Sam Drane scores podium at MotoAmerica Talent Cup round two

2025 MotoAmerica Talent Cup

Round Two – Barber

MotoAmerica Talent Cup Race One

Warhorse Ducati/American Racing’s Alessandro Di Mario made Saturday’s Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul his own, leading 99 per cent of the race to win by 6.5 seconds at Barber Motorsports Park.

Alessandro Di Mario dominated the MotoAmerica Talent Cup at Barber on Saturday – Image Brian J Nelson

Although Yamaha bLU cRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane nabbed the holeshot into turn one, Di Mario wasted little time in getting to the front. Once he was there, he never faltered, taking the win by 6.5 seconds.

The battle for second went to the bitter end. Initially, it was three fighting for the spot but CTR/D&D Cycles’ Bodie Page, the winner of race two at Circuit of The Americas last weekend, crashed out of the battle. The Aussie, however, remounted and fought his way through to score valuable eighth-place points.

That left Drane and Tytler’s Cycle Racing’s Hank Vossberg fighting for the runner-up spot, with Drane winning the battle by just .076 of a second. It was Drane’s best finish of the early season after he posted two third-place finishes in the opening round in Texas.

Hank Vossberg and Sam Drane battled for second on Saturday – Image Brian J Nelson

Vossberg’s third-place finish was his best of the year and his first podium finish in the new class.

Young Australian Sam Drane claimed second place on Saturday – Image Brian J Nelson

MP13’s Ella Dreher was fourth, her best finish of the young season, after winning a battle to the line with Royalty Racing’s King by .30 of a second.

Jones Honda’s Julian Correa would have been in that battle, but he was given a five-second penalty for jumping the start. Still, he managed to finish sixth.

MotoAmerica Talent Cup Race One Results

Alessandro Di Mario
Sam Drane +6.510s
Hank Vossberg +6.586s
Ella Dreher +16.515s
Carson King +16.825s
Julian Correa +21.899s
Rossi Garcia +25.656s
Bodie Paige +28.154s
Nathan Bettencourt +31.761s
Kody Kopp +31.838s

MotoAmerica Talent Cup Race Two

Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hank Vossberg won the first Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul race of his promising young career on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park, taking full advantage of the mistakes of others to earn victory in the wet race that was red-flagged on the eighth lap.

Hank Vossberg leading Julian Correa on Sunday at Barber – Image Brian J Nelson

Vossberg, 14, rode a near-perfect race, topping Jones Honda’s Julian Correa, who was second, 7.6 seconds behind Vossberg and a little less than a second ahead of Saturday’s race winner Alessandro Di Mario. Di Mario ran off track on the fourth lap, which basically took him out of contention for another victory.

Sam Drane had to work his way through the pack after starting from the back of the grid – Image Brian J Nelson

Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane was fourth after starting from the back of the grid after he missed the sighting lap following his crash in the track familiarisation session that was held just prior to the race. Drane worked his way up to fourth place by the chequered flag to limit the points damage.

Sam Drane’s Australian countryman Bodie Paige, led the race early on before a big crash on lap five while running in fifth position saw him hit the showers early.

Bodie Paige led the race early on – Image Brian J Nelson

Envy Powered by Warhorse’s Derek Sanchez rounded out the top five.

Di Mario now has a 21-point lead in the Talent Cup Championship over Drane, 86-65. Vossberg and Correa are tied for third with 54 points, one ahead of Paige.

The collective age of the Talent Cup podium at Barber Motorsports Park was 46 years old – four years younger than Supersport race winner Josh Hayes.