off a new lap record of 1:25.964 to lead Davis by almost a second.

On the 10th lap, Petersen was out of the race with a crash in turn four, Scholtz had given himself a lead that wouldn’t allow him to be caught, and Davis and Jacobsen were set to fight to the finish.

After 18 laps of the 2.24-mile racetrack, Jacobsen was .114 of a second ahead of Davis as the pair crossed the finish line – 3.3 seconds behind Scholtz.

The top three were in another league entirely as fourth-placed Tyler Scott and his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki were almost 30 seconds adrift.

Scott was half a second ahead of Rahal Ducati Moto w/ XPEL’s Kayla Yaakov, who barely beat BPR Racing Yamaha’s Josh Hayes for fifth with Rahal Ducati Moto w/Roller Die’s Corey Alexander right behind Hayes in seventh.

Altus Motorsports’ Torin Collins, Bauce BARTCON Racing’s Joseph LiMandri Jr. and MP13 Racing’s Aiden Sneed rounded out the top 10.

Supersport Race Two Results

Supersport Championship Points – Top 10

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Superstock Race One

What initially looked like a runaway for Real Steel Honda’s JD Beach and Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates in the opening laps of the Stock 1000 race quickly evolved into a tight battle between Beach and BPR Racing’s Bryce Kornbau, with Yates remaining in close contention from third.

Beach led every lap of the 14-lap race but had to work hard in the closing stages as slower traffic and relentless pressure from Kornbau made for a tense finish. Kornbau, who started 10th on the grid, climbed to third by the second lap, then into second to set up the late-race fight.

Despite the pressure, Beach—who had secured pole earlier that morning—held firm to take the win by just 0.194 seconds over Kornbau’s Yamaha YZF-R1. Yates completed the podium 1.4 seconds behind the leader.

Fourth place went to OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe, who finished just ahead of his teammate and current championship leader Andrew Lee.

Edge Racing’s Jason Waters crossed the line in sixth, narrowly ahead of RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers. Behind them, Castrol/Lamkin Racing’s Nolan Lamkin claimed eighth, followed by Eziah Davis (The Bike Experience USA) and Joseph Giannotto (Limitless Racing), who rounded out the top ten.

Superstock Race One Results

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Superstock Race Two

Real Steel Honda’s JD Beach cultivated a perfect weekend in the Stock 1000 class as he came out on top of a battle to the flag over OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe by .055 of a second after passing the Californian on the final lap. It was the second day in a row that Beach had won a close one as he topped BPR Racing’s Bryce Kornbau by just .194 of a second on Saturday at VIR.

The race was red flagged on the first lap due to a crash, and the restart saw a four-rider battle for victory. Uribe was doing the leading, with Beach, Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates, and Uribe’s teammate Andrew Lee flying in formation.

As they started the final lap, Yates’ Honda failed him, and he coasted to a stop on the outside of turn one. That left three riders, though Uribe and Beach had a slight gap to Lee.

Beach made his move in the turn-three left-hander, diving under Uribe. Beach was perfect from there to the finish line as he managed to keep Uribe behind him, albeit by just .055 of a second.

Beach’s perfect weekend vaulted him into contention for the championship as he now trails Lee by just 10 points, 122-112. Uribe is third with 94 points with two rounds and four races remaining.

JD Beach

“I wasn’t being patient,” Beach said. I wanted to make that move sooner before that, but I just kept fighting, kept fighting. I didn’t want to wait until the last lap to do something, but I thought I had a pretty good move there. I tried the lap before and about high-sided. I was going all in. I got to thank my whole (team and) American Honda. This bike has just been working great. My whole crew has been working so hard this weekend. To get the double win like that just feels amazing. I feel like I’m back, I’m racing. It’s a big difference from last year. I’m just excited and pumped. I’m grateful for this team and this chance I got. It’s going to be a battle these last four races, but I’m ready for it.”

