Round five of the 2020 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship starts this Friday at the Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, and riders Mathew Scholtz and Cody Wyman, along with the entire Westby Racing team, are excited about MotoAmerica’s first foray into the Pacific Northwest.
Mathew, the team’s Superbike rider, rolled a pair of three’s last month at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta when he finished on the podium in both of that weekend’s races. Then, at Pittsburgh International Race Complex a couple of weekends ago, Mathew rolled a pair of two’s when he finished as runner-up in both races at PittRace. So, if the team is following suit—and you’d better believe they are—then Westby Racing is hoping to come up “snake eyes” at the Ridge with a pair of Superbike victories this weekend.
Mathew knows it’ll be a tall task against four-time and defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champ Cameron Beaubier, who is aboard essentially the same Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike as Mathew and has won all but one race so far this season.
“I’m really pumped to race at the Ridge this weekend,” Mathew said. “The last race weekend at Pittsburgh was really good for us. It got us really excited for the rest of the season and to continue on this pathway of success. I’m riding as well as I ever have, and the team has got this Westby Racing Yamaha Superbike working really, really well. Right now, things are just jelling for us, and I am in a really happy place. I can’t wait to get back out on the racetrack again.
“From the videos I’ve watched, the Ridge is going to be a difficult track to get hold of but, you know, I’ve become quite accustomed to learning new circuits. I know that we’ll have to do a little bit of catch-up to the (Team Hammer) M4 (ECSTAR Suzuki) and the (Monster Energy) Attack (Performance Yamaha) guys who were at the Ridge for a two-day test earlier this summer. But fortunately, MotoAmerica has scheduled a full test day tomorrow, so we’ll be taking the necessary time to find the right gearing and setup so we can carry on with our charge up to the front.”
Superbike Superpole is on Saturday at 11:15 AM Pacific, Superbike race one will go green on Saturday at 3:00 PM Pacific, and Superbike Race 2 is on Sunday also at 3:00 PM Pacific. Saturday’s race will be broadcast LIVE on FOX Sports 2 (FS2), and Sunday’s race will be broadcast LIVE on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). In addition, both races will be broadcast LIVE on Eurosport and streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
Westby Racing’s MotoAmerica Junior Cup rider Cody, who lives in Las Vegas, is excited to not only race his #34 Yamaha YZF-R3 at a track that’s located closer to “his side” of the country but also a new track that he and his competition have never raced on. He is confident that those factors will weigh in his favor.
“It’s always a great feeling rolling into a track that’s brand-new for me,” Cody said. “Honestly, I really enjoy the challenge of seeing a new piece of road and trying to figure out the fastest way around it. I believe that it may even the playing field out a little bit. I’m really excited to get this Yamaha set up for the Ridge and use the extra day of testing to get comfortable and up to speed. I’ve been watching videos online to try and learn the course, and I have a plan going into the weekend. Unfortunately, having no spectators at the track is a bummer, but I hope everyone will watch all the action on MotoAmerica Live+ and also on FS2 when both races air at a later time.”
Junior Cup race one starts on Saturday at 2:15 PM Pacific, and Junior Cup race two is on Sunday also at 2:15 PM Pacific. Both races will be broadcast via tape-delay on FOX Sports 2 (FS2). Check your local listings for FS2 airtimes. In addition, both Junior Cup races will be streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
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