The American motorcycle road racing press has been whipped up into a frenzy since news of Jonas Folger’s unexpected departure from the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 MotoGP team broke last week. Several of my colleagues in the MotoAmerica press corps., including Lance Oliver at RevZilla (https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/will-a-us-rider-get-an-unexpected-shot-at-motogp), and Dave Swarts from Roadracing World (http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/motogp-who-will-monster-yamaha-tech-3-choose-to-replace-jonas-folger-in-2018/) have penned articles about the possibility of an American rider taking Folger’s place…… Continue reading Stars, Stripes, and MotoGP: What the Opening at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Really Means for American Riders

The day’s action stated just before noon with Superpole to determine the grid the weekend’s Motul Superbike and Bazzazz Superstock 1000 races. The session ended with Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Roger Lee Hayden on the pole. Hayden set a blistering 1:20.378 on his flying lap to edge out Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Josh Hayes by just over two-tenths of a second. Rounding out the front row…… Continue reading Day Summary: MotoAmerica NJMP 2017, Saturday

The weather at Road America today reflected the mood of the paddock. The day progressed from the darkness and dreariness of a memorial to the brightness of carrying on how our fallen hero would want us to. A steady rain started and stopped several times during morning practices and qualifying before the memorial activities began…… Continue reading MotoAmerica Road America 2017: Saturday Summary

Sunday’s MotoAmerica action from VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) was tame compared to Saturday’s bar-banging drama. That said, there was plenty of on-track action in all three racing classes. The sun was out all day and conditions were much warmer and drier than either Friday or Saturday. Unfortunately, the hot conditions made the track greasy, and the…… Continue reading Day Summary: MotoAmerica VIR 2017 — Sunday

After an eventful drive that started at 4am this morning, the Two Wheel Power Hour has now made its presence known in the MotoAmerica paddock for the first time this season. Because I wanted to get my credentials on Friday I left Youngstown plenty early at 4am….or so I thought. The trip was uneventful until I…… Continue reading Day Summary: MotoAmerica VIR 2017 — Friday

In my season preview article, I noted that this was going to be a MotoGP season full of unknowns. The usually consistent “premier class” saw a number of rules and equipment changes over the off-season. The first round in Qatar answered a lot of those questions, and not the way I was expecting them to.…… Continue reading RaceRip: MotoGP Qatar GP 2016