The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, witnessed an electrifying conclusion to the Quad Lock Superbike Race 2 on Sunday afternoon. Sean Dylan Kelly, representing OrangeCat Racing, delivered a masterclass in precision and timing, securing a dramatic last-lap victory. This thrilling race not only showcased Kelly’s exceptional skills but also highlighted the intense competition within the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
Mathew Scholtz of Strack Racing, who had led for 15 of the 16 laps, narrowly missed out on victory, finishing second. The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing duo of Bobby Fong and JD Beach completed the podium in third and fourth places, respectively. Hayden Gillim of Real Steel Honda rounded out the top five, adding to the competitive nature of the race.
The Dramatic Final Lap
The race took a dramatic turn in the closing stages as Kelly, starting from sixth place, embarked on a relentless chase to the front. With five laps remaining, he overtook JD Beach and Bobby Fong, setting the stage for a thrilling final lap. Entering Turn 13, known as ‘The Waterfall,’ Kelly executed a daring move, diving to the inside and forcing Scholtz onto the curbing. This bold maneuver allowed Kelly to power away and claim victory by a razor-thin margin of 0.499 seconds.
Scholtz, who had suffered a significant crash during the morning Warm Up, showcased remarkable resilience by rebuilding his Yamaha YZF-R1 and leading the race for most of the laps. Despite the setback, Scholtz retained the championship lead with 145 points, just five ahead of Kelly’s 140 points, setting the stage for an exciting continuation of the championship battle.
Notable Performances and Comebacks
The race also featured a remarkable comeback from Cameron Petersen of Wrench Motorcycles. Starting from second on the grid, Petersen faced an equipment malfunction on the opening lap, forcing him to pit and rejoin the field in 19th place. Undeterred, Petersen sliced through the pack, setting the fastest lap of the race with a 1:40.758 on Lap 6. His relentless pace allowed him to salvage a 10th-place finish, showcasing his determination and skill.
In the Superbike Cup, Andrew Lee continued his dominance, extending his championship lead to 84 points over Soltisz. Lee, piloting his Real Steel Honda, finished second in the Superbike Cup contingent and 11th
Quotes from the Winners
Sean Dylan Kelly expressed his excitement and gratitude following his victory: “What an incredible race. Like, by far, my best race, I think ever, not just in Superbike, but just ever. I had a rough few laps at the beginning, and I think it’s normal, you know, I’ve had a kind of rough weekend, big crash Friday, crash yesterday in the sighting lap before the race. Not a good race. Not very confident. Not too fast in Warm Up this morning in the dry. And then I almost crashed, you know, with a couple other guys the first few laps. So, it wasn’t looking like it was going to be my day again today, but I kept focused. I kept locked in, lap by lap, and things started to click, and I really just got into a flow state, and I felt so good with my bike.”
Kelly continued, “Seriously, thank you so much to the OrangeCat Racing team, to all my guys, to BMW. They gave me an incredible package, and I’m so happy to be feeling that strong with my bike, you know, and it clearly showed, I was able to make a lot of passes from sixth to first is quite a lot, especially when there’s a grid this stacked, you know? So, yeah, I’m glad I was able to make it to the podium places with a few laps to go, but at that point, I knew that I had a chance to fight for the win, and it was definitely a close one at the end, but Mathew (Scholtz), we know he’s, he’s a tough, tough racer. He closed the door, but I’m glad I was able to put the front wheel at least in the right spot to be able to keep us both safe and get my second win of the season.”
Andrew Lee, reflecting on his Superbike Cup performance, stated: “Yeah, I think this weekend presented some challenges, but We made some changes for qualifying that felt really good, and then we had some weird harmonic chatter in the race today that kind of was uneasy. So after a few laps, I just kind of backed it off. Going to my home around at Laguna Seca, I’m excited for that weekend. So just keep going to work and keep trying to develop the bike and make it a little bit more of my own.”
