MotoAmerica 2026

Round Seven – Mid-Ohio

Quad Lock Superbike

Sean Dylan Kelly strengthened his grip on the 2026 MotoAmerica Quad Lock Superbike Championship at Mid-Ohio, even though Mathew Scholtz had the final say in a chaotic Sunday race.

Kelly won Saturday’s full-distance contest and backed that up with second place in the twice-red-flagged Race Two, extending his championship advantage from 11 to 24 points.

Scholtz recovered from a disrupted Friday and disappointing sixth place on Saturday to win the abbreviated Sunday race by 0.177 seconds. Bobby Fong was the only rider to stand on the podium in both races, while Benjamin Smith went from taking pole and leading five laps on Saturday to crashing out of the opening attempt at Race Two.

Kelly sets Friday pace as Scholtz loses track time

Kelly opened the weekend by putting the OrangeCat Racing BMW M 1000 RR at the top of Friday’s timed practice, edging PJ Jacobsen by only 0.040 seconds.

Loris Baz was third fastest, while his Warhorse HSBK Ducati team-mate Benjamin Smith and Wrench Motorcycles’ Cameron Petersen recorded identical 1m25.130s laps, just 0.387 seconds from Kelly.

The tightly compressed times suggested Mid-Ohio could produce an open contest, but Friday was considerably less straightforward for Scholtz.

Smoke from the Strack Racing Yamaha curtailed his morning practice. The team continued working through the problem during timed practice, leaving Scholtz with only eight laps and eighth place on the Friday order.

Hayden Gillim also lost valuable running after crashing on his fifth lap and heavily damaging the Real Steel Honda.

Smith takes pole by five-thousandths

The field became even more closely matched in Saturday’s final qualifying session.

Smith put the Warhorse HSBK Ducati on pole with a 1m24.070s lap, beating Kelly by just 0.005 seconds. Fong completed the front row only 0.137 seconds from pole, with Richie Escalante another 0.014 seconds behind in fourth.

Jacobsen, Jayson Uribe, Gillim and Baz completed a top eight separated by only 0.428 seconds.

Scholtz qualified ninth ahead of JD Beach and Petersen. All of the leading 11 riders circulated in the 1m24s, with only 0.797 seconds covering Smith in first and Petersen in 11th.

Three leaders trade places in Race One

Kelly made the best start and led the opening two laps, but Smith converted his pole-position pace into the lead on lap three.

The Ducati rider remained at the head of the field through lap seven before Fong moved ahead on lap eight. Fong then established himself as the rider to beat through the middle phase of the 19-lap race.

The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha rider led for six laps and recorded the fastest lap of the race at 1m24.770s, but Kelly remained close enough to strike.

Only 0.080 seconds separated Fong and Kelly at the completion of lap 13. Kelly moved ahead on the following circulation and immediately began opening a margin.

The BMW rider turned that eight-hundredths deficit into a 1.417-second advantage within two laps and stretched the gap beyond two seconds before taking the chequered flag 2.597 seconds clear of Fong.

“I felt like I was going to have something at the end. It was so good to get into the lead.”

Sean Dylan Kelly

Beach produced one of the strongest recovery rides of the race. The previous round’s double winner started from 10th, completed the opening lap in sixth and moved into third on lap 15.

His podium completed an excellent result for Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing, with Fong and Beach finishing second and third.

Smith was shuffled back to fourth after leading five laps, while Baz followed his team-mate home in fifth.

Scholtz salvaged sixth after his Friday difficulties, only 0.220 seconds ahead of Gillim. Escalante finished eighth, with Uribe and Jacobsen completing the top 10.

Petersen fell to 20th on the opening lap before recovering to 14th.

Smith’s Sunday ends before it begins

Smith’s hopes of converting his breakthrough pole position into a maiden Superbike victory ended on the opening lap of Sunday’s first start.

The Ducati rider crashed heavily and his motorcycle travelled back across the circuit, creating a hazardous situation that forced an immediate red flag. Smith was unable to take part in the restart.

Kelly inherited the leading grid position and controlled the opening four laps of the restarted race, initially pursued by Fong, Escalante and Scholtz.

Scholtz had started the restart in fourth but moved into third on lap two, second on lap four and the lead on lap five.

The Strack Racing team had made substantial changes to the Yamaha following Saturday’s sixth place, revising both the set-up and the way its electronic systems operated.

