Cameron Beaubier (1) leads the MotoAmerica Superbike field on Sunday at Road America. (Brian J. Nelson Photo)
MotoAmerica has announced its provisional 2021 schedule. (Brian J. Nelson Photo)

Beaubier Completes Road America Superbike Sweep

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Apparently, Cameron Beaubier is taking this social distancing thing to the utmost degree.

The Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha rider made sure his competition never got close as he completed the weekend sweep in the MotoAmerica HONAS Superbike class Sunday at Road America.

Beaubier followed up Saturday’s 7.8-second win with an even more impressive outing, the four-time defending MotoAmerica Superbike champion winning again on Sunday – this time by 13.4 seconds – to leave round one of the HONAS Superbike Series with a perfect points haul of 50.

“I can’t ask for a better start to the year,” Beaubier. “Being able to get pole and both race wins. If you look at my track record, that’s not really how my seasons start. I’m normally trying to crawl back points throughout the year. Plain and simple, I just got to give it up to Richard (Stanboli) and Keith (McCarty) for putting this amazing program together – Monster Attack Yamaha. My bike, I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been this comfortable on a motorcycle. Just the track back home at Buttonwillow, just my feeling with the bike, with the 2020 R1. I’m able to get under the bubble a little bit better, pick up some mile an hour on the straightaway and with the electronics that they’ve been working on, I’ve been able to get off the corner.

“The bike’s just easier to ride. I’m just having pure fun on the thing. It’s really nice to have one and two up (Yamahas) here. I just want to not get too excited yet. Just keep the ball rolling and keep going. Obviously, some of our competitors went down today, and it’s going to be a long season. I’m just so happy we’re back racing and want some more.

Second place went to Beaubier’s teammate Jake Gagne, the laid-back Californian bettering his third place from Saturday by a spot. Gagne was in a battle for the spot early on with Saturday’s runner-up Mathew Scholtz and Bobby Fong when the two came together in turn five and crashed. That left Gagne free and clear to ride to a lonely second, 13.4 seconds behind Beaubier and some six seconds clear of an intense battle for the final podium spot.

Third went to Scheibe Racing BMW’s Josh Herrin, the Georgian earning a podium spot in this first weekend on the BMW S 1000 RR by .011 of a second over Inde Motorsports Ranch/KWR Ducati’s Kyle Wyman. Herrin’s effort earned the Scheibe BMW team its first HONOS Superbike podium.

Just a few seconds behind Wyman came Celtic HSBK Racing’s P.J. Jacobsen, the New Yorker racing his Ducati Panigale V4R to fifth and well clear of sixth-placed David Anthony on the FLY Racing ADR Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Cameron Petersen rode his Altus Motorsports Suzuki to a lonely seventh with Ride HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander ending up eighth. Trashed Bike Racing LLC’s Max Flinders and FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ Bradley Ward rounded out the top 10.

For the second day in a row, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Toni Elias failed to finish. This time it was a crash on the third lap that knocked the Spaniard out of the race and he leaves round one with zero points after his mechanical non-finish in race one.