Sonoma, CA - August 14, 2017 –

With AMA/FIM-sanctioned road racing returning to Sonoma Raceway for the first time since 2012 over the past weekend, the event couldn’t have come at a better time for Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, even though the 2016 South African SuperGP Champion hadn’t previously turned a wheel on the iconic racetrack, let alone visited Northern California.

 

The brand-new environs were a non-factor for Mathew as he quickly got up to speed on the 2.52-mile, 12-turn road course. In fact, “The Scholtz Kid” was the fastest Superstock 1000 on the track in the very first practice session, not to mention being fourth-fastest overall, including the factory Superbikes with which the Superstock 1000 riders share the track.

 

And Mathew’s quick laps got even quicker as the weekend progressed, culminating in him qualifying second overall on the starting grid during Superpole, with Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory’s racing’s Cameron Beaubier (who is the two-time and defending Superbike Champion) the only rider who was faster than Mathew.

 

In Saturday afternoon’s Superstock 1000 Race 1, Mathew finished second and increased his lead in the Championship to 46 points. And then, in Sunday afternoon’s Superstock 1000 Race 2, Mathew notched his sixth win of the season despite suffering arm pump due to the technical nature of Sonoma Raceway with its numerous tight turns and hard-braking zones.

 

Recapping his weekend, Mathew said, “Yesterday was a really difficult race. After the Friday practice, I felt like I had the pace to battle with these Superbike guys and take the Superstock win, but it just didn’t seem to work out like that. But, we went back to the drawing board (Saturday) night and changed the bike slightly. That definitely seemed to help me out, but I had some serious arm pump in Sunday’s race. I’m really happy to take the Superstock win and open up the Championship lead even more. Next, we head into Pittsburgh, and that’s where I had a really good test. I’m hoping I can just carry on taking some more wins and take the Championship. That’s the ultimate goal for us.”

 

After the weekend’s two races, Mathew now leads the 2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Championship by 51 points with six races left in the season.

 

The Yamalube/Westby Racing team will next race at the Championship of Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania on August 25-27.

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For more updates on Yamalube/Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos visit “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media site.

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