Beaubier wins fourth MotoAmerica Superbike title
Dumas crowned Twins Cup champion, wins second AMA National No. 1 plate
Story and photos by Michael Marino
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Cameron Beaubier hadn’t led the MotoAmerica EBC Brakes Superbike points standings since winning the first race of the season, but he was at the top of the standings when it mattered most Sunday afternoon at Barber Motorsports Park.
The Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing rider recorded his sixth win of 2019 in the last race of the season to win his fourth MotoAmerica Superbike title in five years.
Beaubier started the weekend event 16 points behind Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing rider Toni Elias, who finished third in Saturday’s Race 1 and fourth in Sunday’s Race 2. Elias lost the championship by 5 points (367 to 362).
Beaubier’s victories on Saturday and Sunday capped a come-from-behind effort that began after Race 1 at the MotoAmerica Championship of Sonoma on Aug. 10.
Beaubier crashed out of that race, falling 59 points behind Elias. Since the crash, Beaubier scored four wins and three runner-up finishes in seven races, while Elias scored one victory, two third places and failed to finish one race.
“It’s pretty crazy, really, because we’ve won all four [championships] completely different ways,” Beaubier said. “Last year, after the half-way point we were pretty dominant and closed it down a round early. And that felt so good. This year has been completely different. I’ve been on my tippy-toes every race, fighting my bike a little bit. I wasn’t gelling like I have with it in the past.”
It was a difficult end to the season for Elias, who has raced for the Yoshimura Suzuki team since 2016. The 2010 FIM Moto2 World Champion and FIM MotoGP race winner is the only rider other than Beaubier to win a Superbike title since MotoAmerica took over operating the AMA Superbike Championship in 2015.
“First of all, I want to congratulate Cameron and Yamaha,” Elias said. “They had an amazing end of the season and they deserve this win. For me it is not nice—it’s hard and sad. It will take some days to digest this loss and accept it.”
Elias credited his team effort during the season-ending event and said he plans to return to the Yoshimura Suzuki team for the 2020 season.
MotoAmerica Twins Cup
The MotoAmerica Twins Cup title also was decided on Sunday.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider and 2018 MotoAmerica Liqui Moly Junior Cup Champion Alex Dumas led Draik Beauchamp by 21 points at the start of the weekend.
Dumas was classified third in Sunday’s Twins Cup race after receiving a penalty.
The podium finish gave Dumas enough points to claim the championship by 26 points. Beauchamp finished the race in fifth place.
Supersport
In the Supersport race, Bobby Fong capped his championship-winning 2019 season with a crash and a victory.
The M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider crashed on Lap 15, which resulted in dirt and debris being scattered across the racing surface. The race was stopped and deemed complete after the incident.
Fong was declared the winner, because he was the leading rider on the last completed lap and was determined to be actively competing at the time the race was stopped.
Sunday’s other two races were won by riders who had wrapped up championships at the previous round and scored victories on Saturday.
Rocco Landers and Andrew Lee won the Liqui Moly Junior Cup and Stock 1000 races to wrap up their championship-winning seasons with double victories.