Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz has never finished outside the top five at Ridge Motorsports Park. And now, he can add a second runner-up finish to his repertoire. In Saturday’s Superbike race one at Ridge, Mathew matched his second-place finish in 2020 with another runner-up result.
Starting the race from the outside of row three in seventh position, Mathew moved up to sixth on lap one, and then, on lap two, he was in fourth. He held onto fourth for three laps, and then moved into a podium position on lap five. Mathew then maintained his position all the way until the race was red-flagged on lap 14 and declared complete. Also, the red flag ended up benefitting Mathew because he was moved up to the runner-up position in the final results.
“The first couple laps, I just was struggling,” commented Mathew. “I felt like I was pushing the front end really hard. There were a couple spots where the bike was backing in. I felt like I nearly ran off the circuit a couple times, so I just had to steady everything and made a couple passes. It seemed like Jake (Gagne), Cameron Petersen, and (Cameron) Beaubier and Josh Herrin were kind of going backwards and forward, so I knew that that was going to help me slightly. Then, Josh (Herrin) ran wide. Cam Petersen crashed. I was kind of a couple seconds back, and the next four laps or so, I put down some pretty quick lap times. I managed to catch up to Beaubier a little bit then, but I think that he kind of noticed that and turned it up. I had a couple moments after that. I think the rear tire dropped off more than I thought it would. So, it’s certainly something we have to look at now. But, after last race out, barely getting eighth in the first race and sixth in the second race, sitting up here in second place, this is a massive win for me and the Westby crew. We made a complete change on the front end of the motorcycle. Definitely seems to help me turn better than we have been. So, considering this is the first race on that setup, I’m very, very pumped. I know that we have a lot more to gain there. So, I’m really looking forward to the second race. Hopefully I’ll be challenging Jake up at the front. I know Josh is going to pick up the pace. Beaubier will be there. Petersen will be there. I’ll be there. Richie (Escalante), Corey (Alexander), PJ (Jacobsen)… So, I’m looking to bang some bars tomorrow.”
Superbike race two will go green on Sunday afternoon at 3:10 PT, and the race will be broadcast live on MotoAmerica’s YouTube Channel. For all the action from Ridge Motorsports Park, as it happens, subscribe to MotoAmerica Live+, which is MotoAmerica’s live streaming and on-demand service.
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 11:40 a.m. Sunday on pit lane at Ridge Motorsports Park. 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, USA 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.