The “Killer Bs” of Sonoma Raceway

Published on August 13, 2018 under AMA

Cameron Beaubier and JD Beach dominated their race classes, Superbike and Supersport, this past weekend at Sonoma Raceway, with both riders taking commanding wins both days at the renowned track.

In Superbike, Beaubier ran away from the pack Saturday and Sunday on his Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha R1, leaving the challengers Josh Herrin and Toni Elias to fight over the scraps of 2nd and 3rd place, which they swapped both days.

Beaubier considers Sonoma his home track, and the California native has made the home crowd proud the past two years, taking every race he has started here. “It really was the perfect weekend,” Cameron quipped, “We were able to lead every session and win both races. It feels really good.” Beaubier holds a commanding lead over 2017 champion Toni Elias by 63 points, 298-235. Herrin is third in the series, with 187 points.

JD Beach has been putting on a racing clinic every weekend this season in the Supersport class, obliterating the competition race after race. JD is riding at another level, and proved it again at Sonoma, leaving Valentin Debise and Hayden Gillim to battle for the 2nd and 3rd spots on the podium in both races, and the rest of the field simply in his dust. Beach now leads the 600cc series by a staggering 100 points over the challengers.
Paul Carruthers of MotoAmerica notes, “Sonoma Raceway is a technical track, with lots of turns, changes in elevation, and tight corners. It’s a rider’s road course that challenges even the best racers, including racers who are local to the area.” That was definitely true for the young guns of Junior Cup, as lead changes, crashes, and fierce bar-to-bar competition defined their races both days. Ashton Yates took the checkered in race 1 when Alex Dumas and Cory Ventura both crashed out, then race 2 saw the podium rearranged, with Ventura, Dumas, and Yates taking the flag, in that order.

MotoAmerica also ran the Stock 1000 class, with Californian Andrew Lee taking the win after coming off a recent podium finish at the international Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in Japan. MotoAmerica also hosted CSRA Vintage Superbike races, showcasing old classic motorcycles from the 70s-80s tearing around the track.

Three more race rounds remain in the MotoAmerica 2018 season, so be sure to catch the action live, on BeIN Sports USA, or on MotoAmerica’s YouTube channel.

For all things MotoAmerica, go to www.motoamerica.com

Rob Brooks

Photos by Brian J. Nelson