Mathew Scholtz and his Westby Racing team came into the opening round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship with a well-tested Yamaha YZF-R1 and some upgrades to the bike’s electronics, engine, and suspension.

Mathew qualified fourth on the grid, got off to a good start and was in third place after the first lap. He lost a position on lap two, then one more position on lap three and stabilized in fifth place for the remainder of the 19-lap race.

For some teams, that’s a decent result. But, for a team that’s the caliber of Westby Racing, it didn’t set well with them.

“The race wasn’t what we were hoping for,” Mathew said. “We came to Road Atlanta thinking we had made a lot of progress, but it seems like the settings we came up with from our preseason testing program didn’t work out well at this track today. We’re kind of chasing our tails a little bit. I really feel like we have a lot of potential with our 2023 package, but we weren’t able to get there yesterday and today. Finishing fifth, I think we were only three-and-a-half seconds off the winner, which isn’t bad. But I know what the Westby team and I are capable of, so we’ve got a lot of work to do tonight. I know the guys will have us ready to come out swinging for the second race tomorrow. I’m really strong in some sections of the track, but we’ve got to fix the weak points, and I don’t see why we can’t be battling with Jake (Gagne) and Cam (Beaubier) up front. Myself, (Josh) Herrin, and Cam Petersen actually closed up to them from the midway point on, so we know that we have something to build on. The potential’s there, and I know we can fight at the front.”

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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 11:40 a.m. Sunday on pit lane at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. 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

Superbike Unlimited and Suter Racing Products 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.

For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit www.WestbyRacing.com

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