Sunnyvale, Calif., October 23, 2020 – On-track action returned to the hills of Laguna Seca as the nation’s top Superbike riders faced off on day one of the MotoAmerica Speedfest at Monterey in California.
Lorenzo Zanetti (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York) led the Ducati charge, finishing the second qualifying session third, behind pacesetter Cameron Beaubier. Zanetti pounded out 19 laps in session one and 17 laps in session two of Laguna on his first racing visit to the venue, finishing a scant 0.001 seconds off Yamaha’s Jake Gagne in second.
Kyle Wyman (Ducati Richmond/KWR Ducati Team) started the first day off on the right foot, taking third in the opening qualifying session. The Arizona resident slipped to sixth in the second qualifying session, putting in more laps than any other rider bar Beaubier, both men circulating Laguna Seca 22 times in the session to go with his 21 laps of session one.
Wyman’s best lap was just 0.159 seconds off Zanetti, and with a second row start for race two, Wyman is in good shape for race one tomorrow.
FP1 Final Standing
P1 — Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 1:24.728
P2 — Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha) 1:24.750
P3 — Kyle Wyman (Ducati) 1:25.768
P4 — Lorenzo Zanetti (Ducati) 1:26.000
P5 — Niccolo Canepa (Yamaha) 1:26.297
FP2 Final Standing
P1 — Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha) 1:23.194
P2 — Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 1:24.615
P3 — Lorenzo Zanetti (Ducati) 1:24.616
P4 — Bobby Fong (Suzuki) 1:24.699
P5 — Toni Elias (Suzuki) 1:24.727
P6 — Kyle Wyman (Ducati) 1:24.775
Lorenzo Zanetti (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York – Ducati #87)
“I’m happy because this is not an easy track to learn,” Zanetti said. “But I have good WorldSBK experience, so normally I’m pretty quick to learn the track.
“I’m happy, especially as I started with the data from the WorldSBK team when they raced here last year.
“The track is different to Indy but also similar to many tracks in Europe. Some parts I think of Imola or other tracks I’m used to. I’m not totally comfortable on the bike yet, but when I see I’m on the front row, with this sensation, it’s quite good!”
Kyle Wyman (Ducati Richmond/KWR Ducati Team – Ducati #33)
“Today was really good,” Wyman enthused. “It’s the fastest I’ve ever gone around here. I’m happy but also a little gutted because only two more tenths and I’d be in second on the grid. Everybody is so close.
“The bike is feeling good. We need to get around the flatter corners a little better—the cambered corners we are going well in—so we’ll look at the sectors tonight to find the weak points.
“We didn’t change the bike much today. I just spun a lot of laps. The goal was to try and get more comfortable and not chase the bike around in settings. You can make a lot of time just working on yourself, so that’s where I focused today.
“In the second session, we tried the softer rear tire but it didn’t work with the front, so we threw this morning’s harder used tire on and I immediately went half a second faster, even though the tire was used.
“We have some really good race pace. It’s going to be a scrap this weekend with everyone so close.”
