MotoAmerica’s 150th Superbike Race Set For BIR

When The Checkered Flag Falls On Sunday at Brainerd International Raceway, The 150^th MotoAmerica Superbike Race Will Be In The Books

IRVINE, CA – July 29, 2022 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Sunday’s MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike race at Brainerd International Raceway will mark a milestone for North America’s premier motorcycle road racing championship as it will be the 150^th Superbike race held in the MotoAmerica era, which dates to the first-ever MotoAmerica Superbike race on April 11, 2015, at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.

The winner that day? Fittingly, it was four-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes who ushered in the new series with a victory over his Yamaha teammate Cameron Beaubier, the man who would carry the MotoAmerica torch as its champion for five out of the next six years. Back then Superstock 1000 bikes ran with the Superbikes with separate results. Thus, it was also fitting that the first Superstock 1000 race gave us a glimpse into the future as it was won by Jake Gagne, the current MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Champion.

There were just 11 Superbike entries on the grid at COTA in 2015, 15 less than the 26 who were led home to the finish at COTA this year by race winner Danilo Petrucci.

That first season of MotoAmerica racing also featured several wet races, including the “rainey” one that opened the era in Texas with Hayes topping his Monster Energy Graves Yamaha teammate Beaubier by 5.2 seconds and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden rounding out the podium.

The following day, Beaubier won his first career MotoAmerica Superbike race in a thriller over Hayes by less than half a second.

“I have a lot of friends here in Texas and I’m a bit overwhelmed,” Hayes said after winning what was his 49^th career Superbike victory on day one. “We’ve had some dodgy weather, we’ve had some good weather, we’ve had a little bit of everything. I feel like we’ve had a good sprinkle of everything. To have a successful race weekend and come out of here with a win, regardless of what happens tomorrow, it’s fantastic. I’m very happy to be up here and get one in for Yamaha and the new R1. My team has done an amazing job. I was prepared, rain or shine. Mentally, I was in a really good state. I was ready to go either way very early in the weekend.”

In race two, Beaubier (who qualified on pole position) won his first career MotoAmerica Superbike race in a thriller over Hayes by less than half a second.

“I saw…