Beaubier Fires First Shot with Race One Win at MotoAmerica Superbike Opener

“The weekend was actually a really strong one for us. Garrett Gerloff got his first pole and really set the pace in the first two sessions. He was on fire from the beginning of the time he got here, but unfortunately had some bad luck in the races. Cameron had some bad luck early on, too, and couldn’t get the Superpole, but being a champion he overcame that and won the first race. So overall, I think it was a really strong first event for us. Not exactly what we wanted or what we could have accomplished, but we’re leaving here better than we did last year and looking forward to Texas next weekend.”

“Yesterday’s win was a great start to the season. After the struggles we had on the first day, I was like, ‘Here we go again.’ This is the same first-round bad luck that we’ve had the past few years. But it definitely turned around for us Saturday. I really wasn’t expecting that after the day we had Friday. Toni kind of handed me a gift there a little bit. It would have been a little different. It definitely would have been a dogfight there at the end.

“Today, I felt like I got off to a lot better start and my first couple laps were quite a bit better too, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get the win. So it was a little bit frustrating. I can make all the excuses I want. I just got flat-out beat. The competition is really stacked right now. It was a tough day, but at the end of the day, we’re coming out of here with good points, especially starting out as far back as we did.”

“It started out great. We took the bike out of the truck and everything that we had done in off-season testing worked perfect here, which I was worried about coming into because this track’s a lot different than the tracks we test on. I was able to go fast right away and get my first Superpole, which was awesome. I felt great and I was ready to go out there and try to get my first win, too, but unfortunately, I made a mistake.

“Today I had a second chance. I felt great off the start. I had a good jump. I had a good feeling with the tires and everything. I was there with Toni [Elias] for a while and just trying to figure out what was going on. I still haven’t really raced with these guys. It’s crazy to think about that, after a year of racing, but I’ve never done more than a lap with Toni or Cameron or any of these guys. So that was really good, but then just had a crazy thing.

“It’s disappointing after the speed I know that I had, the consistency that I had also, and not to be able to do the deed and put it on top of the box or at least on the podium for the team and for everybody. I know that there’s highs and lows in racing, though. What goes up must come down, and what’s down low, has got to come up at some point. I feel I’m destined for a breakthrough, and I’ll be fighting until the end of the year.”