“We took a gamble today. Completely changed the bike upside-down, different way the software works. It definitely paid off.”

Mathew Scholtz

Second red flag freezes four-rider fight

Jacobsen was also charging through the leading group. The Rahal Ducati rider advanced to third and recorded the fastest lap of the race at 1m25.009s.

At the end of the ninth and final completed lap, Scholtz led Kelly by 0.177 seconds. Jacobsen was third, 0.343 seconds from the leader, with Fong only another 0.191 seconds behind.

That meant the leading four riders were covered by just 0.534 seconds when Jacobsen subsequently crashed and caused the second red flag.

With sufficient distance completed, the race was declared rather than restarted. Scholtz was awarded victory over Kelly, while a 45-second penalty imposed on Jacobsen dropped him to 17th in the final classification.

The official result records the penalty but does not specify the offence. Fong was consequently elevated to third and completed a double-podium weekend.

Baz finished fourth, 1.714 seconds from the victory, with Petersen rebounding from his difficult Saturday to complete the top five.

Uribe was sixth ahead of Brandon Paasch, Beach, Ashton Yates and Superbike Cup winner Andrew Lee.

Escalante and Gillim were among the riders who failed to finish following crashes during the restarted race.

Scholtz admitted the stoppage arrived at an advantageous moment, as his front tyre was beginning to lose performance, but the South African had already worked his way into the lead and held off Kelly through the final completed lap.

Kelly more than doubles title advantage

Kelly had taken over the championship lead at Laguna Seca, arriving at Mid-Ohio with 172 points and an 11-point advantage over Beach. Scholtz was another three points behind in third.

Kelly’s victory and second place produced 45 points and lifted him to 217. He has now finished on the podium in 10 of the opening 12 races.

Scholtz scored 35 points from his sixth-place finish and Sunday victory, moving back ahead of Beach and into second on 193 points.

Beach’s third and eighth places yielded 24 points. He now sits third on 185, 32 behind Kelly and eight behind Scholtz.

Fong’s pair of podiums earned him 36 points, one more than Scholtz collected from his win-and-sixth combination. Fong remains fourth in the championship on 162 points, 23 behind Beach and 55 behind Kelly.

Petersen holds fifth on 129, followed by Paasch, Escalante and Uribe. Gillim and Jacobsen complete the championship top 10.

Three rounds remain in the 2026 Quad Lock Superbike Championship.

Lee restores Superbike Cup momentum

Andrew Lee led the Superbike Cup runners from Friday and completed a perfect points weekend aboard the Real Steel Honda.

Lee finished 13th overall in Race One and improved to 10th in the abbreviated Sunday race, winning the Cup division on both occasions.

The Mid-Ohio double represented Lee’s eighth and ninth Cup victories from the opening 12 races. His championship total increased from 215 to 265 points, extending his advantage from 75 to 98.

Kaleb De Keyrel made his first Superbike Cup appearance of the season and immediately scored two runner-up finishes on the OrangeCat Racing BMW, placing 15th overall on Saturday and 11th on Sunday.

Deion Campbell finished third in the Cup in both races. His 32-point weekend moved him to 167 points and into second in the championship, just one point ahead of Carl Soltisz.

Lee therefore leaves Mid-Ohio with more than four race victories in hand over his nearest challenger as the championship heads towards its final three rounds.

Superbike Race One Results

Superbike Race Two Results

Superbike Championship Points – Top 20

Superbike Cup Points

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Supersport
Binder wins both by a combined 0.089 seconds

Darryn Binder produced the narrowest possible Supersport double at Mid-Ohio, defeating title rival Josh Herrin by 0.050 seconds on Saturday and an even smaller 0.039 seconds on Sunday.

The two margins added together amounted to only 0.089 seconds after 34 completed racing laps, but the perfect 50-point weekend stretched Binder’s championship lead from nine to 19 points.

Herrin steals pole from Friday pacesetter Hayes

Four-time MotoAmerica Superbike champion Josh Hayes led Friday qualifying aboard the BPR Racing Yamaha YZF-R9 with a 1m27.521s lap.

Herrin improved during Saturday morning’s second session to take pole, with Kayla Yaakov joining him on the front row and Hayes pushed back to third. Championship leader Binder qualified fourth on the Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse Ducati Panigale V2.

