Elias Wins MotoAmerica Superbike Competition Over Beaubier By a Hair
The points leader continues his tear at Virginia International Raceway.
Cameron Beaubier led most of the 20-lap MotoAmerica Superbike race at Virginia International Raceway, but Toni Elias led the only lap that mattered, taking a hard-fought win by a scant 0.114 seconds. Despite the threat of rain, the race was run in the dry.
Elias, riding for Yoshimura Suzuki, has now scored his fourth win of the 2018 season. Elias now leads the Superbike championship by 26-points over Westby Racing Matthew Scholtz. Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Beaubier is now third in the points. Finishing third was Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz. Scholtz is the only other Superbike class winner this year with two victories.
After the initial start, the race was red-flagged on the first lap due to a spectacular three-rider crash. The incident involved Beaubier’s teammate Garrett Gerloffalso, and two riders who fell trying to avoid him: Quicksilver/LEXIN/Hudson Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden.
After the race, Spanish-rider Elias told the press, “For me, it was clear; make a good start in the beginning. When he [Beaubier] started to go his pace, it was difficult for me. I was struggling a lot, especially in traction areas. I need to find something for tomorrow. But at the end, the race became easier at and I started to play my cards. I could see he was playing his cards. Both of us are playing really good, and at the end, I thought I could win but I was not sure. I was not sure because there was some struggle. I could feel him in the back. I saw him a couple of times. Always, the victory is nice.”
“We were going back and forth, and he [Elias] was protecting the insides really good on the last lap," Beaubier added. "We tried to go around him, which didn’t work. I was a little frustrated there in the middle of the race just because I felt like I didn’t have the grip I did in practice, but we’re going to go back and maybe make some changes for tomorrow and hope for a good race. So, it’s a bummer not to win, but I’m glad I’m up here (on the podium). I got second. We’ve got tomorrow to try again. I just want to give a shout out to Garrett (Gerloff). It sucks to see your buddy and your teammate go down like that. Hope he’s back for tomorrow,” he said.
Superbike Race One Results
1. Toni Elias (Suzuki)
2. Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha)
3. Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha)
4. Josh Herrin (Yamaha)
5. Jake Lewis (Suzuki)
Supersport Race One Results
1. JD Beach (Yamaha)
2. Hayden Gillim (Yamaha)
3. Richie Escalante (Yamaha)
4. Cory West (Suzuki)
5. Braeden Ortt (Yamaha)
Liqui Moly Junior Cup Results
1. Alex Dumas (KTM)
2. Gavin Anthony (Yamaha)
3. Jay Newton (Yamaha)
4. Dylan Deutschlander (Yamaha)
5. Jackson Blackmon (Yamaha)
Twins Cup Results
1. Xavier Zayat (Suzuki)
2. Chris Parrish (Suzuki)
3. Chris Murray (Suzuki)
4. Jason Madama (Yamaha)
5. Darrell Ricks (Suzuki)
Sunday’s program at VIR features five races, including Superbike Race Two and Supersport Race Two. All races are run rain or shine.
