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/917325
IN THE WIND P56 BEACH, BAUMAN 1-2 AT SUPERPRESTIGIO W hen MotoGP star Marc Marquez beat American flat track star Brad Baker at last year's Superprestigio, the score was tied: a pair of wins each. Anticipation was high for the re- match between the two titans on the Palau Sant Jordi short track in Barcelona, Spain, December 16. But it didn't happen. After grueling seasons in American Flat Track and MotoGP, both Baker and Marquez opted out of the fifth edition of Super- prestigio. Baker asked Beach to fill in for him. "Once Brad called," Beach said, "I was full on. That was all I was thinking about and train- ing for. Usually in the off-season I take a little break from riding and training, but it was straight to riding dirt track. I changed my training methods a little bit for the quick races. I think it paid off." Like Beach, Briar Bauman got the call to fill in for another Super- prestigio go-to—Jared Mees—who also chose to stay home to be with his family and young daugh- ter. In the end, the Superprestigio rookies dominated the evening's racing. Beach won convincingly, nearly wire to wire, with Bauman methodically working his way through the pack from a bad start to make it a dramatic 1-2 finish. Beach's day, however, started with major problems with the hub of his 16-inch wheel in practice. "We found a 17-incher to use," he said, "but later on found another 16, so I was able to use the same setup as before." Beach's shock gave him troubles, too, but the replace- ment his team found ended up being better. "I'm a racer," he said. "Once the gate drops, it re- ally didn't matter. I was just there to race and push." Although he didn't set the world on fire early on in the heat races, he dominated his Open- class finals, going three for three. And when it came to the all-important Superfinal, Beach continued his dominance, getting past Tony Elias in a classic "short track" move and continuing on for the win he not only wanted to bring home for the U.S., but to honor those who are no longer here, such as Ethan Gillam and Nicky Hayden. "To come to Spain with the goal to win this Superprestigio and actually do it was amazing," Beach said. "I definitely didn't think it was going to happen, because the night started out really rough. I was having a lot of issues, but luckily Briar and his crew and my Spanish friends all helped out. It was amazing. I just can't really put it into words. I just feel so lucky to get the win; I'm at a loss for words. "I have to thank Brad Baker, too. I feel honored to take his spot. I'm pumped that me and Briar went 1-2. I know [Briar] probably wanted it to be the dif- ferent order." Indeed Bauman was hoping JD Beach leads Briar Bauman during the Superprestigio Superfinal in Spain. PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE ENGLISH