Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz finished third in MotoAmerica Superbike race aboard his Yamaha YZF-R1. Those are the facts about how Mathew and the team fared on Saturday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, round 8, race 15 of the 10-round, 20-race MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. But there’s so much more to the story than the result. It was a demonstration of persistence, perseverance, and sheer determination for both Mathew and his experienced crew.

Mathew came into the weekend with three still-healing fractured bones in his left wrist, suffered in a crash during final qualifying at the previous MotoAmerica round in Minnesota. Despite the injuries, Mathew went to work at Pitt Race and put his #11 R1 Superbike on the provisional pole in Friday’s first qualifying.

Saturday morning’s final qualifying unfortunately moved Mathew back to sixth on the grid, which put him on the outside of the second row for the start of the weekend’s two races. Saturday afternoon’s race then brought even more adversity as another rider’s miscue resulted in Mathew being pushed off the track and shuffled way back in the field. Despite the huge setback, he immediately went to work running fast laps and overtaking riders as he moved back towards the front.

The race ended up being red-flagged and stopped twice, which resulted in two restarts after the initial start of the 17-lap race. On the second and final re-start of what became a five-lap sprint to the checkered flag, Mathew somehow overcame his injuries along with the added fatigue that were a result of the initial start, being pushed off the track and having to play catch-up, and the two re-starts, and he delivered a third-place result despite everything that conspired against him.

All in all, it was a hero effort for The Scholtz Kid, and one that he, his team, and his many fans will long remember.

“I think, when the second red flag came out, I started thinking about my wrist more. It just started hurting slightly more. To be honest, when I was out there riding, I didn’t really feel it too much. So, I can’t really complain and say it was my wrist’s fault. It was definitely just getting pushed off into the third corner on the first start. The second start, I got up to fourth. Caught up to Cam (Petersen). I felt good then. Third on the restart. Obviously, there were only five laps. I got stuck behind PJ (Jacobsen) in the first one. Reeled in Cam and passed him and managed to get behind Danilo, which was really good. I think we showed that, on the older tires, we have some serious pace. Just, hopefully, in tomorrow’s race, we can be there early on.”

Sunday’s Superbike race two starts at 3 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 2 (FS2).

For all the action from Pitt Race, as it happens, subscribe to MotoAmerica Live+, which is MotoAmerica’s live streaming and on-demand service. To find out more about how to watch MotoAmerica, click HERE

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 Pitt Race. 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

Eazi-Grip Racing Products and MWR Air Filters 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.