MOTOAMERICA SUPERBIKE CHAMPION CAMERON BEAUBIER
P80
Interview
MAKING IT WORK IN 2018
Beaubier's record was a model of consisten-
cy in 2018. When he knew he couldn't win, he'd
at least make sure he was on the podium, only
missing the dais three times in the season. But
when he could win, he did. Double victories
at Road America and Laguna Seca set him up
for the end-of-year push, a single win at Utah
confirmed it, then another double (Sonoma),
and a title-clinching first place at New Jersey in
the rain sealed the deal for 2018.
"We were contending for wins at the be-
ginning of the season, but I was crashing a
little bit," Beaubier says. "But at VIR [round
two], we led the whole first race and then
the second race but Toni [Elias] got us both
races, which was a bummer."
It wasn't until round four at Road America
that he picked up his first win in race one after
Dunlop introduced a new larger rear tire and
super-soft front that worked for his style and
motorcycle, gaining another win in race two
and setting his course for the title.
"We tested the super-soft in the off-season
and had a really good feel with it," Beaubier
said. "I feel like that softer front tire unlocked
the chassis a lot more. You can make up time
on the side of the tire, and I feel like right away
the Yamaha adapted to the rear tire a little bit
better than our competition.
"That's what we got at Road America. From
there, I feel like the pen clicked. I got a little
more aggressive in the race and from there on
out, we just started clicking off wins. It was a
great feeling.
"My best part, or parts of the season, was
winning at places we traditionally struggled at,
like Laguna Seca and Utah Motorsports Cam-
pus. Being competitive and winning races at
those tracks that we know are going to be tough
on us. That was a big game-changer for us."