Superstock Race Two Results

Superstock Championship Points – Top 10

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Twins Cup Race One

Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario won his sixth SC-Project Twins Cup race in a row to go with his three-second-place finishes. The result? A second straight Twins Cup Championship for the talented teenager with one round remaining in the series.

When RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin crashed out of the race on the opening lap, the championship was pretty much sealed. But Di Mario did things the right way by racing to the title in style with victory number six.

Di Mario’s teammate Hank Vossberg was second, .002 of a second ahead of Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher, with those two finishing over five-seconds ahead of Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle, the first non-Aprilia RS 660 to cross the finish line.

Brown Town Racing’s Chase Brown rounded out the top five.

Twins Cup Race One Results

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Twins Cup Race Two

Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario won his seventh SC-Project Twins Cup race in a row on Sunday at VIR, a day after the Kentuckian wrapped up the 2025 Twins Cup Championship.

Di Mario beat a three-rider battle for second by 4.5 seconds. That fight for the podium spots was won by Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle by .059 of a second over Di Mario’s Robem Engineering teammate Hank Vossberg. Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher was a shadow fourth.

RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin was about six seconds behind the podium battle and a second ahead of Brown Town Racing’s Chase Brown. Speeddemon Racing’s Logan Cunnison, Karns/TST Racing’s Levi Badie, Weyh Racing’s Andrew Weyh, and Koch Racing’s Sean Ungvarsky rounded out the top 10.

With just one round left, Di Mario has an insurmountable 106-point lead. Chapin is still second, though he’s just 13 points ahead of Dreher, who in turn is 11 points ahead of Vossberg. Doyle rounds out the top five, 10 points behind Vossberg.

Twins Cup Race Two Results

Twins Cup Points – Top 10

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Parts Unlimited Talent Cup Race One

Saturday’s Parts Unlimited Talent Cup by Motul Race One began with a hectic opening two laps before settling into what looked like a dominant performance by Krämer rider Alessandro Di Mario—until mechanical issues derailed his charge with just three laps to go.

Di Mario had pulled a comfortable lead before the shifter on his Krämer APX-350 MA failed, leaving him stuck in fourth gear. Unable to accelerate on the straights, Di Mario’s advantage quickly disappeared. Despite running on the rev limiter, he managed to bring the bike home in fifth, marking the first time he’s finished off the podium in the debut season of the Talent Cup.

With Di Mario dropping back, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hank Vossberg took control and rode unchallenged to claim his third win of the season.

The race for second came down to a tight battle between MP13 Racing’s Ella Dreher and Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane. The two drafted each other to the line, with Drane edging ahead by just 0.005 seconds at the flag.

Team Roberts’ Kody Kopp found his pace midway through the race and closed in on the Dreher/Drane fight. He joined the mix on the final lap and finished only 0.155 seconds off second place.

Among the non-finishers was Bodie Page (Bodie Paige Racing/Mission Foods/D&D Certified), who crashed on the opening lap. Another incident involved Royalty Racing’s Carson King and Jones Honda’s Julian Correa, after King lost the front and collected Correa in the process.

Parts Unlimited Talent Cup Race One Results

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Parts Unlimited Talent Cup Race Two

Warhorse Ducati/American Racing’s Alessandro Di Mario made up for the previous day’s disappointment in the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul race by winning today’s race two after a game of cat and mouse with yesterday’s winner Hank Vossberg and his Tytlers Cycle Racing Krämer APX-350 MA.

On Saturday, Di Mario looked to have victory in the bag when his shifter broke, forcing him to slow to what was ultimately a fifth-place finish. All he could do was watch as Vossberg pulled away to victory.

Sunday’s race had a different sort of drama as the top two, Di Mario and Vossberg, pulled away from the pack and then, on the final lap, did the “you lead, no, you lead” game that was reminiscent of races at Daytona International Speedway where no one wants to lead out of the chicane. Di Mario put Vossberg in a position where he really had no choice but to try and lead to the flag.

