CHAMPIONSHIP
VOL. 55 ISSUE 16 APRIL 24, 2018 P73
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN J. NELSON
M
otoAmerica Superbike
put on two races of
vastly different fortunes
at Circuit of the Americas for the
2018 Red Bull Grand Prix of the
Americas, one held in a torrential
downpour and the other in blaz-
ing sunshine.
Saturday's race one saw
high drama as Mathew Scholtz
pulled back a huge gap to take
the win in the rain, his second
MotoAmerica career victory
after topping race two at Barber
Motorsports Park last year.
Race two, held on Sunday
afternoon after the MotoGP
program had concluded, saw
2017 MotoAmerica Superbike
Champion Toni Elias resume
normal service at the front with
a dominating victory, his fifth at
COTA in six starts.
Race One
The rain that threatened to burst
through all Sunday began to
drop five minutes before the
MotoAmerica field went to the
grid for race one, with a massive
panic ensuing as the respective
teams threw in wet suspension
settings and tires for the 15-lap
race with no prior wet practice
session.
Toni Elias (Yoshiumra Suzuki)
had qualified on the pole with
a 2:09.192, jumping out to an
early lead until Josh Herrin (At-
tack Performance/Herrin Com-
pound Yamaha) sliced through
TWO HALVES
Toni Elias came
good in race
two, taking a
commanding win
for Yoshimura
Suzuki.
