Hayes To Race In Aussie Superbike Round
Josh Hayes To Compete In Round One Of Australian Superbike Championship
When four-time Superbike Champion Josh Hayes left Yamaha’s U.S. factory road racing team a couple of years ago, which made room for Garrett Gerloff to move up to MotoAmerica’s Superbike class, Hayes made it clear that he wasn’t retiring. And, the 44-year-old legend is continuing to stay true to his word.
After competing aboard an MP13 Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 in last year’s Daytona 200 and finishing a strong fourth in the race, then competing in MotoAmerica Supersport aboard the same MP13 Racing Yamaha during part of the 2019 season, Hayes is set to race an Addicted to Track Team Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 in round one of the Australian Superbike (ASBK) Championship, which takes place at Phillip Island Circuit on February 27 through March 1.
The event will be Hayes’s third trip to Phillip Island in the past two years. In addition to the “I’m not retired” racing that is detailed above, the Mississippi Madman has competed aboard a vintage Yamaha FJ1200 in the past two consecutive International Island Classics. It seems that Hayes likes the 2.762-mile, 12-turn track quite a bit.
“I really enjoy Phillip Island,” Hayes said. “And, after racing there twice in the Island Classic, I had an opportunity to go there and race a third time, but aboard a Yamaha R1 Australian Superbike.”
Hayes’ team and crew are all Australian, with the exception of Canadian Jon Cornwell, who is an Öhlins suspension technician and part of the Westby Racing team.
“I’m fortunate to have ‘Corndog’ going over there with me to help dial in the suspension.”
Along with support from Öhlins, Hayes’s Addicted to Track Team is getting help from the Phillip Island Circuit, Motorcycling Australia, Dunlop Tires, and Dave Crussell, who is the owner of Mojo Yamaha, the team for which Hayes has raced twice in the Island Classic.
This will be a bit of a busman’s holiday for Hayes, who will be present for his protégé Garrett Gerloff’s debut in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship – Yamaha Finance Round, which just happens to also be at Phillip Island on the same weekend. “The timing is perfect for me to be there for Garrett’s first World Superbike weekend,” Hayes commented.
And then, it’s back to the U.S. for MotoAmerica’s Official Preseason Test at Barber Motorsports Park on March 10 and 11, where Hayes will get some seat time aboard the MP13 Yamaha R6 in Supersport practice before he competes in the Daytona 200 a few days later on March 14.
Did we mention “not retired?”
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Swap Meet And Motorcycle Show At Laguna
MotoAmerica has announced that it has reached an agreement with Classic Cycle Events to produce a motorcycle swap meet and show at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in conjunction with the Superbike Speedfest at Monterey, July 10-12.
Classic Cycle Events has been producing the Hanford and El Camino Vintage Motorcycle Rallies for some 11 years, drawing swap meet sellers and participants from all over the western United States twice a year.
“When the folks from MotoAmerica asked us to try and put something together at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, we had to agree,” said Classic Cycle Events’ Marshall Baker. “We will have the same great, enthusiastic staff with the same sellers and all the motorcycle parts you’ve been looking for. We will also have the same great restorers bringing out their latest projects to woo the crowds and bring home a trophy. We are also adding some contemporary classes to the show to include many bikes that will be ridden to this event. With MotoAmerica putting on some of the best racing at the finest track in the west in beautiful Monterey, how could we say no. So please join us for what promises to be what every enthusiast dreams of.”
“We’re pleased to be adding a motorcycle swap meet and show to all the other things we have going on at the MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest at Monterey,” said MotoAmerica partner Chuck Aksland. “The guys at Classic Cycle Events are enthusiastic and ready to really help us make this year’s MotoAmerica event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca something special. They have a lot of experience with producing swap meets and motorcycle shows, and we know they are going to do a great job producing something that our fans will enjoy.”
For more information on the swap meet and show, visit www.classiccycleevents.com in the coming weeks. Registration forms will be available online soon.
Anthony’s Leatherworks On Board As MotoAmerica Sponsor
MotoAmerica has announced that Anthony’s Leatherworks has signed on to be a sponsorship partner of the 2020 MotoAmerica Series.
Based in Corona del Mar, California, Anthony’s Leatherworks has been in the business of leather repair, alterations and restoration service for over 25 years and is the preferred leather repair center for Dainese, Alpinestars, REV’IT, Spidi, AGV Sport and Mithos. Anthony’s Leatherworks is also a business member of the AMA and prides itself on giving customers a superior service of leather repair that is required and demanded in the industry.
Anthony’s Leatherworks specializes in motorcycle racing leathers and its services include full reconditioning, dyeing, minor and major repair jobs, accessory replacement, alterations, section replacement, crash-damage repair and custom laser leather engraving and cutting.
