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Two Podiums at VIR Expand's Toni Elias' MotoAmerica Superbike Lead
Two Podiums at VIR Expand's Toni Elias' MotoAmerica Superbike Lead
24-Point Lead for Elias After Three of Ten Rounds
Yoshimura Suzuki's Toni Elias (#24) salutes fans with his third-place finish.
Brea, CA (May 6, 2019) - Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s Toni Elias survived a challenging race weekend at VIRginia International Raceway. The 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion ran strategically all event, earning a pair of rostrum finishes, a second on Saturday and third on Sunday. It paid off handsomely. Elias’ results, combined with rival Cameron Beaubier’s crash in Sunday’s race, means that Elias, who came into VIR with a 13-point lead in the championship, leaves Virginia with a 24-point lead.
In a show of speed and consistency, Elias and his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 have been on the podium in all six races so far in 2019.
Josh Herrin (#2) finished seventh on the wet-to-dry Virginia track.
For Elias’ first-year teammate Josh Herrin it was a difficult outing. He suffered a DNF in Saturday’s race after an issue with his machine, but then recovered somewhat on Sunday, finishing seventh on a difficult wet-to-drying track.
The Yoshimura Suzuki squad worked frantically Saturday preparing Toni's backup superbike after intermittent electrical gremlins sidelined him during Superpole. The team wrapped up the preparations with less than an hour to spare before Saturday’s race. In spite of having no laps on the newly-prepared Suzuki, Elias was able to run a solid pace and finish runner up.
Toni Elias ran mid-pack early on in the race to earn himself a podium finish.
In Sunday’s race a downpour hit the track before the start of the Superbike race. As riders took to the grid the sun broke through, presenting them with a tough decision on tire selection and bike setup. Elias decided to go with a dry set up with slicks and as a result, ran mid-pack in the early going. But as the track developed a dry line, he began moving up through the field. After running as far back as eighth in the early laps, Elias quickly charged his way up to third by mid-race. In the closing stages he was challenged by Mathew Scholtz, but Elias repassed the South African rider and held on to earn the final podium spot.
“Even though we didn’t get a win, it turned out to be a good weekend in terms of the championship,” Elias explained. “The entire team did a great job solving some difficulties we faced this weekend and these two podiums were definitely a team effort. Now we’ve built up a lead in the series, but we are still early and we will have to continue to work hard to accomplish our goal of winning back the championship this season.”
In spite of his challenging weekend, Herrin is still ranked sixth in the standings.
“Toni ran smart races this weekend,” said Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Don Sakakura. “In Sunday’s race he gathered a lot of points instead of trying too hard to win in difficult conditions. These are the kinds of decisions that can win championships."
“For Josh it was tough, starting with a mechanical in Saturday’s race. What happened was very unusual, so we felt bad for Josh, but we’ll analyze the data, along with the factory, and see what we can do to keep from having the same issue in the future.”
The Yoshimura Suzuki crew now readies for a test later this week in Utah. The series has a four-week break before swinging back into action at the scenic Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, on May 31 - June 2, for round four of the ten event MotoAmerica Championship. The series is televised nationally on Fox Sports 2.