If one were to use a colloquial phrase to sum up the fortunes of Mathew Scholtz and the Westby Racing team after MotoAmerica Superbike race one at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, you’d have to call it a “big 10-4.” “10” because that’s how many points Mathew now sits behind championship leader Danilo Petrucci in the standings, and “4” because that was Mathew’s finishing position in the race, a result just off the podium and just behind the aforementioned Petrucci, who finished third.
Mathew qualified on the inside of the second row in fourth and Petrucci lined up right next to the Italian. The pair engaged in a battle almost immediately, and Petrucci unfortunately overtook Mathew on lap two of the eight-lap race, which was shortened due to two red-flag stoppages and the subsequent restarts. The rest of the race was processional between the two riders.
“Obviously, today was not the result we were looking for. Fourth really wasn’t too bad considering that Ridge has never been a track where I’ve gone as well as I would like. Qualifying was difficult, but my fourth-place result in the race was disappointing because of how far back we were at the finish line. I wasn’t able to hang with the guys up front. We just need to find something for race two, Make some changes to the bike and hopefully take some big steps forward. The good news is that we know exactly where I need to improve and where we can help with some changes to the bike’s setup. Tomorrow is a new day, and we have some time in morning warmup to make some improvements. I really want to get back out there and have a better race on Sunday. I’ve got an amazing team that works extremely hard, so I’m confident that we’ll get there.”
Mathew will line up again on Sunday for Superbike race two, which starts at 3:10 p.m. PT. The race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 2 (FS2), so don’t miss it.
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Meet Mathew, Get An Autographed Poster, And More
Mathew will be available for autographs during the Dunlop Hot Pit Walk & Autograph Session, scheduled for 11 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday on pit lane at Ridge. He and the team will be handing out free posters and T-shirts, so don’t miss it.
Check Out The Westby Racing Sponsor Showcase
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. and Pro-Bolt USA. are the featured team sponsors on display in the Westby Racing paddock area this race weekend, so be sure to stop by to say hello and learn about some of the companies that support the team.
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.