The following is from Westby Racing…
The opening round of the 2021 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship starts this Friday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. Riders Mathew Scholtz and Jack Roach, along with the entire Westby Racing team, will be set up and ready to race with a new team transporter serving as their home base, and it promises to be a fan-favorite destination in the MotoAmerica paddock all season long.
Not only is the truck new, but there is also a new spirit of anticipation within the team as rider Mathew Scholtz embarks on what could potentially be a Superbike Championship season for the 2017 Superstock 1000 title winner. Mathew, who is from South Africa, but now makes his home in Georgia, has been with the same team, Westby Racing, for longer than virtually any other rider in the MotoAmerica paddock. He’s also raced the Yamaha YZF-R1 longer than any other rider in the Superbike field. That experience and familiarity will serve Mathew and the team well in what many predict will be MotoAmerica’s most exciting Superbike Championship season yet. And it all begins this weekend at Mathew’s home track, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
“It’s so great to be getting the season under way at Road Atlanta,” Mathew said. “Even though we don’t do too much testing there, it’s still a home track for me because it’s only, like, an hour’s drive. I have friend’s coming over who are supporting me. I’ve got neighbors coming. It really is special. But, most of all, just to kick off the 2021 season at a track that’s really strong for me, I’m really looking forward to it.
“You know, coming back from a terrible injury last year, I’ve been really itching to hop on the bike and race against the other MotoAmerica Superbike riders. I know that this year is going to be extremely hard, and it’s really difficult to pick out who you think is going to be the favorite to win, but I’m really thinking that, after looking at last year, we should be one of the main guys up there battling, but we’re just going to focus on ourselves on Friday, and we’ll take the races as they come on Saturday and Sunday, and just kind of work from there.
“The Westby team has been working hard all off-season. They’ve improved the bike, and I’ve definitely improved myself. So, I am looking forward to putting the whole package together, getting out there, and showing what we’re made of. I’d like to give a big shout-out to Tryg Westby, who obviously is the main man behind the team, and who gives us all the opportunity to showcase our talents. Me, Chuck, Ed, Herschel, Olly, Dustin, Johnny, everyone who’s part of the Westby team, and makes this all possible. Let’s go racing. Let’s get it under way. I hope to see all the fans there.”
Superbike final qualifying is on Saturday morning at 10:20 a.m. ET, Superbike race one will go green on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET, and Superbike Race 2 is on Sunday afternoon also at 3 p.m. ET. Both races will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 2 (FS2), as well as streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
JR12 Racing/Westby Racing Junior Cup rider Jack Roach will be making his debut aboard the black-and-gold #12 Yamaha YZF-R3 this weekend, and the 17-year-old is looking forward to railing around Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta’s 12-turn, 2.54-mile, undulating, natural road course.
Jack commented, “I’ve had some sleepless nights thinking about jumping on the Westby Racing R3 in full race trim, but I’ve been training harder than I’ve ever trained before, and I am 100% confident that I’m the fittest kid on that Junior Cup grid. And, with the package that Westby Racing has given me, I believe that we have a lot of potential at Atlanta. JR12/Westby Racing will be in full effect this weekend!”
Junior Cup race one starts on Saturday at 4:45 p.m. ET, and Junior Cup race two is on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Both races will be broadcast via tape-delay on FOX Sports 2 (FS2) this Tuesday, May 4, beginning at 9 p.m. ET. In addition, both Junior Cup races will be streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
Pick Up Some FREE Westby Racing Collectibles
Westby Racing has produced some great collectibles featuring Mathew and Jack, and they’ll be available at the team transporter throughout the weekend, so swing by and pick some up while maintaining proper social distancing.
For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit https://www.WestbyRacing.com Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