But it didn’t work out for Vossberg as Di Mario’s plan worked to perfection as he was able to draft past at the finish line to win by .086 of a second.

Those two were 11 seconds ahead of the scrap behind them with Bodie Paige Racing/Mission Foods/D&D Certified’s Bodie Paige getting the better of a six-rider scrap for third place. It was ultra-close with the difference between third-placed Paige and seventh-placed Kody Kopp, on his Team Roberts Krämer, being just .326 of a second.

MP13 Racing’s Ella Dreher crossed the line on Paige’s tail with Jones Honda’s Julian Correa, Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane and Kopp crossing the line in a gaggle.

Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt and Rossi Motorsports Powered By 3:16’s Rossi Garcia rounded out the top 10.

Alessandro Di Mario

“The pace was insane,” Di Mario said. “I was like, ‘There’s no way he’s keeping up.’ I kept looking back and he’s right there. So, in the first couple laps, he drafted past me at the line so I knew he would get me. So, I didn’t know what the plan was, but it was definitely not going in the last turn first. So, at that point, when he got to the last turn, I thought he was going to speed up and try and get the run but we both slowed down. I was able to tell that he slowed down a little too much. So, I was pretty confident he wouldn’t be able to draft past me. It was the weirdest race of my life. I’m not going to lie. I have to thank the whole Warhorse team. Mr. Ferracci, Moto Liberty, KYT, Dainese, and just everyone that’s helped me out. Thank you so much.”

Parts Unlimited Talent Cup Race Two Results

Parts Unlimited Talent Cup Championship Points – Top 10

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Royal Enfield BTR Race One

Camille Conrad won her first-career Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. battle on Saturday with the Californian beating Shea MacGregor by 1.174 seconds after seven laps of VIRginia International Raceway.

Third place went to Miranda Cain with the Minnesotan well clear of fourth-placed Bryanna Everitt. Cassie Creer rounded out the top-five finishers.

Championship points leader Kira Knebel will have to wait another day to be crowned, as she was forced to start the race from pit lane. Knebel knifed her way through the pack to finish seventh, earning nine points.

Royal Enfield BTR Race One Results

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Royal Enfield BTR  Race Two

Kira Knebel wasted little time getting to the front of the Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. finale on Sunday morning at VIR as she went about winning the class championship in style. Job one was winning the title, job two was winning the race.

When Shea MacGregor, the only person in the race with a chance of stealing the title from Knebel, crashed on the second lap, the job was complete. She was champion in her second year after finishing third in the 2024 title chase.

At the finish line of the seven-lap race, it was Knebel slowing in the final laps to beat Miranda Cain by 1.4 seconds. Cain was giving it her all and ended up turning in the fastest lap of the race on the final lap – a 1:46.428.

Third place went to Saturday’s race winner Camille Conrad after a race-long battle with Cassie Creer, Bryanna Everitt, and Kate West. Those four were covered by just 1.4 seconds.

The victory was Knebel’s sixth in the eight-race Royal Enfield season.

Kira Knebel

“Thank you so much,” Knebel said. “It’s definitely been an emotional rollercoaster this round. A little bit more drama than I was hoping for, but they kept saying that’s what’s going to make the win even sweeter. It’s just awesome what we were able to do with the team. Freddie Spencer was there working on the bike with us, letting us take parts from his bike. Just trying to make sure that we could get the bike working today. All of our sponsors for giving us the extra parts. We ended up switching out the battery and my rectifier. The battery managed to stay running this whole time. I had to go out there and just run like hell. I wanted this program to be a first step, and a lot of it is just huge personal growth. Learning a ton about racecraft and making a ton of connections and lifelong friends. Just being able to move on from here and continue perfecting the craft and hopefully also introducing and guiding other newer riders, women, to get into a program like this, just get into racing and get out there and compete and do your best. Work on personal improvement. Just follow your dreams. Just get out there and do what you want to do.”

Royal Enfield BTR Race Two Results

Royal Enfield BTR Championship Points – Top 10