Round three of the 2021 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship starts this Friday at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and Westby Racing’s riders Mathew Scholtz and Jack Roach, along with the entire crew, always enjoy MotoAmerica race weekends at “America’s National Park of Speed.”
Mathew, who is the current Superbike Championship points leader, hopes to keep his podium streak alive, with two race victories being the ultimate goal, of course. Last year at Road America, in the two rounds and four races held there, he notched a runner-up finish, a DNF, a fifth-place, and a fourth-place finish at the 4.05-mile, 14-turn natural road course.
“I’m looking forward to the Road America round and getting back to racing again,” Mathew said. “I’m really excited, and I’ve been training hard. I have kind of a love-hate relationship with Road America. It seems like either I do really well there, or things don’t go so great, but this year, I am confident that we should definitely be challenging up front for some race wins. Our bike has picked up some horsepower compared with last year, which should help us at Road America where top speed is so important. In speaking with (crew chief) Ed (Sullivan) and (electronics specialist) Herschel (Auxier), we have a few ideas on what we need to try to improve the bike and also what I need to do to improve my riding. So, it’s all looking good…just really looking forward to Friday practice in order to try out some of these changes that we’re planning to make and see how it goes. I’m feeling confident, and I feel like we have to do something to stop Jake’s (Gagne) forward momentum. Road America is the place where I think we can take back some of the points in the championship and try to extend our lead while keeping the rest of the guys behind us.”
Superbike final qualifying is on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. CT. Superbike race one will go green on Saturday afternoon at 3:10 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 2 (FS2). Superbike race two is on Sunday afternoon also at 3:10 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Both races will be streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
For Jack, qualifying third at VIR was encouraging. He knows that he’s got the bike and the team to achieve the results he is expecting. It’s a matter of putting everything together, getting good race starts, and using the draft to his advantage. Last year, while racing for a different team and aboard a different manufacturer’s motorcycle in his first-ever race weekend at Road America, Jack finished 11th and 7th in the two Junior Cup races. He’s determined to do even better this year now that he’s aboard the Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R3.
Jack commented, “Coming off the back of a very unlucky round in Virginia, I’m hungry to get a good result not only for me but for my team. They’ve been working hard and so have I. We just need it to come together. There’s nothing wrong with the speed of the bike, as it showed its podium potential in qualifying at VIR. I can’t wait for Friday.”
Junior Cup race one starts on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. CT, and Junior Cup race two is on Sunday at 2:10 p.m. CT. Both races will be streamed on MotoAmerica Live+, and then, broadcast via tape-delay on FOX Sports 2 (FS2) this Tuesday, June 15, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
Meet Mathew and Jack, Get Some Autographed Posters, And More
Mathew and Jack will both be at the Westby Racing transporter in the Road America paddock during two Dunlop Paddock Autograph Signings. The first one is on Saturday from 12 to 12:30 p.m. CT, and the second one is on Sunday from 10:30 to 11 a.m. CT. They’ll have free, autographed posters and other team items to hand out, so be sure to stop by.
Check Out The Westby Racing Sponsor Showcase
NGK Spark Plugs U.S.A. and MWR Racing Air Filters will be the featured team sponsors on display in the Westby Racing paddock area, 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.