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/815139
ROAD RACE ROUND 1 / APRIL 22-23, 2017 CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS / AUSTIN, TEXAS P88 2017 MOTOAMERICA AMA/FIM NORTH AMERICAN ROAD RACING CHAMPIONSHIP 50 BOBBY FONG 1-1 SUPERSTOCK 1000 "The pace was a lot faster today and it was nice to walk away with the Superstock win," said Bobby Fong (Quicksilver Latus Motors Kawasaki) after his second class win of the weekend. "I decided to make some changes after yesterday, specifical- ly to the rear shock, and it ended up being for the worse. Today didn't feel quite as rewarding as yesterday since we were a little bit behind the Superbike guys, but I think it is important to keep my focus on the Superstock class. Trying to keep up with the Superbike guys is awesome for me and has helped me elevate my game." 95 JD BEACH 1ST SUPERSPORT After his win in Supersport, Yamaha's JD Beach, said, "The off-season this year was a bit harder than usual for me because I broke my leg, and that's the first major injury that I've ever had, so I had to come back from that. Being at home and training hard was good for me. So, the season has started, and it's great to be back and close to 100 percent healthy. I came here to race, and I'm glad to get this win. It's a long season, but I'm happy with where we've started." 53 VALENTIN DEBISE 2ND SUPERSPORT "Unfortunately, I didn't choose the right tire," Valentin Debise (Team Hammer/ M4 Ecstar Suzuki) said of his ride and last-lap pass for second. "I was pushing maybe a little bit too hard early and the wind had changed from yesterday. I made a mistake as a result, but lucky me, the red flag came out. My team did a fantastic job and fixed the bike perfectly before the restart. After the second start, the tire worked even less well and I had to rebuild my confidence after the crash. I knew right away I couldn't fight for the win, but I thought I might be able to hang on and fight for second if I managed to slow down the pace. Going into the last corner, I braked as late as I could and used a lot of rear brake to get the bike stopped. It was hard to get the bike turned, but I managed to get a great drive. Overall, it's been a great weekend. We are much closer to the front compared to last year, and if I had chosen the right tire, we could have battled for the win. Considering this track is not one of the better ones for our bike, I have a lot of confidence looking forward to the rest of the year." 1 GARRETT GERLOFF 3RD SUPERSPORT All race long, Garrett Garrett was in a battle with Valentin Debise that he wished he could have avoided because, while the two fierce competitors gave the fans a show with multiple passing back and forth, that only served to stretch out JD Beach's lead even more. In the end, Debise made the final pass, which moved Garrett back to third place, and that's ultimately where he finished the race. "First of all, the two starts that I had definitely didn't help me out. I felt good today, and I thought I rode well. My 2017 R6 is fast, but Valentin and I should have worked together to get the two of us closer to JD. Instead, we just kept passing each other, which enabled JD to get away. It's just the start of the season, though, so I feel good about where we are right now, and I'm looking forward to next weekend at Road Atlanta." 85 JAKE LEWIS 3RD SUPERSTOCK 1000 Despite having extremely limited time aboard the all-new 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 prior to the season opener, Jake Lewis opened his weekend with sixth in the combined Superbike/Superstock 1000 order (third in Superstock 1000). "My start wasn't too good and I lost a few positions right away," Lewis said of race one. "I had to work my way back up to the front. I had a little trouble getting by some guys but finally got going pretty good about six or seven laps in. I chased down second in the Superstock class but ultimately just ran out of time. We were struggling with a few things, but I'm super happy with the new bike. This result shows just how much potential the new GSX-R1000 has."