At VIR, “Durban Dynamo” Mathew Scholtz Reaches MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Podium For Fourth Time In Five Races Thus Far In The Season
Alton, VA - May 14, 2017 –
Competing on another racetrack for the first time ever in his career, Yamalube/Westby Racing rider Mathew Scholtz from Durban, South Africa, proved yet again that he’s quick in more ways than one.
Mathew was quick to pick up the nuances of yet another new-for-him U.S. racetrack--this time at VIRginia International Raceway--and also quick aboard his #11 Yamalube/Westby Racing/Yamaha YZF-R1 as he rode brilliantly to a second-place finish in Saturday’s Superstock 1000 race after qualifying first in class in Superpole earlier on Saturday.
Mathew spent a day in the rain on Friday getting to know VIR’s 14-turn, 2.25-mile natural road course. And, by the time Saturday’s combined Superbike/Superstock 1000 race went green, the sun was out, the track was dry, and the conditions were completely different than they’d been thus far in the MotoAmerica weekend.
Starting from the third row on the grid, Mathew immediately put his R1 in contention for the Superstock 1000 win and stayed in the lead pack throughout race, mixing it up with most of the full-fledged Superbikes in the field in the process. As the laps wound down, Mathew kept his poise and crossed the finish line second in the Superstock 1000 class, which was his third runner-up result out of the five races run so far in the season.
“The first few corners of the race were kind of hectic,” Mathew said. “Guys were swapping positions, running wide, banging handlebars, but I managed to emerge in seventh or eight position overall and mostly clear of the fray. I could see that the Superbikes weren’t actually pulling a massive gap on us, so I didn’t panic.
“I closed up to Bobby (Fong), Toni (Elias), and (Josh) Herrin, and from there, it was pretty much a four-way battle for us. I concentrated on the guys in front of me, and Fong’s bike is really, really fast, so we need to work on our top-end speed to try to close the gap to him. I felt good being able to hang with the Superbike riders. On the fourth or fifth lap before the end, (Josh) Hayes and I touched, and I ran wide, so I sort of lost that tow with Toni, Herrin, Bobby, and Hayes. Then, Toni and Herrin touched and fell down, and after (Cameron) Beaubier went by, I was in fifth overall and second in class, which I was really happy with. I wish we could have challenged Bobby on the final lap, but I’m looking forward to Sunday’s race. I feel really, really confident that we can move forward and challenge even the Superbike guys. ”
Mathew and the Yamalube/Westby Racing team will race again at VIR on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 PM EST. The race will be broadcast live on beIN Sports.
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