Sean Dylan Kelly will never forget that on September 15, 2024, he won his first MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike race. He will also know that he beat the best in a head-to-head battle to earn that victory, having passed five-time MotoAmerica Superbike champion Cameron Beaubier on the final corner of the final lap of the Circuit of The Americas on a scorching Sunday.
This was the first race on Sunday. There was a lot more to do in race three.
With track temperatures of 49 degrees, the third and final Superbike race began with another holeshot from Josh Herrin. This time, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Beaubier wasted little time in passing his championship rival. But it didn’t last long, as Ezra Beaubier’s (his younger brother) BMW exploded and spilled oil onto the track, bringing out the red flag.
At the restart, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Herrin took the lead, but this time there was a battle at the front throughout, with Herrin leading five laps and Beaubier crossing the line on five occasions, including the final four.
At the finish line Beaubier led Herrin by 0.970 seconds after a thrilling Superbike race. Kelly also remained in the mix until he retired late in the race, finishing 2.9 seconds behind in third.
In the end, Beaubier won two of the three Steel Commander Superbike races, gaining valuable points on Herrin. Heading into the series finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park in two weeks, Beaubier has a 46-point gap over Herrin, 300-254.
“So, you’re telling me there’s a chance” might be a little optimistic, but Beaubier’s win-second-win weekend has breathed some life into his championship aspirations.
The top three finishers in race 3 were the same as race 2, but not in the same order. Beaubier, Herrin, Kelly in race 3; Kelly, Beaubier, Herrin in race 2.
Fourth place in the final race of the weekend went to Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante, nearly five seconds ahead of Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz and Escalante’s teammate Brandon Paasch, who finished second overall on the day.
Seventh place in race three went to Beaubier’s teammate JD Beach, who finished ahead of Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates.
Benjamin Smith del FLO4LAW Racing e Cameron Petersen dell’Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing completano la top 10.
Superbike Race 2
Despite all the push and pull for the lead, Kelly somehow managed to lead all 12 laps to the finish, but lost the lead on the final lap when Beaubier slid his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000R underneath Kelly’s similarly equipped BMW at the end of the straight. At this point, it looked like Beaubier was in control with a handful of corners to go, but Kelly was determined and returned the favour to his former Moto2 teammate with a lunge down the inside of the final corner. From there he made it to the line in first, earning himself a first Superbike in a race to remember.
All of this played into Herrin’s hands, as he abandoned the lead duo and hoped that Kelly could somehow beat Beaubier to help him in his quest for the championship. With Kelly doing just that, Beaubier only gained four points on Herrin, not the nine he would have earned had he won with Kelly between them. Herrin finished just under five seconds behind the lead duo.
Kelly’s margin of victory over Beaubier was 0.177 seconds and made him the sixth MotoAmerica Superbike race winner in 2024, joining Herrin, Beaubier, Jake Gagne, Bobby Fong and Cameron Petersen.
By winning the first race of his career as a rookie on a team in his first year, EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing’s Kelly became the 66th rider to win an AMA Superbike National.
Herrin’s teammate Baz improved his pace significantly from the first race on Saturday, finishing fourth, about eight seconds off the leader after slowing in the closing laps.
Another to improve on Saturday’s first race was Wrench Motorcycle’s Bobby Fong, with the Californian taking fifth place, one point more than in the first race.
Sixth place went to Paasch, with the youngster finding something in the morning warmup to push his pace.
Petersen, Xavi Forés of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, Beach of Tytlers Cycle Racing and Yates completed the top 10.
Escalante finished on the podium in Saturday’s first race, but suffered a crash in race two that resulted in a DNF.
Superbike Race Two Results HERE
Superbike Race Three Results HERE
Photo courtesy MotoAmerica by Brian J. Nelson
