Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/148526
ROUND 9-10/AUGUST 3-4, 2013 MILLER MOTORSPORTS PARK/TOOELE, UTAH P94 AMA DAYTONA SPORTBIKE Gerloff was obviously pumped that he was able to run with his teammate. "Cameron passed me into turn one and I just tried to stay right on his wheel," said Gerloff, who moved into a tie for third with Beach in the standings. "I actually passed him once when I saw JD was catching up to us. It was a fun race and I can't wait for tomorrow." Sunday's race was even more intense. It was the same four protagonists up front, but this time Beach shared more time in the spotlight and provided the races most intense moment. Most of the race Beaubier and Gerloff traded the lead; mostly drafting and braking late into turn one. The pattern happened lap after lap and it appeared almost certain one of the Yamaha Extended Services riders would win. Then, on lap 13, Beach suddenly got in the mix with his RoadRace Factory Yamaha, moving into the lead for the first time with just a few laps to go. Once in the lead Beach had a breathtaking moment going deep into one. He went in too hot and got the back wheel on his RoadRace Factory Yamaha high in the air under braking and when the wheel came down he AMA GOPRO DAYTONA SPORTBIKE SERIES Gerloff (8) had his best weekend, challenging his teammate Beaubier (6) to the end in both races. was sideways and the bike nearly flicked him. "I passed them on the outside of one and I knew the next lap they were going to draft by me," Beach explained. "So I was just trying to get in there really deep and I guess I overcooked it a little bit. I knew there was a lot of runoff room so I just tried to stay calm and slow the bike down and tried to get it turned as fast as I could." Gerloff led the last lap, but in a high-speed kink lost the front end and nearly highsided. That allowed Beaubier the break he needed and his drive carried him into the lead and he was able to ride a defensive line in the last few corners to hold on to the win. The race was a test of nerves and Beaubier never flinched. In the end both Beach and Gerloff pushed their bikes past the limits and paid the price, losing precious ground. Beaubier made very few, if any mistakes. "I can't believe how happy I am after getting the double win here," said Beaubier, who won at Miller for the first time this weekend. "This race was one of the best ones I have ever had, and to race with these two guys was really cool, passing back and forth. JD scared me coming into turn one. It was crazy, but it was awesome." While the action was awesome up front, one rider to have an off weekend was Jake Gagne. The second-ranked rider in the series only managed a pair of fifths and was never in contention among the leaders. It was the first time he finished off the podium since the first round at Daytona. "Yeah, we were just struggling with the bike and some odd issues that we haven't dealt with all year," he said. "I just couldn't get