MotoAmerica – Round 7 – Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma, CA – Have you ever had one of those weekends? A weekend where the news was flying out at record pace and you felt like you couldn’t possibly keep up with it all? That was Round 7…
Round 7 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship took place in the beautiful rolling hills of California Wine Country this past weekend. Rolling into the track by the bay, the team was looking forward to continuing their progress that began to take shape while in Utah. While Utah Motorsports Campus isn’t exactly a team favorite, and yes, it’s true that things weren’t amazing, during the last race, there were some significantly positive aspects that came from the high desert facility. So armed with two clean and fully prepped Honda CBR1000RR SP2’s and two young and eager riders, the team had high hopes for some strong results at Sonoma.
This is a complicated tale to tell. Only a person proficient in Common Core methods of achieving “3” when solving for 1+1 could accurately explain everything that occurred during this off nominal race weekend. In a simplified explanation the weekend can be described as “-1+1-1=1” The more elaborate description is as follows.
When “-1” is Jayson Uribe: This was slated to be Jayson Uribe’s final round as the team’s second rider. As his agreement was for the West Coast rounds in order to help the team develop a second bike and assist in validating whether or not a second bike would be feasible. Along that path of development, Jayson quickly got up to speed on the Genuine Broaster Chicken / Honda and was an immediate asset to the team. So his motivation for the weekend was to go all out and ride his machine for all it was worth. And that, he would do.
When “+1” is Bobby Fong: Before the transporter was even leveled and opened, there was already a buzz that there was a potentially new rider for the second Genuine Broaster Chicken / Honda for the remainder of the season. It didn’t take long before the team was able to confirm the addition of Bobby Fong aboard the new #50 Big Red Bike. Bobby comes to the team with a wealth of experience and talent. Having never ridden a Honda before, there’s a lot of questions as to how he’ll get along with his new ride. Fortunately, he’s going to be testing this week and folks won’t have to wait too long to get some answers.
When “-1” is Cameron Petersen: Following a steady progression of speed and results, Cam was poised to do well at one of only two tracks he’s ridden with the 1000cc Honda. Over the last few rounds, Cam has shown glimpses of power and aggression that is needed to run with the big dogs at the front. In qualifying sessions over this past weekend, he was inside the top five and running consistently strong. A lightning start in race one put everyone on notice, until it all came to an abrupt and painful end.
So how does this all make “1”? Let’s find out.
Beginning on Friday morning, there was a sense of pride in progress. Despite what transpired in Utah, both Cam and Jayson had strong showings and demonstrated their capabilities aboard the Honda. Cam in particular was coming around to how the Honda performs and he was excited to ride around one of the only two tracks that he is familiar with on the 1000cc machine. QP1 had a bit of a split personality. Cam was immediately fast and never dipped outside the top five. He was showing true speed and determination and everyone on the #Camp45 side of the garage was excited by the performance. Jayson, on the other hand was struggling with an as of yet undetermined issue. This is unfortunate as Jayson considers this track his home track. Despite the issue, Jayson was still able to ride around it and finish QP1 in P12. Both riders were sitting in Superpole positions with Jayson on the bubble.
Without having much time to diagnose the issue before QP2, Jayson’s crew did all they could to ensure he’d have the best bike possible by the afternoon session. However, the issue persisted and Jayson wasn’t able to improve upon his time in the session and ended in P12 again. This time though, he would fall off the bubble as his combined times had him in P13, just outside the Superpole requirements. While Jayson fought a gremlin, Cam was flying! While not inside the top five, Cam was showing potential for a front running performance as he finished QP2 in eighth with a combined position of fifth. His strongest pre-superpole performance of the season and something that provided a much needed confidence boost ahead of Saturday morning’s Superpole.
Saturday morning’s Free Practice was more of a shakedown run for Jayson and his crew and they fixed the issue that caused Jayson to feel unstable on Friday. It was determined to be an issue with one of his forks. During those valuable 25 minutes in the early morning, it was clear that the problem had been solved and he’d be ready for Race One later that afternoon.
Cam and his crew were ready for Superpole. They were confident that Cam would be able to put that Genuine Broaster Chicken / Honda up with the big dogs for the races. They’d only have 15 minutes to make their case and it would be all up to Cam. As the usefulness of his second qualifying Dunlop had expired, Cam was in P6, his highest position of the season. There were only a few riders left on flying laps and as they crossed the line, only one of them would best his time. Cam equalled his best qualifying position of the season and would start from P7 on the grid.
Race one was set to go down under ideal conditions. The weather off the bay was just about perfect and the crowd had turned out to enjoy a beautiful day of racing in the California sun. As the lights went out, Cam made a start that is the stuff of legends. He literally leapt out of his box and was in P4 by the second turn. That first lap from Cam was amazing! Jayson had also made a solid start and was soon in a fight within the top ten. Cam would eventually fall back into sixth but still firmly within the lead group. Then, things just went south. Cam would save his bike from a low side, but not before it bucked him around. His feet were knocked off the rear-sets and when he attempted to reestablish his footing, his left foot was sucked into the rear tire. With his boot between the tire and the swingarm. The chain was a literal buzz saw that cut into the top of Cam’s foot. Unable to finish, Cam pulled into the pits and was rushed away for medical attention. As the race was not red flagged, Jayson would solider on, unaware of his teammate’s situation and bring his machine home in P10.
Over the course of the next few hours, it was determined that Cam would not be able to ride in Race Two. This left Jayson as the solo standard bearer for the remaining race. His last race with the team, would be the one where he has to fly the colors and carry the weight of the team on his shoulders. Now, the crews weren’t just going to send him out with his normal equipment, not when the “A” Bike was just sitting around. Over the night, the crews swapped out Jayson’s forks for a completely new set-up as well as some other trick kit parts that would help him around the circuit. He would only have 15 minutes on Sunday morning to test the new equipment, but that quickly ended after a lap when an electrical issue forced him to the pits. He would have to go into Race Two without seat time.
