VELOCE RACING’S KALEB DE KEYREL SCORES DOMINANT WIN TO TOP AN ALL-APRILIA PODIUM SUNDAY IN MOTOAMERICA TWINS CUP SEASON FINALE AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK
APRILIA RIDERS FINISH SEASON SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, SEVENTH AND EIGHTH IN TWINS CUP POINTS STANDINGS
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 – Sunday’s MotoAmerica race at Barber Motorsports Park was a trifecta from 2021 Twins Cup Champ Kaleb De Keyrel, who closed his second season racing an Aprilia RS 660 by shattering the class’s lap record in qualifying on Friday and Saturday, taking pole position, and continuing a weekend of bests to complete a commanding victory on Sunday, to lead an all-Aprilia podium in the final Twins Cup race of the season.
De Keyrel clinched the win by a margin of 3.688 seconds and was joined on the podium by Robem Engineering Aprilia riders Teagg Hobbs and Ben Gloddy.
With the last race of the 2022 season having been run, half of the riders in the top 10 in the final points standings competed this year on Aprilia RS 660 machines. Veloce Racing’s Jody Barry and Rodio Racing’s Anthony Mazziotto finished second and third in the points standings, with 191 points each. De Keyrel wrapped up the season in fourth with 175 points, and Hobbs and Gloddy ended up in seventh and eighth with 130 and 122 points, respectively.
De Keyrel didn’t get the best start in the Barber race but was still vying for the lead with another rider until the race was stopped on Lap 2. When the race resumed, De Keyrel got a better start and took the holeshot. As he entered Turn 5 on the first lap of the restarted race, De Keyrel’s motorcycle was struck by another bike when the second-place rider low-sided, but De Keyrel maintained the lead and thereafter went to work building a gap to the rest of the field. The Robem Engineering duo of Hobbs and Gloddy had to battle with another rider for most of the race for the last two steps on the podium, but the pair was able to secure another all-Aprilia Twins Cup podium to close the 2022 season.
The two Aprilia riders who were still mathematically eligible to win the Twins Cup title at Barber – Barry and Mazziotto — finished Sunday’s race in sixth and eighth.
It was De Keyrel’s fourth podium finish of the season, as well as Hobbs’ and Gloddy’s fourth and third trips to the box. It also was the second consecutive race that both Robem Engineering riders scored podium finishes, as Gloddy finished second and Hobbs third at the previous round at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
With more than 50 riders entered for Twins Cup at Barber, the field was split into two groups for practice and qualifying. De Keyrel was the second-fastest rider in Friday practice. He missed out on the top spot by just 0.078 seconds. Gloddy was fourth-fastest, Barry seventh and Hobbs ninth. Mazziotto did not take part in the session.
Later Friday in Qualifying 1, it was an Aprilia 1-2-3-4 at the top of the time sheets. De Keyrel paced the field with a lap time of 1:29.398. Hobbs finished the session in second, Gloddy in third and Barry fourth – all within a second of De Keyrel’s best lap time. Mazziotto was the ninth-fastest rider.
Qualifying concluded on Saturday with De Keyrel having secured his second pole position of the season with a 1:29.088 — besting the best previous pole-setting lap time by nearly two seconds. Gloddy made
it two Aprilia RS 660s on the front row by qualifying third. Hobbs qualified fourth, Barry seventh and Maziotto 10th – giving Aprilia five riders who qualified in the top 10.
Of the 51 riders entered for the Barber round, 17 were on Aprilia RS 660s.
Piaggio Group Americas thanks off the Aprilia riders who took part in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup this season and congratulates the six riders who scored podium finishes or victories aboard an Aprilia RS 660 this year.
Kaleb De Keyrel / Veloce Racing
“I had a really good race today. I led from start to finish and had a super-clean race. I just wanted to be smart and kept my head down. My Aprilia RS 660 was handling great all weekend, and the Veloce crew did a great job getting everything together. I can’t complain too much.”
Teagg Hobbs / Robem Engineering
“It was a great way to end the season. Ben Gloddy and I have had our struggles this year. For us to both be on the podium the last two races of the season and be consistently at the front in every session is a huge thing for the team – and us as riders. It just proves what the Robem Engineering team can do when it’s facing hardships. I have to thank the team, all my sponsors and my family for supporting me this year. It was a great season.”
Ben Gloddy / Robem Engineering
“I had a great race. I think we ended the season really well, and I want to keep this momentum rolling into next year. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the Robem Engineering crew being behind me, and I’m looking forward to seeing what next season has for us.”
