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Exhilarating Final-Lap Battle in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race
BREA, CA – August 27, 2018 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Toni Elias scored a nail-biting victory in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Superbike race at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (PittRace). Defending series champ Elias and current series leader Cameron Beaubier passed each other several times on the final lap with Elias scratching and clawing his way to his seventh victory of the year.
His win, combined with his fourth-place on Saturday, drew Elias seven-points closer in the series standings. Elias is now 57 points back (329-273) with four races remaining in the 2018 championship.
Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Roger Hayden had a tough outing at PittRace, finishing seventh in Saturday’s race and crashing out of Sunday’s after another rider made contact with him.
In Sunday’s race Elias was able to quickly power to the front of the field on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Elias looked strong throughout the 18-lap final, but in the closing laps Beaubier moved up to make a challenge. In a thrilling final lap the leading duo got into a heated exchange, swapping the lead several times before Elias finally wrestled away control of the race in the final few turns.
“Cameron has been so strong here this weekend I didn’t think I would be able to run this pace,” Elias said. “My team asked me to try a different setup and I agreed to do it and it worked to perfection. It was a great battle and we were both on the limit. I think it was a great race for the fans. I want to dedicate this victory to our announcer Brian Drebber. He was great man and we will miss him.”
Elias was referring to MotoAmerica track announcer Brian Drebber who tragically passed away on Thursday.
For Hayden things were setting up for a much better race for him on Sunday when the collision occurred.
“I had a good start and made some good passes,” Hayden explained. “Then at turn six another guy got up inside of me hit my elbow and down I went. I was disappointing because we had pretty good pace, I’m looking forward to New Jersey. It’s a track that I like and we’re hoping to have a good weekend there.”
Hayden is ranked eighth in the championship.
Next up for the team is the Championship of New Jersey at New Jersey Motorsports Park on September 7-9 in Millville, NJ. You can catch MotoAmerica racing action televised on beIN Sports.
About Suzuki:
Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com
Contact:
Avery Innis
Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. Press Relations Manager
(714) 996-7040 x2241
[email protected]
Rachel Anderson
Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. Press Relations / Marketing Specialist
(714) 996-7040 x2009
[email protected]
About Yoshimura R&D of America:
Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com.
Contact:
Larry Lawrence
Lawrence Media (for Yoshimura R&D of America)
(317) 852-6390
[email protected]
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