Race Two was held under almost the exact same conditions as Race One with the exception of a strong wind off the bay. Starting from twelfth on the grid as everyone moved up as a result of Cam’s absence, Jayson would make another good start. In the opening laps, Jayson was once again fighting within the top ten. However, as the race wore on and his unfamiliarity with the new parts took their toll, Jayson would find himself in lonely tenth. In his final race for the team, Jayson showed a tremendous amount of talent and poise as he nailed his 3rd top ten.
The team will now have some sorting to do. Cameron is slated for further evaluation this week and a determination on his condition will be made following those evaluations. Most likely, Cameron will be unable to ride at Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, his new teammate, Bobby Fong will be in Colorado testing at their High Plains Raceway home track. This will be Bobby’s first ride aboard the Honda as well as the team’s first time working with this talented rider. So, let’s review and solve our twisted math word problem.
-1+1-1 = 1 Solution: – Jayson Uribe + Bobby Fong – Cameron Petersen = Bobby Fong. We just nailed Common Core!!
Quotes
Cameron Petersen – 45
“What can I say other then, ‘I’m gutted!’ I know that I had the pace this weekend to break into the next level. I was feeling really confident because this is one of the tracks I’m familiar with on the big bike. So I was excited to get out there and put on some good laps and battle for the top five.
I was there on Friday and I was feeling really confident. I’m feeling like I’ve really started to click with the bike lately and understand how to ride the Honda.
I made a heck of a start in race one and was in fourth at one point during the opening laps. I was trying to settle in when I had a small issue with the front tire and tried to save it. My foot got caught in the tire and the swing-arm and it was all I could do to bring the bike back in. I didn’t think I could.
It looks like I have some damage to some tendons but I’ll know more after I see the doctor when I get home. I’m just absolutely bummed you know. I was capable of running up near the front and breaking that top five. The guys have all worked so hard and we’re right there!
I’ll be back soon, I’m confident that I can make a quick recovery and show the paddock what we can do!”
Jayson Uribe – 36
“I had a great closing weekend with the Genuine Broaster Chicken / Honda / RoadRace Factory crew. We had some ups and downs, but overall, I couldn’t ask for anything more.
We had a rough day on Friday. The team worked hard to find a fix, but I felt like I was riding a bucking bronco. I felt like I had forgotten how to ride a motorcycle. Little did we know that one of our front forks was malfunctioning!
Saturday brought a solid battle in my race, but a bitter end to my team mate Cameron Peterson, as he got injured in a fluke “accident”.
Sunday was a new day, and with new parts on my bike, I felt great. We had a mechanical problem in warm up, so we went straight into the race with practically no idea how the bike would behave.
I tried my best, and we scored a 10th place in both races. Race two was my first “real” top 10, seeing as I had to really fight, and no riders crashed in front of me.
I’m sad to be leaving the RRF crew, but I’m walking away on my own terms and with no hard feelings towards anyone. I look forward to working with them again in the future!”
Danny Walker – Team Principal
“This season it seems like we take a couple steps forward and then a few steps back.
Honestly, I’m feeling pretty gutted for Cam. He was on fire all weekend and really starting to show his potential and demonstrate the capabilities of the Honda CBR1000RRSP2. We’ve known all along that the bike is strong and we are getting to the point where Cam and the machine are really gelling. So to have this happen now, I just feel terrible for him. It’s one of the freakiest things I’ve seen in all my years in this sport.
I’m confident though that when he’s ready to come back, he’ll pick up where he left off. He’s feeling good and his performances are improving every weekend.
Funny thing is, I offered to pay him an extra $100 for every person he passed on the first lap in that race. I’m sure glad he didn’t accept it because his first race start was awesome. We are just glad it was not any worse than it is. I am feeling pretty confident he will be back soon.
Jayson, what can I say other than ‘I’m impressed’! I’ve known Jayson and his family for a long time and I was happy to help provide him this opportunity. We benefited a ton by having him out there and we truly enjoyed having him and his family under our canopy. He put on a great performance this past weekend with a pair of solid P10’s and that’s more than I could’ve asked for! He did an outstanding job for us and I wish him all the best in his remaining AFM rounds.”
Scott Jensen – Crew Chief
“Sonoma is one of the tracks on the circuit that I look forward to. It’s a flowing riders type of track that suits the stable confidence inspiring CBR1000RR SP2 very well, so we come into this event optimistically every year!
The weekend started off very well for both riders this event. By the end of FP1 Cam was confidently in P5. For Cam the bike seemed to work very well as it came off the truck. After a very tight superpole we were sitting P7 on the grid, but less than .4 of a second of Josh Herrin in third.
Race one started off very well with our best start and opening lap of the season, Cam confidently settled into the battle for 5th place. Around half way in the race Cam had a front end push which ended up knocking his foot off the foot peg and his foot managed to hit the top of the rotating rear tire that sucked it down between the rear tire and the chain on the top of the swing-arm. The chain ended up cutting the top of his foot open and unfortunately cut two tendons in his foot. This unfortunately was the end of the event for Cam. We expect him to make a strong return very soon!!
Jayson finished up his MotoAmerica Superbike three event swing this weekend with two very strong 10th place finishes. I would like to thank the entire Uribe family for a great experience this year and for their commitment to Jaysons racing career. You have raised a great son!
Now we prepare for PittRace, and the newest addition to the Broasters Honda team, Bobby Fong!”
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