ROAD RACE
2017 MOTOAMERICA AMA/FIM NORTH AMERICAN ROAD RACING
ROUND 3 / MAY 12-13, 2017
VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY / ALTON, VIRGINIA
P76
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN J NELSON
T
he third round of the 2017
MotoAmerica Champion-
ship saw the form guide
thrown on the bonfire as the
two riders who'd played second
fiddle to their teammates both
walked away with dominant vic-
tories in the Superbike category.
Team Yoshimura Suzuki Facto-
ry Racing's Roger Hayden made
the most of the carnage behind
him to take his Superbike first
win of the season in race one,
with Josh Hayes turning back
the clock for a dominant victory
in race two.
Bobby Fong's Quicksilver
Latus Motors Kawasaki was
unapproachable in Virginia as
he took a double win in Super-
stock 1000, the same as fellow
Californian Michael Gilbert in
Superstock 600 in what was a
breakout performance.
Garrett Gerloff and JD Beach
made it a blue weekend for
Yamaha in the Supersport
category with a win apiece, as
Draik Beauchamp and Jackson
Blackmon shared the spoils in
the KTM RC Cup.
SUPERBIKE/
SUPERSTOCK 1000
The wonderful binding factor in
sports ranging from motorcycle
racing to beach volleyball is they
are seldom predictable. Rare is
it now one person will decimate
their rivals, such is the level
professional sports finds them-
selves in the digital age.
Yet this was the case in both
races at VIR. Roger Hayden's
win in race one was indeed mas-
terful as the Kentucky rider got
to the front early and stretched a
gap to the chasing pack, leav-
ing the fireworks to come from
RIP UP THE FORM GUIDE