“We take the time to determine what your needs are and work to achieve perfection in the finished product,” said Anthony’s Leatherworks owner Greg Sermabeikian. “Precision, efficiency and personalized service are the standards Anthony’s Leatherworks consistently achieves.”
Part of Anthony Leatherworks’ sponsorship is providing a drop-off option for customers at each of the 10 MotoAmerica rounds. Customers looking to get their garments repaired can drop off the leathers at a pre-determined spot and they will be shipped back to California on the Monday after the races for repair. Upon completion of the repair, the leathers will then be shipped back to the customer.
“We’re happy to welcome Anthony’s Leatherworks as a sponsor for the 2020 MotoAmerica season,” said MotoAmerica’s Lance Bryson. “The craftsmen at Anthony’s are topnotch and they definitely know their way around a set of leathers. While leathers protect us when we crash, they also need a bit of TLC to get them fixed and back to the way they looked pre-crash. Anthony’s Leatherworks takes care of all that. But that’s not all. They basically can do anything when it comes to either fixing or altering a set of leathers.”
Tech Talk: The Relevance Of Rear Sets
For the final two rounds of the 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike season, Josh Herrin was a fill-in rider for Cameron Beaubier, who had injured his shoulder at the previous round at Pittsburgh. Herrin’s first weekend on the factory Yamaha YZF-R1 at New Jersey Motorsports Park did not go as well as he’d hoped. He was uncomfortable on the bike, he didn’t have any feeling for the rear tire, and he couldn’t easily detect when the tire was sliding. And, as soon as he got to full lean in a corner and applied the throttle, he started having problems.
Before the final race weekend of the season at Barber Motorsports Park, and Herrin’s second stint on the 2018 factory Yamaha Superbike, Herrin’s crew chief Rick Hobbs obtained some rearsets from Attack Performance that Herrin had used earlier that season when he was racing an R1 for Meen Motorsports.
Copying the measurements from the Attack rearsets, Yamaha machined some brand-new rearsets that were 21 millimeters lower than what Herrin had used at New Jersey and what Beaubier had been using all season long prior to that. Yamaha also lowered the ride height of the bike by 20mm. With those two changes, the bike was transformed. Herrin immediately felt comfortable and in control. He could drive off the corners and point the bike where he wanted it to go by using the rear tire.
Copying the measurements from the Attack rearsets, Yamaha machined some brand-new rearsets that were 21 millimeters lower than what Herrin had used at New Jersey and what Beaubier had been using all season long prior to that. Yamaha also lowered the ride height of the bike by 20mm. With those two changes, the bike was transformed. Herrin immediately felt comfortable and in control. He could drive off the corners and point the bike where he wanted it to go by using the rear tire.
Not only did Herrin benefit from the new rearsets, but his teammate Josh Hayes tried them, liked them, and actually raced with them at Barber to finish out the 2018 season.
“Rearsets” are kind of a fancy name for motorcycle footpegs, but as the above anecdote attests, they are much more than just a couple of pegs where you place your feet when riding a motorcycle. As the name implies, rearsets are generally set further to the rear of a motorcycle compared with the position of the bike’s stock footpegs. Of course, that’s a sweeping generalization because rearsets are often positioned further back and higher than stock.
Typically, rearsets replace a motorcycle’s existing footpegs, rear brake pedal, and gearshift lever, as well as the brackets that hold them together, and they attached to the bike’s frame. They are often designed to allow some adjustment so that they can be set exactly where the rider wants them to be positioned.
The most important reason for having rearsets on a road racing motorcycle is to create optimum positioning of a rider’s feet and legs when both sitting on and hanging off the bike. Rearsets enable riders to use their feet and legs to hold themselves on their bikes thereby reducing the need to hang on with their arms and hands. This enables riders to focus their arms and hands more on steering the bike, as well as applying the throttle and brakes. It also reduces the strain on riders’ bodies, which makes them more comfortable and reduces the energy exerted during the race, or at least redirects it to more important tasks than merely hanging on for dear life.
In addition to providing more stability and comfort for the rider, rearsets increase ground clearance and enable the bike to be leaned over more when cornering, which results in faster cornering speeds and lower laptimes.
And, finally, road racing rearsets deliver more grip. Most stock motorcycle footpegs are covered with rubber pads, which do provide some grip but mostly are there to help quell vibrations that invariably transfer from the engine and chassis through the footpegs and into the rider’s feet. Look at road racing rearsets, and you’ll see that the surfaces where the rider places his feet are deeply “knurled” or grooved, and you may even see a crew member occasionally using a file or rotary grinder to increase the number of grooves or deepen the ones that are already there—all in the name of creating as much grip as possible for the rider’s feet.
To purchase tickets for all MotoAmerica events, click HERE
For information on how to watch the MotoAmerica Series, click HERE
For the full 2020 MotoAmerica Series schedule, click HERE