Binder launches final-lap attack in Race One

Herrin made the best start and led the opening two laps before Binder moved ahead on lap three.

The South African remained in front through lap five, but Herrin reclaimed the position on lap six and then controlled the timing line for the next 12 laps.

Hayes initially remained close enough to threaten the leading Ducatis, while Yaakov ran fourth despite competing with a stitched middle finger on her left hand.

Binder stayed attached to Herrin and waited until the final lap to make the decisive move. He used the draft along the back straight and attacked under brakes at Turn Six, arriving hot but getting the Panigale stopped and keeping Herrin behind through the remaining corners.

Herrin launched one final attempt out of the last corner and drew almost alongside, but Binder prevailed by only 0.050 seconds.

Hayes finished third, although the leaders had broken 12.236 seconds clear by the chequered flag. Yaakov was fourth ahead of Brenden Ketelsen and Aiden Sneed.

Australian Cameron Dunker completed his first race of the weekend in 13th for MP13 Racing/One Cure Racing. His best lap was a 1m28.871s.

Seven lead changes before another Binder-Herrin photo finish

Sunday’s original start was halted after Dominic Doyle and Ryder Davis collided at Turn One and tumbled into the gravel. The restart was reduced to 16 laps.

Yaakov emerged at the front during the opening phase before Binder and Herrin resumed their season-long confrontation.

The official lap chart recorded seven changes of leader at the timing line. Binder, Herrin and Yaakov all spent time in front, while Hayes remained close enough to make it a four-rider contest through the middle of the race.

Binder and Herrin repeatedly exchanged the lead at Turn Six. Herrin moved ahead again with four laps remaining, but Binder responded two laps later and then concentrated on covering the inside lines.

Herrin tried to ride around the outside exiting the final corner, but Binder held him off by 0.039 seconds, an even smaller margin than Saturday’s finish.

Yaakov passed Hayes on the final lap to claim third, finishing 2.150 seconds behind Binder and only 0.072 seconds ahead of the veteran Yamaha rider.

Blake Davis completed the top five, followed by Alessandro Di Mario, Aiden Sneed, Brenden Ketelsen, Stefano Mesa and Joseph LiMandri Jr.

Dunker improved to 11th in his second MotoAmerica Supersport race of the weekend. The Australian also lowered his best lap to 1m28.398s, an improvement of 0.473 seconds over Saturday.

Binder opens 19-point Supersport advantage

Binder has now won seven races in 2026 and leads the Supersport Championship with 273 points.

Herrin remains firmly in contention on 254, with three rounds and a maximum of 150 points still available.

Yaakov strengthened her hold on third with 171 points. Tyler Scott sits fourth on 144, only three ahead of Hayes, with Blake Davis sixth on 131.

Dunker collected eight championship points from his 13th and 11th-place finishes and sits 24th in the standings.

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Supersport Race One Results

Supersport Race Two Results

Supersport Championship Points

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Super Hooligan
BPR Yamaha reverses its one-two

BPR Racing Yamaha again controlled the Mission Super Hooligan weekend, with Bryce Kornbau and Andy DiBrino sharing the wins in the same order they had at Laguna Seca.

Kornbau led home DiBrino on Saturday before DiBrino turned the tables with a final-lap pass on Sunday. The two Yamaha MT-09 SP riders finished first and second in both races.

Kornbau takes control after opening lap

Kornbau and DiBrino locked out the front row, with Gus Rodio completing the leading trio aboard the Rodio Racing Ducati Streetfighter V2.

DiBrino made the better start in Race One and crossed the line at the end of the opening lap in front. Kornbau moved ahead on lap two and remained there for the balance of the seven-lap race.

Kornbau’s 1m28.203s fourth lap was the fastest of the contest, helping him open enough breathing room to win by 1.467 seconds.

Rodio remained close to DiBrino and finished only 0.164 seconds behind the second Yamaha. Corey Alexander brought the ARCH Motorcycle Racing 2s-R home fourth, ahead of Robertino Pietri and Jake Lewis.

Jeremy Taubman crossed the line 14th but was assessed a five-second jump-start penalty.

DiBrino strikes on the final lap

DiBrino again led the opening lap of Race Two, but Kornbau moved ahead on lap two and appeared to have the race under control.

The two Yamahas broke more than five seconds clear of the fight for third, where Rodio worked forward to challenge Alexander and Lewis.

