Just Two Points Separate Three Riders in REV’IT! Twins Cup.
The race for the REV’IT is the closest-contested MotoAmerica Championship you will ever see! Following the exciting race at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday, the Twins Cup was won.
This is defending REV’IT, how’s that for close! After three rounds and six races, the reigning Twins Cup champion Blake Davis has a slim two-point lead over Gus Rodio and Hayden Schultz. And Rocco Landers, who did not compete in either of the two races at Daytona and did not finish the opening race at Road Atlanta, is lurking in fourth place just 12 points behind.
That can be accomplished by three victories in a row.
Landers won both races in Alabama, and those two victories—combined with Gus Rodio’s two non-finishes as the former undisputed leader of the championship—have turned the championship on its head.
On Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park, the REV’IT! Twins Cup race two was the first of the main events. Landers, a rider for Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia, finished the weekend flawlessly by winning race one, taking the pole position, and the second race. Rodio, a teammate of Landers, unfortunately did not fare as well. Prior to the weekend, he was in first place in the points, but crashes in both of the races dropped him to second, where he is now tied with Schultz.
Davis moved into first place in the standings by two points over Rodio after placing second in the race on Sunday aboard his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha. With a third-place finish on Sunday to go along with her second-place finish on Saturday, Kayla Yaakov of the WagBar MP13 Racing earned her second podium finish in as many days. Yaakov was unable to attend the REV’IT races in Daytona and Road Atlanta. Despite missing the Twins Cup Championship due to injury, she made a strong comeback at Barber Motorsports Park during her first class race weekend.
“I’ve lost about 12 points now, Landers said. “It’s crazy; we missed the first round and then, infuriatingly, had a DNF in Atlanta. My mechanic Chad works incredibly hard to make the bike perfect for me, and I can’t thank my entire Robem Engineering Rodio Racing team enough. Robem, Matt Spicer has been so helpful to me. the entire Rodio clan. It was terrible to see what happened to Gus (Rodio). A team of two is always welcome, and Aprilia is nice to have as well. We’re kind of close in the championship, so maybe I can convince them to let me finish the season for him. However, it was a good race, so it wouldn’t be unpleasant. I enjoyed it.”
Junior Cup – Badie’s First
For the first time ever in the history of MotoAmerica, a Belgian rider won the opening race of the Junior Cup Championship on Sunday. Levi Badie of Badie Racing overtook Hayden Bicknese of Bicknese Racing during the race by just three milliseconds. Avery Dreher of Bad Boys Racing, who won the opening race on Saturday, saw his winning streak end on Sunday after finishing third.
“I didn’t think I was going to win,” Badie said. “But in the final corner, I noticed Bickense struggling. He was being restrained in some way when I saw him. I thought, “Okay, this is the chance,” so I said as such. Put your entire self in and just go for it. If second, then it is second.’ I was content in both locations. Although I didn’t think, I’m happy to be first.”
Stock 1000 – Gillim’s Double
Hayden Gillim, a driver for Disrupt Racing, had a terrible first round of the Steel Commander Stock 1000 Championship at Road Atlanta, but he made that distant memory a thing of the past on Sunday with his second victory of the weekend at Barber Motorsports Park.
Ezra Beaubier, who is supported by Orange Cat Racing, finished third on Sunday behind Gillim and his teammate Kaleb De Keyrel, which allowed Gillim to gain 14 points on the Californian.
Beaubier now has a 26-point advantage over Gillim and De Keyrel, who are tied for second, moving the gap to 86-60. Taylor Knapp of Taylor Knapp Racing, who finished fourth today, is fourth with 50 points, and Travis Wyman of Travis Wyman Racing, who failed to finish, is fifth with 46 points.
“Ezra (Beaubier) didn’t make it easy for me, despite my best efforts. He had a good start, so it was good. He drove it off in turn one, contrary to my expectations that he would be somewhat lax there today. The first few laps were enjoyable, and the race was good overall. I was aware of a few places where, if I could open up a small gap, I didn’t believe he could approach and attempt any out-braking maneuvers. I simply lowered my head and moved forward. I was confident in my pace and could maintain it with relative ease. Simply pushing and moving forward, I began to slightly widen the gap. This weekend was enjoyable. My weekend was necessary. My confidence and everything else were both seriously shaken by Atlanta. Whether it was the bikes or me, I wasn’t sure. What was occurring eluded me. So, having the opportunity to come out here and perform, I knew this track would be beneficial for us. The weekend was wonderful. For the team, for myself, and to bring home the significant trophy, I’m pleased to have stood here twice.”
Reference: superbike-news.co.uk