Kornbau led through lap six of the seven-lap contest, but DiBrino lined up an attack through the esses on the final circulation and carried the move through to the chequered flag.

DiBrino won by 0.216 seconds, with Kornbau nevertheless establishing a new outright Super Hooligan Mid-Ohio record of 1m28.072s.

That lap was 0.131 seconds quicker than Kornbau’s Saturday race best and also bettered the record he had established during Friday qualifying.

Rodio finished third, 5.528 seconds behind the winner, with Alexander fourth and James Rispoli fifth after a late move on Saddlemen Race Development team-mate Lewis.

Five points cover BPR Yamaha pair before finale

DiBrino’s victory has restored the five-point championship advantage he held entering Mid-Ohio.

The Yamaha rider leads on 168 points, with Kornbau second on 163 and Rodio still within striking distance on 149.

Only those three riders remain mathematically eligible for the championship. Rispoli is fourth on 115, but his 53-point deficit exceeds the 50 points available at the final round.

Alexander sits fifth on 112, eight points ahead of Pietri, while Lewis holds seventh on 98.

Super Hooligan Race One Results

Super Hooligan Race Two Results

Super Hooligan Championship Points

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Royal Enfield B.T.R.
Noelle seals 2026 BTR title as Everitt wins Mid-Ohio finale

Jasmine Noelle secured the 2026 Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. championship with victory in the opening Mid-Ohio contest before Bryanna Everitt completed the season with a win on Sunday.

Noelle arrived at the finale holding a 27-point championship advantage over Tati Paze and needing only a solid weekend to secure the crown.

The New Mexico rider instead settled the title at the first opportunity, defeating Brianna Cutler in Race One and establishing an unassailable advantage with Sunday’s final race still to run.

Noelle enters finale in control

Noelle opened the weekend by leading Friday qualifying, recording a 1m53.038s lap to finish three-tenths ahead of Cutler.

Everitt qualified third, with Paze fourth as the two remaining mathematical title challengers attempted to extend the championship fight into Sunday.

Noelle had finished on the podium in each of the opening six races and entered Mid-Ohio with 130 points, 27 ahead of Paze and 40 clear of Everitt.

Cutler challenges before Noelle clinches title

Noelle led the opening three laps of Saturday’s six-lap race, but Cutler remained within striking distance.

Cutler moved ahead on lap four and retained the lead through lap five, placing Noelle under pressure as the championship leader searched for a response.

Noelle reclaimed first place on the final lap and held Cutler behind to win by 0.706 seconds.

Everitt completed the podium, 6.078 seconds behind, with Paze fourth ahead of Sany Max.

Noelle’s victory increased her advantage to 39 points with only 25 available in the final race, confirming her as the 2026 Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. champion.

“There’s so much love around here and from this crowd. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude.”

Jasmine Noelle

Everitt finishes season with victory

Everitt led from the second lap of Sunday’s finale and worked to establish a small advantage over the tightly packed chasing group.

Paze, Cutler and newly crowned champion Noelle remained close enough to threaten, with the podium order changing during the closing stages.

Everitt held her nerve to claim the final BTR victory of 2026, crossing the line 0.720 seconds ahead of Paze.

Cutler finished third, only 0.231 seconds behind Paze, while Noelle completed her championship-winning weekend in fourth, 1.544 seconds from the winner.

Paze recorded the fastest lap of the race at 1m50.122s. Cutler produced a 1m50.922s best, while Everitt’s fastest lap was a 1m50.898s.

Sany Max completed the top five, followed by Tiffanie Vo, Karina Simões, Marie Madura and Juliana Bernardes. Emily Dickson was the sole non-finisher.

“The last laps of my BTR career had to be the best laps of my life. I’m so happy to wrap up my BTR career this way.”

Bryanna Everitt

Noelle completes championship season

Noelle finished the eight-race season with 168 points, having recorded three victories, four second places and fourth in the final race.

Paze secured championship runner-up honours on 136 points, five ahead of Everitt.

Cutler finished fourth in the standings on 123, followed by Vo on 88 and Karina Simões on 70.

Sany Max completed the championship seventh on 65, one point ahead of Emily Dickson, with Marie Madura and Juliana Bernardes rounding out the top 10.

Royal Enfield B.T.R. Race One Results

Royal Enfield B.T.R. Race Two Results

Royal Enfield B.T.R. Championship Points

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